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Thursday, March 06, 2008
News of Yore: Manning Creates Cartoon Mural
Cartoonists Came First— So Manning's Mural Says
The first newspapermen were cartoonists, period.
Some members of the craft might be inclined to argue the truth of that flat statement by Reg Manning, McNaught Syndicate editorial cartoonist whose work is distributed to more than 125 newspapers, but he's willing to take on all comers to convince the doubting Thomases.
In a monumental mural now adorning the walls of the Phoenix Press Club, the Pulitzer prize winner for cartooning in 1951 has documented his pet theory that prehistoric man carved news pictures on rocks long before he learned to write squibs for the Paleolithic Pioneer Press.
Therefore, reasons Mr. Manning, the first newspaperman was not a writer but a cartoonist.
To date only club members and a few visiting firemen, such as the aviation and travel writers who flocked to Phoenix early this year for "quickie vacations" as guests of the local chamber of commerce, have seen Mr. Manning's masterpiece of newspaper humor depicting the first news stories of mankind tapped out on stone.
All visitors to the press club in the Hotel Westward Ho have been wowed by the mural. Because it has a potentially wide appeal to all newspapermen who might be curious to know how their profession started thousands of years ago, Editor & Publisher has obtained permission to reproduce one section of the mural and the key to the primitive petroglyphs portraying the first news stories of the stone age - and how they were covered by the first cartoonists.
All told, 81 news stories and newspaper situations are depicted. Four months were required to complete the mural at Mr. Manning's home, in between his weekly stint of six cartoons for the McNaught list and a local one for the Arizona Republic. Reg dreamed up all the situations and gags in the mural and its key.
Originally nine feet long, as executed in tempera, the mural was enlarged and reproduced in exact color and detail on three walls of the club dining room by Art McFair, a Phoenix artist. It was completed a year ago.
Mr. Manning, whose cartoons have appeared in the Republic for a quarter of a century, evolved his theory about the origin of the newspaper business while roaming about Arizona's canyons, studying cavemen's pictures he found carved on the walls. He sums up his theory this way: Arizona's first news reporters were cartoonists, whose first editions, tapped out on stone, may be seen in the files of a thousand canyon walls. Depicted at the left of the mural (see cut) is one of the first newsmen.
"Arizona's original broadcaster who came ages before the microphone is portrayed at the right extremity of the mural (not reproduced here). He is the Town Crier of the Pueblos. In the Hopi villages of northern Arizona, town criers still announce news daily, as they have for centuries past.
"The primitive petroglyphs shown present paleolithic picturization of peoples and plights, philosophy and phrases, peculiar to press and radio, as our prehistoric predecessor might have pictured them."
Thus does Mr. Manning, with a thousand canyons to back up his theory, stand pat on his statement that the first newspapermen were cartoonists, as shown in his mural. Other sections not reproduced here depict the original comic strip, the first "love nest" story, members of the world's first press club gathered around the bar and "the first political column (grapevine and a little bull)." His favorite of favorites among the cave characters he created is "proofreader catching arrers." It shows the first proofreader on earth catching arrows flying in his direction.
If any newsmen are unconvinced about Reg's theory, let them come to Phoenix to see his pictorial evidence of the world's first scoops achieved by the primitive cartoonists. If they're still unconvinced, then Reg's ready to eat the biggest cactus Arizona can produce.
Symbolism in one section of Phoenix Press Club mural:
1. Man bites dog.
2. The only two kinds of birds you meet in this business: (A) The bird who wants to get his name in the paper; (B) The bird who wants to keep it out.
3. Which came first, (A) the thunderchicken, or (B) the egg?
4. The very first news story-Weather; (a) lightning, (b) clouds, (c) rain.
5. A usually reliable source-the horse's mouth.
6. The stone axe-a weapon so horrible it was going to end war.
7. The Original Big Story.
8. A reporter and his by-line.
9. Cut line.
10. Off the record.
12. "Don't quote me, but..."
13. X marks the spot.
14. Eternal triangle story.
15. Headline, with three sub-heads.
16. Increase in circulation.
19. The M.E., who else?
20. Newshawk. This symbolism is really deep stuff . . . note the nose for news, looking at both sides of the question . . . note the target he frequently is ... note equipment for leg work . . . note also he hasn't sprouted wings.
21. The spear-a weapon so horrible it was going to end war.
22. "Here I am on my first real assignment. Imagine ME, a rough, tough, glamorous reporter." 23. "Why wasn't my story in the paper?"
24. Evolution of punctuation: The Question Mark, (A) Woman has always been a puzzle to man, so she was first depicted in the center of a maze, with man, below, amazed. (B) Later and lazier artisans simplified the picture. (C) In this form the mark is used today.
25. Evolution of punctuation: The Exclamation Point.
26. Follow up.
28. The bow 'n' arrow - a weapon so horrible it was going to end war.
29. Dotted line indicates where the body fell. or was pushed.
[Anyone know if this mural still adorns the Phoenix Press Club? - Allan]
Labels: News of Yore
and lots of a similar magazine here:
Issues of True Comics are relatively cheap on eBay too. | <urn:uuid:e4f97d8c-51bd-4dd8-a4d8-25392c769c98> | {
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Babies and Children's Problems
Virus, infection or other cause?
Guidance for a Healthy Baby
Is your baby suffering with colic, blocked nose, chesty cough, sickness, restless or poor sleep, milk rash, eczema? As we want to ensure that this little person enjoys the best possible health, it is worth giving consideration to some possible causes.
Breastfeeding is Nature’s way. Medical authorities agree that breast milk is best because it provides all of the ingredients your baby needs for optimum health, growth and development. Studies published in the medical journals conclude that breastfeeding helps prevent atopic disease, including atopic eczema, food allergy and respiratory allergy, throughout childhood and adolescence.
So if this is the best diet for your baby, why do some babies still suffer with sickness, colic, eczema, poor sleep or various other symptoms?
The explanation is quite simple. The chemistry of breast milk is affected by the diet of the mother. Although the mother may not experience any symptoms of food intolerance herself, the ultra-sensitive immune system of the baby can be affected by food substances that it cannot handle and it causes reactions. This is particularly likely to be the case if there is a history of allergies in the family, such as asthma, eczema and so on.
You may have chosen not to breast feed, been unable to breastfeed or you may be supplementing your baby's diet with formula milk. Are you aware that most formula milks are made with cow’s milk?
The immature immune system of a newborn baby often reacts to cow's milk proteins. These milk proteins are responsible for milk allergy, which can easily be confirmed with painless skin tests or blood tests. However, less than 2% of babies have milk “allergy”, but milk “intolerance” is far more common and affects up to 40% of bottle fed babies.
So whether your baby is breast fed or bottle fed the possible cause of his/her problems could be intolerance to cow’s milk in the formula, dairy products mum is ingesting or other food items.
Another reason can be, some airborne allergens such as dust mites, are often behind some types of severe atopic eczema, rhinitis or asthma, in other words, totally unrelated to breast milk.
Treatment for Babies Problems
- Confirm with skin tests or blood tests that the problem is not caused by an allergy, i.e. egg white or milk protein or inhalants such as dust mites
- Through a carefully designed process, identify which foods are unsafe for the baby, if consumed by the mother
- A form of Immunoglobulin G (microarray ELISA) test has been rated 80% satisfaction amongst parents and physicians in the US (2015)
- Once identified, advice on how to adopt a healthy, balanced diet
- In some cases, treat to improve the baby's immunity
Some babies do well with a modified diet when they are weaned, but others react to many common foods, making it very difficult to define a healthy, balanced and sustainable diet. If this is the case, we recommend a safe method of desensitisation.
Guidance for Healthy Toddlers
Is your toddler suffering with recurrent “viruses”, ear, throat and/or chest infections? Do you feel you are forever at the doctor’s surgery? Are you concerned about using repeated courses of antibiotics?
Many parents and health professionals spend much of their time dealing with children’s health problems convinced they are caused by a virus, other infectious agents or changes in a child's chemistry well beyond their control.
Most of these health issues have two main causes
- An immune system struggling to cope with common foods or food additivies
- Deficiencies of some essential nutrients
Although several studies in the last four decades have concluded that breastfed babies have less colic or recurrent infections, pneumonia and eczema, few have ventured to point out that a significant number of children have been fed with formula milk or cow’s milk products.
In our experience, we have found that dairy products are often the culprits of many upper respiratory infections and if avoided an improvement or clearance of the symptoms can be seen.However, other foods can also be involved and it is important to identify these and also to understand which appropriate alternatives to use to maintain a balanced, healthy diet but without the reactions.
If one or both parents have some kind of allergy such as hay fever, asthma, eczema, simply due to the DNA, their children have an increased risk to develop allergies or intolerances sometime in their lives.
Treatment for Children's Problems
- Deal with any immune problems which may be affecting the toddler’s health
- Nutritional advice to improve immunity
- Long term advice on ensuring a balanced, healthy and varied diet
Contact us if you have further questions or to make an appointment for a consultation. | <urn:uuid:3cba4e49-f397-4712-9622-668a528460a4> | {
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Tuesday is the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary into heaven—a Holy Day of Obligation for all Catholics.
This solemnity is significant for a variety of reasons. For example, it is one of only two instances of the use of papal infallibility in the history of the Church. This belief in papal infallibility, though present throughout the history of the Church, was only formally defined in the First Vatican Council (1869-1870). It was exercised once prior to this definition–for the promulgation of the dogma of the Immaculate Conception in 1854. It was nearly one hundred years later when Pius XII exercised this special charism for the second time in the proclamation of Our Lady’s Assumption in 1950. When the pope exercises this charism, he is said to speak “ex cathedra,” i.e. “from the chair.” The chair is an image of authority—the authority received from Christ by St. Peter and exercised by all of his subsequent successors in the papal office.
It is important to note that this belief in Our Lady’s Assumption into heaven did not begin with Pope Pius XII in 1950. Though written evidence of this Christian belief only dates back to the 4th century, the belief in this truth began with the apostles, especially St. John, to whom Our Lady was entrusted by Christ immediately before his death on the cross. He and any other apostles present were witnesses to the events surrounding her Assumption and passed their experience down to the Christians in their community. Though not part of the canon of scripture, some of these accounts are recorded in early Christian writings and in the accounts of mystics to whom God made this event known. Though the accounts differ in various ways, one thing is consistent—the union of our Lady’s body and soul in heaven as singular grace. As the years went on, the Church reflected upon, prayed over, and entered into this sacred mystery. Gradually, Christ’s faithful began to understand more fully the meaning of Our Lady’s Assumption. They began to see its connection to their lives, their relationship to Christ, and their hope for heaven. This growth in faith finally found its culmination in the ex cathedra declaration of Pius XII:
“After we have poured forth prayers of supplication again and again to God, and have invoked the light of the Spirit of Truth, for the glory of Almighty God who has lavished his special affection upon the Virgin Mary, for the honor of her Son, the immortal King of the Ages and the Victor over sin and death, for the increase of the glory of that same august Mother, and for the joy and exultation of the entire Church; by the authority of our Lord Jesus Christ, of the Blessed Apostles Peter and Paul, and by our own authority, we pronounce, declare, and define it to be a divinely revealed dogma: that the Immaculate Mother of God, the ever Virgin Mary, having completed the course of her earthly life, was assumed body and soul into heavenly glory.“
Lest anyone mistakenly think that this is a mere theological opinion of the pope, he adds the following: “Hence if anyone, which God forbid, should dare willfully to deny or to call into doubt that which we have defined, let him know that he has fallen away completely from the divine and Catholic Faith.”
These words come only at the end of Pope Pius’ exposition on the topic. If you have not yet had the opportunity, I warmly encourage you to read his reflections in Munificentissimus Deus. It is relatively short and available online. | <urn:uuid:5dde40c5-d707-407d-a102-b9637a651680> | {
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Geographical Information Systems: Explained
In a complex and chaotic humanitarian crisis, our teams need to reach communities with the exact medical aid they need.
But, working in remote locations, against instability or evolving epidemics, there’s often one essential tool that’s surprisingly difficult to find: a map.
What is GIS?
Geographical Information Systems, also known as GIS, is a scientific field that uses data to represent and understand the world in terms of space and location.
GIS analyses spatial information to generate specialised maps and insights that help our teams respond to an emergency, no matter where it occurs.
How does MSF use GIS?
It may sound surprising, but Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders (MSF) works in many places where maps or data covering the area either don’t exist, are long out of date or are perhaps only partially complete.
But our medical teams need highly detailed maps and hyper-local data to reach people in need. This missing information can ultimately be the difference between life and death in a healthcare crisis.
Get closer to the Frontline
Get the latest news, stories and updates, straight to your inbox.
We have small teams of GIS experts who work to solve this problem and help us understand fundamental information such as:
- Access to healthcare: Where people live in relation to healthcare facilities
- Environmental threats: Up-to-date maps of communities vulnerable to natural disasters
- Logistics: The set-up and efficiency of our supply chains
- Epidemiology: How epidemics may spread through communities, as well as mortality and morbidity surveys (how often deaths and illnesses occur)
- Security: Vital overviews of security threats in unstable regions
GIS and epidemics
When cases of a disease begin to spike, GIS can be extremely helpful to understand where patients are becoming infected, how medical teams can reach them and the scale of supplies needed.
This crucial information can help track the progress of the disease and ultimately beat it.
When a mass vaccination campaign is called for to help stop an epidemic, our teams need to coordinate with other organisations to protect a significant proportion of the community and halt the spread.
In the case of a highly-infectious disease such as measles, a minimum of 90 percent of all children in any given population need to be vaccinated for the campaign to be effective.
However, census data may be at least 10 years out of date, or violence and instability may mean that entire villages have moved.
In these cases, GIS teams will map an area to help vaccination teams accurately understand the scale of the challenge and reach as many people as possible.
Vector-borne diseases are infections caused by parasites, viruses or bacteria that are transmitted to humans by animals.
The most well-known of these is malaria, carried by infected mosquitos.
GIS plays a vital role in helping teams understand the environmental factors that could impact species and drive spikes in infections rates, so they can better plan preventative measures.
In Maniema, in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo, a community was suffering from a prolonged outbreak of sleeping sickness – a deadly disease that is spread by one species of fly called the tsetse.
GIS specialists joined medical teams going from village to village to treat patients, collecting data on the number of cases and the surrounding forest habitat. This was used to generate an accurate disease map based on the known distances being travelled by the flies.
MSF teams were then able to understand the risks faced by different communities, as well as use the data to coordinate more focused screening and treatment in high-risk villages.
Join us: Help MSF map new areas
Join the thousands of volunteers already mapping the most vulnerable parts of the world by getting involved with the Missing Maps project.
The GIS project is powered by volunteers tracing areas of concern to us across the world. Using aerial photographs as a backdrop, road networks, buildings and landmarks are traced to build a line drawing of the area, which is then confirmed locally.
The first stage of this process can be done by anyone, from anywhere with some dedication and training. You just need to sign up to OpenStreetMap and spend some time learning how to use the software.
Or, you can download MapSwipe, an open-source mobile app that contributes to the Missing Maps project by verifying satellite imagery on which to base maps. | <urn:uuid:e8817e70-b25c-4da2-856f-c04467b71bea> | {
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After completing this tutorial, you will be able to:
Rwith Landsat data.
What You Need
You will need a computer with internet access to complete this lesson and the data for week 7 - 9 of the course.
As discussed in the previous lesson, you can use dNBR to map the extent and severity of a fire. In this lesson, you learn how to create NBR using Landsat data.
You calculate dNBR using the following steps:
- Open up pre-fire data and calculate NBR
- Open up the post-fire data and calculate NBR
- Calculate dNBR (difference NBR) by subtracting post-fire NBR from pre-fire NBR (NBR pre - NBR post fire).
- Classify the dNBR raster using the classification table provided below and isn the previous lesson.
Note the code to do this is hidden. You will need to figure out what bands are required to calculate NBR using Landsat.
Calculate dNBR Using Landsat Data
First, let’s setup your spatial packages.
# load spatial packages library(raster) library(rgdal) library(rgeos) library(RColorBrewer) library(dplyr) # turn off factors options(stringsAsFactors = FALSE) # source the normalized diff function that you write for week_7 source("ea-course-functions.R")
Next, open up the pre- Cold Springs fire Landsat data. Create a rasterbrick from the bands. Then calculate NBR. A plot of NBR is below.
all_landsat_bands_post <- list.files("data/week-07/Landsat/LC80340322016205-SC20170127160728/crop", pattern = glob2rx("*band*.tif$"), full.names = TRUE) # use the dollar sign at the end to get all files that END WITH all_landsat_bands_post ## "data/week-07/Landsat/LC80340322016205-SC20170127160728/crop/LC80340322016205LGN00_sr_band1_crop.tif" ## "data/week-07/Landsat/LC80340322016205-SC20170127160728/crop/LC80340322016205LGN00_sr_band2_crop.tif" ## "data/week-07/Landsat/LC80340322016205-SC20170127160728/crop/LC80340322016205LGN00_sr_band3_crop.tif" ## "data/week-07/Landsat/LC80340322016205-SC20170127160728/crop/LC80340322016205LGN00_sr_band4_crop.tif" ## "data/week-07/Landsat/LC80340322016205-SC20170127160728/crop/LC80340322016205LGN00_sr_band5_crop.tif" ## "data/week-07/Landsat/LC80340322016205-SC20170127160728/crop/LC80340322016205LGN00_sr_band6_crop.tif" ## "data/week-07/Landsat/LC80340322016205-SC20170127160728/crop/LC80340322016205LGN00_sr_band7_crop.tif" # stack the data landsat_post_st <- stack(all_landsat_bands_post) landsat_post_br <- brick(landsat_post_st)
# this code shows you how to create a normalized Z value for your raster plots! # it also uses color brewer to color the output raster # display.brewer.all() nbr_colors <- colorRampPalette(brewer.pal(11, "PiYG"))(100) plot(landsat_nbr_prefire, main = "Landsat derived NBR\n Pre-Fire \n with fire boundary overlay", axes = FALSE, box = FALSE, col = nbr_colors, zlim = c(-1, 1)) plot(fire_boundary_utm, add = TRUE)
You can export the NBR raster if you want using
check_create_dir("data/week-07/outputs/landsat_nbr") writeRaster(x = landsat_nbr_prefire, filename="data/week-07/outputs/landsat_nbr", format = "GTiff", # save as a tif datatype='INT2S', # save as a INTEGER rather than a float overwrite = TRUE)
Next, open the post-fire landsat data to calculate post-fire NBR. If you want to use the post-fire data to CROP the pre fire data you may do this in a different order.
Then you calculate NBR on the post data - note the code here is purposefully hidden. You need to figure out what bands to use to perform the math!
# notice that the data are plotting using the same z limits to fix the color ramp plot(landsat_nbr_postfire, main = "Landsat derived Normalized Burn Index (NBR)\n Post Fire", axes = FALSE, box = FALSE, col = nbr_colors, zlim = c(-1, 1)) plot(fire_boundary_utm, add = TRUE)
Finally, calculate the DIFFERENCE between the pre and post NBR.
# calculate difference landsat_nbr_diff <- landsat_nbr_prefire - landsat_nbr_postfire plot(landsat_nbr_diff, main = "Difference NBR map \n Pre minus post Cold Springs fire", axes = FALSE, box = FALSE)
When you have calculated dNBR or the difference in NBR pre minus post fire, classify the output raster using the
classify() function and the classes below. You learned how to classify rasters in the Earth Analytics lidar lessons
|SEVERITY LEVEL||dNBR RANGE|
|Enhanced Regrowth||> -.1|
|Unburned||-.1 to +.1|
|Low Severity||+.1 to +.27|
|Moderate Severity||+.27 to +.66|
|High Severity||> +1.3|
NOTE: your min an max values for NBR may be slightly different from the table shown above! If you have a smaller min value (< -700) then adjust your first class to that smallest number. If you have a largest max value (>1300) then adjust your last class to that largest value in your data.
Alternatively, you can use the
Inf to specify the smallest
-Inf and largest
You classified map should look something like:
Compare to Fire Boundary
As an example to see how your fire boundary relates to the boundary that you’ve identified using MODIS data, you can create a map with both layers. I’m using the shapefile in the folder:
Add fire boundary to map. Note the “Spectral” colorbrewer ramp is used in the map below.
Make it look a bit nicer using a colorbrewer palette. I used the
Note that you will have to figure out what date these data are for! I purposefully didn’t include it in the title of this map.
Add labels to your barplot!
barplot(nbr_classified, main = "Distribution of Classified NBR Values", col = the_colors, names.arg = c("Enhanced \nRegrowth", "Unburned", "Low \n Severity", "Moderate \n Severity", "High \nSeverity"))
Calculate Total Area of Burned Area
Once you have classified your data, you can calculate the total burn area.
To calculate this you could either
- use the
extract()function to extract pixels within the burn area boundary
crop()the data to the burn area boundary extent. This is an ok option however you have pixels represented that are outside of the burn boundary.
landsat_pixels_in_fire_boundary <- raster::extract(nbr_classified, fire_boundary_utm, df = TRUE) landsat_pixels_in_fire_boundary %>% group_by(layer) %>% summarize(count = n(), area_meters = n() * (30 * 30)) | <urn:uuid:a01f2473-55fc-4cbd-b63a-63b70f67f741> | {
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Learn About Catnip
How to Sow
Catnip may be grown from seed sown early indoors and transplanted outside after frost, or directly sown into the garden.
Sowing Seed Indoors:
- Sow catnip seeds indoors 4-8 weeks before the last frost in spring
- Sow seeds ¼ inches deep in seed-starting formula
- Keep the soil moist at 70 degrees F
- Seedlings emerge in 14-21 days
- As soon as seedlings emerge, provide plenty of light on a sunny windowsill or grow seedlings 3-4 inches beneath fluorescent plant lights turned on 16 hours per day, off for 8 hours at night. Raise the lights as the plants grow taller. Incandescent bulbs will not work for this process because they will get too hot. Most plants require a dark period to grow, do not leave lights on for 24 hours.
- Seedlings do not need much fertilizer, feed when they are 3-4 weeks old using a starter solution (half strength of a complete indoor houseplant food) according to manufacturer’s directions.
- If you are growing in small cells, you may need to transplant the seedlings to 3 or 4 inch pots when seedlings have at least 3 pairs of leaves before transplanting to the garden so they have enough room to develop strong roots.
- Before planting in the garden, seedling plants need to be “hardened off”. Accustom young plants to outdoor conditions by moving them to a sheltered place outside for a week. Be sure to protect them from wind and hot sun at first. If frost threatens at night, cover or bring containers indoors, then take them out again in the morning. This hardening off process toughens the plant’s cell structure and reduces transplant shock and scalding.
Sowing Directly in the Garden:
- Direct sow in average soil in full sun or light shade after danger of frost. In frost-free areas, sow from fall to early spring. Choose a location where vigorous plants can be easily controlled, such as in containers or a raised bed.
- Remove weeds and work organic matter into the top 6-8 inches of soil; then level and smooth.
- Sow seeds evenly and cover with ¼ inches of fine soil.
- Firm the soil lightly and keep evenly moist.
- Seedlings will emerge in 14-21 days.
- Thin to stand about 18 inches apart.
How to Grow
- Keep weeds under control during the growing season. Weeds compete with plants for water, space and nutrients, so control them by either cultivating often or use a mulch to prevent their seeds from germinating.
- Mulches also help retain soil moisture and maintain even soil temperatures. For herbs, an organic mulch of aged bark or shredded leaves lends a natural look to the bed and will improve the soil as it breaks down in time. Always keep mulches off a plant’s stems to prevent possible rot.
- Keep plants well-watered during the growing season, especially during dry spells. Plants need about 1 inch of rain per week during the growing season. Use a rain gauge to check to see if you need to add water. It’s best to water with a drip or trickle system that delivers water at low pressure at the soil level. If you water with overhead sprinklers, water early in the day so the foliage has time to dry off before evening, to minimize disease problems. Keep the soil moist but not saturated.
- Pinch the tops off young plants to encourage bushy growth. To encourage a flush of new growth, cut plants back by about one half after the first flush of bloom.
- Divide plants every 2 to 3 years to keep them vigorous and prevent them from spreading too much.
- Monitor for pests and diseases. Check with your local Cooperative Extension Service for pest controls recommended for your area.
Harvest and Preserving Tips
- Grow catnip for you feline friends, or use it yourself for a soothing tea. Leaves may be added to salads or to flavor foods.
- Catmints are marvelous as edgings for perennial beds and borders, as groundcovers under roses, or cascading over the edge of containers. They also attract numerous pollinators, and are great alongside the vegetable garden.
- Harvest leaves or whole stems as needed as soon as the plant is mature but before the leaves start turning yellow. Harvest in the morning before the heat of the day but after the dew had dried. Cut entire stems at the base of the plant. Strip leaves from stems.
- Store fresh catnip in the refrigerator for a few days.
- To dry, cut a bunch of stems on a sunny morning, tie them loosely and hang them in a dry, airy location out of the sun. Or, dry herbs in the oven for 2-3 hours on a cookie sheet at the lowest heat, leaving the over door open. Or, use a dehydrator following the manufacturer’s instructions. When plants are dry enough to store, a leaf will easily crumble between your fingers.
- When thoroughly dry, store herbs in a tightly sealed glass jar in a dry, dark location, such as a cupboard. Dried catnip can last for several months.
Common Pests and Problems
Bacterial Leaf Spot: First signs are small translucent spots with a broad yellowish edge that slowly enlarge and become angular or irregularly circular with a reddish center. It thrives in cooler temperatures. The disease may also affect and disfigure flower heads.Burpee Recommends: Remove infected plants. Rotate crops with plants in a different family. Avoid overhead watering. Do not work around plants when they are wet.
Cercospora Leaf Blight: Small flecks which develop a yellowish halo appear on the leaves and turn brown and coalesce. They cause the leaves to wither and die. Burpee Recommends: Remove infected plants and destroy all plant debris. Rotate crops.
Root Rots: A number of pathogens cause root rots of seedlings as well as mature roots. Burpee Recommends: Pull up and discard infected plants. Make sure your soil has excellent drainage. Contact your Cooperative Extension Service for recommendations.
Septoria Leaf Spot: This diseaseis most severe during rainy seasons in closely planted gardens. Circular spots with gray centers and dark margins appear on the lower older leaves. Fungi spores are produced and darken the center of the spots. There is a progressive loss of foliage and fruits suffer from sunscald. Burpee Recommends: Remove and destroy infected plant debris. Don't handle or brush against plants when they are wet. Remove weeds growing nearby.
Virus (Various causes): The most characteristic sign of virus is tight and dark green mottling of the leaves. Young leaves may be bunched. Young plants may have a yellowish tone and become stunted. Burpee Recommends: Plant resistant varieties. This disease is readily spread by handling. Destroy diseased plants and the plants on either side. Never smoke in the garden as Tobacco Mosaic Virus can be transmitted from a smoker's unwashed hands while handling plants.
Common Pest and Cultural Problems
Aphids: Greenish, red, black or peach colored sucking insects can spread disease as they feed on the undersides of leaves. They leave a sticky residue on foliage that attracts ants. Burpee Recommends: Introduce or attract natural predators into your garden such as lady beetles and wasps who feed on aphids. You can also wash them off with a strong spray, or use an insecticidal soap.
Flea Beetles: These small hopping beetles feed on plant foliage and spread diseases. Burpee Recommends: Use floating row covers to prevent damage to young foliage.
Spider Mites: These tiny spider-like pests are about the size of a grain of pepper. They may be red, black, brown or yellow. They suck on the plant juices removing chlorophyll and injecting toxins which cause white dots on the foliage. There is often webbing visible on the plant. They cause the foliage to turn yellow and become dry and stippled. They multiply quickly and thrive in dry conditions. Burpee Recommends: Spider mites may be controlled with a forceful spray every other day. Try hot pepper wax or insecticidal soap. Check with your Cooperative Extension Service for miticide recommendations.
Thrips: Thrips are tiny needle-thin insects that are black or straw colored. They suck the juices of plants and attack flower petals, leaves and stems. The plant will have a stippling, discolored flecking or silvering of the leaf surface. Thrips can spread many diseases from plant to plant. Burpee Recommends: Many thrips may be repelled by sheets of aluminum foil spread between rows of plants. Remove weeds from the bed and remove debris from the bed after frost. Check with your Cooperative Extension Service for pest controls.
Whitefly: These are small white flying insects that often rise up in a cloud when plants are disturbed or brushed against. Burpee Recommends: They are difficult to control without chemicals. Try hot pepper wax or insecticidal soap. Check with your Cooperative Extension Service for pesticide recommendations.
Is catnip a perennial or annual? Catnip is a perennial plant that grows in zones 3-9. It is a member of the mint family.
How can I use catnip as a companion plant? Catnip can deter insects from members of the cabbage family.
Can I grow catnip in a container? Yes, in fact we recommend growing catnip in containers so it will not spread through the garden.
Are the flowers edible? Yes, the flowers may be used fresh or dried in herbal teas.
Why do cats like catnip? The leaves and stems of catnip contain an essential oil called nepetalactone, which is thought to emulate a cat pheromone. Catnip is often used in cat toys and causes behavioral changes when cats sniff the nepatalactone. | <urn:uuid:3002ef1d-3acc-4226-9efe-890eed3ef630> | {
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A new book out is helping young people see that growing their own food is a cool thing to do.
Arizona-based natural and functional nutritionist Patti Milligan has created a character named Shirley in her book “Why is Shirley Unusual?”
It’s a story showing young people through the eyes of someone their own age that eating fruits and vegetables and gardening is not only good for them, but it’s also a way to connect families again.
Milligan’s goal is to share her story with everyone, including schools with gardens tied into their curriculums.
One school is the Scottsdale Child Care and Learning Center at Raintree. She is reading “Why is Shirley Unusual?” to a group of pre-kindergartners.
Shirley not only likes fruits and vegetables, she grows the food in her own family’s garden.
Milligan created the story for her now 20-year-old son Riley’s fourth-grade class. She gave us a preview of the story.
“You start to see the colorations of [Shirley’s] lunches as colors of the rainbow and then Charles is the new student and when they first sit down to lunch, he has probably a typical child’s lunch and it’s white or tan foods,” Milligan said. “Shirley then befriends Charles and they eat lunch together and he starts tasting [her] food.
“When they go home after school together, she brings him out to the garden and they learn about the aspects of growing plants and then we bring in composting,” Milligan continued.
Shirley is teaching other children near her own age about the importance of eating colorful foods, composting and planting their own fruits and vegetables.
This can all be done with fun assignments in the book.
“Shirley becomes their educator,” Milligan said. “So they want to do things Shirley did throughout the book and then bring it home to the families.
“My vision is if we can really tie this generation of children back to sustainability by not only eating the foods that they grow, but understanding the relationship of how good it feels to be in a garden is great,” she continued.
The kids’ teacher, Britta Brelo, really liked how they were all willing to try new foods.
“I like the aspect of the rainbow foods [and] trying new foods that the children have not tried before,” Brelo said. “I think that also showed them they could get sweet things from jicama, strawberries, blueberries as well as vegetables.”
The children even got excited to grow their own food in the learning center’s garden.
“With children all over the world not getting enough food, they can grow their own food and perhaps teach others that it’s possible to do that,” Brelo said.
This is exactly one of the things Milligan had in mind when she brought Shirley to life.
“I would hope that Shirley and her story would be a vehicle to introducing nutrition in a very refreshing way,” Milligan said.
Milligan plans to use the proceeds from the book to sponsor school gardens. “Why is Shirley Unusual?” can be found on Amazon at https://www.amazon.com/Why-Shirley-Unusual-Story-Nutritionist/dp/1533554714/. | <urn:uuid:35a60562-d7ba-40c1-a5f6-88c192dae328> | {
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Some participants in the pioneering gene therapy trial for Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) were found to have immune reactivity to the dystrophin protein -- in two cases, even before they received the first dose, researchers said.
Dystrophin-specific T cells were found in four of the six boys who received viral vectors carrying synthetic genes encoding a miniature form of the normal dystrophin protein, possibly explaining why long-term transgene expression generally failed in the trial, according to Christopher Walker, PhD, of Nationwide Children's Hospital in Columbus, Ohio, and colleagues.
Even more unexpectedly, some of the reactive T cells appeared to target normal dystrophin epitopes not included in the "mini-dystrophin" protein expressed by the transgenes, the researchers reported in the Oct. 7 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
Moreover, blood samples drawn from two participants before starting the trial were found to contain anti-dystrophin T cells, indicating that their immune systems were already primed against the protein.
"Monitoring of cellular immune responses should be a priority for any experimental therapy designed to increase the number of dystrophin-positive myofibers in patients with Duchenne's muscular dystrophy," Walker and colleagues concluded.
In an accompanying editorial, two gene therapy researchers not involved with the trial suggested the finding could actually be serendipitous, insofar as it might explain a previously mysterious feature of DMD.
"Most patients with Duchenne's muscular dystrophy have inflammatory infiltrates in their muscle, and many respond to systemic anti-inflammatory glucocorticoids. It is possible that autoreactive T cells are driving that response to some extent in certain patients," wrote Melissa J. Moore, PhD, and Terence Flotte, MD, of the University of Massachusetts Medical School in Worcester.
Study co-author R. Jude Samulski, PhD, of the University of North Carolina, also put a positive spin on the findings in a phone interview with MedPage Today.
"The Duchenne community is always looking for, what does this mean for my kid? That take-home message should be very loud and clear: we have a better understanding of the disease," he said.
"That understanding will allow us to approach the disorder in a more defined way so that we can address it with a better chance of succeeding."
He added that the sort of immunoreactivity seen in these DMD patients could well exist in other genetic disorders involving loss-of-function mutations to single genes, such as cystic fibrosis or hemophilia.
DMD results from any of a large number of mutations in the dystrophin gene. In most cases, the gene is not entirely missing but instead expresses a deformed protein sequence.
Many DMD patients have what are called revertant muscle fibers, which express abnormal dystrophin missing sequences encoded by genomic regions next to, but separate from, the DMD mutations.
As a result, Moore and Flotte suggested, children with DMD mutations may express enough abnormal dystrophin to provoke immune recognition, but not enough to induce self-tolerance.
Walker and colleagues decided to test the mini-dystrophin transgene because the gene for full-length, normal dystrophin is too large to be carried in the recombinant adeno-associated virus vector they wanted to use.
The smaller protein was shown to be partly functional in mouse models of DMD, increasing muscle contractility in the animals though not to fully normal levels.
The NEJM report is the first to be published from the phase I human trial. In it, the researchers focused on the immunologic findings, providing few details on clinical outcomes.
Other than the immune response, the therapy appeared safe, Walker and colleagues indicated.
Five of the six boys experienced at least one adverse event, which included stomach upset, macular or fungal rash, and sore throat, but all were mild.
Vector DNA was found in all patients after injection into the bicep of one arm. Muscle biopsies were taken in four patients 42 days after injection and after 90 days in two patients.
Muscle fibers containing mini-dystrophin were found in two of the four 42-day specimens but were lacking in both 90-day samples.
It was these findings that prompted the researchers to look for immune reactions that might have defeated the gene therapy.
Some of the reactive T cells they isolated were directed at nonself epitopes on the mini-dystrophin protein, but in other cases they appeared specific for dystrophin sequences that could not have been expressed from the transgene.
In the two patients with preexisting anti-dystrophin T cells, Walker and colleagues speculated that introduction of the transgene prompted a "recall response."
The researchers added that it was unclear why the other four patients apparently lacked the dystrophin-specific T cells before receiving the gene therapy. Walker and colleagues also indicated that they couldn't tell whether such T cells, irrespective of when they were generated, penetrated the muscle tissue in the study participants.
Samulski told MedPage Today that the way forward for DMD gene therapies may be to screen out patients showing preexisting dystrophin-specific T cells, or to cotreat them with immunomodulators to suppress them so that a transgene can be expressed.
He added that the same considerations would apply to other approaches that attempt to normalize dystrophin expression by, for example, causing the gene-transcription machinery to skip over the mutations.
The bottom line, he said, is that for at least some DMD patients, "that immune system is there waiting, and will respond regardless."
Primary source: New England Journal of Medicine
Source reference: Mendell J, et al "Dystrophin immunity in Duchenne's muscular dystrophy" N Engl J Med 2010; 363: 1429-1437.
Additional source: New England Journal of Medicine
Source reference: Moore M, et al "Autoimmunity in a genetic disease -- a cautionary tale" N Engl J Med 2010; 363: 1473-1475. | <urn:uuid:8207b357-0a6e-45fe-b03a-ed2703598e7e> | {
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1. Box turtles are wild animals that live outside. Do not keep yours in a tank. It is a sad existence for an animal that is used to living in a quiet, wild habitat where he can hide among the leaves and bury himself in the dirt. Make sure that your box turtle has a safe place to live in your yard. It should have a high fence to make it predator proof, plenty of places to hide, no pesticides or Snarol and shallow pot saucers of water to soak in.
2. Box turtles should feel heavy when you pick them up. They are carnivores. They eat worms, snails, slugs and other small insects as well as some green vegetation. So if your garden does not have enough for your box turtle to eat, buy some super worms at the local pet store and let him eat as many as he wants every day.
3. Box turtles hibernate. They will stop eating about early September or later if you live in a warm climate. If they are indigenous to your area, or you live in a temperate climate, or if they have lived outside all along, they can hibernate in the leaves and dirt. They need moisture so do not hibernate them in a box in your house. If you must hibernate them in the house, put them in a Rubbermaid box in fertilizer free potting soil in a cool area with a small container of water for moisture. Check them once a month.
4. Box turtles should have bright clear eyes and no runny noses. They normally close up their hinge when disturbed. If you can pull open the bottom shell easily with your finger, and the turtle is acting sluggish, has nasal or eye discharge, has swollen eyes or has stopped eating, you need to see a vet. This is not normal. Make sure that you see a reptile "exotic" vet who knows all about turtles.
5. If your turtle is planning to lay eggs, it will often stop eating. This is normal. It might start and stop digging for several days before it finds the spot it likes. Normally this happens at dusk. They will become mesmerized and dig with their back feet until the eggs are ready to be laid. If you want to hatch them yourself, carefully dig them up, keeping them in the direction that they were laid. Put them in vermiculite with a baby food size jar of water buried next to them. Cover with plastic, put on top of the frig or other warm place and wait three months. If you leave them in the ground (my preference), they usually take longer to hatch. It's possible ants or groundhogs will eat them, however.
For more information, follow us on Facebook at American Tortoise Rescue.
Below is the house we built for our sulcata, as well as many other houses for the sanctuary years ago. We used plywood for the roof with fireproof James Hardie 4 x 8 foot cement siding on top, which provides rain and sun protection. We built cinder block and rebar houses with the removable roof for cleaning and a removable door for closing as well as a wind barrier. The roof has a radiant heat panel screwed into the underside for heat from above and the floor is made up of pig blankets (made for pigs so they can take the weight) called Kane heat pads – both are available from www.beanfarm.com. Never use any lights – they cause fires. Never cover the pig blankets with any substrate or hay.
American Tortoise Rescue , the international nonprofit for turtle and tortoise protection, is asking consumers to not buy live animals, especially turtles and tortoises. Adopt please! Here’s a list of rescues in the U.S and elsewhere http://www.tortoise.com/need-a-rescue.html.
According to Susan Tellem, co-founder of the sanctuary, while these wonderful reptiles have outlived the dinosaurs, wide spread illegal smuggling and the commercial pet trade in turtles and tortoises has devastated wild populations worldwide. Many once thriving species are now threatened or endangered. Worse, some are now extinct.
"The pet industry thrives on small, adorable exotic animals with a big price tag," Tellem says. "What we are recommending is to avoid impulse buys. We understand the appeal of an adorable two inch baby turtle!” Tellem adds, “But most animal rescues have many turtles and tortoises ready for adoption to good homes.”
Tellem gives five reasons why people shouldn’t buy a turtle or tortoise.
She adds that a domesticated pet cannot be put back into the wild. It will die or introduce disease into an already precarious wild ecosystem. In many states, it is also illegal.
Tellem says that the option of placing the animal with a rescue is not always the answer, as her rescue is full as are most others. The best solution is to find a compassionate adopter who is willing to give a proper “forever home” to the pet. There are many national rescue organizations listed on www.tortoise.com which can facilitate adoptions if people are interested in getting an animal.
One way to enjoy a turtle or tortoise without harming them is to make a donation to a nonprofit like American Tortoise Rescue. “This allows us to educate people and care for the ones that are ill in our sanctuary. If a donor makes a $100 donation or more, we send them an adoption certificate featuring one of our permanent residents, and it’s good for one year. People enjoy that because they can care for the animal vicariously,” Tellem says.
American Tortoise Rescue, Malibu, Calif., is a nonprofit founded in 1990 to provide for the protection of all species of tortoise and turtle. For more information, contact: American Tortoise Rescue at www.tortoise.com ; or email [email protected] . Follow on Twitter @tortoiserescue and on Facebook. Tellem started World Turtle Day® 17 years ago which is now celebrated globally (and is trademarked). Find out more at www.wroldturtleday.org and on Facebook and twitter.
