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How do you make knitted socks last longer?
5+1 tips for knitting socks that last
- Knit with good quality yarn. Selecting good quality sock yarn is maybe one of the most important factors. …
- Knit denser fabric. Good quality yarn does not help you much if the fabric you make is too loose. …
- Reinforce heel and toes. …
- Wash correctly. …
- Make the socks more fitting.
Do knitted socks last?
With just a little bit of effort, your handknit socks can last through quite a bit of wear. Washing wool socks isn’t nearly as hard as it might seem at first glance. Give your knit wool socks some love, and they’ll love you back!
Can you knit socks with 100% wool?
According to Ravelry, I made my first successful pair of 100% wool socks in 2011 (there were three previous pairs that didn’t fit), and incredibly, they are still going strong despite fortnightly wear. My longest-lasting pair of purchased socks is probably no more than five years old.
Are knitting socks worth it?
Knitting socks in wool will keep your feet from getting stinky. On the other hand, if you knit your own socks, you can choose the fiber mix that works for you. … There are cotton blends for those of you who like your feet to be a little cooler. You can even get cashmere-blend yarns for a little extra luxury.
How long does an average pair of socks last?
“Regardless of the height of your sock, it should sit comfortably on your foot and leg,” she adds. If worn once a week, socks should last between six months to a year, according to Willy Mrasek, the Creative Director at Felina Socks.
How long should it take to knit socks?
There is no exact number of days or hours to finish a pair of socks. It all depends on your skills, your needle size, and the yarn you use. Some knitters can finish a pair of socks in eight hours, while others in two days.
How can I make my socks fit better?
1. If you want a snug sock, go down one or two needle sizes. Even a change yielding 8 to 9 stitches per inch would make this sock more than 1 inch smaller in circumference in the foot. It would also produce a significantly tighter stitch, which is good if you wear through socks quickly.
Are knitted socks comfortable?
When made correctly, hand knit socks are incredibly comfortable. A pair of socks is a relatively quick and easy project. Socks are great skill builders. There are various ways to do the shaping of the toes and heels, with stitches and techniques that you will encounter in larger projects.
Are socks difficult to knit?
It’s not that difficult!
Beginners to sock knitting often fear the heel, but they are not very difficult and don’t take long to knit.
What needles do I need to knit socks?
There are three main different types of knitting needles you can use to knit socks; a set of double pointed needles, a long circular needle with an 80cm cable, or a small circular needle with a 25cm cable.
Can you finger knit socks?
To finger knit, all you need is a ball of yarn and your hands. … Though the finished knitted strip can be as long as you want, it will always only be as wide as your palm, four stitches across. However, you can use a tapestry needle to sew multiple finger-knitted pieces together to create other items, such as socks. | https://vandcdesign.com/beading/how-do-you-knit-a-sock-that-lasts.html |
7.3 The parties agree that the procedure implemented and the information gathered for the assessment and settlement of the claim was appropriate and sufficient to allow the parties to reach agreement on the application. Payments should compensate you as much as possible for your future loss of income until you find a job. In this way, an employment tribunal would calculate the amount of the teacher comparison contract you will receive, as well as most of your losses if you fought and earned a right to wrongful dismissal. Your manager will contact you on the final terms of the agreement. If you agree to these conditions, your manager will send the agreement to the NEW Payment Agents Team (CSAO). CSAOs act as independent advisors. The advisor`s job is to advise you in writing on the terms and consequences of signing the contract. You are asked to read the advice carefully and sign and make the agreement if you agree to the terms. In the education sector, agreements are generally proposed to establish educational channels in circumstances where labour relations have irreparably collapsed. when formal disciplinary or capacity procedures are threatened by teachers; In the event of long-term absenteeism; or when employers offer redundancies. If you want a printed copy of this agreement, we advise you to download the following PDF version. However, some rights should be exempted from compromise rights through a teacher comparison contract, such as. B acquired pension rights and future rights to personal injury.
The protection of these rights under the agreement ensures that rights can continue to be invoked with respect to the teachers` pension scheme or the local pension system (LGPS) – essential rights for those working in the education sector. NZEI Te Riu Roa and NZSTA will jointly develop and provide a set of resources that will be informed by the information collected to provide employers with specific advice to employers on the use of temporary agreements. The resource package could include: Keep reading to learn more about teacher comparison agreements and how Thompson can help you. In addition to the standard clauses contained in all transaction agreements, there are specific clauses that are relevant to teachers, that Thompsons will ensure that they are included to protect you, giving you the best chance of freely starting your previous job. In return for signing a teacher comparison contract and waiving some of your legal rights, you can expect a generally higher compensation package than you would intend to receive if you judged. Specific confidentiality obligations are defined as part of the transaction agreement; You should follow the advice of your manager. Care should be taken to understand and comply with the clause, as a breach of confidentiality could invalidate the transaction contract and allow the employer to recover compensation. An agreed reference is a form of words that the employer is willing to use in the event of a professional reference request by a potential employer. Positive professional references are a valuable element of comparative agreements for teachers and educators. If you have agreed to leave your job, your manager has negotiated a termination date, which is indicated in the settlement agreement.
The general rule is that workers cannot legally sign their legal rights. Billing agreements are an exception to this rule. | https://www.fightopinion.com/2021/04/12/settlement-agreement-for-teachers/ |
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In this article, the author talks about what everybody feels at one point in their life but they never pause to dwell over it. That distinguishing feature of our generation, as the author likes to call it, is the race everybody has geared to run in trying to find their individuality in a society that enforces homogenization and conditions everyone into like-minded individuals. As children, we were free of inhibitions, and with dreams abound – but this system has molded us into doubting cynics who without any thought to our childhood ambitions jumped in to compete in a race without understanding what the race is all about – and as more people join in it gets tougher and tougher. The author advises us to stop chasing superficial labels and prioritize things which bring us joy. She has grown to realize that the joys of life are hidden not in these labels but those moments which we avoid or push in abeyance – for a life after winning. But this race is an illusion which we will keep running until the end of time. If you feel likewise, her advice is to stop, introspect and rethink your choices.
Article Link: Click here to read the full article
Words to learn from this Article:
Conventionality: Conformity with conventional thought and behavior
Homogenization: The act of making something homogeneous or uniform in composition
Conditioning: A learning process in which an organism’s behavior becomes dependent on the occurrence of a stimulus in its environment
Transience: An impermanence that suggests the inevitability of ending or dying
Explore More: Previous 3 Daily Reads Articles
Reading Motivation
- Make sure you maintain your focus and cut out the crap from your lives.
- Next six months, you need to concentrate and execute.
- Set achievable goals on a daily basis and then make complete them. | https://wordpandit.com/daily-reads-2020-article-78/ |
The Vancouver Pride Society (VPS) is endeavouring to become more inclusive by boosting its efforts to understand and address the needs of Indigenous, black, and people of colour community members.
The VPS announced two main initiatives in a news release issued today (February 26) that are part of an ongoing consultation process that began in 2016.
The consultation process was launched to address concerns that had been raised about police participation and racism that pre-dated the discussions prompted Black Lives Matter Vancouver raising concerns about police presence in the Vancouver Pride parade in July 2016.
The Vancouver Pride Society has appointed Serene Carter as the new community partnerships coordinator.
As part of this commitment, Serene Carter, who identifies as a queer, Indian-Fijian, mixed-race femme, has been appointed as the new community partnerships coordinator. This new permanent staff position is an expansion of a former seasonl community partnerships role, which will be dedicated to collaborations with black, Indigenous, and people of colour communities.
VPS communications coordinator Kaschelle Thiessen explained to the Georgia Straight that previously, the community partnerships coordinator focused on helping community partners, including reducing barriers to events and supporting events by other organizations.
Thiessen also stated that as Vancouver Pride has never previously held any events focused upon black, Indigenous, or people of colour community members, and some community feedback asked for more resources devoted to QTBIPOC communities, the community partnerships coordinator role was allocated to that to build upon previous collaborations.
In addition, the VPS will hold a community consultation for queer, trans, black, Indigenous, and people of colour (QTBIPOC) individuals to collect feedback that will help in the development and creation of new and accessible spaces during Pride.
The consultation will consists of an anonymous online survey, group community consultation sessions, individual phone or in-person meetings, and consultations with community groups. Full details about how to participate in the consultations can be found at the VPS website. Anyone interested should respond by April 20.
As a result of recommendations from previous consultations, the VPS began making changes in 2017 by increasing accessibility services and started a bursary program for small, marginalized, or vulnerable groups.
The Georgia Straight has contacted the VPS for further information. | https://www.straight.com/life/1206251/vancouver-pride-aims-increase-inclusion-diversity-new-initiatives |
Apprentice Riders:
Chelsea Burdan (a3) 027 910 6023
Darren Danis (a2) 027 467 6151
Jasmine Fawcett (a1) 027 815 5963
Ashvin Goindasamy (a2) 021 255 2261
Masa Hashizume (a3) 027 363 4089
Tegan Newman (a3) 0211 715 703
Elen Nicholas (a4) c/-0273561122
Taiki Yanagida (a2) c/- 021 260 7170
Senior Riders:
Andrew Calder c/- 0273 790 420
Sam Collett c/- 021 260 7170
Craig Grylls c/- 021 260 7170
Reece Jones 027 229 2775
Ryoya Kozaki c/- 0273 790 420
Cameron Lammas c/- 027 2929 153
Richard Oliver c/- 0274 351 015
Jason Waddell 021 1477378
ACCESS TO SADDLING ENCLOSURE
Following consultation with the New Zealand Trainers’ Association & Racing Clubs, it has been agreed that entry to the Saddling Enclosures at all thoroughbred racing venues will be restricted to Licensed Trainers & Registered Persons. In conjunction with this directive, the minimum age for staff to enter these areas is 14 years unless a Stipendiary Steward has granted prior approval. In order to enforce this policy, Licensed Trainers and Licensed Persons must display their official NZTR ID card to gain access to the Saddling Enclosure areas on raceday. | https://loveracing.nz/RaceInfo/29812/Meeting-News-Article.aspx |
With extensive research and evidence around the impact of the social determinants of health on overall health, communities across the country need to coordinate care along the continuum, from physical and clinical care to human and social care. Interoperability and data exchange is a critical component for this transformation and shift in America. Within healthcare Health Information Exchanges (HIEs) have become a standard to share data across health systems. But now as the definition of “health” and “patient care” has evolved, the standard around data exchange and interoperability has also changed. This transition means that data exchange and care coordination must now include social determinant of health data, and the development of Community Information Exchanges (CIEs) is a monumental step forward.
The first ever Community Information Exchange Summit, hosted by 2-1-1 San Diego, Live Well San Diego, and San Diego Health Connect, on April 16th-17th explored new innovative programs that are navigating the intersection between health and social care delivery. 2-1-1 San Diego has been a pioneer, as they have have taken the lead in the San Diego area to leverage their call centers, community resource directory, and community outreach programs to extend their reach and impact through their CIE to better serve San Diegans. Unite Us powers SD United their Veteran focused CIE. Throughout the course of the summit, speakers and panelists went into detail about specific community projects centered around sharing health and social information. These presentations ranged from 2-1-1 San Diego’s CIE to the Camden Coalition in Camden, NJ.
Connecting the Unconnected at Scale
At the summit Taylor Justice, Unite Us Co-Founder and President was on a panel alongside our partners, Jim McDonough from the Institute for Veterans and Military Families (IVMF), Steve Alt from 211 San Diego, Robert Muth from Veterans Legal Clinic- UCSD, and Ron Stark from San Diego Veterans Coalition. A major theme throughout the conference was “connecting the unconnected” to support those who have historically fallen through the cracks when it comes to accessing and receiving services, regardless of what type of service it is. Jim McDonough kicked off the panel session highlighting that each of the projects and partnerships that were discussed at the summit were at a community level, where the scalability of these projects was not a reality yet, something that the AmericaServes initiative has achieved and continues to strengthen.
The first AmericaServes network launched in New York City in 2013 and has since expanded to 16 cities across the country, and is expected to grow to 18 by year end. The goal of developing pilots and local partnerships is that through testing and learning, communities can expand initiatives and grow them overtime, in addition to creating standards and models for other communities to follow.
The continued success of AmericaServes through collective impact and leveraging a common platform (Unite Us) has resulted in creating not only a local community initiative but a national community of practice that leverages one technology, reports on the same standards and measures, and shares data and referrals around shared clients nationally. For the first time, we are reporting on patient outcomes at SCALE and sending referrals across state lines and this is only the beginning. The AmericaServes networks have succeeded as Community Information Exchanges since 2013 and have created a replicable model to not only serve Veterans and their families but to serve any vulnerable population in need of coordinated, accountable, and accessible services. This is “21st century health and human service delivery.”
As the presentation continued around SD United and the tremendous work that has happened over the past year, the question around who is involved to make this type of work successful came up. The answer is that there are 5 key players that must be involved in building a CIE or Coordinated Network.
They are:
- The Providers (Robert Muth, Veterans Legal Clinic)
- The Tech (Taylor Justice, Unite Us)
- Leadership (Ron Stark, SD Veterans Council)
- Coordination Center (Steve Alt, 211 San Diego)
- National support (Jim McDonough, IVMF)
The CIE Summit was a huge indication that nationally, public, private, and nonprofit agencies are ready and looking to evolve service delivery to build connections to bridge the gap in order to deliver whole person care. It was encouraging to see the innovative presentations and conversations around how communities can better serve their citizens. The summit was also validation for the work that we have been doing with IVMF through AmericaServes and our other networks which include partnerships with local United Ways and 211s, health systems, and government agencies.
We look forward to building more partnerships to deliver whole person care and build healthier communities together! For more information on our current networks and software solution please fill out your information below. | http://blog.uniteus.com/connecting-the-unconnected-advancing-health-community-information-exchanges-across-the-country |
My daughter plays the violin. More accurately, she is learning to play the violin as she participates in the fifth-grade orchestra. She practices for about 30 minutes most days. When I am working from home, the music carries through her bedroom floor and into my home office. She’s quite good. Earlier this week I realized the familiar tune coming through my ceiling was not “Mary Had a Little Lamb” or one of the other simple tunes I’ve head for months, but a Coldplay tune. Later that day I asked her who taught her the song. She replied, “Nobody, I just taught myself.”
I have zero musical talent, so anyone who can manipulate an instrument to create a noticeable tune is just this side of a magician, in my book. I once had an eager church member lend me a very nice guitar and a lesson book. He told me if I could learn to play the guitar, I could have it. I had to return the guitar after a few months of futility.
Why is it that some people have musical ability and others of us are relegated to being audience members? Why can some of us work very hard at learning a skill, a sport, a trade, or a hobby and never make the progress that some have without any effort at all? You and I both know the answer: talent.
Along with personality (which we looked at last week), talent is part of a leader’s core strength. Today, let’s take a look at how to make the most of your talent.
A Form of Grace
I’m sure there is a well-formed theology of talent out there somewhere. Some talented theologian has probably nailed this down with beauty and simplicity. I am not talented at finding that theologian, so I’ve developed my own theology of talent. Simply put, talent is a bit of God’s grace given to an individual in order to bless the individual, bless others, and bless God.
The textbook definition of grace is “God’s unmerited favor.” I think this definition certainly describes the origin of talent. A talent is an unearned foundational ability. Better said, it is an unearned foundation for ability. The point is that talent is unearned. Some people inherit talent from similarly talented parents, but others seem just to be touched by God. Like the three stewards in Jesus’ story, each of us is given some measure of talent(s). The question is what we do with the talents we are given.
Talent + Training + Tenacity = Ability
One truth about talent is that it sets us up for success in a potential area, but it does not guarantee success. Talent alone is very rarely enough; to make the most of talent, you must involve two partners: training and tenacity. When the three are combined, you get ability that is far closer to your true potential.
When we have the wrong attitude about talent, the naturalness of the talent can actually prevent us from reaching our full potential. Too often talented people resist training because the talent comes so naturally, even effortlessly. This is the downfall of many a naturally smart student who fails to study, fails to learn new concepts, fails to make the most of her ability by subjecting herself to training. This is the downfall of many a gifted athlete who can outperform others to a certain level, but doesn’t train himself for elite competition. And this is the downfall of many leaders who are talented at the practices necessary for helping organizations and individuals, but who hit a too-low ceiling in their leadership capacity because they are unwilling to learn leadership beyond their natural ability.
Earlier this week I received some tough feedback on a training module I created for my company, Internal Impact. I may stink at music, but I am talented as a trainer. So when the client’s agent shared some “best practices” for improving the module, I felt a bit smarted. It wasn’t because I disagreed with the suggestions; it was because they came from someone other than me. Subjecting oneself to training requires humility. And humility is having an accurate assessment of oneself – not thinking too highly or too lowly of yourself and your ability. When I learned that the person giving me the advice was a world-class, highly trained, very competent trainer, the sting from her feedback prodded me to improve and I grew thankful.
When talent and training are combined over a long period of time, it’s because of tenacity. Tenacity is the persistent combination of talent, training and performance. Tenacity prevents us from being distracted or detoured from making the most of talent. When I was a kid growing up in North Carolina, there was a basketball prodigy in our high school conference. Talented and well trained, he terrorized the conference, leaving shattered backboards and bedazzled fans. To this day people still compare his potential to Shaquille O’Neal. But he lacked tenacity and got detoured by drugs, poor choices in friends, and other bad decisions. He was projected to be an NBA all star, but that never materialized. All that talent and training went to waste because he lacked the resolve to make the most of his talent.
Each of us could recount similarly sad stories highlighting wasted talent. But there is a flip side to the typical cautionary tale: training and tenacity without talent will not produce ability either (at least not great ability). To make the most of your talent, you have to start with the talent God has given you. Not all of us are gifted in music, or basketball, or even training. Your array of talent is unique to you and exists are a special aspect of your core strength. The talents God has given you are what you have to work with.
So what about you? To make the most of your talent, consider these questions:
What talents have been gifted to you?
What training do you have that has accentuated your talent?
What training do you still need in order to make the most of your talent?
How tenacious are you when it comes to exercising and expanding your talent?
Who benefits from your talent?
About Chad Hall
Chad Hall is the Director of Coaching for Western Seminary and also serves as a leadership coach for ministry and corporate clients through his role as Partner with Coach Approach Ministries and iNTERNAL iMPACT. | https://transformedblog.westernseminary.edu/2012/05/01/leadership-core-talents/ |
Q:
Sum each list of numerical values within a list
I would like to attach values to labels in a riverplot in R
I have a list of lists of values, which is required to show flows between nodes, like this:
edges <- list( A= list( C= 10, E= 5 ),
B= list( C= 10 ),
C=list(D = 13, E = 7 ))
I am aware of a function that would reduce (or sum) one element of a list like this:
Reduce("+",edges$A)
Is there a way of reducing such a list of lists of values to a dataframe or so that I could get the sums:
Node Sum
A 15
B 10
C 20
D 13
E 12
Edit:
I just realised there is a confusion:
It looks like I need two outputs and it may be a little more complicated:
1. if 'edges' list has a sublist with a category name, sum up
2. if not, get the sum of all occurences of this item
Case 1: Categories A, B, C (these are the starting nodes)
Case 2: Categories D, E (these are the end nodes in a riverplot)
I am sorry for the confusion.
A:
I think you can do
lapply(edges, function (x) sum(unlist(x)))
This returns a list. Using sapply will simplify the result to a vector.
A:
We can also use base R
v1 <- unlist(edges)
tapply(v1, sub("\\..*", "", names(v1)), sum)
# A B C
#15 10 20
Or in a single step
r1 <- tapply(unlist(edges), rep(names(edges), lengths(edges)), FUN = sum)
r1
# A B C
#15 10 20
if we need to sum based on the names after the .
r2 <- tapply(v1, sub("[^.]+\\.", "", names(v1)), FUN = sum)
r2
# C D E
#20 13 12
c(r1, r2)[!duplicated(c(names(r1), names(r2)))]
# A B C D E
#15 10 20 13 12
Or using aggregate/stack
aggregate(values~., stack(edges), FUN = sum)
# ind values
#1 A 15
#2 B 10
#3 C 20
| |
A great many of our cases involve discrimination and retaliation. We are heavily involved in cases of discrimination based on race, disability, gender, national origin, and ethnicity.
Color Discrimination
The New Jersey Law Against Discrimination and Title VII of the federal Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibit New Jersey employers from discriminating against any person based on their skin color or complexion. Color discrimination occurs when a person is discriminated against based on the lightness, darkness, or other color characteristic of the person.1 Typically, claims of color discrimination arise where a dark-skinned employee is treated less favorably than a light-skinned employee in the “terms and conditions” of their employment, such as salary or benefits, work assignments, discipline and/or discharge. Also, color discrimination claims, which tend to overlap with racial discrimination claims, arise where an employee is subjected to harassment in the workplace, such as racial or ethnic slurs, “jokes,” comments, or inappropriate images or behavior that are based upon the employee’s skin color.
Various studies have shown that the prevalence of color discrimination or “colorism” in our society, which even exists among members of the same race or ethnicity, is based upon historical attitudes and notions that lighter or white skinned individuals are superior to darker skinned individuals in competence and ability. Further studies have shown that where darker skinned employees were matched with lighter skinned employees with regard to their qualifications, levels of education and overall job performance, the darker skinned employees were still treated less favorably compared to their lighter skinned counterparts with respect to training and promotional opportunities.
Esma Etienne v. Spanish Lake Truck & Casino Plaza, L.L.C.2, a 2015 case from the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, is illustrative of color discrimination. In that case, Esma Etienne (“Etienne”), a darker skinned African-American woman, worked as a waitress and bartender at the Spanish Lake Truck & Casino Plaza (“Spanish Lake”). Despite her qualifications and seniority, Etienne was denied a promotion to a management position. In her lawsuit, Etienne introduced evidence showing that Spanish Lake’s general manager not only allocated job duties based upon an employee’s skin color, but prohibited dark skinned, African-American employees from handling any money, and specifically told Etienne’s supervisor that Etienne was “too black to do various tasks at the casino.” The Court found that this evidence was sufficient for Etienne to proceed to trial and reversed the dismissal of her complaint.
Discrimination on the basis of color continues to exist in the workplace and to have a significant impact on the employment opportunities of many individuals. In fact, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission reports a steady increase in the number of color discrimination claims3. While it is disheartening to know that this type of discrimination still occurs, the increase in claims also suggests a greater awareness of employees’ rights in this area, which can help to ensure that, in the future, color will play no part in employment decisions.4
Do you believe you have been discriminated against in the workplace, due to your color? It’s important to act quickly to find out if you may have a claim under Title VII or the New Jersey Law Against Discrimination. Since every situation is different, only an experienced New Jersey employment attorney can help you fully understand your rights under the New Jersey Law Against Discrimination.
The attorneys at Hyderally & Associates are ready to help you. They have experience working with both the New Jersey Law Against Discrimination and Title VII, so they can review your situation to provide information that will help you decide if you would like to pursue a claim against your employer. Call an experienced employment attorney in New Jersey at 973-509-8500.
This article is for informational purposes only. It does not constitute legal advice, and may not reasonably be relied upon as such. If you face a legal issue, you should consult a qualified attorney for independent legal advice with regard to your particular set of facts. This article may constitute attorney advertising. This article is not intended to communicate with anyone in a state or other jurisdiction where such an article may fail to comply with all laws and ethical rules of that state or jurisdiction.
- 1See https://www.eeoc.gov/eeoc/publications/fs-race.cfm
- 2Etienne v. Spanish Lake Truck & Casino Plaza, LLC, No. 14-30026 (5th Cir. Feb. 3, 2015). | https://www.employmentlit.com/discrimination/color-discrimination/ |
386 F.3d 849
Rita MULCAHY, Plaintiff-Appellee,v.CHEETAH LEARNING LLC; Jeff Schurrer, Defendants-Appellants.
No. 03-3112.
United States Court of Appeals, Eighth Circuit.
Submitted: May 10, 2004.
Filed: October 19, 2004.
Appeal from the United States District Court for the District of Minnesota, Paul A. Magnuson, J.
Christopher K. Larus, argued, Minneapolis, MN, for appellant.
Susan M. Robiner, argued, Minneapolis, MN, for appellee.
Before LOKEN, Chief Judge, BRIGHT and SMITH, Circuit Judges.
LOKEN, Chief Judge.
1
This is a copyright dispute between two organizations that offer competing courses to prepare students to pass the Project Management Professional (PMP) Exam given by the Project Management Institute (PMI). Rita Mulcahy filed the lawsuit, claiming copyright infringement and unfair competition by Cheetah Learning LLC and by Jeff Schurrer, an instructor who distributed allegedly infringing materials to Cheetah students. The district court granted Mulcahy partial summary judgment and a permanent injunction on her claim that defendants infringed her copyrighted work, PMP Exam Prep. Cheetah and Schurrer appeal. We conclude there are genuine issues of material fact regarding whether PMP Exam Prep infringes PMI's exclusive right to prepare derivative works based on its preexisting copyrighted work and whether PMP Exam Prep is a fair use of that work. Accordingly, we reverse the grant of partial summary judgment and vacate the permanent injunction.
2
I. Background.
3
Established in 1969, PMI is a not-for-profit association for project management professionals (PMPs) that now "supports over 100,000 members in 125 countries worldwide." As part of its continuing and seemingly successful effort to establish project management as a true profession, PMI first offered a PMP certification exam in 1984 and first published a work entitled Project Management Body of Knowledge in 1987. In 1996, PMI published a superseding copyrighted work entitled Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge, which we will refer to as the PMBOK. PMI advertises that the PMBOK is approved by the American National Standards Institute and is "[t]he foundation document for project management training and/or education." PMI's PMP exam has been "based upon" the PMBOK during the period relevant to this dispute. However, the PMBOK's introductory statement of purpose suggests that it serves as a desk reference work for practicing project managers as well as a "consistent structure" for PMI's certification of PMPs. There is no testimony by a PMI representative in the summary judgment record, nor does the record reveal whether PMI has copyrighted PMP exam materials.
4
PMI certification has come to be viewed as an important credential, creating a market for textbooks and courses that prepare aspiring PMPs to pass the PMI exam. PMI website materials in the record suggest that PMI, colleges and universities, and numerous private vendors have entered this market. Because PMI bases the PMP exam on the PMBOK, a comprehensive reference work, it is hard to imagine that a vendor could devise a successful course teaching students to pass the PMP exam without using — or plagiarizing — the PMBOK. In this regard, PMI's copyright notice in the front of the PMBOK advises:
5
All rights reserved. Permission to republish in full is granted freely. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form ... without prior written permission of the publisher.
Likewise, a PMI website warns:
6
Anyone wishing to use excerpts from the PMBOK Guide must obtain written permission to do so and pay the appropriate permission fee, where applicable. This includes PMI members, PMI Components and PMI Registered Education Providers.
7
Mulcahy is an expert in the field of project management who offers test preparation courses and materials to teach students to pass the PMP exam. To this end, Mulcahy wrote and copyrighted PMP Exam Prep. The book begins with materials specifically focused on passing the PMP exam that have no counterparts in the PMBOK, such as sections entitled "An Overview of the Exam," "Types of Questions on the Exam," "How to Study for the Exam," and "Tricks for Taking the Exam." However, the subsequent sections, which are entitled "The Materials" and take up 150 of the work's 165 pages, track the PMBOK's organization of the project management "knowledge areas" and reproduce or condense the materials presented in the PMBOK. Although PMP Exam Prep states that it is "intended to work hand-in-hand" with the PMBOK, and the record includes a PMI website that says, "Get Rita's book," whether PMI authorized Mulcahy to use excerpts from the PMBOK in her work is a disputed issue of fact.
8
Cheetah offers a variety of exam preparation and professional training courses. Founder Michelle LaBrosse testified that she uses "a unique educational model which utilizes dietary control, yoga meditative techniques, color recognition, state conditioning and psych-acoustics to accelerate the learning process." In 2000, Cheetah retained Eric Nielsen to develop the substantive content for a PMP exam preparation course. Cheetah began offering the four-day course in September 2001, using the PMBOK as the "primary reference" and also distributing to students loose-leaf materials called the Candidate Notetaker. LaBrosse was soon advised of significant similarities between Cheetah's Candidate Notetaker and Mulcahy's PMP Exam Prep. LaBrosse compared the two works and informed Mulcahy's attorney that she "had revised Cheetah's course materials to remove what I believed to be the allegedly infringing content." Unsatisfied, Mulcahy filed this lawsuit. Nielsen testified that he used PMP Exam Prep and other reference works in preparing the Cheetah course materials and sample test questions.
9
Ruling on the parties' cross motions for summary judgment, the district court granted Mulcahy summary judgment on her copyright infringement claim, concluding that (i) Mulcahy's copyright is valid because PMP Exam Prep does not infringe PMI's copyright in the PMBOK, (ii) alternatively, PMP Exam Prep is a fair use of the PMBOK, and (iii) Cheetah's course materials are substantially similar to PMP Exam Prep and therefore infringe Mulcahy's copyright as a matter of law. The court broadly enjoined defendants from "using, copying, selling, distributing, or displaying" specific Cheetah materials created between August 2001 and September 2002 and all other materials "substantially similar to any edition" of PMP Exam Prep.1 Though copyright damage issues remain unresolved, we have jurisdiction to review the court's grant of a permanent injunction. 28 U.S.C. § 1292(a)(1). If summary judgment was improvidently granted on Mulcahy's claim of copyright infringement, the permanent injunction must be vacated. See Randolph v. Rodgers, 170 F.3d 850, 856 (8th Cir.1999).
10
II. Discussion.
11
Two elements are required to establish copyright infringement, ownership of a valid copyright and copying of original elements of the work. Feist Publ'ns, Inc. v. Rural Tel. Serv. Co., 499 U.S. 340, 361, 111 S.Ct. 1282, 113 L.Ed.2d 358 (1991). Here, we need only consider the first element because we agree with defendants that the district court erred in concluding as a matter of law that PMP Exam Prep is not an unauthorized derivative of the PMBOK and that any copying of the PMBOK in PMP Exam Prep was a "fair use" within the meaning of 17 U.S.C. § 107.2
12
A. Unauthorized Derivative. The statutory rights of a copyright owner include the exclusive right "to prepare derivative works based upon the copyrighted work." 17 U.S.C. § 106(2). The Copyright Act broadly defines a derivative work as —
13
a work based upon one or more preexisting works, such as a translation, musical arrangement, dramatization, fictionalization, motion picture version, sound recording, art reproduction, abridgment, condensation, or any other form in which a work may be recast, transformed, or adapted.
14
17 U.S.C. § 101. One who violates the copyright owner's right to create derivative works is an infringer. See 17 U.S.C. § 501(a).
15
A derivative work may itself be copyrighted if it has the requisite originality. However, "the copyright is limited to the features that the derivative work adds to the original." Pickett v. Prince, 207 F.3d 402, 405 (7th Cir.2000); see Stewart v. Abend, 495 U.S. 207, 223, 110 S.Ct. 1750, 109 L.Ed.2d 184 (1990). Moreover, because the owner of the original copyright has the exclusive right to prepare derivative works, the creator of an original derivative work is only entitled to a copyright if she had permission to use the underlying copyrighted work. See 17 U.S.C. § 103(a); Dam Things from Denmark v. Russ Berrie & Co. Inc., 290 F.3d 548, 563 (3d Cir.2002); Gracen v. Bradford Exch., 698 F.2d 300, 302 (7th Cir.1983). Thus, if the PMP Exam Prep is an unauthorized derivative work of the PMBOK, Mulcahy's copyrights are invalid.
16
The district court did not discuss the concept of a derivative work. It simply concluded that PMP Exam Prep does not infringe PMI's copyright in the PMBOK because, while the two works have "many substantive details in common," they are not substantially similar "in substance, purpose, presentation, and functionality." The court applied the two-part test for determining substantial similarity adopted by this court in diverse copyright infringement cases such as Hartman v. Hallmark Cards, Inc., 833 F.2d 117, 120 (8th Cir. 1987), Schoolhouse, Inc. v. Anderson, 275 F.3d 726, 729 (8th Cir.2002), and Taylor Corp. v. Four Seasons Greetings, LLC, 315 F.3d 1039, 1043 (8th Cir.2003).
17
While substantial similarity is the test we use in determining copyright infringement, here the issue is whether Mulcahy's book is a derivative work. In general, the two tests are similar. In the words of a leading copyright treatise, "Unless sufficient of the pre-existing work is contained in the later work so as to constitute the latter an infringement of the former, the latter by definition is not a derivative work." 2 Nimmer on Copyright § 8.09[A], p. 8-138 (2004); see Litchfield v. Spielberg, 736 F.2d 1352, 1357 (9th Cir. 1984) ("a work is not derivative unless it has been substantially copied from the prior work"), cert. denied, 470 U.S. 1052, 105 S.Ct. 1753, 84 L.Ed.2d 817 (1985). But as this case illustrates, a determination of what is substantial or sufficient must take into account the nature of the derivative work inquiry.
18
PMI has created and copyrighted a multi-purpose reference work, the PMBOK, and has made that work the "foundation" of its test that a student must pass to receive PMI's valuable PMP certification. Without doubt, an outside educator could obtain copies of the PMBOK from PMI and lecture students on how to use that work to pass the exam without infringing the PMBOK copyright. In addition, the educator could create and distribute written materials on subjects not covered in the PMBOK — such as "How to Study for the Exam" and "Tricks for Taking the Exam" — without infringing. But Mulcahy has done far more. Large portions of her PMP Exam Prep appear to copy, condense, and adapt those portions of the PMBOK that are relevant to passing the exam. She admits that these portions of her work are derived from and based upon the PMBOK. The question is whether this copying, condensing, and adapting of the PMBOK encroaches upon, i.e., infringes, PMI's exclusive right "to prepare derivative works based upon the copyrighted work." 17 U.S.C. § 106(2). This issue cannot be answered by looking at the percentage of the PMBOK that has been condensed or copied in PMP Exam Prep. Rather, a reasonable factfinder could find that PMP Exam Prep is an infringing derivative work if it copied or condensed the qualitative core of one marketable portion of the multi-purpose PMBOK. See Castle Rock Ent., Inc. v. Carol Pub. Group, Inc., 150 F.3d 132, 138-39 (2d Cir. 1998). It is true that, in most infringement cases, "[i]nfringement of expression occurs only when the total concept and feel of the works in question are substantially similar," Hartman, 833 F.2d at 120-21. But the derivative work issue, like the fair use issue, should turn on "the qualitative nature of the taking." Harper & Row Publishers, Inc. v. Nation Enters., 471 U.S. 539, 565, 105 S.Ct. 2218, 85 L.Ed.2d 588 (1985). Thus, a work may be found to be derivative even if it has "a different total concept and feel from the original work." Castle Rock, 150 F.3d at 140.
19
Mulcahy argues that the PMBOK is entitled to only limited protection because it is "a common project management lexicon," a collection of underlying facts and theories that cannot themselves be copyrighted. The Supreme Court has warned that "the copyright in a factual compilation is thin" because "a subsequent compiler remains free to use the facts ... to aid in preparing a competing work." Feist, 499 U.S. at 349, 111 S.Ct. 1282. That principle may apply here. But PMI's website materials in the summary judgment record suggest that the PMBOK may be an original work intended to transform project management into a recognized profession, rather than a mere compilation of well-known facts and ideas. In that case, the work's organization and presentation would reflect far more protectible originality than, for example, the copyrighted "tables of information on area public and private schools" at issue in Schoolhouse, 275 F.3d at 727. Again, this is a fact-intensive issue not properly decided as a matter of law on a summary judgment record.3
20
For these reasons, we conclude that the district court erred in deciding that Mulcahy's PMP Exam Prep is not a derivative work as a matter of law.
21
B. Fair Use Doctrine. Alternatively, Mulcahy argues and the district court concluded that PMP Exam Prep is a fair use of the PMBOK as a matter of law. The statute, 17 U.S.C. § 107, sets forth four non-exclusive factors that "shall" be considered in determining whether an otherwise infringing use is a non-infringing fair use. Though all four must be considered together, the fourth factor — "the effect of the use upon the potential market for or value of the copyrighted work" — "is undoubtedly the single most important element of fair use." Harper & Row, 471 U.S. at 566, 105 S.Ct. 2218. The district court concluded that Mulcahy's use was fair because the introduction to PMP Exam Prep tells students, "You need both the PMBOK and this book to prepare for the exam," and thus "the effect of Mulcahy's work would likely improve the potential market for and enhance the value of the PMBOK."
22
In our view, the effect of Mulcahy's use is not so clear. In the first place, students may find that PMP Exam Prep is such an effective condensation and adaptation that they need not obtain and study the PMBOK. But more importantly, PMI has created a for-profit education market by offering a valued certification exam. PMI offers courses on passing its exam, demonstrating an intent to exploit that market. By basing its exam on the copyrighted PMBOK, PMI has also created a market for selling or licensing this work to educators and students; "the potential for destruction of this market by widespread circumvention of the plaintiffs' permission fee system is enough, under the Harper & Row test, `to negate fair use.'" Princeton Univ. Press v. Mich. Document Servs., Inc., 99 F.3d 1381, 1388 (6th Cir.1996) (en banc), cert. denied, 520 U.S. 1156, 117 S.Ct. 1336, 137 L.Ed.2d 495 (1997). Moreover, by publishing a comprehensive condensation of the portions of the PMBOK relevant to passing the exam, Mulcahy may have deprived PMI of "the capacity arbitrarily to refuse to license one who seeks to exploit the work." Stewart, 495 U.S. at 229, 110 S.Ct. 1750. Fair use is a mixed question of law and fact. Here, the issue of fair use, like the issue of derivative work, raises genuine issues of material fact.
23
In addition, a finding that Mulcahy's copyrights are valid only because PMP Exam Prep is a fair use of the PMBOK would likely affect other issues. Mulcahy emphasizes the extent to which Cheetah's materials copy PMP Exam Prep. But "[a]n author's right to protection of the derivative work only extends to the [original] elements that [she] has added to the work; [she] cannot receive protection for the underlying work." Dam Things, 290 F.3d at 563; see Feist, 499 U.S. at 363, 111 S.Ct. 1282 ("copyright protects only those constituent elements of a work that possess more than a de minimis quantum of creativity"). Thus, the factfinder "must filter out and disregard" the copying of non-protected elements — such as elements of PMP Exam Prep that are a fair use of the PMBOK — in determining whether defendants are guilty of copyright infringement. Cavalier v. Random House, Inc., 297 F.3d 815, 822-23 (9th Cir.2002).
24
III. Conclusion.
25
For the foregoing reasons, Paragraph 1.a. of the district court's order dated July 28, 2003, is reversed, the permanent injunction in paragraph 3. is vacated, and the case is remanded for further proceedings not inconsistent with this opinion.
Notes:
1
By permanently enjoining defendants from using "any materials that are substantially similar to any edition of Plaintiff'sPMP Exam Prep," paragraph 3.b. of the court's order threatens defendants with contempt sanctions if they continue using revised Cheetah course materials that were not before the court, contrary to the principle that blanket injunctions to obey the law are disfavored. See Jake's, Ltd., Inc. v. City of Coates, 356 F.3d 896, 904 (8th Cir.2004).
2
We do not consider defendants' further contention that Mulcahy's copyrights are unenforceable because she filed knowingly false copyright applications
3
Mulcahy also argues that, ifPMP Exam Prep is a derivative work, PMI ratified her use of the PMBOK by not responding when she sent PMI a pre-publication of the first PMP Exam Prep and by selling PMP Exam Prep in PMI's online bookstore. See Eden Toys, Inc. v. Florelee Undergarment Co., Inc., 697 F.2d 27, 34 n. 6 (2d Cir.1982). This, too, is an issue requiring a trial that explores the extent of PMI's right to prepare derivative works and, if the right extends to PMP exam teaching materials based on the PMBOK, the manner in which PMI has exploited that right.
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Researchers are evaluating the behavioral, social, and political barriers and opportunities for increasing adoption of distributed solar resources in India, particularly grid-connected rooftop solar. In collaboration with local partners, the researchers address three overarching questions: What affects the uptake of rooftop solar across Indian states and households? What are the roles of community groups, social capital, and social networks in decisions to adopt distributed solar? What are the effects of distributed solar adoption on behavioral and policy preferences, development and welfare outcomes, and social and political relationships? The researchers use multiple research methods, including qualitative interviews, quantitative household surveys, and randomized control trials, to evaluate individual and collective preferences and behaviors. The findings aim to help policymakers understand the challenges and opportunities for distributed solar resources and how to overcome some of these barriers. The research also identifies the segments of the population for whom current solar policies are most effective at incentivizing solar uptake. | https://acee.princeton.edu/rapidswitch/projects/india-rooftop-solar/ |
Accounting theory has gone through rapid changes and innovations in recent years. These changes have been categorized as new accounting theory. These innovations and new theories go against and differ from the traditional theory of accounting. There are gaps in the way that varying companies account for their finances. Harmonization of the two approaches will bring greater stability to commerce.
Traditional Approaches
According to Ahmed (2000) “Accounting history is the study of evolution in accounting thought, practices and institutions in response to changes in the environment and societal needs.” An older style of accounting is reactive to past experiences giving us reasons for what is now current. These are the 5 methods that have made up much of the traditional Theory.
Non-theoretical Approaches
According to Accounting Theory Formulation as a tool for enhancing international harmonization of accounting standards, “The non-theoretical approaches to accounting are the pragmatic (or practical) approach and an authoritarian approach.” These approaches are made to use known sciences to perform the given task. The heart of this theory is based upon the ideal that accounting theory must be on the terms of a final use in financial reports. This entails that any other theories without these characteristics are deemed bad.
Deductive Approach
Deductive approach is the attempt to find what “ought to be”. According to Porwal (2001) the four steps to using the deductive approach are
• Specifying the objectives of financial statements
• Selecting the “postulates” of accounting
• Deriving the “principles” of accounting
• Developing the “techniques” of accounting
Ethical Approach
The ethical approach is one that puts the equality of truth and transparency of the accounting framework above all else for all parties included. This means that accounting approaches may not be decided or implied to help a certain party but must be unbiased. This approach also is centered around fairness which maintains that business have acted ethical and in good faith.
Sociological Approach
The sociological approach focuses on sociological effects that accounting has. This concerns itself of the general wellbeing of the public; as well as the equality that accounting should bring to the world. In order for this to work it is imperative that “established social values” are used when implementing accounting theory.
Economic approach
The economic Approach to accounting theory differs from sociological and the ethical approaches because it is based upon the general economic wellbeing. This means that the choices will be made upon the overall goal that a nation has for its economy. This focuses much less on individual equality and mostly upon factors of macroeconomics.
New Approaches
New approaches to accounting are evolving and being remolded in recent years and are essential to present day accounting. All parties in the accounting world have not yet accepted the new Theory. These five Approaches are the makings of new theory.
Counseling Clients
A major aspect of accounting theory is counseling clients. Accountants must be able to coach their clients to make better decisions in their future when making changes to their company. For example, according to Accounting Theory 3E by LS Porwal, ” A client contemplating making and accounting change that will increase its reported income in purpose of supporting its stock prices should be informed that such tactics do not fool the market.” This shows the part that accountants play in advising the future actions companies will take to ensure their finances.
Behavioral Approach
While generally excluded from traditional accounting process, the behavioral approach is based upon the opinions and reactions of the people. The meaning of this is try to quantify the reaction that people along with the users of the financial statements will have.
Human Information Processing Approach
Human Information Processing Approach is based on processing model inputs, process, and output. These three tools allow accounting methods to be utilized in other general real world problems. | https://thecpajoint.com/accounting/harmonization-of-traditional-and-new-accounting-theory/ |
The Children's Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act of 2009 (CHIPRA) includes provisions for identifying standardized pediatric care quality measures. These 24 "CHIPRA measures" were designed to be evaluated by using claims data from health insurance plan populations. Such data have limited ability to evaluate population health, especially among uninsured people. The rapid expansion of data from electronic health records (EHRs) may help address this limitation by augmenting claims data in care quality assessments. We outline how to operationalize many of the CHIPRA measures for application in EHR data through a case study of a network of ≥40 outpatient community health centers in 2009-2010 with a single EHR. We assess the differences seen when applying the original claims-based versus adapted EHR-based specifications, using 2 CHIPRA measures (Chlamydia screening among sexually active female patients; BMI percentile documentation) as examples. Sixteen of the original CHIPRA measures could feasibly be evaluated in this dataset. Three main adaptations were necessary (specifying a visitbased population denominator, calculating some pregnancy-related factors by using EHR data, substituting for medication dispense data). Although it is feasible to adapt many of the CHIPRA measures for use in outpatient EHR data, information is gained and lost depending on how numerators and denominators are specified. We suggest first steps toward application of the CHIPRA measures in uninsured populations, and in EHR data. The results highlight the importance of considering the limitations of the original CHIPRA measures in care quality evaluations. | https://ohsu.pure.elsevier.com/en/publications/feasibility-of-evaluating-the-chipra-care-quality-measures-in-ele-2 |
"There's a strong feeling we ought to be looking at changes," said Chairman Andy McKean, R-Anamosa.
