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The dreadful ice sculpture left from the horrendous fire at L’Isle-Verte, a tragedy that will have claimed 32 lives once the missing bodies are finally retrieved from the frozen ruins, is a graphic harbinger of a disquieting reality: the rapid greying of Quebec. Schools close as more and more retirement homes are built. How long will the state be able to provide a safe and decent end of life to the elderly in long-term care facilities, in a province with a low fertility rate – and which is, for cultural reasons, reluctant to increase immigration? There was a discernible nostalgia in the outpouring of emotions triggered by the fire that ravaged the Résidence du Havre. The victims were a reminder that not so long ago, Quebec families consisted of resilient, married-for-life couples who would give birth, especially in rural communities like L’Isle-Verte, to many children. People like Gisèle and Gérard Ouellet, for instance, who disappeared in the fire, presumably because both had problems walking and couldn’t escape fast enough. They were about to celebrate their 69th wedding anniversary. He was a farmer-fisherman. She had 14 children, all of whom survived except one. The public reaction to the deadly blaze – the second large-scale tragedy to hit Quebec in less than a year, after the derailment in Lac-Mégantic last summer of a train loaded with explosive crude – was very different from the response that followed the Lac-Mégantic accident. While residents and the media were quick to point fingers at the American company responsible for the derailment, this time there was no villain in the story – only good people and good feelings. There was no hint of anger at the government – whose fault it is, after all, if there were no sprinklers in the older wing of the Résidence du Havre. Fire-prevention measures likely would have saved all or most of the lives that were lost there. While Ontario requires all private retirement homes to be equipped with sprinklers, Quebec only requires them in facilities catering to a non-mobile clientele or to people suffering from dementia. But Premier Pauline Marois was warmly welcomed when she showed up, along with a host of politicians of all stripes, at a service for the victims. There was no resentment either against the Résidence’s owner. The home was, by all accounts, very well-managed, but still, the janitor was the only employee on duty at night for 52 frail people, many of whom were in their nineties. Yet, when the owner of the Résidence walked up to the altar to speak, he got a standing ovation and his business partner, who manages the home, was applauded as a wonderful caretaker. The owners were practically offered condolences, because they, too, lost “family” in the fire. The residents were like family to them, many townspeople said. The desire not to offend anyone even extended to the media. The son of a 96-year-old resident suspected of having inadvertently started the fire by smoking complained that spreading this rumour would make his personal loss even worse, since his father was among the dead. Afterward, the media stopped speculating about the possible cause of the fire. This surprising equanimity stems from a character trait French Canadians are known for: their gentleness and their intense dislike of quarreling, especially in a time of grief. For a few days, it looked as if Quebec was transformed into a tight-knit village where people found solace in the warmth of an extended family.
The cascading revelations of senators behaving badly have once again ignited calls for the Upper House to either be reformed or abolished. Reform is difficult; abolition impossible. But what might be possible is to change the culture of the place, along with some rules. Saskatchewan Senator Pamela Wallin, a Conservative, has joined the list of senators who appear to live primarily in the national capital but who nonetheless claim living expenses. Other alleged miscreants include Conservatives Mike Duffy and Patrick Brazeau and Liberal Mac Harb. Ms. Wallin rebutted questions raised by the NDP about her real place of residence. “Saskatchewan is my home and I have owned property there for many years,” she said in a statement. “I work hard in Saskatchewan, in Ottawa and across this country to fulfill my duties as a senator.” The Constitution Act of 1867 states that a senator “shall be resident in the province for which he is appointed.” But as Liberal Senator Colin Kenny points out, there simply isn’t any written definition of what residency means: whether it entails living in the home province a minimum number of days, filing income tax from that province, having a health card or driver’s licence, or some other criteria “It’s been left very vague,” he said in an interview. “I can think of no legislation or regulations that define it precisely.” Until recently, it wasn’t much of an issue. In Quebec, for example, senators must live or have property in the district – there are 24 of them – they represent. The constitutional scholar Ned Franks chuckles that, back in the day, each Quebec senator would own a sliver of land in his district, which he would then pass on to his successor. The truth is that the Senate “is a gentleman’s club with some women in it,” Prof. Franks said in an interview. Rules are few and the honour system prevails. It is one thing, though, for a senator to have his province in his heart rather than on his driver’s licence; it is another thing to claim tens of thousands of dollars of living expenses every year, as though you were taking the red-eye back home every Friday night. Mr. Duffy and Ms. Wallin are former journalists; they should know better than anyone how people react when politicians are thought to be fiddling with the rules. If the Senate’s committee on internal economy finds that Mr. Duffy and Ms. Wallin are not, in fact, permanent residents of the provinces they represent, and that they were not entitled to file living expenses, then Prime Minister Stephen Harper will have to decide whether to expel them from caucus, as Senator Patrick Brazeau was for alleged physical and sexual abuse. (Then there is Mr. Harb, a former Ottawa alderman and Ottawa MP who now says he lives in Pembroke.) Beyond that, the time may have come for the Senate to put its rules in writing. Over the years, a sufficient number of senators have abused the honour system to have dishonoured the system itself. In every respect, that which is implicit should be made explicit. The committee of internal economy could begin by demanding receipts for expenses – all of them. A culture of accountability must replace the club culture. If residency is important, one way to enforce it might be to proceed with Conservative legislation that would see senators elected to fixed terms. A candidate’s ties to the province would no doubt factor in voters’ decisions. The NDP and many commentators believe that the Senate has become so irrelevant and rife with abuse that it should be abolished. Mr. Harper, when he referred his Senate reform legislation to the Supreme Court, asked the court to rule on the constitutional requirements for abolishing the Senate entirely. But both Prof. Franks and Senator Kenny suspect the Constitution doesn’t permit such a thing. Canada has a federal parliament composed of a lower chamber that represents the popular will and an upper chamber that represents the regional interest. Abolishing the Senate, they believe, may be as impossible as abolishing the House. Tempting though the thought might be some days in both cases.