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Seeing the bottom of the Potomac River through a facemask is a little like looking through a microscope. It’s a new world down there, and you never know what you might find.
I was looking sponges. The previous year they were right here, at the head of Watkins Island, near Pennyfield Lock. It was apparently the first sighting of sponges in the river’s main stem. What happened to them? Would they come back?
I examined the bottom minutely, admiring the shimmering pebbles and the green patina on the mussel shells. I poked at anything that looked even the slightest bit spongy.
Then I saw something that made me come to a full stop. Wedged among the pebbles was a pair of tiny white tubes, then another, and another. Hundreds of them. I had found a colony of freshwater clams.
This was interesting, but not because clams are unusual in the Potomac. Far from it. The shells of this little bivalves literally pave parts of the river in Montgomery County. Along some stretches of shoreline, their shells crunch under every footstep.
But I had never seen these little creatures actually at work. And here they were, drawing water through one tentacle-lined tube, retaining nutrients other matter, and then expelling the same water through the other tube.
It struck me that they might be a little like the Higgs boson of the Potomac. Even though most people don’t know anything about them, their vast numbers could give them a decisive role in the river’s ecology. Are they another of Charles Darwin’s humble creatures that rule the earth, such as the barnacles that were the subject of his first book and earthworms which he lovingly saved for his last?
Oysters of the Upper Potomac. It seems so, at least according to biologist Harriette Phelps, a professor emeritus at the University of the District of Colombia. Phelps is widely known for her work with this clam species in the tidal Potomac.
She told me the clam’s scientific name is Cobicula fluminea. Its common name will have to wait, so as not to give away the second part of the story.
“Hard working Corbicula,” she calls them. Put a layer of them on the bottom of a pail of murky water, and an hour and a half later the water will be clear. Multiply this effect by the countless millions of clams in the river, and you have what Phelps calls a “key species.”
Forget the feisty bass, the graceful heron, the majestic eagle. One of the real drivers of life in the river is this humble mollusk, most of them no bigger than a quarter. Darwin would have understood.
Corbicula almost seems designed with the express purpose of purifying water. The particles it extracts from the river are not simply cast back again. Instead, they are combined with mucus to build up the sediment in which they live.
Does this sound familiar? Elsewhere on this site I wrote how oysters were the cheapest and most efficient water purifier system in the Chesapeake Bay, until they were nearly wiped out.
Clearing up the water kicks off a chain of happy events. More sunlight penetrating the water fuels the growth of aquatic plants. With oxygen-producing plants come fish and birds, and pretty soon, the river environment becomes whole again.
Phelps saw this happen in the tidal Potomac. There’s “absolutely every reason” to assume that Corbicula is providing the same service in our upstream portion as well, she says.
Certainly something good is going on out there. In some places in the river, plants are so thick that you can barely plow your kayak through them. In the channels through the vegetation you see darting shoals of minnows and bass slipping back into the cover. Big catfish chug along the bottom like monster tadpoles.
A dark secret. But these sunlit waters contain a dark secret. Corbicula is not a native of the Potomac region or anywhere else in North America. It originally came from eastern Asia, and is know by the popular name Asian clam. It arrived first on the West Coast around 1930, then showed up in the Potomac in 1977.
Once in the Potomac the clams rapidly increased their numbers, carpeting many parts of the river bottom. This would seem to qualify Corbicula for membership in that increasingly familiar “genus” of the world of advocacy ecology called “invasive.” Here we have another foreign creature that has invaded our own natural communities, like a shiploads of Vikings burning monasteries, slaughtering townspeople, and carrying off treasure.
But not according to Phelps. “Corbicula were not invaders,” she said emphatically. “They occupied areas that were previously unoccupied.” And like many immigrants, they got their start by doing jobs that natives wouldn’t or couldn’t do themselves.
In the tidal Potomac, Corbicula inhabits the upper layer of the river bottom, she explained. The estuary’s native clam lives deeper down. “Even with Corbicula, the native clams are all over,” said Phelps.
Paradoxically, Phelps worries that this “invasive” species might disappear. It already has in her former study areas in the tidal Potomac. The same could happen in the upper river as well.
If Corbicula disappears, the river’s ecological clock could start to go in reverse. With no more clams filtering out so much stuff that gets washed into the river, the water could again lose its clarity, and with it, many of its plants, fish, birds, and other life forms.
The clams’ disappearance would also be felt by one group of local people whose ties to Corbicula extend to long ago and far away. You can sometimes see them, the men bent over the water, raking out clams with fan covers, the women sitting in the river, plastic baskets resting on their outstretched legs, picking the clams out from the stones and empty shells.
These people are also immigrants, harvesting the same clams in the same way they they and their families have done for many generations in their southeast Asian homelands. Following age-old traditions they will cook the clams in a wok with ginger, chile peppers, basil, and soy sauce.
Evidently it’s an acquired taste. “They’re good,” says Phelps, “but not really clam-like to me. I like clams that are saltier.” | <urn:uuid:631891f2-6fb3-47f7-9c7d-3ac26ddc83e3> | {
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Kabina’s unique method for sustainable development in flood meadows enables great new homes to be built adjacent to existing infrastructure, in places where people want and need to live.
Types of flooding
We are all aware of global warming, climate change and increases in rainfall and flooding.
Winter precipitation trends across the UK for the 2080s. The increase ranges from +14% in the northeast to +23% in the southwest. The Thames Valley increase is within this range.
A report by IPCC in 2013 indicated that mean sea level would rise between 0.52m and 0.98m by 2100 due to melting ice sheets.
Sources of flooding:
- Rivers – when water overtops the riverbank
- Coastal (and tidal) – when seawater is driven on to land by storms and high tides
- Surface water – when excessive rain cannot be absorbed into the ground and runs off hard surfaces too quickly to be discharged
- Sewers – when too much rainwater enters sewers
- Groundwater – when below-ground water rises above ground level
- Artificial structures – failures such as burst water main or collapsed embankment
Terrain can be divided into upper, middle and lower catchment areas.
River basins, such as the Thames Valley, are in middle catchment areas.
The rainwater catchment area is larger than in the upper catchment, rainwater takes longer to reach the river and so large areas of rainwater can remain on the land for several days following a flood event.
Defra recommends that in such an area the rivers and floodwater should be allowed to flow.
Other recommendations are that roads are elevated above flood level and that planted open channels are created to provide drainage routes.
Flood types in a middle catchment such as the Thames Valley: mainly river flooding but also surface water, sewers and groundwater flooding.
Upper areas are in higher altitude locations such as the Peak District and Snowdonia; lower areas are typically coastal locations.
There are two ways to cater to flood events: raised foundations or a can-float system.
The default historically in the UK, US and elsewhere has been to raise the home so that the ground floor level is hopefully going to be higher than the level of flooding, often leaving a sacrificial lower level (void, basement or garage) which can take flooding at a cost that is deemed to be acceptable.
In the UK, where flood heights are generally less than the southern states of the USA the default is for ramps and raised homes. The homes have some flood mitigation measures such as ramps, washboards, raised electric points and perhaps sacrificial basements. They suffer from waste ingress in a serious flood but the damage is limited or mitigated by such measures.
The government refers to this as ‘flood resilience’, ie the homes are resilient and might suffer damage at an acceptable level.
Building on stilts or piers is commonplace across the USA. In low density coastal regions stilt foundations are almost transparent to tidal flows. However, when used as a defence against storm flooding this method can be vulnerable to heavy items of debris borne along on fast moving floodwaters. Furthermore houses that are permanently raised off the ground are not particularly convivial, nor is there any guarantee that a severe flood will not reach them. The recent flooding in Texas has proved the point. Public and governmental resistance to development in flood zones is most prevalent in high density housing environments, where councils naturally seek to prevent to new building schemes that may exacerbate or increase the existing threat of flooding to their homes.
This is relatively new to the UK and is more established in Holland. Flooding in the UK has not been on such a scale historically to justify the investment and rollout of can-float systems. However, with the impact of climate change and the increasing need for new homes, particularly given the desire to avoid greenbelts, the idea of can-float homes in flood zones is gaining acceptance as it is recognised as a means of providing full ‘flood resistance’ as opposed to mere ‘flood resilience’.
The Kabina Home responds to extreme flood conditions by adapting to varying water levels and flow rates. The Kabina house foundation system and landscaping give homeowners a great lifestyle, promote flora and fauna and can take surrounding neighbourhoods out of flood risk by providing effective flood management. The house design celebrates the deck which runs around the whole house and extends 3m at the back of the house to create outdoor recreational and dining space. The design is inspired by Japanese architecture, notably the flat-angled pitch roof and overhanging eaves and the adoption throughout of the 2:1 proportion. Kabina has sought to create harmony, balance and proportion, to eschew pastiche and to arrive at a semblance of both tradition and innovation. The Kabina home sits on a buoyant concrete box foundation and has robust guiding piles to ensure that it rises and falls safely and securely if there is an extreme flood event. | <urn:uuid:6b5ec107-2dc4-4197-99d2-9656cf0cc94c> | {
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Professor Lips’ research (see previous post) has included charting the rapid creep of chytrid fungus (AKA Bd) across Central America. Click on image to left for full frame view of the path and how fast it spread. Map courtesy of Professor Lips. I added the little text box and small arrows, just to help quickly grasp the map.
November 18, 2007
Chart of chytrid’s path in Central AmericaPosted by pleasecroak under Amphibian, Amphibian Ark, amphibian research, biodiversity, Chytrid fungus, climate change, Conservation, Environment, food web, Frog, global warming | Tags: Amphibian, Amphibian Ark, Bd, biodiversity, chytrid, Conservation, extinct species, karen lips, map, siu-carbondale |
Leave a Comment | <urn:uuid:bb17615c-71cc-4010-a27b-157bb97a4d1e> | {
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Florence, in Vespucci's day, was the home of genius, of culture, and of art. Amerigo, doubtless, was acquainted with some of her sons whose fame, like his own, has endured to the present day, and will last for all time. The great Michael Angelo, who was born at or near Florence in 1475, and whose patron was Lorenzo the Magnificent, was his contemporary, although the artist and sculptor survived the discoverer more than fifty years. Savonarola, who came to Florence in 1482, was just a year the junior of Amerigo, and is said to have been an intimate friend of his uncle, who, like himself, belonged to the Dominican order. The young man may not have been touched by Buonarroti's art, nor have been moved by Savonarola's preaching, but, like the former, he possessed an artistic temperament, and, like the latter, he was an enthusiast.
The man, however, who, next to his uncle, shaped Amerigo's career and turned him from trade to exploration, was a learned Florentine named Toscanelli. If you have followed the fortunes of Christopher Columbus, reader, you have seen this name before, for it was Toscanelli who, in the year 1474, sent a letter and a chart to the so-called discoverer of America, which confirmed him in the impression that a route to India lay westward from Europe across the "Sea of Darkness."
It is not known just when Amerigo first met "Paul the Physicist," as Toscanelli was called in Florence; but it may have been in youth or early manhood, for aside from the fact that "all the world" knew and reverenced the famous savant, there was the inclination arising from a mutual interest in cosmography and astronomy. Toscanelli was the foremost scientist of his age, and as he was born in 1397, at the time Amerigo met him he must have been a venerable man. He lived, however, until the year 1482, and as the younger man was in Florence during the first forty years of his life, and the last thirty of Toscanelli's, it is more than probable that their intercourse was long and friendly.
It is known, at least, that they were acquainted at the time the learned doctor wrote Columbus, in 1474, and it does not require a stretch of the imagination to fancy them together, and wondering what effect that letter would have upon a man who entertained views similar to their own. Columbus, it is thought, had then been pondering several years over the possible discovery of land, presumably the eastern coast of India, by sailing westward. "It was in the year 1474," writes a modern historian, "that he had some correspondence with the Italian savant, Toscanelli, regarding this discovery of land. A belief in such a discovery was a natural corollary to the object which Prince Henry of Portugal had in view by circumnavigating Africa, in order to find a way to the countries of which Marco Polo had given golden accounts. It was, in brief, to substitute for the tedious indirection of the African route a direct western passage—a belief in the practicability of which was drawn from a confidence in the sphericity of the earth."
Later in life Columbus seems to have forgotten his indebtedness to Toscanelli, and "grew to imagine that he had been independent of the influences of his time," ascribing his great discovery to the inspiration of one chosen to accomplish the prophecy of Isaiah. But the venerable Florentine had pondered the problem many years before Columbus thought of it. "Some Italian writers even go to the extent of asserting that the idea of a western passage to India originated with Toscanelli, before it entered the mind of Columbus; and it is highly probable that this was the case."
There is this in favor of Toscanelli: He was a learned man, while Columbus was comparatively ignorant. He was then advanced in years, and had given the greater portion of his life to the consideration of just such questions, having had his attention called to them by reading the travels of Marco Polo and comparing the information therein contained with that derived from Eastern merchants who had traded for many years in the Orient. He was not a sailor, nor a corsair—though Columbus had been both, and had followed the sea for years—but he was an astronomer, and he knew more of the starry heavens, as well as of the earth beneath them, than any other scientist alive. "It was Toscanelli who erected the famous solstitial gnomon at the cathedral of Florence." For his learning he was honored, when but thirty years of age, with the curatorship of the great Florentine library, and for nearly sixty years thereafter he passed his days amid books, charts, maps, and globes.
As a speculative philosopher, he had arrived at a correct conclusion respecting the sphericity of the earth, and, with all the generosity of a humanitarian, he freely communicated his ideas to others. Columbus would have excluded every other human being from participating in his thoughts, and arrogated to himself alone the right to navigate westerly. This was the difference between the broad-minded philosopher and the narrow-minded sailor who by accident had stumbled upon a theory. The philosopher said, "It belongs to the world!" The ignorant sailor cried, "It is mine!"
Toscanelli advanced the theory, but it was Columbus who put it to the test, and reaped all the rewards, as well as suffered for the mistakes. For mistakes there were, and the chief error lay in supposing the country "discovered" by Columbus pertained to the Indies. He died in that belief, and also Toscanelli, who passed away ten years before the first voyage made to that land, subsequently known as America. In one sense, perhaps, the Florentine doctor was the means of that first voyage of Columbus having been accomplished, for the chart he sent him made the distance between Europe and the western country seem so short that it was undertaken with less reluctance, and persisted in more stubbornly, than it might otherwise have been. But this was a mistake in detail only, and not in theory. A line was projected from about the latitude of Lisbon, on the western coast of Europe, to the "great city of Quinsai," as described by Marco Polo, on the opposite shores of Asia. This line was divided into twenty-six spaces, of two hundred and fifty miles each, making the total distance between the two points sixty-five hundred miles, which Toscanelli supposed to be one-third of the earth's circumference.
A conjectural restoration of Toscanelli's Map.
In short, Toscanelli calculated the distance, made a conjectural chart embodying the results of his readings of Aristotle, Strabo, and Ptolemy, of his conversations during many years with Oriental travellers, and his own observations. He sent this chart to Columbus; the latter adopted it as his guide, and by means of it, faulty as it was, achieved his great "discovery." Whose, then, is the merit of this achievement? Does it not belong as much to Toscanelli as to Columbus?
To whomsoever the credit may be given—whether to the man who conceived the idea, or to him who developed it, and whether or not Columbus intentionally appropriated the honor and glory exclusively—by the irony of fate, there stood a man at Toscanelli's elbow, as it were, when he wrote to the Genoese, who was destined to rob him of his great discovery's richest reward. This man was Amerigo Vespucci, after whom—though unsuggested by him and unknown to him—the continents of America were named, by strangers, before Christopher Columbus had lain a year in his grave!
It is not at all improbable that Vespucci was aware of the correspondence between Toscanelli and Columbus, as he was then acquainted with the former, and at the age of twenty-three was intensely interested in the pursuits of the learned physician. Next to Toscanelli, in fact, he was probably the best-informed man then living in Florence as to the studies to which his friend had devoted the better part of his life, and it is not unreasonable to suppose that he saw the letters before they were sent to Columbus.
But this is a trivial matter compared with the importance of these letters, in a consideration of the effect they produced upon the mind of Columbus, for, if they did not suggest to him the idea of voyaging westerly to discover the Indies, they certainly confirmed him in the opinion that such a voyage could be successfully made. By a strange freak of fate these letters were preserved in the Life of Columbus, written by his son Fernando, and there can be no question of their authenticity. They breathe the spirit of benevolence for which Toscanelli was noted, and indicate the greatness of the man—a greatness decidedly in contrast to the mean and petty nature of his correspondent, who would have perished sooner than allow information so precious to escape from him to the world.
Toscanelli's first letter was written in Florence, June 25, 1474, and is as follows:
"To Christopher Columbus, Paul the Physicist wishes health.
"I perceive your noble and earnest desire to sail to those parts where the spice is produced, and therefore, in answer to a letter of yours, I send you another letter which, some days since, I wrote to a friend of mine, a servant of the King of Portugal before the wars of Castile, in answer to another that he wrote me by his highness's order, upon this same account. And I also send you another sea-chart, like the one I sent to him, which will satisfy your demands. This is a copy of the letter:
"'To Ferdinand Martinez, Canon of Lisbon, Paul the Physicist wishes health.
"'I am very glad to hear of the familiarity you enjoy with your most serene and magnificent king, and though I have very often discoursed concerning the short way there is from hence to the Indies, where the spice is produced, by sea (which I look upon to be shorter than that you take by the coast of Guinea), yet you now tell me that his highness would have me make out and demonstrate it, so that it may be understood and put in practice.
"'Therefore, though I could better show it to him with a globe in my hand, and make him sensible of the figure of the world, yet I have resolved, to make it more easy and intelligible, to show the way on a chart, such as is used in navigation, and therefore I send one to his majesty, made and drawn with my own hand, wherein is set down the utmost bounds of the earth, from Ireland in the west to the farthest parts of Guinea, with all the islands that lie in the way; opposite to which western coast is described the beginning of the Indies, with the islands and places whither you may go, and how far you may bend from the North Pole towards the Equinoctial, and for how long a time—that is, how many leagues you may sail before you come to those places most fruitful in spices, jewels, and precious stones.
"'Do not wonder if I term that country where the spice grows, West, that product being generally ascribed to the East, because those who sail westward will always find those countries in the west, and those who travel by land eastward will always find those countries in the east! The straight lines that lie lengthways in the chart show the distance there is from west to east; the others, which cross them, show the distance from north to south. I have also marked down in the chart several places in India where ships might put in, upon any storms or contrary winds, or other unforeseen accident.
"'Moreover, to give you full information of all those places which you are very desirous to know about, you must understand that none but traders live and reside in all those islands, and that there is as great a number of ships and seafaring people, with merchandise, as in any other part of the world, particularly in a most noble port called Zaitun, where there are every year a hundred large ships of pepper loaded and unloaded, besides many other ships that take in other spices. This country is mighty populous, and there are many provinces and kingdoms, and innumerable cities, under the dominion of a prince called the Grand Khan, which name signifies king of kings, who for the most part resides in the province of Cathay. His predecessors were very desirous to have commerce and be in amity with Christians, and two hundred years since sent ambassadors to the Pope, desiring him to send them many learned men and doctors, to teach them our faith; but by reason of some obstacles the ambassadors met with they returned back, without coming to Rome. Besides, there came an ambassador to Pope Eugenius IV., who told him of the great friendship there was between those princes and their people, and the Christians. I discoursed with him a long while upon the several matters of the grandeur of their royal structures, and of the greatness, length, and breadth of their rivers, and he told me many wonderful things of the multitude of towns and cities along the banks of the rivers, upon a single one of which there were two hundred cities, with marble bridges of great length and breadth, adorned with numerous pillars.
"'This country deserves as well as any other to be discovered; and there may not only be great profit made there, and many things of value found, but also gold, silver, many sorts of precious stones, and spices in abundance, which are not brought into our ports. And it is certain that many wise men, philosophers, astrologers, and other persons skilled in all arts and very ingenious, govern that mighty province and command their armies. From Lisbon directly westward there are in the chart twenty-six spaces, each of which contains two hundred and fifty miles, to the most noble and vast city of Quinsai, which is one hundred miles in compass—that is, thirty-five leagues. In it there are ten marble bridges. The name signifies a heavenly city, of which wonderful things are reported, as to the ingenuity of the people, the buildings, and the revenues.
"'This space above mentioned is almost the third part of the globe. The city is in the province of Mangi, bordering on that of Cathay, where the king for the most part resides. From the island of Antilla, which you call the Island of the Seven Cities, and whereof you have some knowledge, to the most noble island of Cipango are ten spaces, which make two thousand five hundred miles. This island abounds in gold, pearls, and precious stones; and, you must understand, they cover their temples and palaces with plates of pure gold; so that, for want of knowing the way, all these things are concealed and hidden—and yet may be gone to with safety.
"'Much more might be said; but having told you what is most material, and you being wise and judicious, I am satisfied there is nothing of it but what you understand, and therefore will not be more prolix. Thus much may serve to satisfy your curiosity, it being as much as the shortness of time and my business would permit me to say. So, I remain most ready to satisfy and serve his Highness to the utmost, in all the commands he shall lay upon me.'"
A second communication followed the reply of Columbus, in which Toscanelli wrote:
"I received your letters with the things you sent me, which I take as a great favor, and commend your noble and ardent desire of sailing from east to west, as it is marked out in the chart I sent you, which would demonstrate itself better in the form of a globe. I am glad it is well understood, and that the voyage laid down is not only possible, but certain, honorable, very advantageous, and most glorious among all Christians. You cannot be perfect in the knowledge of it but by experience and practice, as I have had in great measure, and by the solid and true information of worthy and wise men, who are come from those parts to this court of Rome, and from merchants who have traded long in those parts and who are persons of good reputation. So that, when the said voyage is performed, it will be to powerful kingdoms, and to most noble cities and provinces, rich, and abounding in all things we stand in need of, particularly all sorts of spice in great quantities, and stores of jewels. This will, moreover, be grateful to those kings and princes who are very desirous to converse and trade with Christians, or else have communication with the wise and ingenious men in these parts, as well in point of religion as in all sciences, because of the extraordinary account they have of the kingdoms and government of these parts. For which reasons, and many more that might be alleged, I do not at all wonder that you, who have a great heart, and all the Portuguese nation, which has ever had notable men in all undertakings, be eagerly bent upon performing this voyage."
In these letters we have outlined by Toscanelli the very voyage that Columbus took in 1492, eighteen years after he had received this precious information. In his journal of that voyage he makes mention of "the islands marked on the chart"; he was constantly seeking the island of Atlantis, and hoped eventually to arrive at the great and noble city of Quinsai, as well as at Cipango and Cathay. As for the "Grand Khan"—of whom he had been informed by Toscanelli, who obtained his information from Marco Polo's works—he not only sent an embassy in search of him, when in Cuba, but was looking for him throughout all his voyages.
It is well known that Columbus was not aware that he had really discovered a new world, but to the end of his days believed he had merely arrived at the eastern coast of India. So persistent was he in this belief that he falsified documents, and forced his crew to swear to what they did not know—namely, that Cuba was a continent, and not an island! He believed he had arrived at Cipango, when he heard the Indian word, cibao, on the coast of Hispaniola; and he says, in a letter written to Luis Santangel in 1493, "In Espanola there are gold-mines, and thence to terra firma, as well as thence to the Grand Khan, everything is on a splendid scale." Also, "When I arrived at Juana [Cuba], I followed the coast to the westward, and found it so extensive that I considered it must be a continent and a province of Cathay!"
Columbus, it has been said by some investigators, was a man of one idea—and that idea not his own! "It is impossible," says Washington Irving, in his Life of Columbus—which is, throughout, an elegant but labored apology for its hero—"to determine the precise time when Columbus first conceived the design of seeking a western route to India. It is certain, however, that he meditated it as early as the year 1474, though as yet it lay crude and unmatured in his mind."
The year 1474, as we know, was that in which Toscanelli sent him the letter and the chart. In that letter the route to India was laid down, and on that chart it was made clear to any seafaring man how Cathay might be reached, by merely sailing westward! By setting his helm, and persisting in a westerly course, any one might reach the coast that was supposed to lie opposite to Europe and Africa. Columbus did that, according to directions received from Toscanelli eighteen years before. He did nothing more, and he reached, not the coast of India, but the outlying islands of a new world since called America.
The idea, then, which Columbus claimed as exclusively his own was conveyed to him by Toscanelli—or, at least, it so appears—and Toscanelli obtained it from the ancients. For, says one having authority, "Eratosthenes, accepting the spherical theory, had advanced the identical notion which nearly seventeen hundred years later impelled Columbus to his voyage. He held the known world to span one-third of the circuit of the globe, as Strabo did at a later day, leaving an unknown two-thirds of sea; and if it were not that the vast extent of the Atlantic Sea rendered it impossible, one might even sail from the coast of Spain to that of India, along the same parallel."
And again: "An important element in the problem was the statement of Marco Polo regarding a large island, which he called Cipango, and which he represented as lying in the ocean off the eastern coast of Asia. This carried the eastern verge of the Asiatic world farther than the ancients had known, and, on the spherical theory, brought land nearer westward from Europe than could earlier have been supposed. . . . Humboldt has pointed out that neither Christopher Columbus nor his son Ferdinand mentions Marco Polo; still, we know that the former had read his book." | <urn:uuid:d4ef6d0f-7fcd-44de-9f86-cbfafbfd2e94> | {
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Red River Carts
One of the earliest settlements by Europeans in the Red River Valley was at the north end of the river at Selkirk, north of Winnipeg (then Fort Garry). The nearest large city to the settlers was St. Paul, Minnesota.
According to the journal of North West Company fur-trader Alexander Henry (the younger), the carts made their first appearance in 1801 at Fort Pembina, just south of what is now the United States border. Originally the carts were small horse-drawn affairs, with three-foot solid wheels cut from large trees, carrying up to 450 pounds. Later, larger wheels with four spokes were used and gradually the red river carts with their huge, many-spoked wheels evolved, carrying nearly twice as much. Some had "tires" made of shaganappi (green rawhide).
In 1878 Harper's Magazine carried a description of the red river cart, written by reporters who visited the territory:
It is simply a light box with a pair of shafts, mounted on an axle connecting two enormous wheels. Ther is no concession made to the aversion of the human frame to sudden violent changes of level; there is no weakness of luxury about this vehicle. The wheels are broad in the felloes (rims), so as not to cut through the prairie sod. They are long in the spokes, so as to pass safely through fords and mudholes. They are very much dished so that they can be strapped together and rawhide stretched over them to make a boat. The whole cart is made of wood; there is not a bit of metal about it, so that, if anything breaks, the material to repair
it is easily found. The axles are never greased and they furnish an incessant answer to the old conundrum: "What makes more noise than a pig in a poke?"
Each wheel was said to have its own peculiar shriek, announcing the coming of a cart train from a great distance. (Grease or oil would have only mixed with the dust, wearing down the axles.) As it was, a cart often used four or five axles on the trip to St. Paul from the Red River settlement. Harness was made from a buffalo hide, often in one piece. Carts moved single file, except when in danger from Indians, when they traveled several abreast. Each driver controlled five or six carts strung out behind him, each ox tied to the cart ahead.
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The word 'Theory' refers to the study of the workings of music, although there's nothing theoretical about it. The mechanics of music is factual and that's what we'll touch on in this next section.
Since music is something we hear, it's not always easy to describe it in words. Notation has long been the accepted way of translating music into a visual format and I highly recommend that you learn how to notate and 'sight read' music. The guitar, however, often attracts players who are not interested in the finer points of notation and 'just want to play'. Some of the most famous guitarists can't read or write notation, but they certainly know how music works. There is a very definite structure to music and over the years I have formed an image in my mind of that structure. That is what I will try to impart to you in these next pages .
Before I go into the answer to that rather large question, I would like to say that my teaching method is somewhat unorthodox, and has been frowned upon by some teachers. Their main complaint is that I don't emphasize enough the importance of reading and writing notation. My answer to that is that if I don't know how myself, how on earth could I teach it? What I can do is play the guitar. I learned by ear starting at a very young age and I have my own way of 'seeing music'. Standard notation is another way of seeing music, a way I never learned properly. I wish that I had, of course, and I've certainly given learning it a good try over the years, but I think perhaps I'm a little dyslexic in that regard. I just can't seem to make those little symbols stay still on the page. There is a structure to music, though, and that structure can be described in plain old English and depicted using graphs and the guitar fretboard itself as notation or graph paper. One more time for any frowners: I wish I could read music and teach notation, but I don't. I agree that it would be better to be able to read than not, but I also believe that it's the making of music rather than the notating of it that's important, and that implying to beginners that you MUST read music is plain wrong. I'm living proof. It's lucky for all of us that the Internet is jam packed with sites that do teach standard notation, in fact one of our contributing members right here at Guitar for Beginners and Beyond has posted some very comprehensive lessons on the subject of reading standard notation.
Music is a system with rules and regulations
Its raw ingredients are sound and time
The basic units of sound are notes, or pitches
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Allergies among pets are fairly similar to human allergies and can be described as an abnormal sensitivity when exposed to particular elements. There may be some breed susceptibility, it is believed that allergies can be genetically inherited. Most pets start to show signs of an allergy around the age of 1 to 4 years old.
Common allergens for pets include mold, dust, dust mites, fleas, tree pollens, weed pollens, grass pollens, feathers, wool, some cleaning products, and various food ingredients.
How are specific allergies determined?
History and examination of your pet forms the basis for suspicion of allergy. Testing such as skin scraping and cultures can rule out other issues. Response to therapy specific for allergy also typically confirms allergic origin. There are tests that can help determine specific allergies in pets, including:
Skin Allergy blood test - This is a blood test to measure whether your dog is allergic to certain antigens. This can be done in our office, and only requires that your pet not be any any allergy medications such as steroids or apoquel.
Skin allergy panel – This test is done by a dermatologist and may require your pet to be sedated. During the test, the veterinarian will shave off a small section of your pet’s hair and will draw a grid directly on their skin. The vet will then inject common known allergens alongside control variables to determine which allergens the pet is allergic to.
Food trials – Food trials are simply the process of trying out different pet foods to alleviate a food allergy. We will prescribe a prescription hypoallergenic food that is either a hydrolysed micro-protein base, or a novel protein base. It is critical during this 6-8 wk feeding trial that your dog not eat anything thing else, including flavored medications and bones.
Symptoms of allergies in pets:
Treating pets with allergies
Depending on the allergy, there are many methods of treatment available that can help alleviate the agony of allergies. To help give relief at home, you can regularly shampoo your pet to help reduce itchiness and remove any pollens, bacteria from the skin. Also consider wiping paws every time they have been outdoors. Be cautious with plants inside your home which may cause allergic reactions. Do your best to keep your house free from dust and other airborne allergens. We might recommend over-the-counter antihistamines initially, although these help only with mild allergy symptoms.
After positively diagnosing your pet with a specific allergy, the veterinarian can recommend a more specific treatment for their particular case. | <urn:uuid:e1f7cf53-5d53-46fb-b731-1b9803e2427d> | {
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What is rainy season in Tanzania
The rainy season in Tanzania typically occurs between March/April and May/June, and then again between October and December. However, the exact timing and duration of the rainy season can vary depending on the region within Tanzania.
In the northern coastal areas of Tanzania, the rainy season usually occurs from March to June, while in the southern regions, the rainy season can last from November to April. In the central regions of Tanzania, the rainy season typically occurs from November to May.
During the rainy season, Tanzania experiences heavy rainfall and thunderstorms, which can lead to flooding and landslides in some areas. The rainy season can also make some roads and bridges impassable, and some parks and reserves may be closed due to safety concerns. However, the rainy season also brings new growth and greenery to the landscape, which can make for some stunning scenery and great wildlife viewing opportunities | <urn:uuid:18d3885c-915a-4398-8546-ea649339b1fc> | {
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A Time for Patience
Patience is defined in the dictionary as the capacity to accept or tolerate delay, trouble or suffering without getting angry or upset. Throughout the times we are presently forced to tolerate, I cannot believe that there is any greater quality needed than patience.
We must spend a lot of time right now with our children who are not in school. We need to get to know them and tolerate their moods and actions. We need to be patient with them and with ourselves in a rare situation through this virus attack.
Patience can be taught to our children as we attempt to help them at home. They need to be patient with themselves when we limit their screen time which may be all they know to do with their out-of-school time. They need to be patient with their siblings when they get little break from them. They need to be patient with you as their “substitute teacher--more patient than they have been with the substitute teachers in school.
If we teach patience as a strength when dealing with people, as courage, as something that makes our children healthier and happier, we will accomplish more learning than they receive in school. If we teach them patience as steadfastness in face of the teasing and tormenting from siblings, we will also help ourselves to have patience. If all of us can remain calm in waiting for this to pass, we will have become better people, patient people.
Patience is not the ability to wait, but how you act while you are waiting.
(See specific articles to learn how to grow patience in your children of all ages.)
Even if the goal is academic, when we teach young people emotional skills, social skills, we see better mental health. Shimi Kang
If we want our children to succeed in life, there are social and emotional skills we must teach them. As parents and caregivers, our time is important, but taking time to help children learn to control and use their feelings and emotions properly in society is worth every minute of our time. This generation is growing up with tech time, but not parent time.
Children who grow up feeling like they can't do things, are not good enough or that they are not worth anything experience mood swings, loss of pleasure and poor concentration. These feelings are made worse by a tech-based society in which children experience social isolation and disconnection.
Impulse control is one of the skills with which we can help our children. "Mastery of impulse is all about self-discipline and choice. The mind is a powerful tool with which we have the ability to be in control of ourselves," says Alaric Hutchinson.
Children need balance in their lives which parents and caregivers can give. Creating routines, providing the right amount of nourishment in the form of fruits and vegetables with fewer calorie-rich snacks, limiting the amount of time children are on screen, providing time for physical activity, enough sleep for their age, and family time, especially at meals help children to know who they are and their place in the family as well as society. Communication and conversations are needed for children to grow successfully, to feel good about themselves and to achieve in their studies.
Suggestion: Make time to listen to your children. | <urn:uuid:6c1032e1-fde7-48a7-8d0a-bddbd0380d2d> | {
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Bacteria as Space-Time Machines
Microbes and bacteria don’t understand political man-made borders. They just expand and react freely; they are sovereigns of their surroundings. They deterritorialize human topographic order to delimit their own dominion. And they always leave some sort of trace behind them. Trace evidence is left behind when different objects come into contact with one another revealing a past narrative, like fingerprints indicate a hand that was once in contact with a surface, or a warm seat in the tube, which reveals that somebody was seating there before us.
Once the cap of a Boletus Erythropus mushroom is nicked and the cell walls are broken, oxygen alters its colour from brownish-orange to a range of iridescent tones. Walking amongst these psychedelic fungi in a forest could produce fantastic blue-black footsteps, as their colour transfers onto the shoes, which tread upon them. Colours and shape distortions that appear on them provide some sort of forensic evidence. A dynamic landscape narrative starts also on us after watching these traces. Landscape sensitive properties are nonetheless preserved in spite of continuous deformations.
This process of tracking back a series of events in space deals with re-enacting and re-mapping. In this sense, it could be also considered a Deleuzian reterritorialization process, where Euclidean coordinates turn into a set of dynamic parameters. Microbiological mutations can be perceived as space-time machines as well. After watching them, our brain takes us to a different time and place through a set of topological relations. How humid an environment was that turned bacteria samples into a pale tone? Or were they rather affected by loads of dust floating in the air?
Hidden layers of reality become automatically visible for us. The essence of different places is registered and captured during a certain time lapse. Aren’t these on-going maps almost more real than reality?
In observing microbes mutations, space is both represented and built anew in a constant negotiation of different agents; as Martina Löw puts it when referring to the relational production of space, which she understands by Spacing: the situating of social goods and people and/or the positioning of primarily symbolic markings in order to render ensembles of goods and people recognisable as such constitute space. Goods and people are connected to form spaces through processes of perception, memory and fantasy; we want to imagine what has really happened, why there is a round-shaped stain on the floor in front of us…
Building space can be considered as an architectural act, but not in the most classic perspective as the Vitruvian Triad has monopolised over centuries. The real fundaments of constructing space have actually never been Firmitas, Utilitas and Venustas (firmness, utility and beauty). As Miguel Paredes states, built space must actually be unstable, dysfunctional and ugly, changeable and blurry.
daniel fernández pascual (text contribution, 2011)
With the work DOMINIONS, Julian Charrière and Andreas Greiner captured a series of landscapes through bacteria (installation at Program Berlin, 2011. Curated by Carson Chan). Each box was exposed to a different ambience in remote places of Germany and Switzerland; then, displayed at a height proportional to the altitude of each site.
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Represent: Dr. Santosh Rai
Photo: Pakistani Hindu women's performing Laxmi Puja on Diwali Festival in Karachi City of Sindh State)
Islamabad : Hindu leaders in Pakistan say persecution is the main reason for the recent migration of members of their community from the country.
“Every month a Hindu family leaves for neighboring India. Insecurity, killings, kidnappings and forcible conversion of women to Islam are the major causes,” said Jaipal Chabria, a Hindu politician in Pakistan.
The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan says that every year about 300 Hindu girls are abducted and converted to Islam against their will in Sindh province alone.
Hyderabad diocese’s Vicar General Father Samson Shukardin also referred to “increasing frustration” among minority groups. “Most of the cases registered from Hindu families are from the Haris (peasants) community. The recent murder of the only Catholic federal minister has also increased desperation among minority groups,” said the director of the National Commission for Justice and Peace in the Catholic diocese in Sindh province. “Many Christian families wish to leave the country but cannot do so because they are poor,” he said adding “Minorities are feeling left out.”
Out of a population of 170 million, 78 percent are Sunnis, 16 percent Shiites and 6 percent non-Muslims. Christians are the second largest minority after Hindus, who make up 1.6 percent of Pakistan’s population. About 90 percent of the Hindus live in the rural southern region.
The recent number of Hindus is the sharpest decline in contrast to 20 percent of the population at the time of country’s independence in 1947, Chabria said.
“The mass migration, the non return of the Hindu community is bad news. Other minority groups including Christians and Ahmadis are discriminated likewise,” said Pritam K. Rohila from the Association for Communal Harmony in Asia. “The younger generation do not trust the government any more and opt for living abroad,” he said. The use of religion for power and politics will only distance people from the county’s establishment, he added.
Media reports say about 30 temples remain out of 300 Hindu places of worship at the time of independence in Karachi.
Rights group say that Pakistan’s stringent laws relating to religion have been used to persecute minority faiths.
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The USDA organic label is supposed to protect the consumer against GMOs and avoidable chemical exposures, but the sobering fact is that USDA-certified infant formula manufacturers are not only being allowed to use a pesticide in their formulas, but are advertising it as a ‘healthy’ mineral to unsuspecting consumers.
Unbeknownst to the vast majority of U.S. consumers, the nutritional adequacy of infant formula it not determined by its ability to support and produce health in those who receive it, as would be expected. Instead, it is deemed nutritionally adequate solely by virtue of it containing minimum quantities of a list of 29 nutrients, without specifying or even acknowledging the significant qualitative differences that exist between minerals in the form of nutrients and those in the form of industrial chemicals, e.g. amino acid-chelated forms of iron (iron glycinate) are much safer than relatively inorganic forms (ferrous oxide). Surprisingly, all that regulators do is ensure that those ingredients are there in the amounts deemed necessary, and that some basic quality control measures are followed during the manufacturing process.
A recent review summarized the U.S. rules as follows:
Infant formula, like no other food, is regulated by its own law, the Infant Formula Act of 1980 as amended in 1986. The act sets lower limits on 29 nutrients (so-called “table nutrients” because they appear in table form. U.S. Code of Federal Regulations 21 CFR 107.100). . . . Manufacturers are required to follow “good manufacturing practice,” but no requirement for sterility is specified. . . . Powdered formula is not guaranteed nor required to be free of pathogenic organisms (Baker, 2002).
Another researcher opined on the topic: “If we assess formula by its results, rather than by whether its ingredients matched a specific list, we would have to conclude that there has never been an infant formula that would “satisfy,” by itself, the nutritional requirements of infants during the first months of life.”
Essentially, the only thing infant formula does is keep children alive, and hopefully growing at a pace deemed acceptable by pediatric clinical growth standards.
But even infant formula’s ability to ‘keep children alive’ is increasingly coming into question. A recent review published in Archives of Diseases in Childhood revealed a disturbing statistic:
Considering this estimate, a fair question to ask is how much of this mortality burden is caused solely by a lack of breastfeeding/breast milk, and how much of this is being caused by the formula itself?
There is no denying that a sizable body of clinical and epidemiological research now exists proving that breastfeeding prevents at least 70 health conditions in breastfed infants, and that infant formula contributes to or causes 57 adverse health conditions, making the widespread promotion of infant formula in the US all the more troubling.
But, what may be most disturbing of all, is what ingredients are actually being put into these so-called breast milk alternatives, and under the ostensibly ‘pure’ and ‘healthy’ banner of the USDA organic label.
Enter the strange story of Copper Sulfate….
Copper Sulfate: Pesticide, Algaecide or “Organic” Nutrient?