McKean says he wants colleagues this session to authorize a commission to recommend criminal sentencing changes for possible legislative action next year.
In theory, Iowa has a system of indeterminate sentencing, which means that judges sentence defendants to a maximum number of years in prison.
But because of time off for good behavior and the need to make prison space available for the state's worst offenders, convicts typically are released long before they serve their maximum sentences.
Lawmakers rewrote the criminal laws in 1976. Since then, new laws have distorted the indetenrninate sentencing system by prescribing mandatory minimum sentences for some crimes and by eliminating parole for others, McKean and other critics say.
Also, they say, piecemeal changes in sentencing mean that Iowa's prisons now house too many convicts who should be serving time in community programs, instead of taking up space that would be better used for more serious offenders.
McKean says he favors a system of determinate sentencing, by which punishment is prescribed within a narrow range of prison time.
Such a system would restrain growth in the Iowa prison population and assure that the space behind bars is used to house the worst criminals, McKean says.
McKean says he plans to spend time in his committee this year educating members about the sentencing system recently put into effect in North Carolina, which he says should be a model for Iowa.
The North Carolina system was approved in 1993 and is based on four principles:
Under the North Carolina system; a
judge pronounces a sentence within a range of time.
Thomas A. Fogarty can be reached at
The Des Moines Register
|Library Highlights|
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Major Studies:
Schaffer Library of Drug Policy
Major Studies of Drug and Drug Policy
Marihuana, A Signal of Misunderstanding - The Report of the US National Commission on Marihuana and Drug Abuse
Licit and Illicit Drugs
History:
Historical Research
Short History of the Marijuana Laws
The Drug Hang-Up
Congressional Transcripts of the Hearings for the Marihuana Tax Act of 1937
Government Publications
Frequently Asked Questions About Drugs
Basic Facts About the Drug War
Charts and Graphs about Drugs
Other References:
Medical Marijuana
Information on Alcohol
Guide to Heroin - Frequently Asked Questions About Heroin
Cocaine
LSD, Mescaline, and Psychedelics
Drugs and Driving
Children and Drugs
Drug Abuse Treatment Resource List
American Society for Action on Pain
Let Us Pay Taxes
Marijuana Business News
Reefer Madness Collection
Medical Marijuana Throughout History
Drug Legalization Debate
Legal History of American Marijuana Prohibition
Marijuana, the First 12,000 Years
DEA Ruling on Medical Marijuana
Legal References on Drugs
GAO Documents on Drugs
Response to the Drug Enforcement Agency
|Drug Information Articles|
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Taking a drug test:
How To Pass A Drug Test
Beat Drug Test
Pass Drug Test
Drug Screening Tests
Drug resources:
Drug Abuse
Drug Addiction
Drug Rehab
Drug Rehabilitation
Drug Addiction Treatment
Drug Treatment
Medical Marijuana
Hemp Clothes
Prescription information: | https://druglibrary.org/olsen/DPF/mckean.html |
Featuring ethically sourced bone and sustainably harvested mango wood. Master artisans in Old Delhi skillfully hand carve wood and bone elements to create unique, eye catching inlay designs. This handcrafted round keepsake box is thoughtfully designed for stylish safekeeping.
About The Artisan
Matr Boomie partners with women’s groups, minorities, people with special needs, urban slums and isolated rural communities to empower artisans through dignified, sustainable employment. | https://evimeromarketplace.com/products/keep-sake-box-rainbow-lid |
There were plenty of earthquakes on the map in the week of 25-31 August 2016. Image by USGS.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. Earthquakes don’t come regularly. Some weeks there are few, barely worthy of mention. Others there are more noteworthy earthquakes than you could shake a stick at. The week of 26-31 August 2016 was definitely one of the latter, with so much going on that it’s difficult to know where to start.
But of course I’ll start where I always do — with the numbers. The United States Geological Survey’s real time earthquake map offered up a total of almost 1800 tremors this week, though ti didn’t tell the whole story. The map, broadly speaking, includes earthquakes of all magnitudes (which is not the same as all earthquakes) in the US and its territories, and those of at least magnitude 4 (≥M4.0) elsewhere.
This week offered us three earthquakes of over M6.0, in the Atlantic, the western Pacific and the Himalayas; four along the spine of the Atlantic Ocean (of which more later); a collection of aftershocks following last week’s deadly tremor in Italy; and an outlier up in the Arctic wilderness of Baffin Bay. In terms of distribution they were pretty much where we’d expect them to be — earthquakes are predictable to a certain extent, at least — with the larger ones concentrated along the margins of the Earth’s tectonic plates.
The largest earthquake, in the middle of the Atlantic, passed almost unnoticed. Image by USGS.
I’ve observed before that we get, on average, one earthquake of ≥M7.0 around every month. There was one last week in the South Atlantic and another this week in the Mid-Atlantic. They weren’t connected — they were too far apart and in different tectonic settings — and the occurrence of the two large events so close together in time is, again, a matter of natural variation.
This week’s major earthquake, an M7.1 between Africa and South America, like so many along mid-ocean ridges, troubled no-one. No-one, according to the USGS event shake map, felt it. Despite its size there was no tsunami. It resulted from strike slip movement along a fracture zone associated with the Mid-Atlantic Ridge.
In the central Atlantic, the ridge is the axis along which rising magma creates new ocean crust and drives the Atlantic wider, separating the Eurasian and North American plates in the north and the African and South American plates in the south. It’s part of a continuous ridge system that passes through all the Earth’s oceans and is key to the system of plate tectonics. The ridge itself is offset by fracture zones and it’s at one of these, the Romanche Fracture Zone, that the tremor occurred.
In any week we might see several such tremors on the USGS map, although they’re typically not the largest earthquake, which tend to occur in zones of convergence. There were others this week along the mid-Atlantic ridge. Two are smaller and we can ignore them. The third is up next.
Does an earthquake in Iceland presage a volcanic eruption?Image by USGS.
In terms of magnitude an M4.6 is really neither here nor there. There were many larger tremors on the map this week. But in terms of media attention, this one, like every other significant Icelandic tremor, caused its own minor media storm and sent my Twitter feed into complete meltdown as the media over-reported the possibility of a major eruption and the world’s volcanologists (with, one feels, a sigh of exasperation) attempted to play it down.
Iceland is unique; a place where the Mid-Atlantic Ridge makes landfall as the result of a certain set of physical conditions that exists nowhere else on Earth. The ridge crosses the centre of the island, where it is spectacularly visible. But ocean ridges are associated with volcanism as well as with earthquakes and, humans being what they are, an earthquake near a volcano in Iceland can be interpreted as meaning only one thing — an imminent eruption.
This week’s M4.8 (and a series of others too small to appear on the map) occurred beneath Katla, a volcano with a record of violent eruptions. Kata last erupted in 1918 and is (as far as we can judge) thought to be overdue for another eruption.
Katla is still very much a grumpy old volcano as is bound to erupt at some point. But this week’s earthquake almost certainly doesn’t mean it’ll erupt immediately.
Extensional tectonics caused this week’s Wyoming earthquake. Image by USGS.
And so to the States, where the largest earthquake in the lower forty-eight occurred in western Wyoming. Although Wyoming has some tectonic similarities with Iceland (yes, honestly — think geysers) this earthquake wasn’t associate with the underlying volcanic hotspot which has created another geothermal paradise at Yellowstone.
Rather, this one is the result of extension, where the uplift of the Rockies has led to the creation of parallel mountain ranges and intervening troughs, known as basin and range scenery. These are created by slippage along normal faults (downwards movement) and the evidence suggests that this is the main cause of the Wyoming earthquake.
Last Thoughts: What, No Subduction?
Most weeks I focus in at least one earthquake resulting from subduction — the descent of one plate beneath another as a result of collision between them. Subduction earthquakes tend to be larger and therefore often are more damaging and more worthy of comment.
In fact there were plenty of those this week — it’s just that, for once, the largest tremor wasn’t caused by subduction. Though something tells me it won’t be long before subduction earthquakes are the largest on the map once again.
Tectonic Wave Theory, No Plates. All forces result from the Mid Atlantic Ridge or Ridge activity. Material moves like a wave, covering old crust material. No faults needed for earthquakes, as materiel shifts and moves quakes will occur. | https://www.decodedscience.org/atlantic-iceland-wyoming-earthquakes/58863 |
This is a wonderful transitional chapter book. The book is divided into four chapters, telling the story of Fergus, a classroom pet, who sneaks into a student's backpack so he can go with them on their field trip to the Museum of National History. While there Fergus meets another mouse, Zeke, who is not so good at following the rules. There are lots of colorful, interesting illustrations throughout the book. The ending is sweet and will leave readers looking forward to the next book in the series.
The book alternates between the story of two middle school girls, Emmie and Katie. Emmie is shy and quiet and would like to be more like Katie, who is outgoing and popular. When Emmie unknowingly drops a note and it gets into the wrong hands, the stories of Emmie and Kate intertwine. The book also alternates between a diary-like text format and a graphic novel format which will attract readers of books such as Diary of a Wimpy Kid and Dork Diaries.
I read this book quickly because it was quite engaging and beautifully written. The plot, nine children living alone on an island, and the setting, a charming and picturesque, but mysterious island drew me in and captured my imagination. The book addresses themes such as loss and change and is one that makes you think about and question the choices of the characters. The ending does leave questions unanswered, so hopefully Laurel Snyder will write a sequel.
I love that you read Orphan Island, too. It does leave questions, I agree. The other two sound just right for young readers, one trying to figure out the mysteries of growing up & the other a fun adventure. I like hearing about the format of Invisible Emmie. That will be interesting to see! Thanks, Lisa.
I think I'm the only one that still hasn't read Orphan Island yet! I'd better get to it. I've requested Fergus and Zeke from my library, so I'll get to enjoy that one before too long. Have a great week!
Fergus and Zeke looks so charming, and I've been seeing Orphan Island popping up everywhere recently!
I am excited for Orphan Island. I didn't realize the Fergus and Zeke book existed. Cool.
My daughter read Invisible Emmie and really enjoyed it. I was hoping it would be for 4th grade, but she thought there were some situations in the book that might be a little older. I'll have to check it out. I've heard good reviews and some ok for it.
Loved Fergus and Zeke (we need more books like this) and Orphan Island!
I want to read all three of these! I just saw Invisible Emmie for the first time today, and I love Messner and Snyder, so I very much look forward to their newest.
I really want to read Orphan Island. I hear such great things about that book.
Orphan Island is getting a lot of love these days. I hope it arrives at my library soon. The Messner book looks delightful and Invisible Emmie sounds like an important book. Happy Reading this week. | http://www.literacyonthemind.com/2017/06/its-monday-what-are-you-reading_19.html |
The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) works to create and sustain an environment conducive to the development of India, partnering industry, Government, and civil society, through advisory and consultative processes.
In its 120th year, the CII theme for 2015-16 is aptly named ‘Build India – Invest in Development, A Shared Responsibility.’ Through this, CII reiterates the Industry’s role as a partner in national development. In recognition of the landmark milestone of 120 years, CII has taken up ongoing elements as part of its activities and added new ones to meet the needs of current conditions. This ties in well with the government’s priority of inclusive growth at a time that it has completed one year.
The past year has marked a transformation in the fortunes of the Indian economy. All indications are that the economy is undergoing a recovery phase that would lead to a possible return to the peaks achieved before the global economic crisis. Macroeconomic indicators have displayed dramatic improvement over the same time last year. Most importantly, the nature of economic discourse has shifted, and India is dreaming big.
But this will not be an easy theme to accomplish. The global scenario remains volatile with the Euro area still suffering from near-recessionary conditions and China in slowdown mode. Within India, demand continues to be muted, and new investments are challenging, even as ongoing projects suffer from delays. This implies structuring an efficient and effective social and physical infrastructure in terms of building the strength of our people and our facilities. Additionally, the foundations have to be laid for a springboard of new investments across all sectors, going beyond Infrastructure and Manufacturing to include Agriculture, Services and Social sectors. In all these areas, Industry’s responsibility would expand, going forward, and it would need to be the central factor in bringing together other stakeholders.
There is a growing realisation that Business has ever greater responsibility for Societal Development. Corporate Social Reponsibility (CSR) and Individual Social Responsibility (ISR) are increasingly becoming part of Business Strategy. It is estimated that more than 10, 000 companies are already implementing CSR activities in villages. It is observed by several of these companies that if these initiatives are done in a more systematic and structured manner, the investment will payback much more effectively. Village Buddha is designed to address this latent need in a systemic manner.
Extending its agenda beyond business, CII assists industry to identify and execute corporate citizenship programmes. Partnerships with civil society organisations carry forward corporate initiatives for integrated and inclusive development across diverse domains including affirmative action, healthcare, education, livelihood, diversity management, skill development, empowerment of women, and water, to name a few.
The development of the nation can only proceed if the strengths of all stakeholders are adequately harnessed to the common task. Each and every one of the billion plus Indian citizens must be sufficiently empowered to contribute. The responsibility is ours.
Our vision is to be a catalyst in creating self reliant villages by deploying skills and resources in key areas such as economic development, quality education, health care, the environment and the creation and maintenance of Infrastructure.
Our Mission is to facilitate the process of sustainable development through the active participation of national and state governments, working in partnership with NGOs and Indian and multinational corporate houses, for the development of rural communities. Village Buddha, that has been case studied here is a microcosm of CII’s mission to Empower Society.
We are pleased to present to you a renewed and refreshed Blog offering that will capture developmental case studies from CII and its members that have made an impact on society. We will have our presence on the social media platforms and we look forward to hear from you. | https://www.ciiblog.in/director-generals-message/ |
On Saturday, the Swiss public voted against the introduction of the Universal Basic Income system (UBI), which proposed to give every adult citizen around 2500SFr francs (around £1,782) a month regardless of whether they work.
The failure for UBI supporters in Switzerland coincided with the UK’s shadow chancellor John McDonnell saying at the weekend that the system “is an idea Labour will be closely looking at over the next few years.”
The most obvious criticism of UBI is that it would be far too expensive to implement. If we paid every person an unconditional salary of close to the national living wage, there would have to be huge tax rises, or massive cuts in other areas of government spending.
Another possibility would be to implement a UBI system using the same budget as we have for our current welfare system. In this “fiscally neutral” situation, we would divide our welfare budget by the number of people in the country, and share it out equally. This works out as much less than the living wage, but it could still provide some of the same benefits. For example, it would greatly reduce the bureaucracy of the welfare system and give people more choice about what they do for a living.
So, we decided to do some back-of-the-envelope maths to calculate what this might look like in the UK. We wanted to know how much each Brit would get if the current welfare budget was axed completely and the total pot was divided equally among everyone in the country?
We decided to use numbers for the 2013-14 financial year because those are the most complete numbers provided by the Office of National Statistics and the Office for Budget Responsibility:
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UK WELFARE BUDGET FOR 2013-14
- Total welfare spending: £251 billion
- Population: 64.5 million
- Of which, children: 15 million
If that budget was recast as a universal basic income, this is what you would get:
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UK BASIC INCOME BUDGET FOR 2013-14
- Basic income per head for all residents, annually: £3,891
- Basic income per head for all residents, monthly: £324
- Basic income per head for adults only, annually: £5,081
- Basic income per head for adults only, monthly: £423
One of the criticisms of basic income is that it would kill off the desire to work. Few studies have been done of this, but those that have indicate that people only reduce their work hours by a small amount on average.
The fact that a fiscally neutral basic income scheme would pay out only £423 per month (€585 or $644) to adults means almost everyone receiving it would still need a job. £423 a month is simply not enough to survive — or even pay rent — in most areas of Britain.
It might disincentivize some work, however. Young people living for free with their parents might suddenly feel rather rich. And that would mean employers currently offering unpleasant jobs with low pay might need to increase their pay rates or go out of business.
That might not be a bad thing: A basic income pre-supposes that most people want to work anyway, because productive activity is how we create meaning and identity. Basic income would give workers the freedom to not be forced into the jobs that no one wants — think about rubbish collectors — or to let people grow richer by taking on those onerous tasks. It might force society to revalue unpleasant but necessary tasks, and reward them more justly.
It would alter the labour market in favour of labour, in other words.
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Social Mambo is my personal project, and ensemble that unifies the musicians and the music I feel closer to my soul.
Social mambo
SOCIAL MAMBO is a musical experience inspired by the West-Coast Latin Jazz scene in 1950-60s California. The band consists of some of the finest Cuban musicians and friends. I profoundly enjoy performing with them, and they inspire me to level up to a higher standard of playing improvisations and arrangements.
The incredible Yasser Pino, a phenomenal musician, a great friend, and one of the most valuable bassists and arrangers in the Latin music scene, is on the bass. In the rhythm section, we have the multi-awarded Eliel Lazo, a master of congas who has played with legends like Herbie Hancock and Michel Camilo. And on the vibraphone, we have the one and only Morten Grønvald – a multi-instrumentalist and arranger whose musical prowess has no limits. We also share the scene with musicians like the excellent vocalist Ernesto Mannuitt and the tremendous Cuban trumpeter Carlos Sarduy. | https://yohanramon.com/projects/ |
Before we start, I want to make clear that there are dozens of different ways to sharpen a knife. Everyone has a way they think is best, and men have all sorts of techniques and tools that they feel are essential in getting a sharp blade. In the end, much of it comes down to personal preference. I’m going to show you the way I learned how to sharpen a pocket knife. It’s very basic, good for beginners, and best of all, it works. If you have an alternative method that you prefer, great. Share it with us in the comments. I’d love to hear your tips.
Historically, there are three broad grades of Japanese sharpening stones: the ara-to, or "rough stone", the naka-to or "middle/medium stone" and the shiage-to or "finishing stone". There is a fourth type of stone, the nagura, which is not used directly. Rather, it is used to form a cutting slurry on the shiage-to, which is often too hard to create the necessary slurry. Converting these names to absolute grit size is difficult as the classes are broad and natural stones have no inherent "grit number". As an indication, ara-to is probably (using a non-Japanese system of grading grit size) 500–1000 grit. The naka-to is probably 3000–5000 grit and the shiage-to is likely 7000–10000 grit. Current synthetic grit values range from extremely coarse, such as 120 grit, through extremely fine, such as 30,000 grit (less than half a micrometer abrasive particle size).
Siliciclastic stone is a clastic, noncarbonate, sedimentary stone that is almost exclusively silica-bearing and exists as either a form of quartz or, another silicate mineral. In addition, hardened clay is also a sedimentary stone but, it is formed from organic materials such as plant and animal matter and thus, it is much softer than Siliciclastic However, when silicon sediment is suspended in a clay matrix and then naturally hardened over thousands of years, it forms an excellent whetstone material; although, it is somewhat softer than Novaculite. Thus, because the geology of Japan once held large deposits of this type of stone it has been used for hundreds of years for sharpening tools, knives, and swords. However, unlike Novaculite, Belgian Blue, and Coticule, both natural and synthetic Japanese whetstones use water for lubrication and thus, they are commonly known as “Japanese Water Stones” because this type of stone is very porous. Thus, natural Japanese Water Stones must be soaked in water for up to twenty-four hours prior to use whereas, synthetic Japanese Water Stones can be soaked for only a few moments.
The Sharpening and Specialty lines of waterstones from Naniwa are available in several packages of three to five stones. The Specialty line is the same as the Sharpening line, but half the thickness and therefore less expensive. Both the Sharpening and the Specialty stones are 8 1/4" long by 2 3/4" wide, amply sized for most knives and tools. These are a higher grade stone that do not require soaking before use. While you would need a flattening stone in addition, these kits are a good way to enter into premium grade waterstones.
I've always wanted to sharpen knives on water stones, and this set gave me the motivation to finally give it a shot. The price is amazing for the quality and content of the set. It comes with all the grits you need to sharpen anything... I usually start on the 400 grit if the knife is very dull, or directly on the 1000 grit if it's not too dull. The 3000 and 8000 grit stones are softer and ideal after the coarser stones. The online learning section is truly amazing, much better than I expected. A convenient place with instructional videos and many articles about knife sharpening. Only downside is that the knives are now so sharp I need to be very careful using them... but that's a good thing! I feel like I fell in love with knife sharpening again.
Ceramic whetstones are meant to be used without water or oil, which means they can be used almost anywhere and are ideal for chefs or cooks who have limited working spaces. They will give you a very sharp blade and as their surface is very hard they will maintain their flat surfaces over the long-term, but as they have a fine grit, they can break if you drop the stone.
The Sunrise Pro doesn’t have the pedigree of some other knife sharpeners on our list but it performs as advertised and that’s all that matters. For a relative song you get to restore all the knives, steak knives, cleavers in your kitchen to near pristine condition. It’s easy to use and the nice strong suction cup on the bottom means you can put the band aids away.
Manufacturer contacted and sent a new one for replacement. Great customer service but replacement item was nicked on the corner. It was still usable so i didn't bother to ask for another replacement. I would recommend item to be shipped in another box instead of an over-sized yellow envelop which is not adequate protection. Item sharpen my knife pretty good though..
This set of two Norton combination waterstones provides four grits and also includes a flattening stone as an added value. The 220, 1000, 4000 and 8000 grit sides will handle everything from aggressive shaping to final polishing. They are 8" long by 3" wide, big enough to handle most knives and tools easily. Our most popular waterstone kit, this has everything you need to both sharpen with waterstones and maintain the stones themselves. A great starter set.
The thumbnail test (not recommended for novices) - With this test you take your newly sharpened blade and run it oh-so-delicately over your thumbnail. If you feel it digging in even a tiny bit, it’s likely sharp enough. If on the other hand it just slips and slides across the surface of your nail it’s not sharp yet. Again, this test is only recommended for people with lots of experience handling knives and even then they’d probably be better off just grabbing a tomato or a piece of paper.
One of the most well-regarded natural whetstones is the yellow-gray "Belgian Coticule", which has been legendary for the edge it can give to blades since Roman times, and has been quarried for centuries from the Ardennes. The slightly coarser and more plentiful "Belgian Blue" whetstone is found naturally with the yellow coticule in adjacent strata; hence two-sided whetstones are available, with a naturally occurring seam between the yellow and blue layers. These are highly prized for their natural elegance and beauty, and for providing both a fast-cutting surface for establishing a bevel and a finer surface for refining it. This stone is considered one of the finest for sharpening straight razors.
The speed and polishing ability of waterstones attract many sharpeners. Waterstones sharpen quickly and are available in fine polishing grits not found in other stone types. The ability to flatten the stones is a necessity when sharpening with waterstones, so a starting set should include a flattening stone of some kind. Our article, How to Flatten a Waterstone, has more information about keeping waterstones flat.
However, because the Belgian Blue stone generally occurs in relatively wide columns with much thinner layers of Vielsalm Coticule on either side adjacent to the slate, the Belgian Blue stone is more plentiful that Coticule and thus, it’s somewhat less expensive. But, it’s also somewhat softer than Coticule and is not divided into different grades as Coticule is. Furthermore, because it is a softer stone than Coticule, it is sold without a substrate layer.
When a whetstone is used to cut metal, it acts like sandpaper by removing small particles of metal (aka “swarf”) with each pass of the blade over the stone. Therefore, whetstones with more coarse grits cut faster than those with finer grits and, at the same time, soft whetstones cut faster than hard whetstones because each pass of the blade over both types of whetstones not only removes fine particles of metal from the blade, it also removes fine particles from the surface of the whetstone (aka “slurry”) which continuously exposes new cutting crystals. However, if the swarf is allowed to build up on the surface of the whetstone during sharpening, it will clog the stone and drastically diminish its effectiveness. Therefore, some whetstones require water to lubricate the stone and suspend the swarf whereas, other whetstones require oil to lubricate the stone and suspend the swarf.
Fortunately our product review experts have put their noses to the grindstone (so to speak) for you and come up with a comprehensive list of the 14 best knife sharpeners on the market today. They’ve cast a wide net that includes everything from the most elaborate mechanical devices to the simplest sharpening sticks and stones so you’re bound to find one that fits your needs, temperament and budget. Keep in mind that any opinions expressed here are those of our experts.
Whichever method you choose, be it a waterstone (also known as a whetstone), or a pull-through (either V-shaped or ceramic wheels) it's important to regularly hone your knife with a honing steel, which we'll also cover below. You'll be pleased to hear that you won't have to reach for the stones too regularly – once every two or three months should suffice.
Works well. Just got it today, sharpened two pocket knives, one a 8Cr13MoV Chinese steel, the other s30v American steel The stone made short work of both steels (which were pretty sharp already). But notably was able to make the s30v hair shaving sharp easily, something I've had trouble with. Inexpensive and useful, I love this stone. It's not the Ninja sharp 8000+ grits that you can find, but for pocket knives and EDC, it's perfect and inexpensive. Get One!!!!!!!!!!!!
Table mounted device – Typically the manual powered table mounted sharpener looks virtually identical to the electric powered sharpener with a slot for each stage. Where they differ is that each slot in the manual powered sharpener has only one groove and you pull the blade through this groove toward you to sharpen the blade. Once the blade is sufficiently sharp you place it in the honing groove to refine the edge and pull it toward you again several times. If there is a third, cleaning, stage you repeat the process for that stage as well.
If you don’t have a problem with the water-lubrication system in your working environment, Waterstones is the most common and affordable models to obtain. They are available in various abrasive grit grade from coarse to extra fine mesh. They generally made by Aluminum Oxide, which provides faster cutting. The downside of the Waterstone, they wear down more quickly as the impact of the old abrasive materials that break the stone itself. It is why Waterstone requires frequent flattening to keep it evenly. It is recommended you have one of diamond stones to help you for regular flattening become easier.
Put the pointed, narrow end of the sharpener up against the open end of the gut hook. The narrow, pointed end of the sharpener should face in toward the thickness of the blade, away from the edge of the gut hook. Match the angle of the sharpener to the original edge angle. This will maintain the correct sharpening angle and prevent you from getting cut by the blade tip. Hold the same angle when sharpening each side of the gut hook.
The speed and polishing ability of waterstones attract many sharpeners. Waterstones sharpen quickly and are available in fine polishing grits not found in other stone types. The ability to flatten the stones is a necessity when sharpening with waterstones, so a starting set should include a flattening stone of some kind. Our article, How to Flatten a Waterstone, has more information about keeping waterstones flat.
An extremely well written and informative article on sharpening. Overtime we all get to love certain stones for our sharpening needs. I am a huge coticule fan, and although i have used all the others, i always come back to this natural stone above all others. Still trying to figure if i chose it or it chose me! NEver the less there are so many options out there it is not hard with a little time and effort to find the right combination for your needs.
You need the right size of sharpening stone that fit the type and size of your blades and tools. In general, 6-inches stones are the smaller models and 8-inches are the larger ones. The stones larger than 8 inches are work best for big-sized blades and tools. You may also find sort of ‘pocket knife sharpener’ out there. Most of the credit card sized sharpening stone are smaller than 6 inches and ideal for on the go sharpening not for regular basis.
Our second entry from Chef’s Choice is the 463 Pronto Santoku. This manual sharpener is super-simple to use and delivers fast, high quality results every time. While this is a “2-stage” system there’s nothing complicated about it. One slot is for sharpening and the other for honing. Both stages utilize diamond abrasive surfaces so your blades will retain its edge for a good long time.
We're not completely sure but we think we now have the largest selection of sharpening stones on the face of the earth. If you're interested in something and don't see it here please contact us and we'll try to get it. Most of the stones you see here are Japanese water stones, both synthetic and naturals. There is also a wide selection of stone holders, flatteners, and other items that will help you get a razor sharp edge on all your sharp tools and knives.
1. Start off with the rough grit. If you have a particularly dull blade, start off with the rough grit side of your sharpening stone. How do you tell which side is the rough grit? Sometimes you can tell by sight. If you can’t do that, do a thumbnail test. Scratch the surface with your thumbnail and whichever side feels rougher, that’s the side you want to start off with. Also, rough grits tend to be more porous than finer grits. So if you put water on one side and the stone really drinks it up, chances are it’s the rough grit. | https://bestknifesharpeneronline.com/the-secret-life-of-sharpening-knives-with-whetstone.html |
FIELD OF INVENTION
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS
The present invention relates to a cleaning and shaping pad, and to a probe tip cleaning and shaping pad.
In the field of semiconductor manufacturing, it is common practice to test the semiconductor chips at various stages in the manufacturing process. In particular, due to the time and expense required to package a semiconductor chip, and given the probability that a particular semiconductor chip may have a flaw, it is common practice to inspect the wafers before the wafers are cut up into individual chips. To facilitate this testing, small conductive pads (electrodes) are often located on the surface of the wafer that may be used to connect chip circuitry to an external tester such as a probe device. The probe device may send electrical signals through these electrodes to the circuitry on the wafer. The probe device may also receive electrical response signals from the wafer through these electrodes. These response signals can be processed to determine whether individual chips on the wafer are functioning properly. If a poor electrical connection is made between the probe device and the electrodes, an incorrect status for a chip may be obtained.
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With reference to , a probe device may include a probe card which holds one or more probe needles . The probe needles may be oriented in various configurations which are known in the art, such as a vertical paliney probe , a vertical P C-Probe , or a cantilevered probe as shown in FIG. B. During testing of a wafer having electrodes , probes are brought into contact with electrodes by positioning probe card and wafer relative to each other such that probes contact electrodes .
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Semiconductor geometry is constantly decreasing. For example, electrodes may be 50 micrometers by 50 micrometers in size and the on-center distance between the pads, otherwise known as the pitch, may be approximately 75 micrometers In order to contact only one electrode at a time, a probe needle of a small diameter is desired. A typical probe needle may have a diameter D shown in FIG. C. The probe should be large enough in diameter to provide the mechanical stability and support necessary to keep the probe needle from bending. However, because of the small size of the pads, it is desirable that the end of the probe needle have a smaller diameter with a pointed or needle-like tip . Probe needles may be made of many different materials, as is known in the art, and in one embodiment may be made of tungsten. Other materials used for probe tips include nickel alloys, paliney, beryllium copper, tungsten-rhenium, palladium alloys, and other metal coated silicon probes.
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With reference to , electrode of semiconductor device may be formed of aluminum (Al) or other metallic materials known in the art, such as Aluminum-Silicon-Copper pads, Gold pads, and Lead/Tin bumps. An aluminum oxide layer, or other oxide layer, may have formed over the surface of electrode during the wafer manufacturing process. Because aluminum oxide is an insulator, it may be necessary to scratch through the oxide layer so that a reliable contact is formed between the electrode and the probe tip. Scratching through the oxide layer may be accomplished by an overdrive process that includes bringing the semiconductor wafer electrode into contact with the probe tip and moving the wafer and/or the probe card such that the probe needle scrapes and digs into electrode .
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The overdrive process may break through the oxide layer to make a good electrical connection with the electrode; however, with reference to , extraneous particles such as aluminum, aluminum oxide, silicon, and other types of particles, debris or foreign matter may adhere to the surface of the probe tip. After repeated probing operation, the particles on the probe tip may prevent a good conductive connection from forming with electrode and the probe tip. The repeated probing process may also cause the tip of probe to become blunted as illustrated in blunt probe tip may make the probe tip less effective at scratching the surface of the electrode. A blunted probe tip may also cause probe marks to go beyond the specified allowable electrode contact area on the wafer if the blunt end of the tip becomes too large. A pointed probe tip has a smaller tip surface area at the end of the probe tip such that, for the same force, a higher pressure is applied on the aluminum oxide, providing for an enhanced ability to break through the aluminum oxide.
A further problem related to the blunting of a probe tip, is that uneven blunting of probe tips creates probes of different lengths which may cause planarity problems. Probes may wear unevenly because sometimes some of the probes may be probing portions of the wafer where no electrodes exist and the probes touch down on materials of different hardness than the electrode pad. Additionally, probe tips may have burrs that were formed when the probes were made or sharpened, or from adhered debris. Probes may also be uneven in length for other reasons. Regardless of the reason for the variability in the probe tip lengths, planarity problems decrease the ability of the probes to accurately find the target electrode pads. Some efforts to improve planarity involve the blunting of non-blunted probe tips to conform to the length of the already blunted tips. This, however, negatively impacts the performance of the probe cards in other areas as discussed herein.
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In response to the problem of particles adhering to the probe needle, a number of techniques have been developed for cleaning probe tips. For example, is a drawing from U.S. Pat. No. 6,170,116 showing a side view of an abrasive sheet which is composed of a silicon rubber which provides a matrix for abrasive particles , such as an artificial diamond powder. In , the probe is inserted into the abrasive sheet , and some of the extraneous particles that adhere to the probe tip may be removed or scraped off by the abrasive particles . Unfortunately, this process may not remove all of the extraneous particles from the probe tip and may contaminate the probe tip with a viscous silicon rubber film or other particles which adhere to the tip as it is stuck into the silicon rubber matrix. To counteract this secondary particle contamination of the tip, the probe needle may be cleaned by spraying an organic solvent onto the tip of the needle, thereby dissolving and removing some of the viscous silicon rubber film and perhaps some of the secondary particles. Thereafter, the organic solvent may be blown off the probe tip in order to further prepare the tip. This process is time consuming and is performed off-line. Furthermore, the process may result in particles stuck to the tip and even introduce further contaminates.
Other wafer cleaning devices are disclosed such as a cleaning wafer with a mounted abrasive ceramic cleaning block which is rubbed against the probe needles as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,019,663; the use of a sputtering method to remove particles from the probe tip as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,998,986; the use of a rubber matrix with abrasive particles and a brush cleaner made of glass fibers as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,968,282; the employment of lateral vibrational movement against a cleaning surface for removing particles from a probe tip as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,961,728; spraying or dipping the probe needles in cleaning solution as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,814,158; and other various cleaning methods such as those disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,778,485 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,652,428.
Many of these methods and devices interrupt the testing of wafers by use of off-line processing to clean the probe tips. Some of these methods introduce further contaminates to the probe tips. Some of these methods exacerbate the blunting of the probe tips. None of these methods address the shaping of probe tips while cleaning on-line.
Therefore, there is a need for an on-line method and apparatus to clean particles from probe tips without the use of solvents or blowing mechanisms. Furthermore, a need exists for a method and apparatus for cleaning probe tips that does not blunt the tip of the probes, but rather enhances the shape of the probe tip. Additionally, there exists a need for the ability to clean and shape the probe tips in a quick and consistent manner with minimal downtime. Furthermore, probe tip shaping extends the life of the probe needle. Probe tip shaping enhances the scratching ability, thereby enhancing the reliability of the electrical contact.
A method and apparatus is provided for cleaning and shaping a probe tip using a multi-layer adhesive and abrasive pad. The multi-layer adhesive and abrasive pad is constructed on the surface of a support structure, such as the surface of a silicon wafer, and is made of an adhesive in contact with abrasive particles. Adhesive is applied in layers with abrasive particles in-between each layer of adhesive. Abrasive particles may vary in size and material from layer to layer to achieve cleaning, shaping and polishing objectives.
The present invention may be described herein in terms of various hardware components and processing steps. It should be appreciated that such components may be realized by any number of hardware components configured to perform the specified functions. For example, the present invention may employ various integrated circuit components, e.g., transistors, memory elements, digital signal processing elements, integrators, motors, actuators, servos, gears, and the like, which may carry out a variety of functions under the control of one or more microprocessors or other control devices. Moreover, various types of material may be used in making the probe tip cleaning and shaping pads. In addition, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the present invention may be practiced in any number of probing device contexts and that the preferred embodiment described herein is merely one exemplary application for the invention. General techniques that may be known to those skilled in the art are not described in detail herein.
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An exemplary Multilayer Adhesive and Abrasive Pad (“MAAP”) for cleaning and shaping probe tips is illustrated in according to various aspects of the present invention. A support structure supports MAAP . MAAP is attached to support structure by, for example, a first adhesive layer . MAAP is made of abrasive particles and an adhesive material. According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the diameter of the abrasive particles included in the pad (e.g., MAAP ) are between 0.01 microns and 90 microns. MAAP has a first adhesive layer and successive layers of abrasive particles and adhesive . Top layer is an abrasive layer.
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In one embodiment, support structure is a semiconductor wafer which supports the probe tip cleaning and shaping pad . A silicon wafer may be a convenient choice of support structure because it is easily adaptable for use in the machines which test the semiconductor wafers. For example, with a silicon wafer support structure, it is possible to test one or more semiconductor wafers, or even to test a portion of a semiconductor wafer, and then remove the tested wafer and replace it with a semiconductor wafer supporting pad for on-line cleaning and shaping of the probe tips. Alternatively, other support structures may be used such as flat disks made of stainless steels or ceramics or glass. Support structure may have a thickness of 500 micrometers in one embodiment, and in other embodiments may be thinner or thicker as necessary. For example, the elastic modulus of a silicon wafer support structure is approximately 1.9×10Pa, and for steels 2.1×10Pa. Moreover, the flatness of the support structure is important, for example, to avoid planarity problems.
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First adhesive layer is attached to one surface of support structure . In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, first adhesive layer may comprise a double stick tape to aid in the simple removal and replacement of MAAP . For example, when MAAP needs replacing or is no longer needed, it can be peeled off of support structure . In other embodiments, a more permanent connection may be provided by using single or multiple layers of adhesive for first adhesive layer without the double stick tape. Other layers of adhesive may exist between successive layers of abrasive particles . Two or more layers of adhesive may make up first adhesive layer , and a single layer of adhesive may exist in the inter-layers. However, any number of layers may be applied to form the first adhesive layer or to form adhesive layers between abrasive particle layers and between a layer and top layer .
In one embodiment, the adhesive material may be an acrylic adhesive such as 3M F-9460PC available from 3M. Alternatively, the adhesive material may be made of elastic, Teflon, polymer, epoxy, polyurethane or other materials exhibiting soft, pliable properties that are available or formable in thin sheet form. These products may be available through any number of suppliers, such as, 3M, Epoxy Technology, and Dexter. The thin layer of adhesive material may, for example, be approximately 50 micrometers in thickness, although thinner and thicker layers may be used.
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In one embodiment, adhesive layer may provide the minimum adhesive sufficient to hold the next layer of abrasive particles. Use of an adhesive, such as an acrylic adhesive, in multi-layer adhesive and abrasive pad provides several advantages over a composite resin matrix suspending abrasive particles in a resin material. Top layer of MAAP may include abrasive particles which may make the adhesive material less likely to stick to the probe tip than the resin material in matrix type cleaning pads. MAAP further may not require the extra cleaning steps often used in resin matrix devices. Also, MAAP adhesive tends to be softer than resin which allows the insertion of probe tips into MAAP under less pressure than that typically required for resin pads, thus reducing the chances of bending the probes. Furthermore, the probe needles are less likely to get stuck in MAAP than in resin pads which have been known to yank probes out of the head of the probe card. MAAP has the further advantage of facilitating the piercing of the pad with the probe needles because the adhesive may not be as hard as resin pads. The adhesive in MAAP also has a relatively short recovery time (compared to resin materials) allowing holes in the adhesive to reseal which may facilitate the cleaning of the probe tips, the capture of particles within the pad, and allow the reuse of areas of MAAP .
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Abrasive layers may be located between adhesive layers and . Abrasive layers may include top abrasive layer . The abrasive material in one embodiment may comprise diamond particle; for example, 15 micron and 16 micron SUN E8 diamond powder manufactured by Sun Marketing Group. Alternatively, other materials, such as aluminum oxide, zirconia, alumina-zirconia mixtures, tungsten carbide, silicon carbide, silicon nitride, and titanium carbide, may suitably be used for one or more of the abrasive particle layers. Furthermore, any material with a hardness higher than those of the probe materials might be used as abrasive particles in MAAP . For example, the abrasive particles might have a hardness that is harder than a Vickers hardness of approximately 1000 kg/mm.
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Because different probes have different hardness values, the hardness of the abrasive materials used in different layers of MAAP may vary between pads designed for probes made of different materials. As an example of probe hardness, Tungsten Rhenium is one of the hardest probes with a Hardness Value (“HV”) of 650 kg/mm, paliney is in the range of 350-400 kg/mm, and Beryllium-Copper or Nickel alloy are in the range of 300-350 kg/mm.
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As an example of foreign particle hardness, aluminum oxide has a HV of 1500 kg/mm, and copper oxide (cupric oxide) is much softer than aluminum oxide. As an example of abrasive particle hardness, diamond has a HV of 10,000 kg/mm, and silicon carbide is 2500-3500 kg/mm. Abrasive particles might also be selected or created to have other qualities such as high compressive and fracture strength. Abrasive particles might also be selected or created such that the abrasive particles are harder than the foreign particles and debris being removed from the probe tips. For example, diamond abrasive particles may be used to remove aluminum oxide. Abrasive particles might also be chosen based on their hardness and particle size and particle size distribution in removal of debris.
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In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, the grit sizes of the abrasive material in inter-layers and on surface layer may be well defined. For example, all of the abrasive particle layers and may be selected to have the same grit size. In another example, the grit sizes and materials may vary from one layer to the next, such as where the largest grit is in surface layer and the grit size becomes smaller with each successive layer closer to support structure . In this example, the coarser grit material may provide better bulk shaping and cleaning, and the finer size grit may provide finer shaping, cleaning and polishing of the ends of the tip. Therefore, the finer grit may be placed in pad so as to contact a specific portion of the probe nearest the tip. Polishing the probe tip makes it less likely that foreign particles will stick to the probe tip. Grit sizes and materials may be selected in reverse graduated order with the smallest grit on top layer and larger grits as the layers get closer to support structure . The individual grit sizes for each layer may also be varied to achieve other shaping needs.
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In a further example, the size of the grit of the abrasive material may be chosen based on the types of materials used in the probe tips. Exemplary probe tip materials include nickel alloys, paliney, Beryllium-Copper, tungsten, and other materials well known in the art of wafer testing. For example, tungsten rhenium probe tips are very strong and may require a coarser grit to achieve tip shaping in an efficient manner. In contrast, smaller grit sizes may be used for probe tips made of softer materials such as paliney, Beryllium-Copper, and Nickel. Also, the grit sizes may be chosen with regard to the strength of the probe needles so as not to bend the needles as they are inserted into pad . In another embodiment, grit sizes and materials may be chosen based upon their ability to remove specific types of foreign matter, debris and particulates adhering to the probe tips. Furthermore, in an exemplary embodiment, desired probe tip radius sizes may be a determining factor in choosing abrasive particle grit size. For example, larger grit sizes may result in a larger tip radius, and smaller grit sizes may result in a smaller tip radius.
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The abrasive inter-layers may contain various types, sizes and quantities of abrasive material and types and quantities of adhesive material, and the layers may vary in thickness, for example, from 25 microns to 100 microns. In one embodiment, a stack of six layers of abrasive and adhesive material may be used for a typical MAAP and pad may have a total height of 25 mils (635 microns). In other embodiments, more or less layers of adhesive and abrasive may be used, and the total height of pad may be selected such that it is thick enough for the insertion of a sufficient portion of the probe tip, for example 10 mils, such that probe tip can be cleaned and shaped without contacting the support structure. While any number of layers may be chosen with varying thickness choices, the total thickness of pad should be such that the probe tip may be inserted to a desired depth without the probe tip coming into contact with the support structure. For example, the thickness of the pad may range from 2 mils to 200 mils, and the number of abrasive layers may range from 1 to 100. In one embodiment, 6 layers of abrasive alternate with 6 layers of adhesive forming a 25 mils pad with an adhesive layer between each abrasive layer. In another embodiment, specific abrasive material and sizes may be used for shaping specific parts of probe tip . In this embodiment, it may be desirable to coordinate the vertical location of specific abrasive material layers with the penetration depth of probe tip .
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An exemplary embodiment of a MAAP may be constructed in the following manner. A silicon wafer support structure is set on a hot chuck which is heated to approximately 120° F. A first adhesive layer is applied to the surface of support structure . Adhesive layers and may be formed on support structure or on abrasive layers by using an adhesive attached to an applicator or “backing” layer. Layers of adhesive may be applied to the abrasive layer or support structure by pressing the adhesive holding backing layer onto the abrasive layer or support structure with the adhesive side of the backing facing toward the support structure. This may be done while heating the support structure and layers on the support structure. A roller or other device may be used to eliminate any air bubbles and to improve the planarity of the adhesive layer. Alternatively, the adhesive and backing can be rolled directly on to support structure or abrasive layer . The backing material can then be peeled off exposing the thin layer of adhesive material. Alternatively, the adhesive material may be applied by any other known method, such as spraying or applying to a spinning wafer.