Philip Larkin's Letters to Monica found reviewers in a more forgiving mood than the controversy-igniting Selected Letters (1992), also edited by Anthony Thwaite. Tom Paulin, who had called the earlier book "a distressing and in many ways revolting compilation", this time confined himself in the London Review of Books to lamenting mildly that reading the poet's letters to Monica Jones felt "unusually voyeuristic" and that it was "a pity not to have more of [Jones's] side of the story". In the New Statesman, DJ Taylor, defining himself against presumed anti-Larkinites such as Paulin, saw the Larkin industry ("current CEO, Anthony Thwaite") as, together with Kingsley Amis's novels, valuably offering "a route into a strain of Englishness whose effect on postwar literary culture is impossible to overestimate . . . Curiously, the most reliable guides to the Attlee-Wilson stretch of our postwar history turn out to be a Humberside hermit and a skirt-chasing comic novelist." More straightforwardly enthusiastic was the Sunday Times's John Carey, acclaiming "irresistibly readable letters" by "the best-loved English poet of the past 100 years". Adam Mars-Jones, in the Observer, applauded too: "What good company he is on these pages, this man who kept such poor company with himself!" Only the Spectator's Philip Hensher managed anything approaching the hostility of the younger Paulin, observing that the letters "give full rein to the mean-spirited and misanthropic", with the glimpses of the poet's lover confirming the "venomous accuracy" of Amis's portrait of her as Margaret in Lucky Jim. Searching for "the least interesting subject Larkin thought it worth setting down in a letter to Monica", Hensher selected a passage about pink toilet paper ("pink is a new departure for me"). Literary editors tend to be reluctant to give prominence to books that appear to be byproducts of broadcasting projects, but an exception has been made for the British Museum boss Neil MacGregor's A History of the World in 100 Objects. The Sunday Times's Christopher Hart found it "a splendid achievement" though "marred by many fashionable and weak-kneed bows to political correctness", such as the way "only European empires are subject to censure". John Adamson, in the Sunday Telegraph, had no such reservations, finding the "triumph" of the Radio 4 series was matched by the "genius" of the book, and concluding his fan letter to its author by contending that the series' 100th choice should really have been "the object that is currently the British Museum's most valuable: Neil MacGregor himself". The Financial Times's Andrew Roberts, perhaps surprisingly, failed to echo Hart's objections, merely noting "a bias for the losers in history's great struggles" as he celebrated a chronicle that "skewers our pretensions" of progress and historical centrality. Reponses to Paul Auster's Sunset Park have so far been at best weary and bemused. The US novelist "seems to have mislaid his sense of drive", complained the Daily Telegraph's Philip Womack, who had to endure "long passages of workmanlike prose". Emily Stokes in the FT was even less enchanted, criticising the "relentless" repetition of certain themes, the depiction of "each character and event through the same sentimental lens", a tendency to forgive characters for their sins "providing they are artists", and Auster as a stylist who, "rather than search for new phrases, hoards his favourite old ones in teetering lists".
There's always an awkward moment before somebody opens the envelope and reveals the winner, and it usually has to be filled with urbane chatter and cautious modesty. I'll end the suspense now: the £10,000 Royal Society Winton prize for science books was won by James Gleick with The Information, an account of communication technology which sweeps from prehistoric talking drums to telegraph wires and the modern internet. The awkward delay on this occasion was compounded by a television timetable: the winner was to be announced and interviewed live on Channel 4. So before the announcement, and having read out specimens of their texts – and you can have a look for yourself here – the evening's moderator, the comedian Ben Miller, called the five attending hopefuls to sit on stage at the Royal Society and engage in a panel discussion. That is a tough call, when you are waiting to hear if you've just collected £10,000, and it must have been especially tough for Steven Pinker, whose The Better Angels of Our Nature had also just failed to bag the Samuel Johnson prize. Gleick – yet to learn that he had won – contemplated the colossal flood of information newly available at the touch of a keyboard and reminded the audience that he was addressing them on Cyber Monday ("something to do with shopping. I didn't make that up. Google it after we are done.") Paradoxically, people sometimes felt they were drowning in information. "We have devices in our pockets that instantly let us get information," he said. He saw such devices as new agencies in an old ambition to make sense of the world. "They ought to be making us more conscious than ever that information is not knowledge – much less wisdom." Joshua Foer, author of Moonwalking with Einstein: The Art and Science of Remembering Everything, conceded that he had, within a year of mental training, gained a champion's title in a memory contest, but he said, it was only an American title, and he did it with British coaching and everybody knew the Europeans were way ahead in this field. Lone Frank, author of My Beautiful Genome and the only non-American, read out a family history that involved parental divorce, suicide attempts, psychiatric treatment, manic depression and serious alcohol consumption, and then confided that she had been more interested in the links between her genetic inheritance and a tendency to depression than in her risk of heart disease or Alzheimer's. Miller asked her if there was anything she would like to change in her genome. "No," she said. "I'd probably like to alter my childhood." The physicist Brian Greene, shortlisted for The Hidden Reality, recalled explaining to a US audience the implications of the multiverse: an infinite number of parallel realities in which, he said to Miller by way of illustration, the people on the podium were sitting in the same hall having the same conversation but in some of them Greene would be the comedian and Miller would be the cosmic physicist. And then, he said, a woman asked from the back of the hall "Does that mean there's a reality in which Sarah Palin is the president?" He didn't get a chance to answer, because a member of the audience called out "Didn't you hear the professor? The reality has to be compatible with the laws of physics."