Counter Markets Newsletter - Trends & Strategies for Maximum Freedom
Do a google search for “Copper Sulfate” and you’ll find a fascinating array of products vying for your attention, such as:
- Rooto Brand ‘Root Killer,’ 2lb Copper Sulfate: used to effectively kill and destroy roots in your drain.
- Crystal Blue Copper Sulfate ‘Smart Crystals,’ 5 lb Copper Sulfate: used to kill algae and kill roots in septic systems.
- Seed Ranch 100% Pure Copper Sulfate Crystals, 1lb: used to kill snails and slugs, pond cleaner to kill mosquito larvae and algae, fungicide/mildew cleaner, tree stump remover.
Nothing here indicates that Copper Sulfate is a ‘nutrient,’ correct?
Indeed, if you dig deeper into its toxicological classification you will find that, according to the Dangerous Substance Directive (one of the main European Union laws concerning chemical safety), Copper Sulfate is “Harmful (Xn), Irritant (Xi) and Dangerous for the environment (N).” According to research performed by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), the lowest dose of copper sulfate that had an acutely toxic impact on humans is 11 mg/kg, which is approximately 748 mg for a 150 lb adult.
All the more surprising to find this chemical in USDA certified Organic infant formulas, such as Similac’s new Advance® Organic Infant formula, and not as a contaminant, or even as a preservative, but as a mineral that ‘…helps give babies a strong start in life,’ according to the Similac website, describing its line of infant formulas and human breast milk fortifiers.
How can this be?
The USDA’s National Organic Program (NOP) presently regulates the definition of organic. According to NOP guidelines, any multi-ingredient product that contains 95% or more organic ingredients (excluding water and salt) may be labeled “organic.” Therefore the Copper Sulfate in Similac’s Advance Organic formula falls within the “contains less than 2%” ingredient list, giving the chemical a free pass.
But it gets even more interesting. Part 205.601 of the NOP’s guidelines specifies that copper sulfate is a “synthetic substance allowed for use in organic crop production,” as long as it is used in a way that “minimizes accumulation of copper in the soil.” We can assume, therefore, that its classification as an acceptable synthetic substance for use in organic crop production, it has evaded raising red flags among regulators.
There are several conclusions we can arrive at from here:
- Faced with chemically-watered down USDA Organic Standards, the time has come to look to truly organic agriculture (you know, what our grandparents simply called “food”), produced locally, and whenever possible with permaculture and biodynamic farming practices, which do not allow chemicals of any kind into their self-sustaining systems.
- We should be weary of all infant formula, including so-called “organic” formula, as it has well-known health risks, is not produced with any assurance that it has a beneficial effect on infant physiology (beyond preventing death from starvation), and likely also contains a known pesticide/herbicide.
- Time has come to focus on the irreplaceable importance of breastfeeding in infant health. When a mother’s milk fails, or production drops off prematurely, milk sharing clubs should be utilized. Worse case scenario, and these options are not available, goat milk products should be considered as an alternative, primarily because they do not contain the problematic casein protein known as beta-casein alpha 1, which is found in most cow’s milk in the US.
- Finally, hold manufacturers accountable. Advocate the Precautionary Principle, and put the burden of proving copper sulfate, sodium selenite, and various other chemicals used in infant formulas, and children’s vitamins, safe instead of turning exposed populations into guinea pigs by using animal-based toxicological risk assessment models to determine the highly Orwellian “acceptable level of harm.”
June Pauline Brady. Marketing breast milk substitutes: problems and perils throughout the world. Arch Dis Child. 2012 Jun ;97(6):529-32. Epub 2012 Mar 14. PMID: 22419779
National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). 1981–1986. Registry of toxic effects of chemical substances (RTECS). Cincinnati, OH: NIOSH.
This article first appeared at GreenMedInfo. Please visit to access their vast database of articles and the latest information in natural health. | <urn:uuid:9b5ed526-8abd-4b92-8fb2-5dfc5f2e057d> | {
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Date: April 14, 2019
Speaker: John Fonville
Category: Palm Sunday
Scripture: Luke 19 :28–19:40
Tags: faith, judgment, davidic covenant, Hallel Psalms, Isaiah 53, Peace, Christ, King, Messiah, Passover, Triumphal Entry, kingdom, Rome, Palm Sunday, donkey, palm branches, Psalm 118, Judas Maccabeus, A.D. 70, Fall of Jerusalem, Sovereign, Weeping, Psalm 89, Zechariah 9:9
In Luke 19, Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem divides into three scenes. Each scene reveals an aspect of the kind of King (Messiah) Jesus came to be. The consequences for failing to receive Jesus for who He truly is utterly disastrous. | <urn:uuid:5110c335-0616-4824-a60e-a05f6d672370> | {
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FALKNER • American author, Robert Heinlein, once said, “A generation which ignores history has no past and no future.” Tippah County is fortunate to be home to a Historic Landmark which invites residents to delve in to the past: The Old Ruckersville School.
Ruckersville School was the institution that gave birth to the formal education process of most of the black citizens of the Ruckersville community. The school building, which now serves as a community center, is one of over 1,300 buildings and sites in the state that have officially been recognized as having historical and/or architectural significance. Properties designated as Mississippi Landmarks are afforded specific benefits and protection by the State of Mississippi to insure preservation of the property’s historic, aesthetic, architectural, scenic, and cultural significance.
The Ruckersville School, originally organized as the Ruckersville Colored School, was founded in the early 1940’s. In 1941-42, the first structure for the Ruckersville School was a one-room shanty style building and served a dual purpose, as church and school.
The school in its infancy was supported primarily by the community with families and friends making sure that there was wood for the pot belly stove that provided heat for the teachers and students. A number of the teachers that taught at the Ruckersville School were from out of town, and during the school year, they lived with numerous families in the community.
It is believed that the building that now stands on the site and which served the Ruckersville School from the early 1940’s to the late 1960’s was built by Garnett Hopper. The school was initially slated to be a brick structure, but due to the building of the nearby Falkner School at the time, which used all of the bricks available, Ruckersville School ended up being constructed with cement blocks, which, in essence, probably ended up being a blessing to the community, since most of the other schools built during this time period were built from wood. Due to time and the elements, these other schools have had to be torn down or totally refurbished.
In the early 1940’s when the construction of Bethlehem Baptist Church was in progress, the present structure served temporarily as a place of worship for the members of the church.
When school was in session, the students would often look forward to being allowed the privilege of going to the principal’s office, pressing the small black button signaling it was time to raise the flag for the beginning of a new day of learning. The raising of the school flag was always overseen by a school official.
The school building itself, which, for the most part, has been left unchanged — even down to the original pale green paint on the cinder block walls — is not the only reason why the building is historically significant. The old school, which formerly went up to sixth grade, now features a Historic Room: a veritable time capsule of the school’s history.
Elaine Simelton taught at the school before integration. Prior to her death in 2021, Simelton, a well-respected leader in the Ruckersville community, engaged in spearheading multiple Ruckersville community improvement projects, including leading the Ruckersville TCDC in its quest before the Appalachian Regional Authority to secure the grant monies for laying the Foot Loose Walking Track on the former playground area. Her passion for her community, and preserving her community’s history, led to her establishment of the Historic Room, where she served as its first curator.
The Historic Room was a labor of love for Simelton, who spent decades of her time and financial resources to preserve the history of the school for future generations. Old wooden chairs from the original school are set up in a circle in a corner of the Historic Room, as if awaiting a small group of children for story time. Original student textbooks are on display, as well as the school secretary’s typewriter. Primary source documents, such as a ledger written in the handwriting of a former teacher of the school, photographic tributes to the many members of the military and notable graduates and teachers of the school, as well as newspaper clippings of past events, including a visit by Dr. James H. Meredith, who integrated the University of Mississippi, are all proudly displayed, transporting visitors back in time. The catalogued documents and artifacts in the Historic Room emphasize the major impact this unassuming, humble structure had on so many students during its 60 years as a school, due to the dedicated teachers and staff who cultivated young minds with a love of learning and a passion to change the world.
One such former student is Simelton’s daughter, Miriam Simelton Anderson. Carrying on her mother’s vision, Anderson, a Ripley resident, is interim curator of the Historic Room. Pointing to a school portrait of a smiling girl with braided pigtails, displayed on a bulletin board in the school’s auditorium with photos of others associated with the school, Anderson explained, “That’s my third grade photo—right before integration.”
Passing the stage, where students would once perform, prayers and the Pledge of Allegiance were recited, as well as where major announcements were made, Anderson recalled her mother telling her as a child, “When you get older, you’re going to have to learn to get up in front of people.”
She and her classmates gave many speeches up on that stage. Anderson’s mother was right: as an adult, Anderson speaks publicly, both as a community advocate and as an entrepreneur who provide individuals, families, employees, and small business owners with access to legal services, and identity theft protection services.
Mississippi’s state government dedicated the building to community use after integration.
“There is a board which oversees the building now. After integration, most of us (students) went to Falkner, some went to Ripley, some went to Walnut,” Anderson explained.
After integration, her mother stopped teaching, cared for her children, and continued in various community projects, including the Historic Room.
The Ruckersville School served then, and continues to serve, as a pillar to Ruckersville and surrounding communities, and was declared an official Mississippi Landmark on July 17, 2009.
The Historic Room is open for viewing by appointment only. To schedule a tour, contact Miriam Simelton Anderson: (662) 587-7604.
Those desiring to donate to the Ruckersville Historic Room Evergreen Project may do so by making your donations payable to: Ruckersville T.C.D.C. Historical Room Evergreen. | <urn:uuid:8b364a2f-0281-4f41-be99-e56abf76f6c5> | {
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Beware of beauty
Senecio Jacobaea has very few friends, despite her beautiful head of yellow flowers. The problem is in her common name, Ragwort, which paints a picture of a raggy person covered in warts, usually poisonous! But Senecio Jacobaea is not a person; she’s a bright wild flower with the potential to kill, or at least cause sickness, pain and suffering!
But please don’t write her off just yet. You see, due to her good supply of nectar and pollen, she is loved by many! Her fan following consists of insects, flies, bees and butterflies. So taking away Senecio and you take away this romantic liaison between 150 wild species. But to many people, getting rid of her is the only option! Especially people that keep horses!
Ragwort is poisonous to horses and quite often, there are no symptoms until it’s too late. The horse will stop eating and lose weight quickly. They will become sensitive to the sun and lose co-ordination. Quite often they lose their sight and eventually struggle to breathe. This is liver failure in a horse.
So what makes this plant a killer? Well it contains pyrrolizidine alkaloids compounds (but so do 1/3rd of all plants) that are poisonous to most animals. Once in the intestines, it’s broken down by the liver. It’s the liver cell damage that kills the poor animals that eats Senecio Jacobaea when no other food is available.
It is a sorry tale for many, but one that could have a happy ending if you avoid the Jekyll and Hyde plant. | <urn:uuid:8b5b8cc1-5f0b-4658-9195-8b24229d8087> | {
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Being able to work together with individuals is one thing puppies are born with, new analysis exhibits: As much as 40 p.c of a younger canine’s capability to speak with us is genetic, even earlier than any coaching or bonding has taken place.
In different phrases, the friendliness that younger pups are identified for is partly innate – although some begin off higher at it than others, based mostly on their genes. The workforce behind the findings says their discovery might assist in bettering coaching for service canines sooner or later.
The research concerned 375 puppies with a mean age of 8.5 weeks previous. The canines have been requested to finish quite a lot of standardized duties designed to measure their responsiveness to human interplay and their willingness to cooperate.
“These are fairly excessive numbers, a lot the identical as estimates of the heritability of intelligence in our personal species,” says animal psychologist Emily Bray, from the College of Arizona, Tucson. “All these findings counsel that canines are biologically ready for communication with people.”
Bray and her colleagues have spent a decade working with canines on the service canine group Canine Companions within the US, which provides them entry to loads of puppies along with their breeding historical past and pedigree report.
Utilizing knowledge from observations collected between 2017 and mid-2020, the workforce constructed a statistical mannequin evaluating genetic with environmental elements within the canines they examined, whereas controlling for breed, intercourse, age and rearing location.
The younger pups have been most responsive when a handler checked out or pointed to a container hiding meals – although the canines solely adopted orders when the gaze or gesture was preceded by a social cue (the handler speaking to the canine).
In one other take a look at, the puppies have been proven to be eager to have a look at a handler whereas the individual was speaking, and to return ahead for a pet. Nevertheless, in an experiment with a sealed container holding meals, the canines seemed much less to their human companions, suggesting whereas they have been good at responding to our cues, their capability to speak in form comes later of their improvement.
“We present that puppies will reciprocate human social gaze and efficiently use data given by a human in a social context from a really younger age and previous to intensive expertise with people,” says Bray.
“For instance, even earlier than puppies have left their littermates to reside one-on-one with their volunteer raisers, most of them are capable of finding hidden meals by following a human level to the indicated location.”
There’s truly a rising quantity of proof that very younger canines share the identical willingness to cooperate and talk as human infants do, although scientists have but to ascertain the genetic influences that is likely to be behind this conduct.
Subsequent, the researchers wish to search for particular genes that affect sociability in puppies, which would require a genome-wide affiliation research, the involvement of extra sorts of canine, and following these canines over time fairly than simply analyzing their conduct at a single level of their improvement.
In addition to serving to in canine coaching, future discoveries could possibly be informative in tracing the evolution and domestication of canines – precisely after they began exhibiting these behaviors as they grew to become a human’s finest pal.
“From a younger age, canines show human-like social expertise, which have a powerful genetic part, which means these talents have robust potential to bear choice,” says Bray.
“Our findings would possibly subsequently level to an vital piece of the domestication story, in that animals with a propensity for communication with our personal species might need been chosen for within the wolf populations that gave rise to canines.”
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A Tutorial for High School Chemistry
High school chemistry is one of the most feared classes of high school students in their scholastic careers, but with a few tips and resources it can be fun and engaging. High school chemistry encompasses the basics of chemical structure, equations, atomic mass and numbers, as well as bonding and topics like organic and electrochemistry.
Chemistry starts with the basic understanding of the chemical structure of atoms and molecules. All matter is made up of atoms and atoms are made up of protons, neutrons, and electrons. Each of these has a specific mass and never changes. The atomic number of an element is determined by the number of protons in an atom and the atomic mass is the number of protons plus the average number of protons in the atomic nucleus. To figure the mole, or molecular mass, the atomic masses of the individual atoms are multiplied by 1 gram and added together if the atoms are in direct proportion with each other or a one to one ratio. This number is called Avagodro's number and represents the fact that the number of particles in the molecule will be the same as that of the atoms making it up.
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A distinction that must be made is that chemical equations differ from chemical reactions. A chemical reaction is what really happens, or the physical events that take place. While the chemical equation represents the reaction in mathematical form. Reactants are the chemicals that are involved in the reaction, also called reagents, and are what the reaction starts as. After the equation and reaction are completed the result is called a product. Several different types of equations exist such as skeletal, balanced, and word equations and they are a part of all chemistry including organic and electrochemistry. A skeletal equation does not show any kind of conversion or change; it simply lists the reactants of the equation and a result. Balanced equations show the amount of atoms or molecules involved, as well as the amount of the product. Word equations are simply that, just the words representing the formula. Balanced equations are the most prevalent in chemistry.
Electrochemistry involves the transfer of electricity in the form of electrons and bonding in physical and chemical processes. It is the study of electricity at its most basic description. Terms such as potentiometry and electrolytic methods are common in electrochemistry. Potentiometry is the potential voltage of any substance or the potential electricity that may be transferred to another substance while electrolytic methods encompass a measurement involving a current or charge. This is the branch of chemistry that provides society with batteries, fuel cells, and electrical grids that are so vital to existence. Additional areas of study in electrochemistry include redox, balancing redox equations, reduction potentials, and the thermodynamics of redox equations.
Organic chemistry is the study of carbon based chemistry and is the chemistry of life and living organisms. Organic chemistry makes up a large portion of chemistry research and learning as it governs all of life's processes and chemical exchanges such as digestion, decay, growth, and birth. Topics in organic chemistry include acids and bases, molecular modeling, carbohydrates, amino acids, proteins, and DNA, as well as stereochemistry. There are thousands of organic chemical reactions and equations that are essential in the understanding of carbon chemistry. Studying organic chemistry will have a majority of the time devoted to bonds and the orbital properties of electrons that allow or enable said bonds in every state of matter.
Chemical bonds are what hold atoms together in molecular form and three major bonds take place in chemistry covalent, ionic, and non-covalent. In a covalent bond atoms share an electron to form their bond, effectively binding them together as the shared electron is needed by both or all atoms involved with the bonding. An ionic bond occurs when an electron is dropped or given to another atom and is not shared. Ionic pairs are held together by electrostatic attractions much the same way magnets work; common table salt is an example of an ionic bond. Non-covalent bonds are typically found in biological chemistry; hydrogen bonds are an example of non-covalent bonds.
Isomers present a special set of properties; they are compounds that contain the same number and same type of atoms but display different properties. Types of isomers include geometric, structural and optical; an optical isomer is a compound that is a mirror image of another but not identical. Typically they rotate the plane of polarized light evenly and equally. Geometric isomers differ only in the structure of the atoms and how they are connected and bonded. Isomers are a diverse and complicated group of chemical compounds that has given rise to many medicines such as Insulin. | <urn:uuid:f91b10bd-8e04-4dd3-9e1d-243bc46d1f2d> | {
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Using one of the recommended resources to get writing feedback, respond to the prompt below.
Make short sentences about each of the following images using each one of these adverbs: frecuentemente, bien, rápidamente, lentamente, temprano, ya, todo, mal.
Using one of the platforms for finding a tutor or language exchange partner, practice the speaking activities below.
Partner Speaking Exercise:
With a partner who speaks Spanish, practice forming different -mente adverbs by using this list of English adverbs of manner (ending in -ly). See how many of these English adverbs also exist in Spanish. Then try to form ten simple sentences using adverbs of manner.
Independent Speaking Exercise:
Choose 10 of your favorite -ly adverbs in English and form their -mente versions in Spanish. Use them in sentences, saying each sentence aloud. If you need help thinking of -ly adverbs use this list of English adverbs. Check them in a translator to see if they are correct once you’ve formed the Spanish equivalents. | <urn:uuid:82db802c-b147-471f-8723-aa920cb734e4> | {
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Weather and climate dominate disaster trends, says 2015 CRED data
The head of the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR), Robert Glasser, said yesterday that just under 100 million people were affected by disasters last year, while climate often aided by a strong El Niño was a factor in most.
Introducing preliminary annual disaster data from the Brussels-based Centre for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters (CRED), Mr Glasser said the most obvious impact of the hottest year on record “was the 32 major droughts recorded…more than double the ten-year annual average.”
He added: “The main message from this trends analysis is that reducing greenhouse gases and adapting to climate change is vital for countries seeking to reduce disaster risk now and in the future.”
Nepal confirmed that earthquakes are the single most deadly category of natural hazard and underlined the importance of building codes.
“It is buildings which kill people in seismic zones,” Mr Glasser said in a joint UNISDR-CRED press release, “as we saw again at the weekend in Taiwan.”
But weather and climate-related disasters now dominate disaster trends linked to natural hazards, the press release said.
The five most disaster-hit countries in 2015 were – in descending order of frequency of events – China, the US, India, the Philippines and Indonesia.
Mr Glass added: “National disaster-management agencies in Asia are doing good work in reducing death tolls from storms through early warnings and timely evacuations, especially in the Philippines, China, Japan and the small island states of the Pacific.
“Asia and the Pacific bore the brunt of the 90 storms reported last year which included 48 cyclone-strength storms.”
CRED Director Debarati Guha-Sapir said: “At 22,773 deaths for 2015, overall disaster mortality was considerably down on the ten-year average of 76,424 deaths.
“It does seem that early warnings are having an impact in the case of storms. Further investment in this area is warranted…
“Extreme temperatures, mostly heatwaves, have been severe in 2015. Several countries in Europe faced heat stress with significant numbers of deaths particularly in France.
The 32 major droughts recorded by CRED last year compared to an annual average of 15 over the previous decade, its analysis says, and the 50.5 million people affected were well above a ten-year average of 35.4 million.
Floods, which usually affect the most people in any given year, were in second place in 2015, when 152 floods affected 27.5 million people and claimed 3,310 lives.
Among other weather or climate-related data from 2015 were landslides triggered by heavy rains that killed 1,369 people and wildfires that affected almost half a million people.
Number of reported disasters per country, in an extract from a CRED-UNISDR infographic of their preliminary analysis of disaster data for 2015: it shows Asia was the most disaster-affected region and China the most affected country. (Source: CRED-UNISDR) | <urn:uuid:b584cd09-353e-43c6-a946-da63fa5dcf51> | {
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UC Berkeley Press Release
Avoid the brat pack: Website makes raising joyous kids more practical
BERKELEY – Reams of academic research abound across the country on how to raise happy children, but who has the time to read this myriad of findings, boil down the facts, and then turn them into practical parenting advice? The University of California, Berkeley's Greater Good Science Center is taking on the job with its new website on how to foster joy and avoid brattish behavior in children.
(Courtesy UC Berkeley Greater Good Science Center)
"They said, 'We've read enough. Tell us what to do,'" said Carter, the mother of two young girls, ages 4 and 6, who follows child development research closely.
A video producer offered to film Carter having blog conversations or "blogversations" with other moms and parenting experts, and thus was born the "The Science of Raising Happy Kids" website at: http://greatergoodparents.org.
Carter points out that happiness is not necessarily something we're born with, but is a skill children learn best from their parents. For example, research shows that the road to happiness is paved with altruism rather than materialism. Moreover, children who are praised for working hard rather than for "being smart" respond more positively to all sorts of challenges.
While grounded in rigorous social science research from institutions ranging from Stanford University and UC Berkeley to Harvard University and Columbia University, the website each week will answer such common questions as how best to praise your children, how to foster gratitude and how to establish sit-down family dinners even when everyone is on a different schedule. Carter said her ultimate goal is to help parents raise "emotionally literate" children.
Unlike other online parenting resources, the Raising Happy Kids site focuses on the positive rather than approaching everything as a problem. In addition, visitors can receive helpful tips from parents via message boards rather than from pediatricians, nutritionists and other experts.
Plus, there's not a single advertisement on the site: "We are doing this because we are concerned about trends in child well-being, not because we want to sell something. We know that we have good science that can improve children's outcomes, and our commitment is to getting the word out," Carter said.
Right now, visitors to the site will find short video blogs and "Try This at Home" tips as well as a blogversations between Carter and East Bay author, mother and breast cancer survivor Kelly Corrigan. Each month, a new theme will be featured. Not surprisingly, November's is gratitude and December's is an emphasis on family traditions and rituals as alternatives to shopping and toy fests.
The Greater Good Science Center helps people apply scientific research to their lives. Researchers at the center currently are looking into the neurobiology of positive emotions as well as at trends in well-being among American youth.
"Scientists have traditionally focused on understanding dysfunctional behaviors, but for the first time we are really seeing a lot of research that tells a positive story," said Dacher Keltner, a UC Berkeley professor of psychology who is founder and faculty director of the Greater Good Science Center. "When scientists learn something about what helps children thrive or what makes them happy or compassionate or grateful - well, then, we need to pass that information on to parents." | <urn:uuid:fe0c4388-3774-4cb0-9370-5a1fcab85bc6> | {
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To define critical thinking is to describe it as the ability one has to comprehend and analyze a given subject in great depth. When students are asked to write an essay that involves critical thinking, they are expected by their professor to conduct critical research and to demonstrate a true understanding of both the problem and possible solutions. Professors assign critical thinking essays because the process of writing them teaches students to critically analyze information.
Advanced writing skills are needed for critical thinking writing. Students also need to be creative thinkers with extensive background knowledge of the subject at hand. This type of writing needs writers with the analytical skills to examine issues from a variety of perspectives. It is not uncommon for students to find critical thinking writing difficult, both in organization and in application. Many turn to online writing services for assistance. Reading an example article critique or research article critique from Order-Essays.com can quickly convince any student that we are the right online custom essay service to handle any critical thinking essay. Whether a student needs critique papers, review article writing or a simple custom essay that involves critical thinking, Order-Essays.com’s writers are capable of producing outstanding results.
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Critical Thinking Essay Examples – Use Them Wisely
Of course, critical thinking is one of the most important skills today. Students write dozens of critical thinking essays to develop better critical thinking competencies. However, not everyone knows how essays on critical thinking can benefit their progress in learning. The purpose of this post is to outline the most valuable aspects of critical thinking and provide critical thinking essay examples for everyone.
Learn How to Make Decisions from Critical Thinking Essay Examples
Critical thinking always begins with decision making. In fact, critical thinking essays require a great deal of clarity about the decisions made by students. Writing a critical thinking essay actually means making a critical decision and defending it. If you have pending essays on critical thinking that are due soon, then be ready to engage in a lengthy and productive decision making process. Stay critical when you are choosing a topic, developing a thesis statement, and selecting evidence to support your claims. Be critical choosing the best solutions for a problem that you are going to discuss in your paper.
Do not Ignore Deductive Reasoning
If you look at critical thinking essays, you will see that many of them incorporate the advantages of deductive reasoning. It means that you take the information you have for each decision making alternative and deduce a conclusion based on a thorough analysis of this information. Critical thinking essays often require advanced deductive reasoning. They also provide an opportunity to improve your critical thinking skills.
Essays on Critical Thinking – You Can Do It
Critical analysis comes into play whenever you are in a position to evaluate someone else’s ideas or works. If it is a book, then you will have to read it through. If it is a painting, you will have to understand its historical and creative context. Critical thinking essays can provide a clue to students as to how they can best use their critical thinking skills. Empirical analysis can also benefit you. Do not underestimate its value in critical essay writing. However, be ready to take an objective position and evaluate your work from a new perspective.
In all essays on critical thinking, evaluation is one of the most important components. It means that your claims and assumptions must be supported with evidence. This is one of the primary requirements for critical thinking essay writing. Facts should be used everywhere. Their credibility is often unquestionable. However, make sure that you take these facts from reliable and reputable sources. Otherwise, your paper will look like it was written by the 1st-grader. If you want to defend a thesis that capital punishment does not improve crime deterrence, make sure to cite specific statistical data to back up your points.
Great Essays on Critical Thinking – Solving Problems
Problem solving is one more component of critical thinking and essay writing. It means that, when you have a problem, you develop a strong outline and defend the proposed solution. In almost all situations, one problem renders the provision of more than one solution. However, before you have at least one potential solution at hand, you will have to consider each and every component of the selected issue. Try to break it down into separate components and see which of them do not fit their purpose. In most essays on critical thinking, this is what you will do. You will be doing a job that your physician is usually doing – examining your organs and systems to find out which one is not working well. In essay writing, you will have to take a critical perspective on the consistency of your writing, your thesis statement, your topic, and so on. Be ready to consider your topic and essay as a combination of smaller elements. This way you will greatly improve your skills. | <urn:uuid:49d79bc1-2b66-48a4-a522-f1434dfa6133> | {
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An Element’s Presence Felt
Throughout this novel, “The Lord of the Flies”, fire serves many functions both real and symbolic. Fire was a form of wealth and power; it represented maturity and responsibility and was the one thing which all the boys had in common. When reflecting apon this novel it is imperitive to witness how important a role fire actually plays.
One of the things that fire represented in this novel was that it could be considered a form of wealth and power. Of the boys, those that were considered important and dominant were the ones who controlled the fire. In turn, those who controlled the fire were followed by the others, so fire could also represent leadership. Many times jealousy reared its head over there fire; something quite common in our society in terms of money, so that demonstrates how fire could be viewed as a form of wealth. It’s something of immense value, so much in fact that if necessary one would kill to obtain it. Control over the fire was a key issue however fire could not always be controlled. In fact at times it showed its incredibly wild nature and caused mass destruction on the island.
Maturity and responsibility were some other key symbols of fire. Keeping the fire lit in hopes of being rescued was part of a plan devised by the elder members of the group (Ralph in particular). This point supported by Ralph when he stated,
They were like a small nation; one that had to develop laws and a small system of government to keep order and prevent chaos. This, their elections, etc, were some of the adult situations they had to adapt and use in their new lifestyle on the island.
Whatever the situation may be, fire always remained the one thing all the boys had in common. The fire had to be kept going lit if they were to be rescued. This statement supported when Ralph lashed out at Jack,
“There was a ship. Out there. You said you’d keep the fire going and you let it out! They might have seen us. We might have gone home-” (pg. 76-77).
Keeping the fire going was a common goal amongst the boys and they all worked together to see that it would be done. They all needed fire for basic survival and its importance was well known among them all. Despite whomever had control of the fire, the rest of the boys follwed them, so thusly this determined temporary leadership on the island.
To summarize the above, the fire’s importance in this novel is clear; both for what it represented and what it is. It was responsible for keeping the boys unified, as well as tearing them apart. Fire brought adult situations to the table which the boys had to deal with and couldn’t ignore. It helped sustain life yet it also caused mass destruction. Whether viewed in a positive or negative light, its presence was surely felt nonetheless. | <urn:uuid:5af2b179-e21b-4b06-83d2-36ffac735205> | {
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Parents often ask us how they would know whether their young person requires a higher level of care, such as a hospital admission or a stay in residential treatment. Understandably parents want to balance their child’s need for the best treatment with keeping them at home and in the family.
Sometimes these decisions can feel incredibly tough, especially if it is unclear what treatment your child needs and your child is resistant to help. But the treatments and therapies you choose for your child can heavily influence outcomes.
Here we look at how parents can better understand the decision-making process to make informed choices that are right for their child.
What happens when my child first shows signs there might be a problem?
When young people first show signs and symptoms of mental health concerns or problems at home or school, they may be referred to a counsellor. This may be a school counsellor, pastoral head, NHS CAMHS service, or a specialist children’s therapist. In addition, some schools will have an educational or clinical psychologist or a child and adolescent recovery coach that can be called upon for young people with low-level concerns.
When a young person sees a counsellor at school or home, we usually expect them to be working on ‘here and now’ issues. This might include friendship problems, homework difficulties, pressure at school, or family arguments. Counsellors at school and in the community are excellent resources for problems in the day-to-day management of life for young people. This approach is often sufficient to iron out any issues before they escalate into deeper problems.
Where problems appear more complex (as is generally the case with eating disorders, for example), your child’s counsellor may refer your young person or even the family to a specialist Psychotherapist, Clinical Psychologist, or Psychiatrist.
This is the usual protocol if your child’s counsellor feels that your young person would benefit from an assessment of medical or clinical needs, or that they need more specialist levels of care. There are several different types of psychological treatments. The evaluation will determine the best approach for your child but will usually include talking therapy, like Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT).
As a parent, it is crucial to understand the complexity of mental health. Sometimes, a few counselling sessions won’t provide a magical cure, and recovery is never linear for complex issues. There may be steps forward and steps back in your child’s treatment. It is helpful to be prepared for this and be aware that different treatment options may become more appropriate as your child’s treatment progresses and problems unravel. Try not to worry. The counsellor or therapist with whom your child works will inform you if they feel more intensive treatment options should be considered.
What is a higher level of care?
A higher level of care usually means a stay in a hospital psychiatric ward, a psychiatric unit, or a residential treatment centre. However, it could be a more intensive outpatient treatment program. Your child’s safety will always be at the heart of any recommendations by clinical professionals.
My child is not getting better. What do I do now?
For some children, counselling will help to get things back on track. For others, more help may be needed, and there may be a referral to a child and adolescent specialist mental health team, psychotherapist, psychiatrist, or psychologist specifically trained to work with young people.
The family may also be referred to a family therapist and specialist mental health practitioners trained to help with specific family-oriented problems. Whatever the referral, your young person will get a treatment plan formulated after careful consideration.
As treatment progresses, parents will receive regular updates and be kept involved in decisions about ongoing care. Additional specialist services may be called upon as the plan unfolds to help with physical or psychological needs.
If your child has a higher risk level, or when outpatient treatment does not seem to be improving your child’s situation, your treatment team may recommend residential admissions or hospital care.
Your child’s mental health team will carefully consider inpatient or residential care if your child is self-harming, has suicidal thoughts, their physical health is compromised or is at risk of deteriorating or further harm.
Deciding for your child to go into a hospital or residential care treatment program can be difficult and frightening, particularly if your child resists the idea. Parents understandably feel that the safest place for their child is at home. While it may feel like you are going against your child’s wishes, you must trust the clinical guidance and process.
What if my child is resisting help?
This is such a valid question and one we are asked often. If your child is struggling with their mental health, for whatever reason, they will be behaving differently from how they did before these issues arose. You may therefore struggle to communicate with your child or adolescent, and it can feel like you no longer recognise them. You know they need help, but they try every trick in the book to convince you they don’t need it.
As a parent, you can feel like you are forcing them to do something they don’t want to, and this can feel uncomfortable. While it is essential during adolescence to allow your young person to develop independence and let them have their say, you must be careful not to let the mental health condition win.
Remember, your child is most likely terrified of treatment. Let’s consider the example of an eating disorder. Controlling what they eat has become their coping skill. It has likely begun to define them, and this means they may feel treatment will signify giving up some part of themselves.
If you find yourself in this challenging but not uncommon situation, there are many strategies to try. While it may feel overwhelming, you may have to approach things differently if you want to influence your child’s recovery.
This might involve family therapy and therapy for yourself. Importantly, don’t engage in debates or a battle of wills with your child. Ultimatums and a power struggle will make them want to reject treatment even more.
Inpatient, Residential, or Outpatient – what’s involved?
Treatment for mental health disorders is complex and may involve multiple providers and different levels of care at various stages. Therefore, it is helpful for parents to know what each level of care involves.
Having this knowledge will help to clarify what is appropriate for your child. Treatment for anorexia nervosa, for example, will usually include talking therapies (there are several types) and supporting activities that forge positive experiences around food and weight management.
Here’s an overview of what the different levels of care generally involve:
Outpatient treatment – sessions with a counsellor, psychologist, or psychiatrist once or twice a week and regular appointments with a dietician for eating disorders.
Intensive outpatient treatment is a structured program that includes individual therapy, group therapy, and education. Sessions are typically three to four hours long and run two to five days weekly.
Intensive outpatient treatment is usually offered when a person needs more support and structure than standard outpatient treatment. It is also a valuable option for people who have just ended a period of hospitalisation or when leaving residential care.
Partial hospitalisation – the person attends an outpatient treatment centre during the day for five days a week but sleeps at home. Most meals are taken at the treatment centre. This is especially critical for eating disorders as part of a food education and recovery program. This level of care is suitable for medically and psychiatrically stable people who can’t function in normal educational or vocational settings and need daily assessment.
Residential treatment is 24/7 care in a non-hospital setting. Treatment includes multidisciplinary care, nutritional support, medication management, and individual and group therapy. Residential care is ideal for young people who are medically stable but need time away from home and school, college, or university to make progress in recovery.
Medicalised hospitalisation is emergency care for people who are medically unstable and require 24-hour monitoring of vital signs. The person may require intravenous fluids and tube feeding. Sometimes, the person may be admitted to a psychiatric ward or mental hospital against their will for compulsory treatment.
Countries have different regulations for hospitalisation against a person’s will. For example, in the USA, a person can be committed against their will if they meet specific criteria, which may differ from State to State. In the UK, a doctor can decide to admit a person to a hospital for compulsory treatment under the Mental Health Act.
What does treatment look like?
Treating eating disorders is complex. Individuals have different needs, and treatment should reflect this through a precise and personalised program of therapies and supporting activities.
Talking therapies are essential. Opportunities to explore feelings that underpin eating disorders may include individual therapy, group therapy, and family therapy. Families need to understand that eating disorders aren’t just about food. There is often anxiety, depression, trauma, perfectionism, and an element of control.
The most common type of talking therapy for eating disorders is Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT-E). CBT-E is a scientifically proven method of treatment where the therapist and the young person work out together what is keeping the eating disorder going and how to manage and ask for help. In addition, the therapist supports the young person in exploring how they feel about themselves and their bodies and the rules they may have developed around food and eating. Family involvement is usually an essential part of CBT-E for young people.
Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) is a therapy method initially developed for people with borderline personality disorder (BPD) but has shown to be helpful for people with eating disorders. This approach helps people develop new coping and relationship skills, which include mindfulness, distress tolerance, interpersonal effectiveness, and emotional regulation.
In addition, essential to any comprehensive eating disorder program is wrap-around support and education and the chance to enjoy new experiences and have fun. At The Wave, for example, a typical day would include journaling, arts, dance, study time, self-care breaks, reading and relaxing, and individual and group therapy. Notably, The Wave’s expert dieticians work with our young people to make food challenges more manageable and provide support and guidance on weight management. For example, we empower young people to practice safely writing lists, shopping and preparing meals together.
Is residential care at The Wave a good fit for my child?
The Wave is one of the few International Programs dedicated to mental health care for children, teenagers, young adults, and their families.
The Wave has developed a team of exceptional professionals who are talented, dedicated, experienced, and lovely, empathetic people. Our team of experts is renowned for treating young patients with care and sensitivity, so you can feel assured that your child or young person is in a safe space and in the safest possible hands.
Please get in touch with us for further information and to discuss your child’s needs. All enquiries are treated with the utmost confidentiality and respect. | <urn:uuid:36921bb3-db28-4295-a78a-cd439f36ae43> | {
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The Burmese cat is known to have a very dog-like personality, loving nothing more than to follow owners around the home and being involved in everything they are doing. It’s their way of getting all the attention they crave while at the same time showing owners just how much they love them. They are strong, athletic and graceful cats that boasts wonderful glossy coats. Males tend to be quite a bit larger than their female counterparts, but both are loyal and affectionate which are just two of the reasons why the Burmese has remained such a popular companion and family pet throughout the ages.
Although the Burmese was originally native to Burma, the cats we see today were developed in the United States. Legend has it that ancestors of the breed were considered sacred and were kept in remote monasteries and temples in Burma. It is said, the cats were so revered, they were given their own servants whose task it was to look after them and to make sure no harm ever came to them.
It was in the late 1800s that the breed found its way to England, although at the time they were never as popular as their blue-eyed cousins, the Siamese. As a result, their numbers fell to dangerously low levels both in the UK and Europe. However, in the thirties breed enthusiasts rescued the Burmese by Dr Joseph Thompson, a medical officer who was serving in the US navy when he returned to the States after his tour of duty. He established a breeding programme using pure breeds to widen the gene pool.
In 1936, the breed was officially recognised by the Cat Fancier's Association (CFA) and then in 1952, the Burmese was officially recognised by the GCCF in the UK and was granted full Championship status a few years later in 1959. Today, the Burmese is among one of the more popular breeds both in the UK and elsewhere in the world, thanks to their charming looks and affectionate, playful and loyal natures.
The Burmese is a strong, elegant and athletic cat that boasts having a lovely, glossy coat. Their coats always appear to have a polished look about them which is one of the breed’s distinguishing traits. Although, athletic, the Burmese is quite a heavy cat, yet their legs are nice and slender. They have wedge-shaped heads that are well rounded at the top. Their ears are medium in size, set well apart and rounded at the tips matching the shape of their heads. They have large eyes which can be anything from a bright yellow right through to amber in colour and which are set well apart. Cats always have a keen, alert expression in their eyes which adds to their charming looks. They have wide cheek bones and quite blunt noses with a clear break in them. Males have more well developed jowls and thicker necks than their female counterparts.
They have moderately long, well-muscled bodies and nice strong chests which when seen in profile appears rounded. Backs are straight from a cat's shoulders to their rumps. They have slender legs with their back ones being slightly longer than their front legs. Their paws are oval in shape and small. The Burmese has a straight tail that's thicker at the base before it tapers to a rounded tip.
When it comes to their coat, the Burmese boasts having a short, fine, close lying, glossy coat that's very satin-like to the touch. The sheen on a cat's coat is always thought to be a sign of them being in good health. The colour on their under parts is always that much lighter than on the rest of their bodies, but the change in colour is always gradual and never abrupt. A cat's ears and face can also be slightly darker and some Burmese have slight tabby markings on their faces as well as undefined markings on the rest of their bodies with the exception of on their sides and bellies. Coat colours include the following:
The Burmese is renowned for being a cuddly, affectionate and fun-loving cat that loves being part of a family. They crave human contact, liking nothing more than being involved in everything that goes on in their environment. They are quite gregarious and extremely social by nature and as such, they need to be kept busy to avoid boredom setting in. They get on very well with children which is another reason why they are such a great family pet.
They boast having a soft albeit rather "hoarse" voice and can be quite talkative at times, especially when encouraged. They don't like to be left on their own for long periods of time which means they are best suited to families where at least one person stays at home when everyone else is out. Males tend to be less inquisitive than their female counterparts and they are often a lot quieter by nature too. Females on the other hand tend to get very attached to their families and crave more in the way of attention. However, both females and males are known to like their food a little too much which is why it's important to keep an eye on a cat's waistline throughout their lives.
The Burmese is a highly intelligent cat and one that boasts having a ton of energy. They are often referred to as being the "extroverts" of the cat world which often sees them behaving very mischievously. Because they are so smart and boast so much energy, the Burmese needs to be kept busy so it’s always a good idea to invest in lots of good quality toys if you are thinking of sharing your home with a Burmese.