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An abrasive layer may be added by pouring or sprinkling the abrasive particles over the adhesive and optionally assisting the attachment of the particles to the adhesive by use of a brush or other tool. The remainder of the abrasive material that does not stick to the adhesive may be dumped, blown, or brushed away to prepare the MAAP for another layer of adhesive. Any other method of putting the abrasive particles in contact with the adhesive may be used.
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In one embodiment, each layer of adhesive and of abrasive can be treated as separate layers because they may be applied as such. However, some intermixing of adhesive and abrasive occurs as the abrasive sticks to the adhesive. Therefore, in another embodiment, adjacent abrasive and adhesive layers may be considered a composite layer . As discussed above, pad may be made such that one composite layer has a different abrasive particle grit size or material from another composite layer .
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The MAAP described herein may be used by any probe type, such as, vertical probes and cantilever probes. Probes may require cleaning at varying intervals, for example, after a specified number of wafer tests. The intervals might be different due to the type of probe material, the material used on the probe pad, or other factors. MAAP may be used by bringing the probe tip in contact with MAAP , and overdriving probe tip into MAAP a sufficient distance to both shape and clean probe tip . For example, in one embodiment, probe tip may be driven in a distance of 10 mils into a 25 mils stack. Probe tip is then withdrawn from MAAP . One iteration of this process is called a touchdown and multiple touchdowns may be used for probe tip cleaning and shaping. For example, to clean a probe tip, 10 touchdowns might be used, although any number of touchdowns may be selected to achieve the desired cleaning, depending on a variety of factors. The number of touch downs may, for example, range from 1 to 21,000. Furthermore, when shaping the tip, in one embodiment, 20,000 touchdowns may be used to achieve tip shaping of, for example, tungsten under 6-7 mil overdrive, and 10,000 touchdowns may be used for vertical paliney probes under 10 mil overdrive. The number of touchdowns may depend on the initial probe diameter and tip diameters, and the final desired condition. Of course, a point of diminishing returns exists where further touchdowns provide minimal improvement in the tip shaping.
FIG. 5
FIG. 5A
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shows a probe tip shaping test conducted on a 25 mil thick multi-layer abrasive pad (MAAP) with 15 micron abrasive powder. The test was conducted on an assembly test card with a contact set, where the tips overdrive 5 mils into 25 mil MAAP. A test time was set at 250 msec per touchdown, and initial measurements were made of the contact force, tip radius, tip contact length and tip contact width. After 10,000 touchdowns on the MAAP, the tips were measured and inspected. Next, another 10,000 touchdowns were performed on the MAAP, and another 1,000 touchdowns were performed on a 6 micron particle size MAAP for final polishing. Next, the tips were measured and inspected again. As can be observed from , the probe tips before tip shaping were rounded and blunt compared to the probe tips after tip shaping which exhibit more sharp and uniform features. Furthermore, the tip contact length and tip contact width are narrowed and shortened through the process of performing the 10,000 and 21,000 touchdowns.
The probe tips are dramatically improved in terms of the sharpness of the tip and the ability for the probe tips to be directed to smaller targets and thus improved. Furthermore, the sharp probe tips are better able to scratch the surface of those targets and develop proper electrical contacts. In addition, in the process of the probe tip shaping, the tips are cleaned of any debris which may have accumulated from contacting the bond pads or from other contact with other portions of the semiconductor wafer.
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Although others have attempted probe tip shaping and cleaning, their attempts have several serious drawbacks or disadvantages. MAAP has the advantage of allowing probes to be inserted in cleaning and shaping pad with a relatively low amount of force. Using less force reduces the risk of bending or breaking the probe needles and is beneficial to the probe tip life by reducing the repetitive high stress on probe tip . For example, in tests, some resin type probe tip conditioners used as much as 28 grams of force to insert a probe tip 8 mils into the material. In contrast, MAAP only used one tenth of a gram to insert the same probe tip to the same depth.
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MAAP also exhibits a dramatic improvement (decrease) in the size of the tip radius when compared to other probe tip conditioners. For example, one resin type probe tip conditioner produced a probe tip radius of 0.000767 inches. In contrast, MAAP produced a probe tip radius of 0.000226 inches. Regardless of the insertion force or probe tip radius, prior art probe tip conditioners generally require further cleaning steps. In contrast, the MAAP probe tips did not require further cleaning steps before resuming testing of wafers. Therefore, a considerable saving of time and money may be possible using an MAAP.
It has been noted through tests that the symmetry of the probe tip is improved and is desirable over that of probe tips created by other methods, including probe tips machined by laser. The probe tips are sharper, clean, and polished. This method may also be used in the process of creating new probe tips. Furthermore, the ability to sharpen probe tips which have become blunt allows the same probe card to be used for an extended period of time, thus improving the probe card life and reducing the downtime involved when an old probe card is switched out for a new probe card. Similarly, the cost of getting the probe card retrofitted or reconditioned is completely avoided or delayed.
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Use of MAAP further has been found to improve the planarity of the probe tips by removing burrs, and shaping the probe tips. Longer probe tips come into contact with more abrasive particles than shorter probe tips Thus the longer probe tips are shaped more aggressively than the shorter probe tips, bringing the longer probe tips further into planarity with the other tips. Importantly, the planarity of the probe tips is not achieved by blunting the good probe tips to make them match the other poor probe tips, but by shaping up all the probe tips.
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In addition, the use of MAAP to clean probe tips provides an efficient method which does not require other processing steps such as brushing or blowing off particles, or the use of any solvents to dissolve particles. While MAAP could be used off line, the method may be conducted on-line, further reducing the impact of probe tip cleaning and shaping on the throughput of the wafer testing process. Therefore, the multi-layer adhesive and abrasive pad discussed herein may enable new probing technologies and allow for even smaller topographies in the semiconductor manufacturing process.
The present invention has been described above with reference to an exemplary embodiment. However, those skilled in the art will recognize that changes and modifications may be made to the exemplary embodiment without departing from the scope of the present invention. For example, the various components of the probe tip cleaning and shaping pad may be implemented in alternate ways depending upon the particular application or in consideration of any number of cost functions associated with the operation of the system, e.g., the layers may be made of different materials with similar characteristics to those described herein and the dimensions may be varied for the size of the pad, size of the particles, or thickness of layers. In addition, the techniques described herein may be extended or modified for use with various other applications, such as, for example, pogo pins for testers, sockets and head pins in package test, and connectors in the auto industry. These and other changes or modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the present invention.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The subject invention will hereinafter be described in conjunction with the appended drawing figures, wherein like numerals denote like elements, and:
FIG. 1A
illustrates an elevation view of a probe card with probe needles and a semiconductor wafer positioned for testing;
FIG. 1B
illustrates various probe tip types;
FIG. 1C
is a detailed view of a probe tip in an exemplary embodiment;
FIG. 2
is a more detailed view of a probe tip in an exemplary embodiment;
FIG. 3
is an exemplary drawing in the prior art of probe tip cleaning;
FIG. 4
illustrates an exemplary multi-layer adhesive and abrasive pad and pad support structure; and
FIG. 5
illustrates sample test results showing exemplary benefits obtained through use of a multi-layer adhesive and abrasive pad. | |
What are Upanishads?
Question:
If all these “upanishads” have different authors, what is the underlying reason that they’re all classified/grouped together as “upanishads”?
Answer:
It was a golden age where the rate of enlightenment was very high After the study of the Vedas, many Rishi’s and Muni’s got enlightened, some by way of just listening to knowledge and some by deep sadhana. Upanishads were an enumeration of sanskrit shlokas by these enlightened Rishi’s and Muni’s, who experienced this knowledge in deep meditation. They taught these to earnest disciples. As this knowledge was the highest knowledge, about the Consciousness/Brahman/God, it was preserved together as Upanishads, also called Vedanta (the end of the Vedas). It is called the end because, one finds God in the last place, and the Upanishads search ends there!
Question:
The “Om Sahana Vavatu” prayer – did this originate from Katopanishad? Or did we recite it every time because of its “together” theme, to emphasize our shared pool of consciousness?
Answer:
It is the Shanti mantra that is a part of all the Upanishads. All Upanishads begin with this prayer.
Have questions? Reach out to Ekta by clicking on the “Ask a Question” button on the left sidebar. For attending Ekta’s online knowledge sessions, click the “Gnyana Sangha” button on the left sidebar. | https://ektabathija.com/what-are-upanishads/ |
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In the first part of this guide, I examined what body composition means where I looked at the different components of the human body and how they integrate to determine body composition. Following up from that piece, I want to talk more about body fat percentage (BF%), what the numbers tell you and how they can be used to determine how changes in body composition will affect the overall percentage.
Body Composition Calculation
As I discussed in the first part of this guide, when you know the amounts of fat and lean mass present in the body, you can calculate body fat percentage. I’ll discuss the different methods available to do this later in the guide.
For the time being let’s assume I have a magic wand which I can wave to determine someones body fat percentage. With those values let me show you two different body composition calculations that can be done.
Calculation 1: Determining Body Composition
First let me show you how to calculate the pounds of fat and lean body mass (LBM) based on your weight and BF%.
I’ve shown the calculations below for a woman weighing 150 lbs at 22% bodyfat.
Calculation 2: Determining BF%
The same calculation can be done in reverse to determine BF% if total LBM and total fat mass are known. I’ve shown this below for a woman who is carrying 30 lbs of fat and 120 lbs of LBM. Mind you, it’s fairly uncommon to have the pounds of fat and LBM without knowing BF%. Rather, that second calculation can be used to examine a related topic.
How Do Changes in Body Composition Affect Body Fat Percentage?
Since folks usually want to alter their body fat percentage, it’s instructive to look at how changes in either total fat mass or lean body mass will change overall body fat percentage. I want to look at the situation where our hypothetical athlete either loses pure fat, gains pure muscle, or gains muscle while losing fat.
So let me start with the woman from calculation 1 who weighs 150 lbs at 22% bodyfat with 33 lbs of body fat.
First I’ll look at moderate changes of either a 5 lb gain in LBM or a 5 lb loss of fat with no other change. I’ll also look at what happens if someone gains 5 lbs of LBM while losing 5 lbs of fat (this isn’t common and I’m showing it mainly to make a point). I’ll also look at the extremes of gaining 20 lbs of LBM (roughly a woman’s maximum potential) or losing the same 20 pounds of fat. Finally, just for illustration, I’ll show a 10 lb loss of fat.
Perhaps the major thing to take from the above chart is that losing fat has an enormously large impact on BF% than gaining the same amount of muscle. For example, losing 5 lbs of fat lowers BF% by 2.7% while gaining 5 lbs of muscle only lowers it by 0.7%. Note that doing both at the same time ends up summing the effect of each with a BF% being reduced by 3.3% (2.7% + 0.7% = 3.4%). Not that this is particularly easy to do.
I bring this up as it’s often recommended that people gain muscle to lower their body fat percentage. While this is true, it works far less efficiently than losing the same amount of fat. There is also the issue of the time involved. Losing 5 pounds of fat can be done much faster than gaining the same 5 pounds of muscle. When reducing BF% is the goal, losing fat (while maintaining or, hopefully, gaining a small amount of muscle) is the best way.
I’d also note that you don’t have to do the calculations as if pure fat loss or muscle gain is occurring. You can plug any changes you want into the above values to see how varying changes in fat mass and LBM will affect the overall body fat percentage.
Calculating Goal Fat Loss to Reach a Specific BF%
A question that comes up quite a bit is how much fat someone will need to lose to reach a certain body fat percentage, given that they know where they are now. Assuming you have starting numbers for fat mass and total weight, there is a fairly easy calculation to do this. I’d note that this calculation assumes that the total weight lost is fat mass and that there is no muscle loss. This isn’t always a good assumption.
Calculation 3: Determining Goal Bodyweight and Fat Loss
Once again, I’ll use the woman from above who is starting at 150 lbs and 22% bodyfat with 117 lbs of LBM. She wants to get to 12% bodyfat. The calculation is shown below.
So she has to lose 17 pounds of pure fat with zero muscle loss to reach her goal of 12% bodyfat. This would put her at a (theoretical) finishing weight of 133 lbs (150 lbs – 17 lbs). I say theoretical since she will have lost some non-muscle LBM such as water on the way down in addition to the potential loss of small amounts of muscle loss. Her realistic finishing weight might be 10% less than that or closer to 130 lbs.
The Guide to Body Composition continues in Body Composition – Numbers
Similar Posts: | https://bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/body-composition-calculations |
A long-lost piece of Stonehenge that was taken by a man performing restoration work on the monument has been returned after 60 years, giving scientists a chance to peer inside a pillar of the iconic monument for the first time.
In 1958, Robert Phillips, a representative of the drilling company helping to restore Stonehenge, took the cylindrical core after it was drilled from one of Stonehenge's pillars – Stone 58. Later, when he emigrated to the United States, Phillips took the core with him.
Because of Stonehenge's protected status, it's no longer possible to extract samples from the stones. But with the core's return in 2018, researchers had the opportunity to perform unprecedented geochemical analyses of a Stonehenge pillar, which they described in a new study.
They found that Stonehenge's towering standing stones, or sarsens, were made of rock containing sediments that formed when dinosaurs walked the Earth. Other grains in the rock date as far back as 1.6 billion years.
Related: In photos: A walk through Stonehenge
"We have CT-scanned the rock, zapped it with X-rays, looked at it under various microscopes and analyzed its sedimentology and chemistry," said study lead author David Nash, a professor of physical geography at the University of Brighton in England.
"With the exception of thin-section analyses and a couple of the chemical methods, all of the techniques we used in the study were new both to Stonehenge and the study of sarsen stones in the UK," Nash told Live Science in an email.
Stonehenge's central circle of pillars was erected during the Neolithic period, about 4,500 years ago, according to English Heritage, a nonprofit organization that manages historic monuments in England.
"Sarsens were erected in two concentric arrangements – an inner horseshoe and an outer circle – and the bluestones [smaller monument stones] were set up between them in a double arc," English Heritage said on its website.
When the scientists peered through a microscope at thin slices of sarsen rock from Stone 58, they were surprised to discover that the stone was 99.7 percent quartz. A quartz "cement" held fine-to-medium quartz grains and formed "an interlocking mosaic of crystals," Nash said.
That made the rock more durable, and it may have been why the builders chose that type of rock for their massive monument thousands of years ago.
"These cements are incredibly strong. I've wondered if the builders of Stonehenge could tell something about the stone properties, and not only chose the closest, biggest boulders, but also the ones that were most likely to stand the test of time," Nash said.
Above: Microscope image from the sarsen sample showing the tightly interlocking mosaic of quartz crystals that cement the rock together. The outlines of quartz sand grains are indicated by arrows.
Older than dinosaurs
The researchers' analysis also revealed clues about the ages of sediments in the rock, Nash said in the email.
"The sandy sediments within which the stone developed were deposited during the Paleogene period, 66 [million] to 23 million years ago, so the sarsens can be no older than this," he explained.
However, when the scientists compared ratios of neodymium isotopes – or atoms of the element with a different number of neutrons in the nucleus – in the samples, they found that certain sediments in the sarsen stone were even more ancient.
Some grains were likely eroded from rocks dating to the Mesozoic era (252 million to 66 million years ago), when they may have been trodden upon by dinosaurs.
And some of the sand grains formed as long ago as 1 billion to 1.6 billion years ago, Nash said.
While this analysis answered some questions about Stonehenge, other unresolved puzzles remain, among them the whereabouts of two more cores that were drilled from Stone 58 during the 1958 restoration, and which also vanished from the record.
Workers at the Salisbury Museum in England discovered part of one of those cores in their collection in 2019, the researchers reported. Museum director Adrian Green contacted a representative at English Heritage, reporting the discovery of a portion of a core from Stone 58 "in a box marked '3x Stonehenge Stones from 'Treasure Box,'" according to the study.
The scientists investigated the Salisbury fragment alongside the Phillips core, and recorded its data in their study. However, "how and when it came to be at the museum was unknown," the authors wrote.
The location of the third core (and the rest of the core found at the Salisbury Museum) "is similarly unknown," the scientists said.
The findings were published August 4 in the journal PLOS One.
Related content:
5 strange theories about Stonehenge
Stonehenge: 7 reasons the mysterious monument was built
7 bizarre ancient cultures that history forgot
This article was originally published by Live Science. Read the original article here.
Editor's Note: This article was updated on August 5 to correct the date when the inner circles were erected. It is 2500 BC, not 2,500 years ago. | https://www.sciencealert.com/rediscovered-chunk-of-stone-henge-gives-a-glimpse-deep-inside-the-iconic-pillars-2 |
WannaCry—the most damaging cyberattack of 2017—continues unabated, with at least 3,500 successful attacks per hour, globally, according to research published by security firm Armis on Wednesday.
The research estimates that 145,000 devices worldwide continue to be infected, noting that “a single WannaCry infected device can be used by hackers to breach your entire network.”
The primary reason WannaCry persists is an abundance of unpatched Windows versions across healthcare, manufacturing, and retail sectors— a “large number of older or unmanaged devices which are difficult to patch due to operational complexities,” Ben Seri, research vice president at Armis, wrote in a blog post. The number of active Windows 7 (and older) installations across those sectors exceeds 60%,
This is in large part a vendor issue, because these industries rely on third-party hardware with poor lifetime support. There are operational reasons to hold on to old and unsupported Windows devices. Manufacturing facilities rely on the HMI (Human-Machine-Interface) devices that control the factory’s production lines. HMI devices run on custom built hardware, or use outdated software, that hasn’t been adopted to the latest Windows.
In healthcare organizations, many of the medical devices themselves are based on outdated Windows versions, and cannot be updated without complete remodeling.
In retail environments, the Point-of-Sale devices are the weak-link, based on custom hardware, which is late to receive updates if at all.
This is a particularly pressing issue, with the pending end-of-support for Windows 7 in January 2020. This which will serve to further complicate the security posture of many enterprises, especially as other “wormable” vulnerabilities are discovered, such as BlueKeep, which prompted Microsoft to provide patches for Windows XP and Server 2003 due to the potential risk the vulnerability posed.
The WannaCry attack had the potential of being much more damaging than it could have been, though for affected organizations, the damages were quite severe—the NHS reported losses of £92 million ($116 million).
Security researcher Marcus Hutchins, discovered a kill switch domain name in the program that was unregistered by the authors. When WannaCry executes, if the domain resolves, the program exits. While this bought additional time for defenses, WannaCry was reported as “stopped,” which may have lowered concern about the attack. Days later, a variant lacking a kill switch was discovered.
An analysis by GCHQ’s cybersecurity division identified the authors of WannaCry as the Lazarus Group, a North Korea state-sponsored threat actor, also responsible for the 2014 Sony Pictures hack. The US, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and Japan have criticized North Korea for their involvement in the attack, according to ZDNet.
WannaCry is built on top of a pair of exploits called EternalBlue and DoublePulsar, which were released by an organization called The Shadow Brokers on April 14, 2017. The exploits were originally developed by the NSA Office of Tailored Access Operations and CIA Information Operations Center. The weaponization—rather than responsible disclosure—of those underlying exploits created an opportunity for the WannaCry attack to be waged. | http://www.synergy-software.com/blog/?p=6451 |
ICL’s Emerging Leaders Program
Emerging Leaders for Idaho’s Environment (ELIE) is a new initiative to broaden ICL’s base through creative channels, engaging the next generation of conservationists with the use of their unique skills and expertise. ICL’s emerging leaders will work to empower a newly involved and motivated group of up-and-coming Idaho conservationists.
From the ICL 2017-2019 Strategic Plan
“ICL is committed to innovation and continuous learning. While successful strategies from prior efforts will continue to work in many future efforts, we recognize that new ways of working will be required. We will be bold and experiment to advance our vision. In doing so, we will identify lessons learned and incorporate them into our best practices.”
ICL’s goal is to “mentor the next generation of conservationists. Just as we stand on the shoulders of those who came before, we must prepare the next generation who may approach organizational support, politics and conservation issues in evolving ways. The future of conservation will also be more diverse.”
What ELIE Will Do
Aligned with ICL’s mission, ELIE will work to create an informed and engaged conservation majority in Idaho through education, advocacy and community building experiences.
ELIE will be comprised of active community members between the ages of 25 and 39 in each region of the state (south Idaho, central Idaho, north Idaho).
Target Audience
ELIE will work to engage audiences between the ages of 18 and 39 in their region, with guidance from a staff liaison in each office.
Broad Goals
- Encourage the next generation to become an active part of Idaho’s conservation community
- Create public awareness and education opportunities to engage the target audience
- Broaden the base throughout the state by gaining new members and supporters in underrepresented areas
- Allow for creative space to envision new ways of engaging with people in Idaho
A Note on Autonomy
Emerging Leaders for Idaho’s Environment will have the autonomy to come up with new and creative campaigns and strategies to meet their goals. With guidance from their staff liaison, they will reach out to their personal networks, a younger demographic and the communities they are connected to.
ELIE Members Will Participate In…
- Leadership trainings
- Workshops on conservation advocacy by ICL staff
- Strategic planning seminar with ICL board members
- Opportunities for extensive networking in the conservation community
Find Out More
ICL will put out a call for applicants in summer 2018.
For more information about this program, email Jenny. | https://www.idahoconservation.org/about/emerging-leaders-idahos-environment/ |
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FIELD
SUMMARY
DRAWINGS
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
Embodiment 1 for a Split Hub
Embodiment 2 for a Split Hub:
Synchronization Timing for a Split Hub:
The present disclosure relates to a method and a system for providing synchronization timing for a split hub type operation. In particular, the present disclosure provides synchronization timing when the transmission equipment is distant from traffic/internet access equipment; for example, when the transmission equipment is on an aircraft, but the traffic/internet access equipment is on the ground.
US granted patent 9,026,042 B1
discloses a rain diversity switchover system that includes a diversity Satellite Access Station (SAS) including a transmitter modem and a receiver modem in communication with a satellite. The system further includes a primary SAS including a transmitter modem and a receiver modem in communication with the satellite via a second satellite antenna, where the transmitter and receiver modems of the primary SAS are synchronized with the transmitter and receiver modems of the diversity SAS via a common time source. Further, a hub data processor adjusts a timing of transmissions from the diversity SAS to the satellite relative to the common time source in accordance with a difference between a time of flight from the diversity SAS to the satellite and a time of flight from the primary SAS to the satellite. Additionally, a switchover controller controls a rain diversity switchover between the primary SAS and the diversity SAS.
This Summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified form that is further described below in the Detailed Description. The invention is defined by the independent claims to which reference is now made. Advantageous features are set out in the dependent claims.
A split gateway hub for a bent-leg communication system is disclosed. The gateway hub includes: a modulator to modulate a bit stream into a signal to be transmitted to a remote terminal via a radio frequency (RF) signal; a Time Synchronization Application (TSA), geographically co-located with the modulator, to provide timing reference and synchronization to the remote terminal; a network access component to provide traffic for the bit stream; and an Inroute Group Manager (IGM) to manage the traffic to and from the remote terminal. In the split gateway hub, the IGM is disposed geographically remote from either the TSA or from the network access component, and the bent-leg communication system uses a satellite or a High Attitude Platform (HAP) for relaying the RF signal.
Additional features will be set forth in the description that follows, and in part will be apparent from the description, or may be learned by practice of what is described.
FIG. 1
illustrates a logical view of an exemplary satellite/High Altitude Platform (HAP) split hub communication system, according to various embodiments.
FIG. 2
illustrates a logical view of an exemplary geographically diverse hub communication system, according to various embodiments.
FIG. 3
illustrates synchronization timing for a bent-pipe communications system according to various embodiments.
FIG. 4
is a logical diagram of an exemplary system that may be implemented on a split location hub for an embodiment of the invention.
In order to describe the manner in which the above-recited and other advantages and features may be obtained, a more particular description is provided below and will be rendered by reference to specific embodiments thereof which are illustrated in the appended drawings. Understanding that these drawings depict only typical embodiments and are not therefore to be considered to be limiting of its scope, implementations will be described and explained with additional specificity and detail through the use of the accompanying drawings.
Embodiments are discussed in detail below.
The terminology used herein is for describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the present disclosure. As used herein, the singular forms "a," "an" and "the" are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. Furthermore, the use of the terms a, an, etc. does not denote a limitation of quantity, but rather denotes the presence of at least one of the referenced items. The use of the terms "first," "second," and the like does not imply any particular order, but they are included to either identify individual elements or to distinguish one element from another. It will be further understood that the terms "comprises" and/or "comprising", or "includes" and/or "including" when used in this specification, specify the presence of stated features, regions, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, regions, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof. Although some features may be described with respect to individual exemplary embodiments, aspects need not be limited thereto such that features from one or more exemplary embodiments may be combinable with other features from one or more exemplary embodiments.
A star topology communication system can include a gateway hub at the center of the star and remote terminals at the points of the star. In exemplary embodiments, the hub sends a continuous Digital Video Broadcasting - Satellite - Second Generation (DVB-S2) Time Division Multiplexing (TDM) data stream to a satellite for broadcast to all the remote terminals in the coverage region. The remote terminals use Time Division Multiplexing Access (TDMA) to access shared inroute channels for transmissions through the satellite to the hub. In TDMA, each remote terminal transmits its data bursts to the satellite for relay to the hub such that the bursts arrive within a narrow window of time, the aperture, within a specified burst of a particular frame at the hub. Such star-topology relay communication systems are also known as a bent pipe transmission as the satellite provides the bend in the bent pipe. Typically, the timing reference and synchronization in the bent-pipe system is maintained at the gateway hub.
The present teachings a gateway hub and VSAT network where the gateway hub components are split between the hub and a distant location, for example, a satellite, a low altitude aircraft. The present teachings are also applicable where a modulator/demodulator is geographically split from an internet traffic source. This configuration would be desired when the feeder link bandwidth resource between hub and the distant location is limited, or when a geographically diverse hub is desired. Such a configuration is termed split hub, and timing synchronization becomes a problem in a split hub VSAT network.
In exemplary embodiments, a gateway is where a Timing Synchronization Application (TSA) and the modulators reside. In exemplary embodiments, a hub is where a traffic sink or source resides.
FIG. 1
illustrates a logical view of an exemplary split hub communication system, according to various embodiments.
In an exemplary split hub system 100, a traffic/network access component 110 and an Inroute Group Manager (IGM) 112 resides on the ground, and a transmission component resides on a relay 140. In exemplary embodiments, the IGM 112 and the network access 110 are geographically co-located. In exemplary embodiments, the network access 110 may be a traffic sink and source.
In exemplary embodiments, the relay 140 can include an aircraft, a satellite, a
High Altitude Platform, or the like. The transmission component, for example, a modulator 122, a demodulator 124 and a Timing Synchronization Application (TSA) 126, reside on the relay 140 that is transmitting and receiving to/from a remote terminal (not shown), for example, a VSAT terminal.
The standard DVB-S2 Outroute does not have any time marker that a remote terminal can use to synchronize its time reference with the relay 140. However, the remote terminal must establish a time reference that is within tens of microseconds of the relay 140's time reference so that the remote terminal can transmit bursts that arrive at the relay 140 in the assigned frames at the assigned times (i.e., within the right aperture).
According to various embodiments, the relay 140's TSA 126 provides a time reference by transmitting a Superframe Numbering Packet (SFNP) on the Outroute once every Superframe marker (for example, every 360 milliseconds). For the remote terminal to determine exactly when the Superframe marker occurred at the TSA 126 disposed in the relay 140, the remote terminal needs to subtract the total SFNP delay from the time when it received the SFNP. In exemplary embodiments, the SFNP delay is equal to two separate delays: a relay delay and a transmission time from the relay 140 to the specific remote terminal.
In exemplary embodiments, the transmission time from the relay 140 to the specific remote terminal can be determined during "Ranging". The ranging value can drift slightly due to movement of the relay 140. To adjust the ranging value, an estimated closed loop timing algorithm may estimate the remote terminal to relay delay. In exemplary embodiments, the estimated closed loop timing algorithm may be implemented at the inroute group manager 112, for example, in a bandwidth allocator 114. This estimated range delay may be repeatedly sent to the remote terminals in the SFNP packet via an outroute transmitter 116. The estimated range delay may include a delay of transmission from when the packet is scheduled for transmission to when it is actually transmitted.
FIG. 2
illustrates a logical view of an exemplary geographically diverse hub communication system, according to various embodiments.
In a split hub system 200, a traffic/internet access component 210 resides on the ground but a far distance from transmission equipment. According to various embodiments, a far distance can include distances greater than 5 miles, 10 miles, 20 miles, 50 miles, 100 miles, 1000 miles, 5000 miles, 10000 miles or the like. In exemplary embodiments, the transmission components including a modulator 222, a demodulator 224 and a timing synchronization application (TSA) 226, that reside at a site that is diverse from the transmitting and receiving to/from a remote terminal (not shown), for example, a VSAT terminal.
The standard DVB-S2 Outroute does not have any time marker that a remote terminal can use to synchronize its time reference with the a relay 240. However, the remote terminal must establish a time reference that is within tens of microseconds of the relay 240's time reference so that the remote terminal can transmit bursts that arrive at the relay 240 in the assigned frames at the assigned times (i.e., within the right aperture).
According to various embodiments, the relay 240's TSA 226 provides a time reference by transmitting a Superframe Numbering Packet (SFNP) on the Outroute once every Superframe marker (for example, every 360 milliseconds). For the remote terminal to determine exactly when the Superframe marker occurred at the relay 240, the remote terminal needs to subtract the total SFNP delay from the time when it received the SFNP. The SFNP delay is equal to two separate delays: a relay delay and a transmission time from the relay 240 to the specific remote terminal.
In exemplary embodiments, the transmission time from the satellite to the specific remote terminal can be determined during "Ranging". The ranging value can drift slightly due to movement of the relay 240. To adjust the ranging value, an estimated closed loop timing algorithm may estimate the remote terminal to relay delay. In exemplary embodiments, the estimated closed loop timing algorithm may be implemented at the Inroute Group Manager (IGM) 212, for example, in a bandwidth allocator 214. This estimated relay delay may be repeatedly sent to the remote terminals in the SFNP packet via an outroute transmitter 216. The estimated satellite delay may include a delay of transmission from when the packet is scheduled for transmission to when the packet is actually transmitted.
FIG. 3
illustrates synchronization timing for a bent-pipe communications system according to various embodiments.
FIG. 3
HO
T:
N
A gateway offset time that represents a time interval between the ideal instant of transmission of SFNP at the gateway and the start of reception of frame N at the gateway. This is also known as space-time offset (STO).
HS
T:
SH
T
A propagation time from gateway to the relay 306 (satellite or aircraft) (same value as )
SR
T:
RS
T
A propagation time from the relay 306 (satellite or aircraft) to the remote terminal (same value as )
RO
T:
N
A terminal offset time that represents a time between an "ideal" receipt of SFNP at a remote terminal and the transmit time for the start of transmission for frame N at this terminal.
RS
T:
A propagation time from terminal to the relay 306 (satellite or aircraft).
SH
T:
A propagation time from a relay 306 (satellite or aircraft) to the gateway.
N
SFNP:
Superframe numbering packet that marks frame N.
A bent-pipe communication system 300 can use a relay 306 to communicate between a remote terminal (not shown) and a gateway (not shown). The relay 306 can be located remote from a gateway and can include, for example, a satellite, an aircraft, a High Altitude Platform or the like. A gateway outroute frame 302 represents frames and slots (or timeslots) out bound from the gateway to a terminal. A gateway inroute frame 304 represents frames in bound from the terminal to the gateway. A terminal inroute frame 308 represents frame in bound from the gateway to the terminal. Various delays can be added as the signal is propagated from the gateway to the terminal and back. The timing delays of the bent-pipe communication system 300 using the relay 306 are illustrated in and can be as follows:
HO
T
SH
T
HS
T
SH
T
When a portion of the gateway, for example, a modulator, a demodulator, a TSA and a transceiver are co-located at the relay 306, then and are essentially 0. In exemplary embodiments, the and propagation times can be determined by ranging.
FIG. 4
is a logical diagram of an exemplary system that may be implemented on a split location hub for an embodiment of the invention.
A communication system 400 can include a gateway hub 402, a remote terminal 430 and a relay 440. The gateway hub 402 can include a network access 410. The network access 410 can provide access to the Internet, an enterprise network, a private network or the like. In exemplary embodiments, the network 410 can provide a hub functionality of the gateway hub 402. The hub functionality is where a traffic sink or source resides.
The gateway hub 402 can include a split 420 including a modulator 422, a demodulator 424, a timing synchronization application (TSA) 426 and a transceiver 428. The split 420 can provide a gateway functionality of the gateway hub 402. The gateway functionality where a Timing Synchronization Application (TSA) and the modulators reside.
In exemplary embodiments, the split 420 can be co-located with the network access 410. As such, all components of the gateway hub 402 can be co-located.
In exemplary embodiments, the split 420 can be implemented a far distance from the network access 410. In exemplary embodiments, the split 420 of the gateway hub 402 can be implemented in or co-located with the relay 440.
According to various embodiments, the remote terminal 430 can include a transceiver 432, a modulator 434 and a demodulator 436. The remote terminal 430 can be located remote from the network access 410, the split 420 and the relay 430.
HS
T
SR
T
FIG .3
The TSA 426 can determine the propagation time from the gateway hub 402 to the relay 440, and the propagation time from the relay 440 to the remote terminal 430 (respectively, and propagation times illustrated in ).
HO
T
HO
T
The gateway hub 402 can include an inroute group manager (IGM) 412. In exemplary embodiments, the TSA 426 can determine the space-time offset and provide the space-time offset to the IGM 412. The IGM 412 can utilize the propagation times determined by the TSA to perform various activities, for example, bandwidth allocation, forward error correction and the like.
Although the subject matter has been described in language specific to structural features and/or methodological acts, it is to be understood that the subject matter in the appended claims is not necessarily limited to the specific features or acts described above. Rather, the specific features and acts described above are disclosed as example forms for implementing the claims.
Although the above descriptions may contain specific details, they should not be construed as limiting the claims in any way. Other configurations of the described embodiments are part of the scope of this disclosure. | |
336 S.W.2d 905 (1960)
Carmen B. JONES, Appellant,
v.
MUTUAL LIABILITY INSURANCE COMPANY OF WISCONSIN, Appellee.
No. 3533.
Court of Civil Appeals of Texas, Eastland.
June 17, 1960.
Rehearing Denied July 8, 1960.
*906 Harry Burns, Houston, for appellant.
Vinson, Elkins, Weems & Searls, Houston, for appellee.
WALTER, Justice.
Carmen B. Jones filed suit against Mutual Liability Insurance Company of Wisconsin for reimbursement of medical expenses under a group hospitalization and medical expense policy. In a non jury trial and on an agreed statement of facts, judgment was entered that the plaintiff take nothing. The plaintiff has appealed, contending the court erred in holding her medical expenses were not covered by the policy and in rendering judgment in favor of the insurance company.
The record shows: that said group policy was in full force and effect on March 20, 1957, and that on such date appellant sustained an accidental injury; that she incurred medical expenses which were paid by the insurance company so long as she remained in the employment of New Process Roofing and Supply Corporation; that appellant's employment with Process terminated on or about July 15, 1957; that subsequent to the termination of her employment with Process appellant incurred further medical expenses in connection with the accidental injury which she sustained while in the employment of Process and it is these medical expenses which the insurance company declined to pay; that appellant's medical expenses which she seeks to establish under said policy were incurred by her during May, June and August of 1958; that appellant was totally disabled when she terminated her employment with Process but did not remain continuously so disabled from such time to the time the bills sued upon herein were incurred; that appellant returned to work on full time on a temporary basis for three different concerns after the termination of her employment with Process.
The only provisions of the policy that are material are as follows:
"The insurance on an employee shall cease on the earliest of the following dates: (a) when he fails to make any agreed contribution when due, (b) when he ceases to be within a class of employees eligible for the insurance, (c) when he is pensioned or retired, (d) when his employment terminates, (e) when he is absent from work for more than thirty-one consecutive days by reason of authorized vacation, temporary lay-off or leave of absence.
"Extension of BenefitsIf an employee becomes confined in a hospital for causes other than childbirth, abortion or miscarriage, *907 after termination of insurance but prior to the expiration of the three month period immediately following such termination, and if due proof is furnished that the confinement would result in a valid claim under this policy were the insurance in force at the commencement of such confinement, the company will recognize this as the basis for such claim, provided (a) the confinement was the result of an injury which was sustained or sickness resulting in disability which began during the policy period, (b) the employee was totally disabled by such injury or sickness when the insurance terminated and remained continuously so disabled until confined.
"Cancellation or expiration of the policy for any cause shall be without prejudice to any claim arising prior thereto."
The rules of construction which we are to follow in construing the pertinent provisions of said policy have been summarized by Chief Justice Chadick in Kelley v. American Insurance Company, Tex.Civ.App., 316 S.W.2d 452, 455 (Affirmed Tex., 325 S.W.2d 370) as follows: "In construing the American policy it is necessary to apply certain elementary rules of construction (all rooted in the same basic concept), including these: (1) An insurance policy will be construed strictly against the insurer; (2) when the terms of an insurance contract are capable of two or more constructions and under one a recovery is allowable and under the other it is denied, the construction which permits recovery will be given the policy; (3) forfeitures of insurance coverage is not favored; and (4) if a fair and reasonable construction of an insurance contract will permit, a meaning will be given to its language that effectuates a contract of insurance rather than defeats it. See 24-B Tex. Jur., Insurance, Secs. 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31 and 32, pp. 86-109 and authorities there listed."
Appellant's employment with Process terminated on or about July 15, 1957. Under the general provisions of the policy appellant's insurance ceased when her employment terminated. Another provision provides for an "Extension of Benefits" if the employee becomes confined in a hospital after termination of the insurance but prior to the expiration of three months immediately following such termination. The agreed statement of facts shows said hospital, doctor and medical bills were incurred more than 90 days after termination of appellant's employment.
Said policy insures against expenses incurred for doctor, hospital and medical bills. At the time said policy expired the record does not reveal that appellant had incurred any such expenses that had not been paid.
We have examined all of appellant's points and find no merit in them and they are overruled.
Judgment affirmed.
| |
As part of our ongoing collaboration and partnership with the Rural School and Community Trust, we are proud to kick off an ongoing series of guest blogs, penned by RSCT Executive Director Rob Mahaffey. Each post will highlight a program, district, community, leader or research working to improve educational opportunity for our nation's public rural schools and the communities they serve. Rob Mahaffey can be reached at [email protected].
Rural Educational Leaders Network (RELN) at Plymouth State University enters third year
Driving into Plymouth, New Hampshire, one immediately appreciates you are in a small, vibrant, New England community anchored by a thriving higher education institution, Plymouth State University. Founded as a teacher preparation Normal School, this place is much like my town of Shepherdstown, West Virginia—home to Shepherd University. It was an honor to spend two energizing days with the educational leaders of the Rural Educational Leaders Network.
Superintendents in the North Country of New Hampshire share concerns with educators across rural America including declining enrollment and school closures, struggling economies and diminishing budgets, retention of well-prepared and experienced teachers, and sustaining a supportive, mutually-beneficial relationship based on school and community engagement. Often these leaders lack a professional network to address these issues and develop locally-based solutions. By virtue of the rural experience, these school and district leaders are frequently geographically isolated and lack of resources necessary for authentic rural professional learning experiences diminishes access to professional support.
While the development of virtual online professional learning networks (PLNs) is one solution to the geographic isolation, they are available only to those with reliable high-speed internet access and often topics and conversations do not fully connect with the realities and interests of rural educational leaders. In order to effectively develop solutions to the issues faced in rural areas, both in and out of the school house, it’s necessary for rural superintendents and other school leaders to have access to PLNs that are specific to their particular rural context and to their learning goals.
Community philanthropy plays a key role in creating a viable solution to this issue. The Rural Educational Leaders Network (RELN) at Plymouth State University is one such example. Made possible by private philanthropy, the network is fully funded through a generous endowment by the late Ann Haggart. In life, Ann was an educational entrepreneur and in her final years observed a break down in the school-community relationship. Her support and that of Plymouth State University made is possible to support educational leaders in developing their practice.
RELN is able to provide a colleague professional learning network for more than 80 New Hampshire rural school and district leaders, and those aspiring to those positions. The work of the group is driven by the overarching idea of developing the school-community partnership is to ensure all students are “college and career ready” in combination with the mission to provide a PLN for New Hampshire’s rural educational leaders. The network model is based on the premises of relevance, continuity, and sustainability.
Network membership is open to school and district leaders in rural New Hampshire and in combination with topic development ensuring each meeting is highly relevant to the membership. Each year, three quarterly meetings are held and a two day summit in July hosted by Plymouth State. Between face-to-face gatherings, the network connections are sustained through online communications shaped by the summit setting the foundation for conversations moving forward and allowing members the opportunity to make connections with prior conversations and learning.
In my opinion, and based on the experiences and value RELN participates place on this network, opportunities for rural school leaders to partner with a higher education institution and private philanthropy abound. Please share your thoughts and consider such a network for your community and region. | https://www.aasa.org/policy-blogs.aspx?blogmonth=8&blogday=14&blogyear=2018&blogid=84002&archive=true |
At the height of a public health emergency, social and behavior change communication (SBCC) has a crucial role to play in mitigating negative health outcomes. A key part of an SBCC response to an emergency situation is to understand not only what SBCC activities and campaigns other stakeholders are conducting, but also where those activities are taking place. Beginning in late 2016, the Health Communication Capacity Collaborative (HC3) initiated a Zika communication activity mapping effort in four Latin American countries: El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and the Dominican Republic.
To collect the data, HC3, in partnership with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), developed an instrument to capture high-level information about the distribution of communication efforts by audience, geographic area, key message/theme and timeline in each country. HC3, UNICEF and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) then identified 10-15 key organizations in the national Zika response for each country. HC3 led the collection of information on communication activities through an iterative process with each organization.
HC3 used the information gathered from partners to develop a mapping tool to support country-level coordination in Zika communication. This tool utilizes Google MyMaps to create an interactive map for each country, allowing users to visualize the geographic distribution of communication efforts by region. While it did not make use of geo-referenced location points, the map provides a panoramic and interactive view of the efforts of multiple partners.
HC3 also developed an in-depth, online database to complement each map. The databases allow stakeholders to view communication activities in their country, filtered by target audience. Together, these tools provide stakeholders with what is often the missing link during emergency situations – a clear and easily accessible snapshot of communication activities, from which they can build partnerships, streamline efforts and redistribute resources.
These detailed Zika communication activity maps and databases also reveal the strengths and gaps in the current response. In each of the four countries, HC3 presented gap analyses and the online tools to stakeholders, which helped inform the next stages of the communication response. In addition, the databases have helped to inform HC3’s quantitative research on Zika knowledge and actions, complementing the research analysis with background information on regional communication activities. HC3 will periodically update the tools and analyses, with input from national stakeholders, to continue to facilitate the strategic communication response efforts.
The use of geographic information systems (GIS) was highlighted in a recent HC3 webinar as a way “to improve decision-making, increase efficiency and facilitate greater communication and collaboration.” This is particularly useful in an emergency response, when many international, national and local actors are quickly mobilizing across a given geographic area. In these situations, GIS can be used to help coordinate the communication response across partners and regions to avoid conflicting messages or duplication of efforts.
Click markers on the map above to read Spanish descriptions of communication activities throughout the Dominican Republic.
As part of the HC3 communication mapping exercise in the four countries, a gap analysis was developed and presented by country coordinators in each country.
This article is part of the ongoing HC3 Innovation Series: Leading the Way to Better Social and Behavior Change. HC3 has worked in 34 countries to reduce the burden of vector-borne and infectious diseases, maternal and child mortality, unintended pregnancies and HIV/AIDS. A diverse portfolio and multi-disciplinary team makes HC3 well-positioned to identify and address advanced SBCC challenges and opportunities. This innovation blog series is a look at HC3’s cutting-edge work, in order to spur fresh thinking around SBCC. | https://healthcommcapacity.org/zika-communication-mapping-gis-national-communication-emergency-response/ |
While differing on particulars, two experts agree that now's the time to look hard at "broken" grading practices.
In this dialogue, two leading advocates of grading reform, Joe Feldman and Douglas Reeves, consider how grading practices and policies could be influenced by the ongoing pandemic and the widespread school closures last spring.
Q: What major grading issues are schools facing as the new school year begins?