Hedd Wyn is the bardic name of Ellis Evans, eldest of 11 children of a north Wales hill farmer. I take his description of the beauty of France, and his foreboding of fields red with blood, from a letter he wrote home. A friend saw him struck, and fall. The "black chair" is a famously tragic image of the National Eisteddfod where, days later, he was announced as the anonymous poet who had won the chair. "Eisteddfod of the Black Chair" (for Hedd Wyn, 1887-1917) by Gillian Clarke Robert Graves met him once, in the hills above Harlech, the shepherd poet, the awdl and the englyn in his blood like the heft of the mountain in the breeding of his flock. In a letter from France, he writes of poplars whispering, the sun going down among the foliage like an angel of fire, and flowers half hidden in leaves growing in a spent shell. 'Beauty is stronger than war.' Yet he heard sorrow in the wind, foretold blood in the rain reddening the fields under the shadow of crows, till he fell to his knees at Passchendaele, grasping two fists-full of earth, a shell to the stomach opening its scarlet blossom. At the Eisteddfod they called his name three times, his audience waiting to rise, thrilled, to crown him, chair him, to sing the hymn of peace, not 'the festival in tears and the poet in his grave', a black sheet placed across the empty chair. "War" by Hedd Wyn Bitter to live in times like these. While God declines beyond the seas; Instead, man, king or peasantry, Raises his gross authority. When he thinks God has gone away Man takes up his sword to slay His brother; we can hear death's roar. It shadows the hovels of the poor. Like the old songs they left behind, We hung our harps in the willows again. Ballads of boys blow on the wind, Their blood is mingled with the rain.
With rival rallies and a return to street politics over the last three days, Tehran has come to look like Beirut over the last few years. Crowds too large for any camera to cover have been organised by pro- and anti-Ahmadinejad groups. The controversial president has the support of the state infrastructure and a revolutionary culture with 30 years of experience in mobilising millions. Meanwhile, the opposition has harnessed the energy of massive discontent from multiple cross-sections of society. But even as at least seven confirmed deaths have turned the tension here into tragedy, on e can be sure that Iranians, like the Lebanese, will choose anything but a return to civil strife and social breakdown. Of course alarmist press coverage over the last few days is understandable. Most acutely because the Iranian government has pursued a self-defeating policy of blocking international press access and internet communication sites, making the outside world rely on video clips from phone cameras and blogs for information on the ground. Nor did authorities here help the situation by pouring riot police on to the streets and failing to restrain vigilante motorbike gangs in the days following the election results. These are hardly conditions suitable for good reporting. But this was all predictable. Supporters of the opposition candidate Mir Hossein Mousavi threatened in street chants a week leading up to the elections that they would protest if there was election fraud. Their leader cried foul and banks were set aflame. Immediately, satellite broadcasts owned by exiled Iranian monarchists urged Iranians to the streets. So, when international media opinion decided to make hard evidence of anomaly and implausibility, the multi-layered security apparatus of the state showed its teeth. Having had to deal with 30 years of international sanctions aimed at its collapse, an eight-year war with Iraq funded by imperial powers, the continuous US and European support of opposition groups in and out of Iran, it was to be expected that the authorities would react the way that they have. But now that it begins to be accepted that the re-election of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was hardly out of the realm of possibility, not to mention accurately predicted by independent polling groups, we may be able to take a sober look at what is really happening on the ground in this country seemingly too complex to grasp. Iran is having an identity crisis. Since the Iranian revolution turned into an Islamic Republic few voices other than the party line have been accepted in the public realm. Nonetheless, the vacuum left by the flight of the wealthy elite after the revolution (now mostly in Los Angeles) has led to the rise of an upper class that has benefited from the industrial development of Iran over the last 20 years. Over the years this class has increasing become disenchanted with Iran's international isolation, strictures of Islamic governance and what it sees as the blatant exploitation of religion for political ends. They have long desired a rapprochement with the west in addition to the adoption of western modes of democratic governance. The government has largely left them and their satellites alone in their northern Tehran suburbs. Meanwhile, the seemingly viable mixture of theology and modernity introduced by the revolution has allowed the integration of an extremely large conservative segment of the population into Iranian society. This is the exact inverse of countries like Turkey and Egypt where national development and professional training have benefited almost exclusively the secular classes. Thus, a generation of Iranians from traditional Muslim backgrounds has been reared in the mores of the Islamic revolution and come to adopt its ideals and ambitions as a matter of choice and identity. Over the years this multi-constituted class has prided itself on its many anti-imperial achievements and Iran's very survival in the face of countless internal and external challenges. Educated, on guard, and devoted, they are the life blood of the regime and far from the puppets of a few old clerics that they are made out to be. Unfortunately, as these two segments of society have matured over the last three decades, they have entirely ignored one another. Living in separate sections of the cities and working and socialising among their own, they have thus come to understand themselves and Iran in entirely different trajectories. Thirty years of mutual distaste has now burst forth upon the streets in the form of an election contest. Ironically at the root of both groups is an obsessive concern with Persian pride and visceral aversion to political corruption. One of the many Mousavi posters shows him with the caption "New Introduction to the World". His supporters hold plaques "Where is my Vote?" and "UN where are you?" A few miles away Ahmadinejad supporters wave Hezbollah flags, wear Palestinian scarves and hand out flyers describing the alleged political plots of Hashemi Rafsanjani, the now reviled former president in a critical standoff with the supreme leader (this is the story that deserves the most attention). They cry "Death to those traitors ready to sell the country" and "Supreme leader, we are ready". Over the last few days I have attended both pro- and anti-Ahmadinejad rallies. Compared to Sunday when I got caught in the crossfire of tear gas and the batons of nervous young soldiers, the mood at both rallies on Tuesday was of genuine caution and reserve. I am sure in the coming days there will be more protests, rallies and burning buses. But this release has been long coming. Like the French suburban riots in 2005 these are just painful cries to be heard from a class long ignored by the state. There is little ideology or political infrastructure behind them. Mousavi's demands are far from revolutionary nor is there any indication that there is even a viable strand of dissent among his supporters in that direction. As he pursues a legal resolution to his complaints and encourages calm, the violent elements of his movement will increasingly be marginalised. So, anyone expecting (or encouraging) another Prague Spring or Tiananmen Square severely misunderstands the situation here. Instead, the long-term solution to the predicament in Iran today is much more complex than any political reform could provide – Iranians have to solve an identity crisis generations in the making. From my estimation, the calming climate of the mass gatherings is the first indication that Iranians would rather tackle that challenge than return to the dark days of the early 80s.