They adore exploring the great outdoors, but never seem to stray far from home. However, many owners like to keep their cats as indoor pets for safety reasons. As such, when a Burmese is kept as an indoor cat, they need to be given lots of toys and things to play with to prevent boredom from setting in which could result in them becoming a little destructive around the home.
The Burmese with their outgoing, affectionate and mischievous personalities are the perfect choice for families with children and this includes toddlers. They love playing interactive games with the kids and tend to be very tolerant and patient around them, knowing instinctively when to get out of the way when things get too boisterous. However, younger children need to be taught how to behave around cats and any interaction should always be well supervised by an adult to prevent any mishaps.
They also get on well with dogs as long as they are good around cats, that is. However, care has to be taken when introducing a Burmese to dogs they don't already know just in case the dog does not get on with their feline counterparts. Burmese are incredibly social by nature, however, it's always wiser to keep a close eye on any cat when they are around smaller pets, just in case.
The average life expectancy of a Burmese is between 16 and 18 years when properly cared for and fed an appropriate, good quality diet to suit their ages.
The Burmese is known to suffer from a few hereditary health issues which are worth knowing about if you are planning share your home with one of these energetic, fun-loving cats. The condition that seems to affect the breed the most include the following:
The Burmese needs to be groomed on a regular basis to make sure their coats and skin are kept in top condition. On top of this, cats need to be fed good quality food that meets all their nutritional needs throughout their lives which is especially true of kittens and older cats.
The Burmese boasts having a short, dense, close lying coat and as such they are low maintenance on the grooming front. A weekly brush and wipe over with a chamois leather is all it takes to keep their coats in good condition with a nice sheen on it, bearing in mind that the breed is well known for their glossy coats. Like other cats, they tend to shed the most in the Spring and then again in the Autumn when more frequent brushing is usually necessary to keep on top of things.
It's also important to check a cat's ears on a regular basis and to clean them when necessary. If too much wax is allowed to build up, it can lead to a painful infection which can be hard to clear up. In short, prevention is often easier than cure with ear infections. Cats often suffer from ear mites which can be a real problem which is why it's so important to check their ears on a regular basis.
The Burmese boasts having a ton of energy and are known to be rather mischievous when the mood takes them. They love playing interactive games which is just one of the reasons why they have remained such a popular family pet throughout the ages.
Cats that are kept as indoor pets need to be given lots of things to do and places to hide when they want to, bearing in mind that the Burmese loves to climb up high. They also need to have lots of places they can snuggle up for a snooze when the mood takes them because if there is one thing they are really good at it's taking a lot of naps throughout the day.
If you get a Burmese kitten from a breeder, they would give you a feeding schedule and it's important to stick to the same routine, feeding the same kitten food to avoid any tummy upsets. You can change a kitten's diet, but this needs to be done very gradually always making sure they don't develop any digestive upsets and if they do, it's best to put them back on their original diet and to discuss things with the vet before attempting to change it again.
Older cats are not known to be fussy eaters, but this does not mean they can be given a lower quality diet. It's best to feed a mature cat several times a day making sure it's good quality food that meets all their nutritional requirements which is especially important as cats get older. It's also essential to keep an eye on a cat's weight because if they start to put on too much, it can have a serious impact on their overall health and wellbeing. Like all other breeds, the Burmese needs to have free access to fresh, clean water at all times.
If you are looking to buy a Burmese, you would need to pay anything from £400 to over £700 for a well-bred pedigree kitten. The cost of insuring a male 3-year-old Burmese in northern England would be £13.05 a month for basic cover but for a lifetime policy, this would set you back £25.32 a month (quote as of Sept 2016). When insurance companies calculate a pet's premium, they factor in several things which includes where you live in the UK, a cat's age and whether or not they have been neutered or spayed among other things.
When it comes to food costs, you need to buy the best quality food whether wet or dry making sure it suits the different stages of a cat’s life. This would set you back between £15 - £20 a month. On top of all of this, you need to factor in veterinary costs if you want to share your home with a Burmese and this includes their initial vaccinations, their annual boosters, the cost of neutering or spaying a cat when the time is right and their yearly health checks, all of which quickly adds up to over £500 a year.
As a rough guide, the average cost to keep and care for a Burmese would be between £30 to £50 a month depending on the level of insurance cover you opt to buy for your cat, but this does not include the initial cost of buying a well-bred kitten.
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Beacons are fires lit on hills or high places, used either as lighthouses for navigation at sea, or for signalling over land that enemy troops are approaching, and alerting the defence. In the latter form, beacons are an ancient form of optical telegraph and always used in relay leagues.
In modern technical parlance, a beacon can also be a radio transmitter used for navigation.
Beacons have often been abused by pirates. A fire at a wrong position was used to direct a ship against cliffs or beaches, so the cargo could be looted after the ship sank or ran aground.
Beacon is also the name (or part of the name) of some places in the United States of America: | <urn:uuid:017e6c54-1c55-4b63-8b14-e085a4caefa0> | {
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If the counterinsurgency (COIN) in Afghanistan is America's longest war, it is also among its more complicated. Insurgencies have their own sets of confusions, intelligence puzzles, and dubious allies. Afghanistan adds its own challenges through its rich tapestry of clans and ethnicities, centuries-old rivalries, poorly defined borders, and myriad of cultural dynamics that make it difficult to distinguish between friends and enemies. In the Afghanistan-Pakistan region, today's friends can very quickly become tomorrow's enemies. Pakistan is a country that markets itself to Washington as a friend but whose primary intelligence service may function as an enemy.
The Taliban's ascent to power fits into the pattern of modern Afghan authoritarian and clan-based politics. Many of today's insurgent leaders took part in the fight against the Soviets in the 1980s and were directly supported by Pakistan's premier intelligence agency, Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), and supplied by the United States. In the summer of 1994, the Taliban entered a general fracas to control Afghanistan. The reclusive leader of the Taliban, Mullah Mohammad Omar, led an assortment of religious leaders and students to control 90 percent of the country within five years. Recruits were largely drawn from slums and refugee camps in Afghanistan and adjacent areas in Pakistan. The Taliban was supported, to some extent nurtured, by the ISI. The relationship was born, in part, from elements of common Pashtun identity and a long border. Pakistan views Afghanistan's security concerns as its own as it has long seen Afghanistan as lying within its sphere of influence.
After the United States invaded Afghanistan to rid the region of al-Qaeda and the Taliban, Pakistan, which had armed the anti-Soviet insurgents, pledged to partner with Washington as an ally. In turn, Washington substantially increased the level of military and developmental aid to Pakistan, making it the largest recipient of U.S. foreign aid. Between 2001 and 2009, Pakistan received approximately $12 billion in direct U.S. aid. In 2009 alone, Congress passed a five-year $7.5 billion civilian aid package and in October 2010 the U.S. announced a new $2 billion military aid package as an incentive to work harder at clearing its country of terrorists. Soon, however, observers became skeptical of Pakistan's true intentions and grew concerned that some of the funds and weapons provided to Pakistan to ferret out the Taliban were, in fact, being handed to the Taliban and used to kill Americans.
A Janus-Faced Ally
Had there been any doubts about Pakistan's double game, recent revelations by Wikileaks would have put some to rest. The Wikileaks website and the New York Times, The Guardian of London, the German magazine Der Spiegel, and other media outlets revealed Pakistani direct partnering with the Taliban. In addition, a report produced by the London School of Economics in 2010 detailed the assistance of mid-level ISI officials to the Taliban. The report claimed that Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari met and coordinated with senior Taliban officials and assured the Taliban that he would resist U.S. pressure to close the insurgents' sanctuary in Pakistan. Pakistani officials were, predictably, quick to dismiss this report, calling it "rubbish."
In fact, it is not rubbish. The RAND Corporation produced an extensive study verifying a dynamic and extensive ISI role in the insurgency, and U.S. senators such as Russell Feingold, then-member of the Foreign Relations Committee, have acknowledged the veracity of elements of the Wikileaks reports. This sentiment was echoed by former State Department spokesman P. J. Crowley who said, "It [the ISI aid to the Taliban] is a real threat." Former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations John Bolton explained that he understood this problem well when he served in the Bush administration and hoped then-Pakistani Prime Minister Pervez Musharraf would purge the ISI of the more radical and militant elements.
The extent to which the ISI collaborates with the insurgents is debatable. Some observers claim that the ISI's "S" Wing is the main culprit and operates with relative autonomy and often without approval of high-level leaders in the ISI. Others are skeptical that any element of the ISI could offer large-scale and sustained lethal aid without approval of the ISI's chief.
Explaining ISI Support
There are three basic reasons why Pakistan's most important intelligence service supports the anti-American insurgents: Pashtun connections with the Taliban; a consuming hatred for the United States; and Pakistan's demand to be a regional actor in South Asia.
It is difficult to overstate the importance of ethnic solidarity in parts of South Asia. Vast literature has been written about these bonds and of the sweeping Pashtun nationalism that overarches the porous and contested borders. A Pashtun code of conduct known as Pashtunwali requires tribesman to aid each other and close ranks against a common enemy. The common enemy of some Afghan and Pakistani Pashtuns is the Coalition Forces of Afghanistan. About a quarter of the Pakistani military is Pashtun, which is greater than the 15 percent in the general society. The ISI is approximately 25 percent Pashtun. Even more important than Pashtunwali and solidarity, however, is the fear that Pashtuns in Afghanistan may agitate for a Pashtunistan, drawing Pakistani territory into the equation.
A second reason for the ISI aid to the Taliban is driven by a nation-wide consuming hatred for the United States, which receives surprisingly little play in U.S. media. If Pakistan is, indeed, a friend of the United States, the Pakistani intellectuals, clerics, journalists, local politicians, and retired ISI offices have yet to learn this. There is a constant screed against American hegemony, human rights abuses against Pakistanis, and American cultural degradation corrupting Pakistani youth. Above all, Islamic clerics and leaders of civil society fulminate against an American-led war on Islam. For over 25 years, Gulf states have funded Pakistani religious schools, or madrassas, which inculcated boys in the most narrow, puritanical, misogynistic, and religiously chauvinistic strains of Wahhabi-oriented Islam.
Two issues illustrate this broad-base hatred and embrace of wild conspiracy theories. In a trial barely covered by the dominant U.S. media, Afia Saddiqui, also known as "Lady al-Qaeda," became a national hero in Pakistan. Born in Pakistan, she was raised in the U.S. where she received her doctorate in neuroscience. Soon after 9/11, her allegiances were revealed as she traveled to Pakistan with documents connected to biological weapons of destruction. She hoped to make herself useful to al-Qaeda, but was apprehended in Afghanistan by the U.S. military and shot at a U.S. soldier. She missed, but will be serving the next 28 years in prison. There have been countless demonstrations, political rallies, even a national petition-signing campaign orchestrated from the highest echelons of the Pakistani government, which express the anger and contempt for the United States held in Pakistan. Under the moniker the "daughter of the nation," Siddiqui is considered a victim of American "Islamophobia."
Driven by nationalism, the third cause for aiding the Taliban is Pakistan's insistence on playing a dominant role in South Asian affairs and the need to prove independence from Washington. Many Pakistanis believe that the United States works in concert with India and that Afghan security personnel partner with Indians to undermine Pakistani interests. Pakistani leaders can ill afford to develop the image of being controlled by Washington. They need to appear tough towards the U.S.
Evidence of this pervasive fear of India and hatred for the West is personified in retired ISI chief Lieutenant General Hamid Gul, who headed the ISI from 1987 to 1989. In the late 1980s, Gul worked with Taliban commanders loyal to Mullah Omar, as well as the Jalaluddin and Sirajuddin Haqqani and Gulbuddin Hekmatyar groups, who are all are tied to al-Qaeda. Today, Gul is flamboyant with his hatred of the United States, India, and Israel. Some of this may be narcissistic braggadocio, but some of his comments reflect his conviction that these three countries are allies in a war against Islam. U.S. leaders have tried to put Gul's name on a list of international terrorists.
Nuclear-armed Pakistan will remain an important actor in the greater Afghan drama. A U.S. government leader said, "The key thing to bear in mind is that the administration is not naive about Pakistan. The problem with the Pakistanis is that the more you threaten them, the more they become entrenched and don't see a path forward with you." This may be the case. Still, there are things the U.S. government can do.
Demand a full accounting by all external players who support the insurgents. Iranian and Pakistani intelligence services have repeatedly, significantly, and enthusiastically supported the Taliban. The data revealed through Wikileaks makes Pakistani denials no longer plausible. Further, Saudi Arabia funds the Pakistani religious schools that preach contempt of the United States, India, and world Jewry. Post-Wikileaks robust and rigorous Congressional hearings could clarify the role of Pakistan in the Afghan insurgency. If the ISI helps the Taliban kill U.S. soldiers, the American people are entitled to know. This issue has been investigated before but insufficiently.
Educate the U.S. military. Establish a hard-hitting security briefing to protect the force against political Islam, or Islamism. This briefing should have three parts—a background on political Islam, to include Islamic mandates for global supremacy, dissimulation, and allegiance to the world's Islamic community; a second part could focus on service-specific issues and threats; a final part would turn to threats by the world's Muslims in areas of operation, particularly Afghanistan, in which U.S. forces are deployed or likely to deploy.
Expose the lobbyists. Honest discussion on the role of external players in the Afghan COIN is clouded by the vast army of "consultants" who serve on the payroll of Pakistan, as well as Saudi Arabia and other oil-exporting states. Often, these hirelings boast impressive credentials such as retired general, former ambassador, senior intelligence officer, and university professor. While it is their right to work in the interests of Pakistan or Saudi Arabia, television audiences could profit from understanding their employment status. They are not honest brokers.
Pakistan may render aid to the United States, but elements of its chief intelligence service also aid the enemy. It may be that one element, "S" Wing, is the singular supplier of lethal aid, but ISI leaders are unlikely ignorant. It may be that a cost-benefit analysis will determine the current relationship with Pakistan is sufficient. Perhaps. But there are reasons to doubt it.
Mark Silinsky is a senior intelligence analyst for the United States Army. His views do not represent those of the Army or any element of the U.S. government.
Related Topics: Winter 2010 inFocus
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Collecting Data — The First Step to locating Solutions to Organization Problems
Collecting info is the first step in finding strategies to business complications. Once you have a clear idea of what your organization is trying to achieve, you have to figure out how to gather the data that will help you get there. The kind of data you may need will depend on your goals and may end up being either quantitative or qualitative. Quantitative data is statistical and talks about things in concrete and easily measurable terms, such as rates, amounts and statistics. Qualitative data is definitely descriptive and gives an insight into people’s thoughts, opinions and perceptions of a subject.
It is important to get a formal method for collecting data because it ensures that the data gathered is normally accurate and unbiased. That is particularly significant in fields where groundwork integrity may be a concern, just like laboratory savoir or public sciences like sociology or perhaps cultural anthropology. The use of particular data collection instruments (whether existing ones, new types or modified versions) and clearly delineated instructions with regard to their appropriate use minimizes the likelihood of problems virtualdatatech.net/virtual-board-meeting-for-contemporary-business-environment once collecting data.
Depending on the approach to data collection you choose, the next step is recording or organizing your data. This can take various forms depending on type of info you happen to be collecting and your desired method of analysis. Meant for case in point, if you are doing a study you might record the answers on a schedule or jot them down, while a spotlight group interview requires detailed notes. Saving is a essential part of the info collection procedure as it enables you to review and evaluate your computer data after the simple fact, rather than having to rely on random access memory or second-hand reports. | <urn:uuid:bb7a9022-81f3-4158-9165-75804de67f16> | {
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Today people are continually looking for ways to get energy through cleaner means than traditional methods such as coal or nuclear. However, technologies that have been used for decades under the realm of clean energy, such as dams, are now being questioned because of the negative impacts they have on the environment and people around where the dam is built. A couple of weeks ago I wrote about water turbines and their huge potential for generating electricity from the flow of rivers or from the power of tides (Alternatives to Dams: The Free Flow Kinetic Hydropower System). Today I’m going to be writing about harnessing power from the oceans waves, specifically through a system by Australia’s BioPower Systems called the bioWave. Let’s jump in and take a look at what this system is and how it works.
The bioWave system was designed around a concept called biomimicry. There are things in nature that have gone through a process of trial and error in order to come up with a solution that works best in nature. Biomimicry looks at what has worked in nature and tries to mimic it through modern technology. While BioPower Systems was in their design phase they looked at kelp and the way it stands up to the rough conditions of the ocean and survives. They paid specific attention to the way kelp sways in the ocean with every wave. Out of that observation came the bioWave.
The bioWave is made up of several components. The main component is the floats or “blades”. Within one unit there are several of these blades that serve to capture the motion of the ocean. The blades interact “with the rising and falling sea surface (potential energy) and the sub-surface back-and-forth water movement (kinetic energy)”. Just as kelp sways back and forth in the water with every wave so does the bioWave. Along with the blades there is a base foundation that is mounted to the ocean floor and has a pivot that can turn the unit so that it is in line with the wave direction as well as letting the blades sway. When the blades sway they convert the energy into electricity through an onboard generator and then the electricity is sent to the grid through cables on the ocean floor. The result is clean energy.
The bioWave has a number of components that set it apart from other systems that harness power from the waves. One of the biggest issues with these types of systems is that they break in the unpredictable and treacherous climate of the ocean. BioPower Systems came up with a unique solution in its design. When the waves get too rough a sensor is triggered and the blades fill with water. As the blades fill they get heavier and the whole arm pivots and lies down on the ocean floor to protect itself. As the ocean calms the water is released from the blades and they are filled with air making them stand back up. Sounds like a great solution to keep the unit from tearing itself apart under the extreme conditions of the ocean.
Another consideration that had to be given attention was how it will affect the surrounding environment and marine life. To this BioPower Systems says, “the slow motions of bioWAVE, and its smooth surfaces, should minimize any disturbance to the environment”. This explanation sounds nice, but we’ll have to see when they’re actually installed in the ocean. Something else we’re going to have to wait and see is how the environment and marine life will treat the system. Obviously they’ve done testing and have planned for these units being in the ocean, but the ocean is unpredictable and when you enter its world anything can happen.
Fortunately it looks like we’re not going to have to wait too long to see how these will work and survive in the ocean. At the end of 2011 the Victorian government of Australia awarded BioPower Systems $5 million for installation of the bioWave system in the oceans off of Australia. Also, I was thrilled to hear that California is currently working with BioPower Systems to get the bioWave system installed off the coast of San Francisco (where I’m from) to provide power to San Francisco’s grid. Hopefully the installation in Australia will be successful and lead to more of these installations around the world.
Overall this system sounds like a great idea that has a lot of potential for adding to the number of ways we get electricity from clean energy. I can’t wait to see the results from the installation in Australia, and see if California gives it a try. Whereas other technologies have failed to harness the ocean BioSystems hopes that by paying attention to nature and building their system around biomimicry they will be successful where others have failed. Here’s a short video showing the system and how it works. Hope you enjoyed the article. Leave me a comment and let me know what you think of this technology and its potential in the future of clean energy. | <urn:uuid:14d9ccda-b355-4ef6-8939-83a353ffadb5> | {
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Previous studies have linked Bisphenol A (BPA) to migraines and miscarriages, but a new study from the University of Illinois at Chicago have found a link between exposure to low levels of BPA during early development and the development of prostate cancer later in life.
In the study, researchers implanted prostate stem cells from deceased young men into mice, and then fed the mice BPA for the first two weeks of life. The amount of BPA given to mice was relatively the same as those commonly seen in pregnant women. Thirty-three percent of the stem cells in mice who were fed BPA had cancerous or precancerous lesions later in life. Mice produced cancerous or precancerous lesions in 45% of tissue samples when the stem cells were exposed to BPA before and after the stem cells were implanted in the mice. Comparatively, only 12% of mice who were fed harmless oil instead of BPA were found to have cancerous or pre-cancerous lesions.
“We know that stem cells help replenish our organs throughout life. We propose that if there is exposure early in life to an estrogenic compound – such as BPA – it reprograms our stem cells,” said Gail Prins, lead author of the study.
BPA is an industrial chemical that is widely used to soften plastics and can be found in clear plastic bottles, containers used to store food, and some sports equipment. BPA is in an industrial chemical that can be found in clear plastic bottles, containers used to store food, and some sports equipment. BPA can leach into water or food as the plastic breaks down, especially when the bottle is heated. One way to lower your exposure to BPA? Switch to a bottleless water cooler. | <urn:uuid:58eb2622-7e0d-4e3c-bb50-b76d0d640634> | {
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Sciatica simple means pain, numbness or tingling that travels from your buttock down your leg. People may have pain that goes just to the knee or that travels all the way down into the foot. Depending on the case people may experience excruciating pain or just a dull ache. This can be caused by a number of different conditions including:
- Piriformis Syndrome
- Functional Muscle Imbalances
- Herniated Disc
- And a variety of other uncommon conditions
Most commonly sciatica is caused by a combination of functional imbalances. The sciatic nerve has to move and slide in between the small muscles of the pelvis and the muscles of the lower leg when we move and walk. What tends to happen is that as we develop scar tissue the nerve gets squashed underneath the large muscles of the hip and this does not allow the nerve to slide properly and every time we move we tug and irritate that nerve causing pain. | <urn:uuid:1c441e35-6abc-48d1-bc6f-c27ebd8c1178> | {
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The Diagnosis is Breast Cancer
What is breast cancer?
Breast cancer is a condition in which breast cells grow abnormally and divide without control or order. Breast cancer is the most common form of cancer in women. Early detection and prompt treatment help many women live long, full lives.
Are there different types of breast cancer?
There are several types of breast cancer. The most common is ductal carcinoma that starts in the lining of the milk ducts of the breast. The other type of breast cancer is lobular carcinoma. This begins in the lobules of the breast where breast milk is produced.
What is non-invasive breast cancer?
With non-invasive breast cancer, the cancer cells are confined to the ducts or lobules. This is also known as carcinoma in-situ. There are two types of non-invasive breast cancer. The first is ductal carcinoma in-situ (DCIS). This is when the ductal cells divide abnormally but stay within the ducts. The second type of non-invasive breast cancer is lobular carcinoma in-situ (LCIS). This is when the cells divide abnormally, but stay within the lobules. Lobular carcinoma in-situ is an indicator that a woman might be at an increased risk of developing invasive breast cancer.
What is invasive breast cancer?
Invasive breast cancer occurs when cells spread beyond the ducts or lobules. These cells first invade the surrounding breast tissue and can possibly travel to the lymph nodes.
What are my surgical options?
Your surgeon might discuss different surgical options with you. Doctors have found that different types of surgery can work equally well depending upon the situation.
Modified radical mastectomy
This procedure removes all of the breast tissue along with the nipple. Lymph nodes in the axilla (arm pit) are also removed. The chest muscles are left intact.
There are no lymph nodes removed in this procedure. The entire breast is removed. This procedure is most frequently used for further cancer prevention.
This is also referred to as breast conservation. The surgeon removes the cancerous area with a margin of normal tissue. A second incision might be made in order to remove the lymph nodes. Following a lumpectomy, the entire breast is treated with radiation therapy to kill any remaining cancer cells
When faced with breast cancer, there are many difficult decisions to make. It is often helpful to gather more information about the disease as well as to talk to members of your health care team. The Taussig Cancer Center provides a Patient Cancer Resource Center, with a "Cancer Answer Line" answered by a nurse. The number is 216.444.9723, or 1.866.223.8100.
- American Cancer Society. Breast Cancer: How is breast cancer diagnosed? www.cancer.org Accessed 5/23/2012
- Breastcancer.org. Symptoms & Diagnosis. www.breastcancer.org Accessed 5/23/2012
- Centers for Disease Control & Prevention. Basic Information About Breast Cancer. www.cdc.gov Accessed 5/23/2012
© 1995-2012 The Cleveland Clinic Foundation. All rights reserved
Can't find the health information you’re looking for?
This information is provided by the Cleveland Clinic and is not intended to replace the medical advice of your doctor or health care provider. Please consult your health care provider for advice about a specific medical condition. This document was last reviewed on: 4/10/12...#6904 | <urn:uuid:2ad65bf6-4b88-4ffe-929d-103e887c23d2> | {
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The TOM database is processing the SQL statement and checks its data dictionary for a database link called JERRY.
When it does not find this link, Net8 determines the correct Oracle Names server from the sqlnet.ora file. Net8 then sends the Names server a request to resolve the database link name JERRY.
The Names server
The Names server receives the request, looks it up in the cache, and then sends the response back to the server TOM with the IP address, port number, database name, user ID, and password for the JERRY database.
Server TOM receives the answer and substitutes the response in place of the initial name.
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The School Library Impact Measure (SLIM) is a toolkit that enables you to
assess student learning through guided inquiry in the school library. It consists of
four instruments that elicit students’ reflections on their learning at three points in
their inquiry process. The toolkit will enable collaborating school librarian –
teacher teams to chart changes in students’ knowledge and experiences
throughout the process.
The school context for using the SLIM toolkit is an inquiry unit. An inquiry
approach to learning is one in which students actively engage with diverse and
often conflicting sources of information and ideas to discover new ideas, to build
new understandings, and to develop personal viewpoints and perspectives.
SLIM Reflection Instruments and Scoring Guidelines
SLIM Scoring Sheet
Kuhlthau, C., Heinstrom, J, & Todd, R. J. (2008). The "Information search process' revisited: is the model still useful? IR Information Research 13(4). Available at http://InformationR.net/ir/13-4/paper355.html .
This paper examines the continued usefulness of Kuhlthau's Information Search Process as a model of information behavior in new, technologically rich information environments. It presents a comprehensive review of research that has explored the model in various settings, and documents a study employing qualitative and quantitative methods undertaken in the context of an inquiry project among school students (n=574). Students were surveyed at three stages of the information search process, during which nine feelings were identified and tracked. Findings show individual patterns, but confirm the Information Search Process as a valid model in the changing information environment for describing information behavior in tasks that require knowledge construction. The findings support the progression of feelings, thoughts and actions as suggested by the search process model. The paper concludes that the information search process model remains useful for explaining students' information behavior. The model is found to have value as a research tool as well as for practical application.
Todd, R. J. (2006). From information to knowledge: Charting and Measuring Changes in Students' Knowledge of a Curriculum Topic. IR Information Research, 11 (4). Available at: http://www.informationr.net/ir/11-4/paper264.html.
This research sought to investigate how school students build on their existing knowledge of a curriculum topic and transform found information into personal knowledge, and how their knowledge of this topic changes. The qualitative study involved 574 students from Grades 6 to 12 in ten New Jersey schools. The context for data collection was an instructional program framed by Kuhlthau's information search process. Data were collected through surveys at the initiation, midpoint and conclusion of the instructional program. The instruments sought to measure changes in knowledge, specifically in relation to substance of knowledge, structure of knowledge, amount of knowledge, estimate of extent of knowledge, and label of knowledge. It was possible to operationalize knowledge change in terms of substance, amount and structure of knowledge, and user-centered perceptions of knowledge growth. Additive and integrative approaches to knowledge development were identified. Students came to know more about their topics, and perceived that they knew more as they progressed through the task. However, students seemed more oriented to gathering facts and knowing a set of facts, and accumulating these in an additive manner, rather than building complex, integrated and abstract knowledge representations.
Todd. R. J. & Heinstrom, J. (August 2006). "Uncertainty & Guidance: School Students' Feelings, Study Approaches, and Need for Help in Inquiring Projects". Scan, 25 (3) 29-35.
Building on the frameworks of the NSW Department of Education and Training's approach to Quality Teaching, and guided inquiry (Kuhlthau & Todd, 2005), this article discusses how students' need for information literacy instruction can be related to individual differences. The findings are based on the NJ study of 574 students from middle and high schools, who described their feelings, study approaches, difficulties and their need for help while undertaking inquiry projects. It concludes that the students' tendencies to experience different feelings and difficulties while searching and processing information are dependent on their study approaches. This interaction has important implications for the design and implementation of instructional interventions by teacher librarians and classroom teachers. | <urn:uuid:4463ad78-866a-4925-affd-4cf8ad88a933> | {
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'Frugal innovation' is about harnessing technology to make the world better for the nine billion forecast to populate the planet by 2040. Charles Leadbeater's new book explains how it works.
One of the more disturbing facts about the 21st Century is that we now live in a world where there are more mobile communications devices than there are toothbrushes. Getting on for a billion people don't have access to clean drinking water, are trapped in food, health and energy poverty, living on less than a dollar a day. In contrast, it takes 800 gallons of water to make a single hamburger.
As horrifying as these statistics may be, today there is something that can be done, and according to Charles Leadbeater there is a huge technological opportunity to change the world for the better. But we need to fundamentally change the way we think. His new book 'The Frugal Innovator' puts forward a model for how technology can come to the rescue.
Leadbeater says that the origins of his book stem from a combination of frustration and excitement. "I have been writing about innovation for almost 15 years, but have been growing slightly frustrated with much of what I saw, which seemed to be innovation designed for proliferation. So, I became interested in innovations that I thought were really making a difference to how we would live."
At the same time he grew increasingly excited by what he saw in many parts of the developing world, where innovation was taking place almost in spite of the limited resources available. "Creativity was driven by the extreme constraints innovators worked under." But, because this kind of innovation can happen literally anywhere, "I think one of the stories of the future will be about innovations coming from many more places in the world – not just from the famous universities and high-tech clusters like Silicon Valley and Cambridge".
As the sub-title of his book explains, frugal innovation is all about "creating change on a shoestring budget", where the concept of bringing new products to the market for consumers with massive disposable income is reframed to deliver solutions to the problems of the world's poorest people. These solutions, says Leadbeater, share four characteristics that reduce waste and complexity, while being environmentally responsible and for the benefit of everyone. He sums it up by saying that in other words these solutions are lean, simple, clean and social.
Leadbeater is the first to admit that while the term 'frugal innovator' provides the title for his book, he didn't coin the phrase. "It has come from many different settings, but perhaps mainly from India where a wave of frugal innovations is emerging: from low-cost heart operations to water filters, trucks, cars and electronic tablets." In India, this kind of innovation is often nicknamed jugaad, a Hindi word that describes an improvisational way of fixing a problem. And yet, it is more than a quick fix, capable of operating on several levels: "Frugal innovation is set to become more systematic, used by organisations large and small. It can apply to products such as cars and water filters, or services such as health and education." Leadbeater says that one of the most important applications will be in cities, developing new frugal systems in utilities.
"Innovation is almost becoming a new kind of faith in the future that will be delivered by technology," says Leadbeater. But, he warns, to fulfill that potential "we need more than shiny new versions of products we already have. Manufacturing and engineering has a critical role to play in many of these products and systems, because we need new low-cost, simple, recyclable ways to generate and use energy and water. There is a huge new, exciting agenda here for engineers and manufacturers to create new products".
In search of innovation
Leadbeater's research into how this kind of ethical innovation evolved shows that it doesn't automatically need to be led by the fringes of technology. "Big business can play a role both as a source of innovation and as a means to spread it. The key is whether big business wants to meet the kinds of resource and price constraints that drive frugal innovation." He goes on to cite some of the most impressive innovations as having come from the likes of General Electric and Tata in India, as well as smaller innovators, such as Husk Power Systems, which has developed a way to generate energy by using discarded rice husks.
"I argue that one of the most important features of frugal innovators is that they are both rooted in a low-cost market and yet cosmopolitan in their sources of ideas and technologies. Some of the most impressive innovations are from people who trained and worked in the UK and the US, who have gone back to India or Africa to work."
The big question is why the need for frugal innovation is so pressing at the moment. Apart from the projected population growth, are there any changes in global conditions that have created a different approach to innovation? The frugal wave is coming, says Leadbeater, because of a depressed worldwide economy and flat growth in incomes. "The kind of growth we had in the second half of the 20th Century fed a proliferation of products and consumerism. The constraints we face, both of resources and incomes, will feed demand for well-designed frugal products. Some of this is about ethical consumerism, but mostly it's driven by the pressures of economics."
The winners, he argues, "need to be us and future generations, because frugal innovators will create products that will make the world liveable for nine billion people, mainly in cities, who want a better life. If we aim to meet the growing demand for better products and ways of life among urban consumers using current technologies and resources systems, then we will break through environmental and resource constraints. To meet all that demand in a sustainable way we need radically different kinds of products, systems and services".
An example of this approach that impresses the author is that of British engineer and inventor, Charlie Paton. "I met Charlie a long time ago when he was developing an idea for a tent that would conjure water out of condensation using solar power. It sounded beautiful, magical and mad. Charlie's idea thankfully is coming to fruition at scale. That's the kind of innovation, the kind of thinking and the kind of people we will need in future." | <urn:uuid:70e9fa85-1ded-473f-ac7d-f190c0880b14> | {
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What is Herbal Medicine?
- The use of certain parts (root, leaf, flower) of different plants, usually combined into a formula, to treat certain symptoms or diseases.
History of Herbal Medicine
- Has been used by the Chinese for over 3,000 years
- Was first discovered by Shen Nong (approx. 3600 B.C.)
- He discovered the medicinal effects of plants by tasting them and associating their clinical effects
- He was the first to realize that the taste of an herb relates to it’s effects
How does taste relate to effect?
- Taste relates to the effects of an herb because the chemical nature and composition are what create the taste
- Example: the nutritive substance vitamin B12 has a sweet type taste. While not an herb, most nutritive, yin-tonifying herbs will have a sweet taste, thus indicating their effect
- Example: coffee tastes bitter. Coffee has draining (makes you pee) and moving effects. Herbs that drain and move are often bitter
- Certain groups of chemical compounds have been determined to have certain tastes, i.e. alkaloids and glycosides taste bitter, and carbohydrates, amino acids, and vitamins tend to taste sweet. The chemical composition then relates to the effect in the body.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Why does the doctor want to look at my pet’s tongue and feel his/her pulse?
- This is done to help the doctor determine the imbalances in your pet. Many conditions affect the quality and strength of the pulse and many conditions will affect the shape, color and/or coating of the tongue. This information is important to help ensure an accurate TCVM diagnosis.
- How long will my pet need to stay on the herbal supplement once he/she is put on it?
- This will vary based on your pet’s age, the condition and imbalance(s) being treated, and your pet’s progress. Some herbal supplements are continued for life, usually decreasing to a very small dose for maintenance. Some supplements may only be needed for 1-6 months.
- Is Herbal Medicine Safe?
- Yes, herbal medicine can be very safe . . . when certain guidelines are followed
- These guidelines include:
- Making sure that the company from which you are purchasing abides by GMP (Good Manufacturing Practices)
- Making sure that the doctor is aware of any and all medications and supplements that your pet may be taking
- Making sure that the doctor is aware of all signs, symptoms, and history of your pet so that he/she can make an accurate diagnosis
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Empty Oceans, Empty Nets: The Race to Save Marine Fisheries> View the trailer (8.4 mb QuickTime file).
“The next century will witness heretofore unthinkable exhaustion of the ocean’s natural ability to satisfy humanity’s demand for food from the seas.”
-- Dr. Carl Safina
Two 60-minute documentaries examine the declining state of the world’s ocean fisheries as we enter the 21st century and the pioneering efforts of fishermen, scientists and communities to sustain and restore them.
Many marine scientists agree that the conduct of the global fishing fleet is now the number one human activity threatening the health of our oceans. Throughout the ages, the world has enjoyed a vast and unlimited ocean, yielding abundant seafood. But increasing demand, new technologies, and burgeoning coastal populations are straining the limits of the ocean’s ability to sustain healthy fish populations. Narrated by Peter Coyote, Empty Oceans, Empty Nets is a powerful documentary on the rapidly declining fish harvests of the world. These harvests are important not only for the more than 200 million people worldwide who hold fishing-related jobs, but for many of the world’s populations, including over a billion people in Asia, who depend on seafood as their main source of protein. Unlike any other documentary yet produced, this series examines the state of the world’s oceans through the prism of fisheries and the millions of people who depend on them.
Using vivid images of sweeping nets full of fish unloading their contents onto commercial fishing boats, Empty Oceans, Empty Nets highlights the overwhelming magnitude of the annual worldwide harvest of more than 100 million metric tons of seafood. It also explores the stark reality of the 22 million tons of fish and other sea life that are caught and discarded by fishers each year. Viewers are transported to bustling and exotic international fish markets, where tons of fresh and frozen fish are sold each day to supply an insistent global demand and consumers will learn how they can make the biggest difference of all in sustaining the world’s ocean fisheries.
AWARDS: 2002 CINE Golden Eagle; 2003 Columbus International Film Festival - Bronze Plaque; 2003 Ekotopfilm Festival - Grand Prize Public Affairs
> Go to the special PBS web page for this film.
> See the complete interview transcriptions for this film.
> Learn about the issues highlighted in this film.
> Connect to other concerned organizations by visiting our links page.
> Click for the advisory board for this film.
> Read the past PBS carriage report.
> Read about Empty Ocean, Empty Nets' reported outcomes.
> See our other projects. | <urn:uuid:f67b513b-3350-4dac-af01-0bdec4edfe64> | {
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Remember when we called for volunteers to help out with a NOAA driven study on temperature difference throughout the city? And then it rained for (what felt like) the entire month of July? Well, an upside of that late breaking, ferocious heat wave in late August? We finally got to study the urban heat island effect on our city! In the image above, Jeremy Hoffman attaches a special thermometer to the passenger door of his car to monitor temperatures as he drives around the District.
Jacob Fenston has the full scoop, from the DCist:
You might think that one person who would appreciate weather above 95 degrees — with humidity making it feel like 105 — would be a guy selling ice cream.
“If too much hot, no business,” says Habtom Mengesha, whose ice cream truck was parked by the National Mall on a scorching afternoon this week. On days like this, he says, no one buys ice cream, because everyone’s inside. Business is so slow, he got out of the truck and walked over to the shade of an old elm tree.
It’s noticeably cooler, away from the asphalt road, and the concrete and gravel paths radiating heat, and noticeably empty of tourists. “Yeah, I feel good here,” says Mengesha, standing under the tree.
This temperature difference is a small example of a phenomenon scientists call the urban heat island effect. This week a group of scientists and volunteers fanned out across the city to measure this heat island effect, and map temperatures across Washington — there could be as much as a 10, 15 or 20 degree disparity between the most heat-baked zones and the coolest, shadiest areas. That could have big implications for public health, especially in a warming climate, where hot weeks like this one will become much, much more frequent.
“The urban heat island effect is basically all of those things that define human civilization,” says Jeremy Hoffman, climate and earth scientist with the Science Museum of Virginia, one of the organizations behind the heat mapping project.
“Buildings made out of dense dark surfaces like brick and asphalt — those things absorb more of the sun’s energy during the day and then re-emit that energy back into the atmosphere as heat for a lot longer than the sun is out,” he says.
These manmade building materials retain heat, amplifying temperatures during the day, and keeping temperatures high into the night.
To map D.C.’s heat islands, the research team recruited volunteers to drive around the city three times on one of the hottest summer days. There are nine cars, following different zig-zag routes through D.C., each equipped with a GPS unit and a fancy thermometer that sticks out the car window and logs temperature every second.
Each driver travels a one-hour route — first at the coolest part of the day, starting at 6 am, then at the hottest part of the day, 3 pm, then again at 7 pm.
The data to create the map is still being processed.
Scientists have known about the urban heat island effect since the 1800s, and D.C.’s heat islands can be seen on satellite images from NASA. The D.C. Policy Center studied one such image, from August 2015, when the recorded temperature was 93 degrees. The satellite showed that areas with little tree cover, like Ivy City and Trinidad, registered temperatures of 102 degrees, while in Rock Creek Park, it was just 76. Hoffman says this effort will create, for the first time, a much higher resolution map of where D.C. is the hottest. The satellite images, he says, are like looking at the world with your glasses off.
Why do we need to see a detailed heat map of the city? Here’s one example. Last summer, Hoffman and others mapped the heat in Richmond, Virginia (where they found a 16-degree difference between the hottest and coolest areas), then overlaid that map with data about heat-related emergency calls from the Virginia Department of Health and the Richmond Ambulance Authority.
“Those areas that the heat was the most concentrated in are also those areas where the local ambulance authorities goes to respond to people calling for an ambulance for a heat-related illness,” says Hoffman.
They also found a strong relationship between heat and socioeconomic factors.
“People with lower income, living in poverty, have lower educational attainment, may be renting their home, person of color, those are the people that are experiencing the warmer temperatures more often.”
The project is also backed by researchers at Portland State University, who also created a heat map of Portland, Ore., and found people and businesses located in the hottest areas were paying hundreds of dollars more in energy bills.
These hotspots will only get worse with climate change, says David Herring, who is with the climate program office of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. NOAA is funding the heat mapping project.
Herring says in the 20th century, D.C. averaged about 5 days a year over 95 degrees.
“By the year 2030, we could have 20 days out of the year in which temperatures exceed 95 degrees. By the year 2050, that number is projected to be around 40 days out of the year. And then by the end of the century about 80 days of the year.”
It’s not just that heat is uncomfortable. It’s dangerous. Heat is the number one weather-related killer, causing more deaths each year than floods, tornados or hurricanes.