Joe Feldman: Every fall, students enter classes with a range of prior knowledge and educational experiences, but this year, the spectrum may be wider than we've ever seen. Last spring, students with more resources and supports were more insulated from the effects of the pandemic, and better able to meaningfully participate in school. Other students—those who had insufficient technology access, who had home responsibilities like caring for younger siblings, or who felt the overwhelming stress of social isolation or a family member losing their job or becoming sick—had their learning essentially placed "on hold." These learning losses likely occurred more frequently among students with fewer economic means and less racial privilege.
We'll need to be more focused on essential content, more explicit about what it takes to earn specific grades, more responsive and strategic with our supports, and more expansive about how and when students can demonstrate what they know. For example, we could revise our tradition of report card grades being final and unalterable, and instead make ways for teachers to update grades when students catch up and demonstrate higher achievement. Some school districts, such as Chicago Public Schools and San Leandro Unified in California, and several districts in Washington state, piloted this idea last spring by assigning students who were unable to show sufficient performance an "Incomplete" until the student could access instruction, receive supports, and demonstrate understanding.
Douglas Reeves: I agree we'll need to select what's most crucial to teach now. Because many students missed three months of school, with only a fraction of the missing learning replaced by online classes, most teachers face the challenge of addressing 12 months of curriculum in a 9-month school year. And that's for students who only required one year of learning in a school year, since they were basically on track; in some schools, students were a year or more behind before the COVID-19 pandemic. NWEA estimates the impact of school closings in the spring of 2020 will range from 30 percent in reading and math to the loss of a full year of learning.1 Teachers can't address 24–36 months of curriculum in nine months.
Now's the time to finally face the reality that not every academic standard is equal. Schools need a systematic way of establishing priorities for what students need to learn. My own work on "power standards" suggests a remedy. Schools must identify the few standards that provide leverage by applying to multiple disciplines, enduring through several grade levels, and being essential for the next level of learning.
Q: How can schools ensure that grading is equitable and meaningful in this academic year, given the disruptions students have experienced?
JF: First, our grading must be both accurate (so grades describe a student's level of course understanding) and equitable (so we aren't giving an advantage to students who have more resources). For example, we don't want to average a student's performance over time, which—although seemingly an objective calculation—actually hides what students ultimately achieve and makes it harder for students who start further behind to succeed.
Second, let's frame grades not as the end of our instruction and students' learning, but as a guide for future decisions. Equity isn't just offering students equal access to support; it means tailoring our support based on each student's needs. For instance, when we allow retakes, we allow students to succeed even if they start further behind. The "Incomplete" option, used strategically, offers hope to students whose education we know was significantly disrupted and who deserve more time to be as successful as are students whose education was less disrupted. Students anxious about their learning loss will be more motivated to persevere, because high grades are possible despite what they endured.
With so many students having gaps in their learning from last spring, grading can give both us and our students a diagnosis and a prescription of what comes next in their learning.
DR: Education leaders need to remember that some students go home to safe, two-parent homes, filled with books and technology, often supplemented with tutors. Others go home to challenges in housing, food insecurity, medical care, and family support. In some of these homes, success in school might be a lower priority. A commitment to equity means both groups of students have equal access to support, and that success in school doesn't depend upon the conditions of the home—in particular, that a student can achieve academic distinction based on the work they accomplish during the school day.
Providing students sympathy or diminished expectations doesn't answer the challenges of inequity. Providing them engagement, rigorous work, and support during the school day does. Effective grading policies are an essential part of combining rigorous expectations with meaningful feedback. For example, when students were missing assignments during March through June of 2020, giving zeroes for the missing work and then averaging in those zeroes to determine the final grade to give in June of 2020 would be ludicrous. Teachers had to evaluate student performance based on the latest and best evidence that they had available, not the average. Abandoning the average is not only a good practice during school closures, but should be part of grading reforms when students return to classrooms. In any learning environment, evaluation of student work should be based on their latest and best evidence.
Q: What best practices can teachers use to ensure their grading is tied to evidence of learning but isn't punitive, given students' individual circumstances?
DR: Schools must clearly define the purpose of grading. In my judgment, the purpose is neither punishment nor reward; it is to provide accurate feedback in order to improve the performance of students and teachers. This means, among other things, that grades focus on academic proficiency, not behavior, compliance, or other nonacademic attributes. It means discarding the practices of averaging all of a student's grades into one (the frequent default of electronic grading programs) and eliminating the mathematical distortions involved in the 100-point scale.
Accurate feedback rests not solely on a grade, but on explicit descriptions of the learning needs of students. For example, if a student receives a failing grade, we owe that student and his parents an explanation of what was missing. Did he really fail the entire term? Many schools are addressing learning deficiencies during the recent shutdown by identifying specific missing work—a paper, project, or lab—that a student can make up in this fall to avoid the frustration and even expense of repeating an entire course.
JF: I agree about excluding nonacademic attributes or behaviors. To ensure grades accurately reflect student learning and don't perpetuate achievement disparities, we must be more deliberate about what knowledge and skills are essential for each course, and explicitly describe what students must demonstrate to achieve each level of mastery (A–F) against those standards. At the same time, we should be more intentional about excluding from grades criteria that can perpetuate inequities. Traditionally, most teachers include in the grade things like extra-credit assignments and performance on homework. Let's clearly recognize that both these things are highly dependent on a student's home environment and resources. Including them makes grading less equitable.
Q: Is Pass/Fail grading a good practice to use as students try to make up lost learning?
JF: Last spring, most of us struggled to teach while managing our own stress from shelter-in-place restrictions and the economic and health effects of the pandemic. Most schools chose not to award letter grades during fourth quarter or second semester. They humbly and empathetically realized that it would've been impossible to give grades that accurately described students' understanding of course content while our instruction was so compromised. Anything other than grading Pass/Fail/Incomplete would've made grades both inaccurate and inequitable.
Some districts chose a hybrid model of allowing students to choose whether to receive a letter grade or a Pass/Fail grade. Although this policy might seem neutral and "hold harmless" on its face, this "choice" of letter grades was in effect disproportionately available to students with more resources. In other words, the policy actually perpetuated disparities by creating a two-tiered system of grades—letters (presumably As and Bs) for those who could succeed during the pandemic, and non-letters for those who were more susceptible to its disruptive impact.
This fall, although "school" still isn't like it was, we have more experience in how to adapt our instruction and supports (including tutoring or health and counseling services) to mitigate disparities outside the school. I'm not sure I'd support using Pass/Fail once schools reopen, but—assuming the impact of the pandemic continues through the fall—we don't want students to fail because of circumstances outside their control. If we're confident that we can be accurate and equitable, letter grades are worth using—but if we're in doubt, we should normalize our use of the Incomplete grade, which accepts that our struggling students need more time and supports, but that everyone can ultimately succeed.
DR: I disagree, especially for secondary students. While Pass/Fail or Incomplete grades might have merit for elementary school, this approach can lead to devastating inequities for secondary school students. In a Pass/Fail system, or other systems used in spring 2020 in which every student was awarded an A, there was no distinction between students earning As and those earning Ds. So for economically disadvantaged students who depend on high grades to qualify for scholarships for postsecondary education, Pass/Fail grades deprive them of the chance to compete for scarce scholarship dollars, and dramatically reduce the probability that they will have access to college or technical school. That is a path to inequity with lifelong consequences.
Q: So what should the pandemic teach us about grading policies and practices going forward?
JF: In deciding how to grade students in the fourth quarter of last school year, we began to recognize how our traditional grading practices often perpetuate external disparities. Educators must continue this critical examination to ensure that our grading aligns with, and doesn't undermine, our commitment to high-quality, equitable education.
DR: The pandemic should teach us what we already should have known: Many grading systems are broken. When these systems rely on antiquated, inaccurate, and unfair practices, such as the average and using the 100-point scale, then we systematically put students at a disadvantage—not only during extended school absences caused by this pandemic, but throughout their educational experiences. Now is the time to learn these lessons and make changes.
Endnote
1 Kuhfeld, M., & Tarasawa, B. (2020). The COVID-19 slide: What summer learning loss can tell us about the potential impact of school closures on student academic achievement. The Collaborative for Student Growth, NWEA.
Joe Feldman is the founder and CEO of Crescendo Education Group and the Equitable Grading Project and author of Grading for Equity: What It Is, Why It Matters, and How It Can Transform Schools and Classrooms (Corwin, 2018). Douglas Reeves is founder of Creative Leadership Solutions, a global professional learning organization and author, most recently, of The Learning Leader, 2nd Edition (ASCD, 2020). Follow them on Twitter and Twitter. | https://www.arkansasascd.org/article/302555 |
Here's the thing, Lenny: if you don't even know what evolution is, what business do you have arguing against it? You're confusing your own concepts! Macroevolution would be change at or above the species level. You're talking about abiogenesis, which is a separate theory from the theory of evolution.
For an example of the former, let's take Richard Dawkins, in "Why There Almost Certainly is No God" wrote:
Whether my conjecture is right that evolution is the only explanation for life in the universe, there is no doubt that it is the explanation for life on this planet. Evolution is a fact, and it is among the more secure facts known to science. But it had to get started somehow. Natural selection cannot work its wonders until certain minimal conditions are in place, of which the most important is an accurate system of replication — DNA, or something that works like DNA.
It seems that Dawkins is lumping the "explanation for life" with evolution. Any explanation needs to include its origin as Dawkins subsequently makes clear. But Dawkins isn't the only one. The National Association of Biology Teachers has an "NABT Position Statement on Teaching Evolution" at its website that begins:
The frequently-quoted declaration of Theodosius Dobzhansky (1973) that "Nothing in biology makes sense except in the light of evolution" accurately reflects the central, unifying role of evolution in the science of biology. As such, evolution provides the scientific framework that explains both the history of life and the continuing change in the populations of organisms in response to environmental challenges and other factors.
Next time, I'll address more fully the second point that descent with modification can't get started until life exists. | http://apologetics-notes.comereason.org/2011_09_01_archive.html |
For all the individual efforts of sporting bodies to achieve environmental sustainability within their own organisations, it is of crucial importance that these methods and practices are shared to maximise the overall impact on climate action across the industry.
This is where ‘Educating for climate action’ – the third principle of the UNFCCC’s Sport for Climate Action Framework – comes in. Its purpose is to collate existing resources and expertise to “address potential knowledge gaps”, helping sports organisations to effect climate action collectively and providing a forum for them to understand climate change “in a global and regionally relevant context”.
In 2017, a European National Olympic Committee Sustainability Working Group was established as a forum for sharing knowledge among 10 NOCs. Consisting of Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain, Lithuania, Norway, Portugal, Spain and Switzerland, the group has been sharing best practice with the support of the International Olympic Committee.
“There are 206 NOCs around the world, which is a lot, so I wanted to find out how they could support themselves in sustainability,” explains Julie Duffus, sustainability manager at the IOC and the founder of the Working Group.
“The Working Group was set up so that the European NOCs could start to work as a unit and learn from each other through various programmes. Instead of every NOC doing their own projects in isolation, we created it to promote collaboration and bring NOCs together to share best practices in sustainability.
The Spanish NOC has been proactive in its sustainability approach since becoming part of the multilateral agreement. In 2017, representatives from the body got in touch with Duffus to implement the IOC’s sustainability strategy, before contacting the United Nations Global Compact network to adopt the relevant Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Through further consultations with the Spanish government’s Ministry of the Environment, it was able to identify six key aims, which are closely aligned with the IOC’s strategy. One of these involves waste management – and it is here that the Spanish NOC has particularly benefited from its involvement in the Working Group.
“In order to deal with the waste generated through our operations – plastic, paper and other materials – we wanted to implement a sustainable procurement strategy,” says Manuel Landa, marketing director at the Spanish NOC.
As a result, the Spanish’s NOC has cut the use of plastic, paper and other raw materials in its organisations, while plastic bottle use has been reduced by 100% – saving the equivalent of seven million tonnes in greenhouse gas emissions.
These plastic bottles have been replaced by glass ones (see image above), which also feature the emblem of the Spanish NOC as well as messages about sustainability and its importance in the world of sport, while sustainable merchandising is now made using recycled products.
What’s more, the Spanish NOC has been working closely with the Spanish Surfing Federation to develop a pilot project in Galicia to educate children about sustainability and the life cycle of plastic waste.
Another of the Spanish NOC’s six aims is mobility. Last year, the body collaborated with the Spanish Table Tennis Federation – hosts of the 2018 European Table Tennis Championships in Alicante – to ensure that all vehicles used at the event were Toyota hybrid cars. These methods were subsequently passed on to the 2018 Mediterranean Games in Tarragona, where Toyota hybrid cars were also the official mode of transport.
“With regard to the Swiss procurement process, we could have started from the very beginning by ourselves, but by sharing this knowledge we were able to adopt the process here in Spain. For us it’s much more efficient, because we are now faster in implementing this strategy.
For the IOC, the Working Group remains important in terms of its own sustainability objectives. With the first sphere of its strategy concerned with leading and supporting the Olympic Movement, the Working Group is seen as part of the process of bringing people and NOCs together to collaborate and share best practice in all areas of sustainability.
There are plans to replicate the success of the Working Group in other regions too. Duffus recently visited Fiji to help establish the Oceania Working Group, and it is hoped that the scheme can eventually be accessed by NOCs all over the world.
“Sport has a huge role to play in educating and inspiring others. If you think of everybody that plays sport in the world – whether they are elite athletes or amateurs in your local clubs – and all the people who watch sport of some kind, the potential is vast,” concludes Duffus.
“Both the UNFCCC’s Sport for Climate Action Framework and the efforts of the European NOC Sustainability Working Group help to standardise what everybody in sport is doing around climate and carbon action.
To read the second part of this series – How sport can reduce its overall climate impact – click here. | https://sustainabilityreport.com/2019/04/08/how-sport-can-achieve-climate-leadership-through-knowledge-sharing/ |
Thyroid hormone (TH) action is mediated by TH receptors (TRs), which are members of the nuclear hormone receptor superfamily. In vitro studies have demonstrated that TR activity is regulated by interactions with corepressor and coactivator proteins (CoRs and CoAs, respectively). TH stimulation is thought to involve dissociation of CoRs and recruitment of CoAs to the liganded TR. In contrast, negative regulation by TH is thought to occur via recruitment of CoRs to the liganded TR. The physiological role of CoAs bound to TRs, however, has yet to be defined. In this study, we used gene-targeting techniques to mutate the TR-β locus within its activation function–2 (AF-2) domain (E457A). This mutation was chosen because it completely abolished CoA recruitment in vitro, while preserving normal triiodothyronine (T3) binding and CoR interactions. As expected, TH-stimulated gene expression was reduced in homozygous E457A mice. However, these animals also displayed abnormal regulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-thyroid axis. Serum thyroxine, T3, and thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) levels and pituitary Tshb mRNA levels were inappropriately elevated compared with those of WT animals, and L-T3 treatment failed to suppress serum TSH and pituitary Tshb mRNA levels. Therefore, the AF-2 domain of TR-β is required for positive and, paradoxically, for negative regulation by TH in vivo.
Tania M. Ortiga-Carvalho, Nobuyuki Shibusawa, Amisra Nikrodhanond, Karen J. Oliveira, Danielle S. Machado, Xiao-Hui Liao, Ronald N. Cohen, Samuel Refetoff, Fredric E. Wondisford
If you experience problems using these citation formats, send us feedback. | https://www.jci.org/articles/view/24109/cite |
Nausea is characterized by a feeling of discomfort and is generally described as a sensation of discomfort often accompanied by a sensation that you are about to vomit.
This is a fairly common occurrence and affects almost every individual in their life. Nausea also has other symptoms.
A person who is experiencing nausea might also vomit, feel dizzy and have other gastrointestinal problems.
Nausea may also be accompanied by fever, abdominal pain, lightheadedness, gas, headaches and diarrhoea.
Table of Contents
There are several reasons for nausea to occur.
One of them is pregnancy, where many women report experiencing nausea and morning sickness in the early stages of pregnancy, mainly the first trimester.
Nausea can also be caused by travel, as a result of motion sickness. Nausea can also be caused by several underlying health conditions such as-
Heartburn or gastroesophageal reflux disease causes the contents in your stomach to move back up your oesophagus while you are eating.
This creates a burning sensation that can lead to nausea.
Bacteria or viruses can affect the stomach and can lead to severe nausea.
Some foodborne bacteria can cause an illness which is known as food poisoning. Viral infections can also cause nausea.
There are certain medications that cause nausea as a side-effect.
Some treatments such as chemotherapy upset the stomach in the long run and are bound to cause nausea.
It is best to consult your doctor when you experience nausea related to certain medications.
Many people are susceptible to an upset stomach or gastrointestinal discomfort as they travel.
The motion on bumpy roads causes nausea in many people and is known as motion sickness.
The same with people who are travelling through a waterway can experience lightheadedness and nausea due to the motion of the water.
One of the most important aspects of your health is the nutrients you consume.
Many deficiencies may be marked with constant nausea.
Eating very spicy food can cause stomach upsets and lead to nausea.
The high amount of pain can cause nausea.
Certain conditions such as pancreatitis, gallbladder stones, and or kidney stones can cause pain so severe that it leads to nausea.
Ulcers or sores in your stomach or the small intestine can cause nausea when you eat.
One of the leading causes of nausea is morning sickness.
Most women in their first or second trimester face difficulty with nausea due to morning sickness.
This problem increases with strong smells and certain spicy food.
There are several home remedies that can help ease the effects of nausea or help you tackle the issue-
One of the best home remedies for nausea is to add ginger in your diet.
There are several easy to incorporate ginger in your diet.
You can add it to your tea, make a paste and add it to your food or even mix it with different herbs to make a concoction.
Studies show that out of all the natural home remedies for nausea, ginger is the best solution for nausea caused by chemotherapy.
This makes it a very helpful home remedy for people who are undergoing treatment for cancer.
Ginger does not have any side-effects and hence can be used as a replacement for anti-nausea medications.
However, ginger is bad for people with low blood sugar, low blood pressure and should not be taken in large quantities by people who are using blood thinners for their heart condition.
One of the most effective home remedies for nausea is the use of aromatherapy.
Studies have shown that peppermint aroma helps ease nausea much faster, as opposed to anti-nausea medications.
You can use an aroma infuser to make sure that you have its aroma around you when you rest.
The other way to use this remedy would be to use the peppermint aroma inhaler.
Another method that will allow you to use peppermint for your treatment is to add some peppermint to your tea.
These are two different techniques that the Chinese have used as a home remedy to treat many different ailments.
Acupuncture is a process where needles are inserted in specific parts of your body and help relieve pain, nausea and diseases like diarrhoea as well.
Acupressure is the application of pressure on a certain point in your body as opposed to needles.
These techniques are used to stimulate the nerve fibres which reduce the risk of developing nausea and help tackle the symptoms you are having.
The Neogen pressure point is the point that helps most people tackle symptoms of nausea.
This point can be found at the width of two or three fingers from your left wrist.
The good thing about natural home remedies for nausea or any other ailment is that you can find the cure in your house or your kitchen with great ease.
One of the simplest yet most effective ways to treat nausea at home is to use a lemon.
Lemons contain a high amount of citric acid that is known to ease nausea when it is consumed as well.
The slicing of a lemon releases many essential oils in the air and hence can help to treat nausea.
The scents used in aromatherapy might help to a great extent. but one of the lesser-known and effective home remedies for nausea is practising deep breathing.
The best way to control your breathing to make sure you are not nauseous is to use inhale slowly through your nose and then breathe out through your mouth.
This introduces many different aromas and makes sure that you have a sufficient supply of oxygen to your brain and other parts of your body.
Inhale oxygen through your nose and count till three.
Hold your breath until you count two and then release the air through your mouth.
As far as home remedies for nausea are concerned, certain spices can help relieve your uneasiness.
There are certain spices that are known to reduce uneasiness.
It is known to reduce nausea and also helps with menstrual pain as well.
This helps in alleviating nausea and in relieving cramps especially the ones caused by menstruation.
Cumin seeds help relieve many ailments such as abdominal pain, diarrhoea along with nausea.
These natural remedies for nausea are bound to help you manage your nausea without the use of any over-the-counter medication.
Make sure you use them regularly to avoid a recurrence of your symptoms and make sure you consult a doctor before you make changes in your lifestyle.
Go ahead! What are you waiting for? | https://www.lifenoids.com/causes-natural-remedies-for-nausea/ |
Yiri (Basic Analysis)
A useful table full of general information on Koko's Yiri.
I used MADTSHIRTS
(M= melody A= Accompaniment D= Dynamics T= Texture S= Structure H= Harmony I= Instruments R= Rhythm T= Tonality S= Speed)
Useful for anyone doing the GCSE Edexcel Music course... enjoy! :)
Teacher recommended? | https://getrevising.co.uk/resources/yiri_basic_analysis |
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These Guidelines and any disputes arising under or related to these Guidelines (whether for a claim of a breach of contract, tort, or otherwise) will be governed by the laws of the State of New York, without reference to its conflicts of law principles. You shall submit to jurisdiction in New York, and you hereby accept and submit to the personal jurisdiction of such courts with respect to any legal actions, suits or proceedings hereunder. You also waive to the fullest extent permitted by law any right to a trial by jury in any action, suit or proceeding brought to enforce, defend or interpret any right or remedies under or arising in connection with or relating to your participation in the Community. | https://apcommunity.collegeboard.org/es/community-guidelines |
My colleague found an article in which the author claimed to be able to predict the winner [of the Grand National]. Nothing new about that, but this one was allegedly written by a mathematician. His analysis of the past 176 races brought him to the conclusion that the winning horse would have a name comprising one word and it would be either eight or 10 letters long starting with one of four letters. He cited four criteria and he gave marks (1-4) for each. The horse with the highest score (13/16) would, he claimed, be this year’s winner. It came in 13th. The one he placed second failed to complete the course after falling at the 12th fence. His third-place pick did, somewhat remarkably, come in third. However, five out of the first six horses all had names comprising two words, not one.
I strongly suspect that if the author had not claimed to be a mathematician no one would have even considered taking it seriously.
This also makes the important part that statistical trolling often produces garbage. With 176 data points and with billions of possible ways to be related, there are bound to be some coincidental ways in which the PAST data are related which will not predict well in the FUTURE. That’s why any applied statistician with a brain uses holdout samples – holding part of the data out of the analysis in order to test whether the relationships seen in the rest of the data still hold.
Expert opinion?
There is also this general advice: Just because an expert says it, doesn’t mean it’s an expert opinion. Experts make mistakes. And, in particular, sometimes others are hesitant to point out what they think is a mistake, because the other person is an expert. (The same applies to corporate executives who don’t take criticism well. Eventually, there’s nobody around to give them anything but a fawning agreement.)
In particular, an expert opinion often depends on certain assumptions about the nature of the problem. if we make assumptions about what the problem is about, this often allows us to use theory to solve the problem. For example, if you go to an emergency room with a badly swollen risk after a fall, the ER is likely to assume that you have a broken wrist. If that assumption is right, they have a whole theory for how to treat this. (But not also that they will confirm this theory by taking X-rays!)
Assumptions are often simplifications of the situation and may not be fully correct – hence the joke about the economist beginning a paper with “Assume a spherical cow…” If the expert gets the assumptions wrong in a serious way, the conclusion can be based on impeccable logic but still fail.
An expert outside their own field (such as the mathematician in Crocker’s example) is particularly likely to make erroneous assumptions (e.g. that there would be any more than a coincidental relationship between the name of the horse and its probability of winning).
The expert paradox
But this leads us to an interesting paradox:
1. An expert in the field (e.g. an applied statistician with long experience in a particular area) is more likely to make correct assumptions based on their experience in the area.
BUT
2. Experts in the field are also prone to conservatism (“we’ve always done it this way”) and may be less open to new approaches that are better in some way.
The truly new ideas often come from the fringes of the field, people who perhaps know just enough to be dangerous when they have that initial, new, big idea.
| |
Cy DeCosse’s floral photographs have often been described as magical—and never more so than these in his exhibition Midnight Garden. These are flowers few people ever see—blooms that open at dusk and, like enchanted beings in fairy tales, disappear before the morning’s sunrise. Cy captures the evanescent beauty of 18 of these little-known flowers. The printed images are made in platinum, a medium that perfectly captures the luminous quality of moonlit beauty emerging from darkness.
Cy’s interest in night-blooming plants came to him when he heard about one of them, a vine from the jungles of Central America that was growing at a local conservatory. Because the plant bloomed infrequently and only at night, even the conservatory staff had rarely seen the flower, although the blossom was said to be so spectacular it was called ‘Queen of the Night’. Intrigued, Cy persuaded the caretakers to let him know when a bud was forming.
One summer evening, he got the call and set up his large-format camera. There was no guarantee that the bud would open that night; however, as dusk fell, the tightly wrapped petals began to loosen and then, in the growing darkness, to very slowly and gradually unfurl. A pungent peppery fragrance filled the air, becoming stronger as the flower opened. At last the delicate white petals stretched to their full extent, 8 inches in diameter, proving the aptness of the flower’s royal name.
Cy had photographed many flowers over the years, but this experience was so unlike any other that he wondered about the possibility of capturing images of other night-bloomers. Research showed that a number of cactuses and other plants, pollinated by moths, bats and insects active at night, had flowers that opened after daylight faded. Cy decided to find and photograph as many of these ephemeral beauties as possible.
Shooting the cactuses required a trip to Arizona during their spring bloom time—and climbing up ladders to reach the flowers on arms of giant saguaros. Back home in Minnesota, a local conservatory and a water lily grower allowed Cy special after-hours access to their collections. He found that a few plants could be ordered through nurseries, grown in pots in the backyard, and then shot in his studio. Others had to be grown from seed.
Since the growing season is so short in Minnesota, these plants had to be started under lights in the spring, potted and then carefully nurtured outside once the weather warmed. Little information was available on how much sun, water and warmth the plants preferred, so a group of gardeners volunteered to try them in different locations. For several summers, Cy was “on call” when these volunteers sent word that buds were forming and might bloom that evening. He had to contend with wind, rain and mosquitoes, and also to learn exactly when each flower reached its peak—some in the early evening hours, while others just at dawn. He found that when he was shooting in the dark, strobe lights provided a quick burst of brightness but did not interrupt the plants’ bloom cycles.
Night-blooming flowers are mostly light colored, often the subtlest shades of white and pink, so as to attract pollinating moths or insects in the dark. The strong contrast between the bright flowers and the darkness in which they dwell makes their stems and leaves difficult to photograph. Cy thus turned to printing the images in platinum, which has an infinite gray scale, ideally suited to capturing very faint differences in light or dark. Platinum brings out the barely visible patterns of the flower petals and leaves while not detracting the viewer’s focus from the brilliant white flowers. The subtle textures and infinite shading of light and dark achieved with platinum enhances the mysterious feeling of this magical garden glimpsed by moonlight.
Of the magic created by Cy’s prints, critic John Wood wrote, “There is a luminosity in the lights and velvet depths to the darks that can take your breath. It is simply not present in the work of any other photographic artist. I have never seen platinum prints I have been so tempted to touch; I want to actually feel those dark, textured leaves, to really enter DeCosse’s garden.”
Similarly, Mary Abbe, art critic for the Minneapolis Star Tribune, stated, “Moody and lush, DeCosse’s prints are masterpieces of light and shadow in which a flower’s pristine petals float in translucent beauty above dark, velvety leaves and stems.”
Cy’s focus on light began in his first days as a photographer. He had recently finished art school and begun a career as an agency art director when he won a Fulbright Fellowship to Italy in 1954. The fellowship gave Cy the opportunity to study in Florence with Renzo Maggini, a noted photographer and teacher. In 2001, he was able to pay tribute to this first mentor with a show in Florence titled The Play of the Light, a phrase he remembered Maggini stressing.
Cy specializes in close-up images and often presents his subjects against hand-painted backdrops using old photographic processes such as photogravure, platinum and gum bichromate. He frequently exhibits in Florence and has had several one-person shows in New York and Santa Fe.
Platinum and 3-Color Gum Dichromate Prints
Introduction
A selection from three exhibitions - Flowers of Legend and Myth, Flowers Exotic and Rare and The Four Seasons. All three shows were shown at the John Stevenson Gallery in New York, NY.
Galleries
Iris Gallery, Boston, MA, United States
Iris Gallery, Aspen, CO, United States
Verve Gallery, Santa Fe, NM, United States
Weinstein Gallery, Minneapolis, MN, United States
Publications
The Four Greek Elements.
4 Volume Set. Photographs by Cy DeCosse. Self-Published, MINNEAPOLIS, 2011
21st Volume IV - Deluxe Edition.
Edited by John Wood. Photographs by Cy DeCosse. Leo & Wolfe, NEW YORK, 2000
21st Volume IV -DeCosse- Museum Edition.
Edited by John Wood. Photographs by Cy DeCosse. 21ST, NEW YORK, 2000
Statements
Artist Statement
Cy brings his background of artist and art director to the art of photogaphy. His love of photography began in Florence, Italy as a Fulbright student. His learning continued as he collaborated with many of America’s best photographers in his career as an agency Art Director. Cy believes in close, intimate images that show ordinary things in a surprising new light. He paints backgrounds that “float” the subject in a world of its own. Alternative processes give his images a look that is different and approriate to the moment.
Process Statement
In 1994, DeCosse began exploring the historical process of platinum printing for two years and in 1996 was joined by Keith Taylor as printer. In 2000 they began working with polymer photogravure and later, the 3-color gum dichromate process.
Biography
Cy DeCosse was born in 1929 in Valley City, North Dakota and began his career working at a Minneapolis advertising agency.
In 1954 he won a Fulbright scholarship and was sent to Florence where he studied with Renzo Maggini, a gifted teacher who provided DeCosse’s only formal photographic instruction.
Upon returning to Minnesota, DeCosse resumed his career in advertising, becoming an art director and later a Vice President of Campbell-Mithun Advertising. In 1969 DeCosse formed his own firm, which offered creative services for marketing and later expanded into book publishing.
Website
cydecosse.com
Blog
cydecosseblog.com
Contact
For print inquiries, please contact any of the fine galleries below.
Iris Gallery, Boston, MA, United States
Iris Gallery, Aspen, CO, United States
Verve Gallery, Santa Fe, NM, United States
Weinstein Gallery, Minneapolis, MN, United States
For other inquiries, contact the artist using the form below.
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Click on any of the thumbnail images to launch the viewer. You can then navigate forward and backward within the portfolio by clicking the left or right side of the enlarged image. Click the add to collection checkbox to automatically add an image to your collection. Image tags or search engine keywords appear below the collections' checkbox and each word or phrase is a link to potentially more image matches.
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Website © Photo-Eye, LLC, 2022. Images © the respective photographers. All rights reserved. | https://www.artphotoindex.com/api/photographer.cfm?name=Cy-DeCosse&id=11710 |
Climate change is a direct threat to children’s health and well-being.
In many communities in Nigeria, severe flooding and drought are already putting stress on the ecosystem – affecting where people can live safely, have access to safe water and grow food.
And while children are the least responsible for the changing environment, they are likely to bear the greatest burden.
In Ekpo Igbide community in Delta State, the recent unusually heavy rainfall is forcing families to migrate due to flooding. The community, with about 5000 residents, is located in the tropical rainforest area of the Niger Delta. The main economic activity in Ekpo Igbide is food crop farming, with the women forming a large proportion of the farming population. However, flooding seriously affects food crop production, causing people to leave their homes and farms behind for temporary camps. The severe flooding also negatively affects water quality, including contamination of ground water from overflowing sewage and poorly constructed latrines that get flooded.
To ensure that children and families in the Niger Delta continue to access safe water, the Niger Delta Support Programme (NDSP) is implementing innovative solutions to climate change, supported by UNICEF Nigeria, with funds from the European Union.
In Ekpo Igbide community, motorized boreholes powered by solar energy provide access to safe water all year round. The use of renewable energy like solar power also reduces carbon emissions that negatively impact the climate.
In communities that experience perennial flooding, elevated water fetching points are used to prevent the contamination of water and eliminate stagnant water around the taps.
At the Isoko South Local Government, which includes the Ekpo Igbide community, the environmental health unit, with support from UNICEF and partners, helps communities to put in place resilience plans that mitigate against hazards such as flooding.
The environmental health officers promote good hygiene practices and supervise water safety planning, including sanitary surveillance of water points. They also record data on floods and risk management.
Addressing the challenges of environmental sustainability is a challenge in areas such as the Niger Delta – but it is critical if we want to protect the world’s most vulnerable children. UNICEF, with support from its partners, will continue to work with actors at the national and local levels to ensure that children and their families have access to safe water. | https://www.unicef.org/nigeria/stories/mitigating-effects-climate-change-water-access-and-quality-nigeria |
Editor’s Note: The paper on which this article is based was originally presented at the 2021 IEEE International Symposium on Electromagnetic Compatibility & Signal/Power Integrity (EMC, SI & PI), where it received recognition as the Best Symposium Paper. It is reprinted here with the gracious permission of the IEEE. Copyright 2022 IEEE.
Introduction
In many EMC applications, passive components need to be characterized to provide simulation models and physical insight into the dominant processes within these components. Passive filters consist of inductors and capacitors, some of which are 3- or 4-terminal devices, such as common-mode chokes. For small signals, these components can be considered linear with respect to voltage and current. However, in many applications, non-linear effects must be considered and characterized. This can be achieved with a time-domain large-signal approach or by linearization around certain bias points. Linearized characterization of potentially non-linear devices such as filter inductors or capacitors requires simultaneous excitation of the small-signal evaluation signal and the large-signal bias, which is current for inductors and voltage for capacitors. The most commonly used method relies on a vector network analyzer (VNA) and a bias network to apply the large signal bias.
For higher current or voltage levels, external bias tees must be used for VNA measurements. In particular, when these span a wide frequency range, here from 9 kHz to 500 mHz, they present the following challenges:
- The calibration plane is moved away from the VNA to a position after the bias tee. The basic assumption of the VNA calibration is time invariance. Any changes in the path from the VNA to the calibration plane that occur after the time of calibration are not corrected. Thermal expansion, such as in inductors, and saturation due to current or capacitance changes caused by the bias voltage can change the RF characteristics of the bias tee. Therefore, a thermally well-designed, highly linear bias tee is required.
- The bias tee will influence the RF path. It connects inductors for the DC feed to the RF path and it interrupts the RF path to block the DC voltage from reaching the VNA. In principle, the VNA calibration compensates for these effects. Even if these effects were completely time invariant, they would reduce the dynamic range of the test system if the calibration had to correct for large changes in the RF path through the bias tee. Thus, the RF path through the capacitor and the decoupling through the inductors requires a design that minimizes the effects on the RF path and thus does not require strong compensation by the calibration.
- The energy stored in mH inductors at 10 A current can endanger the VNA if the current path to the DUT is suddenly interrupted. Simply adding transient voltage suppression (TVS) diodes to the VNA is difficult because large diodes are required to handle the energy, but they have larger capacitances that will negatively impact the RF path. A distributed protection solution is therefore required.
This paper shows design details of a linear bias tee for a frequency range of 9 kHz – 500 mHz which can handle 10 A continuously, or 30 A for 10 minutes and can be biased up to 500 V. Although there are countless publications on bias tees for high frequency applications, there are relatively few in the low frequency range and even fewer suited for high DC currents and voltages. In it is stated that “The proposed Bias-T was designed for the target values IDCmax = 1 A and UDCmax = 150 V at the lower frequency fmin = 2 mHz and at the current minimum bandwidth of Bmin of 100 mHz” while in the targeted frequency range reaches from 300 kHz to 100 mHz with a maximum DC current of 3A. Both publications do not present any considerations regarding the protection concept and also target lower bandwidth and smaller DC currents and voltages. In , coils with iron core are used, which probably results in the need to make several calibrations for different DC current values to account for the influence of saturation effects. However, no information was given in this respect.
For very low frequencies there are also interesting active solutions for bias tees , which again cannot be used for higher frequencies. However, the bias tee published in this paper is intended to be used primarily for the measurement of conducted electromagnetic emissions, for which a lower frequency limit of 9 kHz is quite adequate. A passive solution is therefore preferred.
Although some of the concepts described regarding the construction of the individual components are already known in the literature, to the best of the authors’ knowledge, there are no publications yet on such a composition for the construction of a bias tee. The particular advantage of this special form of bias tee is the possible use for small-signal characterization of power electronic components while maintaining high large-signal bias currents and voltages. By measuring the S-parameters of various power electronic components and measuring the changes due to bias over a large frequency range, valuable data can be easily obtained for modeling the behavior of these components under large signal bias. Measurements of this configuration show good results regarding important properties of the tee, like insertion loss, return loss and temperature behavior.
Design of the Bias Tee
Figure 1 shows four common bias tee consisting of a DC block capacitor and an RF decoupling inductor. The general topology of a bis tee is maintained in this design. The core challenge is the design of the components for the needed inductance, capacitance, voltage and current values and their physical arrangement in a bias tee such that four of those bias tees can be arranged to form a 4-port measurement system, like depicted. The schematic of the proposed bias tee is shown in Figure 2 and discussed in detail in the following sections.
Capacitors
The capacitor in a bias tee acts as a DC block, allowing RF currents to pass in the frequency range of interest. Lower minimum frequencies require larger capacitance values to avoid influencing the RF path. If 2 Ω is set as upper impedance limit for the capacitor a value of 8.8 µF is needed at 9 kHz. Linearity requirements up to 500 V exclude the usage of high K ceramics or electrolytic capacitors. This constraint increases the size of the capacitors such that the upper frequency limit becomes a challenge. The parasitic inductances and parasitic capacitances of the capacitor arrangement needs to be utilized to obtain low RF losses in the RF path. This is realized by a distributed arrangement of the capacitors seen in Figure 3.
To obtain a constant characteristic impedance of 50 Ω along the capacitor arrangement the structure must maintain a cross section that provides 50 Ω including the parasitic effects of the capacitors. To obtain the needed capacitance of about 8.8 µF a total of 13 capacitors of size 0.68 µF have been placed in parallel . The capacitor has a width of 6 mm.
On a 1.6 mm FR-4 board a 3 mm wide trace leads to a 50 Ω characteristic impedance. To distribute the capacitances along the transmission line, thus to allow for a undisturbed TEM wave the capacitors are placed vertically, like it is shown in Figure 3. To match the trace width to the width of the capacitors two layers of 1.6 mm FR-4 are used creating a 6 mm wide microstrip line which allows placement of the capacitors without interrupting the RF path. Two carefully designed transitions guide the RF signal from the 3 mm wide trace to the 6 mm wide trace. Figure 4 shows the results of the designed microstrip line using a TDR measurement with a bandwidth of 14 GHz. It can be seen that the capacitive coupling of the TVS diodes used to protect the VNA, as discussed in the section “Protection Concept,” have an influence on the line. This influence can be counteracted by changing the diameter of the microstrip line at the point where the diodes are connected.
Although the capacitors are voltage-dependent due to their dielectric (X7R), this only has a negative effect on the behavior of the bias tee in the lowest frequency range, where large capacitance plays a decisive role. Class 2 X7R capacitors promise a maximum capacitance change of 15 % at nominal voltage.
Inductors
For the calculation of the necessary inductance values, a minimum impedance of 43 dBΩ (referred to 1 Ω) was aimed at. At the minimum frequency of 9 kHz this results in a necessary minimum inductance of about 2.5 mH. The needed bandwidth and current carrying capability poses several problems for the inductor design. High currents require thick wires which adds parasitics at high frequencies; not being able to use cores because of saturation effects increases the inductor size, which again is detrimental to the RF performance and the use of large value inductors increases the difficulty of over-voltage protection of the VNA in case the DUT current is suddenly interrupted. In addition, large coils have greater DC resistance and thus higher power dissipation, which leads to increased temperatures in the package (see the section “Temperature Behavior”).
In order to optimize the behavior at high frequencies, a conical coil (L1), shown in Figure 5, was used. Following the design in the conical inductor was connected to the 50 Ω microstrip line that holds the DC block. The advantages of a conical design over a cylindrical inductor can be seen in Figure 6. The conical shape improves the RF performance however, it offers less inductance compared to a cylindrical inductor having the same number of turns and length. Both inductors in the plot have the same inductance and do not use a magnetic core. Up to the resonance, no differences are visible. However, after the first resonance, the conical inductor shows a series of resonances maintaining in average higher impedance relative to its cylindrical partner. The distribution of these additional resonances depends on details of the winding, the wire diameter and the distance between the wires. The higher the frequency, the more important is the design of the tip of the conical inductor and its connection to the 50 Ω trace. According to the inductance of the conical inductor can be derived from the inductances of related cylindrical and spiral inductors. The inductance of a spiral inductor in µH is given by Equation 1 where R is the mean radius of the inductor in mm, W is the radius difference on both cone ends in mm and N is the number of windings.
(1)
The inductance of a cylindrical (helical) inductor is given by Equation 2, where H is the coil height in mm and again R and N are the mean radius and the number of windings respectively.
(2)
Using LS and LH the inductance of a conical inductor can be obtained by Equation 3 where α is the angle of the conical inductor, being 0° for a totally flat inductor.
(3)
For this coil an inductance of about 63 µH is calculated with the geometrical values given in Figure 5. For achieving an inductance value of 2.5 mH the conical inductor would need to be more than three times as long, which is why two further coils of higher inductance (L2 = 0.27 mH and L3 = 2.2 mH) had to be connected in series behind it to reach the desired inductance value. The coils have a total DC resistance of 300 mΩ and thus dissipate 30 W at 10 A DC current.
Dampening
The coil assembly forms a complex system of the nominal coils and parasitic capacitances between the windings, to the enclosure and between the coils. This leads to a multitude of resonances, which was already shown in Figure 6 for the conical inductor itself. These resonances have a threefold negative effect on the system performance:
- The anti-resonances may reach low impedance values. Those are placed in parallel to the 50 Ω trace, thus, at those frequencies the S12 of the RF path is diminished. This requires stronger correction during calibration.
- Even if they could be compensated by calibration, they must remain time invariant. Small geometrical changes, e.g., thermally induced may move the resonances. The higher the Q-factor is, the stronger small changes will impact the impedance.
- The inductors will warm up to 60 °C at 10 A current. This increases the wire resistance which increase damping. If the calibration would be based on high Q resonance even this small change may lead to an inaccurate correction during measurements by the stored calibration values.
Thus, it is advisable to introduce losses that dampen the resonances. This will reduce the impedance at resonances and increase the impedance at anti-resonances. Of the several available damping methods, electrically lossy material placed near the conical inductor was used for the first stage inductor, represented by Rdamp in Figure 2. Magnetically lossy material would pose the risk of introducing non-linear behavior due to the large DC current. Placing a resistor across the conical inductor would add parasitic capacitance to the connection point at the DC block on the RF path. The disadvantage of the electrically lossy material is its blocking effect on the cooling of the coil.
For the other inductors adjustable resistors have been placed in parallel to allow for a smooth impedance behavior which leads to a smooth loss characteristic show in Figure 8.
Protection Concept
A maximum permissible direct current of 10 A will store about 126.5 mJ of energy in the inductors. This energy is divided among the three inductors (EL1 = 3 mJ, EL2 = 13.5 mJ, EL3 = 110 mJ).
Without protection, a sudden interruption of current flow through the DUT, e.g., a solder joint breaks, will dissipate the stored energy into the VNA (RIP). Protective devices such as transient voltage suppressor (TVS) diodes are well suited to protect the VNA. If they are placed directly in the RF path, their capacitance needs to be kept small to avoid further disturbances on the RF path. However, those diodes cannot handle the energy. The problem is resolved by distributing diodes across the inductors. The high value inductors store most of the energy, but their electrical function is limited to lower frequencies, thus TVS having larger capacitance of about 100 pF can be used . No TVS is placed across the conical inductor, instead 2.5 pF TVS are placed on the RF path .
A second protection problem arises from the 1.1 J stored in the DC block capacitors. If the DUT is suddenly shorted to GND the 8.8 µF charged at 500 V would be discharged into the VNA (RIP). The low capacitance diodes placed to protect against the energy in the conical inductor cannot handle the energy. A second level protection is needed. This is realized by placing polymer based snap back devices from the RF path to GND . These devices offer very low capacitance < 0.05 pF, a fast turn on of 0.1 ns. After internal breakdown within the component, they clamp at about 25 V DC. The amount of energy in the DC block capacitor can destroy them and the TVS devices, but they protect the VNA in case of a short circuit.
Internal DC Block of the VNA
An additional problem for this circuit is the internal DC block of the VNA. Since it has a small capacitance compared to the DC block of the bias tee, a capacitive voltage divider is created, which means that at high DC voltages, a voltage would always be present at the input of the VNA and could destroy it. Therefore, two parallel 10 kΩ resistors are connected between internal and external DC block against ground. These dissipate a slowly changing DC current until the large capacitor of the external DC block is full and the internal DC block can no longer be charged.