It is ironic to hear Brits bemoaning the possible sale of their one rather dishy fast railway track – High Speed One from St Pancras International to the Channel Tunnel – to a bunch of retired Canadian teachers. It's too late for Britain now. Any society that would allow the sale of its phone, electricity, gas and water to private companies, particularly foreigners, decades ago and then complain about losing Cadbury chocolates... well, your values are skewed. So are Canadian values, which is where the irony comes in. We'd love it if our teachers bought a high-speed rail line from us. If we had one to sell, which we don't. There may not be a nation in the world that needs high-speed trains more than Canada does. We're a big country, with long, boring highways between our lonely cities sustained by a restricted oil supply extracted at hideous environmental cost from the tar sands of Alberta. Compared to us, why do Brits even need a train à grande vitesse on that 67-mile route? But our hard-right government opposes ambitious infrastructure projects. They reek of the future, and prime minister Stephen Harper hates the future, his aim being to return Canada to a notional past. He also sees train projects as "big government", which your David Cameron similarly hates. And here is where I do mourn for both our nations. The Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan is huge and powerful. The compounded savings of a sturdy unionised group of 289,000 teachers, run by a pleasant grey-faced man named Jim, are worth C$96.4bn (£62bn). To you, it's just another foreign monolith that keeps buying things dear to your heart. To me it is, quite literally, my youth. It is my Miss Jean Brodie, but in a nice way: Miss Batty's class in English literature and Mr Butcher's class on Canadian history (which is mainly about railways). The money you may have to hand over to them when you race to the Chunnel is keeping my beloved teachers of yore in bacon and Manitoba minks (our name for puffy down coats) to this very day. The attempt to purchase the 30-year concession for the High Speed One route is part of a trend. Teachers, a solid, practical bunch of no-risk managers, is getting the hell out of Canadian investments because they don't see them as good for the long term. Sixty years from now Teachers will have to buy total-body joint replacements for the young people now about to finish their first year of teaching. Apparently, it has more faith in Brits eternally buying lottery tickets (it owns your Camelot) than in, say, Canada ever building a desperately desired high-speed train between Montreal and Toronto. We want Teachers; they don't want us. They want you but you don't want them, and rightly so. The Guardian reports that any new owner may dump its current maintenance contract with Network Rail. Why should they be allowed to fire workers whose executives just got huge bonuses? And what kind of country would divide its treasured rail network in two – one bit owning the trains and the other owning the track – and then sell it off in the first place? That's crazy. I just finished reading Matthew Engel's entrancingly squalid history of British rail, Eleven Minutes Late: A Train Journey to the Soul of Britain, in which he describes the sheer awfulness of train travel that followed privatisation: the crowds, noise, delays, the crimes against food, the air of interpersonal hatred. The book climaxes with the author's encounter with a surly staffer on the route from Euston to Glasgow. "Have a bacon roll, you cunt," the man told him. My husband travelled from Montreal to Toronto yesterday by train. It was a dreary six-hour ride delayed by an earthquake between the two cities. Via Rail, as the hated company is called, halted its trains to see if any rails had shifted. Some might call this prudent. But I doubt that Japan, one of the most earthquake-prone landscapes in the world, shuts down its bullet trains every time the coffee cups tremble. I oppose the sale of national essentials to foreigners hot for profit. Teachers is simply another heartless multinational with a benign face, which is what you'll think when your Slow Speed One train gently chugs along making little steam-engine noises. But judging by that train wreck of a Tory budget, you'll never be able to afford a ticket anyway. We are all hobos now.