A detailed heat map of the District may help city leaders keep it a bit cooler.
Kate Johnson, with the District Department of Energy and Environment, says there are two big ways to think about cooling hotspots in the city (besides, of course, trying to slow down global warming). You can make the city more reflective, for example, making rooftops with silver or white, rather than black (this is a requirement for new buildings in the District).
“That’s great because it helps keep your building, your home cooler, and it helps keep the surrounding area cooler too,” says Johnson.
The other option is to make the city greener, putting in green rooftops, replacing pavement with green space, or planting trees. Johnson says she’s looking forward to seeing the heat map researchers are working on — it will show where these things are most needed.
One positive note: as D.C. grows, new development may actually help mitigate the heat island effect, says Johnson.
“In the past, what you saw was that as cities grew and densified, they paved over a lot of things and that’s what actually created urban heat islands in the first place,” says Johnson.
But now as the city grows, many new buildings are replacing heat-retaining things like surface parking lots, and because of the District’s environmental laws and building codes, new buildings have features making them cooler than old ones. | <urn:uuid:af450607-6463-4b74-9329-3b4c0a90400c> | {
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There’s reams of suggestions going round on how to cut out plastic at the moment and rightly so. But our dwindling supply of trees is arguably a bigger environmental issue. This is due to loss of habitat and the effect of the carbon released into the atmosphere on climate change.
Have a look at my post called Easy steps you can take at home to protect the world’s forests for full info on how we can combat deforestation in the most effective way by cutting out non-sustainable palm oil.
There’s plenty of other easy steps we can take to help with the problem. Here’s a quick list of ideas you can implement today.
1 Switch to digital note taking. If you don’t already do this, I highly recommend trying it. Typing is faster and having a digital record is much easier to store and find than flicking through pages and pages of note pad
2 Buy second hand furniture. How much nicer does it look to have reclaimed wood shelves or a character table than soulless new pieces. And how much better does it make you feel inside to know you you’re not responsible for desecrating any living habitat when decking out your home. A lot right? It could save you a fair wedge too.
3 Stop printing tickets. I find your very rarely need to actually print out tickets anymore. The e mail normally says to just bring a copy of it and showing your phone will do.
4 Swap to recycled paper. I’m a believer that paper is pretty much redundant these days and we could survive just fine without it with a few minor adjustments in our lives. OK, so you might argue that we do need paper otherwise how would we go to the loo. It’s a fair point but there is a way around it – Japanese toilets use water and air to clean and dry you so you don’t need loo roll, they’re super-efficient with how much water they use too. Understandably you probably won’t rush out to buy one tomorrow, its worth bearing in mind the next time you remodel your bathroom though!
For the times that you do paper in your lives:
• Switch to recycled note paper and at the very least, recycle the paper or card you do use
• Use recycled or bamboo loo roll, they’re readily available in supermarkets and online
• Use recycled tissues or go back to old school hankies
5 Refuse receipts. Receipts have been a bug bare of mine for years. You could be buying nothing more than a can of drink with cash and the change gets placed in your hand on top of a bloody receipt so there’s no way to escape it. Who the hell ever wants a receipt for a can of drink? Your pockets end up full of them and they invariably end up getting washed in your jeans. Aaagghhh! Some retailers have cottoned on to the pointlessness of these irritating print outs and are actually asking if you want one. But if they don’t, always refuse it and surely every company will get the message soon seeing as they cost money as well trees. Bonkers. | <urn:uuid:8209461c-81c1-4ecc-8c72-5b3db70e7308> | {
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DROGOBYCH (Pol. Drohobycz), city in Ukraine, formerly in Poland and Austria. Information about individual Jewish contractors of the salt mines in Drogobych dates from the beginning of the 15th century. Some of them settled in the city, eventually forming a small community (kehillah). In 1578, however, Drohobych obtained the privilege de non tolerandis Judaeis authorizing the exclusion of Jews from its precincts. Although a number of Jews were subsequently found living in the vicinity, their settlement was not permanent until the end of the 17th century, enabled by royal patronage. All commerce and crafts were then concentrated in Jewish hands. Jewish guilds were formed and the records evidence the friction that existed between them and the Christian guilds of the city, as also between the citizens of Drogobych and the Jewish inhabitants. The Drohobych kehillah was represented on the provincial council of *Rzeszow (see *Councils of the Lands). In the middle of the 18th century a wealthy, despotic farmer of the taxes and customs revenues, Zalman b. Ze'ev (Wolfowicz), seized control of communal affairs. He appointed his son-in-law rabbi, and for his ruthless treatment of both Jews and non-Jews he was finally denounced to the authorities; in 1755 he was arrested, tried, and condemned to death, but as generous assistance was contributed by his coreligionists the sentence was commuted to life imprisonment. He subsequently adopted Christianity and died a member of the Carmelite order in 1757.
After Drogobych passed to Austria in 1772, economic oppression, heavy taxation, and government interference in communal affairs had an adverse effect on the Jewish position. It improved in the 19th century, however, especially with the exploitation of the mineral resources of Drogobych; the salt industry was also a Jewish enterprise. The first attempts to prospect for oil and its extraction were made in Drogobych by a Jew, Hecker, in 1810, and in 1858–59 a refinery was constructed by A. Schreiner in nearby *Borislav at the same time as the industry was developed in the United States. Drogobych Jews took a prominent part in oil extraction and refining, and its export was mainly in Jewish hands. Many families made fortunes in this sector. The takeover of the smaller companies by big enterprises at the end of the 19th century, however, badly hit the Jewish concerns, and the economic position of the community began to deteriorate. After World War I it became impoverished. *Ḥasidism and the *Haskalah movement spread to Drogobych at the end of the 18th century. A German biweekly printed in Hebrew characters, the Drohobitzer Zeitung, was published between 1883 and World War I, and brought out several Hebrew supplements entitled Ẓiyyon (1886–87, 1897). Toward the end of Hapsburg rule the constituency of Drogobych was represented in the Austrian parliament by a Jewish deputy, an assimilationist with sympathies for Poland, who had the backing of the authorities. He was opposed by a Zionist-supported Jewish national candidate in 1911. The authorities were accused of ballot-fixing during the elections, and the army was called out to disperse a demonstration. Shots were fired into the crowd. Thirteen Jews were killed and many injured. Drogobych remained the center of the Galician *kolel from the 1890s until the Holocaust. Ḥayyim Shapira, the last ẓaddik in Drogobych, was the first of the ḥasidic ẓaddikim to
[Nathan Michael Gelber]
Holocaust and Postwar Periods
When World War II broke out, the town with its 17,000 Jews came under Soviet occupation. The authorities arrested the Zionist leaders and closed the Hebrew schools. Jewish refugees from western Poland found shelter in Drogobych, but most of them were deported to the Soviet interior. The Germans entered Drogobych on June 30, 1941, and immediately staged a pogrom with the help of the local Polish and Ukrainian population. About 400 Jews were brutally murdered outside the courthouse and at the Jewish cemetery. Another 300 were executed in the nearby Bronice forest in November. In March 1942 some 2,000 Jews were sent to the *Belzec extermination camp. The second mass deportation took place on August 8, with the dispatch of 2,500 Jews to the same destination, while another 600 were shot in the town itself. The ghetto was established in September. The remaining 9,000 Jews, some of whom were refugees from the nearby villages, were crowded into it. Toward the end of October an additional group consisting of 2,300 Jews was sent to Belzec, and 200 hospital patients were murdered. The surviving Jews began building hideouts or sought shelter in the nearby forest. However, the Germans thwarted their efforts by continuing the Aktion for the whole month of November 1942 and by ordering the death sentence for all non-Jews caught sheltering Jews. For a while the process of extermination did not affect those Jews conscripted for forced labor in the local petroleum industries. The Bronice forest became a mass grave for the Jews of Drogobych and vicinity, including all members of the Judenrat. On February 15, 1943, 450 were executed there, including 300 women. In March 800 from the labor camps were murdered. The remnants of the Jewish community tried to save themselves by hiding or by escaping to Hungary via the Carpathian Mountains, while a few tried to obtain "Aryan" papers. When the Soviet army entered Drogobych in August 1944, some 400 Jews were still alive.
After the war, Drogobych was ceded to the Ukrainian S.S.R., and most of the Jews left for Poland in transit to Israel and other countries.
N.M. Gelber (ed.), Sefer Zikkaron le-Drohobich, Boryslav ve-Hasevivah (1959); M. Balaban, Z historji Żydów w Polsce (1920), 129–46.
Source: Encyclopaedia Judaica. © 2008 The Gale Group. All Rights Reserved. | <urn:uuid:ca0e34c0-644f-44a4-b0ef-ca222adeb722> | {
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If the weather warms up sufficiently in January or February, honeybees take advantage of it and use this opportunity to leave their hive to rid themselves of waste that they have accumulated since their last flight and to remove the bodies of dead honeybees. They don’t fly very far before dropping either their waste or their dead comrades on the snow. This ritual is quickly noted and taken advantage of by animals that are not hive dwellers and need constant fuel in order to survive the cold. Black-capped chickadees are one of these animals – the chickadee in this photograph repeatedly landed on the hive body, and if a dead bee was available at the hive entrance, the chickadee helped itself to it. Otherwise it would survey the snow in front of the hive and then dart down to scoop up a bee in its beak before flying off to a branch to consume its nutritious meal. (Note dead bees at the hive opening, awaiting being taken on their final flight. Screening keeps mice out, but allows bee to enter and exit.) Thanks to Chiho Kaneko and Jeffrey Hamelman for photo op.
Naturally Curious is supported by donations. If you choose to contribute, you may go to http://www.naturallycuriouswithmaryholland.wordpress.com and click on the yellow “donate” button. | <urn:uuid:d2744ae9-1c29-44a4-a3c8-2a454c76ff44> | {
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Tibetan monks from the Tashi Lhunpo Monastery will be in Salisbury Cathedral Chapter House from Monday 30 September to Friday 4 October creating a Sand Mandala. The process begins on Monday morning with a dedication ceremony and ends five days later with a destruction ceremony and procession to the River Avon. Visitors are welcome in the Chapter House at any time during these five days to watch the monks as they work.
The Sand Mandala is an artistic tradition of Tibetan Buddhism involving the creation and destruction of mandalas made from colored sand. A mandala is a symbolic picture of the universe representing an imaginary palace that is contemplated during meditation. Each object in the palace has significance as an aspect of wisdom or a guiding principle. Its purpose is to help transform ordinary minds into enlightened ones and to assist with healing.
The mandala is painstakingly laid using millions of grains of different coloured sand applied using small tubes, funnels, and scrapers, until the intricate pattern is achieved. It is usual that a team of monks works together on the project, creating one section at a time and working from the centre outwards. Once completed and the accompanying ceremonies and viewing are finished, the sand mandala is ritualistically destroyed – symbolising the Buddhist doctrinal belief in the transitory nature of material life – and the sand swept up and poured into a river where its healing energies are carried throughout the world. This ceremony will take place during the afternoon of Friday 4 October.
Edward Probert, Canon Chancellor at Salisbury Cathedral, said “I visited the Tashi Lhunpo monastery in February, and was privileged to enjoy the monks’ hospitality and sit in on their worship. It will be a delight to return the compliment, and while Buddhist beliefs are very different from our Christian ones, it is deeply enriching to experience their artistic and devotional traditions. Sand mandalas are beautiful and astonishing, and throw a fresh light on the art and architecture of the cathedral’s Chapter House.” | <urn:uuid:434a0187-d7ec-4d32-9feb-624f3bb6cc3c> | {
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We are born to touch and be touched. Healthy touch is an innate asset when it comes to relieving stress, connecting with ourselves, others, and our world, and it is a primary way we heal. We touch each other, our pets, our world. Mindful touch brings us to the present moment of being alive.
Did you know that skin is the largest organ of your body? It is the first organ to mature, and develops from the same fetal tissue as the nervous system. When we give or receive gentle touch, our “relaxation response” is engaged and our bodies benefit on many levels. Healthier digestion, immune system function, tissue repair, hormonal balance, sleep patterns, neuropeptide function (brain-body communication), blood pressure, pain management, memory function, and stress relief are all evoked by light, attentive touch.
Infant’s and children’s capacity to self-regulate neurologically and emotionally develops from nurturing caregivers who hold, stroke and rock them to soothe and reassure. Throughout our childhood, we learn to bear a range of sensory and emotional experiences with the help of caregivers who reliably tend to us when we are distressed or uncomfortable. We also learn to trust, to experience pleasure and connection through these relationships. Over time we learn to trust ourselves, get accurate information from our body’s cues about how we are responding to the world around us, and to develop our sense of identity, personal boundaries and the ability to self-soothe. “The experiences we have through our skin are recorded in memory networks: our skin learns and remembers” (Montagu and Green).
In her book, “Relaxation, Awareness, Resilience”, Ivy Green notes Tiffany Field’s (1998) research that documented the human need for touch: “Being held and comforted is a developmental requirement so essential that infants may die without it. Infants who are not sufficiently touched fail to thrive, fail to bond, and fail to develop optimal neurological connections for self soothing and emotional regulation.”
Ashley Montagu, in his book “Touching”, noticed that infants placed in the care of an orphanage where they were fed and kept clean but otherwise left alone, died, whereas babies who were held and touched, were able to survive even difficult circumstances.
It’s not just babies and children who need touch to be healthy. Adults of all ages benefit from cuddling, rocking, holding, stroking, rubbing, and hugging. We are mammals after all! Mammals nourish their young not only by providing milk from the mother, but through sensory input experienced through skin. Mammals of all sorts, especially the young, spend many hours a day in some type of physical contact with other mammals. This relational behavior promotes safety and bonding, explores boundaries, and invites curiosity, play and sociability. It also helps to re-regulate the nervous system when one experiences stress. Getting the right kind of touch helps us deal with fear, pain, loss, and difficult circumstances. It helps us know we are not alone, and that we can be comforted and relax.
What happens if we get the wrong kind of touch, or not enough of the right kind of touch as we grow? Its never too late to develop neural pathways that allow us to benefit from nurturing, healthy touch. Start where you are. Even if you have a history of neglect or abuse, most of us can improve our ability to respond positively to gentle, connective and noninvasive touch. If you have experienced negative touch or touch deficit, it may take time and patience, but in most cases your innate response to healthy touch can become a primary resource for well-being and connection. Working with a somatic practitioner along with your skilled mental health practitioner may help you.
Touch is a significant part of being human. It offers infinite possibilities to explore our reality and connect meaningfully in life.
“With our eyes we run over the surface of things, but touching someone is tuning into them, allowing the current they contain to connect with one’s own, like electricity. To put it differently, this means an end to living in front of things and a beginning of living with them. Never mind if the word sounds shocking, for this is love. You cannot keep your hands from loving what they have really felt.”
From “And There Was Light“, 1987, p. 28 , by Jacques Lusseyran
Cited in Ivy Green’s book “Relaxation, Awareness, Resilience“, p 24 | <urn:uuid:2dca8a28-649e-4bad-a881-c2cfadbbc24a> | {
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Masouleh village is perched high on a densely forested mountainside about 60 kilometers inland from the Caspian Sea. Due to its location, the climate of Masouleh village is different from much of Iran. Warm, moist air blowing southwest from the Caspian is blocked by the Alborz Mountains, creating heavy precipitation and fog on the seaward side of the mountains (this ecoregion is known as the Caspian and Hyrcanian Mixed Forests). Further inland, the landward side of the Alborz receives very little rainfall and rapidly becomes arid. Masouleh is located about 1,050 meters above sea level, but the range of elevation varies by over a hundred meters in the village. The roofs of houses on lower tiers are used as courtyards for houses on the tiers above them. In some cases, public streets are laid out along interconnected roofs. The organic layout and steep stairs have made motor vehicles impractical, so they are banned in the village. About 800 people currently live in the village. The native language of Masouleh’s inhabitants is Talysh, a language spoken by fewer than a million people around the western and southern shores of the Caspian Sea. Masouleh is a small village in north of Iran. It’s near Fuman. It’s a village in the foot of mountain and therefore it has an amazing structure and architecture. Homes are above each other and roof of each house is the yard or walk area for the people in upstairs. This feature has made it a favorite place for tourists to visit. The climate Is bitterly cold in winter, with snow sometimes reaching three meters deep, but the climate in summer is extremely pleasant and bracing. Fog is the predominate weather feature of Masouleh. | <urn:uuid:ce21797a-47c8-4fd3-ae93-ff52a7c2025b> | {
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The Future of Technology In the Classroom
What is the future of technology in the classroom? What are the benefits of using technology in the classroom? Let's find out more about The Future of Technology In the Classroom.
What is the future of technology in the classroom?
Future of technology in the classroom is leaning towards the availability of laptops or tablets for every student. Many schools are already focused on future classroom design in which exercise books and pens could be completely replaced with laptops or tablets for every pupil. Avocor is a global leader in creating collaboration solutions that enable students to collaborate at their best possible level.
Avocor is a global leader in creating collaboration solutions that enable busy professionals to share information and collaborate easily. By automating the tasks of email, chat, and collaboration, Avocor provides the quickest and most efficient way for teams to connect and achieve results.
What are the benefits of using technology in the classroom?
Future of technology in the classroom is a perfect blend of both traditional and electronic learning methods. By using technology in a way that is effective, interactive, and relevant, our students have a better chance to learn and understand information. This can be found on many different platforms such as computer screens and laptops, making the experience more natural for students. With the increasing trend of tablets and smartphones in the classroom, it will only become more difficult for educators to not use these devices in their classes.
The proper seat placement for a student depends on a variety of factors, but typically an example would be to place a student's elbow on the desk and rest their chin on their hand.ufficientLight and Technology in the Classroom - A Perfect Blend Too often, students in classrooms receive little more than field lights that flicker and provide no instructional value. These lights should only be used when necessary to show an image on a screen (e.g., during PowerPoint presentations). For those students who need more light, usuallyizoLabs have flashlights that work well with technology secondary devices like phones or laptops to amplify the light.
Technology in the classroom can do many things; from providing opportunities for hands-on learning with technology tools (such as iPads) to providing opportunities for personalized instruction through computer-generated simulations.
What are the effects of technology on teenage anxiety, depression and suicide? Does technology addiction cause negative physical health effects? Let's find out more about Technology Addiction and Its Effects On Mental Health.
What is the use of technology in the classroom?
Use of technology in the classroom has quickly become a popular choice for educators looking to found innovative methods for student success. By integrating a wide range of technologies into the learning process, educators can more easily target specific areas of instruction while providing an engaging and interactive experience for all students. Some of the more popular technologies used in the classroom include internet-based teaching tools, mobile devices, and tablet gaming.
Imagine if you could hail a ride to your destination from anywhere in the world with just a few easy steps. That's the goal of quickly and easily connecting to public transportation services worldwide through an app. The technology we use in education today is making this possible, and it's not stopping there. In the near future, we may even seeachersand students use virtual classrooms technology for entire gradeschools so that everyone has access to the same materials at the same time. How would you teach if there was no physical classroom? paraprofessional teachers would need to be created! Other educators are using technology as a way to connect with their students on a more personal level, which gives parents more options for watching their child have fun without having them stranded in class all day long.
What are the benefits of using technology in the classroom?
Future of technology in the classroom comes with a lot of potential consequences. One potential impact is that it could lead to an increase in the use of technology in the classroom that may not actually benefit students or the educational process. Another impact could be that it could take away from education by reducing the amount of time students spend learning and by minimizing opportunities for hands-on experience with learning.
Most importantly, there's the worry that technology might make the classroom more efficient and less interactive. This could lead to teachers feeling omitted or left out from curriculum decisions, and students feeling unheard or neglected.
What role will technology play in the future classroom?
Future of education will be based largely on technology, as more and more countries introduce digital learning formats. Technology is expected to play a significant role in helping teachers move from the traditional classroom setting to a more immersive online learning experience.
What has been the biggest change in communication methods in the last few decades? What are some of the changes communication has seen over the years? Let's find out more about How Has Technology Changed Communication?.
Julie Adams, a teacher and technology consultant, believes that the future of education lies in using technology in a way that is beneficial to both teachers and students. She believes that through the use of technology, educators can provide an interactive learning experience that is more engaging and influential than ever before. Additionally, she sees digital classrooms as a more cost effective way to provide education than traditional brick-and-mortar institutions. With the advent of new technologies like tablet computing and smartphones, there are ample opportunities for educators to innovate and improve their teaching practices.
What will be the future of classroom technology?
Future of classroom technology is very bright. With the use of technology, teachers can keep teaching and learning in the same spot, no matter where their class is. The use of interactive games, tools, and software can help teachers create a more engaging learning environment for their students.
Improvements in technology will only be a matter of time before they become integral to our work lives. With this in mind, it is important to consider how we will implements these advancements into our classrooms and how we can best support our students.
Experts in the field agree that technology will only become more integrated into our work lives over time. In fact, many believe that it is already a part of our everyday lives and should be taken account of when planning instruction.
What is the dark web and why is it so important? What is the Dark Web? Let's find out more about What Is the Dark Side of the Internet?.
Some early adopters of technology in the classroom have cautioned about its potential for manipulating student focus and engagement, but this does not hold up to scrutiny. Many experts believe that even if there are some negative side-effects from technological advances, overall they can play an important role in helping students learn and grow.
While there are likely going to be some adjustments required on both sides of the classroom - teachers as well as students - educators across the globe are optimistic about the future of technology in education.
What are future in the classroom implications of technology?
Future of technology in the classroom means that students are able to learn more effectively and efficiently than ever before. With technology becoming more and more commonplace in classrooms, it has become impossible for students to learn without it. Nearly every single trend for the next school year and beyond is directly related to or impossible without technological advances. For example, this year's education trend is that students are able to use technology to study for classes. This is possible because modern classrooms have large screens that allow professors to lecture from a distance. Additionally, Bluetooth LE allows teachers to use small-to-mediumsized devices such as laptops in the classroom, which instead of taking up valuable space can be used for studying and teaching. In addition, online resources are becoming increasingly common in the classroom, allowing students access to information they would have otherwise been unable to find.
One key trend is that classrooms are moving towards a more immersive learning experience. That means students spend more time in the classroom in front of screens and devices, rather than seated behind desks. This shift has led to a significant increase in digital engagement in the classroom, from social media to online discussion boards.
How does the increased demand for labor due to the increased use of technological change affect employment? What are some of the most important developments in technology on the near horizon? Let's find out more about The Impact of Technology On Employment.
But it's not just classrooms that are benefiting from this shift. Every other part of the student life is also suffering because of it. Teachers are using technology to engage students on a deeper level, which has turned classrooms into one-way streets where only digital tools can be used. The consequence? Less engagement between teachers and students, and an- overall stagnation of learning outcomes.
What are some of the benefits of integrating technology into the classroom?
Benefits of integrating technology into the classroom include increased access to information, support for visuals and video material, and improvements in student engagement. These benefits are important for both teachers and students, who can benefit from more efficient learning experiences.
Integrating technology in the classroom can help make learning more engaging and efficient. By syncing videos and graphics with Google, teachers can easily show interactive lessons to students at any time, supporting interactive learning needs such as hands-on skills. Additionally, by using cloud-based software, students can have access to latest updates and lectures from their coursework anytime and anywhere. Finally, by integrating technology in the classroom, employers can ensure that their employees are able to access the latest pulse of education trends in a safer and easier way.
Is technology causing family divisions? What are the benefits of using technology in human relations? Let's find out more about Technology and Its Impact On Human Relationships.
What is the future of classroom technology?
Current state of classroom technology can be summarized into three main points. First, There is a growing trend of using more advanced software and tools in classrooms. This can be seen in the use of launchers such as Google Drive and Apple iCloud, as well as the increasing use of adaptive teaching methods.
Second, desktops are becoming more important for teachers and students. Both teachers and students need places to put their office supplies and materials, as well as their textbooks. Many schools are beginning to use laptops instead of desktops in order to save time and money.
Finally, there is a rise in interest in virtual classrooms, which allow teachers to communicate with students remotely. These classes are becoming increasingly popular due to their convenience and the ability for teachers to customize them to their needs.
What exactly are we talking about here? Well, if you're referring to current technology in the form of laptops and tablets that students use to access various educational materials, then the answer is obvious - these devices have become entirely self-contained and don't need a teacher present to guide or provide support. However, if you're thinking about future trends in this area, then it can help to understand just how technology is playing a role in the education process.
For starters, portable technology is gradually becoming more popular. With so many students now travelling and living far away from home on a regular basis, having access to online materials (whether they be textbooks or coursework) is increasingly important. This can be done either through downloads or through online courses ( alternatively, physical classes may still offer lectures).
Another trend that has started to gain momentum in recent years is streaming technology.
What are the possibilities for using Chrome OS in the classroom?
Future of classroom technology is ever-changing, with new ways to engage students and promote creativity. Chrome OS is a popular options for Chromebooks, which can open up a wide range of opportunities for the educational sector. Chromebooks are able to run multiple applications at once and are easy to maintain, which makes them perfect for busy classrooms.
- - The advent of the Chromebook Bros: A technology that allows teachers to use a wide range of software on Chromebooks in the classroom without having to carry an entire tab of different programs around.
- - A shift in how we learn: With immersive mixed reality headsets, students will soon be able to learn any topic at any level, whether it be history, math, or science.
- - A move towards cloud-based learning: It will be easy for educators to access trainings and materials from anywhere in the world without having to leave their computers.
Computers in the classroom wikipedia.org
Educational technology wikipedia.org
The Effect Of Technology in the Classroom: A Research-Based Pe babypower.us
The Effect Of Technology in the Classroom: A Research-Based babypower.us
Future Ready Schools: Building Technology Infrastructure for ed.gov
The Future of Education: Integrating Tech into Class lsu.edu
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The franking privilege is a well known benefit that aloows them to mail letters and other materials postage free by substituting their facsimile signature for the postage
the doctrine that the numerical majority of an organized group can make decisions binding on the whole group
Government by a group of people who are different, politically or racially from the majority of the population
honorary position in the senate to senior member of the majority party when vp is gone
A temporary legislative committee established for a limited time period and for a special purpose.
committee appointed by the presiding officers of each chamber to adjust differences on a particular bill passed by each in different form.
the accumulation of power and authority in conjunction with the length of time spent in office
what are the qualifications and terms of office for the members of the u.s. house of rep?
Be 25 years old, have been a citizen for 7 years, be a legal resident of the state you are representing
what are the qualifications and terms of office for members of the u.s. senate?
30 years old, been a citizen for 9 years, a legal resident of the states you are representing.
list five benefits and privileges that members of congress receive
yearly salary, receive free trips back and from their home state,the righ to mail official letters, and immunity
list and describe 3 types of congressional sessions
regular- house and senate are in normal operation, closed only legislatures discuss more operation joint-both houses are present.
list examples of both expressed and implied powers of congress
Implied powers of congress are the powers that the legislative branch has that are not specifically listed in the Constitution. Implied powers come from and depend upon the expressed powers of the government. For example, the power to draft people into the military is implied by the power of congress to raise an army and navy. The Congress shall have power to lay and collect taxes, duties, imposts and excises, to pay the debts and provide for the common defense and general welfare of the United States; but all duties, imposts and excises shall be uniform throughout the United States
list the 3 basic limits to the powers of congress
taxing exports, favoring trade of state, granting title os nobility | <urn:uuid:7eb91a1c-5ce7-438f-842e-b33153a132e4> | {
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Caffeine is in coffee, tea, sodas, some foods and even medicines. Jack E. James and Michael A. Keane, researchers at the National University of Ireland, characterized caffeine as “the most widely consumed psychoactive substance in history” in their 2007 study of caffeine-extract testing. Anyone who has ever tried to give up that daily cuppa joe has probably encountered the splitting headache and other discomforts that are signs of caffeine withdrawal. But those who stick it out may find the caffeine kick was an illusion, and the health benefits of going caffeine-free are more invigorating than an espresso.
Video of the Day
An examination of multiple tests to determine the effects of caffeine extracts, published by Wiley InterScience in 2007, revealed a critical problem -- with the tests. Psychologists at the National University of Ireland who scrutinized testing protocols and results concluded that the apparent benefits of consuming caffeine are actually relief from the symptoms of caffeine withdrawal. The researchers noted that most people drink their caffeine in the morning, with gradually decreasing amounts throughout the day and abstinence while sleeping. But the researchers asked study participants to skip their morning coffee and then gave them caffeine extracts or placebos later in the day, as they were entering caffeine withdrawal. Rather than measuring the effect of the stimulant on such indicators as alertness, fatigue and performance, the tests measured relief from the symptoms of caffeine withdrawal. The Irish researchers also observed that test participants who didn’t habitually consume caffeine showed no extra alertness or other benefit from the test dosages.
The Bogus Buzz
Scientists looked for evidence of buzz in the brain and found a big headache. Researchers at the University of Vermont and Johns Hopkins University, in a study published in the scientific journal "Psychopharmacology" in 2009, used brain scans, ultrasound and volunteers’ reports to measure caffeine’s effects. They found that eliminating caffeine, which constricts blood vessels, caused those vessels to dilate, increasing blood flow and the release of pain-producing chemicals to the brain. As a result, the volunteers experienced headaches. The withdrawal of caffeine also slowed brainwaves, reported by study participants as fatigue. But researchers found no evidence that a habit of caffeine consumption provided any benefits other than mitigating symptoms of withdrawal.
Caffeine’s Mixed Message
A modest caffeine habit might be helpful or harmful. Dr. Verna Case, professor of biology at Davidson College in North Carolina, points to studies that show coffee drinkers who consume a few cups of coffee or less daily have lower risks of liver disease, colon cancer, type 2 diabetes, Parkinson disease and gallstones. She also notes that different studies highlight increased heart rate, higher blood pressure and irregular heartbeats, as well as the dangers of abrupt deprivation for people suffering from depression. Higher caffeine consumption seemed to exacerbate problems experienced in testing, but even moderate consumption resulted in symptoms of addiction. Definitive conclusions about the virtues and vices of a caffeine habit will require more testing, but one clear result has emerged from studies: Wean yourself from caffeine gradually to minimize unpleasant or harmful withdrawal symptoms.
Benefits of Decaffeination
Although caffeine is a stimulant, its habitual effect seems to be a physiological and possibly psychological dependence. It can cause heartburn, jitters, anxiety, insomnia, upset stomach, fluctuations in heart rate and blood pressure, increased kidney activity and dehydration and other unhealthy reactions, according to Oregon Health & Science University. Short-term effects can be alertness, cessation of drowsiness and mood improvement, but those require continued caffeine consumption. Withdrawal from a caffeine habit should be undertaken slowly but could result in a host of beneficial improvements to overall health. It makes sense to check with your health-care provider about how caffeine may be affecting you. | <urn:uuid:f3252b4a-86fc-4e5c-a18b-bdd3ef629cb3> | {
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Works of both Indian and European Scholars bear testimonies to the existence of Bishnupriya Manipuri in Manipur in the earliest time.
The “Khumal Purana” Of Pandit Navakhendra Singh refers to the existence of Bishnupriya Manipuri language in Manipur during the reign of Garib Nawaj. Pandit Navakhendra states – ” The main stream of Manipuri, the Aryan origin people, the khumal, Moirang, Angam and Luwang who are following the Vedic cult from the epic ages being the devotees of Lord Vishnu distinguish themselves from the Meitheis”. The language originated and developed in Manipur and was originally confined to the surroundings of the Loktak Lake.
Other authorities such as An account of the valley of Manipore by Col. McCullock, Descriptive Ethnology of Bengal by E. T. Dalton and the Linguistic Survey of India by George Abraham Grierson mention that the language was in existence in Manipur before the 19th century. Dr. Grierson calls the language as “Bishnupuriya Manipuri”, while some other writers call it simply “Bishnupriya”. The principal localities where this language was spoken are now known as Heirok, Mayang Yamphal, Bishnupur, Khunan, Ningthankhong, Ngaikhong, Thamnapoxpi. | <urn:uuid:cdf9c971-4041-4258-93a6-07be5f963719> | {
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Can new energy vehicles still charge normally in extreme weather?
It is not suggest to charge immediately after vehicles was exposured to the sun
The first thing to be reassured is that charging in this situation is relatively safe. Under normal circumstances, the new energy vehicle itself and the charging equipment will be set up overtemperature protection system to ensure the safety of electricity consumption.
However, even then, it is not suggest to charge immediately after high heat exposure.
The reason is that the temperature of the power box and battery will rise as a result of exposure to high temperature. If the power box is charged at this time, the heat generated when the ambient temperature is added to the charging temperature will cause metal aging of the charging line in the car, which will affect the battery life and even risk of overheating damage.
So it is suggested that after exposuring,the majority of owner wait for cooling and heat dissipation first and then charge for the car
Charging pile with awning is recommended for charging in rainstorm days
But what about charging during a rainstorm? Will there be electricity leakage? Is it possible to short-circuit?
At the beginning of the design of new energy vehicles, they take this into account. Rubber sealing rings are generally set up at the charging port. Most of the new energy vehicles have reached the waterproof and dustproof level of IP65, which can prevent rain from flowing into the fault. At the same time, most charging piles also have lightning protection, overload protection, short circuit protection, leakage protection and other functions.
But, With the passing of time, the rubber sealing ring of the new energy vehicle will have the aging problem, and the waterproof performance will decline accordingly. Therefore, as far as possible, the charging pile with the canopy will be charged, which is more secure. | <urn:uuid:746af58f-a7a4-4bad-b1e6-3da4e5366be8> | {
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Benefits of Reading to Your Baby
Books are one of the most basic tools of effective communication between parents and children. You should introduce the books that are very useful in the language development of the baby to your baby in a short time.
Reading a book is as much a cultural act as it is a mental act. When the habit of reading books is gained at a young age, it will be inevitable for your child to be one step ahead of those who do not read books when he becomes an adult.
Before moving on to the benefits of reading to your baby, you should know that parents have a great responsibility in this regard. Babies may not understand everything you say, but you don’t have to wait for your baby to grow up to talk to him.
Reading to your baby is only the beginning of productive activities you will spend with him. It provides a much better quality of communication between parents and children.
When a baby turns 1, he will have learned all the sounds in his mother tongue, so reading a lot of books to him will contribute to learning more different sounds.
The earlier you start reading to your baby, the sooner you can take action to speed up his development.
Children who are read by their parents during their infancy learn more words than their peers when they are 2 years old.
Benefits of reading to baby;
It teaches the baby communication in the early period.
It enables them to learn information in a fun way by using colors, numbers, letters and shapes.
It triggers the development of memory and vocabulary, and the ability to listen.
It allows the baby to learn about what is happening around him.
Reading plays an important role in the formation of your baby’s social and emotional character. It helps detect intonation differences and accents in your voice.
What should be the ideal book selection for different ages?
Very young babies do not understand what pictures in books mean, but they are quite good at focusing. The bright colors, smileys and patterns in the pictures attract their attention. When you read a book, you allow your baby to rest and sleep peacefully.
Babies aged 4-6 months show an interest in books. They may try to hold it, touch it, and put it in their mouth. That’s why you can choose cloth books designed for babies in this month group.
Between 6-12 months, they begin to understand the pictures in the book. When you start reading the book, your child tries to react by making sounds. When he is 12 months old, he will try to turn the pages.
When Should You Read the Book?
All you need to read to your baby is your baby, you and a book. In my starting period, you only need to read for a few minutes, but you must repeat it over and over. Trying to finish the book in one sitting can distract your baby.
You should set a specific reading time each day. Gaining the habit of reading, especially before bedtime, will make it easier for your child to fall asleep.
What you need to do to read a book to your baby;
Hug your baby while reading, this will make him feel safe and strengthen the bond between you.
Change the tone of your voice according to the characters in the book, do not skip the accents.
Do not try to read the book straight, interpret the pictures and proceed in the form of questions and answers.
Sing songs and lullabies while reading the book, do not avoid imitating animals, this way they will understand that reading is a fun activity.
Babies love repetition and that’s how they learn. Don’t be afraid to reread the book.
When choosing a book for your baby, choose very simple, repetitive texts and plenty of picture books. Cloth books with soft textures are ideal for your baby.
You should definitely have a library at home in order to give your child the habit of reading.
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Iran sends second monkey to space
As part of an ambitious program to send an astronaut to space, Iran successfully sent a monkey into space for the second time. After reaching a height of 72 miles, the rocket and monkey returned safely to Earth.
Tehran, Iran — Iran said Saturday it has successfully sent a monkey into space for a second time, part of an ambitious program aimed at manned space flight.
Iran's state TV said that the launch of the rocket dubbed Pajohesh, or Research in Farsi, was Iran's first use of liquid fuel and reached a height of 72 miles. It said the monkey, named Fargam or Auspicious, was returned to earth safely.
The TV showed the rocket blasting off and then showed the monkey, strapped snugly into a seat, staring at people clapping to celebrate its safe return. The report said Fargam's capsule parachuted safely to earth after detaching from the rocket in a mission that lasted 15 minutes.
Iran frequently claims technological breakthroughs that are impossible to independently verify. The Islamic Republic has said it seeks to send an astronaut into space as part of an ambitious aerospace program.
"The launch of Pajohesh is another long step getting the Islamic Republic of Iran closer to sending a man into space," the official IRNA news agency said.
State TV said scientists were able to monitor and measure signals coming from the rocket, including Fargam's vital signs, during the flight.
Iran said that it sent its first monkey into space in January, reaching the same height of 120 kilometers (72 miles).
For Iran, its aerospace program is a source of national pride. It's also one of the pillars of Iran's aspirations to be seen as the technological hub for Islamic and developing countries.
The U.S. and its allies worry that technology from the space program could also be used to develop long-range missiles that could potentially be armed with nuclear warheads.
In the January mission, one of two official packages of photos of the simian space traveler depicted the wrong monkey, causing some international observers to wonder whether the monkey had died in space or that the launch didn't go well.
But Iranian officials later said one set of pictures showed an archive photo of one of the alternate monkeys. They said three to five monkeys are simultaneously tested for such a flight and two or three are chosen for the launch. Finally, the one that is best suited for the mission and isn't stressed is chosen for the voyage.
The Islamic Republic has not revealed where the rocket launch took place, but it has a major satellite launch complex near Semnan, about 125 miles east of Tehran.
Iran says it wants to put its own satellites into orbit to monitor natural disasters in the earthquake-prone nation, improve telecommunications and expand military surveillance of the region. | <urn:uuid:06e596b4-eaa0-40f5-b951-61f99fd9f0eb> | {
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I went to college as a violin major (at first) and every Friday we had Master Class. All the students that studied with my violin teacher met each week and a few of us played a piece we were working on. The teacher, and sometimes visiting teachers, would share their thoughts on the performance as would the other students.
I think you can see where this is going…
Your media project is likely broken into some developmental chunks:
- Finished main recording/shooting
- Building the storyline and thesis, research question or theme
- Rough draft edit
- Nearly completed project
Depending on your professor or instructor’s preference we may have a session where you will show your project in its current state and have a critique provided by your instructor, the media and web professionals working with your class, and your fellow students.
Often the critique responsibility is split up as follows:
- Instructor addresses the discipline specific content in the thesis/research question/theme and the body of the project. Is what you’re saying meaningful and meet the project’s goals.
- Media pro’s point out the good and bad in the recordings and edits. Are the media methods contributing to your story? Is the tech added meaning or just flashiness?
- Everyone talks to whether the project is compelling and getting its message across, and what could make it event better. The audience knows best! Read Prendergast’s discussion of the “Sixth Paragrah” to learn about the real meaning of project. While she talks about writing, it works well in video.
- Suggestions for the next steps – thoughts on editing style, additional content to be recorded and added, keeping the story tight and reaching the correct audience.
There may be a specific set of guidelines, or rubric, put forward for your project to address specific aspects within the discipline your class is in. This often will be used if there’s mid-project grade involved.
The important thing is to keep things positive while still providing informative and guiding feedback – this goes for the instructors, the media people and you. For most people in your class creating a media project like this is new so take that into consideration. All of us can always make our work better if we expose it to the world as it’s being developed. | <urn:uuid:fdd22d1a-5253-40eb-9524-756f2368df05> | {
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Dr. Vijai S Shankar MD.PhD.
Published on www.academy-advaita.com
1 January 2019
Determined means wanting to do something very much and not allowing anyone or any difficulties to stop you. Determined also means having made a firm decision and being resolved not to change it.
Man and woman who are determined to do anything in life and are successful, they are applauded and appreciated. Man and woman are proud of their determination to do. Man and woman are advised to be determined by the knowledgeable in society.
The knowledgeable also say that primitive man lived without the knowledge that he or she should be determined. Primitive man was merely moving in the present, which is the timeless and thoughtless ‘here and now’, without knowing whether he was determined or not. He also did not know that he was moving.
Wisdom reveals that every moment in life renews itself and in between a moment in the mind and in life is moment as well. This signifies that a moment in life and in the mind is eternal.
Brain scans reveal that decisions happen seven seconds before man decides. The scientists at the Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences reveal that human decisions are made seconds before humans become aware of them.
In the study, participants could freely decide if they wanted to press a button with either their right hand or left hand. The only condition was that they had to remember when they made the decision to use either their right hand or left hand.