The Complete Bias Tee
After initial measurements, discussed in the following section, an additional capacitor with 1.5 nF and resistor with 910 Ω was inserted between L1 and L2, as shown in Figure 2, to further flatten the insertion loss curve. Furthermore, an additional capacitor of 2200 µF was added to the DC port to ensure a well-defined impedance to ground which is independent of the impedance of the DC source. Figure 7 shows the complete bias tee with all components. These were installed in a die- cast aluminum housing, which on the one hand reduces the susceptibility to interference and on the other hand ensures temperature stability.
Measurements and Verification
The verification covers linear frequency response, temperature behavior and linearity check at high currents and voltages.
Frequency Response
To verify the linear behavior the S-parameters of two identically built bias tees have been measured. Because of the well-defined impedance due to the large capacitor at the DC port, port 3 can be left open during calibration. In Figure 8 an insertion loss measurement of the two bias tees is depicted, which shows very satisfying results from 9 kHz up to a frequency of about 500 mHz with an insertion loss of less than 1 dB and an insertion flatness of about 0.5 dB. Above 500 mHz, the insertion loss increases to 2 dB at 1 GHz, largely due to the high frequency characteristics of the conical inductor. Measurements using conical coils with thinner wire showed better properties here but cannot pass the DC current. It can also be seen from the return loss measurement in Figure 9, that even though the two shown bias tees are built identically, their return loss differs quite significantly. This is the effect of slightly different coils and potentiometer settings. In general, one could create an S-parameter set for each bias tee and use this for de-embedding. Even though this procedure would result in better measurement performance, one would need the de-embedding profiles for each individual tee and must never interchange the bias tees for each measurement. Instead, a self-made calibration kit with previously measured de-embedding parameters was used. Two bias tees and the self-made calibration kit (TOSM) was used for calibration, which works regardless of the arrangement of the bias tees. For the final measurement, shown in Figure 1 a four-port calibration has to be done. In general, all calibration methods can run into the same limitations, which are small remaining non-linearities or mechanical changes due to heat or mechanical instability.
Temperature Behavior
The DC resistance of the coils (RL1 = 0.1 Ω, RL2 = 0.04 Ω, RL3 = 0.16 Ω) leads to internal heating at high currents. A stress test of the bias tee was carried out in the course of an initial test. The bias tee was loaded with 10 A DC current for 30 minutes causing the temperature at the tip of the conical inductor to increase to 60 °C. No forced cooling was applied. No significant heating was detected elsewhere in the enclosure.
Protection Circuit Response
The maximum voltage at the input of the VNA in the event of a fault is specified by the manufacturer as 30 V. The protection circuit, described in Sec. II-D was tested by connecting two bias tees in series and a fuse with 10 A rated current which should simulate a sudden interrupt of current flow. A DC current of 25 A was applied to the test setup with a 50 Ω dummy load and a small capacitor as DC block instead of the VNA. The resulting voltage at the dummy VNA did not exceed the maximum allowed voltage of 30 V and the resulting energy of about 125 µJ does not pose any danger to the input of the VNA.
Linearity Check
Figure 10 shows an S12 measurement of two bias tees connected in series at different DC bias currents. It can be seen that the DC bias current causes practically no difference in the behavior of the tees up to 25A.
Measurement of an Inductor
Figure 11 shows a test measurement of an inductor at different DC bias currents between 0 A and 13 A. Saturation effects due to the DC bias current can be observed in the lower frequency range by a shift towards the right. At higher frequencies not much changes due to the bias current, since the permeability of the material has reduced to a level at which the flux cannot reach saturation levels.
Conclusion
This paper shows a way to build a bias tee for power electronics applications. Especially if saturation effects of coils or larger filter elements in a low frequency range are to be investigated, this bias tee offers a possibility to tackle this problem with the help of vector network analysis. This allows to measure a device under test in magnitude and phase to gain detailed conclusions about its frequency behavior. The data can then be used to optimize filter circuits in real application situations, or to generate load-dependent models of these filters. The presented bias tee shows good frequency response over a wide frequency range and can be loaded with high DC currents and voltages. Measurements show that the behavior of the bias tee is not influenced by DC bias currents. When these bias currents are abruptly interrupted, the presented protection circuit serves to protect the measurement equipment.
Acknowledgement
The financial support by the Austrian Federal Ministry for Digital and Economic Affairs, the National Foundation for Research, Technology and Development, and the Christian Doppler Research Association is gratefully acknowledged.
References
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- V. Major, J. Bacˇmaga, R. Gillon, and A. Baric´, “Design and characterization of bias tee used for s-parameter characterization of power inductors,” 2019 42nd International Convention on Information and Communication Technology, Electronics and Microelectronics (MIPRO), 2019, pp. 82–86.
- A. Nalli, A. Raffo, G. Avolio, V. Vadala`, G. Bosi, D. M. M. . Schreurs, and G. Vannini, “Extremely low-frequency measurements using an active bias tee,” 2013 IEEE MTT-S International Microwave Symposium Digest (MTT), 2013, pp. 1–4.
- Multilayer Ceramic Capacitors, NTS Series / NTF Series, United Chemi-Con, cAT. No. E1002X Ver.4.
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- R. Linhart, V. Georgiev, and J. Kopal, “Broadband bias networks for pulse signal RF amplifiers,” 2015 International Conference on Applied Electronics (AE), 2015, pp. 153–156.
- “Surface Mount TRANSZORB® Transient Voltage Suppressors,” Vishay, 2013, Document number: 8839.
- “TVS Diode Arrays (SPA® Diodes),” Littelfuse, 2017.
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- “Differential Mode Choke Coils(RADIAL),” TDK, 2006. | https://incompliancemag.com/article/a-bias-tee-for-broadband-measurement-of-power-electronic-components/ |
Concerns about appearance are not only commonplace in the United States, but are also present in other cultures around the world. The perception and value placed on beauty is subjective, but common culture-specific notions of physical attractiveness exist. Across many cultures, body dysmorphic disorder contains similar clinical features, but some presentations are culturally specific. For example, Japanese case reports discuss eyelids as the feature focus, which is a rare physical complaint in the Western culture (Hunt, Thienhaus, & Ellwood, 2008).
Prevalence rates of patients with body dysmorphic disorder within cosmetic medical settings vary from country to country. It is estimated that in the United States, patients with BDD within cosmetic medical settings vary from 5% to 15% (Ishigooka et al., 1998; Sarwer et al, 1998a; Veale et al, 2003), compared to a prevalence rate of 9.1% in Europe (Aouizerate et al., 2003). Few studies have been done in Europe and some have compared the American population to their respective countries. Bohne, Keuthen, Wilhelm, Deckersbach and Jenike (2002) investigated the prevalence of body image concerns and body dysmorphic disorder in a sample of American students and compared this data to a sample of German students using the Body Dysmorphic Disorder Questionnaire and similar measures. Results indicated that the majority of American participants were very concerned with the appearance of parts of their body and that 29% endorsed preoccupation with these concerns. Out of 101 American participants, four met DSM-IV criteria for body dysmorphic disorder that caused significant distress and functional impairment. As compared to the sample of German students, significantly more American than German participants endorsed body image concerns and significantly more American than German students were preoccupied with their concerns. American students also had significantly lower levels of body esteem as compared to their German counterparts. They further reported that body esteem was significantly correlated with self-esteem and depressive, anxiety and obsessive-compulsive symptoms.
In the Netherlands, Mulkens, Kerzel, Merckelbach, and Jansen (2006) investigated the psychiatric condition of nine dissatisfied patients after cosmetic surgery. Results showed that five out of nine participants scored in the dysfunctional range on several questionnaires that assessed BDD, depression, perceptual abnormalities and personality disorders. Prevalence rates of cosmetic surgery and BDD are lacking in the Netherlands but private hospitals are reporting more cases of cosmetic surgery procedures. The media has also been participating in displaying the increased attention to physical concern. ‘Make me beautiful,’ a Dutch version of the American show ‘Extreme Makeovers,’ shows people undergoing a total makeover within six weeks, while they stay isolated in a clinic, away from family and friends.
According to the International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ISAPA), plastic surgery in South America is very prevalent. Borda, Neziroglu, Santos, Donnelly and Rivera (2011) examined the prevalence, quality of life, and presentation style of body dysmorphic disorder in depressed Argentine adolescents where there is a disproportionate rate of body dissatisfaction. Results indicated that depressed Argentine adolescents had significantly higher scores on various assessments compared to non-depressed participants. In addition, participants reporting body dysmorphic symptoms also reported significantly higher scores on these assessments as well. These results suggest that bodily concerns and preoccupations are severe in the Argentine population and particularly in depressed adolescents. This may be a result of the cultural emphasis placed on physical appearance, particularly in women, as well as the popularity of plastic surgery.
In Brazil, Fontenelle et al. (2006) conducted a long-term study of patients with body dysmorphic disorder. The prevalence rate of body dysmorphic disorder in this clinical population who was seeking treatment at a facility specializing in obsessive compulsive spectrum disorders was 12%. According to the Huffington Post, Brazil is the second biggest consumer of plastic surgery and because cosmetic procedures have become so pervasive, doctors are now offering them to many impoverished Brazilians at discounted rates. In addition, Brazil offers plastic surgery procedures at an average of two thirds less than in the United States and Canada, making it a hot spot for tourists to come to have their procedures completed. For example, a face-lift in Brazil costs approximately $3,000 as compared to a face-lift in the U.S. which can range from $7,000 to $15,000.
When looking at a cultural that is both western and middle eastern at the same time, Cansever, Uzun, Donmez and Ozsahin (2003) investigated the rate and clinical features of body dysmorphic disorder among female college students in Turkey. Body Dysmorphic Disorder was found to be present in 4.8% of the sample, as diagnosed using the DSM-IV criteria. Forty four percent of the participants were dissatisfied with their appearance and endorsed that the head/face area and the hips were the areas of most common concern. There still remains a lack of research in the area of cross cultural differences in body dysmorphic disorder despite the high prevalence rates and functional impairment in individuals who are diagnosed with the disorder.
According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, plastic surgery spending is up 3 percent over 2010, with Americans spending $11 billion dollars on plastic surgery in one year. According to a global survey by the International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ISAPA), the United States is ranked first as the most surgical procedures being performed, while China, Brazil and India are all close seconds. On a per capita basis, Colombia, Brazil, Italy, Greece and South Korea (ranked from fifth to first respectively) lead the world in plastic surgeries. The U.S. is number one in breast augmentation and abdominoplasty (“tummy tuck”), Brazil is number one in blepharoplasty (surgical modification of the eyelid) and rhinoplasty (“nose job”) while double eyelid surgery is the most common plastic surgery procedure performed in South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand and Hong Kong.
These staggering numbers may have bigger implications that include the prevalence of body image concerns across a variety of cultures. More attention is needed in this area in order to be most effective at successfully treating individuals with body dysmorphic disorder. | https://bdd.iocdf.org/expert-opinions/cross-cultural-aspects-of-bdd/ |
A Review on Howard Fast’s “Spartacus”
“Spartacus” by Howard Fast novel is a story that opposes the scientific fact that two bodies cannot exist in the same place. The story in the book is more justified than the movie “Spartacus” by Kirk Douglas, which gives a classic view of the story (Fast 47). The novel describes how the Romans fought for their freedom and the difficulties they faced as slaves before gaining freedom after the fall of Spartacus. Spartacus is sold as a third generation slave to fight for Roman’s happiness in the gladiator school. He is depicted to cause an enormous slave rebellion that almost tears the republic into pieces.
The novel talks about the emergence of the rebellion and its effects on Roman’s thinking who dominantly were dependant on slave trade even after the formation of a republic. The story unfolds with the winners of the servile war reminiscing about the defeat of the Spartacus. Rome seems to have grown morally now compared to its past that was punctuated with immorality.
Howard Fast uses characters in the book to come up with his story. Both active and dormant characters play a role in the making up of a concrete story plot of the novel. Crassus is depicted as brutal, corporal, covetous and merciless. He is the general who played a big role in crushing “Spartacus” rebellion, hence is referred as the hero in the republic or “The Bronze Hawk of the Republic”. Cicero is depicted as a schemer and a historian philosopher who makes important use of opportunities to have his flukes put in place (Fast 92). Gracchus is used to portray change in the society as his pessimistic nature makes him conform to the evil and immoral behavior of the society. The few Roman characters are depicted as the worst in the story as they are wicked, parasitic, treacherous, and desperate to increase their wealth, victims of slavery, unsuccessful, unproductive and powerless. The common folks of the city are not left out as Howard Fast portrays them as sluggish, ferocious, unscrupulous group of people who live a cheap life, poor role models to their children and as practitioners of sex trade.
Contrast is depicted in the story as the slaves are given an image of being holy and righteous by their suffering state. This is because of the fact that their behaviors change after sometime in the rebellion that they hold. Spartacus himself takes a spiritually upright religious image like that of Jesus. Varinia, Spartacus lover, is shown to be caring and with a motherly attitude. The Jewish gladiator, David, is also given a contrasting image of being hate-filled and a big assistant to Spartacus. Contrast is also portrayed in the novel by the fact that the slaves lead a completely different life after gaining freedom. They share their property keeping no excess of what they need, living in equality like brothers and sisters. The importance of contrast in the book is to bring out the difference between the lives of the Romans before and after acquiring freedom. In addition, Contrast has been used to depict a theme of transformation in the novel.
Howard Fast uses metaphor in the plot development of his novel. Rome is metaphoric in the sense that, the modern day capitalists are set to be the Romans in the story, the current generation working class are the slaves (Fast 110). His plot development backs can be said to endorse Marxist idea of capitalism and communism. The rise of the socialists is not because of power or strength but because of their righteousness. This backs up the religious dogma that states, “Righteousness overcomes physical strength”.
Howard Fast uses his writing skills to create a prose that gives a right definition of the ancient Rome. This has led to the success of “Spartacus” a factor that makes the story a perfect fiction of ancient Rome. The business streets used by hawkers, the tired and mistreated slaves, the disciplinary camps, the gladiatorial blood spattered arenas, the sweating gladiators, the lavish good life of the slave holders give the true and vivid picture of the ancient Rome described by Howard Fast (Trumbo 39). The story shows that Howard was able to avoid the Old Dutch ascent in his writing, a fact that makes “Spartacus” interesting and entertaining to the people who read it.
Spartacus has a solid history in its real story but in Howard Fast’s novel, it seems to be different because he does not define Pompey’s role in Spartacus defeat and that the slaves had an open chance to elope to Italy through the Alps but instead they decided to hang around looting the Roman Cities (Trumbo 129). This gave Crassus an opportunity to destroy them. Howard Fast forgets this point, insisting that the slaves overcame greed and did not want anymore than they needed for themselves. He also portrays the slaves as less malicious and cruel than they really were. This has no big effect on the story though it makes it less inspiring. He should have made it clear that picking a side by the slaves was not a difficult issue.
Irony has also been used in making the plot of the story. The politics in the book are ironical as he uses false ideology: Poverty does not make man righteous but rather more immoral. Wealth on the other side is supposed to make man more saint than evil (Fast 73). The victory of Crass also appears to be ironical and disgusting because his bad and unfair attitude did not deserve victory. In conclusion, “Spartacus” gives out the intended message by Howard Fast that after a long-suffering, happiness must follow suit. In this case, happiness is portrayed by the freedom that the Romans acquired while the suffering is shown by them being slaves.
Works Cited:
Fast, Howard. Spartacus. Mt Airy, MD: M.E. Sharpe.1996. Print.
Schenkkan, Robert& Fast, Howard. Spartacus: Night One. Nyack, NY: M.E. Sharpe, 2003. Print.
Trumbo, Dalton& Fast, Howard. Spartacus: Screenplay. Pittsfield, MA: M.E. Sharpe, 1959. Print. | https://www.accurateessays.com/samples/history-7/ |
Objective:
The course aims to develop an understanding of the importance of financial derivatives and the institutional structure of the markets on which they are traded as well as developing the analytical tools necessary to price such instruments. The course will have three main parts: ?First, the most commonly traded derivative instruments will be introduced, and their role in the modern capital markets, in particular for risk management, explained both from a theoretical as well as practical point of view. Second, there will be discussion on the institutional structure of the markets, on which such instruments are traded. Third, the pricing of the derivatives instruments and the risk characteristics of derivatives will be discussed.
Definition of Derivative Securities- Brief history of derivatives, Evolution of Commodity, Currency, Stocks and Interest Rate Derivatives, Structure of derivative markets, forwards, futures, options, swaps etc.Examples of more sophisticated derivatives: barrier options, compound options, options on futures, swaptions, Underlying assets: equities, currencies, commodities and interest rates. Reasons for trading: risk management, speculation and arbitrage.
Market Characteristics- Futures and Options contract specifications, underlying asset, contract size, and delivery specifications. Marking to market using margin accounts. Familiarizing with market quotes. Trading Strategies involving Options and Futures. Interest rate derivatives, Contractual specification: floating and fixed rate. Valuation of interest rate derivatives.
Derivatives Pricing Theory- Option Pricing: Black-Scholes formula for option pricing: derivation and properties. Volatility: estimated vs. implied, options on dividend-paying assets, warrants and convertibles. Binomial models for option prices: definitions and terminology. Continuous-Time Models. Futures Pricing: Pricing by arbitrage: relationship between futures and spot price (cost of carry and reverse cost of carry), difference between futures and forward price, futures on dividend-paying assets.
Risk Analysis and Management- Risk Measurement and Management Framework, Option's delta, gamma, Vega, theta, rho. Hedging with futures. Derivatives Disclosure: Accounting Issues in Derivatives.
Options and Futures Applications in India- Structure of Indian stock markets and the operational efficiency of options and futures, determination of the fair value of futures and options prices, Interactions between spot equity trading and trading in derivatives. | http://www.k2questions.com/Subjects-MBA-PGDM-Finance/Financial-Derivatives.aspx |
ITALY, GERMANY, THE SOVIET UNION, AND JAPAN
After World War I, Italian nationalists were outraged when Italy received just some of the territories promised by the Allies. Chaos ensued as peasants seized land, workers went on strike, veterans faced unemployment, trade declined, and taxes rose. The government could not end the crisis. Into this turmoil stepped Benito Mussolini, the organizer of the Fascist party. Mussolini’s supporters, the Black Shirts, rejected democratic methods and favored violence for solving problems. In the 1922 March on Rome, tens of thousands of Fascists swarmed the capital. Fearing civil war, the king asked Mussolini to form a government as prime minister.
Mussolini soon suppressed rival parties, muzzled the press, rigged elections, and replaced elected officials with Fascists. Critics were thrown into prison, forced into exile, or murdered. Secret police and propaganda (any technique that attempts to influence the opinions, emotions, attitudes, or behavior of a group in order to benefit the sponsor) bolstered the regime. In 1929, Mussolini also received support from the pope. Mussolini brought the economy under state control, but basically preserved capitalism. His system favored the upper class and industry leaders. Workers were not allowed to strike and their wages were kept low. In Mussolini’s new system, loyalty to the state replaced conflicting individual goals. “Believe! Obey! Fight!” loudspeakers blared and posters proclaimed.
Mussolini built the first modern totalitarian state. In this form of government, a one-party dictatorship attempts to control every aspect of the lives of its citizens. Today, we usually use the term fascism to describe the underlying ideology of any centralized, authoritarian government that is not communist. Fascism is rooted in extreme nationalism. Fascists believe in action, violence, discipline, and blind loyalty to the state. They praise warfare. They are anti-democratic, rejecting equality and liberty. Fascists opposed communists on important issues. Communists favor international action and the creation of a classless society. Fascists are nationalists who support a society with defined classes. Both base their power on blind devotion to a leader or the state. Both flourish during economic hard times. Fascism appealed to Italians because it restored national pride, provided stability, and ended the political feuding that had paralyzed democracy in Italy.
Known as el Duce (“El Doo-chay,” the Leader), Mussolini wanted to establish the greatness of Italy and create an empire. In order to do this, Mussolini invaded Ethiopia in 1936. The Italians, fighting with modern weapons against poorly equipped Ethiopians, conquered this African nation that same year.
Beginning in the 1930s, many Germans supported the Nazi Party, a violently nationalistic organization. The Nazi Party declared that Germany had been unfairly treated after WWI, and that the Treaty of Versailles, signed in 1919, caused the economic depression. Many Germans believed that energetic leader, Adolf Hitler, would solve Germany’s problems. As head of the Nazi party, Hitler promised to end reparations, create jobs, and rearm Germany. In 1933, Hitler was elected chancellor of Germany and within a year he was dictator over the new Fascist state in Germany.
Hitler believed that the western powers had no intention of using force to maintain
the Treaty of Versailles. Subsequently, Hitler built up the military forces in Germany in violation of the Treaty. Most, but not all, Germans believed that Hitler brought strength and courage back to their country, as well as prosperity. Those who opposed Hitler were targeted by the Gestapo, Hitler’s secret police. Most people were proud to be Germans and proud to be Nazis. In 1936, Hitler sent troops to the Rhineland, an old section of Germany along the Rhine River, where they were not allowed according to the Treaty of Versailles. This act, another violation of the Treaty, was a clear indication that Hitler wanted to prove his own superiority over the western leaders. Many Germans and Austrians were proud of this violation of the hated treaty and other countries did nothing to stop it.
Known as der Fuhrer (the Leader), Hitler preached that the Germans were a superior race and that many minorities, including Jews, Slavs, Gypsies, and communists, should be oppressed, exiled, or worse. A persuasive speaker, he convinced his followers that Jews and other minorities were inferior and were the root of Germany’s problems. The efficient ruthlessness and brutality of Hitler and his devoted followers and Hitler’s spell-binding effect as a speaker, created a horrifying and powerful government dedicated to the superiority of the Aryan race (white, northern Europeans) and the establishment of a new German empire. Hitler’s radical beliefs included: anti-semitism (persecution or hatred of Jews), extreme nationalism, aggression (occupying nearby countries to create a German empire), lebensraum (union of all German nations), anschluss (German union with Austria), and a hatred of Communism.
Under Joseph Stalin, the Soviet Union grew into a totalitarian state that controlled all aspects of life, including agriculture, culture, art, and religion. The state also developed a command economy, in which it made all economic decisions. Stalin pushed for rapid industrialization in order to catch up with the west. To do this, Stalin developed three 5-Year Plans that set high production goals. Despite great progress in some sectors, products such as clothing, cars, and refrigerators were scarce.
Stalin forced changes in agriculture too. He wanted peasants to farm on either state-owned farms or collectives, large farms owned and operated by groups of peasants. Through collectivization, Stalin seized goods from peasant farmers and sold the goods for profit. He used the capital gained from collectivization to finance his industrialization drive. Some peasants resisted collectivization, which resulted in Stalin taking their land and sending them to labor camps where many died. In 1932, Stalin’s policies led to a famine that caused millions to starve.
The ruling Communist party used secret police (KGB), torture, and bloody purges to force people to obey. Those who opposed Stalin were rounded up and sent to the Gulag, a system of brutal labor camps. Fearing that rival party leaders were plotting against him, Stalin launched the Great Purge in 1934. During the Great Purge, the KGB killed thousands of army officers and prominent Bolsheviks who opposed Stalin. Among the victims of this and other purges were some of the brightest and most talented people in the country.
Stalin feared the growing power of Nazi Germany. Soviet leaders had two foreign policy goals. They hoped to spread world revolution through the Comintern, or Communist International. At the same time, they wanted to ensure their nation’s security by winning the support of other countries. These contradictory goals caused Western Powers to mistrust the Soviet Union.
Like Germany and Italy, Japan was intent on creating an empire. This small island nation resented the way western countries and heads of state determined that Japan should not expand. Although Japan had an emperor, Hirohito (Hiro-he-tow), the military had taken control of the government. Emperor Hirohito could not stand up to the powerful generals; however, he was worshipped by the people who often fought in his name. Like the Germans, the Japanese shared a strong military tradition. The army, navy, and air force grew in size and strength, and serving in the armed forces became an even more desirable and honorable goal for young men than it had been previously. | https://www.essaydocs.org/italy-germany-the-soviet-union-and-japan.html |
Emphasising the University’s commitment to preserving Singapore’s rich biodiversity, fighting climate change and being an environmentally responsible campus, NUS President Professor Tan Eng Chye launched the “Planting 10,000 Trees” initiative at University Hall on 23 November, in line with National Tree Planting month.
The initiative, which continues Singapore’s significant and time honoured tradition of tree planting started by founding Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew, will see 500 mature trees planted throughout the campus, as well as 9,500 saplings nurtured in the NUS nursery. This will include both native and common species found in Singapore, along with endangered species such as the Margaritaria indica. To protect the habitats of these trees, a strict NUS tree protection policy will be put in place.
“The benefits of cultivating a rich and diverse landscape of trees and plants extend beyond providing shade and visual aesthetics. Regular exposure to them can have a positive effect on cognitive and emotive wellbeing, and promote social interactions. These are desirable attributes as we seek to be a world class institution of learning, intellectual dynamism and also rich social networks,” said Prof Tan at the launch.
The “Planting 10,000 Trees” initiative will harness the expertise of NUS researchers and smart technology in its greening efforts. Led by NUS Facilities Management and the Green Spaces Task Force under the NUS Sustainability Steering Committee, urban heat maps collected from thermal satellite images generated by NUS Design and Environment researchers will help to identify ideal planting locations throughout the campus. By shading heat-absorbing surfaces and mitigating the urban heat island effect, the trees are expected to cool down surrounding temperatures by about one degree Celsius, as well as contribute to the sequestration of 220 tonnes of carbon dioxide and the production of nearly 1,200 tonnes of oxygen annually.
Each new tree will be tagged and captured in a Geographical Information System (GIS) database with its own unique identity and coordinates. The database will compile information on tree health and inspection, and facilitate effective tracking and study of the trees across their full life span of up to 40 years.
The new initiative builds on the Campus Greenery Plan introduced by the then Office of Estate & Development in 2012 which aimed to envelope campus buildings in a “tropical rainforest” to enhance the wellbeing of the NUS community while retaining biodiversity. Over the next few years following its introduction, more than 2,000 new trees and shrubs were planted, 33,000sqm of skyrise greenery was incorporated into 30 buildings, and 6,500 trees were inventorised using GIS.
Going forward, under the new three-year Campus Greenery Plan, also launched on 23 November, NUS plans to work with urban greening specialists to create three clusters of urban farms at Prince George’s Park bungalows, Kent Ridge Road bungalows and NUS Science, and a further 20 green roofs and vertical green walls to reduce the “greyness” of buildings on campus. Smart technologies such as special lamps which promote the growth of green walls in enclosed spaces, improved auto-irrigation systems, and drones for fauna health inspection, will also be utilised in support of the efforts.
Prof Tan said that the University hopes to involve different segments of students, staff, faculty and alumni in carrying out its ambitious greening plans. “For all of us who are part of the NUS community, I am glad we can look forward to a lush, lovely and leafy campus that is conducive for life, work and play,” he added. | http://news.nus.edu.sg/highlights/greening-our-campus?utm_source=corpsite+&utm_medium=highlights&utm_campaign=Greening+our+campus |
With for-purpose organisations increasingly vying for the same dollar, Kuppal Palaniappan from Spark Strategy shares four steps you can take to approach your next funding opportunity with confidence.
As for-purpose leaders navigate these uncertain economic times, there is no hiding the fact that there is strong competition for funding and resources to support the sustainability of organisations. The funding landscape today requires organisations to clearly articulate their ultimate vision for impact, benefits to their key stakeholders or participants, key activities they will perform to reach their goals and data they will collect to measure impact over a period of time.
As a for-purpose organisation, how do you know your day-to-day activities are leading to your intended impact, behaviour change or system reform? When was the last time you evaluated your programmes to ensure they are achieving outcomes for your programme participants and stakeholders? How do you report your impact and communicate your story across campaigns, grants, reports and submissions? Which United Nations Sustainable Development Goal do your programmes help alleviate? Many organisations may have a high-level answer to these questions but are not equipped with the skills or capability to articulate this information with rigour backed by evidence nor monitor impact over a period of time.
These pieces of detailed information are key to unlocking opportunities that may not have presented themselves otherwise. Regardless of the altitude you play in, whether that be system reform and advocacy, programmes and service delivery or partnerships and collaboration, articulating impact should be on your priority list. As the funding landscape becomes more competitive, we encourage you to consider the following four steps to approach your next funding opportunity with confidence.
1. Map your theory of change
A theory of change (ToC) maps your organisation’s path to impact along the short, medium and longer term. A ToC is separate to an organisational strategy and often complements the intended organisational vision by creating a clear outcome-based pathway to fulfil this vision.
A ToC helps to identify the key activities (or outcomes) and resources that need to take place across these time periods in a chronological order. By mapping outcomes across the short to long term, a set of assumptions are uncovered. These assumptions provide the basis to undertake evidenced-based research to support or refute them.
2. Prepare and gather your data
Once a ToC has been developed, it provides the basis of what data an organisation needs to collect when and how often. It’s often a good time to review your systems and ensure they are fit for purpose. Technology doesn’t need to be as complicated as it sounds, ensuring your systems are configured in a way that is collecting relevant information in order to report on it can mean the difference between winning grant funding and not.
3. Align to the UN Sustainable Development Goals
The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are fast becoming the “go to” for social and environmental impact measurement, new sources of grants and funding, and sector-based innovation and leadership. The SDGs are the only globally agreed and universal social impact assessment framework and are “the blueprint to achieve a better and more sustainable future for all” (United Nations Organisation, 2020). There are a total of 17 goals which are interconnected and span across poverty, inequality, climate change, environmental degradation, peace and justice.
By mapping and aligning your impact to the SDGs we are seeing that this is opening up growth opportunities and enabling new partnerships. Similarly, leading philanthropic, corporate and government funders are moving to reporting, funding and partnerships based around success for the indicators and measures contained within the SDGs.
It’s important to note that the SDGs are not for everyone and organisations must be mindful of “rainbow washing”, a term used when organisations use the SGDs without operationalising their SDG commitments in their strategic plans and impact evaluation frameworks. If an organisation chooses to commit to one or more SDGs, it is important to highlight the measurable activities and corresponding targets as part of your ToC.
4. Evaluate periodically and foster a continuous improvement mindset
With your ToC mapped, data collection in check and SDGs aligned to your impact; it’s safe to say the data you collect will help inform your future decisions and create a compelling narrative of the impact you have achieved. Your data will highlight where you are fulfilling your overall vision and where you may need to tweak your activities or review your underlying assumptions behind your ToC.
The great thing about the ToC is that it’s not a rigid structure and can be tweaked as new information becomes available.
The next time you apply for a government grant or need to articulate your impact to your corporate or philanthropic partner, keep these considerations in mind. With the skills and time developing a ToC and impact evaluation culture, your organisation will be able to achieve clarity on the steps to get there – and this will help you stand out from the pack.
Spark Strategy is thrilled to launch its Sustainable Development Goals Mapping offering, to help for-purpose organisations map their impact to relevant SDGs and better articulate their impact. Our approach brings leaders and whole teams on a journey to co-design the development of an impact framework which operationalises specific SDGs that align with the vision of your organisation. For more information contact [email protected]
If you are interested in learning how to apply this to your organisation and want to know how to powerfully demonstrate your impact you can also join our upcoming webinar on using theory of change and alignment to the SDGs.
About the author: Kuppal Palaniappan is a senior strategic advisor at Spark Strategy, supporting the social sector uplift its capability and acumen around strategy, technology and developing future proof business models for long term sustainability. | https://probonoaustralia.com.au/news/2020/08/sponsoredcontent-stay-ahead-of-the-crowd-how-to-demonstrate-your-impact-in-a-competitive-funding-landscape/ |
North Dallas toy store reopens in old location one year after tornado
DALLAS - A North Dallas toy store is back at its newly rebuilt home one year after an EF-3 tornado tore through area.
The Toy Maven was extensively damaged along with other retail locations in the Preston Royal Shopping Center on October 20, 2019. A year later it has reopened in the center.
“It feels amazing, amazing to be back in this spot,” said owner Candace Williams.
The violent tornado ripped the roof off her store.
“Stepping into the store, into water, was heartbreaking. It really was. We had been in this space since 2005, it was devastating,” Williams said.
The owner said she was determined to get the store up and running to keep her charity commitment to The Partners Card which benefits Family Place.
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“It’s so important to our community. I knew that we could not we couldn't shutdown so we had to just rally the forces and it took us about 10 days, under 10 days to really, find a spot and get it going,” Williams said.
The Toy Maven temporarily moved about a mile down the street to Preston-Forest Shopping Center. But then another storm -- the pandemic.
“It’s been a one - two punch, right? And that certainly has thrown businesses into a tailspin,” Williams said.
But The Toy Maven managed to come out of it ok, with the store bigger and better than before. Customers are also back.
“It’s just a great place for our kids to look around to shop around and it was a missing part of the area for a year, so we're glad to have it open again,” said Natalia Delaune.
Williams is now focused not on what did happen, but on what can happen in the future.
“It’s exciting. It’s exciting to have a fresh start,” Williams said.
RELATED: | https://www.fox4news.com/news/north-dallas-toy-store-reopens-in-old-location-one-year-after-tornado |
The topic of the 2016 University of Calgary Graduate Philosophy Conference will be Logic and Language. Topics at the intersection of philosophy of language and (philosophy of) logic have a long and fruitful history, and continue to be at the forefront of research in the “core” of analytic philosophy. We invite submissions on any topic in philosophy of language and/or logic and its philosophy, with a preference for papers that address issues at their intersection, or papers that engage with the work of either of our keynotes. Possible topics include, but are not limited to:
• Truth
• conditionals
• logical form
• the relationship(s) between formal and natural languages
• the meanings of syncategoremata
• counterfactuals
• formal semantics
• modals
• translation
• historical connections between logic and language
• propositions
• . . .
Submissions of papers of up to 3200 words (not including bibliography, but including footnotes/endnotes), prepared for blind review should be sent to [email protected] by February 29, 2016. Please also include a separate cover sheet with the following: title, an abstract of no more than 200 words, and author’s name, affiliation (if any), e-mail address and current level of study. Please submit both documents as separate PDFs, with identifying information removed from the body (and metadata) of the full paper. We will endeavour to inform authors of the acceptance or rejection of their papers by the end of March.
Speakers will be allotted 50min: 25min for presentation, 10min for a peer commentary, and 15min for Q&A.
Keynotes:
GILA SHER (UCSD)
DAVE LIEBESMAN (Calgary)
Please consult the conference webpage for more details: http://www.uoclogicandlanguage.wordpress.com
Any further questions can be directed to [email protected]
Conference Organizers:
Stephanie Reyes and Aaron Thomas-Bolduc
Webmaster:
Samara Burns
We acknowledge the generous support of the Department of Philosophy, University of Calgary; the Faculty of Arts, UoC; and the Canadian Journal of Philosophy. | https://philosophy.commons.gc.cuny.edu/cfp-calgary-logic-language-due-feb-29/ |
The new season of Suits will find Mike back at PSL and adjusting to his new status as lawyer.
USA Network has released the official synopsis for Suits season 7's premiere chapter, which is set to air on 12 July at 9pm EST. Episode 1 is titled, Skin In The Game, and the plot teases new beginnings for the show's lead characters, Harvey Specter and Mike Ross.
Season 6 of the legal drama series ended on a happy note, with Mike finally becoming a lawyer and immediately being offered a job in Pearson Specter Litt by his mentor, Harvey. The new season will find Mike back at PSL and adjusting to the new status quo with Harvey in charge and Jessica gone for good.
According to Patrick J Adams, who plays Mike, his character will be fighting for his conscience in a corporate firm in season 7.
"That's the fix he got at the beginning, I actually changed this woman's life and did something great for her. It sets the pace for this character, where he's still changing peoples lives, but he still has to balance that with working in a law firm."Adams told Deadline at the ATX Television Festival back in June.
Meghan Markle's character Rachel Zane finally became a lawyer in the May finale after serving as a paralegal for almost six seasons.
"I'm so happy that, especially reading the pilot again, you can just see where she started. To watch that progression, she's worked so hard. I love that as a role model, how she's been crafted to balance it all," Markle said.
Showrunner Aaron Korsh previously spoke to The Hollywood Reporter about Mike and Harvey's plot in season 7.
"So [season] seven is about seeing how this team is going to work together with their new power dynamics, how the firm is going to work with Jessica's absence and how Harvey is going to respond to being in a power position as opposed to the freelance superstar. Those are the questions we're discussing moving forward," Korsh told THR.
Big Bang Theory's Mayim Bialik 'can't speak for a month': Will it affect season 11 premiere? | https://www.ibtimes.co.uk/suits-season-7-episode-1-synopsis-teases-new-beginnings-harvey-mike-all-you-need-know-1628532 |
Hell or High Water SPOILER-FREE Review
I've been really looking forward to seeing Hell or High Water. I wasn't first-in-line excited, but I was very interested in it. Chris Pine is shaping up to be a very capable actor, and Ben Foster and Jeff Bridges are both tremendous talents. Plus, the idea of a plot centered around two bank robbers in Texas sounded like it could be a fascinating drama. So I went into this movie with high expectations, especially after it got a 98% on Rotten Tomatoes. A couple of my friends saw the movie before me, and were raving about it, so maybe that skewed my anticipation for the film and put it unrealistically high, because I was thinking this could end up being one of my favorites of the year. And in short, it isn't, though it is really good. Hell or High Water proves itself to be a very competent drama, even if it doesn't meet the expectations (unfairly) put on it.
Two Texas brothers, Toby (Pine) and Tanner Howard (Foster) rob banks in order to gain money for a better reason than you would think. They're not heroes, but they're not evil either. But when robberies break out all over the place, Sheriff Hamilton (Bridges), who is on the brink of retirement, must work with his replacement, Alberto (Gil Birmingham), in order to catch these criminals.
This movie is definitely a slow burn. It keeps building and building until it amounts to something at the end. It puts the emphasis on the characters, their dynamics, and putting that to the test. Sure, the bank robbery scenes are adrenaline rushing, but the core of this movie is really the relationship between two brothers and their ideological differences. Chris Pine plays the straight arrow who has more of an ethical reason for what he's doing, even though he knows its wrong. Whereas Ben Foster plays an ex-con who's just looking for a thrill. But regardless of the difference in ideologies, you see an inherent bond between these two brothers that transcends the events of the film, and that was something great to see.
But I do think the strength of this film was the power in its performances. Pine and Foster were phenomenal, and absolutely hit it home. But Bridges was fantastic himself, and brought a nice balance to the film. These were three powerhouse performances that really made this movie. If it wasn't for these three actors, then I don't think this movie would have the same punch that it does. Sure, the action and the drama is interesting to watch, but these performances sell it, and make it what it is. I don't think anyone will end up getting nominated for an Oscar for this film, but I wish they would because these performances are top-notch.
For me, the film is a bit too slow. It takes a while for things to get going, and while the pay-off is good, it isn't as satisfying as I wanted it to be. I can appreciate slow burning movies, but this film just took too long to get going. It needed more momentum, a sense of urgency that would keep you on the edge of your seat. But it didn't have that. The plot is also very simplistic. It didn't quite have the layers or the depth that I wanted it to have. What makes this movie is the performances, but the story itself could have been a little bit more. I appreciated the reveal of why they are doing what they are doing, but that's the motivation. The story needed more depth than it had, and its simplicity just didn't help the movie.
Overall, Hell or High Water is a very good movie. It's a slow burn that builds up to a climax, although the climax wasn't as big as I wanted it to be. The center of the film is the relationship between two brothers, and that dynamic was fantastic. It was brought to life perfectly by Chris Pine and Ben Foster, who gave terrific performances. Jeff Bridges was also fantastic in his role as the Sheriff. I do wish there were more layers and depth to the film than it had, because the plot is a bit simplistic. But in the end, Hell or High Water proves to be an effective and enjoyable movie that may not be the best, but is driven home by its powerhouse performances.
4.0/5
What do you think? Have you seen Hell or High Water? Did you like it? Leave your (spoiler-free) thoughts in the comments section below. | http://www.themovieparadise.com/2016/08/hell-or-high-water-spoiler-free-review.html |
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The mission of the Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences is to educate, train, and comprehensively prepare uniformed services health professionals, scientists, and leaders to support the Military and Public Health Systems, the National Security and National Defense Strategies of the United States, and the readiness of our Uniformed Services.
Academics
Since our first graduating class in 1982, the USU's MDs. Nurses and graduates in biomedical sciences provide exceptional service through service in the U.S. Military and civilian careers of distinction. Today, America's Medical School has 691 enrolled students and 5,043 graduates. Over 1,300 graduates in Biomedical Sciences lead aggressive research in medical research. Today's 663 graduates of the School of Nursing blend science, research and field training in advanced practice and PhD degrees. The USU's Postgraduate Dental College provides advanced degree's to the military's dental community, graduating 72 students since establishment.
Research At USU
The University's research program covers a range of clinical and other topics important to both the military and public health. Infectious diseases, trauma medicine, health maintenance, and cancer are areas of particular strength. Researchers are also making important new efforts in state-of-the-art fields that cut across disciplines, such as genomics, proteomics, and drug-delivery mechanisms.
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USU is home to many different Centers and Institutes, which help advance the university's research, education and public service missions. Faculty members and students collaborate with other leading experts at USU's Centers and Institutes on projects that push incredible boundaries across manifold disciplines of biomedical science. Their work is shaping military medicine and world health in many positive, powerful ways.
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The USU's military unique curriculum is supported by military professions from all services who teach USU's military and civilian students. All military personnel are supported by the USU Brigade, the Brigade staff are managed by the Military Personnel Office.
AFRRI At USU
AFRRI mission is to preserve the health and performance of U.S. military personnel and to protect humankind through research that advances understanding of the effects of ionizing radiation.
To these ends, the institute collaboratively researches the biological effects of ionizing radiation and provides medical training and emergency response to manage incidents related to radiation exposure.
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AFRRI
Armed Forces Radiobiology Research Institute
AFRRI Scientists
AFRRI scientists publish original research articles in scientific journals, contributing to the general knowledge of the effects of ionizing radiation on living organisms. The research is critical to the Department of Defense for force protection and also contributes to the health and well-being of the population at large. The articles appear in preeminent scientific journals, such as PLoS One, Radiation Research, International Journal of Radiation Biology, Journal of Radiation Research, Cytokine, FASEB Journal, International Journal of Toxicology, Health Physics, etc.
The institute’s most active research involves external penetrating ionizing radiation. The scientific efforts focus on discovering mechanisms of radiation injury in a search for potential drug targets and to guide medical treatment, assessing radiation injury severity, discovering and developing early preclinical radiation countermeasure candidates, and studying mechanisms and countermeasures for radiation combined with other injury.
Air Force Colonel L. Andrew Huff is the director of AFRRI. He is an alumnus of USU’s School of Medicine (Class of 1988).
AFRRI Mission
The AFRRI mission is to preserve and protect the health and performance of U.S. military personnel through research and training that advance understanding of the effects of ionizing radiation. This mission includes education and training to maintain a pool of qualified radiation biologists; and basic and applied research to identify and perform early development of measures to prevent, assess and treat radiation injury. AFRRI research thrusts include medical countermeasures, diagnosis of injury (biodosimetry), low dose/low dose rate/late effects, internalized radionuclides, and combined injury.
Recent Achievements
Recent activities of AFRRI's Military Medical Operations Department:
Taught the Medical Effects of Ionizing Radiation (MEIR) course to over 1300 Department of Defense personnel annually, in locations around the world.
Maintained a globally deployable Medical Radiobiology Advisory Team (MRAT) of a Health Physicist and a Physician. Their mission is to provide Joint Staffs and the Joint Task Force Commander with expert advice during the response to a radiation incident. AFRRI participated in the 2011 response to the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster, and was also involved in the response to the 2001 anthrax attacks in Washington DC.
Collaborated in the development of research projects that improve operational capacity and capability for combat forces, to include Medical Countermeasures, Dose Determinations, and Triage & Medical Care algorithms.
Pioneering AFRRI research on the use of growth factors and cytokines as radiation countermeasures recently led to the first FDA approvals of medical countermeasures against ARS: Neupogen® (G-CSF) and Neulasta® (pegylated G-CSF).
Recent achievements by AFRRI researchers:
Development of a panel of seven efficacious radiation countermeasure candidates against acute radiation syndrome (ARS). These agents have low toxicity and practical routes of administration. They are ready for advanced development by other DOD agencies when resources become available. All are at Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 3 or above. This is the level for which AFRRI is funded (DOD S&T activities 6.2 and 6.3). One candidate (genistein or BIO-300) is at TRL 5, and another (5-AED) is at TRL 6.