It's 7am on a Saturday morning, December 15, and it's the launch of Grass Shoots' first campaign. Five months ago we were six well-meaning, passionate individuals who wanted to work towards creating fairer and greener local communities. Today we are an established group setting out our stall at Hackney's Broadway market to launch our campaign to make the street plastic bag-free, with the full endorsement of the local traders association and political figures including MPs Meg Hillier and Jennette Arnold. We set up our "plastic bag amnesty", where shoppers can exchange their plastic bags for a free reusable bag made from jute or cotton. All of the 1,000 reusable bags, like our T-shirts and recycled paper leaflets, have been kindly donated to our campaign. Initial reaction to our presence is a mixture of curiosity and scepticism. The public seems to be conditioned to be reticent to groups in matching T-shirts that carry clipboards. But once word of the campaign gets around, the response is brisk. The shoppers are overwhelmingly positive about the idea of the market becoming a plastic bag-free zone and many seem to be quite embarrassed to be using plastic bags at all. The traders also appear enthused. Gary, who runs a fruit and veg stall, comes up to me and slaps a pack of a hundred plastic bags on the table. "Will you give me reusable bags for that lot?" he asks with a cheeky smile. He explains that the traders are keen to change but they need the knowledge and organisational skills of groups like Grass Shoots to help guide them towards alternatives. By 3pm, we've handed out all of the reusable bags and collected hundreds of plastic bags. Broadway market is a temporary sea of cotton and jute. It's an encouraging start, but the challenge for Grass Shoots now is to ensure that we make that a permanent sight. Over the next six months our plan is to work in partnership with Louise Brewood of the Broadway Market Traders' Association to help foster a new attitude towards carrier bag usage amongst the traders, as well as providing them with the information they need to make an informed choice on alternatives to single use plastic bags. We hope that our actions inspire other people to take action in their own locality. My response to those who say: "That's a great idea, we'd love to do something like that in our community" is to say: "You can, we did, and we'd love to help you". Dermot Egan is a founding member of Grass Shoots, a not-for-profit local action group striving for positive social and environmental change
I was fascinated by the recent furore over the Ford viral ad. The one where the cat jumps on to the roof of the car, sticks its head into the open sunroof and gets it chopped off as it closes. Outrage of course from the great British animal-loving public and total denial by the Ford motor company that it had anything to do with it. Well there's a surprise. True or false - what makes this incident interesting is the role of viral media in the burgeoning digital world. As conventional media fight for their place in the severely challenged budgets of clients, the rise of viral is seen as a "get out of jail card" for brands with stretched budgets. Make an ad that's outrageously funny, daring or irreverent and launch it into the digital firmament. And hopefully it gets free airplay on millions of screens. Until, of course, the cat loses its head and the client denies all responsibility. In this increasingly borderless world, we are the recipients of messages and ideas that enter our consciousness unannounced and unsupported. Are they real? Who is talking? Is it serious? Should I place any value upon it? The reality is that a medium only has a worth if it is prepared to take responsibility for its actions. One of the reasons why no brand has ever been created by flyposting. But it goes deeper than just the value of the media. What is in danger of being lost in the viral world is the value of context. Where an idea comes from, who said it, why they believe in it, are all vital components of what makes an idea powerful. Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel has a power not just because of the message the artist was trying to convey but in the manner and place he said it. Its context added to its influence. Hardly surprising it has become one of the world's greatest works of art. Had he painted it on the ceiling of a friend's taverna, one somehow feels it wouldn't have had the same cultural significance. Context played a fundamental part in its impact. And it goes deeper than Marshall McLuhan's famous "the medium is the message". It is about being connected to an idea and the consequent importance we therefore place upon it. Of which, media is a vital part. Brands also live or die by context. The value we put upon them is directly related to how we position them in our minds. That context can be geographical as well as emotional. The most obvious example is the car market. We view a car brand partly in relation to the geography of its heritage. To such an extent that, even though Volkswagen now owns Bentley, it still makes the car in Britain as opposed to Wolfsburg, despite the fact that it could quite easily be produced in Germany. It is, however, seen as quintessentially British, and it must for the sake of its brand values retain those links. Context influences its design, manufacture and its communication. Severing the brand's ties with those links endangers its value. Microsoft, rightly or wrongly, is perceived by many to be the evil empire and is therefore attacked by mindless viruses that distract the brand from its global domination. It is within this emotional context of domination that the brand must respond and organise its defence. Context even defines the framework of a virtual product. It's obvious really, but everything about us relates to context. Where we were born, where we live, how we talk. Our ambitions, desires and fears all relate back to context in some shape or form. It is embedded in the very DNA of our thought process. It can't be jettisoned simply because we can so easily communicate across borders. Interesting, isn't it, that as we see the growing influence of globalisation and "world citizens", we also see the rise of regional languages that reconnect people to their roots. Even the stuff we eat is based on this fundamental fact. Italian, Indian, Chinese and even fusion is influenced by context. I've yet to hear someone say, "I'm eating virtual tonight". Yet this is what the viral world is in danger of missing. Will we have to develop a different set of communication skills to cope with a lack of context? Almost certainly. If, however, as a medium it just relies on shock to get its "click through", we soon find, as that poor cat did, that it will fall out of sympathy. Brand building is not just about recognition and notoriety, it is about building empathy and respect. I'm not sure you can just shock somebody into that point of view.
Reg Gasnier, one of the greatest rugby league players of all time, has died in Sydney the day before his 75th birthday. Gasnier was a mainstay of the St George teams that dominated the Australian game throughout his nine seasons with them from 1959-67 and also showed his class on regular occasions in international rugby for the Kangaroos, most famously in scoring a hat-trick against Great Britain at Swinton's Station Road ground in 1959. He was nicknamed Puff the Magic Dragon for the quality of his centre play and, having been appointed Australia's youngest captain aged 23 in 1962, he led them again on the Kangaroo tour of 1967. But it was on that tour that his career was cut short as he suffered his second serious leg injury playing in a provincial game in France. Gasnier remained a familiar and popular figure in Australia working as a commentator for the ABC and his tally of 36 Test caps remained a record until it was broken by Mal Meninga in 1992. He was made a life member of the Sydney Cricket Ground where he is remembered by a plaque in the Walk of Honour and a statue that was unveiled in 2010. His nephew Mark followed in his footsteps in the red V of the Dragons – although by that stage St George had merged with Illawarra – and the green and gold of Australia and also played for the Wallabies in rugby union. Reg had major surgery in 2010 to remove tumours from his brain and neck, and passed away in a nursing home in Sydney's southern suburbs. "It's a very, very sad day, I saw him last Tuesday," said Johnny Raper, Gasnier's former St George and Dragons team-mate. "He was a fighter."