Using FMRI, researchers scanned the brains of the participants to find out if they could predict which hand the participants would use before participants were consciously aware of the decision.
The results by monitoring the micro patterns of activity in the front-polar cortex, were that the researchers could predict which hand the participant would choose seven seconds before the participant was aware of the decision.
Wisdom reveals that this is proof that man neither decides nor predicts nor predetermines. Wisdom reveals that even the movement of the hand to press the button happens and the brain does not make the movement happen in the moment.
Wisdom further reveals that determination happens for understanding to happen that only moving is in every moment and that every moment is only moving. Also, for wise understanding to happen that moving in every moment is instinct and instinct cannot be determined by man or his brain.
Determination happens for understanding to happen that determination is not an actuality in a moment. Determination happens for understanding to happen that determination in any moment is illusory and not real. Determination happens for understanding to happen that determination is not present, but only moving is present.
The moving happens for understanding to happen that when the moving is accepted as determination, it is believed that man and woman are determined and can be determined as well.
Wisdom reveals that determination is not present in the moment because life is only moving in the moment. Wisdom also reveals that the intelligence in life manifests the moving and man or woman do not make the moving in the moment happen. This is because they do not make the moment in life.
The enlightened accept what man or woman do and do not expect them to be determined, because they understand that determination is not present, but only moving is present in any moment in life. The enlightened proclaim that man or woman will know to do what he or she is meant to do, albeit illusory.
Sri Ramana Maharishi has declared that what is meant to happen, albeit illusory, will happen. Sri Adi Shankaracharya has declared that man is not the doer in Nirvanashadakam. Kenopanishad verse (1.3) declares that word and mind cannot access the Absolute One. Bhagwat Gita chapter 3 verse 27 declares that man is not the doer.
The enlightened understand that the moving in any moment is instinct and is manifested by the intelligence in life and is not done by man or his brain. The enlightened have declared that life is a singular movement.
Author: Dr. Vijai S. Shankar
© Copyright V. S. Shankar 2018
Every human being wishes to complete or succeed in a task which is contemplated or undertaken, particularly when it demands resourcefulness and energy. ‘Keep at it’ and ‘don’t give up’ typify the advice given which inspires determination - and the belief that ‘I am the doer’ adds the element of responsibility, albeit illusory.
However praiseworthy determination has become as a human quality in daily life, at whatever age, the understanding of the enlightened gifted in this article is that man is not the doer. Thus, the illusory nature of determination is revealed and the burden of man’s responsibility for the outcome is dissolved.
Julian Capper, UK
German Translator‘s Note:
The illusion of being a doer, especially a determined one, has become so deeply rooted in the human mind over the course of evolution that it is inconceivable not to think of it as real. It may even be frightening to see determination as an illusion, because then, as always in the dual world of the mind, its opposite shows up, in this case the opposite of determination is the feeling of helplessness. Even the deep understanding of the wisdom of this article is not attainable with determination. The understanding so clearly presented here by Dr. Shankar is that precisely what is destined to happen happens and therefore determination is illusory and not real.
Marcus Stegmaier, Germany. | <urn:uuid:1be11cf1-b38c-44ac-a558-e530ba3a3dfb> | {
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Last December, I wrote the following in this newsletter at http://bit.ly/2nNh4gC:
“Today, the smartphone can become a person’s only computer, used alone when away from home or the office, then used with a “docking station” when at home or at the office. Of course, most smartphones already have internal cameras, even webcams. With a docking station to accommodate a keyboard, a larger screen, stereo speakers, printers, scanners, and more, today’s home computer may soon become a thing of the past.”
I also wrote:
“Will your next PC be a smartphone? Do you really need a desktop computer for checking email, surfing the web, or doing genealogy research? The smartphones of today will do most everything your present desktop computer can do.”
It looks like some people agree with me. One company with plans for converting a smartphone into a desktop or laptop computer is a rather well-known producer of personal computers and of smartphones: Apple.
A new patent application from Apple shows the company is toying with the idea of a laptop powered by an iPhone that’s docked face up where the touchpad is normally positioned.
Apple calls the laptop an “accessory device.” That is, the computer with memory, storage space, and wireless networking is in the smartphone while the “accessory device” adds a bigger display, a full sized screen, and a real keyboard.
In the drawing above, you can see the smartphone (which we can assume is an iPhone) simply drops into a cavity in the “laptop” and supplies all the computing power, local storage, and networking. The “shell” that looks like a “shell” performs like a laptop and supplies everything else.
The user can carry the smartphone easily in a pocket or purse and have all the basic functionality of a computer with him or her at all times. Obviously, that combination will be hampered by the small screen and limited keyboard. However, the same user also could pull out the laptop “shell,” drop the smartphone into a cavity in the shell, and use it in the same manner as a laptop.
Optionally, the same user could take it home and connect a 30-inch screen or larger, a larger keyboard, and whatever peripherals he or she wishes. He or she obviously would not be limited by today’s smartphone technology.
Why purchase a smartphone AND a laptop AND a desktop computer? One device could perform all three functions, provided it had the proper accessories. I suspect the total price would be significantly cheaper than purchasing all three separate items.
As I wrote in December,
“Yes, I believe that a smartphone will become a desktop replacement within a very few years. In fact, it has become my primary computer today.
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This article shares the story of Albermarle County Schools’ experience integrating maker education throughout all the schools in the district. In particular, snapshots of Agnor Hurt Elementary and Albermarle High School are spotlighted. I recommend diving into this article and considering how Albermarle’s experience and ideas can impact your classroom, school, and district. Here are just two nuggets I gleaned from reading this.
“Making shouldn’t be isolated. We want to get away from that idea. Makerspaces and classrooms are one and the same.” — Andrew Craft, Elementary Teacher
“When people make, they get back to the basics of who they are as humans. Making puts the learner at the center of the work — and when that happens with our kids, the content makes sense to them.” — Pam Moran, Superintendent
“Google Photos has grown into an awesome service. From automatically backing up your phone’s pictures to letting you easily share your photos, there’s a lot to love for anyone who works with photos. Whether you want to make a mini stop-motion animation or just make a slideshow of related pictures, Photos can help. Select the Animation button under the Assistant tab, and you can choose from 2–50 photos to add. Once you’re satisfied, click Create and you’ll have a neat little GIF ready to share.” — Ben Stegner
“Flipped Learning is a pedagogical approach in which direct instruction moves from the group learning space to the individual learning space, and the resulting group space is transformed into a dynamic, interactive learning environment where the educator guides students as they apply concepts and engage creatively in the subject matter” (Source).
Flipped learning allows for a more student centered approach to teaching within the classroom because the majority of the lecture style learning is completed at home; thus, allowing class time to utilize more engaging techniques such as project-based learning, game-based learning, student presentations, discussion, and collaboration. Flipped Learning can also be completed solely within the classroom without requiring students to complete work at home. The main idea with Flipped Learning is simply to allow the teacher to become more of a facilitator of learning rather than the dictator of knowledge.
How to Flip?
The following video from Edutopia will help you understand how to get started.
Examples of Flipped Learning
There are numerous ways to incorporate Flipped Learning within your classroom. The following seven concepts are a good place to start.
The Standard Inverted Classroom: students are assigned any lecture style teaching for homework the night before class so that class time might used for practicing what they learned with the teacher able to give instant feedback.
The Discussion-Oriented Flipped Classroom: lecture style videos, such as TED Talks, are assigned as homework and class time is spent discussing the subject at length.
The Demonstration-Focused Flipped Classroom: teacher records a screencast explaining an activity, math problem, etc so that they students may watch as many times as possible for mastery.
The Faux-Flipped Classroom: students watch lecture videos or complete assignments via technology at their own pace within the classroom and the teacher acts as a facilitator and supporter.
The Group-Based Flipped Classroom: students learn material for homework and use class time to work together in groups so that they learn from each other through collaboration.
The Virtual Flipped Classroom: classes are offered entirely online and actual class time is not needed.
Flipped the Teacher: students record video tutorials as projects to teach a skill to the teacher thus showing mastery of the skill (Source).
Kaylah Holland is currently a Middle School Instructional Technology Facilitator at Charlotte Christian School in Charlotte, NC. In addition to teaching coding, app development, and robotics; she has a vital role of assisting teachers with the integration of technology into the classroom through ample research, lesson planning, and training. She is currently completing her doctoral degree in the field of Instructional Design and Technology and is in the process of becoming a Google Certified Trainer. She is passionate about building an innovative culture for learning.
I’m a big, big fan of Google+. It’s a very big component of my personal learning network (PLN). Here are some thoughts about about why I prefer Google+ over the other social media platforms (Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, etc.). I encourage everyone to take a look at Google+’s services and consider taking advantage of them.
Please feel free to friend me on Google+. Then browse through my Links and Other Profiles to make connections, collaborate, and share resources through other networks. As I frequently say, “Together we learn more.”
I’ve developed several Google+ Communities where we can interact and share resources around particular topics. I invite you to join and actively contribute to all of these groups in which you have an interest/expertise.
This video from Edutopia spotlights Manor New Technology High School, “where an unwavering commitment to an effective school-wide project-based learning model keeps both students and teachers motivated and achieving their best” (Source). It is “a public high school just outside of Austin in Manor, Texas. It is an entirely project-based learning school that has consistently achieved outstanding results since opening. We followed a project there for three weeks to find out what makes their model so effective” (Source).
The following quote from Seymour Papert about PBL especially stood out to me. This sort of flies in the face of what we are currently seeing in many of the test-focused schools.
“The first thing you have to do is give up the idea of curriculum. Curriculum meaning you have to learn this on a given day. Replace it by a system where you learn this where you need it. So, that means you are going to put kids in a position where they’re going to use the knowledge that they get.
Your feedback and encouragement back in 2007 prompted me to take this a step further. Rather than simply encouragingteachers (in general) to do this I’m now challenging you (specifically you) to start a service activity in your classroom. 🙂
The holiday season is upon us, so I think it’s a great time to talk about service and initiate a project with your students.
Here’s THE CHALLENGE.
Kick-off a service activity in your classroom.
Make us aware of your project.
I’ve dedicated a new section of the blog to this activity and added a permanent link titled The Challenge to the main menu. This allows us to to share information, photos, videos, and provide links to personal/ class blogs, wikis, websites, etc. where we can learn about each other’s projects and share resources and ideas. You can post your information by:
I’ve been working a lot with Google’s many, many services the past several weeks in conjunction with various professional development workshops that I have/will be facilitating. In doing so, I’ve become a big fan of their products. I’ve especially been struck by their tools’ ease of use, deep integration among tools and services, and Google’s commitment to openness. I’m going to be saving a lot of money on software in the future as I migrate away from some of the expensive software giants that I’ve used for a long time and in lieu of Google’s free and similar/superior offerings.
In the past few days I’ve noticed that the new Google toolbar (the dark box across the top) has pretty much gone live across all the Google services I use. Google has never been known for their graphic design prowess, but I’d say the update is an improvement. I especially dig the redesign of the Google Docs interface. | <urn:uuid:432f424f-17b5-43ac-befc-b63526bd3894> | {
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The South African boerboel and the perro de presa Canario are powerful and imposing. Throughout history, the two breeds have served mankind in similar roles as the guardians of property and farms, driving off undesirable pests and wild dogs. Neither breed is suitable for inexperienced dog owners, but in the right hands, they can be devoted and athletic companions.
Countries of Origin
As its name suggests, the perro de presa Canario hails from the Canary Islands. They are descended from the Iberian presa, a kind of mastiff who traveled to the islands with their conquistador masters, and a variety of bulldogs called alanos. According to the website VetStreet, a fierce sheepdog called the bardino majorero was later bred to the existing dogs, creating the modern-day presa. The South African boerboel has roots stretching into antiquity, arriving in Africa with Assyrian ruler Assurbanipal when he conquered Egypt. According to the South African Boerboel Breeder's Association, the dogs traveled north to Europe with Alexander the Great and developed into two distinct strains. When Dutch colonial administrator Jan van Riebeeck arrived in South Africa in 1652, he brought his mastiff-type dog, called a "bullenbitjer," for companionship and protection. The modern-day boerboel is descended from dogs owned by South African colonists and mongrels kept by native African tribes.
Coat Colors and Textures
The presa may have a coat color of brindle, black or fawn. His coat is short, flat and rough. He sheds infrequently, except in the summer and fall, when he will require frequent brushing to remove dead hair. A boerboel's coat is shiny and short, according to the American Kennel Club. Boerboels may be any shade of brown, red or fawn; white patches are permitted on the dog's legs and fore chest. Brindle is also allowed, but white exceeding 33 percent of the dog's body is considered a disqualification, and a predominant body color of black is not allowed, although a black mask covering the face is highly desirable.
Sizes, Ears and Tails
While both breeds are descended from mastiffs and may therefore share some characteristics, the boerboel is the taller dog, standing up to 27 inches at the withers. Presa dogs are usually no taller than 25 inches and weigh no more than 100 pounds. Boerboels are longer than tall with a rectangular build. A boerboel's owner may choose to dock his tail, but such a measure is not necessary for showing purposes; natural tails are not penalized by the AKC. Docking a presa's tail will result in a disqualification, according to the United Kennel Club. The UKC indicates that the presa's ears may be cropped, but natural ears are not penalized. The AKC prefers the boerboel's ears in their natural state.
Differences in Disposition
The calm, confident boerboel is devoted to his family, especially children. The presa is more aloof, and must be supervised when children are present. Neither is a breed well-suited to living with cats or other small pets unless introduced early in life. The presa may be wary of strangers, while the laid-back boerboel will tolerate them with reserve. The boerboel is known for discerning threats and may respond to other dogs with belligerence, according to the American Kennel Club. Both breeds require consistent socialization and training both to occupy their intelligent minds and keep them from being a danger to their humans and themselves.
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4 guidelines for cyber threat info-sharing
This article is the first in a series that will discuss the DHS guidelines, with the subsequent articles diving into greater detail for each individual guideline, including what each guideline allows for. You can also find more information on CISA in our article, “What the Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act of 2015 means for your organization.”
The Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act (CISA), which is the biggest piece of cybersecurity legislation passed in 2015, required the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to provide interim guidance on how the private sector and government are to communicate threat data. DHS issued those interim guidance reports on February 16, 2016, for persons and companies sharing with the government and updates the procedures for information sharing, which include new liability protections and require the scrubbing of personally identifiable information.
The purpose of CISA
Before we get into the specifics of those four interim guidance documents, it is important to remember why CISA proponents believe this legislation is valuable to the private sector and government. The quick answer is, in the world of cybersecurity, knowledge really is power. To mount a proper defense to a cybersecurity threat, it is important for those setting up defenses to know what they are looking for so they can properly protect against it. That principle is even more crucial in cybersecurity because hacker techniques change quickly and dramatically. In addition, they can be difficult to locate.
Most attack vectors have a telltale sign e.g., a certain type of malware they will install to infiltrate a network, the IP address of the computer from which the attack originated, or the subject line of a spear-phishing email. Knowing these things helps cybersecurity defense professionals look for these specific attack vectors before they have the ability to damage systems or breach data, and allows them to more specifically and intentionally guard against the malicious traffic.
It makes sense then that the more people who know what telltale signs to look for at any given time will make defending cyber systems easier. CISA is supposed to help in that sharing process. While the law itself did not provide any real specifics to private companies or to the government about how they could share this information and, more important, how they could share information without providing protected information or being liable for potential breach issues, it did require the DHS do so in four guideline documents.
The purpose of the DHS guidance
The four interim guidelines are the first steps in providing the private sector and the government with the tools to engage in this type of sharing while still protecting themselves. More to the point, in their press release on February 16, 2016, DHS Secretary Jeh Johnson noted:
These guidelines provide federal agencies and the private sector with a clear understanding of how to share cyber threat indicators with DHS’s National Cybersecurity and Communications Integration Center and how the NCCIC will share and use that information.
Johnson also pointed to DHS’s Automated Indicator Sharing (AIS) system, which is an electronic sharing web portal that allows the government and private sector to share threat data in real time.
The four guidelines
As for the four guidelines themselves, they offer companies a road map for sharing information while, at the same time, staying within the confines of data privacy laws, and also provides how the government is to reciprocate. Johnson noted:
The law importantly provides two layers of privacy protections… Companies are required to remove personal information before sharing cyber threat indicators and DHS is required to and has implemented its own process to conduct a privacy review of received information.
The guidance includes four draft documents:
Sharing of Cyber Threat Indicators and Defensive Measures by the Federal Government, which is for non-Federal (mostly, private-sector) entities on the sharing of cyber threat indicators and defense measure;
Guidance to Assist Non-Federal Entities to Share Cyber Threat Indicators and Defensive Measures with Federal Entities, which is for federal entities on the sharing of cyber threat indicators and defensive measures;
Interim Procedures Related to the Receipt of Cyber Threat Indicators and Defensive Measures by the Federal Government, which is related to the receipt of information by the federal government, and
With respect to the guidance for the private sector, the manner in which the information is shared affects the protections available for sharing cyber threat indicators and defensive measures. Some sharing receives liability protection and some does not. Private entities should make sure they are sharing information correctly to ensure they are getting the most protection from liability under the law.The Federal Register notice from DHS is available here. | <urn:uuid:83c87410-5456-4c05-8756-8d137af7b482> | {
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Summersweet is a medium-sized deciduous shrub that adds color and fragrance to your garden with its late-summer blooms. The flowers are notable for their size, how late they bloom, and their ability to bloom even in the shade. Summersweet is a versatile shrub that thrives in most climates and is suitable as a specimen plant or a hedge. It also attracts hummingbirds, bees, and butterflies.
The Latin name for summersweet is Clethra alnifolia. The plant belongs to one of only two genera in the Clethraceae (white alder) family, with Purdiaea being the other genus.
For common names, you may see summersweet, sweet pepperbush, clethra, coastal sweet pepperbush, and poor man's soap.
Preferred USDA Hardiness Zones
You can plant summersweet in zones 3 through 9. It is originally from Eastern North America and grows naturally along the Atlantic coast and west to Texas. Its natural environment includes wet and swampy areas of woodland as well as marshes and river banks.
Size and Shape
This shrub usually grows to 3 to 6 feet in height but can be up to 8 feet tall. It typically spreads to 4 to 6 feet and forms an oval shape. Some varieties are shorter than average for the species.
Plant this shrub in a site that receives full sun to part shade.
Foliage, Flowers, and Fruit
Summersweet's leaves are obovate and serrated, 1 1/2 to 4 inches long, and change from a glossy dark green in summer to yellow or brown in the fall. Make sure there are other plants around, as the plant will look bare until the leaves appear at the end of spring. The blooms are raceme flowers, 2 to 6 inches long, that may be white, pink, or rose-colored and have a sweet fragrance. After the bloom, the flowers leave small, dark brown seed capsule fruits that look like peppercorns. These may survive into winter in some climates.
Summersweet can tolerate salty air and even salt spray from nearby streets in urban areas. Its branches are dense, making it suitable for hedges or privacy screens (best in summer, of course). Being a water-loving plant, it works well at the edges of ponds, streams, and marshy areas. Elsewhere, summersweet looks nice when grouped in planting beds or lined up as a shrub border.
Look among these varieties of summersweet to find the best fit for your planting goals:
- 'Creels Calico'
- 'Pink Spires'
- 'Ruby Spice'
- 'Sixteen Candles'
This plant can work in a variety of soil pHs, types, and moisture levels. It prefers acidic, sandy soil that is moist but will tolerate clay soils and full shade. Water regularly as needed so the soil does not dry out. You can expand plant with seeds or use cuttings to make more shrubs. It also tends to sucker and will spread naturally if not pruned.
You can deadhead to remove flowers past their prime, but otherwise, you can usually just leave this shrub alone unless you desire a neatly groomed look.
Pests and Diseases
The only common problem that this shrub faces are spider mites. Control can be as simple as spraying the leaves (front and back) to knock off the spider mites, though further intervention, such as predatory insects, and horticultural oils may be needed if mites are persistent. | <urn:uuid:1ee311ac-c12a-485c-8e99-f0f42031715f> | {
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|About Us||Patients, Families & Visitors||For Health Professionals||Careers||Research & Training||Ways to Give|
When a patient requires long-term access to medication through an IV, a central line is put in place. These lines are placed in the larger vessels close to the heart. A central line infection can occur when bacteria enters the blood stream, causing a patient to become sick. Patients in the ICU often require a central line since they are seriously ill. | <urn:uuid:28dc5457-7d6b-4ef6-b8d3-09c0eb9a73f3> | {
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Dr. Fung’s premise is that insulin resistance is at the root of obesity, diabetes, and many other health problems in our culture. I am dealing with insulin resistance myself so that was the primary motivator for me to read this 269 page book.
The first section of the book is The Epidemic and lays out the problems with obesity in Western culture in modern times. Dr. Fung then goes on in section 2, The Calorie Deception, to blow apart the theory of the calorie and its relationship to obesity. Counting calories has not made for a thinner population, because it does not work. All calories are not equal. And when calories are decreased consistently, metabolism will also decrease and can continue indefinitely.
In section 3, Dr. Fung gives us a new model of obesity. His new model is rooted in an understanding of hormones and the two he focuses on are insulin and cortisol. He presents the research that insulin causes weight gain. Prolonged high cortisol levels will also raise glucose levels and thus insulin levels and cause weight gain as well. The bottom line here for Dr. Fung is that insulin resistance is at the root of obesity issues for most people and also responsible for the increase in type 2 diabetes.
In section 4, the focus is on the social phenomenon of obesity. Dr. Fung looks at poverty, the food industry, and childhood obesity. He connect childhood obesity to high insulin levels beginning in the womb.
In section 5, Dr. Fung analyzes what is wrong with our diet. He breaks down in detail how fructose will lead very quickly to diabetes and details where fructose can be found in most American diets. He shows how fructose is the most dangerous form of sugar that we can eat. He also addresses the diet soda delusion. He finishes out this section with chapters on fiber, protein, and fat and how important each of these nutrients are to a healthy diet and a healthy weight.
The last section is called The Solution. In here he lays out how to eat and how to fast. He has five steps to follow for eating.
- Reduce your consumption of added sugar.
- Reduce your consumption of refined grains.
- Moderate your protein consumption.
- Increase your consumption of natural fats.
- Increase your consumption of protective factors. (fiber, vinegar).
Dr. Fung also builds a strong case for intermittent fasting, specifically regular fasts of 24 to 36 hours, 2-3 days/week. He then explains how this will break insulin resistance and cause weight loss.
I found this book very helpful. I was already eating according to his five principles before I began reading the book and was stuck at weight loss plateau and at a blood sugar plateau. Since implementing the intermittent fasting I have lost weight and have seen my blood sugars lower by a few points. I found his approach makes a lot of sense and answers many questions I have had.
If you struggle with weight loss, you are likely dealing with insulin resistance. If so, this book is for you. It could change your life. Please get a copy and begin to implement the principles. And share this with others who could benefit.
Intermittent Fasting can help. Join me in my next 30 day Intermittent Fasting Challenge.
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Protection from Phone Radiation
Did you know that every mobile or cell phone emits radiation? The dangers of such radiation have been debated for years, ever since mobile phones were introduced and it is only recently that long term studies have indicated there can be cellular damage or even cancer caused by the radiation from cell phones.
In fact a Swedish study found a definite link between electro-magnetic radiation and the risk of malignant brain tumors. This study included wireless cell and cordless phones.
All cell phones, such as iPhones, android and even iPads and iPods, give out radiation that is absorbed into human body cells, especially when held close to the body. The study showed that when a person uses a cell phone for longer than a year the risk of brain cancer increased by 70 percent compared to those that used cell phone for less than a year. It seems to be a long term accumulation of radiation that is the worry. In fact those people who have used a cell phone for 25 years had a 300% greater risk. In other words, the longer one uses a cell phone the greater the risk becomes.
The number of hours spent using the phone each day was important also. Heavy users have a greater risk of course than light users. Up to 250% greater in some cases. Importantly the greatest risk of all was with those who held their phones up against the side of their face, or ear to be exact.
Wireless Safety Standards Inadequate
As a result of this study, the conclusion of the 13-nation study and the study out of Tel Aviv University, experts are calling for more safety standards to be reviewed. International Doctor's groups including The American Academy of Environmental Medicine, The International Society of Doctors for the Environment and the Irish Doctors Environmental Association are all calling for revised standards and the World Health Organization recently re-classified EMF's as Group 2B possible carcinogenic.
There is a solution to this. The EMF Protect is designed to reduce this radiation and is the only device that protects against all three (3) cell phone risks:
Dirty Electricity EMF Radiation - Up to 98%
RF Radiation - Up to 60%
Positive Ion Poisoning
How does the EMF Protect work against DIRTY ELECTRICITY?
Dirty electricity is any current of electricity that is converted and used to power a device. For the purposes of a cell phone it is the current created by the battery inside of the phone. Additionally, if you use the phone while plugged in, the current is 1,000 times stronger.
The Secret to the Fusion IONZ EMF Protect is the pryoelectricity property of black tourmaline. In 1880, Pierre Curie, co-recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physics, discovered that black tourmaline carried a weak but constant electric charge. Coincidently, this charge is the same charge that creates the negative ion flow. Our black tourmaline boosting minerals, present in TourmaMix, boost the charge to high enough levels to attract the dirty electricity being emitted from the cell phone. The dirty electricity is effectively attracted and absorbed by the EMF Protect.
This is a cheap and effective way to protect you from EMF Radiation. One simply puts the EMF Protect up against the back of the phone and it will eliminate over 95 percent of the EMF Radiation from your phone making it much safer and giving you greater peace of mind when using your cell phone.
Check out EMF Protection now and get your EMF Protector today!
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International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, November 25
November 25th is International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women and marks the beginning of the 16 Days of Activism against Gender Violence. From 25 December to 10 December, people around the world come together to end violence against women and girls. Click here to check out stories, messages, facts and figures and to find out how you can take action. To join the conversation on twitter follow #organgeurworld and #16days. | <urn:uuid:81e8878e-0adc-4dab-8930-ea8db835c79b> | {
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So wrote Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, the German writer and statesman and lover of clouds, on receiving Luke Howard’s autobiography, which he himself had asked Luke Howard to write.
Luke Howard was a deeply religious man with a strong sense of duty towards those less fortunate than himself, and who is remembered by the Quakers as one of the earliest pioneers of Quaker relief work.
He led Quaker relief efforts after the Napoleonic Wars, which had caused great suffering in many German states, especially among civilians. The £7000 raised by Quakers in Britain led to the British Government voting to provide a further £100 000 towards relief efforts. Luke Howard became joint secretary (with Robert Humphrey Marten) of the organising London committee and by 1814 a total of £300,000 had been raised. In recognition he was awarded a gold ring and Meissen vase by the kings of Saxony and Prussia, and received the freedom of the city of Magdeburg.
Luke Howard was no less active at home in England. He was involved in the Anti-Slavery Movement. He was a prominent member of the Society Against Capital Punishment, Society Against Cruelty to Animals and a founding member of the African Institution.
In Tottenham he was on the committee of the Lancasterian School as well as holding offices in the Tottenham Vestry and being elected overseer of the poor in 1820. | <urn:uuid:9640ff0e-2797-4695-8593-61fc34469069> | {
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If you’ve recently bought a new home, you may have had an appraisal, inspection and radon test as part of the purchasing process. These items are often required by the mortgage lender; extending a loan secured by a home that harbors a dangerous condition or is structurally unsound can cost the lender money, so ensuring your home meets or exceeds all relevant standards can render it a much safer investment.
Generally, the results of your radon test won’t be reported to you unless they indicate high radon levels inside the home.
While high radon levels can result in denial of a mortgage loan–and can sometimes give you the right to cancel a purchase agreement without penalty unless the seller agrees to pay for radon mitigation–borderline levels may be enough to pass your lender’s standards, even though this data could indicate a radon problem that needs attention.
Read on to learn more about this tasteless, odorless, colorless gas and how radon mitigation services can keep you and your family safe after you’ve purchased a new home.
What Causes Radon
Radon, as the name implies, is a type of radioactive gas. Radon gas is generated within the earth’s crust by the natural decay of other radioactive minerals like uranium and plutonium, both generally contained within igneous, rather than sedimentary, rock. Radon can’t be seen, tasted, smelled or sensed; the only test for radon gas involves measuring the air for radioactivity.
This means that radon levels are naturally higher in parts of the country where uranium can be found in the soil. Radon levels are often higher in homes with basements or deep foundations, as the process of constructing a foundation disturbs the soil and allows radon gas to escape.
Mobile homes that aren’t on a permanent foundation and require no digging are unlikely to have high radon levels unless constructed in an area with generally high radioactivity.
What Radon Causes
Long-term exposure to radon gas is second only to cigarette smoking when it comes to common causes of lung cancer.
Radon exposure can also be exponential in severity. For example, a homeowner whose home has 4 picoCuries of radon per liter of air (4 pCi/L), considered the maximum upper limit of radon presence, is exposed to 35 times as much radiation as would be present at the fence of a radioactive waste site. The lower the radon level is in your home, the safer you are.
However, many homeowners aren’t aware of their home’s radon level, and those who are just below the 4 pCi/L limit may be told they “pass” the radon test without realizing the critical nature of this borderline-high reading.
Radon is of particular concern when there are small children in the home. Because children breathe more rapidly than adults and their cells split more frequently due to the speed with which they grow, childhood radon exposure can be far more harmful than adult radon exposure.
A sobering one in every five homes throughout the U.S.– including homes in every state from Maine to Hawaii–have higher-than-recommended radon levels, rendering this both a personal and a public health concern.
Mitigating Radon Levels
If you’re not comfortable with your home’s radon readings, you’ll want to enlist some help to lower these levels and control the amount of radon gas in your home at any given time. This is generally accomplished by the installation of a radon mitigation system.
The right radon mitigation system for your home will depend largely upon your home’s construction and the type of foundation it has. In some cases, you’ll need to keep radon from getting into your home at all; in others, your best bet is to focus your energies on reducing radon levels once the gas has already made its way into your home. Often, you’ll be able to stop the flow of radon before its point of entry through using an exhaust system of underground pipes and fans that can pump any radioactive air safely away from your foundation.
In homes with crawlspaces that allow air to pass between the bare ground and the bottom of your home’s floor, you’ll have even more of an opportunity to intercept any radon-containing air before it manages to seep upward through your floor. Reinforcing the subfloor can provide an additional layer of protection, as can repairing any cracks, holes or other defects in your foundation that may be allowing radon gas to flow through.
It’s also a good idea to have your home’s air regularly tested for radon for the first few years after the installation of a mitigation system. By sampling air in various parts of your home, mitigation specialists will be able to narrow down the potential points of radon entry to make your air filtration and exhaust system more effective and efficient at removing tainted air from your home. | <urn:uuid:d6b7c0f0-a0a8-462f-85ef-671711821f50> | {
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Elizabeth Bertrand, an Ottawa/Ojibwa girl, born around 1761 at L'Arbre Croche married Dr. David Mitchell of Montreal in 1776. They returned to Mackinac Island and where Dr. Mitchell worked as a surgeon for the British at the fort. Later, he began to earn a living through the fur trade. The Mitchells had a large family of 12 children. All of their children were educated in European fashion, the sons were sent to Montreal and the daughters to Europe. Elizabeth is remembered for her love of cards and dancing and their home was a hub of Mackinac Island society.
During the War of 1812, Dr. Mitchell served in the British Army, leaving Elizabeth to tend their established fur trade business. After the end of the war, Dr. Mitchell moved to Drummond Island following the British surrender of Mackinac Island to the Americans. Elizabeth remained on Mackinac Island, where she went through a difficult period after the war. Without her husband, she was persecuted by the Indian Aget, Henry Puthuff and accused of being a spy for the British. An 1815 placard directed to Elizabeth was posted on the church door follows:
Whereas a certain Eliz'th Mitchell under a pretense of trading with the savages is and for many years has been, as it has been represented to me, in the habit of holding her private councils with those unfortunate deluded People and of advising with and persuading them to the adoption of measures injurious to their real interests and that of the American government -
I therefore feel it to be my Duty hereby to forbid the said Elizabeth Mitchell to hold any further intercourse with the Indians that may visit this Island either directly or indirectly until further orders from the American Government. .
The American Indian Agent determined that Elizabeth persuaded the local Indians to act against the American Government. A series of letters between Puthuff and Dr. Mitchell followed the posting of the placard in which Dr. Mitchell defends his wife and son (who was living on the island with her), demanding that she continue in the fur trade business. Puthuff's responses are full of condescension. The situation escalated when there was destruction of her property. The commander of the Fort defended the conduct of his soldiers toward Elizabeth who, has ever been treated with Civility by officers of this garrison and determined that it was, some dishonest Citizens of the Island who perpetrated the destruction of her property. Later, she was prevented from putting out her fishing nets, thereby denying her the ability to feed herself.
It is clear Elizabeth was harassed by American government employees from the garrison and the Indian Agency. By November of 1815, she left the island and went to er husband on Drummond Island. She later returned to Mackinac Island after a time to find that the atmosphere between the Americans and the British sympathizers had normalized. She continued in the fur business and supervised a large farm while Dr. Mitchell maintained a commercial post as well as his medical duties on Drummond Island.
She was described by David Armour in, David and Elizabeth, the Mitchell family of the Straits of Mackinac, She was tall and stout and always wore black, usually silk. Her full skirt had two large pockets in which she placed her hands as she stood. She wore a black neckerchief about her neck and a plumed black beaver-felt hat on her head. (p. 12)
Elizabeth maintained a large garden of 2 to 3 acres on the island. Therese Baird provides a description in her Remeniscences. It was an every-day occurrence to see Mrs. Mitchell coming to inspect her garden, riding in hr calash, a two-wheeled vehicle, being her own driver. When the old lady arrived the men would hasten to open the gate, then she would drive in; and there, in the large space in front of the garden beds, in the shade. the man would fasten the horse, while my lady would walk all over the grounds giving her orders.
Always at the center of the island society, Elizabeth hosted the wedding of Josette LaFramboise, daughter of her good friend Madeleine LaFramboise, and Captain Benjamin Pierce, brother to the future President, at her home in 1816.
On February 25, 1827, during one of her visits to her husband on Drummond Island, she became ill and died. A letter from her son Andrew to John Bailey, Esq., dated April 18th 1827 states, Report of a boat from Drummond Island, Andrew Mitchell master having on board the corpse of the late Mrs. Mitchell and the necessary provisions of the voyage. (Steere Collection, Bayliss Library, Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan)
Elizabeth Mitchell was a brave and spirited woman in the face of a hostile government at a volatile period of Mackinac history who was, nevertheless, successful and became wealthy in a difficult business typically run by European men. As an intrepid metis woman, she set the stage for those women who followed in her footsteps. | <urn:uuid:9bfafdd2-de88-4414-82da-c122d558ac18> | {
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Springtime on Orcas Island means nettle time! Some people only consider nettles to be those pesky weeds that cause an irritating sting when brushed up against. My students at Orcas Island Elementary School know otherwise… they know that nettles are nutritious, tasty, and free!
A fresh nettle patch growing on Orcas Island.
Nettles are low in calories, but pack in a whopping amount of iron, calcium, vitamin K, and fiber. It has long been believed that ingesting nettles can combat the symptoms of hay fever and seasonal allergies. Try drinking two cups of nettle tea a day just prior to and during your allergy season and see for yourself! You do need to be careful when gathering your nettles. Wear long sleeves and pants. Use gloves and clippers to harvest. You can take the sting away from your nettles by drying them in the sun or simply by rinsing and soaking the nettles in water. The most certain way to take away all sting is to boil briefly.
A box full of freshly harvested stinging nettles.
After harvesting your nettles and before eating them, you could take some time to investigate them with a magnifying glass!
Farm to Classroom students investigating stinging nettles with magnifying glasses.
You can enjoy nettles in many ways, in soup, tea, sauces, and stir fry. We decided to make a nettle pasta dish in Farm to Classroom last week. Here is how we made our nettle pasta.
Stinging nettle pasta!
Start by mincing garlic and sautéing it in some olive oil.
Bring a pot of water to boil and add nettles to boiling water for 3-5 minutes. Remove the nettles with a slotted spoon and chop them. Add your pasta to the same water you boiled the nettles in.
Add the chopped nettles to your garlic and sauté. Add a few pinches of sea salt if you’d like.
Add the cooked pasta and mix thoroughly until combined.
Fresh stinging nettle pasta.
Enjoy warm or cold!
Here is an easy way to store your extra nettles for use later. Boil, chop, squeeze out excess water and form into a ball. Freeze the nettle balls on a baking sheet and transfer to a Ziploc bag once frozen. Then you can toss a nettle ball into soup, smoothies, sauces, scrambled eggs and omelets, you name it!
A batch of “nettle balls” before they went into the freezer.
Go ahead and try some stinging nettles. My students enjoyed them, and you may too!
Happy students enjoying stinging nettle pasta. Seconds please!
Sometimes I stray too far from the barn, but a day at Coffelt Farm Stand brings me right back to what really is important, family, farming and friendships.
Local berries make a sweet colorful gift and reminds me of kitchen time with grandma.
My grandparents had a dairy farm complete with chickens, horses and bottle fed calves. Grandma’s garden filled canning jars and the cellar was filled with pears, apples and plums from the orchard. These are fond memories deep in my soul. I spent many summers picking berries with grandma, never wanting to eat any so my bucket would be as full as hers. Jams and pies were yummy results. I still remember when grandma left the pie making to me for a family gathering. Her shared crust secrets and faith in me still show in my pies today.
Grandma T’s garden shares ready to eat sweet peas and the promise of greens for a meal.
Wanting to get out of the city, I moved to Orcas Island 27 years ago with 3 sons and a desire to find my roots again. The boys are grown and raising their own families now. It is my garden and orchard they will remember in their hearts and souls, as well as the many trips to local Orcas Island farms.
In my garden, each year I look forward to planting new things, talking to other farmers about their favorite seeds and sharing tricks to invite worms to feed the soil. I have starts from Sid Coffelt, plum trees from my great grandma’s orchard, tomatoes from John Cadden, garlic from Mary Ann Sircely, raspberry bushes from my mom, Arlene Carlson and blueberry shrubs from Faith Deeds garden. There is much heart and soul in my garden and I dance with joy thinking about the harvest with my grand kids!!!
Brand new lambs and a proud mom.
The Coffelt Farm, located in Crow Valley, Orcas Island, gives tours to school children in the spring time when new born run the barn yard. This spring the farm welcomed several new piglets, lambs and a couple of calves.
Orcas Island School children enjoy a day on the farm learning about all the animals and what it means to be a farmer.
This farm girl says get busy, visit a farm, offer some volunteer time in a garden, share an afternoon canning the harvest, spend time with your grandma, bring a friend and create a memory to nourish the soul.
Orca babies, that is! This winter we’ve had three calves born to our resident pods of killer whales. Two of the calves were born to J-Pod, the group that spends the most time around the San Juan Islands. The third baby belongs to L-Pod, the largest of our three pods of Southern Resident Killer Whales (SRKW).
Every new addition to our local pods is awesome news, because this population has been in trouble. The Southern Residents were listed under the Endangered Species Act back in 2005, but the population has continued to decline and there haven’t been any surviving calves born since 2012. So these three blushing babies (whale calves are born with a pink hue on their white parts) are most welcome.
Newborn J50 with her mom, J16, and big brother, J26. Photo courtesy of Center for Whale Research.
The first calf to show up, J50, was just the Christmas present all our local orca fans were wishing for. This little one was born right around December 25th in the protected waters of East Sound. (You might remember Teri’s post reporting a sighting of the new calf during her Christmas cruise.) Making the present even better for JPod is that J50 (it’s a tough ocean out there, so baby orcas aren’t given their human nicknames until they survive a full winter) is a little girl, and this population needs all the future mommies it can get. J50’s mom is Slick (J16), who is over 40 years old!
There’s definite girl power in orca pods, as our residents live in matriarchal societies. Each pod is made up of smaller matrilineal lines led by a mother, grandmother or, as is the case with Jpod, by a great-grandmother. In J-pod, that’s J2, Granny, the best-known wild whale in the world, who researchers believe is around 104 years old!
Baby J51 alongside mom. Photo courtesy of Center for Whale Research.
The next baby in this recent boom is J51, born early February somewhere in the Straight of Juan de Fuca to 36-year-old Shachi, aka J19. As of this writing, J51 hasn’t rolled over yet to give researchers a look at its belly to be able to tell if it’s a boy or girl.
And just this week, on February 23, a new L-pod calf, L121, was seen off the Oregon coast happily swimming alongside its mom, 20-year-old Calypso (L94).
L121 spotted by NOAA Fisheries this week off of the Columbia River. NOAA’s research ship is in the background.
Three babies within just a few months is a huge deal here. The whales only give birth about once every five years, and out of our current population of 80 (a near record low), there are only a few reproductive-age males, and several of our reproductive-age females had not been having calves. Late in 2014, disaster struck the Southern Residents when Rhapsody, J32, a 20-year-old female just coming into her prime breeding years, died from a problem pregnancy.