Five of these countermeasure candidates were conceived at AFRRI, and research and development initiated at AFRRI. These are 5-AED, tocols, genistein (BIO 300), ciprofloxacin (CIPRO), and ghrelin.
Two were researched at early stages in collaboration with companies: Ex-Rad® and CDX-301.
Three have FDA Investigational New Drug (IND) status for ARS: 5-AED, genistein (BIO 300), and Ex-Rad®.
Four of these countermeasure candidates are dual use, i.e., approved or being developed for mainstream medical indications:
CIPRO: antibiotic
Ghrelin: cachexia, hemodialysis, seizures, gastroparesis
CDX-301: hematopoietic stem cell transplantation
BIO 300: lung cancer, prostate cancer
Establishment of a panel of blood biomarkers to assess severity of radiation injury and predict outcome. Rapid, easy assessments of radiation injury are required to guide medical treatment, especially in a mass casualty scenario. Successful biomarkers have been identified in a variety of species. Mathematical algorithms were developed that utilize multiple parameters to predict clinical outcome after radiation exposure. AFRRI is working with a private company to produce a portable instrument that can rapidly assess these biomarkers outside the hospital environment.
Demonstration that gene expression, cell function, and cell cycle of endothelial cells and hematopoietic cells are influenced by radiation and by interactions between the two cell types. These interactions involve modulation of MAPKs p38 and p44/42 (ERK1/2), growth factors, angiopoietin 2, activated caspase 3, and apoptosis. These phenomena may affect the success of therapies for ARS and cancer.
Expansion of knowledge of Vitamin E-related molecules (tocols) as radiation countermeasures. It was demonstrated that tocols can be used to mobilize blood-forming cells from bone marrow, and that these cells can be used to enhance survival after radiation exposure.
Elucidation of intracellular signaling molecules involved in injury and recovery from radiation. These signals mediate effects of some of AFRRI's leading radiation countermeasure candidates. An example of this is the demonstration that delta tocotrienol protects human and mouse cells from radiation damage through suppression of IL-1β-induced NFκB/microRNA-30 signaling. Mechanistic knowledge will be required for licensure of countermeasures by the FDA.
Demonstration that delta-tocotrienol enhances survival during the gastrointestinal subsyndrome of ARS, inhibits production of pro-inflammatory factors interleukin-1β and interleukin-6, and suppresses expression of pro-apoptotic protein tyrosine kinase 6 (PTK6).
Identification of countermeasures that enhance survival in animals experiencing combined radiation injury and other injuries (“combined injury” or CI). This work is especially challenging because AFRRI investigators showed most countermeasures effective against radiation alone have been ineffective against CI, and some actually decrease survival after CI. AFRRI demonstrated success for combined injury treatment with the following agents: ciprofloxacin (CIPRO, acting via mechanisms other than its well-known antimicrobial action), ghrelin (a gastrointestinal hormone), and tocol-mobilized blood cell progenitors. This is important information for response planners because a high percentage of radiological/nuclear casualties will be affected by CI.
Determination of which countermeasures enhance survival after exposure to mixed neutron/gamma rays, which would be experienced immediately after a nuclear detonation. Almost all countermeasure work has been done using gamma or X-rays. Neutrons produce a complicated type of injury that is more difficult to repair. Many countermeasures effective against gamma or X-rays are ineffective against mixed neutron/gamma radiation. Response planners must take this into account when preparing for radiological/nuclear incidents.
Establishment of the minipig as a credible model for studying ARS and testing countermeasures. AFRRI's program inspired the creation of a consortium of labs around the country studying ARS in minipigs. Three other laboratories have now independently confirmed AFRRI's finding that the natural history of ARS is extremely reproducible in minipigs, with identical radiation doses producing similar effects across institutions. The US government is exploring the use of the minipig as a large animal model to support licensure of countermeasures by the FDA.
Demonstration that the standard medical ARS countermeasure, G-CSF, produces effects in irradiated minipigs that are similar to what is observed in other animal models and humans.
Discovery for the first time in a large animal model (minipig) of an ARS subsyndrome intermediate between the hematopoietic and gastrointestinal syndromes. This intermediate syndrome is characterized by systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) and febrile neutropenia.
Demonstration that Influenza A virus shows minimal activation of the classical NFkB dependent pathway and no activation of the non-canonical NFkB pathway in murine macrophages. MAPK activation appears to be necessary, and possibly essential, for cytokine/chemokine production by macrophages at early times after influenza infection in the absence of NFkB activation.
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14
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8
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97
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275
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22
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337
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54
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60
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17
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31
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17
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40
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41
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18
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226
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197
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58
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31
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7
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16
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3
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40
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42
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31
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6
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105
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75
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8
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30
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3
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54
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92
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18
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11
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7
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47
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167
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87
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142
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48
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23
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52
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239
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95
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22
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47
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8
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17
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61
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65
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53
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63
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16
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45
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67
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191
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29
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26
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45
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51
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13
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24
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31
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26
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78
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8
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417
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9
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25
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54
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18
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15
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122
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15
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42
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169
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24
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Responding to The Winds of Change
"Adaptability is about the powerful difference between adapting to cope and adapting to win."
- Max McKeown
Surfers are trained to spot the right waves; when they see it coming, they’re ready to go; knowing what to do, they get ahead of it and wait for the right moment. They never get tired of it; in fact, their motivation is constant, and they’re constantly peering off in the distance, waiting for the next big wave to appear on the horizon.
Surfers understand the risks and the rewards; they know when the conditions are right, they can feel it in the wind, and instinctively prepare and notify like-minded people who live for that game-changing wave. The winds of societal transformation have been blowing again in recent years, and many leaders have been scanning the horizon, anticipating the wave. How about you?
John Maxwell said recently, “If I told you that the fate of the world rested on your shoulders, how would you respond? Would you take an action hero approach and confidently declare that you will handle it? Would you shrink from the responsibility and pass it on to someone else? Or would you simply shake your head, look me in the eye and say, “You’ve got the wrong person”?
The truth is, the fate of the world does rest on your shoulders. Your life is changing the world every day, whether you believe it or not. If you choose to live positive values and be a good citizen of your community, you are changing the world for the better.
If you choose to live negative values and take what you want from your community, then you are changing the world for the worse. No matter what you choose—to serve when needed, to give when asked, to ignore the pain of others, to take more than you give—every choice changes the world in some way” (1)
Changing With the Times
“You can choose to change with current trends now or forced be changed by them later.”
– JSP
Changing with the times is always wise since the shifting currents help provide momentum if your initiatives are in sync with society. Look for the open doors of opportunity that present themselves as a good fit for your organization. Keeping abreast of the rapid changes and wisely managing which to adapt to will keep your company alive and cause it to flourish.
We do have options to stay ahead of the wave.
• What changes are you required to make to keep in step with the rapid shifts in culture?
• Identify what may be holding you back from reassessing and adjusting your priorities.
• What transitions will most likely bring the required paradigm shift within those you’re leading?
The sooner you accept that change is inevitable, the sooner you can get to work securing the buy-in from your people. Mahatma Gandhi said, “Be the change you want to see in the world. The distance between where you stand right now and where you want to be is measured by the changes you are willing to make in your life.” Many studies have shown that most people in the workforce do not object to changes within their organizations, yet, they tend to resist having to change along with it.
There’s no shortage of innovative leaders with the desire and a vision for societal transformation. Understanding the required strategic initiatives and the proper timing to act facilitates the reformation they’ve been envisioning. Forward-thinking leaders are well aware that the changes they seek around them take place first within them.
When people reach the limits of their endures to maintain the status quo, they will summon the will to change; this alone should drive home the point that It’s never too late to start a new chapter of intentional living. | https://www.lionsprideleadership.com/post/responding-to-the-winds-of-change |
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Black glutinous rice with coconut milk - pulot hitam
Black glutinous rice with coconut milk - pulot hitam
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4
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10 min
15 min
Very Easy
348 Kcal
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Ingredients
Number of serving:
4
1 Cup (200g) Black Glutinous Rice, washed
6 Cups Water
120 g Palm
Sugar
2 Pandanus Leaves, knotted
100 ml
Coconut
Milk
A pinch of sea
salt
Preparation
In a medium pot, add black glutinous rice, water and Pandanus leaves. Bring it to a boil and lower the heat. Simmer the mixtures for about 45 minutes.
Then add the palm sugar and continue to simmer for another 20 minutes.
In a small saucepan, mix the coconut milk with a pinch of salt. Let it simmer gently until slightly hot but not boil.
Serve the black glutinous rice with 2 to 3 Tbsp of coconut milk.
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Seasaltwithfood
Nutritional informations:
for 1 serving
/
for 100 g
Nutrition:
Nutritional information for 1 serving (478g)
Calories:
348Kcal
Carbo:
77.9g
Total fat:
1.2g
Saturated fat:
0.4g
Proteins:
5.9g
Fibers:
2.2g
Sugar:
31.4g
ProPoints:
9
SmartPoints:
14
gluten free
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Where do I get the emulsifier that you use, what is the brand and the name, they are different kinds
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In "Eggless Chocolate Cake" how many ml is 1 tin condensed milk? | https://en.petitchef.com/recipes/other/black-glutinous-rice-with-coconut-milk-pulot-hitam-fid-396956 |
Brian D Williams, <[email protected]>, writes:
> Nonsense again, lets try arguing from definitions:
>
> Capitalism: An economic system in which investment in and ownership
> of the means of production, distribution, and exchange of wealth is
> made and maintained chiefly by private individuals or corporations.
>
> The U.S in spades, note that there is no overide by government crap
> involved.
>
> Socialism: A theory or system of social organization in which the
> means of production and distribution of goods are owned and
> controlled collectively, or by the government.
>
> Doesn't even remotely apply to the U.S.
Perhaps our disagreement relates to the meaning of ownership. I'd say it
implies that the owner has the right to do as he wishes with his property.
Nowhere on earth is this possible, to my knowledge.
Certainly here in the U.S. the government places many constraints on
businesses and property owners that limit what they can do with "their"
property. Granted, they are called owners, but when you look at who has
the real power, they are more like renters who are granted some limited
authority by the real owner, the government. They are even forced to
pay rent in the form of taxes.
Examples of government control over private property are so numerous
that I hardly think it is necessary to list them. Look at the recent
power crisis in California, for one. Would anyone characterize it as
capitalism in action?
As I said before, the U.S. is a mixed economy, with elements of capitalism
in a framework of government regulation. Many of the original goals
of the socialists have come into existence in our regulated society.
Think back to the ideological crossroads we faced in the 1920s and 30s.
Someone from that time, an era before social security, before welfare,
before most of the growth of government that has occured this century,
would likely see us as socialist as much as capitalist. | http://extropians.weidai.com/extropians.1Q01/4046.html |
he National Academy of Inventors (NAI) has named Dr. Paul Ching-Wu Chu, the Honorary Chancellor of Taiwan Comprehensive University System (TCUS), to NAI Charter Fellow status in recognition of his distinct inventions improving the welfare of human society, TCUS announced today.
The ceremony will be held at the Embassy Suites Hotel in the University of South Florida Research Park, Feb. 22, as Dr. Chu will be presented with a special trophy and a rosette pin.
A total of 101 academic inventors and innovators are elected to 2012 NAI Charter Fellow status and represent 54 universities and non-profit research institutes. Collectively, they hold more than 3,200 U.S. patents, according to NAI.
World-renowned superconductivity pioneer Dr. Paul Ching-Wu Chu is still actively engaged in the basic and applied research of high temperature superconducting and related materials and technologies.
Currently, he serves as the Founding Director and Chief Scientist of the Texas Center for Superconductivity and the T. L. L. Temple Chair of Science at the University of Houston.
Out of love for Taiwan and gratitude to his alma mater National Cheng Kung University (NCKU), Dr. Chu took up the position of the Honorary Chancellor of TCUS, Nov. 5, 2012. He is dedicated to lead the universities allied in TCUS for creating a powerful force in the academe within the Asia-Pacific region.
His prestigious stature in innovation established when he and his colleagues achieved stable superconductivity at 93 K (-180ºC) above the critical temperature of liquid nitrogen (-196ºC) in January 1987, which is recognized as a major advancement in modern science.
Later, the team again obtained stable superconductivity at a new record high temperature of 164 K (-109ºC) in another compound when it was compressed.
The NAI Fellows Selection Committee was comprised of recipients of National Medals, a National Inventors Hall of Fame inductee, 14 members from the National Academies, senior officials from the USPTO, the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), the Association of University Technology Managers (AUTM), and the United Inventors Association, and leaders from several research universities.
Included in the Charter class are 8 Nobel Laureates, 2 Fellows of the Royal Society, 14 presidents of research universities and non-profit research institutes, 53 members of the National Academies (National Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Engineering, Institute of Medicine), 11 inductees of the National Inventors Hall of Fame, 5 recipients of the National Medal of Technology and Innovation, 4 recipients of the National Medal of Science, and 31 AAAS Fellows, among other major awards and distinctions.
The NAI Charter Fellows will be recognized with a full page announcement in The Chronicle of Higher Education on Jan. 18, 2013, in the Jan. 2013 issue of Inventors Digest, and in a future issue of Technology and Innovation – Proceedings of the National Academy of Inventors.
Additionally, Dr. Chu has been elected as a member of the National Academy of Science, the American Academy of Arts and Science, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the Academia Sinica, the Third World Academy of Science, and the Electromagnetic Academy, and is a Fellow of the American Physical Society and the Texas Academy of Science. | http://research.ncku.edu.tw/re/reck/e/20130125/home.html |
″I don’t feel like doing anything″ is considered a psychological disposition that has nothing to do with physical fatigue or simple laziness on a psychological level, as the person feels that it makes no sense to set goals for the short, medium, or long term. This is because the person believes that it is pointless to set goals for any of these time periods.
Why do I feel like I don’t want to do anything?
There are a lot of other factors that might be the reason why someone does not want to accomplish anything, such as their health, age, personality, other mental issues, surroundings, and so on and so on. After reviewing the events in my life, I’ve determined that, while it’s possible that I experienced these emotions as a result of this or that, it wasn’t typical of the other occurrences.
Why do I feel like doing nothing all of a sudden?
Why do I all of a sudden feel so depressed? I feel like doing nothing. What causes someone to be so melancholy that they feel like doing nothing or virtually nothing? This question was originally answered as follows: This is caused by a deep depression. It was caused by an imbalance in the brain’s chemistry. Personally, I’ve been there quite a few times. It’s a horrible sensation to have.
How to get motivated when you feel like doing nothing?
- When you feel like doing nothing, here are six strategies to get inspired and get things done.
- 1.
- Determine the reason(s) for your current lack of progress.
The following are some of the potential causes of your current slump: You are dreading doing something that you are aware of being necessary.You are putting off getting things done because you despise some activity that is coming up very much in the near future.You need to rest.
Why do I feel so apathetic all the time?
- The reasons why you could be feeling this way are unique to you, but in a broad sense, we can speak about physical exhaustion, bad diet, habit, unhappiness, discontent, overcommitment, clutter (around you and/or in your head), and other factors as potential contributors.
- It is vital to have an understanding of the factors that contributed to your current state of indifference before you can attempt to pull yourself together.
What does it mean when you have no desire to do anything?
What exactly is apathy? Apathy is characterized by a lack of drive to engage in any activity or by an indifference to the events taking place in one’s immediate environment. Apathy is a sign that something may be wrong with your mental health, but it may also indicate Parkinson’s disease or Alzheimer’s disease.
Why do I suddenly feel nothing?
Depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder are the three forms of mental illness that are linked to emotional numbness more frequently than any others (PTSD). In addition, emotional numbness may be a symptom of some dissociative disorders, which are linked to a person’s unique history of traumatic experiences.
What is being emotionless called?
Emotionless and impassive are two nonmedical phrases that are used to describe symptoms that are quite similar. Alexithymics or alexithymiacs are the names given to people who have this ailment.
Is apathy a mental illness?
Apathy is a Symptom of a Wide Range of Mental Health Disorders Apathy is a common symptom that occurs along with various characteristics of mental health disorders, including the following: Anhedonia, which literally means ″without pleasure,″ is a condition in which a person no longer takes pleasure in the things that they previously did.
Why am I losing interest in the things I used to like?
Anhedonia is a condition in which a person has a diminished capacity to experience pleasure and a decreased interest in engaging in things that they previously found pleasurable. It is a hallmark of major depressive illness, but it is also a potential indicator of a number of other conditions related to mental health.
What are the symptoms of anxiety?
- Indicators and Indications Having feelings of agitation, nervousness, or uneasiness
- Being susceptible to weariness
- Having trouble concentrating on things
- Being irritated
- Experiencing symptoms that cannot be explained, such as headaches, muscular aches, stomach aches, or other ailments
- A difficult time keeping one’s anxious feelings in check
- Experiencing difficulties sleeping, such as trouble getting asleep or staying asleep
What is fuzzy brain?
What exactly is the condition of brain fog? Confusion, forgetfulness, and an inability to focus as well as a lack of mental clarity are the hallmarks of brain fog. Overworking oneself, not getting enough sleep, being under a lot of stress, or spending too much time in front of a computer can all lead to this condition.
What is emotional detachment?
The inability or reluctance to connect with the emotions of other people on a personal level is the hallmark of emotional detachment. Some individuals benefit from developing the ability to maintain an emotional distance in order to guard themselves from unwelcome drama, worry, or stress.
What causes the depression?
- There is no one factor that leads to depression.
- It can happen for a multitude of causes, and it is triggered by a wide variety of different things.
- A life event that is distressing or stressful, such as a death in the family, divorce, sickness, unemployment, or worry about one’s career or finances, might be the reason for some individuals.
Depression is frequently the result of a combination of several factors.
How do I stop shutting down emotionally?
How to cope when someone you care about withdraws emotionally
- Take a break from the talk, often known as ″setting the table
- ″
- Put your ideas and emotions down on paper so you can refer to them later
- Stay calm
- Don’t retaliate
- Do not behave like an adult having a temper tantrum
- Engage in an activity that will soothe you
- Think about getting some help from an expert
How can I get my emotions back?
A Guide to Feeling More in Tune with Your Emotions
- A Guide to Getting in Touch With Your Emotions
- Please identify the feelings that you have.
- Acquire the skill of accurately identifying your emotions.
- Observe a certain feeling during the course of the day.
- When things get challenging, it’s important to keep going and to look for help.
- Express your feelings in constructive ways.
- Focus your attention on your physical self
What disorder causes lack of emotions?
One of the various types of personality disorders is called schizoid personality disorder. It might make a person appear aloof and lifeless, leading them to participate in social events or pursue connections with other people much less frequently.
Do I have alexithymia?
- People who do have alexithymia may describe themselves as having difficulty expressing emotions that are judged socially appropriate, like as happiness when celebrating a happy event.
- This is because people with alexithymia have trouble distinguishing between their own feelings and those of others.
- Additionally, there are certain people who have difficulty recognizing their own feelings.
These kinds of people don’t necessarily suffer from indifference. | https://considercommonsense.com/what-does-it-look-like-3f/why-i-feel-like-doing-nothing.html |
Use the controls below to search for projects based on various criteria.
RCN PHASE 2; PROJECT 4 FOUNDATIONAL TOOLS AND SWAP COORDINATION; JOB 3 NORTHEAST CONSERVATION STATUS ASSESSMENT
OBJECTIVE:
Project 4 will conduct three investigations by 2023 that are necessary for the revision of the 2025 State Wildlife Action Plans. These investigations will examine landscape status, conservation projects...
RCN PHASE 2; PROJECT 3 TECHNICAL SERVICES; JOB 1 TECHNICAL SUPPORT AND DATABASE MANAGEMENT
OBJECTIVE:
The objective of this project is to continue implementation of regional conservation of the NEAFWA’s Regional Species of Greatest Conservation Need and the NE SWAP key priorities, influencing regional and national conservation by supporting the development and maintenance of technical tools and products that clearly define conservation...
RCN PHASE 2; PROJECT 2 POLLINATORS; JOB 4 COORDINATE PROJECT TEAM
Sharing and improving best management practices – Talented and experienced managers from throughout the region have already made great strides fine-tuning management techniques and developing best practices. There is a need, however, for more communication, coordination, and knowledge sharing—a major objective of this proposal. Specifically, we propose to establish a regional steering...
RCN PHASE 2; PROJECT 2 POLLINATORS; JOB 3 ADAPTIVE HABITAT MANAGEMENT & BMPS
Establishment of a regional network of experimental adaptive management sites where coordinated management and monitoring will lead to management improvements over time (e.g. ensuring adequate representation of forbs, bare soil and other key pollinator habitat features; improving habitat for other RSGCN; lowering management costs and treatment frequency to the greatest extent practical...
RCN PHASE 2; PROJECT 2 POLLINATORS; JOB 2 VEGETATION MONITORING PROTOCOLS
Many pollinators depend upon open habitats and canopy gaps for foraging, and recent studies suggest that, in the Northeast, xeric, fire-influenced grasslands and barrens support a unique native pollinator assemblage. These habitats are found in states throughout the Northeast Region, require active management,...
RCN PHASE 2; PROJECT 2 POLLINATORS; JOB 1 POLLINATOR MONITORING PROTOCOLS
Recent declines in commercial honey bee colonies, and potential impacts on crop production, have heightened attention on the plight of native pollinators. Although many groups of native pollinators remain understudied and poorly understood, there is increasing evidence of alarming declines in some species. For example, the once widespread rusty-patched bumblebee was recently listed as...
RCN PHASE 2; PROJECT 1 TURTLES; JOB 4 WOOD & BLANDING'S TURTLE CONSERVATION
This initiative will improve our overall effectiveness in conserving, restoring, and managing landscapes critical for the conservation of Blanding’s and Wood Turtles, and other species as appropriate in conjunction with Wood and Blanding’s Turtles, building upon years of dedicated coordination among Northeastern States to identify the most important landscapes and necessary conservation...
RCN PHASE 2; PROJECT 1 TURTLES; JOB 3 ROAD MITIGATION
The Northeastern USA supports five species of Emydine turtle, including Blanding's, Spotted, Eastern Box, Wood and Bog Turtle, all five are Regional Species of Greatest Conservation Need. Regional working groups led by state wildlife agencies have developed and continue to refine Conservation Plans based on Conservation Area Networds and prioritized, site-specific actions. Regional Conservation Need projects use...
RCN PHASE 2; PROJECT 1 TURTLES; JOB 2 EASTERN BOX TURTLE CONSERVATION
This job will develop a Status Assessment and Conservation Plan for Northeastern populations of the Eastern Box Turtle (Terrapene carolina), an at-risk species that has declined across much of its range from New England to Virginia. At this time, there is no formal, inter-state coordination for Eastern Box Turtles in the Northeastern USA. Notably, there are many citizen science efforts in place for... | https://rcngrants.org/projects-advanced |
What is the scope and what are the limits of research in industrial relations? How to develop an appropriate methodological choice according to the peculiarities of a research subject in in working relationships? What are the mechanisms convened to identify the studied reality in human resources management? From the top of his professional background and expertise, the author guides us here through the meanders of research in industrial relations and business administration.
Indeed, graduate students should find in this book the material needed, to prepare them for the labyrinth of research (from collection to data analysis), teachers and professors will find here a renewed and adapted tool (according to the use that will be made), to familiarize their students with the essential concepts to allow them to develop their own methodological considerations.
Also, general public and professionals wishing to improve their personal approach in writing and / or analyzing scientific reports will find real opportunities for personal development; because reading is largely facilitated by a synthetic style, not hesitating to give life to the words with the help of numerous illustrations.
In short, in this book, students, researchers, teachers, officials, managers, academic, general public, professional and the curious will appreciate the clear presentation of the fundamentals of research, as well as the way in which the usefulness of concepts in general is established.
Contents:
- List of Tables
- List of Figures
- Preface
- Introduction
- Research in Industrial Relations — Fundamentals, Key Elements, and Requirements of the Scientific Approach:
- The Concept of Scientific Research
- The Role and Fundamentals of Scientific Research
- The Logic Behind Empirical Research
- Qualitative and Quantitative Approaches in Industrial Relations — the Methodological Structuring of Research:
- The Researches Conducted by the Theory
- The Research Aimed at Creating a Theory
- Researches Based on the Design Approach
- The Use and Management of Quantitative and Qualitative Data:
- The Acquisition of Quantitative and Qualitative Data in Industrial Relations
- Introduction to Quantitative Analysis
- The Analysis of Qualitative Data
- Presentation of Research and Considerations on the Management of a Research Project
- General Conclusion
- Bibliography
- Appendices:
- The Choice and Delimitation of a Research Topic
- Examples of Qualitative Research Design Implementations
- Tools for Implementing a Documentary Search
- Preparing and Conducting an Interview with a Professional
- Flow Diagram of Statistical Inference Methods
Readership: Business professionals, managers involved industrial relations, students and academics in business schools, and general public interested in industrial relations and organizational behaviour. | https://thebookshop.papertrell.com/id005756440/Industrial-Relations-Research-and-Analysis |
Live oaks on Amelia Island are some of the most resilient local inhabitants. Unlike the water oak, they tend to live longer and weather storms. Considering the age of a tree, I’d like to estimate the age of a tree with a 72” diameter, using the formula below. Typically, the diameter is calculated by measuring the circumference at 4 to 5 feet above the ground and using that number to calculate a diameter.
How to Age a Live Oak Tree | Hunker:
The first 10 inches in diameter indicate an age of 76 years. Each inch after that adds six-and-a-half years up to age 154. After that, each inch adds six years.
72 Total Inches
First 10 inches – 76 years
Then, the next 12 inches… takes us to 154 years. After that…I’m guessing 22 inches in diameter, we still need to account for the last 50 inches at 6 years per inch. (50×6)+154= 454 years. That can’t be right! Let’s compare the “Treaty Oak” age estimate in Jacksonville. Apparently, the Treaty Oak’s estimated age is 250 years, with around 95 inches in diameter and a 25’ circumference. If I use this number, a 72 inch oak in Fernandina might be closer to 190 years in age. There is variation in growth rate, depending on location, water, surrounding vegetation, but seeing a tree like this as 150 to 200 years in age is reasonable. These trees could have been saplings when Louis-Michel Aury was on the island in 1817.
Regardless, big oaks are old and should be protected. I’d love to think the big oaks I grew up with might be around for another 200 years, but the island is changing. Looking for creative ways to develop property can preserve trees and homeowners are beginning to see the value of this preservation. Depending on the configuration of a site, sometimes losing lots can be offset by the premium for larger lots and reduced cost for infrastructure. | http://www.ameliaislandnet.com/page/6/ |
Abstract: Despite their ability to represent highly expressive functions, deep learning models trained with SGD seem to find simple, constrained solutions that generalize surprisingly well. Spectral bias - the tendency of neural networks to prioritize learning low frequency functions - is one possible explanation for this phenomenon, but so far spectral bias has only been observed in theoretical models and simplified experiments. In this work, we propose methodologies for measuring spectral bias in modern image classification networks. We find that these networks indeed exhibit spectral bias, and that networks that generalize well strike a balance between having enough complexity (i.e. high frequencies) to fit the data while being simple enough to avoid overfitting. For example, we experimentally show that larger models learn high frequencies faster than smaller ones, but many forms of regularization, both explicit and implicit, amplify spectral bias and delay the learning of high frequencies. We also explore the connections between function frequency and image frequency and find that spectral bias is sensitive to the low frequencies prevalent in natural images. Our work enables measuring and ultimately controlling the spectral behavior of neural networks used for image classification, and is a step towards understanding why deep models generalize well.
Submission historyFrom: Sara Fridovich-Keil [view email]
[v1] Wed, 6 Oct 2021 00:16:10 UTC (3,395 KB)
[v2] Tue, 26 Oct 2021 23:21:20 UTC (3,395 KB)
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arXivLabs: experimental projects with community collaborators
arXivLabs is a framework that allows collaborators to develop and share new arXiv features directly on our website.
Both individuals and organizations that work with arXivLabs have embraced and accepted our values of openness, community, excellence, and user data privacy. arXiv is committed to these values and only works with partners that adhere to them.
Have an idea for a project that will add value for arXiv's community? Learn more about arXivLabs and how to get involved. | https://aps.arxiv.org/abs/2110.02424 |
Recently, the Southern District of Illinois had occasion to address what are becoming familiar requests for production of parties’ Facebook pages. See Stallings v. City of Johnston City, 2014 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 68566 (S.D. Ill. 2014). The dispute underscores the importance of making sure you and your attorney understand the types of available evidence on social media sites; how to request and access that information; and how to respond to such a request. It can make or break your case.
The Stallings case is an employment case in which Stallings, a former employee of Johnston City, is pursuing the City for wrongful termination. The City requested production of:
Each and every social media posting by Stallings from 2011 to the present concerning her employment at Johnston City, allegations of wrongdoing against her, her suspension or termination, the investigation into missing money or wrongdoing in the Water Department, her lawsuit, her emotional or physical well-being, or any other matter identified in her Amended Complaint. This request includes all postings made by Stallings at any time on a Facebook account, Twitter, Instagram, or any other social media site.
Stallings apparently was a frequent user of Facebook and had commented on the case on Facebook. In response to the discovery request, Stallings produced in hard copy 500 pages of Facebook activity. She had heavily redacted content she deemed irrelevant and not called for in the discovery request, including conversations about minors.
The City complained of the heavy redactions and mode of production, which was different than the way the content was originally stored. In a discovery dispute conference, Magistrate Judge Williams ordered that Stallings provide the City with either an electronic version or a hard copy of the unredacted pages.
Stallings argued that Facebook only allows the download of Facebook data in its entirety and that it took her attorney and a paralegal more than a week to print, redact, and compile the 500 pages of her Facebook activity. However, the judge noted that counsel could provide defense counsel with an entire unredacted file containing documents from 2011 to the present without going through the time and expense of redacting and sorting the pages. It appears the judge was unpersuaded by Stallings’ reasoning for the redactions, noting that there was no privilege that attached to the relevant Facebook conversations, and therefore, Stallings’ counsel’s extensive redactions were unnecessary.
Stallings appealed the order to District Court Judge Herndon, who agreed with Judge Williams. Stallings’ arguments that such production was unduly burdensome and irrelevant were unconvincing. Judge Herndon noted that the conversations could contain admissions against interest which would be relevant to the litigation, and that it would be quite easy to simply download and send the entire Facebook file electronically.
There are a few good takeaways from the decision:
- The City and defense counsel were successful in securing an order for the Facebook information most likely because their discovery request was specifically tailored to information that was easily determined to be relevant. Had they propounded a request for any and all social media accounts and postings, the result likely would have been different. Therefore, specifically tailoring your discovery requests sets you up well for any later discovery dispute.
- Responding to a discovery request by producing only heavily redacted documents in hard copy is likely not the best approach, especially when there are simpler and more complete ways of responding to a very specific request.
- Courts are becoming more familiar with social media, the importance of evidence found within those sites, and the ways in which it can be discovered.
When facing any kind of fact-intensive claims, you want to be sure your attorney is familiar with technology so that you are successful in the discovery process. For more information, please contact any member of the KDDK Litigation and Trial Services Practice Team. | https://kddk.com/2014/06/26/make-or-break-the-case-requesting-and-producing-social-media-evidence/ |
Judge Tosses Evidence|in Discrimination Case
CHARLESTON, W. Va. (CN) – The Fund for Theological Education successfully argued certain evidence in an employment discriminate case against it is irrelevant, a federal judge ruled.
Plaintiffs James Ellison and Martha Wright, former employees of the Fund, which provides fellowships and grants to future pastors and other prospective Christian leaders, originally sued the defendant for unlawful termination on the Ohio County, W. Va. circuit court on Sept. 30, 2013.
They claim the Fund fired them because they were white and over 50, and as part of their case, they intended to bolster their discrimination claims by presenting evidence that other white employees were terminated after reaching their sixth decade.
But the Fund, which had the case removed to Federal Court, objecting, argued that the testimony should excluded because the plaintiffs failed to show how the prior firings where related to their own.
U.S. District Judge Frederick Stamp Jr. agreed, holding that the fact certain employees who were white and over 50 were previously discharged doesn’t prove the defendant engaged in a pattern of discriminatory behavior.
The plaintiffs, Stamp said, “[F]ail to provide sufficient context and analysis, or demonstrate how those terminations of employment are relevant or statistically significant in relation to the plaintiffs’ situation.
“Further, those previous instances of termination that the plaintiffs seek to admit fail to show a connection between race or age and employment decisions,” the judge continued. “The semi-statistical evidence that plaintiffs wish to use is speculative at best.”
The Fund also sought to exclude evidence related to comments about workplace racism allegedly made during a sensitivity training session for employees in 2011.
Ellison and Wright claim during that during the session several employees complained that they were exposed to racism by both fellow employees and by Trace Haythorn, the Funds’s former president.
Here, Judge Stamp ruled that the comments described are simply too remote from the plaintiffs’ termination to be admitted.
“Further, none of the relevant decision-makers concerning the plaintiffs’ termination of their employment were present,” he wrote.
Stamp then went on to toss other “evidence” he deemed irrelevant to the case, including claims Ellison and Wright made concerning the Fund’s termination of Haythorn’s consulting contract.
Ellison and Wright say the Fund cut ties with Haythorn because he made racist comments to other employees. | https://www.courthousenews.com/judge-tosses-evidencein-discrimination-case/ |
The US Supreme Court finished off its term with the big affirmative action decision in Ricci v. Stefano. In addition to its legal impact, the decision could have political consequences as well: it overruled a 2nd District decision in which Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor had participated. The Court's ruling won't make it easy for Republicans to argue that Sotomayor was wildly off-base in her ruling -- the decision was 5-4, and Kennedy's majority opinion stressed that the state of the law was "a difficult inquiry" and that the "holding today clarifies how Title VII applies" -- but since that's about the only stick the Republicans have, expect them to use it. Next week, I'll have my review of the Supreme Court term.
A couple notable decisions from Columbus. In Roe v. Planned Parenthood, the parents of a 14-year-old who'd obtained an abortion at the instance of a school teacher who'd gotten her pregnant sued the clinic and sought all medical records, with patient information redacted, of minors who'd had abortions. The court rejected the request, holding that a litigant has no right to seek medical records of nonparties in a private lawsuit.
In State v. Trimble, the defendant had killed his girlfriend and her 7-year-old son, then took a hostage and killed her when the SWAT team cornered him. At Trimble's capital trial, the prosecution introduced 19 firearms that had been found in his home, with an ATF expert identifying each one; the judge subsequently permitted the firearms to be in the jury room during deliberations in the guilt phase. The court finds this to be error, but an inconsequential one; the firearms were excluded during the penalty phase, by which time I'm sure the jury forgot all about them. It says here that the Federal court's going to kick that out on habeas.
On to the courts of appeals...
Criminal. 9th District rejects ineffective assistance of counsel claim, says that advice to client on whether to testify is "strategic decision"... Rarity: 3rd District throws out delinquency finding in rape case on basis of corpus delicti rule, says that only evidence was 10-year-old defendant's confession... Any Colon error in aggravated robbery indictment is waived by plea of guilty, says 9th District... 6th District rejects argument that trial court has duty to inquire into reasons for Alford plea in order to determine that defendant's plea is result of rational calculation; statement of evidence State would prove is sufficient... Great 9th District case holding that juvenile's waiver of Miranda rights wasn't knowingly made... 10th District says that trial court need not explain elements of offenses at plea hearing, record need only indicate that defendant understood them; 8th District comes to same conclusion... 6th District vacates restitution order, says trial judge must consider defendant's ability to pay... Good discussion in this 1st District case as to how far trial judge can go in participating in plea discussions...
Civil. 10th District says that service on defendant at property he owned was "reasonably calculated" to reach him, despite fact he'd moved out... 2nd District says probate court didn't abuse discretion in awarding equal shares of wrongful death suit to son and two grandsons... 11th District says that tire stop in parking lot was open and obvious hazard, fact that it was mostly obscured by plaintiff's vehicle not an attendant circumstance...
Good news, bad news joke of the week. In State v. Williams, the 9th District agrees that the evidence was insufficient to support Williams' conviction for violation of a protection order, a third degree felony for which he was sentenced to five years in prison. It rejects all his other assignments of error relating to his convictions for aggravated murder, kidnapping, aggravated burglary, and various other charges. His combined sentence of 64 years in prison on those charges remain.
About time. In Mallette v. Penske, the 6th District reverses a grant of summary judgment in a negligence case on the grounds that the trial court weighed evidence, instead of simply deciding whether there was a genuine dispute of material fact. It's nice to see a reversal for that, but judges do that all the time. I had a case where the trial court kicked me out on summary judgment in an intentional tort case, stating in the judgment entry that "the plaintiffs failed to meet their burden of proof." Isn't that what we have juries for? By the way, the 9th District affirmed it.
Not that I'm bitter or anything. | http://briefcase8.com/2009/07/case-update-98.html |
Storyline Acrimony: A faithful wife, tired of standing by her devious husband, is enraged when it becomes clear she has been betrayed.
Director: Tyler Perry
Writer: Tyler Perry
Stars: Taraji P. Henson, Lyriq Bent, Crystle Stewart
Review
1 April 3018. Two Thumbs Up. I like a lot of Tyler’s films, but this is one of his best. Taraji deserves an award and she is great in this role. Lyriq Bent as “Robert” is great as a man who has a dream, but keeps failing and failing time and time and no one believes in him. From the beginning to the middle, it seems like Robert is a lazy good for nothing con man who sweets talks his pretty faithful wife out of all of her money to follow his pipe dream. His only mistake is that he cheated on his wife, once and the woman who he cheated with still likes him and believes in him and his get rich dream.
I totally understand how any loyal woman would feel after years of mental anguish at supporting a man who shows No potential. I love the twist when finally, he held out for his dream and he finally won. I could personally relate to that part of his character to want a dream to become a reality when all you get is No, no, no, rejection and more rejection. He proved to be a good man after all who even after she understandably divorced him, he still loved her and went to do the honorable thing by giving her a large amount of money and her mom’s house back that she lost for all her emotional pain and suffering that she went through. The woman he cheated also believed in him and his dream and she helped him see his dream into reality. | https://beehd.net/acrimony-2018/ |
Background:
- Monoculture is the agricultural practice of producing or growing a single crop, plant, or livestock species, variety, or breed in a field or farming system at a time.
- Monoculture is widely used in both industrial farming and organic farming and has allowed increased efficiency in planting and harvest
Monoculture leads to soil erosion because of the following reasons:-
- Monoculture leads to exhaustion of certain minerals from the soil making it infertile, bare and leading to soil erosion.Ground cover crops are eliminated, meaning there is no natural protection for the soil from erosion by wind and rain.
- Nitrogen is a key nutrient in crop growth.
- Plants, like soy, are able to “fix” nitrogen from the air back into the soil, where a crop like corn cannot.
- If no rotation is done between nitrogen fixing plants and non-nitrogen fixing plants, the soil will be depleted of this vital nutrient.
- Monoculture leads to loosening of soil particles thereby encouraging soil erosion.
- Plants do not provide leaf litter mulch to replenish the topsoil, which would be eroded anyway.In some countries this means that forests are then cleared to provide new agricultural land, starting the damaging cycle all over again.
- Herbicides and pesticides are often used on top of the fertilizers in monoculture farming. Many weeds have become resistant to these herbicides after years of application, creating “superweeds” which lead to the use of more and more lethal herbicides leading to soil erosion.
- Soil that is nutrient deficient can be dry and susceptible to erosion. In turn, runoff pollution is very prevalent in waterways near monoculture fields
Way forward:
- By putting permaculture practices in place, the world can combat the harmful effects modern monoculture agriculture has on the planet.Monoculture problems can be avoided altogether if organic farming methods are employed.
- Mixed cropping,using leguminous crops help retain nutrients in the soil and with government proactive initiative like the soil health card scheme the disastrous consequences of monoculture can further be avoided .
Some facts:
- In fact, the Earth’s soil is depleting at more than 13 percent the rate at which it can be replaced.
- Approximately 75 percent of the world’s crop varieties have been lost over the last 100 years as the result. This time frame corresponds roughly to the beginning of monoculture farming, which is dated back to 1901.
2.What do you understand by population explosion? What are the dangerous results of population explosion? (GS 1)
आप जनसंख्या विस्फोट से क्या समझते हैं? जनसंख्या विस्फोट के खतरनाक परिणाम क्या हैं?
Population explosion:-
- Population explosionrefers to the sudden and rapid rise in the size of human population
- It is an unchecked growth of human population caused as a result of:
- increased birth rate
- decreased infant mortality rate and
- improved life expectancy.
- It is more prominent in under-developed and developing countries than in developed countries.
- In the context of India, it refers to the rapid increase in population in post-Independent era.
Dangerous results of population explosion:
1.Economic:
- Affects the rate of capital formation:
- In under developed countries, rapid growth of population diminishes the availability of capital per head which reduces the productivity of its labour force.
- Higher Rate of Population requires more Investment:
- In economically backward countries, investment requirements are beyond its investing capacity.
- A rapidly growing population increases the requirements of demographic investment which at the same time reduces the capacity of the people to save.
- Unemployment:
- A fast growth in population means a large number of persons coming to the labour market for whom it may not be possible to provide employment.
2.Social:
- Food Problem:
- Increased population means more mouths to feed which, in turn, creates pressure upon available stock of food. This is the reason, the under-developed countries with rapid growing population are generally faced with a problem of food shortage.
- This leads to undernourishment of the people which lowers their productivity.
- Deficiency of food compels to import food grains which places as unnecessarily strain on their foreign exchange resources.
- Poverty:
- Rapid growth of population is largely responsible for the perpetuation of vicious circle of poverty in underdeveloped countries.
- Declines Social Infrastructure:
- A welfare state line India is pledged to meet social needs of the people adequately and for this, the government has to spend a lot on providing basic facilities like education, housing and medical aid.
- But rapid increase in population make burden all the more heavy.
- Poor health:
- If people do not get adequate food and nutrition, then they may suffer from poor health
3.Environmental:
- Adverse Effect on Environment:
- Rapid population growth leads to the environmental change. It leads to the cutting of forests for cultivation leading to several environmental change with polluted air, water, noise and population in big cities and towns.
4.Geographical:
- Besides all this, the increasing population growth leads to the migration of large number to urban areas with industrialization.
- Over-population:
- Population explosion may lead to overpopulation, i.e., a condition where population surges to a level that the earth cannot accommodate comfortably.
The advantages of adopting various birth control methods should be properly explained to common people.The problem of population explosion can be solved only by creating awareness and educating the people to control birthrates. Even though the fertility ratehave shown a decline in India with proper family planning methods and awareness thismenace can be effectively handled.
3.Can hydrogen become a major source of energy? Give reasons to support your answer. Also, list out the advantages of hydrogen as a fuel. (GS 1)
क्या हाइड्रोजन ऊर्जा का प्रमुख स्रोत बन सकता है? अपने जवाब का समर्थन करने का कारण दीजिए। इसके अलावा, एक ईंधन के रूप में हाइड्रोजन के लाभ बताएं।
Yes, Hydrogen can become a major source of energy:
- Hydrogen can be made safely from renewable energy sources and is virtually non-polluting. It will also be used as a fuel for ‘zero-emissions’ vehicles, to heat homes and offices, to produce electricity, and to fuel aircraft.
- Hydrogen has great potential as a way to reduce reliance on imported energy sources such as oil.
- Though often mistaken for an energy source, hydrogen is actually an artificial fuel like gasoline that can be used to transport and store energy.
- Supporters of hydrogen technology say it is actually a safer fuel because it’s lighter than air, which means that if it does leak out, it naturally rises up and blows away on the wind rather than pooling under a vehicle and potentially setting it on fire.
- The Clean Energy Fund aims to finance clean energy research in India and the Green Climate Fund at international level is also targeting hydrogen as potent fuel source.
However there are some genuine constraints for hydrogen to become a major energy source.They are:
- Since there is very little free hydrogen gas, hydrogen is in practice only an energy carrier, like electricity, not an energy resource.
- Hydrogen gas must be produced, and that production always requires more energy than can be retrieved from the gas as a fuel later on.
- Because pure hydrogen does not occur naturally on Earth in large quantities, it takes a substantial amount of energy in its industrial production.
- The cost of production of unit of hydrogen fuel by steam reformation or electrolysis was approximately 3 to 6 times more expensive than the production of an equivalent unit of fuel from natural gas
- Hydrogen is also not as easy to pour into a tank as gasoline.
- It can be pumped and contained as a pressurized gas, the way we handle propane or other flammable gasses. But hydrogen needs specialized tanks, and to date there is little by way of a distribution system for it.
- Because hydrogen is odorless and burns with a clear flame, leaks can be difficult to detect, although the gas is so light and disperses so quickly that the chance of an open explosion is considered minimal.