"We'll be pitching for a Tate Modern audience - if you liked the Chapman brothers you'll like El Greco, trust us," the curator, Xavier Bray, said yesterday at the National Gallery. The exhibition will cover the span of his life, including his first and last known works, with international loans and many paintings which have never before left Spain. The tortured blue-white bodies, lit by lurid flashes of lightning in a nightmare sky, have been revered by generations of artists, including Picasso, but have never been to British taste. The National Gallery bought nothing until a studio version of his Agony in the Garden was acquired in 1919 on the advice of the critic Roger Fry. It provoked an outcry, and was compared with revulsion to the work of Cézanne - whom the gallery would not have touched with a bargepole at that date. The art historian David Davies, an internationally acknowledged expert on his work, said El Greco was a very Catholic painter, and the British found it difficult to cope with his passionately devotional conceptual art, which turned its back on copying nature. The problem was neatly encapsulated by an earlier critic, who damned the work of the near contemporary Spanish religious painter Zurbaran: "Not really suitable for our castles, our climate or our creed." The artist formerly known as Domenikos Theotokopoulos trained as an icon painter in his native Crete before moving to Spain and acquiring his nickname, the Greek. The exhibition will include an icon of the dead Virgin Mary, only identified when it was taken out of its frame for restoration work, revealing his signature. His last work, The Adoration of the Shepherds, is being loaned by the Prado museum and includes his own self-portrait. It was made to hang above his tomb in Toledo. The exhibition will include sculptures, drawings and brooding portraits. One cardinal hunched in a corner of his opulent room, one hand clenching the arm of his chair, his feet apparently shuffling nervously under their splendid robes, is a portrait of a man, Mr Davies said, described by a contemporary as "sly and shifty". The cardinal will hang beside another clerical portrait of Felix Paravicino, a Franciscan friar who was renowned both as a preacher and a poet, and El Greco clearly felt differently about him - "a beautiful, and some would say sexy portrait". The poet predicted his friend would be admired as a genius by future generations, but imitated by none - the National Gallery is hoping that at least the first part of the prophecy is true. · El Greco, National Gallery, London, February 11-May 23. Advance booking in person, online at nationalgallery.org.uk, or on 0870 906 3891
“The decision proves a shot in the arm for those who have been fighting for it for long” Tamil Nadu Congress Committee president K.V. Thangkabalu has termed the decision to conduct caste-wise census in the country a “revolutionary turning point,” in the annals of social justice. In a statement here on Friday, he said that the decision proved a shot in the arm for those who had been fighting for it for long and also for various political parties. Mr. Thangkabalu observed that the Congress was very keen on this issue from the beginning and had given consent for the census overlooking conventional procedures. The All India Federation of Other Backward Classes Employees' Welfare Association also termed the caste-wise census “historic” and “a significant step in the right direction”. In a statement, its general secretary G. Karunanidhy said that the demand was pending for the past six decades and the United Progressive Alliance government had taken a “bold decision, which will be a great boost to the OBC people who have been deprived of their due share in every field.” Besides, the data to be collected would put at rest repeated queries by courts on reservation policy relating to OBCs and help the Centre and State governments implement welfare measures for the betterment of OBCs and other deprived sections. Keywords: caste census
Addimal Adventure by Teachley – Review Addimal Adventure is a story-based math app designed solely for learning, practising and memorizing addition within 20. It tells the story of the evil Professor Possum’s plan to destroy the world and how Captain Memo and the Addimals are all set to train your child, the hero, to stop the Professor. The training for your child consist of a Tool round and a Speed round. In the Tool round, the hero learns 4 addition strategies to solve single-digit addition. Each strategy is paired with an Addimal character – Count All, Count On, Doubles and Tens who will guide the hero to solve addition problems step by step. The app begins with a quick tutorial on how to use the number line to count on and submit answers. Besides the number line, kids also learn how to use virtual manipulative to help them understand the mathematical thinking of the addition strategies which enables them to transfer their knowledge from the concrete to the abstract. When learning in the Tool round, the student sees the addition problem represented visually with blocks and he is presented with a choice of 2 or more addition strategies to solve the problem. Depending on what he chooses, the app automatically arranges the blocks and prepares the appropriate tool to use with the blocks before the respective Addimal starts teaching. The Count All and Count On strategies are always available in the Tool round but the derived fact strategies, Doubles and Tens are only available when appropriate depending on the nature of the addition sentence presented, level of play chosen and how the student is doing. The student is free to choose or even change the tool he wants to use at any time and there is no time limit which allows students to explore and think. The Speed round is where the student tries to win back the golden blocks from the evil Professor to restore El Sumado (a city that was destroyed by the Professor) by solving addition problems quickly. The student is given 2 chances to answer each addition question. If he answers correctly within 3 seconds, he earns the golden block and the addition problem is marked as memorized (golden block) in the Reporting chart. If he fails, an Addimal will appear to give hints on the appropriate strategy to use and the student gets a second chance to answer. If he gets it right this time, the addition problem is marked as correct (green block in the report). A red block marks those that need work. This progress report even gives details like how many attempts were made to solve each addition problem in the Tool/Speed round and how many of these were correctly answered. While kids are excitedly solving problems in the Speed round, they learn to use the appropriate strategies quickly and eventually memorize the addition facts. More than that, kids are also exposed to addition problems with zero as addends and the quick use of fingers to count on from the larger number in this round. A good quality educational app is always customizable and Addimal Adventure allows a combination of different modes and levels to suit your child/student’s needs. Options:- a) Background