In addition to the new calves for the Southern Residents, there has also been a baby spotted with one of the Transient pods of orcas that frequents our local waters. Though it’s tough for casual observers to tell the Residents and Transients apart—they’re all huge black-and-white members of the dolphin family—there are actually marked differences between the two types of orcas.
My husband took this lucky “spy hop” shot from our boat last year when we were drifting off Henry Island and the orcas swam up to check us out.
Resident orcas live in much larger groups than Transients—if you’re out on the water and see more than four or five orcas together, you’re almost certainly seeing Residents, who sometimes even form Superpods when J, K and L all get together to socialize. A small group of whales seen around the San Juans could also just be one family of Residents swimming together away from the rest of the pod, but if you see them acting very stealthy then it’s more likely you’re seeing Transients.
The reason the two types of killer whales act and group differently is because they’ve evolved remarkably different cultures. Transients travel in small, stealthy groups because they’re always trying to sneak up on marine mammals like seals. Usually the only time you’ll ever see Transients leaping out of the water and doing celebratory fin slaps and tail lobs is after they’ve had a successful hunt. Fortunately for them, if there’s one animal we have plenty of in the Salish Sea it’s harbor seals, so the Transients have pretty easy hunting.
Endangered Chinook salmon, favored fish of our Resident Orcas. Photo NOAA
Our Residents are not so lucky. They’ve evolved to eat fish, and in particular, to specialize in hunting big, fat Chinook salmon. The salmon aren’t as smart as seals, so the Residents are able to talk to each other a lot more (each pod even has its own dialect of orca language). They can also splash around more at the surface because they don’t have to worry about the fish jumping out of the water and climbing up on rocks like seals can. So salmon are easier to hunt, but that’s just the good news. The bad news is that Chinook populations have their own troubles—so much so that they’re also listed as endangered. Each one of our Resident orcas needs to catch between 100-300 pounds of sushi a day just to stay healthy, and every year there are less fish around.
Challenges in finding food is likely the main reason our Southern Resident Killer Whale population hasn’t bounced back. Scientists believe there used to be around 200 Resident orcas frequenting the Salish Sea, but that was before a bunch of them were kidnapped for aquariums. And before that, they were even hunted and considered nuisances known as Devil Fish.
So for our iconic and well-loved group of Resident orcas to suddenly jump in number from 77 to 80 is big news. Seeing wild orcas is one of the many reasons why living in the San Juan Islands is such a special privilege. We’ll all be pulling for these new babies to thrive, since they’re carrying the hope that we’ll continue to have the honor of sharing the Salish Sea with these beautiful and complex creatures for many years to come. | <urn:uuid:2db3d261-0549-425e-b57d-c82a067cd362> | {
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Edgewood School NewsFriday February 6th is National Wear Red Day!Edgewood Students can wear red to support Women's Heart Health!Students can also wear jeans for a dollar!
A NOTE FROM THE NURSE:
KIDS: BE SAFETY SMART ABOUT FIRES!
IF YOU FIND MATCHES OR LIGHTERS, TELL A GROWN UP…… NEVER PICK THEM UP OR LEAVE THEM FOR ANOTHER CHILD.
NEVER GO BACK INTO A BURNING BUILDING. WAIT AT YOUR MEETING PLACE OR GO TO A NEIGHBOR’S HOUSE TO CALL FOR HELP.
STOP, DROP, AND ROLL IF YOUR CLOTHES CATCH FIRE.. RUNNING WILL MAKE THE FLAMES WORSE.
FIREFIGHTERS ARE GOOD STRANGERS. NEVER HIDE IF THERE IS A FIRE. IT IS O.K. TO GO WITH A FIREFIGHTER IN CASE OF AN EMERGENCY.
IN CASE OF AN EMERGENCY, CALL 911.
ALWAYS KEEP THE EMERGENCY NUMBER AND YOUR ADDRESS POSTED ON THE PHONE.
NEVER CALL THE EMERGENCY NUMBER TO PLAY A JOKE OR TO CALL IN A FALSE ALAR.M.
PARENTS….BE SAFETY SMART ABOUT FIRES!
MAKE YOUR HOME FIRE AND BURN SAFE
Install and maintain smoke detectors.
Check smoke detectors and batteries each month.
Post emergency numbers close to the phone.
Keep any heat sources at least 3 feet from curtains, furniture, or anything that can catch fire.
Turn pan handles away from the edge of the stove to prevent burns from accidental spills.
Keep appliances free of grease and crumbs.
Wear Short or tight-fitting sleeves when cooking.
Store electrical appliances away from the bathtub and kitchen sink.
Unplug electrical appliances before working on them.
Replace electrical cords if they are frayed or cracked.
Do not overload electrical outlets.
1. NO NEED TO CHECK SMOKE DETECTORS. THEY LAST FOREVER T F
2. JUST RUN, RUN, RUN IF YOUR CLOTHES CATCH FIRE T F
3. CALL 911 IF YOU SPOT A FIRE T F | <urn:uuid:40e73ba8-b61c-40a5-8304-3b9d51c3a9fb> | {
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Scientists have found a brand new technology of angiotensin receptor blockers that could be used to deal with coronavirus illness 2019 (COVID-19).
In silico docking and molecular dynamics research have proven that these medicine are able to stopping the interplay between human angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) and the spike receptor-binding area (RBD) of extreme acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-C0V-2).
The examine has lately been revealed within the Computational and Structural Biotechnology Journal.
According to the out there literature, there may be an affiliation between the pathogenesis of heart problems and COVID-19. In extreme COVID-19 sufferers with pneumonia, the event of hyperinflammation or “cytokine storm” is said to the overexpression of angiotensin II within the renin-angiotensin system. In this context, research have proven that hypertensive COVID-19 sufferers who take angiotensin receptor blockers have decrease morbidity and mortality than these with out treatment.
The cleavage of SARS-CoV-2 spike protein by furin and 3CLpro is required to provoke viral entry into host cells. The total course of is operated by way of the cost relay system. Tyrosinate in angiotensin II, serinate in furin, and cysteinate in 3CLpro are anions created by way of the cost relay methods. The actions of those residues are triggered by way of their nucleophile anions. The cost relay methods mediating the exercise of furin and 3CLpro are related to those who mediate the exercise of angiotensin II.
In the present examine, the scientists have recognized a brand new technology of sartan-like angiotensin II receptor blockers which can be recognized to inhibit the receptors extra strongly than at present out there sartans. Sartans are a bunch of sort 1 angiotensin receptor antagonists that modulate the perform of the renin-angiotensin system and are used to deal with hypertension.
The new technology of angiotensin receptor blockers found within the examine have been known as bisartans. These bisartans are novel bis-alkylated imidazole sartan derivatives bearing twin symmetric anionic biphenyl tetrazole moieties.
The bisartans found within the examine have been categorized into two sub-types. In bisartans A and B, the aliphatic butyl group is hooked up at place 4 of the imidazole ring. In bisartans C and D, the butyl group is hooked up at place 2 of the imidazole ring.
In-silico docking experiments have been carried out to find out whether or not these bisartans are in a position to work together with the elements concerned within the SARS-CoV-2 entry course of, together with ACE2, spike RBD, furin, and 3CLpro.
The findings revealed that the bisartans bind to the arginine residues current within the viral spike furin cleavage web site. Specifically, bisartan A confirmed extra sturdy binding to the mutated furin cleavage web site of the SARS-CoV-2 delta variant than that to the wildtype cleavage web site.
Further molecular docking experiments revealed that two negatively-charged tetrazoles of bisartan A bind to positively-charged arginine and histidine residues within the spike furin cleavage web site. In addition, bisartans confirmed steady binding to the Zn2+ area of the ACE2 catalytic web site.
The variety of arginine and histidine residues concerned within the formation of bisartans-spike RBD-ACE2 complicated was greater than that concerned within the sartans-spike RBD-ACE2 complicated. These observations point out that bisartans have greater binding affinities for the ACE2-spike complicated than at present out there sartans.
Overall, these findings point out that bisartans are able to inhibiting the perform of furin, and thus, can block the method of viral entry into host cells. Further experiments revealed that bisartans inhibit the interplay between viral spike and ACE2 with out altering the physiological exercise of ACE2 in lowering the angiotensin II stage.
Despite being able to intervene with spike-ACE2 interplay in addition to 3-CL protease, bisartans didn’t inhibit SARS-CoV-2 an infection in COVID-19 bioassays. This may very well be due to their poor cell membrane permeability. The presence of an equal variety of positively- and negatively charged useful teams in bisartans could be chargeable for their poor cell membrane permeability.
The examine identifies a brand new class of angiotensin II receptor blockers known as bisartans that comprise two tetrazoles. Using two symmetrically organized tetrazoles, bisartans are in a position to inhibit each sort 1 angiotensin receptor and ACE2 enzyme by way of the interplay with their guanidino group and zinc atom, respectively.
Although bisartans fail to point out excessive effectiveness in stopping viral an infection, these medicine may play a possible position in stopping angiotensin II-induced pulmonary edema and angiotensin receptor-induced cytokine storm in extreme COVID-19 sufferers. | <urn:uuid:877d9b68-0b39-47c5-90ac-4432518120c3> | {
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ENERGY FROM SPACE
What is Energy from Space?
Energy from Space stands for a technology of generating electricity from solar energy using satellites in space and transporting it to the Earth via electromagnetic waves. It can deliver large amounts of electric energy, typically 1 GW which is enough for 1 to 2 million homes. The big advantages of Energy from Space include that the generation of power is independent (the Sun always shines in space), reliable (continuous more than 99.9% of the time), clean (no emissions) and safe (no harmful effects). The challenges are the expensive launch costs, the technology for transmitting energy wirelessly over long distances, and the in-orbit assembly of the structures. More...
How much energy is generated with one Energy from Space system?
One full-scale Energy from Space system typically delivers 1 GW output power on-ground, which is enough to power 1 to 2 million homes. Since the systems are placed in a geostationary orbit (36,000 km altitude), the satellite is always above one location on Earth. This means that the power can be transmitted continuously to ground stations without intermittance. Only during 75 minutes during the spring and autumn equinoxes the systems are in the shadow of the Earth.
What are the costs of an Energy from Space system?
The costs of a full-scale Energy from Space system are estimated on $20 billion. It is anticipated that the energy price is between $0.10/kWh and $0.50/kWh. For comparison, current average electricity generation costs are $0.10/kWh in the United States and more than $0.50/kWh on remote islands in Indonesia. The main reasons for the relative low energy prices but relative high investment costs are the system's the long life time (more than 30 years), the independency of fuel, and the reliability of the energy. Furthermore, it can make countries more energy independent from energy imports. More...
When will Energy from Space be realized?
It is expected that full-scale Energy from Space systems will be realised earliest in 2035. In the mean time, demonstration and prototype satellites will be launched. Already at this moment ground experiments are conducted and the first demonstration satellites are under review. More...
What is the Energy from Space Foundation doing to realize Energy from Space?
The Energy from Space Foundation promotes Energy from Space and works on a proposal to launch the first proof-of-concept. Our mission is to help realize Energy from Space, and we believe that the first step is to create awareness amongst the public and provide proper information. In addition, we look at the possibilities to launch the first proof-of-concept. More...
How can I contribute to realizing Energy from Space?
To realise Energy from Space we first of all need to create more awareness. So, spread the word! In addition, Energy from Space encourages engineers, investors, policy makers, entrepreneurs and ambassadors to come with initiative. If you have good ideas and/or you think you can contribute to the success of Energy from Space , you can always contact us.
How is the energy transmitted from space to Earth?
The energy is wirelessly transmitted from the satellite by microwaves to one or multiple ground stations on Earth. There are also concepts where the energy is transmitted by laser on smaller receiving stations, however this technology is much more susceptible to clouds and other atmospheric disturbances. For microwave transmission, the beam collection efficiency is estimated at about 90%, meaning that the microwave power sent by the satellite only loses about 10% when it arrives at the ground station. It is calculated that only about 2% is absorbed by the atmosphere, the rest of the 10% is mainly caused by inter-wave interference and scatter effects.
Is Energy from Space safe?
According to our knowledge, yes. Energy from Space is safe to the point that the electricity can be delivered to ground stations on Earth without harmful effects on humans, animals and the environment. Moreover, it even saves on emissions (e.g. CO2, H2O, H2S) with respect to traditional power production techniques. Of course, as with all electricity generation technologies, there are risks involved. When transmitting power using microwaves, it is not recommended for living creatures to be exposed by the beam for long periods of time. The energy density at the center of the beam is calculated at about 250 W/m², which is less than 1/4 of the energy density on Earth of the Sun on a sunny day. The peak energy intensity of the beam at the edge is about 1 W/m², which is well within usual legal limits. Of course, the power beam will be pointed at the specific ground stations at all times. It will probably be placed offshore of on deserted areas onshore and will be strictly controlled. Humans will by no means be allowed to enter these premises for safety reasons. Fail-safe systems will be designed to make sure that if, for whatever unforeseen reason the beam is not pointed correctly, the Energy from Space system will stop transmitting or will divert the beam. Also, the ground station will be connected by a radio link to the space system for correct pointing of the beam. When there is a disconnect between the two, the beam is automatically defocused and the power is lost. As for flocks of birds flying through the center beam, research has shown that some birds experience evidence of detecting the microwave radiation at the maximum levels of the energy intensity. This suggests that migratory birds, flying above the antenna, might suffer disruption of their flying paths, but the birds will never be cooked. Even though it is currently believed that microwaves are non-ionizing (meaning not damaging cell structure of living tissue), more research is needed to analyze the effects in more detail. Another aspect of safety is frequency interference of the beam with communication systems, for example on aircraft. Although the passengers will always be protected from the microwaves because of the metal hull around them, the airspace in an around the beam will probably be restricted for airplanes because of the possible disturbances of the communication signals. More studies will have to be carried out to investigate these effects in more detail. The Energy from Space systems cannot be weaponized, because the maximum power density cannot exceed the designed level. Microwave weapons will use much more higher-power pulses at much shorter ranges; Energy from Space cannot create the same effects. Finally, it is intended to prevent disfunctional parts of the system to become space debris by retrieving them to Earth or repair/recycle them in orbit. More...
Which steps have to be overcome for Energy from Space to become real?
For full-scale Energy from Space systems to become technologically and financially feasible, there are a couple of challenges that are top-priority:
Cheap and reliable launch vehicles. Currently it costs around $20,000 per kg payload to launch into geostationary orbit. This should come down to less than $1000/kg. This could be reached by mass-transportation to low Earth orbit (LEO), followed by transportation to geostationary orbit over longer periods of time (several months). For LEO, this means the launch vehicles should be able to carry around 25 metric tons by reusable or cheap dispensable launch vehicles. Currently, heavy launch vehicles like the SpaceX Falcon 9 or the Russian Zenit can launch around 10 metric tons per vehicle.
Efficient wireless power transmission equipment. The current end-to-end efficiency of wireless power transmission is 40% and should double to about 80%. This can be achieved through research and development by institutes and universities. Also increased interest of private companies in commercial wireless power transmission products will improve the costs and performances. In addition, the actual transmittance and receiving of large amounts of energy should be tested in more detail. Some experiments were already conducted and more are currently carried out now and in the near future.
Light-weight and efficient solar power systems. Since conventional thick film solar panels used on Earth are too heavy for Energy from Space systems, light-weight and possibly flexible solar cells will be used. Examples of these so called thin-film space solar cells include amorphous silicon (a-Si), poly-silicon and CuInGaSe. These are much lighter, but their efficiency is generally lower. Typical current state-of-the-art space solar panels have an efficiency of around 25% to 30%, which should improve to more than 35% for the thin-film panels. Advantages of these types include increased flexibility and very low degradation over time. Alternatively, instead of arrays of solar panels, a concentrator photovoltaic (CPV) system can be used, which utilizes solar mirrors that reflect and focus the sunlight on a concentrator. This concentrator might involve the use of high-efficient, multi-bandgap PV cells that at this moment already achieves 30% to 35% efficiency. Advantages include increased fold-ability and weight of the structures (i.e. mirrors), high-efficient conversions, and reduced impact of panel (i.e. mirror) failure on the performance. Disadvantages include the more difficult deployments of the structure and the large dependency on the concentrators itself.
In-orbit assembly and maintenance of components. Tele-operated and fully autonomous robotics are required for assembly and maintenance, because the in-situ presence of astronauts would make the Energy from Space systems needlessly costly and complex. For these robotics to work, advanced beacons, visual cues, and regular features for image recognition are needed. The development of such systems requires coordinated design with existing space structural technologies, as well as the design of interconnects, avionics and platform dynamics, and attitude control systems.
These challenges require significant developments, but achievable within the coming 10 to 20 years. More... Before full-scale Energy from Space systems are realized, there are plenty opportunities out there for enthusiastic people to participate in and contribute to this endeavor. More...
Who will pay for the Energy from Space systems?
In the end, as with all power plants, the end consumer will eventually pay. However, upfront costs like those made by research and development, experiments and launching demonstration satellites will probably be born by space agencies, governments, universities, and institutes. Also companies may invest in the road map in order to initiate or strenghten their strategic position. The expected costs of one typical Energy from Space system are $20 billion. The system is designed to produce 1 GW of power for at least 30 years for an anticipated price of $0.10 to $0.50 per kWh. More...
Frequently Asked Questions
Links for more information:
- Wikipedia: Space Based Solar Power (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space-based_solar_power)
- JAXA: interview about Space Solar Power Systems (http://www.jaxa.jp/article/interview/vol53/index_e.html)
- ESA: Space Based Solar Power (http://www.esa.int/gsp/ACT/nrg/op/SPS/index.htm)
- NASA: Space Based Solar Power (http://www.nasa.gov/offices/oct/early_stage_innovation/niac/mankins_sps_alpha.html)
- National Space Society: Space Solar Power Library (http://www.nss.org/settlement/ssp/library/index.htm)
- Change.gov: document (http://change.gov/open_government/entry/space_solar_power_ssp_a_solution_for_energy_independence_climate_change/)
- Space Faring Institute: Space Solar Power video (http://spacefaringinstitute.com/)
- The Space Review: Space Solar Power (http://www.thespacereview.com/article/1364/1)
- Scientific America: Solar Energy in Space (http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=farming-solar-energy-in-space) | <urn:uuid:9aada97f-e285-497d-ab92-fef7436a77e4> | {
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The world of grains is ever-expanding. The grains that we think are new to the market, like couscous and quinoa, have been around for centuries. But consumers have demanded access to different sources of protein, vitamins, and unprocessed food a lot more in recent years.
Amaranth is now one of those foods that have found their way onto supermarket shelves. While you may think this is a new product, amaranth has actually been around for thousands of years. Ancient civilizations, like the Mayans and Aztecs, grew this grain as a source for many needed nutrients in Central America.
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Read on to learn more about amaranth, the little-known survival superfood.
Powerhouse of Nutrition
As many consumers have developed gluten intolerance, amaranth is naturally gluten-free, making it a great option as a carbohydrate. It is high in fiber and protein, which can be critical when using it in a survival situation.
Micronutrients and antioxidants are also abundant in this superfood, making it a natural choice for anyone wanting a different source of nutrients as well.
Taste & Classification
Amaranth is a small poppyseed-sized seed that has a nutty flavor. It looks a lot like quinoa but is classified as a pseudocereal. This means that amaranth isn’t precisely a cereal grain, but can resemble oats or wheat.
Unlike quinoa, amaranth is not fluffy but instead has a porridge-like consistency.
Just one cup of cooked amaranth contains 251 calories and a whopping 9.3 grams of protein. As a grain, the carb intake is higher at 46 grams and 5.2 grams of fat.
However, there is an astounding amount of manganese at 105% of the recommended dietary intake. This nutrient is vital to brain function, which makes it crucial in a survival situation.
Other nutrients for a cup of amaranth include magnesium, phosphorus, iron, selenium, and copper.
Antioxidants in Abundance
Amaranth also includes plenty of antioxidants that help fight free radicals within the body. Some of the plant acids within the grain even act as antioxidants.
While raw amaranth is best for antioxidant ingestion, soaking and cooking the grain will likely diminish the overall antioxidant depth.
Make room on the homestead to grow amaranth and try producing your own amaranth next year.
How to Grow
You’ll need a few varieties of amaranth if you want to add it to the homestead for both seeds and leaf consumption. Much like other greens varieties, leaves can be harvested when the plant is young for best flavor.
This means that the plant will never mature to also produce seed. It is best to choose a few of the healthiest plants to become seed plants and use the rest for fresh salads.
The seed is quite small and easily sprinkled and raked into the soil. The plant itself is self-seeding and will produce more plants next year when allowed to go to seed. Grow amaranth year-round in tropical locations as the plant loves warm climates with plenty of sunshine.
It takes about 110-150 days for the grain varieties to produce grain, so plant in the spring if living in a colder climate.
Harvesting the Seeds
Just one Amaranth plant can produce hundreds of thousands of seeds. That means you can produce and harvest enough amaranth to store for months or even years at a time.
This grain, which is technically considered a seed, grows on large plants that belong to the Pigweed family. There are multiple types of amaranth that you can plant on the homestead with plenty of sizes, shapes, and colors to choose from.
Once the plant goes to seed, you can harvest the seed heads by cutting them off the stem. Allow them to dry for a few days in the sun, avoiding any dampness or excess moisture. Place the seed heads in a paper bag and shake vigorously until the individual seeds fall off. Strain the seeds through a sieve to free them from their outer shell.
Long Shelf Life
Amaranth seeds are best stored in airtight containers, such as a glass jar. Place them in a cool, dry spot in the home without any sunlight. Amaranth that is stored correctly can last a few years.
Amaranth flour needs to be stored in airtight containers in the fridge or freezer due to their its fat content. This flour can easily last up to 3 months in the refrigerator and 6 months in the freezer.
The longevity of amaranth seeds can add an element of natural protein and vitamins to your stockpile without a lot of work.
Other Ways To Enjoy Amaranth
While many do love the taste of Amaranth cereal or porridge, you can use other parts of the plant to create other needed items on the homestead.
Amaranth leaves are well known for their taste and texture, making them perfect for salads. Like the seeds, the leaves of the plant pack a punch compared to other salad greens. You’ll get three times the amount of niacin and calcium when eating an amaranth salad instead of a spinach salad.
Growing your own amaranth leaves is best as cut leaves don’t last long and should be eaten the same day for best flavor and texture.
Grinding harvested Amaranth seeds into flour is one of the easiest ways to make flour on the homestead. The seeds create a lovely gluten-free flour that is perfect to use in dishes and baking. The flour mixed with water will make great flatbread consistency that is perfect for wraps or to sop up soups.
Added As A Protein Booster
You can add small quantities of amaranth to other grains, such as rice, to help boost the nutrients of the meal. This is a great tip for those homesteaders with kids who don’t like to try new things.
You won’t be able to tell the difference in taste, but the meal will have an added boost of protein and other nutrients.
Popped As A Topping
You can also pop amaranth much like you would a corn kernel. Simply add a tablespoon of amaranth to a hot pot. Stir the seeds around as they pop to keep them from burning. You’ll end up with a tiny fluffy kernel that you can then eat as a snack or add as a topping to salads or soups.
Add As A Thickener
Amaranth is naturally gelatinous when mixed with water. This means that you can add it as a thickener for soups and stews instead of using flour or cornstarch. Doing so allows you to create a hearty meal in both consistency and nutrients.
There are so many ways you can use amaranth in your daily life. Not only is it a great gluten-free option for those with celiac disease, it also provides a punch of protein and nutrition in a tiny grain.
Amaranth is easy to grow, but it also is an excellent choice to purchase from a local supplier to add to your stockpile. Plenty of health benefits and meal options surround this superfood, and most people have never even heard of it, but now you have.
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I’ve written a number of posts about screen time before, but this is a topic that needs reviewing. Our children are the first generation to be raised in a world where babies are practically born with a device in their hands. For a while now, we haven’t had the data to determine how good or bad that is. But it’s changing. New studies are being conducted and the jury may not be out for much longer.
I still remember the transition in our house when I got my first iPhone. G1 was 4 and G2 had just started walking. If we had labels for this transition, I would say that G1 was born just before the iPad generation, while G2 entered straight into it. We were the first wave of parents that had to face this without a clue.
Having been raised around computers for much of my life, I have generally felt pretty comfortable with my kids using devices. Although I did not have quite the level of exposure to computers that our children are facing today. There have been times when the number of their contact hours with screens has made me uncomfortable and I have had to step in to limit them.
While many parents were still fumbling in the dark, the AAP (American Academy of Pediatrics) stepped up. They issued the recommended guidelines that there should be no screen time for children under 2 years. At that time, there wasn’t any hard evidence to back this, but it seemed like practical advice. We had no studies on the effects of screen time on young brains because there had been no precedent. And in science, you need at least 10 years to determine the longer-term effects.
Current Screen Time Guidelines
As the years have gone by, the AAP has continued to update their guidelines accordingly. These are the latest recommendations regarding screen usage (2016):
- For children younger than 18 months, avoid use of screen media other than video-chatting. Parents of children 18 to 24 months of age who want to introduce digital media should choose high-quality programming, and watch it with their children to help them understand what they’re seeing.
- For children ages 2 to 5 years, limit screen use to 1 hour per day of high-quality programs. Parents should co-view media with children to help them understand what they are seeing and apply it to the world around them.
- For children ages 6 and older, place consistent limits on the time spent using media, and the types of media, and make sure media does not take the place of adequate sleep, physical activity and other behaviors essential to health.
- Designate media-free times together, such as dinner or driving, as well as media-free locations at home, such as bedrooms.
- Have ongoing communication about online citizenship and safety, including treating others with respect online and offline.
Now that my kids are in the ages “6 and older” category, I am inclined to agree with their recommendations. More about that below…
So what is the general research saying about screen time and children? Before we dive into it, there are a number of factors to consider, such as the age of the children and the type of media consumed. While much of it is still in shades of gray, what is obvious is that age matters.
Screen Time and Young Children
When we talk about young children from the perspective of screen usage, we’re referring to the children below 6 years. The following studies have all reported negative effects associated with higher levels of screen time in preschoolers.
“Screen-based media associated with structural differences in brains of young children.”
What is ScreenQ?
The ScreenQ is a novel measure of screen-based media use in children intended for pediatric clinical use, incorporating evidence-based factors known to influence these effects, including access to screens, frequency and context of use (e.g., meals), content (e.g., violent versus educational) and co-viewing with grownup caregivers.Science Daily
In this study, researchers took the ScreenQ of 47 children aged between 3 to 5 years, gave them cognitive tests, then took brain scans. They found that kids with higher ScreenQs had lower expressive language, processing speed, and emergent literacy skills. They also had lower white matter integrity in the areas of the brain involving executive functioning and literary skills.
“Association Between Screen Time and Children’s Performance on a Developmental Screening Test”
In this study, researchers observed that children exposed to higher levels of screen time at 2 to 3 years old achieved sub-optimal milestone development at 3 to 5 years of age.
“Screen-time is associated with inattention problems in preschoolers“
Yet another study on screen-time and preschool children reported that preschoolers who spent more than 2 hours a day on screens were more likely to have problems with inattention.
This is not an extensive review of the literature, but it does point to a consistent recommendation. When it comes to children below 6, we really need to be more vigilant about their screen time. Focus on quality, shared screen time (with an adult), and limit the amount of time spent on devices.
Screen Time and Older Kids
It gets a little more complicated with the older kids because they do a lot of things on screens. Some activities are just a different version of the things we used to do. For instance:
- They could be on Facetime with a friend, much the same way we would have done with our friends on the house telephone line.
- They could be doing their homework, researching information for a school report, much the same way we would have done at the public library looking through textbooks and journals.
- The kids could be doing a group project through google classrooms, like what we used to do at a friend’s house.
- Instead of being on the Television, they might be watching a program on Youtube, Khan Academy, TEDTalks, or Amazon Prime. These are just a few of the examples.
- They could be reading a digital book on Kindle or another e-reader, or using a digital library app, or listening to an audiobook. This one generates quite a lot of arguments in our house – is this considered using a screen or reading?
- They could be making a birthday card using a drawing app.
- And yes, they could be playing games.
This is not an exhaustive list of things they could be doing on a screen but it does illustrate why specific time limitations for screen time can become quite challenging. Could you imagine trying to get all that done in 1 hour? Or even 2?
Screen Time and Mental Health
With the research, the results are a little murkier. Take the discussion on social media use and mental health as an example.
In this study, researchers concluded that the increase in adolescent mental health issues was likely to be related to the concomitant rise of screen time.
- Adolescents who spent more time on-screen activities were significantly more likely to have high depressive symptoms or have at least one suicide-related outcome, and those who spent more time on non-screen activities were less likely.
- The correlations between mental health and new media screen activities were higher among girls than among boys.
- The results show a clear pattern linking screen activities with higher levels of depressive symptoms/suicide-related outcomes and non-screen activities with lower levels.
- Risks became elevated after 2 hours or more a day of electronic device use.
- Adolescents using devices 5 or more hours a day (vs. 1 hour) were 66% more likely to have at least one suicide-related outcome.
In this study, researchers conducted an 8-year longitudinal study examining the association between time spent using social media and depression and anxiety at the intra-individual level. They concluded that:
- Time spent using social media was not related to individual changes in depression or anxiety over 8 years.
- This lack of a relationship was found even in the transition between adolescence and emerging adulthood.
- Results were not stronger for girls or boys.
Landmark Study on Screen Time and Kids
There is an ongoing 10-year study that hopes to tell us what screen time is doing to our children’s brains. With nearly 12000 children participating, the study will look at how kids are using their screen time. Whether they play multiplayer video games, solo games, or social networking, for example. Additionally, instead of relying on parent or child reported usage (which often doesn’t tally against each other), researchers intend to automatically log screen time on smartphones and other devices. The kids will undergo MRI scans every two years with yearly questionnaires and interviews to determine how the usage of devices impacts their success in school and mental health.
The study began in 2016 so we’re still a way off from getting the full results of the study. What they have observed so far is a premature thinning of the cortex – something that usually doesn’t happen so early. Whether or not we should be concerned by this, they cannot say.
We don’t know if it’s being caused by the screen time. We don’t know yet if it’s a bad thing. It won’t be until we follow them over time that we will see if there are outcomes that are associated with the differences that we’re seeing in this single snapshot.Dr. Gaya Dowling, the National Institutes of Health
So what do we know? Well, so far, the study indicates that kids who spend more than two hours a day on screens got lower scores on thinking and language tests. The question that begs to ask is what sort of screen time are we talking about?
Research-Backed Benefits of Active Screen Time
An article on EdSurge makes a differentiation between active and passive screen time. The problems we observe with screen time mostly relate to passive screen time usage. When kids use their screen time actively, it can become a beneficial activity.
Passive Screen Time – defined as the passive consumption of digital content with no thought, creativity or interaction required to progress. It includes common activities like scrolling through social media, watching TV or videos on YouTube, or even playing games that don’t require thinking.
Active Screen Time – involves cognitive thought and/or physical engagement. It includes playing video games or completing homework on a computer.
Active Screen Time divides into two categories – physical and cognitive. Physical screen time includes games that encourage kids to move. These include PokemonGo, Nintendo Switch games such as Ring Fit Adventure or Just Dance, Nintendo Wii, or the Xbox Kinect. Physical screen time activities are found to be similar in intensity to moderate physical activities, such as walking, skipping, and jogging.
Cognitive screen time includes:
- learning a new skill through coding games or websites
- creating music
- writing and publishing stories or poetry
- playing games that require them to solve problems, think critically and come up with solutions
The Bottom Line
It would seem that for older kids, screen time becomes a different discussion. Rather than obsessing over the amount of time spent on screen time, we should focus on the quality of screen time. Of course, that doesn’t mean adopting a “no holds barred” approach. Be aware of the signs of screen media addiction:
- It’s hard for my child to stop using screen media.
- Screen media is the only thing that seems to motivate my child.
- Screen media is all my child seems to think about.
- My child’s screen media use interferes with family activities.
- My child’s screen media use causes problems for the family.
- The amount of time my child wants to use screen media keeps increasing.
- My child becomes frustrated when he/she cannot use screen media.
- My child sneaks using screen media.
- When my child has a bad day, screen media is the only thing that helps him/her feel better.
As David Anderson, Ph.D., a clinical psychologist and senior director of National Programs and Outreach at the Child Mind Institute says:
If your teenager is generally actively participating, getting homework done, having face-to-face interaction with family members and friends, and has extracurricular and physical activity … parents can relax a little.ABC News | <urn:uuid:6846e43b-1acc-4e04-b43a-229b5501503e> | {
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- Classroom Materials
- Curling in the Gym
- Junior Camps
- Junior Merit Program
- Junior National Championships
- Project 2018
- U18 Optimist International
Below you will find links to documents and videos that can be used when discussing the sport of curling in elementary and/or junior high school classes. Documents, including a crossword puzzle and word find, are designed to be printed out and distributed to students as needed. An answer key for instructors is included on the last page of each exercise.
During the period surrounding the 2014 Olympic Winter Games, USA Curling will also be distributing a limited number of youth curling pins to teachers upon request. Pins are commonly traded among curlers and other athletes competing in the Olympic Winter Games. The vast majority of curling clubs also sponsor trading pins representing their curling communities. Teachers can use these pins as incentives for students to complete curling related projects or exercises. If you are interested in receiving youth curling pins (maximum of 10), please send your name, name and address of school, grade level for which pins are intended, and email contact information to [email protected]. Please note that pins can only be distributed to teachers in schools within the United States.
- Information about Curling
- Classroom Discussion Prompts
- Curling Beanbag Game
- Curling Crossword Puzzle
- Curling Word Find
- Unscramble and Map the Curling Teams
- Article on Gym Curling
- Dare to Curl: Six-minute video explaining the basics of the game
- How Curling Stones are Made: Five-minute “How It’s Made” tutorial
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Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Prize
The Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Programme awards prizes to exceptional scientists and academics for their outstanding achievements in the field of research.
The Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Prize is the most important research award in Germany. The Leibniz Programme was established in 1985, a maximum of €2.5 million is provided per award.
Type of Prize
The most important research award in Germany
The programme aims to improve the working conditions of outstanding scientists and academics, expand their research opportunities, relieve them of administrative tasks, and help them employ particularly qualified early career researchers.
Number and Value of Awards
Up to ten prizes are awarded annually with a maximum of €2.5 million per award.
Nominees may be put forward by: all Universities and other doctorate-granting higher education institutions in Germany, all members of the DFG, the Helmholtz Association of National Research Centres, the elected spokespersons of the DFG’s review boards, previous Leibniz prizewinners, and former members of the Leibniz Selection Committee. Direct applications are not accepted.
Awards are made to individuals who, at an early stage of their careers, have demonstrated superior achievements in their research areas both in a national and an international context and who show exceptional promise for future top-level accomplishments that will have a sustainable impact on the German research landscape. The prizes are not limited to certain research areas; the scientific quality of the previous work is the sole criterion for nomination. The prize may be awarded to individuals or research groups working at a research institution in Germany or at a German research institution abroad.
Selection of Prizewinners
Prizewinners are selected by the DFG’s Joint Committee on the basis of recommendations made by the Selection Committee for the Leibniz Programme.
The prize is announced annually with a submission deadline.
To be submitted in German and in English, if possible: a one- to two-page testimonial, an academic CV and a current list of publications by the proposed candidate
Forms and Guidelines | <urn:uuid:520b7c3a-3a1c-42ba-b86e-1920d2e3f28f> | {
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||This article needs additional citations for verification. (August 2008)
The Tule Desert is a small desert located in southwestern Arizona near the U.S.-Mexico border. It is considered to be part of the Lower Colorado Valley region of the Sonoran Desert. It lies in a north-south direction to the east of the Cabeza Prieta Mountains and almost entirely in the Barry M. Goldwater Air Force Range. The Tule Desert also lies on the northern border of the Gran Desierto de Altar of Sonora, Mexico.
Coordinates: 32°16′22″N 113°38′23″W / 32.2728352°N 113.6396396°W | <urn:uuid:345c1f0c-a516-4908-a4e3-4edee4dcea10> | {
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The True Meaning Of The Sabbath13th December
Shortly after this, the Lord commanded the observance of the Sabbath day in the ten commandments that were given to Moses on two tablets of stone on Mt. Sinai (Ex. 20:8-11). In this command, God connected the Sabbath day with the rest He took on the seventh day of creation.
According to Exodus 23:12, one of the purposes of the Sabbath was to give man and his animals one day of physical rest each week. Today's medical science has proven that our bodies need at least one day of rest each week to function at our peak. Deuteronomy 5:15 also clearly states that the Sabbath was to serve as a reminder to the Jews that they had been slaves in Egypt and were delivered from bondage, not by their own efforts, but by the supernatural power of God. However, in the New Testament, there is an even clearer purpose of the Sabbath stated. In Colossians 2:16-17, Paul reveals that the Sabbath was only a shadow of things to come and is now fulfilled in Christ. Hebrews 4:1-11 talks about a Sabbath rest that is available to all New Testament believers, but is not necessarily functional in all New Testament believers. This New Testament Sabbath rest is simply a relationship with God in which we cease from doing things by our own efforts and let God work through us. The
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The resource has been added to your collection
How does an entire house end up inside of a museum? Find out in this section of Within These Walls , an online exhibition from the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History. Students will learn the history of the house that stood at 16 Elm Street in Ipswich, Massachusetts for over 200 years, how it was saved by community members, and how it came to live at the National Museum of American History. Also included is a timeline of all of the inhabitants from 1757 to 1961.
Not Rated Yet. | <urn:uuid:002fb683-a15c-4b1e-914f-ef62e4ff314b> | {
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Returns the square root of each data value in the time series described by the expression.
|tsExpression||Expression describing the time series of data values to find the square root of.|
sqrt() function produces data points by taking the square root of the data points returned by the input expression.
tsExpressionis a constant, then
sqrt()returns the square root of that constant.
tsExpressiondescribes one or more time series, then
sqrt()returns a new time series for each input time series. Each value in a new time series is obtained by taking the square root of the value of the corresponding point in the input time series.
In this example, your chart shows the values in the metric
~sample.process.num for a single source.
And here we see the result of applying the
sqrt function to the expression.
Here we see what happens when the input expression returns data points for 2 sources, app-14 and db-8. Notice that
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Over the past 50 years, as poultry farms became larger and more concentrated, farmers began using antibiotics to prevent disease and speed growth in broiler chickens (chickens raised for meat) living in these crowded and stressful conditions. The industry today remains dependent on their widespread use, and antibiotics are frequently given to birds that are not sick. When antibiotics are routinely given to entire flocks, resistant bacteria are likely to survive and proliferate. These resistant bacteria can even share resistance genes with other bacteria. A large and growing body of evidence shows that antibiotic-resistant bacteria are frequently found on poultry products and in the air and water around poultry facilities and can be carried by poultry workers as well. These bacteria can cause foodborne illness and other types of bacterial infections. Ailments caused by drug-resistant bacteria can be harder to treat—patients can be subject to longer hospital stays, complications, and even death if treatment fails. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and many other health authorities have sounded the alarm about rising rates of antibiotic resistance, pointing to overuse and misuse by livestock producers and in human medicine as the cause of this dangerous problem. It's time for the poultry industry to demonstrate stewardship of these important medicines, and help protect their effectiveness for humans.
The good news is that there are proven alternatives to the routine use of antibiotics. A combination of practices such as water acidification; use of prebiotics, probiotics, and other feed additives; improved sanitation and litter management; use of vaccines; improved genetics; and lower bird densities, among others, are effective at preventing disease and reducing the need for antibiotics. Several studies indicate that nontherapeutic uses of antibiotics in U.S. broiler production can be avoided at a cost of pennies per pound of chicken produced.
Antibiotics should be used sparingly in poultry production to treat sick animals and, in rare circumstances, for controlling disease outbreaks. They should always be used under the supervision of a veterinarian, and never to make up for poor growing conditions. Congress and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) should issue binding regulations to protect antibiotics used in human medicine, and producers and large buyers of poultry products should commit to standards in line with that goal. Consumers should also consider antibiotic use in their purchasing decisions. Poultry producers, policymakers, buyers at large food companies, and consumers must all take action to ensure that these medicines are used safely. | <urn:uuid:f2e9275b-bd2a-4b34-b874-cf615b12fd95> | {
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Animals refers to the over one million species on planet Earth, many of which are known but many as yet unknown. Human beings are animals but often consider themselves apart from animals. Humans have always sought to classify animals to assist with identification and to group animals into kinds.
Animals include mammals, birds, reptiles, protozoans, sponges, corals, jellyfish, worms, molluscs, arachnids, insects, water bears, sea urchins, starfish, fish, and more.
Categories of animals[edit | edit source]
In terms of their relationships to humans, there are two categories of animals:
- Wild animals - which participate in their respective ecosystems with little to no human interaction. (However, they are often impacted by human activities, increasingly encroaching on habitats.)
- Domesticated animals - which have been raised, and often selectively bred for human purposes. There are three main types:
- livestock - raised for their meat, milk or other food products, including chickens, cows, honey bees, and some kinds of fish;
- working animals - used to help humans with various tasks, including draft horses, guard dogs, and messenger pigeons;
- pets (also known as companion animals) - which provide humans companionship or a hobby, such as dogs, house cats, goldfish or guinea pigs.