- Once made, hydrogen is tricky to handle and distribute. Thereis still a public fear of hydrogen because of the notorious Hindenburgdisaster.
- Making a clean fuel (hydrogen) from a fossil fuel (natural gas) will not solve greenhouse gas problems.Even making hydrogen by electrolysis can be environmentally iffy.
- The problems of using hydrogen fuel in cars arise from the fact that hydrogen is difficult to store in either a high pressure tank or a cryogenic tank
- Lot of work still needs to be done in improving the efficiency of electrolysers, which split water into hydrogen and oxygen, as well as reducing the cost of them through mass production.
Advantages of Hydrogen as a fuel:-
- Hydrogen is considered as a high efficiency, low polluting fuel that can be used for transportation, heating, and power generation in places where it is difficult to use electricity.
- In some instances, it is cheaper to ship hydrogen by pipeline than sending electricity over long distances by wire.
- Mainly used as a fuel in the NASA space program. Liquid hydrogen is used to propel space shuttle and other rockets, while hydrogen fuel cells power the electrical systems of the shuttle. The hydrogen fuel cell is also used to produce pure water for the shuttle crew.
- Hydrogen is one of the keys to a new energy economy that relies on solar and wind power rather than fossil fuels.
Despite the challenges, hydrogen, batteries and other alternative energy technologies all put the world on the pathway to a low carbon future, and all need greater investment. Private and public investment in hydrogen technology should be increased substantially.With inspiration from Iceland and US India can venture into using hydrogen as a fuel as well in the future.
. | https://forumias.com/portal/answered-mains-marathon-upsc-mains-current-affairs-questions-march-3/ |
Lane County Depends on Migration for Recent Population GrowthApril 9, 2018 There are two ways to add to local population: natural increase and migration. Natural increase is population growth from births and deaths; if more people died than were born during a period, the number is negative, a “natural decrease.” Net migration subtracts the number who moved out of the area from the number who moved in, leaving a population loss if more people left than arrived.
Like nearly all states, Oregon’s population is growing through natural increase. The state has also long been a destination state for migration: the last year more residents left Oregon than arrived was 1986. In recent years, migration has added more to the state’s population than natural increase, with a split of about 30 percent of growth attributable to natural increase and 70 percent to net migration.
A handful of counties in Oregon, including Lane, are even more reliant on migration as a source of population growth. In new county-level population data from the Census Bureau, six Oregon counties had population growth in both categories, but with migration accounting for more than 80 percent of growth: Clackamas, Clatsop, Deschutes, Jackson, Lane, and Wasco.
What unites these counties? At first glance, not their economies. These more-migration areas had varying levels of job growth over the period between 2010 and 2017, with Deschutes far outpacing state job growth, Clackamas and Jackson about matching it, and Lane, Wasco, and Clatsop experiencing slower job growth. Unsurprisingly, about the same pattern holds for population growth overall.
Demographically, they have a bit more in common. All six have a higher median age than the state as a whole (even though Lane County’s median is pulled down by the large group of young adults attending the University of Oregon). All but Wasco have a population that is a higher percentage non-Hispanic white than the state. Age and ethnicity are two factors that help explain a lower level of natural increase, through an increased number of deaths or lower birth rates.
Though quick growth can put pressure on housing prices and infrastructure, population growth generally brings economic benefits. Oregon’s labor force continues to grow through migration. If for some reason people stop moving to Oregon, the state could feel the impact in slow workforce growth or a decline in demand for goods and services.
The impact of less migration would be most keenly felt in the eight Oregon counties that experienced a natural decline (meaning deaths outnumbered births) but still had population growth through migration to the area, or the two counties that would have experienced greater population losses without in-migration.
For now, the six counties in Lane’s “more-migration” category would still be growing absent new migrants, although at a much slower rate. Still, these six counties are more vulnerable than the state as a whole if they become a less attractive destination for migration. | https://www.qualityinfo.org/-/lane-county-depends-on-migration-for-recent-population-growth |
Palazzo Vecchio’s 722nd Anniversary
By the 1290s, Florence ranked among the five largest cities of Europe with a population of 100,000, and new city walls were going up to protect the residents. The woollen cloth trade and banking brought work to the masses and spectacular wealth to merchants, and city fathers commissioned new building projects on a breathtaking scale. These included the Palazzo Vecchio — first known as the Palazzo dei Priori and later as Palazzo della Signoria (literally, the palace of the lords) — and a new cathedral. The man entrusted with designing both of these was Arnolfo di Cambio, a contemporary of Giotto, who was revolutionizing art at that time. The city hall building was to be decorated by such Renaissance greats as Ghirlandaio, Vasari, Michelangelo and Donatello.
Besides being a renowned sculptor (his work is included in the Cathedral Museum/Museo dell’Opera del Duomo) collection, Cambio was also the architectural engineer responsible for the new city walls, completed in 1333. It is no accident that Arnolfo’s town hall and city walls share architectural features of a defensive nature. Clearly, the design of Palazzo Vecchio resembles that of a fortress, with its bold, rusticated stonework, its high battlements and soaring crenellated tower. The defensive capabilities of the building have been put to test by rioters and siege down the ages. One of the most noteworthy consequences of a 16th century clash was the rapid descent of a large, wooden bench. Hurled from an upper window, it took David’s left arm clean off. Michelangelo’s iconic statue was located in Piazza della Signoria until the 19th century, when it was moved to the Academy Gallery.
There are also original refined details, such as Gothic-inspired pointed windows and painted insignia. Florence was then a republic ruled by members of guilds, which would be followed by the long reign of the Medici family, from the 1400s to 1743. For many years, the family lived in Palazzo Medici near San Lorenzo, until Grand Duke Cosimo de’Medici, wife Eleonora da Toledo and their children moved to “Palazzo della Signoria” in 16th century. Later, Eleonora decided to move the family to the Pitti Palace, also because of the spacious Boboli Gardens out back. It was then that the former “Palazzo della Signoria” was renamed “Palazzo Vecchio,” the “old palace.”
From 1865 to 1871, Palazzo Vecchio hosted the Italian parliament, during the time when Florence was capital of Italy. Still today, it is the headquarters of city government and home to splendid Renaissance halls that can be visited along with its museum. | https://www.magentaflorence.com/palazzo-vecchios-721st-anniversary/ |
Cathy Herbert has specialized in provenance research at the Philadelphia Museum of Art since 2001, and is currently the Museum’s coordinator of collections research and documentation. Her responsibilities include conducting research on the ownership history of objects in the Museum’s permanent collection, reviewing the provenance of potential acquisitions and establishing due diligence standards relating to acquisitions policy. She holds a BA in European history from Cornell University, an MA from the University of Pennsylvania, and a PhD in medieval art history from the University of Delaware.
Free and open to the public. View location and parking information here.
Monuments Men Dale Ford (left) and Harry Ettlinger uncover a self-portrait (c. 1650) by Rembrandt at the Heilbronn salt mine in Germany, 1945. Courtesy of the National Archives and Records Administration. | https://samfoxschool.wustl.edu/events/lectures/12927 |
You probably recognize Charles Fergus’ name; he has been working with the Wildlife Management Institute for a number of years supporting Young Forest restoration work in the Northeast. He provides updates here in the Outdoor News Bulletin on projects he and WMI are engaged in including New England cottontail restoration and more. You may have also noted how well written his stories are. That is because Charles is also a prolific and accomplished author of both fiction and non-fiction books. His latest book Make a Home for Wildlife should be a valued resource for landowners in the eastern United States who are looking to create habitat on their property.
Make a Home for Wildlife, published by Stackpole Books, provides detailed information for landowners of small backyard lots up to hundreds of acres about improving habitat quality. Fergus opens with the inspiration that all land owners can make a difference by describing his own journey to improve habitat on his farm in northern Vermont. He notes that more than half of the forestland in the U.S. is privately owned and that many of these properties are small acreages of 10-20 acres or less. In addition to forestlands, these small acreages also provide grasslands, shrublands and wetlands that can provide important food and cover for wildlife. But many landowners do not fully realize that “just leaving it alone” may not be the best way to manage for diverse wildlife.
“Whether you live on a lot in town, own an acre or two in the suburbs, spend your weekends at a 10-acre woodland retreat, manage a working forest or farm, or belong to a hunting club with hundreds or even thousands of acres – you can make changes to the land that will transform your property into a better home for wildlife…
This book explains different approaches that can be used to make, refresh, and maintain a variety of habitats for wildlife. It is less about prescribing specific habitat management techniques than about giving landowners the tools – in the form of knowledge about wildlife, plants, and habitats, along with knowing how to find resources and obtain professional guidance – that will let them set realistic goals for creating and improving habitat and then following through on projects.”
Chapters within the book provide an overview of what the main requirements for wildlife habitat are as well as different types of habitat. It explains ecological concepts – including biological and cultural carrying capacity, habitat disturbances and plant succession, edge habitats and corridors – and how to evaluate existing habitats on your property and surrounding property in order to provide diverse habitat for native wildlife. In addition, the book outlines how local, state and federal agencies can help develop land management plans or provide resources to help improve your land. He then digs more deeply into various habitat types, specific plant species that are beneficial to wildlife in different regions, how to handle invasive plant species, and techniques to benefit different guilds of wildlife.
Fergus is an accomplished naturalist with extensive experience on wildlife and habitat conservation, but he’s also a storyteller who can equally explain the mechanics of habitat improvement with more existential descriptions of why we should be habitat stewards. Interspersed within the chapters are wildlife sketches and landowner stories that personalize experiences in making homes for wildlife. Perhaps most importantly, he concludes with ensuring that landowners enjoy the fruits of their work through watching the wildlife that are attracted to the property, and allowing school groups or others to see and experience the changes that have occurred as a way to spread interest in becoming habitat stewards.
As WMI President Steve Williams noted in a review featured on the back cover of the book: “Make a Home for Wildlife weaves personal stories and natural history in a way that will inspire every landowner to explore and understand their property with an eye toward creating and improving habitat – both to help wildlife and to increase their own enjoyment and satisfaction in being the steward of a small part of nature.”
Make a Home for Wildlife is an excellent resource for private landowners, as well as biologists who are working with landowners to support their conservation efforts. It is available through the publisher in paperback/softback edition for $29.95 or as an electronic book for $27.99. It is also available through Amazon and Barnes & Noble. | https://wildlifemanagement.institute/outdoor-news-bulletin/april-2019/make-home-wildlife-charles-fergus |
Twelve students studied in Rome over spring break with one of the History Department‘s most unique courses—HIST 4536 Eternal Rome: Power and Piety.
The short-term study trip to Italy during spring break is next offered in Spring 2018.
This annual offering allows students to earn upper-level History credit. Such coursework can count toward the History major, and it also satisfies Arts & Sciences Humanities or General Education Tier 3 requirements for non-History majors. It also counts as an elective for the Law, Justice, & Culture and Museum Studies certificate programs. Dr. Jaclyn Maxwell, Associate Professor of History, has directed this program since 2014.
In Spring 2017 the group included students from freshmen to seniors with a variety of majors from different colleges, including journalism, education, and Arts & Sciences. These students were selected from a diverse applicant pool. Key criteria are a strong academic background and a particular reason to want to study this topic and travel to Rome.
Immersive Six-Day Itinerary in Rome
The course centers around an intensive six-day itinerary in Rome. Students visit a wide range of archaeological sites, museums, churches, and other historic sites, ranging from ancient Rome to modern times.
The theme of the course, “Piety and Power,” focuses on the links between political and religious power and the city itself: how various leaders chose to fund certain kinds of buildings and artwork as ways to legitimize their power.
In addition to being immersed in the history of Rome, students also learn a lot about contemporary life in Rome, especially in terms of food. They have the opportunity to try a lot of different things, from very simple sandwiches and pastries to multi-course dinners and various types of pizza.
Coursework with Spring Break Trip as Centerpiece
HIST 4536 is offered as a spring-term course. While the spring break trip is the centerpiece, students are expected to attend weekly class meetings, complete reading assignments, and submit a final assignment. During the first half of the course, students meet for a weekly seminar centered on the discussion of readings, which provides an overview of the development of Rome from antiquity to the present day.
Many of the sites in Rome are amalgams of various time periods. For example, this year students visited several churches featuring ancient columns, medieval frescoes, and ceilings from the Baroque era. Another example would be the Castel Sant’Angelo, which was originally the mausoleum of the second century emperor Hadrian, which was transformed into a fortress in the middle ages and the interior was decorated during the Renaissance.
In order to understand these sites, the students needed to be able to recognize how certain periods of prosperity (such as the Augustan Age or the late Renaissance) and times of economic collapse (such as the early middle ages) affected the structures and the layout of the city. During the trip, students are expected to maintain a travel journal. Upon their return, students spend the rest of the semester putting the finishing touches on their travel journals and also completing a final research paper relating to the city of Rome.
Student Reflections on HIST 4536 Eternal Rome: Power and Piety
Grace Konyar (Spring 2016):
I took the Rome class because I had always been interested in Italian history, and this seemed like the best opportunity to really delve into the topic. The experience really helped me think about history from a different perspective. I was able to physically see the things that I had been reading and learning about for a number of years, which made me think about history in a different context. Being able to walk through the Roman Forum, the Baths of Caracalla, and Ostia Antica made it feel real, which is an experience that sitting in a classroom cannot give you. It inspired to me to want to travel more, experience different cultures, and learn Italian.
Francisco Cintron (Spring 2017):
I decided to enroll in the Rome trip because I had heard positive things about the class and thought it would greatly complement my studies. I have had classes with Dr. Maxwell before, and I knew she would offer a lot to a course focused on the themes of politics and religion in the history of Rome. Beyond wanting to visit the actual city that has been the center of many of my historical studies, I also wanted to contextualize my academic experiences through analyzing the physical manifestation of historical developments within the city itself. My favorite part of the trip, other than the actual city itself, was how extremely well planned out and coordinated the itinerary for the trip was. Dr. Maxwell masterfully crafted a schedule that allowed us to fully appreciate the significance and beauty of as many sites as possible. At the same time, the itinerary also gave us enough free time to incorporate additional sites that we wanted to visit independently or to spend the time as we best saw fit. The trip has enriched my experience as a history major and as an undergraduate student incredibly.
I have been wanting to study abroad for a while. The one-week length and Rome location of the trip really appealed to me. The fact that Dr. Maxwell was leading the trip made it a must-take course for me. A few of my favorite parts on the trip were St. John’s Cathedral and Ostia Antica. Perhaps my overall most favorite location was the crypt, the shrines created of old monk bones. This was really interesting because I got to see the significance of relics. The site astonished me so much that I decided to write my final paper for the course on relics in Rome.
Next Offering
HIST 4536 Eternal Rome: Power and Piety will next be offered in Spring 2018, with a deadline for applications in early October 2017. Interested students should contact Dr. Jaclyn Maxwell at [email protected]. Additional information about the program is available at the Office of Global Opportunities.
For more on the History Department, its programs and course offerings, and its faculty, visit the History website. | https://www.ohio-forum.com/2017/04/students-study-history-of-power-and-piety-in-eternal-rome-over-spring-break/ |
I spent a week in the San Francisco Bay Area as the Camp Fire was destroying Paradise, leaving many dead. The smoke blanketing the Bay Area was caustic. Schools closed, and our lungs and throats burned as we wore masks and tried to stay inside.
I was delighted to return to Eugene. Then I felt that familiar burning again — and found the Air Quality Index at 84! Home-heating wood smoke creates fine particles that are very detrimental for everyone — not just children, the sensitive and the elderly. These people are our neighbors.
Ironically, most of us never even feel an impact — it is almost an invisible threat. A simple internet search can show you how harmful breathing smoke is. In a time when there is not a lot of positive leadership from “above,” we have to remember that life is much more lateral than it is top-down.
As citizens and community members, we can take direct steps to improve our air shed and world. Cleaner woodstove technology exists here and now. Research “rocket stove” online. Smoke is simply unburned fuel, just like low-grade diesel “smoke” — it is very harmful. | https://eugeneweekly.com/2018/12/27/why-wait/ |
TLP White: This week, Hacking Healthcare is devoted to exploring the physical aspects of data security that, while sometimes easy to overlook, are no less important. This issue will examine the types of incidents members should consider, various legal and regulatory elements, the applicability of insurance, and what practical steps you can take to mitigate threats to physical data security.
As a reminder, this is the public version of the Hacking Healthcare blog. For additional in-depth analysis and opinion, become a member of H-ISAC and receive the TLP Amber version of this blog (available in the Member Portal.)
Welcome back to Hacking Healthcare.
The physical aspects of data security.
When we think of data breaches, most of us think of digital threats. Our minds immediately focus on exploited vulnerabilities and malicious cyber criminals based somewhere overseas. However, when it comes to securing data from unauthorized access and improper use, there are other considerations. From well-established threats such as natural disasters, to break-ins and lootings, there are numerous physical incidents that organizations should consider when assessing their responsibility to reasonably protect sensitive data.
Aren’t these events uncommon?
While not as common as the everyday threat from malicious cyber actors, physical incidents have the potential to bring legal and regulatory burdens, and they happen more often than you might realize.
Below are just a few examples worth examining:
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– Walgreens:
In late July, it was reported that roughly 180 Walgreens locations suffered break-ins during May and June. Theft of prescription drugs may not be surprising, but Walgreens also reported the theft of hard drives and paper records potentially containing “customers’ health insurance and vaccination information,” as well as photo ID numbers, contact information, and address information.,
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– Cub Pharmacies:
Like Walgreens, Cub Pharmacies reported that six of its locations were looted during May. In a public notice, Cub Pharmacies acknowledged the “removal of locked safes, binders containing past prescription records, and prescription orders that were in the process of being completed.” In total, they estimated that “customer names, addresses, prescription numbers, drug names, drug quantities, ordering physician names and addresses, number of refills remaining, prescription dates, and date of birth” information was compromised.
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– Lifespan ACE:
At a time when so many individuals are working remotely, it is also important to consider the risk associated with the theft of employee devices. In February 2017, an employee of Lifespan ACE, a not-for-profit health system based in Providence, RI, had their laptop stolen from a parked car. According to HHS, the laptop, which was used for work purposes, “was never recovered… and [the] employee’s work emails may have been cached in a file on the device’s hard drive.” Ultimately it was assessed that whoever had stolen the laptop would potentially have access to “patient names, medical record numbers, demographic information, including partial address information, and the name of one or more medications that were prescribed or administered to patients.” Resolving this issue with HHS ultimately cost Lifespan ACE over a million dollars.
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– Natural Disasters:
Natural disasters are an unchanging reality that present a risk to the integrity of facilities while also creating opportunities for devices to be stolen or lost. This risk can come from a variety of situations, such as the required evacuation of personnel due to an encroaching wildfire or hurricane or a tornado that sweeps through a facility and leaves devices with PHI unaccounted for.
Regardless of the cause, accounting for physical risks to digital information is an essential aspect of overall cybersecurity risk management.
Action & Analysis
**Membership required**
—-SURVEY LINK HERE—-
Congress –
Tuesday, August 25th:
– No relevant hearings
Wednesday, August 26th:
– No relevant hearings
Thursday, August 27th: | https://h-isac.org/h-isac-hacking-healthcare-8-25-2020/ |
Chapter 21: Celebration (5/5)
Elric’s suspicions were confirmed soon afterward when Lloyd finally committed to his offense. His weapon, a lengthy broadsword, was dexterously wielded with just a single hand despite being meant for two and was able to bring a full-stop to Kite’s offense. Being able to so decisively cause a turning point in the duel only served to show just how powerful Lloyd was.
The weapon Kite used was a rapier, a type of sword extremely thin in blade but exceptionally long. It was an excellent weapon whose length was second only to weapons classified as a polearm such as the pike and halberd. With the rapier being a sword whose focus was to maintain a certain range of distance from the opponent, it was an excellent choice to use against the bastard sword who used power to tyrannically force an error. This duel between Kite and Lloyd was now akin to a fight between a tiger whose power was in its claws and an antelope whose power was in its headbutts and horns.
Kite’s tempo was completely disrupted as a result of Lloyd’s sword. He was in a precarious situation now with his guard rocked. The rapier wasn’t a sword meant at all to be used defensively given its thin and pliable nature, so Kite was left with no other option but to evade the rest of Lloyd’s assault and inevitably using up far more stamina than before.
Extending the distance between the two felt like the best option for Kite to take. He needed a moment to recompose himself and figure out a new method of attacking Lloyd, but the other man was determined not to let him. He thrusted his broadsword at Kite when the latter retreated, prompting Kite to hurriedly bring his rapier in front of him to defend.
But how was a flimsy rapier meant to take the full-on blow of a heavy broadsword?
Lloyd saw an opportunity the moment both their swords were about to touch. With a flick of his wrist, the paladin was able to turn his sword thrust into a mini-sweep with enough force to force Kite’s rapier away—but not enough force to completely disarm Kite. Unrelenting in his assault, Lloyd then withdrew his weapon and then swung it again at the vulnerable Kite.
Kite drew his rapier quickly back to him with a grimace. Defending was possible, but he certainly wasn’t about to leave from this exchange unscathed. A rapier was by no means a weapon meant to defend with.
The broadsword connected, propelling Kite off his feet. He fell head over heel onto the ground with a grunt, his rapier clattering onto the ground beside him. From where he stood, Elric could see the sword-arm of Kite trembling slightly.
Lloyd didn’t move in to capitalize on this development. He simply stood there with his sword propped against the ground. “Ser Kite, your strength is admirable, but it’s not not what I wanted. Are you not an expert in both magic and martial arts? If you would please remonstrate.”
Several figures within the crowd murmured in agreement. The duel was dragging on for far too long already without anyone even seeing a glimpse of Kite’s specialty; the synthesis of maguscraft and martial arts.
Kite, having already climbed back to his feet by the time Lloyd finished speaking, picked his sword back up. “Well, look carefully then.”
The wind around Kite began to swirl faster as he started his hymn. Everyone could tell from the flow of mana that this was the start of a spell and that Kite was indeed a magus. The flow of mana additionally told them that it was a rather rudimentary spell and not at all what many of the aristocrats expected. How could a spell as basic as this be an example of the ‘unique’ magical martial arts?
Several of the imperial magi were already casting a barrier around the stage to protect the emperor and audience.
Elric breathed in, preparing himself to cast a barrier as well. But when he saw Myron and Kebrilio both gaze anxiously at him, he paused. His eyes flickered to the eight guards nearby. Each one of them looked nervous and had a hand on the hilt of their sword.
Elric shuddered, the trauma of being surrounded by Hughesin’s guards that night was still fresh on his mind. He smiled at the soldiers in reassurance.
Neither seemed to work on the guards as they maintained their guards. Having an enemy magus as powerful as Archmagister Kebrilio nearby the emperor was intimidating enough, but to have him smile? The guards only grew even more apprehensive and tightened their grip.
Elric bit back a bitter laugh at their reaction.
Back on stage, Kite was finished with his preparations. The wind stuck closely to Kite’s body now, silent, but deadly-looking. The world grew silent for a split-second when Kite took a step forward and…took off! Accelerating to speeds far beyond the limits of humanity, Kite was like a shooting star in speed and impossible to be seen by the common person!
Gasps broke out amongst the crowd. How could magic produce such a mind-blowing event?
But Kite’s speed wasn’t face enough to lose everyone. The paladin grandmaster and Hughesin were both veteran fighters and could keep up Kite’s new speed. And Lloyd, despite not being as strong as his father, was also able to sense the abrupt change and timely react. If Kite was finally fighting seriously, then it was time for him to do the same.
Lloyd’s broadsword affixed itself at the incoming Kite. His sword was held at a slant in a stance perfect for being able to react to any sudden type of attack as he prepared his next move. It was also preventing Kite from attacking him at certain angles, even. This move was something Lloyd was saving for his next trial by the Paladin Order.
Lloyd dreamed of being a paladin ever since he was young. Back then, he spent every day training until his hands bled so he could improve. The trial was still a year away, but Lloyd made sure to constantly seek new heights with his strength, and this next attack was something he quite proud of. It was rather symbolic of his swordsmanship. It was the type of genius swordsmanship like the duke, but it was still an admirable form made possible only through hard work. And now it was time for him to show them the results.
He lashed out with the broadsword. Whether Kite tried to dodge, jump backward, or use his sword to block it, Lloyd was confident he could counter appropriately. Kite was moving faster, but not fast enough to exceed what Lloyd could account for. He felt confident his swordsmanship would whittle away at Kite eventually, and so did many others amongst the crowd.
Achieving what Kite had done was a noteworthy achievement, and no paladin there would never dare claim otherwise, but it wasn’t enough to confidently change the tides. Even Lloyd’s father fully believed that Kite would admit defeat soon. The only paladin there that doubted was Hughesin. His gut was telling him that differently. Lloyd was making a mistake choosing this move to attack. Were it Hughesin himself standing there, he felt confident that this would be a silly trick and easily taken advantage of. It was, after all, a powerful move that left the person completely defenseless if unsuccessful.
Kite and Lloyd were right on the verge of contact, it was time for Hughesin to know if his gut was right or not. | https://en.zxcs.info/book/12258/7a591919231f3.html |
How many 5-liter buckets do you have to pour into a 0.2 m3 container to make it full?
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What is TMJ dysfunction?
TMJ stands for temporomandibular joint. It is the joint that allows movement of the lower jaw (mandible) which attaches to the skull. Pain occurs as a result of problems with the jaw, jaw joint and surrounding facial muscles that control chewing and moving the jaw.
Possible Causes:
- Injury to the jaw, temporomandibular joint, or muscles of the head and neck – such as from a heavy blow or whiplash
- Misaligned jaw
- Cervical spine/occiput fixations
- Poor head posture
How can Chiropractic help?
TMJ Treatment includes:
- Correcting muscular dysfunction as well as joint misalignments
- Soft tissue therapy aimed at the muscles involved in mastication
- Adjusting of associated Cervical spine segments
Most patients usually find relief in their TMJ symptoms under chiropractic care.
Chiropractors and Dentists work together to help patients fully recover from painful TMJ dysfunction. | https://elitechirodoc.com/conditions/tmj-dysfunction.html |
The Power of Words
Fantasy and mythology is full of examples of different types of curses, and indeed, a world with magic almost always has the challenge of a curse that must be broken or prevented. Sleeping Beauty, Snow White, and Beauty & the Beast are only a few popular examples.
Curses in stories can serve multiple purposes. They may be a punishment (for offending someone/something, trespassing, etc.), a spell that backfired, or even someone just being in the wrong place at the wrong time when someone was doing a powerful form of magic and getting caught up in it.
The ethics of magic usage within your world and the morals of your characters are another consideration you’ll need to take in regard to curses. We’ll talk about laws governing magic later this month, but laws do not always align with ethics and morals.
Worldbuilding Exercises:
- Does magic in your world accommodate deliberate curses, or are they passive occurrences? Can both happen?
- Is any magic practitioner able to cast a curse, or is it limited to certain branches of magic?
- Can a non-magic practitioner cast a curse under certain circumstances? What are some examples of those circumstances?
- Are certain types of curses (changing someone’s hair color, causing food to become dirt in their mouth) more acceptable than others (sleeping for a hundred years, causing physical harm/death, trapping someone in a location)? When does a curse become taboo/forbidden?
- Can curses be broken? If not, why not?
View 2019 A-Z Participant list here.
Rebekah Loper began creating epic worlds and stories as a child and never stopped. She is the author of The A-Zs of Worldbuilding series, and has a fantasy novella published in Beatitudes and Woes: A Speculative Fiction Anthology.
She lives in Tulsa, OK with her husband, dog, two formerly feral cats, a small flock of feathered dragons (…ok, ok, they’re chickens), and an extensive tea collection. When she is not writing, she can be found battling the elements in an effort to create a productive, permaculture urban homestead. | https://atozsofworldbuilding.com/curses-worldbuilding-magic-systems/ |
It's an accepted fact of modern life that there are always multiple tasks fighting for our attention: just on your smartphone alone there are probably three or four different apps that can ping you at any time of the day, and when you add work duties, family commitments, and household chores to the mix, it's no wonder that many of us are feeling busier than ever before.
Much of this busyness has been brought on by recent technological innovations – specifically the Internet and the smartphones we connect to it – and scientists are trying to understand more about how this new hyper-connected, always-on, constantly multitasking way of life is affecting our brains in the long-term. You might have noticed that you struggle to stay focused on one task any more: but is there a real and permanent change happening?
Cal Newport, an author and computer science professor from from Georgetown University, thinks that long and deep periods of single-tasking are still crucial to our mental well-being, as he explained to Fast.Co's Vivian Giang. Bouncing from task to task deteriorates the muscle that allows us to focus for extended periods of time, Newport says: "For an effort to be considered deep work – and for it to reap the rewards depth can offer – there can be no distraction."
Even just glancing at your inbox or knowing there's an unread message to check up on can impair your ability to complete the task you're currently working on.
Switching between browser tabs or different jobs might give you a false sense of productivity, but you're in fact working less efficiently across every task: we leave behind what's known as 'attention residue' when jumping from job to job.
The research backs up what Newport says. Multitasking - which is actually quickly switching between tasks rather than doing any of them simultaneously - can reduce your productivity by up to 40 percent. It also impairs the ability of our brains to learn new skills. There's even some evidence that multitasking too often causes permanent damage to the brain.
Unfortunately, multitasking produces a feeling of instant gratification that we're getting more done, but Newport says we need to cultivate an attitude towards single-tasking instead: "Shallow tasks like reading and responding to emails or checking social media might prevent you from getting fired, but it's deep tasks that produce the value and build the skills that get you promoted."
Essentially, human brains weren't built to multitask.
As the University of Minnesota's Sophie Leroy puts it:
"People need to stop thinking about one task in order to fully transition their attention and perform well on another. Yet, results indicate it is difficult for people to transition their attention away from an unfinished task, and their subsequent task performance suffers."
Being able to work on one task exclusively for an extended period of time is good for our productivity and for our brains, Newport argues. He recommends putting a limit on the amount of phone (and tablet) checking you do, and putting distractions out of reach. | https://www.sciencealert.com/always-switched-on-the-long-term-effects-of-multitasking |
The Office of Federal Procurement Policy today took the first step toward implementing some of the Services Acquisition Reform Act panel recommendations. OFPP sent a memo to agency chief procurement officers and senior procurement executives asking them to increase the amount of competition for contracts, especially task and delivery order types. Paul Denett, OFPP administrator, said the amount of federal procurement money going to task orders grew to 52 percent in fiscal 2005 from 14 percent in 1990. Additionally, he said, a substantial number of these purchases were done by modifying existing contracts instead of competing them. “The acquisition workforce has a number of tools to facilitate the efficient and effective use of competition,” Denett said. “I am concerned that we are not taking full advantage of these tools, especially in the placement of task and delivery orders under indefinite-delivery vehicles.” Denett’s first request is to “reinvigorate the role of the competition advocate.” The OFPP Act required each agency to designate someone to promote competition and challenge barriers to competition in agency acquisitions. Agency competition advocates must review the level of competition at their agencies by Dec. 20 and develop plans and goals to maximize competition, Denett said. “Competition is back on people’s radar screens,” said Marcia Madsen, chairwoman of the SARA panel and a partner at the law firm Mayer Brown Rowe and Maw. “We heard a lot about it from the private sector, and competition is a good practice. OFPP picked up a lot of our work here.” OFPP also will ask the Federal Acquisition Regulations Council to consider five ways to improve competition.
Madsen said many of these suggestions came from the SARA panel. “The amount going out under indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity contracts is way up, and OFPP recognized this,” she said. “We don’t have good data on how competitive it is, and we need to have it.” Denett also wants the General Services Administration to develop new standard Federal Procurement Data System reports on contact actions that will clearly differentiate the types of actions. Denett said this will “enable better trend analysis of competed contract actions and a clearer understanding of the relative impact of recent years’ activity on our acquisition workforce.” GSA also will centralize market research information for products and services. “We must work together to maximize the meaningful use of competition and achieve the best return on investment possible for our taxpayers,” Denett said. Madsen said she is excited that OFPP is taking the panel’s recommendations to heart. “After we heard from [the] private sector about the way they buy services, you have to have a robust competitive process. Otherwise you will not get the deals you should be getting,” she said. “It is a basic concept, but sometimes you have to be reminded of it. OFPP has done that in their memo.”
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If confirmed, Avril Haines says that one of her top priorities as the Director of National Intelligence will be "institutional" issues, like renewing public trust in the intelligence community and improving workforce morale.
Telework made the idea of bringing your own device a top priority as the Defense Information Systems Agency begins transitioning to a permanent version of the commercial virtual remote environment. | https://fcw.com/articles/2007/06/01/ofpp-pushes-for-more-competition.aspx |
The establishment of functional neuronal circuits relies on the formation of excess synapses, followed by the elimination of inappropriate connections. Although the stabilization of presynaptic inputs is critical for the development and maintenance of functional circuits, the signals that regulate presynaptic stability are not known. Our preliminary studies suggest that synapse formation in cortical cultures is highly dynamic and involves the stabilization of a subset of synapses in a backdrop of a high rate of synapse formation and elimination. During the peak of synaptogenesis, only about 50% of putative synapses are stable over an hour. We have found that presynaptic stability is strongly correlated with the presence of postsynaptic AMPA but not NMDA receptors. We have identified LRRTM2 as a GluR2-interacting transmembrane protein that affects synapse stability. Based on our preliminary studies we hypothesize that a GluR2- LRRTM2 complex functions as a retrograde signal to regulate presynaptic stability. The specific aims of this proposal are: Aim 1: To determine whether gain or loss of GluR2 receptors affects synapse stability, and to identify the domains of GluR2 that mediate this effect Aim 2: To identify the domains of GluR2 and LRRTM2 that mediate their interaction and to identify the mechanism by which LRRTM2 is recruited to synaptic sites Aim 3: To determine the role of GluR2-LRRTM2 interactions in regulating presynaptic stability and synaptic function These experiments will provide important insights into the mechanisms that regulate synase formation and stability. These mechanisms are likely to be disrupted in neurological diisorders such as Rett Syndrome, Autism, and Alzheimer's disease that are characterized by loss of synapses and may suggest approaches for therapeutic intervention. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: The goal of this project is to understand the molecular mechanisms that regulate the formation of synaptic connections in the brain during development. Several childhood neurological disorders, such as Autism, Rett Syndrome, and X-linked mental retardation are characterized by defects in synaptic connectivity. The findings of this project should guide efforts to better understand and develop therapeutic strategies for these disorders.
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Professor Harrop's (employed at Kent 1996 to 2013) research explores the relationship between trade and the environment, animal welfare, conservation and wildlife management law. Prior to joining academia, Harrop qualified as a solicitor and worked as a legal advisor for a range of organisations, including ICI and The London Stock Exchange, and he was Director of Legal Services for the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA).
Paper 1 (section 3, publication i) examined the challenges facing some rural communities, regarding the protection of intellectual property within their traditional agricultural and hunting practices, and the recent developments in international policy and law that are relevant to those challenges.
Paper 2 (section 3, publication ii) examined the broader manner in which diverse instruments of international law and policy supported or hindered the role of traditional practices in biodiversity preservation. In particular, it analysed a wide range of law and policy within conventions deriving from the biodiversity preservation agenda, in addition to instruments dealing with indigenous rights.
On the basis of this, Harrop was invited to advise the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation on the legal matrix and likely legal and policy arrangements required for the proposed full-scale GIAHS, to optimise its effect on the global community.
i. Harrop SR (2004). Indigenous peoples, traditional ecological knowledge and the perceived threat of the intellectual property rights regime. Law, Science and Policy 2: 207-239. ISSN 1475-5335.
ii. Harrop S.R. (2003). Human Diversity and the Diversity of Life- International regulation of the role of indigenous and rural human communities in Conservation. The Malayan Law Journal 4: xxxviii-lxxx. ISSN 0025-1283.
iv. Harrop, S.R. (2009). Globally important agricultural heritage systems: an examination of their context in existing multilateral instruments dealing with conservation and land tenure. Journal of International Wildlife Law and Policy 12 (3):127-165. doi: 10.1080/13880290903202286.
v. Harrop, S.R. (2011). 'Living in harmony with nature'? Outcomes of the 2010 Nagoya Conference of the Convention on Biological Diversity. Journal of Environmental Law 23(1): 117-128. doi: 10.1093/jel/eqq032.
The GIAHS project is designed to establish the basis for international recognition, conservation and adaptive management of Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems and their associated landscapes, agricultural biodiversity, knowledge systems, food and livelihood and cultures throughout the world. It is a UNFAO initiative supported by the Global Environmental Facility (GEF) (through UNDP during preparatory phases) and the full scale project is currently being implemented/executed by UNFAO, in close collaboration with United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), The International Plant Genetic Resources Institute (IPGRI), United Nations University (UNU), bilateral donors, and others (a full list of partners is at http://www.fao.org/giahs/giahs-partners/en/; and see Terms of Reference for the GIAHS Steering Committee, detailed in section 5, point D).
The project document (UNFAO Implementation doc 2008-2013) is published on the FAO website: http://www.fao.org/fileadmin/templates/giahs/PDF/GIAHS_FSP_Document.pdf.
A key consideration in the formulation of GIAHS was the extent of interlinkage and overlap with existing international law and policy, and the agendas of other international institutions within the UN family. Expert advice was required to underpin the strategy of the then fledgling project in order to determine how it would develop and be implemented under a UN framework. A representative of the GIAHS team in UNFAO therefore approached Harrop after studying his publications.
Harrop's report (August 2005) formed the basis of the policy approach establishing and supporting the GIAHS project. Previously the GIAHS team had been considering a potentially counter-productive `hard law' approach to GIAHS, which entails the development of new, global level, enforcement mechanisms (including systems of sanctions); instead, as a result of Harrop's advice, they pursued a policy that made use of existing legal frameworks. Harrop's report reviewed how existing legal mechanisms, at the global, national and local levels, could be used to protect important agricultural heritage systems. Harrop reviewed the capacity for current policy instruments under Agenda 21, the Johannesburg Declaration on Sustainable Development and Forest Principles to be used to protect agricultural systems. At the global level, Harrop identified existing legal support for such agricultural systems in the Convention on Biodiversity, World Heritage Convention, UNESCO Man and Biosphere Program, The RAMSAR Convention on Wetlands, The World Trade Organisation (WTO), and The World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO), amongst others. The 2005 report also offers a summary of locally specific legal instruments including customary laws, legal arrangements surrounding community level land tenure systems, and legal instruments governing access to natural resources (especially for nomadic peoples) and the right to development.
The report was presented in Rome to senior members of UNFAO and representatives across divisions of that organisation, in addition to other representatives of international agencies and institutions of the UN including UNESCO, the Convention on Biological Diversity and the World Intellectual Property Organisation. It was also discussed and presented by Harrop at a number of other meetings in Rome with other key international organisations (section 5 points A, B).
Harrop's critical advice was to develop these exiting legal instruments to develop protection for GIAHS; he states `Whereas a multilateral convention would be the ideal solution to securely establish the GIAHS concept; it seems unlikely that this would be feasible having regard to the time it would take to negotiate and put in place. Further, there are some very sensitive areas of regulation to deal with such as trade and land tenure. Without a sensitive long-term strategy, these topics alone could frustrate the progress of an endeavour to achieve a complex regulatory instrument. A policy document reiterating the objectives of the project and its connections with other ventures; adding in as many of the potential components of a convention as possible may be a more practical solution as a medium term goal ... In terms of the steps that should be taken it would be best to aim high but with sensitivity and caution. Whereas the ultimate goal might be a convention or a sophisticated policy framework, the first step could be a simple supportive policy declaration detailing the concept, reciting both its benefits and the manner in which GIAHS would fulfil not only the FAO's objectives but also many of the other current key global aspirations. This declaration could be made by the FAO itself although either COAG or CGRFA might constitute a more practical choice' (Harrop 2005).
The significance of the impact of Harrop's work is that the UNFAO approach to implementation now takes into account the complexity and difficulties associated with a hard law approach, as indicated in Harrop's report. Bearing in mind the extensive existing legal and policy framework indicated by Harrop, GIAHS is being implemented by UNFAO within current instruments, such as the Convention on Biological Diversity and resolutions of UN bodies at the Earth and World Summits. Its strategy is not to seek the establishment of a new hard law instrument but to deploy existing obligations and act as a coordinating centre (with countries and with other institutions such as UNESCO, WIPO etc.), and as the International Institution responsible for certification of GIAHS sites around the world (section 5, point B).
Harrop's advice continues to be the foundational legal and policy basis of the functioning of GIAHS and continues to be displayed on the UNFAO site http://www.fao.org/giahs/giahs-inforesources/publications/publications-detail/en/c/143375/. Harrop also continues to advise the GIAHS secretariat through, inter alia, his membership of the GIAHS Scientific and Steering Committee. The Terms of Reference of the Steering Committee state that `[t]he primary objective of the GIAHS Steering Committee is to discuss the policy and strategic orientation and activities of the GIAHS, and make suggestions to the GIAHS to help to improve the relevance and impact of its work' (details in section 5, point D).
As a member of the UNFAO GIAHS steering committee, Harrop has attended a number of meetings and at the most recent on 29-30 October 2012 in Rome he chaired the 3rd session entitled: Session 3 'GIAHS and links with CBD, ITPGRFA, UNESCO and other instruments'. The internal minutes of this meeting corroborate further Harrop's impact in relation to the GIAHS project: `Prof Harrop cautioned that aiming for a GIAHS convention would require much detailed preparatory work and the negotiation path towards it could be arduous, with compromise along the way. Several other options would appear less complex and time-consuming, and some would lend themselves to a step-by-step or modular approach' (p.10); and `noting the excellent work of Prof Harrop on legal instruments and recently on the Aichi Targets, Mr Koohafkan enquired whether it would it be possible for him to prepare a concept note for a GIAHS instrument.' (pp.17-18); (details in section 5, point C).
At that meeting Dr Parviz Koohafkan, Director of the Land and Water division at UNFAO and global coordinator of the GIAHS project, described the 2005 report by Harrop as the fundamental basis for GIAHS policy and legal strategy, drawing on the links Harrop had identified to operate Joint Ventures between UN Agencies. Dr Koohafkan reiterates the nature of Harrop's impact in a letter dated 8 November 2012: `Words are not enough to express the impacts of your Legal Report, as a comprehensive model of legal assessment, inside the FAO, and within the international community' (statement detailed under section 5, point B). Thereafter, Harrop's report was re-appraised and one of his proposed strategies, that a protocol made under the express powers of the CBD, was recommended for further exploration as the next stage of the development of the GIAHS legal framework. A summary of the main points of the meeting are available at http://www.fao.org/fileadmin/templates/giahs_assets/case_study_annexes/6-CBD-Art-10c-_-8j-Aichi-Biodiversity-Targets-and-GIAHS-Mr-John-Scott.pdf. The development of such a protocol under the CBD is on-going, indicating the lasting impact of Harrop's advice (first provided in 2005).
The impact of this work is traceable to the initial presentation of the report in 2005 and continues to the present day because UNFAO use existing laws, rather than new international laws, to implement GIAHS.
Letter dated 8 November 2012 to Professor Stuart Harrop from Parviz Koohafkan, Director Land and Water Division, Natural Resources Environment and Management Department, United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation. Comprehensive description of Harrop's impact made by the Director of the relevant UNFAO programme.
Minutes of UNFAO GIAHS Steering/Scientific Committee meetings held in Rome, 29-30 October 2012, noting the excellent work of Professor Harrop. | https://impact.ref.ac.uk/casestudies/CaseStudy.aspx?Id=560 |
“RIVER” is the 14th major single (16th overall) released by AKB48. It was released in two versions: a regular CD+DVD edition and a theater CD-only edition. The first press of the regular edition came with a nationwide handshake event ticket and a ticket to vote for a song to be performed at AKB48 Request Hour Setlist 100 2010, while all theater editions came with a “RIVER” handshake event ticket, an application ticket for a special “RIVER” event, and one member picture at random. The single debuted at #1 on the Oricon weekly chart, making it AKB48’s first #1 single. It was the best-selling single by an idol group in the past seven years and also the second best-selling female artist single of 2009. The title track has been certified platinum by the RIAJ for full-song downloads of over 250,000. | https://eimusics.com/download-akb48-river-single/ |
5 Ways You Can Train Your Creative Mind
Flexing your creative muscles is an asset in any career — it doesn’t matter if you work in a traditionally creative field or not. We tend to think of creativity as an artistic trait, but really, it’s about having a flexible mind that can make associations beyond everyday logic and thought patterns. Luckily, this is something we can train ourselves to be better at.