music – on or off b) Single user (with progress tracking) or shared users (game restarts 5 minutes after exiting from app). I’ve been told that we can soon track the progress of multiple users in the next app update. c) Mode – Normal (sets of 7 addition problems in Tool round and 10 problems in the Speed round), Tool round only or Speed round only d) Level – Easy (addition within 10), Medium (addition within 15), Hard (addition within 20) and Normal (student progresses through the levels from easy to hard) There are little details in how the Tool and Speed rounds are executed which I really appreciate e.g. the differentiated colors of the addends, the ability to touch/move the blocks, the different types of number line used (one for sliding in the Tool round which facilitates counting on and another number line for quick tapping in the Speed round), the repetition of the addition facts after each addition problem is answered (regardless it was correct or not) and the enthusiastic Addimals who are always on hand to guide and to encourage. From counting all, counting on, using derived addition facts to memorizing these facts, your child may take more than a few months or even years to master these skills, so this app has a long service life. Addimal Adventure has great animations and fun characters which will appeal to kids. It is very polished and well implemented too. It is an addition specialist app that is not only useful for kids but also great for parents who are not familiar with the use of visual models to do addition. I own many math apps but I haven’t seen one that explicitly teaches kids to effectively use addition strategies to add faster and to add bigger numbers easily. Not until Addimal Adventure. So look no further, download the lite version and try it for yourself today! Requirements: Compatible with Size: 0 MB Teachley: Addimal Adventure – Teachley Teachley: Addimal Adventure Category: Education, Games, Educational, Strategy Requirements: Compatible with iPad 2 3G, iPad 2 WiFI, iPadThirdGen4G, iPadThirdGen, iPadMini, iPadMini4G, iPadFourthGen4G, iPadFourthGen Size: 122.67 MB NOTE: A fee was received to expedite this review to the top of our waiting list but this payment has not influenced the objectivity of the review and all opinions have been offered honestly. If you would like to win a promo code for this app, please enter via the widget below. Winners will be emailed and must contact The iMums within 48 hours to claim their prize. This giveaway is open to everyone, worldwide, and an iTunes account is required to claim the prize. Please ensure you have read and understand our Terms & Conditions. Good luck!
Pooled estimates from across the African diaspora show that black men who have sex with men (MSM) are 15 times more likely to be HIV positive compared with general populations and 8·5 times more likely compared with black populations. Disparities in the prevalence of HIV infection are greater in African and Caribbean countries that criminalise homosexual activity than in those that do not criminalise such behaviour. With the exception of US and African epidemiological studies, most studies of black MSM mainly focus on outcomes associated with HIV behavioural risk rather than on prevalence, incidence, or undiagnosed infection. Nevertheless, black MSM across the African diaspora share common experiences such as discrimination, cultural norms valuing masculinity, concerns about confidentiality during HIV testing or treatment, low access to HIV drugs, threats of violence or incarceration, and few targeted HIV prevention resources. a National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA b Department of Psychology, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA, USA c Department of Medicine, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA d Center for AIDS Prevention Studies, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA e Department of Sociomedical Sciences, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA Correspondence to: Mr Gregorio A Millett, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 395 E Street, Washington, DC 20201, USA
Potent antiretroviral therapy has dramatically improved the prognosis of patients infected with HIV-1. Primary and secondary prophylaxis against Pneumocystis carinii, Mycobacterium avium, cytomegalovirus, and other pathogens can be discontinued safely once CD4 cell counts have increased beyond pathogen-specific thresholds. Approximately one-third of individuals receiving antiretroviral therapy will not reach CD4 cell counts above 500 cells per μL after 5 years despite continuous suppression of plasma HIV-1 RNA. Whether this failure represents a risk factor for the long-term incidence of opportunistic diseases—eg, tuberculosis or malignancies—remains uncertain. We describe the time course of CD4 cell concentrations in patients whose plasma HIV-1 RNA is durably suppressed by antiretroviral therapy, in patients with incomplete suppression of plasma HIV-1 RNA, and during treatment interruptions. In addition, immune reconstitution disease, an inflammatory syndrome associated with immunological recovery occurring days to weeks after the start of antiretroviral therapy, is briefly described. To read this article in full you will need to login or make a payment a Division of Infectious Diseases and Hospital Epidemiology, University Hospital Basel, Basel, Switzerland b Outpatient Department of Internal Medicine, University Hospital Basel, Basel, Switzerland c Division of Infectious Diseases, University Hospital, Geneva, Switzerland Correspondence to: Prof Manuel Battegay or Dr Gilbert R Kaufmann, Division of Infectious Diseases and Hospital Epidemiology, University Hospital Basel, Petersgraben 4, CH-4031 Basel, Switzerland. Tel +41 61 265 50 72; fax +41 61 265 31 98
Type 2 diabetes is a serious health problem that affects more than 7% of adults in developed countries. Up to 16% of patients with breast cancer have diabetes, and two major risk factors for type 2 diabetes—old age and obesity—are also associated with breast cancer. Three mechanisms have been postulated to associate diabetes with breast cancer: activation of the insulin pathway, activation of the insulin-like-growth-factor pathway, and regulation of endogenous sex hormones. Comparative cohort studies and case-control studies suggest that type 2 diabetes may be associated with 10—20% excess relative risk of breast cancer. Gestational diabetes mellitus, but not type 1 diabetes, might also be associated with excess risk of breast cancer. Moreover, diabetes and its complications can adversely affect cancer therapy and the use of screening, which will thus affect the outcome of patients with breast cancer. To read this article in full you will need to login or make a payment