There are also feral animals whose lineage has been effected by humans, and who may have been socialized to humans, but who live on their own with little to no interaction with humans. Hence, feral animals could be seen as a transitional phase from domestication back to the wild. Invasive species are another consideration with respect to animals, in that human beings have introduced animals, either knowingly or unknowingly, into environments that they are not native to and subsequently become a problem for local species of animals and plants, and ecosystems.
How humans treat wild animals[edit | edit source]
Humans can take various stances toward wild animals. Some of these include:
- Observation: Often humans avoid direct interaction with wild animals, but enjoy observing them from a distance. Sometimes these animals are captured and placed in zoos.
- Rescue: Injured animals may be taken to an animal rescue shelter, where they can be rehabilitated and returned to the wild.
- Stewardship: Some human beings consider that they have a role of stewardship toward animals and can intervene to protect and assist animal survival in beneficial ways.
- Killing or removing animals: Sometimes humans take adversarial stances toward wild animals. This often happens when the wild animals impact peoples' livelihoods, such as wolves killing sheep. Hunting is another common practice, whether done for the purpose of harvesting meat or simply as a hobby ("for sport").
- Indirect impacts: Human activities can also have an indirect effect on animals. These include the wholesale destruction of habitats and ecosystems such as draining wetlands, or razing rainforests for the purpose of creating cattle pasture. Pollution also has an impact on animals, like fish ingesting plastic particles in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch and ingesting plastics in the form of microbeads from cosmetic products that cannot be filtered out by city water systems.
- Causing extinctions: Direct and indirect human pressures have even caused entire species of animals to go extinct.
Beneficial interactions with animals and humans[edit | edit source]
In permaculture, designers seek to maximize the number of beneficial interactions of both wild and domestic animals within a design site. This can include attracting predator birds or snakes to control pest rodent populations, or attracting pollinator birds and insects. | <urn:uuid:c114936c-4733-4da0-83af-80ab5078d6e7> | {
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Samuel Colt Biography, Life, Interesting Facts
Died On :
Also Known For :
Birth Place :
Childhood And Early Life
American inventor and businessman Samuel Colt was born on the 19 July 1814 in Hartford, Connecticut. He was the son of Christopher Colt and Sarah Caldwell.
At a young age, Samuel Colt began working for a farmer in Glastonbury. The work involved doing farm chores as well as schooling. Around this time, he had access to a scientific encyclopedia, the Compendium of Knowledge and reading about famous inventors fired his imagination.
Rise To Fame
As a young, Samuel Colt heard stories from soldiers about how it would be impossible for a gun to shoot more than one bullet. He subsequently became interested in proving the impossible. At 15, Colt was sent to sea to learn about the trade. Onboard, he became interested in the ship’s steering wheel and concluded that the rotating of the wheel could be used in the gun design.
Once home from sea, Samuel Colt presented his initial ideas to his father who funded the creation of two prototypes. Colt then traveled to England to obtain a patent for his resolver, and while there he studied the designs of Elisha Collier, who was famous for his revolving flintlock rifle. Upon his return to the United States, he set up his first manufacturing plant. His first revolver was the Colt Paterson, but business was complicated because of the economic crash of 1837.
Samuel Colt then worked with cables and underwater mines for a time before receiving an order from Captain Samuel Walker which enabled him to resume his gun-making business. Walker and Colt designed the Walker Colt revolver and obtained finance to set up a manufacturing plant, Colt Armory.
After Colt’s early death in 1862, his widow Elizabeth, who owned the controlling interest in the company, and her brother Richard Jarvis were heavily involved in the business. Elizabeth continued her stake in the company until selling her shares in 1901.
Samuel Colt's wife was Elizabeth Hart Jarvis, the daughter of an Episcopal minister, Reverand William Jarvis and his wife, Elizabeth. He met Jarvis in 1851, and they were married in 1856. They had four children, three of whom died young. Their fourth child, Caldwell Hart Colt, was an inventor and keen yachtsman who drowned on the 21 January 1984 when his yacht, The Dauntless, went down off the coast of Florida.
Samuel Colt died of complications from gout on the 10 January 1862 in Hartford, Connecticut. He was 47 years of age.
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Imagine the state of your mouth if you never brushed your teeth and never visited the dentist – yuck! Bad breath, plaque, tartar, gingivitis, periodontal disease, and painful broken or loose teeth can all be left undiagnosed and untreated when routine dental care is ignored. And don’t forget that your dog’s mouth is connected to the rest of its body. Some types of liver, kidney, and heart disease are much more common in dogs with dental disease than in those with healthy mouths.
Good dental care starts at home. Puppies and even most adult dogs can be trained to accept daily tooth brushing. Use a soft, small toothbrush (e.g. those designed for pets or young children), a rubber “brush” that slides over a finger, or even a piece of gauze or a washcloth with a small amount of doggie toothpaste applied to it. Do not use human toothpaste because dogs do not like the taste, and they can swallow more than is healthy for them. You do not need to clean the inner surface or bottom of the teeth, only the part that lies next to the lips and cheeks. A gentle, circular scrubbing works well. Feeding dry rather than moist food can help dogs keep their own teeth clean as they chew. Special dental diets, treats, and chews all also help promote good oral hygiene, but they do not replace the need for daily tooth brushing.
If while you are brushing your dog’s teeth, you notice an accumulation of brown material on the teeth that won’t easily come off, a red line along the gum’s edge, or any other abnormalities, it is time to take your dog to the veterinarian. Doctors will recommend a dental prophylaxis (i.e., complete oral exam and teeth cleaning) if they see plaque, tartar, signs of inflammation and infection, or broken or loose teeth. General anesthesia is necessary so the veterinarian can thoroughly examine the mouth, scrape plaque and tartar from the teeth (including that which is located under the gum line), polish the teeth, and perform any other diagnostic (e.g. dental x-rays) or therapeutic (e.g. tooth extraction) procedures that may be required. Don’t let the thought of anesthesia deter you from getting your dog’s teeth cleaned. In general, the risks and discomfort of living with a diseased mouth are much higher than those that are associated with modern anesthetic protocols.Click here for reuse options!
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Williamsburg, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)
The College of William and Mary in Virginia
The college was transferred to the Commonwealth of Virginia in 1906.
The main structure, now called the Wren Building, erected in 1695, burned in 1705, was rebuilt in 1716 on the original foundation. After several fires and alterations, it was restored in 1928 by Mr. John D. Rockefeller, Jr. The General Assembly met in this building 1700 to 1704, and again 1747 to 1754. It is the oldest academic building in continuous use in the United States.
On the left is the Brafferton, erected as an Indian school in 1723. On the right is the Presidentís House, built in 1732; accidentally burned by French soldiers in 1781, it was restored by Louis XVI in 1786.
Gift of the Class of 1956
Erected 1956 by W&M Class of 1956.
Location. 37° 16.254′ N, 76° 42.453′ W. Marker is in Williamsburg, Virginia. Marker can be reached from the intersection of North Boundary Street and Richmond Road. Touch for map. This
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Norborne Berkeley, Baron de Botetourt (within shouting distance of this marker); Sir Christopher Wren Building (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Indian School at the College of William & Mary (about 400 feet away); Alumni of the College of William and Mary (about 400 feet away); Priorities of the College of William and Mary (about 400 feet away); The Christopher Wren Building (about 400 feet away); In Gallia Nati Mortui in Virginia (about 400 feet away); College Camp (about 800 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Williamsburg.
Categories. • Colonial Era • Education • Notable Buildings •
Credits. This page was last revised on June 16, 2016. This page originally submitted on April 21, 2009, by Bernard Fisher of Mechanicsville, Virginia. This page has been viewed 948 times since then and 28 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on April 21, 2009, by Bernard Fisher of Mechanicsville, Virginia. 3. submitted on January 12, 2013, by Denise Boose of Tehachapi, California. 4, 5, 6, 7. submitted on May 13, 2009, by Bernard Fisher of Mechanicsville, Virginia. 8, 9. submitted on January 12, 2013, by Denise Boose of Tehachapi, California. | <urn:uuid:9c4b2c80-36b3-4567-b575-bbd5765a379a> | {
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SOURCE: Washington Post
Before 1619, there was 1526: The mystery of the first enslaved Africans in what became the United States
by Gillian Brockell
Spanish explorers brought 100 slaves to a doomed settlement in South Carolina or Georgia. Within weeks, the subjugated revolted, then vanished.
- How the US stole thousands of Native American children
- A history of selling out the Kurds, people with 'no friends but the mountains'
- 9 Landmark Supreme Court Cases That Shaped LGBTQ Rights in America
- A newspaper accused the president’s family of profiting from a foreign deal. The president sued.
- Here are the indigenous people Christopher Columbus and his men could not annihilate
- Serhii Plokhii on Ukraine’s Political Frontiers
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- It was the nation’s largest auction of enslaved people. Now, a search for descendants of the ‘weeping time.’
- Historians Jon Meacham, Mark Summers, Keri Leigh Merritt, Michael Ross, Brenda Wineapple, and Benjamin Railton Featured in Article on Andrew Johnson and Impeachment | <urn:uuid:bd507ef0-b836-4165-a5ba-b1518fbbc5e9> | {
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What is Spondylolisthesis?
Spondylolisthesis is a condition involving the spine or the vertebrae characterized by either a backward or forward displacement in relation to the spine under it. Slippage of spine in Spondylolisthesis more commonly occurs at L5 S1 or the base of the spine in the region of the lumbar although the slippage may also occur in other areas or in higher levels of the spine.
Spine or the vertebral column has a vital function in human. The spine serves in providing support and maintaining balance while keeping an upright position while it also allows for motion in flexible manner in humans. The spine also functions in protecting several nerves of the internal organs of the body including the roots and spinal cord. The spine has different specific functions relative to its main regions. The cervical spine is the region of the spine found at the neck that composed of seven vertebrae. Cervical spine functions mainly in allowing movement of the head while supporting the skull and protecting the spinal cord and the brain stem. The next region of the spine is the thoracic spine which consists of twelve vertebrae. The thoracic spine together with the rib attachments provides for stability while protecting the vital organs together with the rib cage. The third region of the spine is the lumbar spine that composed of five vertebrae. The function of which is to hold the weight of the human body in which the shape and size of each lumbar vertebrae is designed to function. Sacral spine or the sacrum is the fourth region of the spine that fuses the spine with the pelvis while the last area of lumbar spine or L5 moves with the help of the sacrum.
It is important that the anatomy of the spine be understood by patient suffering from spondylolisthesis. It is for them to understand the importance of the spine and the pain associated with the condition so as to give importance and seek prompt medication and prevent possible complication or severe damage with the spine if the condition is left untreated otherwise, may pose potential fatality to patient.
Symptoms of Spondylolisthesis
Spondylolisthesis can occur without any symptoms and patient suffering from may not know that they already have the condition. The symptoms however, when they occur, can go from mild to moderate and the usual onset initially is with lower back pain. The lower back pain normally radiates to the lower back with pain felt similar to a muscle strain. The lower back pain is also associated with a shooting pain radiating from the buttocks to the thigh that passes trough the sciatic nerve. A change in posture and gait is noticeable as a result of hamstring tightening and stiffening of the back. Tingling and numbness may also be felt in the lower leg while the pain in the lower back can be exaggerated with coughing or sneezing. Assuming a standing position coming from a sitting position can be difficult due to pain.
Multiple factors are considered for the cause of spondylolisthesis and the condition was classified into five major types according to its cause and these are the following:
Degenerative spondylolisthesis is among the common form of spondylolisthesis which often results from aging when the disc that cushions the vertebral bones becomes less spongy with lessened ability in resisting movement from the vertebrae. The resulting spondylolisthesis is mainly the result of changes in the joints from degeneration which is normal in the aging process. This form is common in older people as a result of normal wear and tear brought by aging.
Congenital or dysplastic spondylolisthesis is a form of spondylolidthesis that is present at birth. The slippage and displacement in the spine is the result of an aberration in the formation of bone during the fetal development in the womb. The aberration in the formation of the bone in fetus during its development is potentially at risk for slippage as the child grows and develops. The malformation in this form of spondylolisthesis is usually located in the lumbosacral junction.
Isthmic spondylolisthesis is the result of a defect in the pars interarticularis. This form of spondylolisthesis is prevalent in athletes as isthmic spondylolisthesis is usually the result of repetitive trauma that is usual in contact sports that most athletes encounter including the hyperextension that they usually do with their sports.
Traumatic spondylolisthesis is a form of spondylolisthesis that resulted from a direct injury to the vertebrae. This is a very rare form of spondylolidthesis that is due to a fracture in the pars interarticularis or the posterior facets resulting to a forward slip or displacement in relation to the rear segment of the vertebrae.
Pathologic spondylolisthesis is a form of spondylolidthesis that is caused by a bone deformity that resulted from tumor growth and metastases or any metabolic disease of the bone. Spondylolisthesis of this form is often seen in patients suffering from giant cell tumors and those with Piaget’s bone disease including tuberculosis.
The initial step in diagnosing spondylolisthesis is through taking of medical history of the patient. Doctors usually and take note of the signs and symptoms and its severity including any medications taken. Familial medical history is also being considered including activities that could contribute to complains of pain in the lower back and legs.
Physical examination is also applied especially considering the limitations in movements including the pain perceived and difficulty in balancing and posture and gait. Other signs for neurological damages are also being noted to rule out spondylolisthesis or any other condition that is causing the chief complains of lower back pain and leg pain.
Diagnostic test in confirming spondylolisthesis is done with recommendation of imaging test initially with x-ray in ruling out tumor growth and infection. Identifying nerve compression linked to spondylolisthesis can be verified utilizing MRI or computed tomography scan. PET scan is also useful especially in identifying the activeness in the affected bone.
Spondylolisthesis has a good prognosis and usually respond to conservative treatment without recurrence. The mode of treatment however, depends on the cause of the condition and the severity of the symptoms in which the goal of treatment is through alleviation of symptoms while preventing further complications. Factors are considered prior to application of treatment such as the age of the patient, the over-all health status, severity of symptoms and the extent of slip or displacement.
Conservative treatment for spondylolisthesis includes sufficient rest for patient. Discontinuation of rough activities or any other activities especially those requiring hyperextension movements are prescribed for a period of time or until the condition has completely resolved. Medication is included in the conservative treatment especially in the alleviation of pain. Over-the-counter pain reliever especially non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as Ibuprofen and naproxen can help in relieving the symptoms of pain. Epidural steroid injection is beneficial to patient with severe pain and with numbness and tingling sensation in the legs. Hyperextension brace is beneficial to patients suffering from isthmic spondylolisthesis. This type of brace allows for healing to occur by binding together the defective bone to the unaffected. The back brace also allows for stability of the lower back while the pain is also being reduced.
This is beneficial in strengthening the abdominal and back muscle while diminishing bony movement in the spine which can aggravate more the pain and displacement. Physical therapy specially utilizes stabilization exercises that are generally prescribed at eight to twelve weeks in aggressive treatment to achieve the optimum improvement of overall health and stability of the patient in terms of spinal use and functions.
Surgical intervention is advised for patient with severe pain and continuous spine slippage even after conservative management has been applied. The goal in this mode of management in spondylolisthesis is to relieve symptoms unresponsive to conservative treatment and stabilizing spine slippage while restoring the normal function of the patient. Decompressive laminectomy is done to generate more room for the nerve being compressed with spinal fusion follows to create stability in spine through use of screws or rods to grip the vertebra firmly while in the process of healing.
Meyerding grading system is the method used for identifying the extent and severity of slip in the spine which can range from mild to severe and with grading from I to IV respectively.
Grade I is from 0 to 25% of slippage
Grade II is from 25 to 50% of slippage
Grade III is from 50 to 75% of slippage
Grade IV is from 75 to 100% of slippage
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Towns are the smallest settlement that we’re likely to create files of information about and draw on maps. They differ from villages not only in size but competition and backup resources; to use the example from the previous section, multiple carpenters or blacksmiths if one dies. Our traveling characters are unlikely to get away with bartering their services for fare and lodging, unless the skill is something rare, like wizardry, healing, or specialized engineering skills. The variety of people and skills tends to raise the quality of everything, including town walls, gates, tools, buildings, food, clothing, and other merchandise.
The amount of crime will depend partly on population size and character, and which species are here. While some diversity of species can exist, one tends to be a majority and others less well represented. Smaller towns mean less anonymity, so if someone steals something and tries to sell it to someone else or wears/uses it, this is more likely to be noticed unless sold to visitors who leave before wearing it. Conversely, a business can cheat people more easily with the lack of oversight, regulation, and laws found in a city. Corrupt officials might also hold considerable power, intimidating residents and visitors alike; the towns in Hollywood westerns come to mind.
A town often has formal guards who report to someone. This is one reason that taxes are almost a certainty, as these professionals need to be paid somehow. We can imagine a skilled swordsman from a village wanting to be paid for his services and moving to a nearby town, maybe even to a city. In addition to guards (who act like police), specialized forces might be here and will depend on terrain; horsemen, knights, and archers are some skilled positions in fantasy, while sharpshooters and pilots are likely in SF, and we can invent others to go with technological weapons or defenses we create. The larger the town, the more likely a wall, and its height, materials, and the prevalence of archer towers, for example, also rises. Some buildings might lie outside the wall due to the town’s continuing expansion after it went up. In a world where flight is common, newer walls might be rare, since they can be flown over.
A town will have considerable farming nearby and needs a larger source of drinking water, so these are often by rivers and lakes. They may employ irrigation. In our modern world, farmers don’t get much respect, which is partly an effect of population size and industry making it easier to take our food for granted. In less civilized worlds, the importance of farmers and effects of floods or drought are harder to overlook. Especially in smaller settlements, any town council will likely focus in part on farming issues, and life will revolve around agricultural events like the planting or harvest. When inventing plants and animals for our setting, as covered in Creating Life (The Art of World Building, #1), we may wish to decide if farmers can grow a crop and what the harvest cycle is.
A mayor and formal town council may exist, with individuals appointed by vote, reputation, or prominence, which could be influence, wealth, or land ownership. A family can hold sway over generations, too, for better or worse, and may be the ones whose name graces the town or areas of it. Larger towns are sometimes divided into wards, with each such neighborhood bearing a name and having a representative on a ruling council. Zoning also occurs, but this typically occurs as the settlement grows so that the oldest areas are more likely to be mixed use than later additions. | <urn:uuid:90d6d990-58e2-455d-847e-054a7b7b6dcc> | {
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Athletes feel first-hand how their overall performance can be affected by an improper diet. They have a heightened need for calories compared to the average person. If you’re an athlete who neglects good nutrition then it’s important to really understand how it can impact your performance.
A sufficient amount of carbohydrates, proteins, and healthy fats provide athletes with the fuel they need to maintain energy, and ultimately pace. Specifically, carbohydrates are vital for preventing muscle fatigue, while fat provides essential fatty acids. These fatty acids can provide up to 75 percent of the energy endurance athletes need for long-term aerobic performance. Lastly, protein helps the body build new tissue and is also used as an energy source.
Maintaining a healthy weight is extremely important when you’re an athlete especially if you compete in sports that are weight sensitive like wrestling. Severely restricting calories is definitely not your best option if you’re trying to lose weight. It’s dangerous for your body and it can also negatively impact your overall athletic performance. Instead, it’s a better idea to slowly restrict your calorie intake, which can be done easily by utilizing services such as Performance Food.
Hydration is extremely important when you’re participating in a sport or doing any kind of physical exercise.Dehydration is a major concern if you’re engaged in any physical activity in a hot climate. If you are, you will need to increase your water intake, which is the usual “go to” drink for staying hydrated. However, if you’re doing intense activity for over an hour, drinking sports drinks may yield the highest benefit, due to it replacing your lost electrolytes.
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Maintaining control of your anger takes patience and consistent practice – but the benefits can last a lifetime. Anger is a useful emotion when it’s expressed appropriately – for instance, you can address an injustice by using assertive communication and problem-solving techniques.
Yet anger can become a problem if it becomes a habitual reaction to all of life’s challenges, and leads to aggressive behaviour.
Frustration, loss and hurt are a part of life: but reacting in anger whenever you feel upset can do untold damage to your relationships, career and health.
If you often get uncontrollably angry, putting yourself and people you care about at risk, it may be time to seek support. Use our anger checklist to measure your anger levels, and identify areas for improvement in anger management skills.
1. Check your self-talk
Research shows that the thoughts that race through our mind when feeling angry, threatened or defensive have a direct effect on our behavioural reaction to an external event.
Negative self-talk (underpinned by beliefs we’ve formed about ourselves and others that are based on past experiences) can lead to angry outbursts or sullen withdrawal. These behaviours can wreak havoc in our personal and professional lives if left unchecked.
Consider the messages you give yourself when you are angry. Think about whether they are factual, biased or exaggerated.
A key component of effective anger management is transforming your inner dialogue. If you tend to default to negative, angry thinking habits, cognitive-behavioural therapy can help you to shift into a calmer, more rational mindset when confronted with upsetting situations and interactions.
2. Check over your history of anger
Take a moment to reflect on your past. Start by considering different situations when you lost your temper or behaved aggressively.
Below are some questions to get you thinking about what drives your anger – and what triggers it:
- Are there particular memories or relationships that you still feel angry about and haven’t been able to resolve?
- Do you tend to blame other people or events for your anger?
- Worry, stress and sadness often accompany anger – what other emotions come up when you feel angry?
- Can you see any patterns to your behaviour?
- Do certain relationships or situations provoke your anger time and again?
Sometimes people feel angry but can’t always pinpoint why; their family and friends may just experience them as volatile and unpredictable.
If you’re finding it hard to identify what triggers your anger, this 5-minute quiz presents a range of hypothetical anger-inducing situations, and gives valuable feedback about whether your anger-based reactions may be problematic:
It’s common for people to react angrily whenever they’re feeling stressed or defensive, but when angry outbursts become the default behaviour long after the original cause of anger is forgotten, it’s time to seek help.
Counselling can help you to learn how to express your anger safely, by revealing more about your anger style, it’s origins, and alternative approaches to managing your emotional responses.
3. Check in with family, friends and workmates
Ask anyone who has seen you angry how they feel about the experience. You may be surprised how much of an impact your anger has on them.
Take their responses seriously, and consider the cost of behaving aggressively and its impact on other people.
Did you jeopardise your job?
Have relationships been damaged?
Have you hurt people? How has that affected trust and safety within the relationship?
What would your life and relationships look like if you didn’t react in anger any more?
You can avoid these kinds of destructive consequences in future by understanding and controlling your emotional reactions and behaviour.
Finding healthier ways to express yourself by communicating assertively and effectively with others is a great place to start.
4. Check out anger management counselling
If you would like to learn how to manage your anger and frustration effectively, specialist anger management counselling can help you take control of your thoughts, emotions and behaviour.
Anger management counselling is a safe, completely confidential way to explore the different ways anger may be affecting your life and relationships.
Sessions of counselling are tailored to meet your personal needs, and help you deal with both the happy and the tough times of life with a greater sense of clarity, calm, and emotional control.
Taking control of anger research resources
Epstein, N. B. (2016). Anger Management Self-Talk. Techniques for the Couple Therapist: Essential Interventions from the Experts, 111.
Henwood, K. S., Chou, S., & Browne, K. D. (2015). A systematic review and meta-analysis on the effectiveness of CBT informed anger management. Aggression and Violent Behaviour, 25, 280-292.
Lee, A. H., & DiGiuseppe, R. (2017). Anger and aggression treatments: A review of meta-analyses. Current Opinion in Psychology.
Shahsavarani, A. M., Noohi, S., Heyrati, H., Mohammadi, M., Mohammadi, A., & Sattari, K. (2016). Anger management and control in social and behavioural cciences: A systematic review of literature on the biopyschosocial model. International Journal of Medical Reviews, 3(1), 355-364.
Short, D. (2016). The evolving science of anger management. Journal of Psychotherapy Integration, 26(4), 450. | <urn:uuid:d0d1d03a-793b-46f1-8917-79a87686e95f> | {
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Purple deadnettle is an introduced invasive annual species that originates in Europe. It is now found in many US states (AK, AL, AR, CA, CO, CT, DC, DE, GA, IA, ID, IL, IN, KS, KY, LA, MA, MD, ME, MI, MO, MS, MT, NC, NE, NH, NJ, NY, OH, OK, OR, PA, RI, SC, TN, TX, UT, VA, VT, WA, WI, WV) and in Canada is found in Quebec, Ontario, and British Columbia (USDA 2010). In British Columbia, it is reported from southwestern BC. and a few interior locations. Two varieties of this species are reported in BC: var. incisum(sharp-toothed) and var. purpureum (round-toothed). Large purple flowering patches of this species are prominent in the spring in the Fraser Delta, in agricultural fields and along disturbed roadsides edges (late March, early April).
USDA. 2010. Plant profile for Lamium purpureum. United States Department of Agriculture. Available Online.
Click on the image below to view an
expanded illustration for this species.
General: Annual herb from a short taproot; stems branched from the base, reclining, inconspicuously hairy, 10-40 cm long, often somewhat purple tinted, 4-angled.
Leaves: Opposite, egg-shaped to almost round, 1-5 cm long, obtuse at tip, heart-shaped at base, margins toothed with rounded to somewhat sharp teeth; leaves all stalked, the stalks 1-3 cm long.
Flowers: Inflorescence of several axillary flower clusters at ends of branches; bracts leaf-like, but smaller than leaves and uppermost unstalked; corollas tubular, pink-purple, 10-15 mm long, longer than calyces, hairy outside, with or without a ring of hairs inside near the base, the hood-like upper lip 2-4 mm long; calyces tubular bell-shaped, 5-6 mm long, the slender teeth firm, unequal, somewhat spreading, about as long as the tube, hairy.
Fruits: Nutlets, 4 clustered together, three-angled, squared-off at tips.
Notes: Two varieties occur in BC. The var. incisum is usually considered to be of hybrid origin between L. moschatum Mill. and L. purpureum.
1. Leaves deeply sharp-toothed ..... var. incisum (Willd.) Pers.
Recommended citation: Author, Date. Page title. In Klinkenberg, Brian. (Editor) 2017. E-Flora BC:
Electronic Atlas of the Plants of British Columbia [eflora.bc.ca]. Lab for
Advanced Spatial Analysis, Department of Geography, University of British
Columbia, Vancouver. [Accessed:
20/07/2019 9:33:05 AM
The information contained in the E-Flora atlas pages is derived from expert
sources as cited in each section. This information is scientifically based.
E-Flora also acts as a portal to other sites via deep links. As
always, users should refer to the original sources for complete information.
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The use of a sword, wielded by hand, for attack and defence. Its origins lie in the military history of various societies—including England and Japan—with roots in chivalric codes of honour as well as military conflict. The foil, the épée, and the sabre have been the three predominant forms of weapon in fencing, and have their separate events in the Olympics for both men (from 1896) and women (from 1924). European nations, and the USA, have dominated the Olympic disciplines, and the Fédération Internationale d'Escrime was founded in Paris in 1913. Strong fencing competitors began to emerge from Central and South American countries as well as Asian ones, in the later 20th century. The International Fencing Federation, now based in Lausanne, Switzerland, oversees events at the world youth games, the Mediterranean Games, and world championships, as well as at the Olympic Games. Its aristocratic and soldierly legacy defies the federation's attempts to associate the sport with the youth of the world, though by the early 21st century there were 126 national associations affiliated to the federation. Fencing, as a form of swordsmanship, has an expansive history through numerous civilizations. In 17th-century imperial Japan, fencers, like archers but not so swiftly, moved ‘from mortal combat to sports competition to spiritual exercise’ (Allen Guttmann, Sports: The First Five Millennia, 2004).
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According to the World Health Organization (WHO), Neglected tropical diseases (NTDs)– a diverse group of communicable diseases that prevail in tropical and subtropical conditions in 149 countries – affect more than one billion people and cost developing economies billions of dollars every year.
Populations living in poverty, without adequate sanitation and in close contact with infectious vectors and domestic animals and livestock are those worst affected.
On the eve before Christmas eve show this year, I play two interviews about two very important NTDs, both parasitic diseases–Chagas disease and schistosomiasis.
Hutchinson Distinguished Professor of Biological Sciences at Loyola University New Orleans, Patricia Dorn, PhD talks about Chagas disease in this Mar. 2017 interview.
In the second half, Parasitology teacher and author of the book, Parasites: Tales of Humanity’s Most Unwelcome Guests, Rosemary Drisdelle discusses schistosomiasis in this interview earlier this year.
The Outbreak News This Week Radio Show, the first and only radio program dedicated to infectious disease and health news and information, airs every Sunday at 1 pm ET in the Tampa Bay area on AM 1380 The Biz and online at http://1380thebiz.com/
T-shirts, coffee mugs and other merchandise with a clean, computerized image of the three schistosomes. See more unique items with this design at Blood flukes in Black and White
- Fasciola hepatica: The sheep liver fluke
- Dicrocoelium dendriticum: The lancet liver fluke
- Paragonimus: A look at this parasitic lung fluke
- Clonorchis sinensis: The Chinese liver fluke
- Travel health: Philippines
- Pork tapeworm and cysticercosis | <urn:uuid:3f14e2c3-8288-41ff-b198-0c2dc15075db> | {
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Hepatitis: What Is It?
Hepatitis is the term used to describe a nonspecific inflammation of the liver. The causes of hepatitis can be many, such as viral, parasitic, infiltrative, drug or alcohol induced, or non-specific. The initial clinical presentation of the acute phase of hepatitis may range from asymptomatic (without any noticeable signs) to severe fatigue, jaundice (yellow looking eyes or skin), nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea.
All patients whose laboratory values are monitored will have increases in their liver enzymes. This article will provide information about the pathophysiology, specific causes and treatments that are available both commercially or in current clinical trials for viral hepatitis A, B, and C, and drug/alcohol induced hepatitis.
So what is the liver and what does it do?
The liver is located in the right upper section of your abdomen, underneath your ribs. When the liver is enlarged (hepatomeglia) it can protrude below the rib cage and be tender to touch. The liver plays an important role as a detoxifier, by processing potentially harmful agents into chemicals that are safe for the body. The liver is also responsible for glucose metabolism, which is a source for energy, that our cells need (including the brain) to sustain life. Another function of the liver is to help control a portion of the pathway to allow our blood to clot when it needs to. The liver is considered to be part of the digestive system and controls the secretion of bile, an important enzyme that breaks down fats and starches from the foods that we eat.
What is hepatitis?
Hepatitis is a non-specific term that is used to describe an inflammation of the liver. It can be diagnosed after blood is obtained and shows an elevation in liver enzymes (also referred to as ALT and AST). Normal values for liver enzymes may vary from laboratory to laboratory.
Hepatitis A (HAV) is transmitted through oral-fecal contact. Acute HAV usually has an acute phase that lasts from 4-6 weeks with or without jaundice, fatigue and hepatomeglia. During this acute phase, individuals with a co-infection of human deficiency syndrome (HIV) may have a considerable drop in T-cell counts that will rebound in 6-12 weeks after acute infection. HAV is generally cleared from the body after 6 weeks. It may take months to recover from acute HAV.
Treatment for HAV is usually supportive care with rest, discontinuation of drug therapy until the acute phase is completed, at which time therapies may be restarted. Drinking plenty of water, bed rest and good nutrition are all essential for a complete recovery.
During the last year, a vaccination for HAV has become available and can be considered as preventive therapy in those patients with chronic terminal infections such as HIV infection. This may prevent potential infections for those individuals who may be immuno-compromised. Some insurance companies, health care facilities or studies may offer the vaccination free of cost to patients. Check with your health care provider.
Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection remains a considerable health problem worldwide and a significant cause of liver disease and liver cancer in humans. HBV is readily transmitted via parenteral (sharing needles or a blood transfusion) and sexual routes, and as such, it commonly found in individuals who are coinfected with HIV. For the patient with HIV infection, a frequent outcome of HBV is becoming a chronic carrier. Chronic HBV occurs after an acute infection. Approximately 20% of the patients are unable to clear the virus. The infection may continue to develop an enlarged liver, liver failure and/or primary liver cancer.
Certain population groups are considered to be at high risk of HBV infection, including Native Alaskans, Pacific Islanders and infants born to women who are first generation immigrants from regions where HBV is very common. The risk for acquiring HBV through sexual contact is highest among homosexual men, those with multiple sexual partners and years of sexual activity. Unprotected heterosexual contact has also been linked to HBV transmission.
All blood and body fluids are considered to be potentially infectious. In infected patients, HBV particles have been found in saliva, semen and cervical secretions. Common modes of transmission include: accidental puncture of the skin with an infected needle, blood splashed in the eye or sharing of un-sterilized needles. Other modes include exposure to instruments while receiving tattoos, ear piercing or acupuncture as well as sharing razors or toothbrushes. It is believed that insects may also serve as vectors by either biting or contaminating food.
Hepatitis B can be found in any age group. The normal incubation period is 28 - 160 days. Patients may present with insidious symptoms such as, joint pain, rash, nausea, vomiting and less commonly jaundice.
Suppressive therapy for HBV becomes extremely important to prevent progression to cirrhosis, deterioration of the liver, liver cancer. Little data is available about HIV-infected patients with chronic HBV.
Data from several studies suggests that 3TC (Epivir) shows promise as an effective treatment for chronic HBV. Most of the data that is available addressing chronic HBV response with 3TC has been done in HIV negative patients. Little data is available in patients who are co-infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and chronic HBV.
Several reports have found early resistance to 3TC in non-HIV infected patients. Data from a study done on immunocompromised adults with chronic HBV showed a high incident of 3TC resistance. This may have implications for the concept of long-term virus-suppressive therapy of chronic HBV using 3TC monotherapy. Adefovir has shown activity against HBV in clinical trials.
Little data is available about hepatitis C. It has only been in the last several years that we could test for the presence of HCV through the use of PCR RNA testing. Many patients do not have the antibodies present to test positive on a HCV antibody testing and must be diagnosed by PCR. The route of transmission is still unclear. Several researchers believe it may be transmitted through blood exposure during recreational drug use. A co-infection in an HIV-infected patient with both HCV and HBV increases illness and/or death.
Several studies have evaluated the use of alpha interferon subcutaneously without a significant improvement in the patients disease status. However, a new clinical trial using alpha interferon and ribaviron is showing promise, but the results are still not known.
Hepatitis can be a direct result of taking drugs that may be required to treat another illness. Prompt evaluation of an increase in liver enzymes can lead to a diagnosis. Once diagnosed, further evaluation, discontinuation of the offending drug and close follow-up can be conducted.
Prevention is still the best intervention. Condom use during sexual encounters will help to decrease the risk of hepatitis B and has been shown to be effective. Thorough handwashing is an important first line prevention to protect transmission of most viruses. Little information is available about other causes of hepatitis. Studies need to be done to evaluate effective treatment for those individuals who are already infected with chronic disease.
What should I do?
1) When you have sex use a condom (male or female should protect you).
2) Wash your hands frequently.
3) Have regular visits to you health care practitioner to discuss safe sex, symptoms of hepatitis and have regular check ups.
Rostaing, L Henry S, Cisterne J-M, Duffaut M, et al. Efficacy and safety of lamivudine on replication of recurrent hepatitis B after cadaveric renal transplantation. Transplantation. Vol. 64. No11, Dec.15, 1997.
Honkoop P, Niesters H. De Man R. , et al. Lamivudine resistance in immunocompetent chronic hepatitis B. Journal of Hepatology. '97; 26: 1393-1395.
Back to the Women Alive Summer 1999 Contents Page.
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Preparing tomorrow's engineers for the real world
Senior Project Manager
Costa Mesa, California
How do you give young engineering students the hands-on experience and skills that will help them assimilate quickly and productively into the working world? How do you get them to look beyond the technical and economic aspects of engineering to make them broader thinkers—to focus on the social, environmental and even political considerations involved in today's projects?
A unique public/private partnership in Orange County, California is successfully answering these questions. The engineering community has partnered with University of California, Irvine to form the UCI Civil and Environmental Engineering Affiliates, an organization working to ensure that future engineers learn the real-world skills that the profession needs.
The CEE Affiliates works on a multi-pronged approach with UCI to better prepare the engineers of tomorrow. Program elements include a yearlong capstone senior design course, instructors culled from the private sector, input on curriculum, research and lab support, and field trips to local projects.
Terry Hartman, vice president of community development for The Irvine Company and former president of CEE Affiliates, says that the organization has pushed for a curriculum that teaches teamwork in problem solving and improving communication skills to better prepare engineering students for what employers expect from entry-level engineers.
Jan Scherfig, professor of engineering and deputy chair of the department, calls the yearlong Senior Design Practicum, with its direct involvement by CEE Affiliates consulting firms, developers and public agencies, a "key educational component of our engineering program."
The course takes students out of the classroom and into the field, giving them the chance to apply their technical studies to real problems. In essence, the students form a consulting firm to solve problems brought by the "client" as specified in the course outline. Last year's assignment was based on plans for The Irvine Company's master-planned village of Quail Hill, giving students the opportunity to learn firsthand about community development design problems. Working in teams of four to five students each, they developed designs for pedestrian bridges, came up with plans for roundabouts at street intersections, and engineered plans for dealing with a hypothetical groundwater spoiling acid spill. During the exercise, the seniors learn how to look at the full picture, for instance how a drainage plan impacts street design and visa versa.
|Sam Ali, CEE Affiliates President, shows design drawing plans of the Palo Verde Student Housing Project at the University of California, Irvine to UCI students.|
The course culminates with each team presenting their designs to the CEE Affiliates in a planning commission-like setting. This experience fosters better public speaking skills, the ability to make effective PowerPoint presentations, and greater confidence in interfacing with people in the industry—their future employers.
In addition to direct involvement in the senior design course, CEE Affiliates members serve as lecturers in other courses, tying the theoretical and real-world components together in topics ranging from grading, drainage, soils and foundation structures to traffic engineering, water systems, environmental and land development engineering.
CEE Affiliates also serves as an "advisory committee" for the engineering department in reviewing course offerings and content. Nick Ahrontes, manager of operations and management for the Orange County Sanitation District, looks at membership as an excellent opportunity to influence academia on the needs of public agencies and the knowledge, skills and abilities they are looking for in future engineers. Being in the business of asset management, Ahrontes points out that public agencies need well-rounded engineers with an understanding of cradle-to-grave asset management.
Sam Ali discusses the tricks to balancing cut and fill on sloped terrain.
Affiliates-sponsored field trips to construction projects for these budding engineers run the gamut: Disney California Adventure, Caltrans bridge construction, and a Boeing manufacturing plant destined for redevelopment. Gifts to acquire and modernize equipment and laboratory facilities, equipment donations and in-kind support are all part of the Affiliates support package. Internships go to 60 percent of the students, and CEE Affiliates also offers engineering school scholarships.
Professor Scherfig points out that this public/private partnership is unique; there is no other program like it in the nation. The innovative program gets high praise during the UCI engineering school's annual accreditation certification.
This close affiliation with the school of engineering gives Affiliates members first crack at the best and brightest right out of college. At Psomas we typically hire one or two from the program each year. When UCI grad Regina Hu relocated to Southern California after graduate school, she immediately called her Affiliates contacts and landed a job with Psomas as a civil engineer designing roadway rehabilitation. The former campus ASCE president and Psomas intern notes that the connections made through the Affiliates were a big advantage for seniors seeking jobs after graduation. She recalls that there were "lots of networking opportunities for the students to get to know people in the industry...and they remember you even a couple of years later!"
In addition to fueling a pipeline of better-prepared engineers and first shot at hiring the best and the brightest right after graduation, Affiliates members see other benefits from this unique partnership with academia. Ahrontes points out that Affiliates members have an excellent resource for research. Currently, for example, masters candidates, under the supervision of their professors, are doing fieldwork and lab work to develop a methodology for quantifying subsurface sewer leakage for the sanitation district.
Quarterly breakfast meetings provide members the opportunity for heavy-duty networking with their peers from the engineering and development community while learning about key topics like rebuilding the Iraqi infrastructure. At the same time, Hu says these breakfast sessions give the students yet another window into what the industry is all about.
The entire community is benefiting from this alliance as well. Infrastructure is a key component of cities, but often overlooked, especially in these hard economic times for public agencies. The Affiliates partnered with the university and ASCE to produce the 2002 Orange County Report Card, which grades county infrastructure elements like schools, storm drains, airports, and transportation. UCI serves as an independent clearinghouse, adding third-party credibility to the information in the Report Card, which will be issued again in 2005.
A win-win situation for the engineering community, the university and its engineering students, the CEE Affiliates is a program that bears replicating throughout the country.
Sam Ali is president of the University of California, Irvine Civil and Environmental Engineering Affiliates. He is a civil engineer and water resources expert in the Costa Mesa, California office of Psomas, which specializes in the land development, water resources and transportation markets. He can be reached at (714) 954-3700 or at [email protected]. | <urn:uuid:bc2b36e7-2181-4639-9513-598a2f0673ba> | {
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