Whether you’re a problem solver, a brainstormer, a maker, an analyst, or some combination of them, embracing and nurturing your creative mind will make you more successful in the long run. It can just take a little experimentation to work out which creative strategies work best for you…
Here are a few methods to mix it up and boost your creativity at work, based on science, with a dash of personal experience:
1. Experiment with Your Environment
There are a few things to experiment with when it comes to your working environment: lighting, noise, and just plain moving around. Experimenting with these things depends largely on your job and situation, but even small adjustments can make a big difference.
Change up your lighting
Dim lighting has been shown to spark creativity, so if you work from home, try pulling the curtains, and if you’re in an office, find a cavelike, dark meeting room.
Alternatively, nature has also been found to boost productivity, so if you prefer a light working environment, try getting a plant to hang out on your desk.
Try out music
Sound and music are great areas to experiment with to see if changing it up will knock something loose in your head, especially if you’re trying to get those creative juices flowing.
For productive work, it’s claimed that silence is best. If your office is loud and open-plan, get some noise-cancelling headphones to drown out the noise. For creative work, ambient noise, like that in a cafe, helps to loosen our minds. Some people like to listen to music (I personally go for instrumental post-rock, like Explosions in the Sky).
Wear the headphones, but don’t play any music. Deafening silence + co-workers are less likely to interrupt you!
Adjust your desk
I try to mix things up throughout the day, so I’m not just sitting at my desk for hours at a time.
Standing can be refreshing and has been found to increase your ability to come up with new ideas — if you can hack together a standing desk, try to stand for an hour or two a day. Many offices also have couches, and it’s great to lounge with your laptop on the couch in the afternoon, especially when needing to do creative work.
2. Take Regular Walks
A famous study at Stanford found that walking improves creativity both during and after the walk when compared to sitting. They found, to their surprise, that it didn’t matter whether people were outdoors or on a treadmill. Just the act of walking, anywhere, strongly improved divergent thinking, also known as brainstorming.
However, in the study, walking did not have a positive effect on focused thinking, where there’s only one correct solution. Essentially, there are multiple steps in the process of creativity, and walking helps in the beginning of the process with the divergent, ideation stage, rather than the convergent, insightful stage.
While the study found no preference between indoor versus outdoor walking, personally, I go the nature route, or as close as I can get. Most cities have parks or parklets, even in the center, and there’s nothing more refreshing than lying in the grass on a sunny day, thinking through a work idea or problem. With most of our working days spent engrossed online, nature is becoming more and more of an oasis, for some fresh air and a bit of creative thinking.
3. Create Limitations
For me, my creativity usually surfaces in my resourcefulness: I find it hard to be “creative on command,” but give me a problem and I’ll MacGyver a solution out of the resources we have on hand. The restrictions inherent in the problem present a roadblock, and I will always find a way underneath that roadblock. When faced with a blank page and endless options, though? I freeze. I suddenly have not a thought in my mind. And I’m not the only one.
The solution? Add limits and restrictions. When we know the restrictions of the space we are working in, we are free to push up against them, to buck tradition, to force and mold the limits to our will.
As a writer, I’ve learned this over and over, but most obviously in poetry classes, where we’d have to write poems in specific styles. On the surface, it seems dumb — like, who wants to write a sonnet in the 21st century, am I right? But, I found that the more restrictions imposed on my process, the more creative I was forced to be, and my best work always came out of strange and highly specific projects.
In our careers, we’re often faced with a broad task and a “go for it” with little to no guidance. These are exciting moments, as we can use them to push ourselves and to prove ourselves, but the “blank slate” effect can be intimidating, and it can be hard to know where to start. In these cases, try adding arbitrary restrictions to your task, sonnet-style. Create an environment that’s so restrictive, you have to be creative. It’ll happen slowly, and then all at once, and when you have momentum, you can remove your restrictions and finalize the work.
[ictt-tweet-inline via=”mindmeister”]Create an environment that’s so restrictive, you have to be creative.[/ictt-tweet-inline]
4. Start a Creative Side Project
Sometimes we’re not in a position to experiment at work, for any number of reasons. In this case, I strongly recommend starting a side project that lets you play with your creative energy.
A few years ago, I was in between jobs and feeling a bit stuck. It felt like there was very little in my life that I could control, that my career depended on the whims of strangers. So, I did something about it. I started a music newsletter, Songs to Dance to. Each week I pick 10 dance songs and write about them.
Two years later, the original newsletter is going strong, and we recently expanded to full blog coverage of the underground electronic scene. I’ve spent a lot of time on this project, for free, because it fuels me. Music is one of the hardest things to write about, so every time I sit down to explain why a song or artist moves me, it pushes me to flex my creative muscles, spurring growth that I see daily in my career as a writer.
Finding creativity in confidence
An added benefit of a side project that I don’t see mentioned often is the confidence boost. Putting yourself out in the world is scary, but it’s easier than you’d think, and nothing brightens up my day more than getting positive feedback on work that I put my heart and soul into. It doesn’t matter if it’s one of my best friends, saying that they have a collection of drawings they make every week while they listen to the latest S2D2, or a fellow music nerd from halfway around the world emailing me to say they’re playing the music I find in their DJ sets. Receiving these messages reminds me why I do this, what the work is for, why it’s worth it.
The best thing about creative side projects is that you hold all of the power. You don’t need permission from anyone, you just pick an idea and you go for it. You make the decisions, you make the sacrifices, it’s your baby. I’ve found that having a project out there in the world has empowered me to act boldly and creatively in other aspects of my life.
5. See the World
Studies have shown that travel boosts creativity, which makes sense because you are opening your imagination to landscapes, ideas, and cultures that are unfamiliar. Just the culture shock alone can be jarring enough to kick that creative gear into overdrive. If you have the means to travel abroad, do it as much as possible.
But, I know that traveling abroad is a privilege that many can’t afford. And I think many people jump to exploring foreign countries without exploring their own backyard first. There are many ways to see the world, and you don’t have to go far at all.
Get out in nature, take day trips to local sights (especially the secret ones), go to new restaurants and different parts of town, leave your comfort zone. Join clubs and meetups, volunteer, give back to your community however you can, find your niche, and keep exploring. Talk to strangers, meet people who are wildly different from you, bond with them, laugh with them, and listen to them.
Wherever you live, there is so much to explore, and you never know what will spark the next great idea.
There are lots of studies about our environments and creativity, and most of them imply that their study holds the only solution. But the great thing about the human brain is that everyone is different. When experimenting, listen to yourself. Trust your instincts. What works for a lot of people may not work for you, and that’s OK.
The key to creativity is to explore new ideas to see what works for you. Nothing in our creative lives is one size fits all.
Do you have any ideas for sparking creativity at work? We’d love to hear them in the comments!
Stay informed!
One thought on “5 Ways You Can Train Your Creative Mind”
Another great piece of advice is to expose your mind to new, interesting, and sometimes shocking things. Or a creative shock if you will. On that note, H.R. Giger’s surreal art has been a source of great inspiration (and nightmares) for me. His work is the prime example of out of the box thinking and creativity anyone can learn from…if they can get past the grotesque and bonechilling imagery.
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The taboo surrounding Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) is slowly disappearing as more and more people are coming forward with their experiences on social media these days.
Just like other mental health conditions like depression, OCD, PTSD, panic attacks, paranoia, bipolar disorder etc., BPD patients are finally starting to open up about their struggles on public platforms, encouraging a lot of others in the process.
Before we delve into how a person can deal with BPD, we should perhaps take a closer look into what this mental disorder may look like.
What Is BPD?
Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) is a mental health condition that can impact a person’s day to day life. People with borderline personality disorder have difficulty regulating their emotions and controlling their behaviour with others, as well as with themselves.
Why Is There So Much Taboo Surrounding It?
Almost all the people who suffer from BPD fall victim to extreme self-image issues and have a consistent pattern of unstable relationships in their life.
And one of the biggest fears of a BPD patient is the fear of being abandoned by the people who are close to them. Even if things are going smoothly with their significant other or a friend, for example, BPD patients still tend to get insecure about them.
Emotional feelings are generally very intense for people with BPD and it takes them quite a while to get back to a balanced state after an emotional breakdown has taken place. This often results in unstable relationships, impulsiveness and self-image issues.
If a BPD patient is struggling to regulate such emotions normally, they often end up resorting to self-harm, which, more often than not involves cutting.
BPD patients also see people or situations as either black or white. There is no in-between for them. Their distorted sense of self and behaviour often leads to drastic changes in their moods, opinions, values, relationships and goals.
Disassociation is another concern for patients who suffer from BPD, which often results in psychotic episodes or extreme depression.
How To Deal With BPD?
If you or someone you know has BPD, the first step towards dealing with it would be to seek therapy.
One of the major problems with mental conditions like BPD is that it can go undiagnosed for years if you are not seeking help from a professional. However, once diagnosed, there are a couple of things that you can do to keep your BPD under control.
Here are some of the coping mechanisms that you can adopt to deal with BPD:
- Medication
Medication is a crucial element for anyone suffering from BPD. Although there is no one medication made for patients with BPD, anti-depressants and mood stabilizers can be effective treatments to deal with BPD.
Doctors may even prescribe a very low dosage of anti-psychotic medication in order to eliminate cluttered thinking.
- Psychotherapy
Therapies like cognitive behavioural therapy, psychodynamic psychotherapy and dialectical behavioural therapy are appropriate for BPD patients. Some of these therapies often result in major breakthroughs for dealing with emotional paranoia.
Once you have started therapy, the next step would be to adopt some of the coping mechanisms listed below when dealing with stressful situations.
- Doing an activity
One of the best ways to deal or cope with stressful situations for BPD patients is to engage in any sort of activity!
Do note that watching a movie or using your phone cannot amount to activities for this point. You have to engage in physical activities like going out for a walk, taking dancing lessons, cleaning the house or even painting on a fresh canvas.
- Get Support
Having a good support system is very important for people who suffer from BPD. Supportive friends and family members can play active roles to make BPD patients feel better about themselves and their surroundings.
- Take a Shower
Taking a warm bath or shower can distract you from whatever emotions you are going through at the moment. It allows you to relax under the flow of warm water to shift your consciousness into the present. This will also calm the nerves and allow your muscles to relax.
- Breathing Exercises
From all the other methods of relaxation, breathing exercises tend to help the most when it comes to patients suffering from BPD. All you have to do is find a peaceful spot and either sit, or lie down to concentrate on your breathing. This will give you a sense of self amidst all the chaos you are going through.
- Grounding Oneself
If your thoughts and emotions are all over the place, perhaps, it is time for you to ground yourself into the present.
One way of trying to recollect oneself is to stand with one or two ice cubes in hand for a couple of minutes. This should be enough to keep you in touch with reality for a good period of time.
- Being Mindful
Let yourself go through all of the emotions that you are feeling, instead of trying to suppress or block them. Accept whatever wave of emotion you are going through right now and try to stay focused in your present to be mindful.
- Wait it out
Generally, intense levels of emotions last a couple of minutes until they finally ride out. Take a watch and sit with it for about 10-20 minutes. Chances are that after 10 minutes have passed, you will be more in control of your emotions.
- Music
There is perhaps no therapy in this world that is better than music. Turn on your favourite playlist and dance along. There’s a good chance that you will be able to distract yourself from whatever was causing you to stress out in the first place.
- Pray
Studies show that people feel a lot calmer after saying their prayers. If you are religious and have faith in that religion, why not give this coping mechanism a real try?
You can even say your prayers or do something spiritual, like attending a prayer ceremony or a congregation of spiritual talks. You never know, this might just end up working out for you!
How To Help Someone Deal With BPD?
Got a friend or a family dealing with BPD? Here’s how you can help:
1. Listen
More often than not, BPD patients tend to calm down after unloading their feelings with someone they trust. And if you happen to be that someone, all you have to do is just actively listen to them.
2. Be Sympathetic
Only listening will never be enough. You will also have to be sympathetic towards your loved one who is suffering from BPD.
Say you are sorry that they are having to deal with this every day. Acknowledge that they really have it hard than the others and be compassionate.
3. Distract Them
Distraction works best for BPD triggers, but only temporarily. Try distracting your friend or family member with BPD by doing an activity together, no matter what it may be. Paint something together or go swimming. Just remember to have fun.
4. Talk About Other Things
Just because your friend is having an episode, it doesn’t mean that you will have to talk about BPD only. Instead, try talking about other things that will soften or lighten up the atmosphere. You can even try asking them about their overall feelings and give them the opportunity to let it all out.
5. Focus On Emotions
There are high chances that their emotional well-being is not up to par. And that’s where you have stepped in!
So instead of judging their words, focus on the emotions and where they might be coming from. They will really appreciate it.
Overview
To this day, no known reason has been found for what exactly causes a person to suffer from BPD. While some believe that it can be inherited through genetics, others believe that there is a fair chance of BPD being caused by certain environmental factors while growing up.
Whatever the cause for BPD may be, always know that you are not alone in this. And with recent developments, there are active changes that you can make to your overall lifestyle to battle this mental health condition.
Yes, it may seem like a struggle to have to repeat these adopted changes every day, but remember that you are only doing this for your own emotional stability.
And while there are many more ways of dealing with BPD, however, none is more effective than taking regular therapy to keep your fluctuating emotions and behaviour in check.
So, what are you waiting for? Get started on your road to recover today! | https://myultimateliving.com/2021/11/17/how-to-deal-with-bpd/ |
Meir Litvak, Esther Webman. From Empathy to Denial: Arab Responses to the Holocaust. New York: Columbia University Press, 2009. viii + 435 pp. $30.00 (cloth), ISBN 978-0-231-70074-0.
Reviewed by Francis R. Nicosia (University of Vermont)
Published on H-German (October, 2009)
Commissioned by Susan R. Boettcher
Complexity and Context for a Sensitive Topic
In recent years, scholars and others have devoted increasing attention to the relationship between Arab nationalism and Islamism and Nazi Germany's mass murder of the Jews of Europe during World War II. Developments in the Middle East and Central Asia over the past decade or so, including the terrorist attacks of 9/11, Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's denial of the Holocaust, and calls for the destruction of Israel have generated interest in and considerable anxiety about an allegedly comparable, contemporary "Arab and/or Islamic fascism" and antisemitism. This sentiment, in turn, has prompted a reexamination of the relationship between the Third Reich and the Arabic-speaking world from 1933 to 1945. While some of that interest has been directed at Hitler's policies toward the Arab world between 1933 and 1945, much of the attention has centered on the nature of Arab and/or Islamic responses to German National Socialism and its persecution and mass murder of the Jews. The results of this renewed interest have often been problematic, however, not so much with regard to accounts and assessments of Nazi interests and policy in North Africa and the Middle East, as in their conclusions about the Arab reception of National Socialism and the Holocaust. They have tended to assume a single, uniform "Arab and Muslim World," as if such a monolith actually existed, and have generally ignored the enormous mix of ethnic, cultural, linguistic, and religious groups and traditions in that "world," which defies simple or clear categorization. Contemporary studies often fail to distinguish between urban and desert Arabs, western-educated and uneducated, religious and secular, communist and monarchist, Muslim and Christian, Sunni, Shi'a, and Alawite. Prior to the 1950s, were they Arabs from British-, French-, or Italian-controlled parts of the Arabic-speaking world? Moreover, their examples of Arab responses prior to 1945 are usually drawn from the words and deeds of Amin al-Husayni, the Mufti of Jerusalem, and the handful of Arab exiles in Berlin during World War II. On this basis, one might conclude erroneously that the mufti spoke and acted for all Arabs while he was in Berlin, and that he reflected a unified Arab public opinion on the issues of the day, in particular on the fates of the European Jews or those of their approximately one-and-a-half million brethren in North Africa and the Middle East.
Given the political, economic, social, cultural, and historical diversity in the Arabic-speaking world, any effort to understand and assess adequately the nature of Arab responses to National Socialism and the Holocaust must fulfill two requirements: familiarity with the historical and cultural context of the modern Middle East and research in appropriate Arabic-language sources. Meir Litvak and Esther Webman bring these components to bear on the tasks addressed in their excellent new book. Although not specifically a study of Arab attitudes and opinions toward Nazism and the Jews during the interwar and wartime periods, the book directs a useful lens at Arab responses to the Holocaust since World War II, answering questions for which previous studies have proven inadequate. Litvak and Webman examine post-Holocaust Arab responses to the Nazi mass murder of the Jews of Europe, but do so within the context of the recent history of the Arabic-speaking regions of North Africa and the Middle East, specifically the conflict between Jews and Arabs over the land of Israel/Palestine since the post-World War I mandate period. Moreover, they do not draw their conclusions solely on the basis of the mufti and a few other exiles or imply the existence of an "Arab world" that made a singular, uniform response to these events. Instead, they mine effectively a huge array of Arabic-language newspapers, periodicals, and other publications to assess the varied, complex, and often contradictory opinions of Arab journalists, politicians, academicians, and other intellectuals since 1945.
Litvak and Webman provide a penetrating, thorough analysis of the responses in the Arabic-speaking world, principally in Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, and among the Palestinians, to the Holocaust as its horrific realities became evident to the entire world beginning in 1945. They seek to explain those responses, not to justify them. They are clear and unequivocal in their descriptions of the repugnant aspects of some Arab opinion in the postwar period on these topics. However, they place post-1945 Arab discourse on the Holocaust within the larger context of the Middle East conflict, specifically the Arabs' gradual loss of Palestine since World War I. This context has been a natural--if not always justifiable or helpful--one for Arabs, particularly in the years immediately following World War II. Some Arab writers and politicians never tired of pointing out that since Germans (and Christian Europeans generally) and not Arabs were responsible not only for the Holocaust, but for the centuries of anti-Jewish persecution that led up to it, Arabs should not have to atone for the crimes of others by giving up Palestine. The authors demonstrate the ways in which Arab responses have used the Holocaust to call attention to Arab issues rather than to the details of the Holocaust itself. In the Arabic-speaking world, the discourse on the Holocaust after World War II was usually conditioned by secular nationalist and Islamic rejection of Zionism and the existence of Israel, within the additional context of resentment of and resistance to western imperialism in the region since the nineteenth century. Thus, a significant part of Arab Holocaust denial has sought to minimize the Jewish Holocaust by comparing it to the Arabs' own perceived struggles with and victimization by Zionism and the state of Israel.
The book is organized into two parts, with the first providing four detailed "case studies" that the authors view as driving the evolution of the Holocaust discourse among Arabs during the two decades following World War II. The first covers the three years from the end of the war to the establishment of the state of Israel in 1948, during which Arab opinion for the most part acknowledged the horrors of Nazi persecution and mass murder of the Jews in Europe, but argued that the Arabs should not have to pay the price for these events through the establishment of a Jewish state in Palestine.
The second case study is the furor over the German-Israeli reparations agreement of 1952 in Arab Holocaust discourse. The agreement was for the most part dismissed as Jewish exploitation of the Holocaust--the occurrence of which most Arabs still recognized--for the economic and political benefit of the Jewish state. Some Arab writers and politicians argued that individual Jews might indeed have deserved German reparations, but the state of Israel did not, and that the Palestinian people were equally deserving of reparations for having been expelled from their homeland in 1948-49.
The third case study treats the impact of the Adolf Eichmann trial in the early 1960s, in which much Arab opinion viewed with alarm the accompanying resurrection of images of Jewish suffering, which opinion-makers feared would only reinforce sympathy and support around the world for the state of Israel. The authors point out that while little underlying sympathy for Eichmann's actual wartime deeds was apparent in Arab discourses about the trial, a degree of sympathy for him as a person in his particular situation did develop, perhaps as an antidote to the sympathy for Israel that they feared the trial would generate.
Finally, the changing position of the Catholic Church toward the Jews after centuries of Christian persecution, culminating in the Second Vatican Council (1962-65), is offered as the fourth key factor in the evolution of the Arab discourse on the Holocaust after 1945. Here, too, Arab writers no doubt feared more positive benefits for Israel and negative ramifications for their own case against Israel in the court of world opinion. In each of these cases, of course, for Arab opinion in general the particular situation of the Arabs, especially in the conflict with Israel over Palestine, and not so much the horrific realities of Jewish suffering during the Holocaust, drove the Holocaust discourse. Still, charges in some of the Arab media of a "Zionist conspiracy" behind these four issues did resurrect the ugly myths of "Jewish conspiracy" so prevalent in the centuries-long litany of European antisemitism.
The chapters in the second part of this study present a thematic analysis of Arab Holocaust discourse, which taken together amply demonstrates its complexity and variations since 1945. In particular, the authors analyze Arab Holocaust denial as consisting of much more than the clear and outright rejection by some that the mass murder of the Jews in Europe during World War II ever occurred. Because of the importance of Arab authors' own perceived victimhood in this discourse, Holocaust "denial" among Arab writers also included expressions justifying the Holocaust; statements equating Zionism with Nazism and racism; assertions that Palestinians were victims of Zionist dispossession, and that the Palestinian "Nakhba" was the equivalent of the Jewish Holocaust in Europe; allegations of Zionist-Nazi collusion in the murder of European Jews; and accusations that World War II was a conflict between two equally evil imperialist camps intent on conquering Arab lands. Some of these contentions were based quite obviously on the premise that some sort of Jewish catastrophe did indeed occur in Europe during World War II.
Litvak and Webman have produced an outstanding and timely piece of scholarship on this very sensitive and vitally important topic. Their understanding of the historical context of Arab responses to the Jewish Holocaust in Europe during World War II, their recognition that the variations in that response reflect the historical and cultural complexities of the Arabic-speaking world, and their ability to consult a vast store of Arabic-language sources enable this book to fill a void that has existed for too long. The organization of the book, with its two main sections, does create a certain amount of unnecessary overlap and repetition, and thus a text that is probably a little longer than it needs to be. But their exhaustive scholarly research, methodology, and analysis offer the reader a detailed and compelling explanation--not a justification--of Arab responses to the Holocaust since 1945.
the
If there is additional discussion of this review, you may access it through the network, at: https://networks.h-net.org/h-german.
Citation:
Francis R. Nicosia. Review of Litvak, Meir; Webman, Esther, From Empathy to Denial: Arab Responses to the Holocaust.
H-German, H-Net Reviews.
October, 2009. | https://www.h-net.org/reviews/showrev.php?id=25676 |
What does worship look like? Is there just one truly right way to worship? Are there any wrong ways? To what extent should our unity as believers manifest itself in unified public worship? Sadly, disagreement over how we should worship our loving God has sparked some most unloving attitudes among Christians. Exploring the Worship Spectrum seeks to correct this. It provides a forum for presentation, critique, and defense of six prominent worship styles: *Formal-Liturgical -- Paul Zahl*Traditional Hymn-Based -- Harold Best*Contemporary Music-Driven -- Joe Horness*Charismatic -- Don Williams*Blended -- Robert Webber*Emerging -- Sally MorgenthalerThis unique format allows those with a heart for worship to compare different perspectives and draw their own conclusions on what the Bible teaches. It engages the reader's faculties of critical thinking in a way that allows him or her to understand the various approaches to worship, carefully evaluate their strengths and weaknesses, and make personal choices without adopting a judgmental spirit.The Counterpoints series provides a forum for comparison and critique of different views on issues important to Christians. Counterpoints books address three categories: Church Life, Exploring Theology, and Engaging Culture. Complete your library with other books in the Counterpoints series. | https://www.fbbcbooks.com/product/41430/Exploring-the-Worship-Spectrum-Six-Views-Counterpoints- |
Kuwaiti Prime Minister Sabah Al-Khalid Al-Sabah has announced that the country will aim to drastically change the country’s demographics in the coming years. The prime minister, who assumed the position as an appointee in November 2019, said “we have a future challenge to redress this imbalance,” referring to the country’s large population of foreign workers.
Migrants in Kuwait
Kuwait currently hosts millions of expatriates, making up 70% of a total population of over 4.5 million. The country has announced similar plans before, deporting thousands since 2016, but continues to depend heavily on cheap foreign laborers that benefit from the country’s low tax rate to save or send remittances home.
Migrant workers in Kuwait mainly perform low-skilled labor in occupations that Kuwaitis themselves avoid. Domestic help, construction, and lower-level public sector jobs have been filled by nationals from other Middle Eastern states and Asia more broadly.
Kuwait has previously considered imposing quota systems on immigration and is now proposing similar ideas, but the small native population would be hard-pressed to fill the gap left by the departure of millions.
Pandemic reveals risks
Poor living conditions and housing for unskilled laborers has become a major source of risk for Kuwait and many other Gulf states. While the country implemented COVID-19 measures early and general adherence was maintained, the migrant population in most Gulf countries allowed the virus to spread because of the cramped conditions of expatriate housing.
For Kuwait, the crisis appears to have renewed a drive to reduce its expatriate population and work toward a state of self-reliance. Like many Gulf states, Kuwait is facing increased tensions due to protests from foreign workers packed together in COVID-19 containment camps, and has seen a worrying rise in xenophobia towards migrants.
As the concept of shrinking populations is becoming more common in highly developed economies such as Japan and several European states, Kuwait’s plans would produce a unique experiment in rapid population decline.
Growing tensions
Kuwait has faced a challenge for years in how it could to reduce its population while continuing to grow its GDP and further develop the state.
Migrants who contributed to Kuwait’s development could suffer if it indeed “purifies the country,” as Kuwaiti parliamentarian Safaa Al-Hashem phrased it in Kuwait City-based newspaper Al Qabas.
Kuwaiti actress Hayat al-Fahad told a local television channel that immigrants who tested positive for COVID-19 should be “put in the desert” in order to save hospital beds for nationals while journalist Mubarak Albugaily called Egyptians workers in Kuwait a “burden on the state” in a public call for mass deportation.
Future growth
If the state of Kuwait is to find a solution to its dilemma of producing growth with a shrunken population, its officials could benefit from a cooling of tempers regarding immigrants.
If Kuwaiti officials and public figures continue to accuse migrants of exploiting the system, and migrants continue to live under poor conditions, the country might get its wish prematurely.
By prioritizing a deportation process and quota system that provides non-coercive incentives for departure and a recognition of foreign workers’ human rights, Kuwait could slowly wean itself of its reliance on migrant workers. However, the question of what would replace the labor of millions remains.
The country could copy strategies employed by Japan where automation, digital innovation, and the use of artificial intelligence are rapidly replacing low-skilled work. But getting to that point would require much time and work, during which foreign workers would remain an important part of Kuwait’s economy. | https://arabiapolicy.com/kuwait-announces-ambitions-to-decrease-reliance-on-migrant-workers/ |
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Since the 19th century, there has been a slow transformation in the nature of the norms that regulate political competition and the uses of state power. Monarchies whose legitimating principles appealed to divine sanction have steadily given way to republican regimes normatively grounded in appeals to 'the people.' Ideals of liberty, equality and solidarity have gained ground relative to ideals of hierarchy and dependence. Yet while in some ways the world is more democratic now than ever, new forms of non-democracy and new justifications for it have emerged. Drawing on a wide variety of examples and data from around the world, this important new text provides a global account of the history and theory of non-democratic government over the past two centuries.Grounded in the most recent social science research, it shows how non-democratic regimes have ruled through many different institutions, from parties to armies to dynastic families, and examines the economic and social performance of these different types of non-democracy, as well as the development of justifications for them. It discusses how over the last century personal dictatorships and totalitarian regimes have given way to hybrid regimes combining electoral competition with various restrictions on the ability of parties and other social groups to effectively compete for control of the state. The book assesses the processes through which non-democratic regimes change, and sometimes democratize, from cultural change and economic development to collective action and revolution.Offering a cutting-edge analysis of the complex issue of non-democratic politics, this is the perfect introduction for students with an interest in how authoritarianism exerts itself in the modern age.Accompanying online resources for this title can be found at bloomsburyonlineresources.com/non-democratic-politics. These resources are designed to support teaching and learning when using this textbook and are available at no extra cost.
Xavier Márquez is Senior Lecturer in Political The…
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Decision analysis in clinical gastroenterology.
Although the tools of medical decision analysis have been mostly used to address complex issues of healthcare and management policies, an important role remains for decision analysis to play in solving mundane medical problems of daily practice. The present article aims to restate the origins of decision analysis and to demonstrate the utility of decision models in clinical gastroenterology. Three clinical scenarios are presented to illustrate the applicability of decision analysis in clinical gastroenterology. The examples are modeled as simple decision trees and phrased in terms of threshold analysis. In spite of its striking simplicity, the framework of threshold analysis is able to capture a large variety of heterogeneous and often perplexing medical problems. Rather than calculate a cost-effectiveness or cost-benefit ratio, the result of the analysis is expressed as a probability value, which forms the threshold between the two choices against or in favor of a particular medical action. For most analyses little if any calculation is needed to solve the decision tree, and the final outcome of the analysis can be derived based on comparative estimates and considerations of magnitude only. The study demonstrates that threshold analysis can serve as a simple and convenient instrument to solve a large variety of problems in clinical gastroenterology.
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Sorry, I couldn’t resist the title given the times in which we find ourselves. However, the fact is, mediation is great, particularly for those attorneys who know what they are doing and who, as a consequence, consistently achieve good results for their clients through the process. Curiously enough, the characteristics of those attorneys are also found in good mediators: Both groups are prepared, adaptable, and intuitive. They also tend to be creative. Just as no two cases are alike, neither are two mediations alike. The right approach in one may be the wrong approach in another. What strategy to employ in any given situation takes experience, yes, but even without extensive experience, careful preparation and analysis will lead to good decisions.
Preparing for mediation
When I was in practice as a defense attorney, I learned early on that plaintiff attorneys were my friends, if for no other reason than the fact that they were my raison d’etre. The reverse is also true, albeit for a different reason. The defense attorney is the conduit to the decision maker, the person(s) who will be calling the shots in negotiations. While most defense counsel do their best to accurately report to their principals, they are, like all of us, imperfect. A case assessment may not include all of the damages being claimed, may not address all of the legal theories, or may not include all of the arguments which may be made. This may prove embarrassing for defense counsel at trial, but long before that, it will prevent the decision maker from offering the money your client needs to settle the case. The good news is, you do not have to leave this to chance. You can take steps in advance of mediation to minimize the risk of an inadequately prepared defense. The following suggested timeline will serve as a helpful guide in this process.
• 60 days before mediation: Review your correspondence and discovery to be sure that defense counsel has documentation for all economic damages being claimed. In a personal injury case, confirm that defense counsel has all relevant medical records and reports. Why 60 days in advance? Because defense counsel will have to submit a pre-mediation report (discussed, infra) well in advance of mediation, typically 30 days, so it is in your client’s best interests that the report both include and address all of the claimed damages. If this means doing some of defense counsel’s work, just think of it as part of your role as advocate for your client.
• 45 days before mediation: Send a detailed letter to defense counsel outlining your case, including all theories of liability, and all damages. This is a letter that you expect to be forwarded to the decision maker, so pay some attention to the tone of your letter. Your client may be impressed by a tough, in-your-face, chest-pounding tome, but it will most likely have the opposite effect on the person who counts the most at this stage, the person with the checkbook. It is easy to be dismissive of claims representatives, but in many cases they will handle more cases in a year than you will handle in five. While this gives them valuable experience, it also can cause them to become somewhat jaded. At best, they are unmoved by bombastic demand letters, and at worst, will react negatively. There will be ample opportunity to send that letter if the carrier fails to negotiate in good faith at the mediation. Until that happens, a well-reasoned letter referencing admissible evidence will have greater effect.
This letter should ideally include a demand. In the words of one highly successful southern California attorney, Bruce Brusavich, the demand should be “high but credible.” (Plaintiff, A primer for effective mediation, September, 2014) Putting a demand in this letter serves several purposes. First, it will, or may, influence defense counsel’s evaluation. Second, it takes away any argument the carrier might have at the mediation that they were “surprised” or “shocked” by the demand, and unprepared to respond at a meaningful level. Third, it puts the ball in the defense’s court and should allow the mediator to start discussing money quickly.
Why 45 days? The answer lies in the procedures followed by many insurers, and even self-insureds. Recall that defense counsel is required to submit a pre-mediation report, typically 30 days before the mediation. This report must address and assess both liability and damages. Also typically, the analysis takes the form of predicting what percentage of times the case will be won or lost, the range of comparative fault, if any, and the range of damages. The claims representative will then write up his or her own report, addressing those same issues, and that report is submitted to (1) set or modify the reserve; and (2) request authority for the mediation. Depending on the company and the size of the claim, the authority will be dispensed either by a supervisor or a claims committee. In either case, once that authority is established, it will typically not be increased before or at the mediation, even in the face of later submitted information or evidence. It may be increased after the mediation, after submitting a supplemental report, but rarely before and, even more rarely, during the mediation.
This pre-mediation letter, if properly written, will help defense counsel appreciate the evidence and arguments that will be advanced at trial. Even though there may be credible defenses and counter-arguments, stating your arguments plainly and persuasively will cause defense counsel to acknowledge and discuss them in the pre-mediation report.
• 10 days before mediation: Prepare your mediation brief. Having prepared your 45-day letter for the benefit of the decision maker, the brief should focus on the mediator. While not the trier of fact, the mediator will be looking at the case with a jury in mind, so you should lay out the arguments and the evidence as you expect the jury to receive them. You want the mediator to be persuaded as to the merits of your case, so be persuasive. Keep in mind, though, that the mediator is likely to have extensive trial experience, either as a practitioner or judge, so to maintain credibility, avoid the temptation to included marginal claims or arguments that could be made but most likely will not be made at trial. To the same point, be surgical in your selection of exhibits. A conscientious mediator will try to read everything presented, but it is annoying to spend time on marginal or redundant material.
• 1 to 5 days before mediation: If you are not contacted sooner, put in a call to the mediator a day or two before the mediation and provide any information that you consider important but which you did not want to put into the brief. It may be personal information about your client, your insight into the defense position, or any number of matters. If you have not worked with the mediator before, this is a good opportunity to find out what format, if any, the mediator likes to follow. Joint sessions are no longer the norm, but sometimes there is a need for one, and this should be discussed. In most cases, you will want to have the first crack at the mediator, so make that request. Will you need a little help from the mediator in adjusting your client’s expectations? This is the opportunity to bring that up.
• Any time before the mediation: Try to have an in-person conversation with defense counsel, and if that is not possible, then at least a phone call. It may seem old-fashioned in this world of emails and texts, but it can be quite disarming. After a deposition is a perfect opportunity (assuming the handling attorney actually attends – unfortunately not always the case), and of course should be outside the presence of the client.
Meet in your office and try to develop a rapport. Oftentimes this leads to a candid exchange of views on the case, and you can see if there is some interest in either negotiating directly or going to mediation. If the case is not quite ready for serious negotiations, try and reach some understanding as to what each side need to get ready, and what a reasonable timetable would be. As a rule, no bad things come from these discussions, and often wasteful discovery and needless posturing is avoided.
At the mediation
• Getting started: Having made the opening “high but credible” demand, the ball is now in the defense court. Even so, do not expect the defense to come back with an offer right away. There will probably be some back and forth on the positions before the first offer is made. However, before the negotiations get under way, you need to decide whether you want offers presented by the mediator in your client’s presence. If your client is savvy and relatively sophisticated, then having offers conveyed in the client’s presence should present no problem. However, with a less sophisticated client, or one given to especially emotional reactions, you might prefer to have the mediator just convey offers to you privately. That way you can control the message. Also, if you have a client that is particularly anxious to settle, that may not be something that you want the mediator to divine. Remember that mediators are always trying to “read the tea leaves” to determine where a case could settle. If your client is an open book, you may want to have the mediator reading you and not the client.
• Negotiate purposefully: Understand that negotiation is essentially communicating with numbers. Each move should convey a message, and the messages should be consistent in order to be credible. The pace of negotiations is usually dictated by the defense. Patience here is a virtue, as some defendants need to do the dance in small steps. Attempting to speed up the process too soon could convey the wrong message. Once a few moves have been made, parties start paying close attention to the midpoints, and these midpoints move with each offer and counter-offer. If you make a move that puts the midpoint below your desired settlement number, you will probably have difficulty getting the defense to that point.
• Working through the impasse: Negotiations often stall when one or both of the parties realize that their desired midpoint cannot be maintained. When this occurs, other methods can be invoked, either at the initiation of the mediator or the request of the parties.
• Bracketing: This is a way to convey larger moves without actually making them. One party says “if you offer X, we will go to Y.” The midpoint between those two numbers is where that party wants to settle. The other party typically will reject that bracket and might respond with their own bracket, indicating a lower midpoint. The parties can continue proposing brackets, getting closer each time, without either party making a firm offer. They also can, and frequently do, return to straight negotiating, now that they have a better idea of where the other side is.
• Virtual negotiating: “If the other side offered X, how would you respond?” This can get the parties to move without disclosing the move to the other side. It is useful when one side is reluctant to make a move because they are convinced it would not move the needle and put them in a worse bargaining position. It is a ploy used by mediators, but there is no reason you can’t suggest it.
• Mediator’s proposal: At some point the parties might consider asking for a mediator’s proposal (discussed in greater detail in another article in this issue), but that is typically done as a last resort.
At some point you may want to meet alone with the mediator, and more candidly discuss where you need to be at the end of the day. Solicit his or her suggestion as to the best way to get there.
• Closing the deal: Once agreement on terms has been reached, do not leave the mediation without a binding written document. Hopefully the mediator has asked the defense to bring a draft release to the mediation, and it can be put in the final on the spot. Get agreement on Medicare set aside issues, lien releases, confidentiality, payment time.
The unsuccessful mediation
If it looks like settlement on the day of mediation will not be achieved, try to pinpoint the sticking point. It may be missing records, speculation as to what a witness will say, a pending motion for summary judgment, or any number of things which are question marks. Getting answers to some of those questions could cause one party to change evaluation. You should keep the lines of communication open, and have a joint game plan for clearing up these question marks. Try to set a timetable for completing the game plan, and to keep matters on track; consider scheduling a follow-up mediation on the spot. Often the mediator will be following up with the parties whether or not there is a new date, in an effort to keep discussions going. Today, more and more cases are being settled in follow-up phone calls or sessions.
Wrap up
Settling a case is nearly always in the best interests of a client. Obviously there are those cases that just have to be tried. There may be a genuine disagreement that is so fundamental to the exposure of the case that any compromise would be too deep of a concession. Or one side is simply misevaluating the case. But for the vast majority of cases, the goal is to settle that case for the best possible terms. Knowing that, preparation is paramount. You wouldn’t go into trial unprepared, so why be any less prepared for resolving the other 98 percent of your cases? When your preparation has the effect of giving the defense the best opportunity to see the case the way you do, your chances of resolving the case at the right level are greatly improved.
John Drath
John Drath is a mediator with Judicate West in San Francisco, and has conducted over 700 mediations. With 40-plus years of experience defending personal injury and professional liability claims, he is a Certified Specialist in Legal Malpractice, a Fellow with the American College of Trial Attorneys, a member of ABOTA since 1983, and a past president of the Association of Defense Counsel of Northern California.
Copyright ©
2022 by the author. | https://www.plaintiffmagazine.com/recent-issues/item/make-mediation-great-again |
When writing a critical essay you need to include facts as well as examine the different ways the public views this topic. Explain the current controversy as seen by the media, public, and the experts from the Center of Disease Control. Explain how the public views this information by stating the social consequences in terms of school closings, warnings or precautions the public is asked to take. Go through the logical steps in thinking how one would evaluate their own risks to getting the disease. Include explanations on how one could manifest fears about the disease and how that would affect their behavior. To conclude give an example of your own critical analysis on this issue and state clearly your reasons and logic.
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This post was originally published on BestBits.net. Public Knowledge has signed onto this document. Please visit the post on BestBits to endorse this document.
The undersigned members of the Best Bits coalition welcome the “Draft Outcome Document” that has been produced by the NETmundial Executive Multistakeholder Committee (EMC) and was submitted to the High Level Multistakeholder Committee on April 3, which we consider generally captures a balanced account of the wide range of contributions submitted by all stakeholders groups through the open process developed for the NETmundial platform.
We would like to reinforce the following points from the draft document as a non-exhaustive list of priorities critical for the EMC and the Chair and Co-chairs to take into account and maintain in the structure of the draft as they develop the next version.
1) Internet Governance Principles
Human Rights
We welcome the fact that the draft acknowledges the quintessential importance of human rights, in particular the essential point that the same rights that people have offline must also be protected online. Human rights should be a foundation of Internet Governance, and all Internet Governance Principles and Processes should be underpinned by and in line with human rights. We underscore that the final outcome of NETmundial must recognize the inextricable link between human rights and Internet governance principles, policies and processes. Open and inclusive processes depend upon the freedoms of expression and association and are empowered by them.
Privacy
We reinforce our support for the affirmation of the right to privacy in the draft text. Privacy is a fundamental human right, and is central to the maintenance of democratic societies. It is essential to human dignity and it reinforces other rights, such as freedom of expression and information, and freedom of association, and is recognised under international human rights law.
Surveillance
We also endorse the explicit note about the need to avoid “arbitrary or unlawful collection of personal data and surveillance” by States with the collaboration of the business sector. It is of crucial importance in rebuilding trust amongst stakeholders that mass and arbitrary surveillance programs are brought into alignment with human rights jurisprudence and principles, and that transparency and oversight are strengthened.
Development and Access to the Internet
We welcome the inclusion of development among the human rights that underpin internet governance principles . The Internet is an enabler and catalyst of human rights, and, ultimately, to the right to development. As such, we believe it is important to include a reference to the right to digital inclusion and affordable, high-quality access to the internet in the non-exclusive list of principles.
Internet Infrastructure
We endorse the inclusion of principles related to preserve a globally interoperable, secure, stable, resilient, sustainable, and trustworthy Internet. While we acknowledge that neutrality is included in this section, we would like to see an explicit reference to the concept and term “net neutrality” as a core principle. The application of all these principles is essential to ensure universal and affordable high-quality brodband access.
2) Roadmap for the Future of the Internet Governance
We welcome the approach of the “Draft Outcome Document” in making recommendations on ways to improve the Internet Governance framework so it can serve as a catalyst for sustainable development and promotion of human rights.
We affirm our support for the draft document’s mentions of Internet governance processes and institutions in which decisions are inclusive, open, informed, transparent and accountable, with the full involvement of all stakeholders, and stress that it is particularly important to ensure meaninful participation, with gender and regional balance and the inclusion of marginalized voices.
NTIA transition and ICANN
We support the draft’s acknowledgement of the announced IANA transition away from U.S. National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) and its emphasis on the importance of including all stakeholders in the convening process, including those beyond ICANN bodies and I* organizations. It is important that the global multistakeholder community be able to participate in the discussion about the transition and in the transition proposal itself. Further it is important to reinforce the need for improved effectiveness, transparency and accountability of ICANN in the globalization process, as well as the separation of the policy development process and the IANA operations.
Distributive and Coordinated Internet Governance
We strongly welcome the option put forward in the draft of multi-stakeholder Internet governance coordination mechanisms, and we suggest it is reinforced as a recommendation, not only as an option “recommendable to analyze”.
Further analysis, monitoring and information sharing about and within the internet governance architecture as a whole is duly needed. It might help us to identify weaknesses and gaps in the coverage of important issues and, in light of empirical evidence, would help us evaluate the merits of any alternative decision making processes. A multi-stakeholder coordination mechanism could also be useful to promote dialogue, build consensus or at least provide inputs into other processes tasked with actual decision making.
IGF
We support the mentions about the need to strengthen the Internet Governance Forum (IGF) and to extend its mandate making it a permanent multi-stakeholder forum.
Issues dealing with specific Internet Governance topics
We reinforce the need to continue working on a multistakeholder dialogue to pursue institutional solutions to mass and arbitrary surveillance in order to guarantee the realization of several internet governance principles highlighted as fundamental in the draft outcome.
Finally, we welcome the idea that the NETmundial findings and outcomes feed into other processes and forums, such as WSIS+10, IGF and other Internet governance discussions.
We acknowledge the work done by the EMC and, as this is a non-exhaustive list of priority issues that we would like to reinforce, and we look forward to contributing further with specific text on subsequent drafts.
www.necessaryandproportionate.org; Judgment in Joined Cases C – 293/12 and C – 594/12 Digital Rights Ireland and Seitlinger and Others. | https://publicknowledge.org/civil-society-statement-on-draft-netmundial-outcome-document/ |
We have a fully equipped in house carpentry division where we work in a hands-on way, working closely to customize solutions with our collaborators ranging from contemporary to antique. The process of making is sometimes as rewarding as the process of conceiving.
We look at design holistically often blurring the boundaries between the disciplines of interior design, landscape, furniture and lighting.
Quality assurance in our joinery is as per ISO standard procedures and constantly monitored by our QA/QC engineer and on-site supervisors. | http://buildtech.asia/services.php?ser_id=10 |
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