Good Immigration Policy Starts With Building A Fence By: Jeff Lukens Polling results are clear. Upwards of 80% of Americans want the federal government to get tougher on illegal immigration. While politicians pander to cheap labor and cheap votes, we the taxpayers pick up the tab for increased health-care, education, and other social services. As for dollars and the social fabric of our nation, cheap labor may not be so cheap after all. While almost everyone welcomes legal immigrants to America, we know we can assimilate only so many newcomers at one time. The solution to our illegal immigration problem begins with controlling the border, and controlling the border means building a fence. The income gap between the U.S. and Mexico is the largest between any two neighboring countries in the world. The Mexican economy does not provide living wages for its growing population, and their solution is to export their poor to our country. No previous group of immigrants has had such a large inflow or access to their home country that this latest group has today. That’s because no previous wave of immigrants could walk across our borders. Earlier groups crossed oceans to come here and were assimilated into the culture in a gradual and measured way. This latest wave quite literally has only to walk right in, and they are doing so in a big way. Most illegals do not conduct themselves like immigrants of the past. Okay, they work hard, but they are here against our laws and generally have little interest in learning English or the ways of our culture. Illegals generally come here merely to find a job, not necessarily to become citizens. And now they are protesting our generosity and good will. These attitudes are offensive, and are the reason why most Americans want the border controlled. This is not about racism. It is about a distortion of the process that appalls African, Asian and other ethnic groups who are legally waiting in line to come here. Once in the U.S., sending illegals back has become nearly impossible. With legal restrictions and limited enforcement resources, even when we catch them they are often released back on U.S. soil as if nothing happened. If we don’t address this problem properly, in 20 years we may have an exponential number, say 20 or 30 million more illegals, to deal with. The president has provided no leadership in this whole mess. Moreover, Congress refuses to let the INS enforce existing laws for fear of offending illegals as prospective new voters, or the political contributors who employ them. Until they understand that this new group is not behaving like traditional immigrants, public anger over the situation will continue to grow. We should not allow Mexico to export their poverty as a way to avoid economic and social reform. Ultimately, this problem will not go away until Mexico reforms its systemic government and societal corruption, and their people can live prosperously in their own country. So far, all efforts to secure the border have failed. Our priority should be enforcing our laws and not rewarding those who break them. More patrols alone will not do the job. Who knows, whatever funding is provided this year may be cut next year, and we are right back where we started. We need something tangible. Our elected officials talk tough but do nothing. In plain English, enforcement at the border means building the fence. They need to authorize it, fund it, and start building it. We can even contract Mexican labor to do the work. No, a fence will not stop illegal aliens from coming. It will be controversial and expensive, but it will reduce their flow to a manageable level. Once it is in place and we restore order, our ability to handle guest worker programs and related issues grows immensely. We really cannot address any other issue related to immigration until our border security is first restored. There is an old saying that good fences make for good neighbors. This truism has never been more applicable than with our Southern neighbor. Good fences make good immigration policy too. We have a proud history of accepting the world’s poor in a system designed to provide gradual assimilation of new citizens into our language and culture. We need to control our border and allow that process to happen properly. Jeff Lukens writes engaging opinion columns from a fresh, conservative point of view. He is also a Staff Writer for the New Media Alliance, Inc., a non-profit (501c3) coalition of writers and grass-roots media outlets. He can be contacted through his website at www.jefflukens.com Jeff Lukens is a staff writer for the New Media Alliance, a non-profit (501c3) national coalition of writers, journalists and grass-roots media outlets. He can be contacted at www.jefflukens.com
Wild in the City: Insect antifreeze keeps our earliest spring butterflies alive over winter Mourning cloaks, resident Toronto butterflies, sleep through our tough winters in protected hidey holes, then emerge on the first sunny warm days of spring. Here’s how they do it. \|Report an Error\| Share via Email If you recently felt a wee yelp of pure joy coming through the celestial strings that connect us all, that was me, reacting to the pleasure of seeing my first butterfly of the year. It was April 11, a lovely, sunny day, and I was out in Taylor Creek Park to see how spring was progressing in my local branch of the Don watershed. As I strolled along the trail, I caught a glimpse of something dark fluttering about on the trail in front of me. A brief look was enough for me to be almost certain I’d seen a mourning cloak, (Nymphalis antiopa), one of Toronto’s many resident butterflies. Mourning cloaks are one of the easiest of all butterflies to identify. From a distance, these large, distinctive insects look nearly black. But peer closely and you can see their special beauty: their deep maroon wings are trimmed around the edges with a ragged ribbon of the palest yellow, and inside the yellow edge are a row of tiny spots of vivid electric blue. Most of the butterflies that biologists consider to be breeding residents — meaning that they are present all year in the Toronto area — overwinter in their immature forms. That is, they survive through the cold months as eggs, caterpillars or chrysalides. But mourning cloaks are among the nine species of butterfly in Ontario that hibernate through the winter as adults. In the fall, as the cold weather begins to set in, mourning cloaks locate a nice crevice in some rocks or a tree, crawl under some loose tree bark, or tuck themselves into a sheltered spot in a building to wait out the worst of winter. But how do they manage not to freeze, especially after the kind of winter we’ve just endured? Noted butterfly expert Peter W. Hall, a retired research associate with the Canadian National Collection of Insects, Arachnids and Nematodes in Ottawa, was kind enough to answer my questions. Hall says most insects that live in cold climates like ours have salts in their bodies that lower the freezing temperature of their body fluids. Many insects, including the mourning cloak, can also produce glycerol, which acts as antifreeze enabling them to withstand winter temperatures as cold as -40 C. Mourning cloaks stay safely tucked out of the wind in this state of torpor during the frigid months. If there’s a sunny day in late winter that warms up to at least 10 C, these butterflies may emerge and fly around, if only briefly. As Hall explains, mourning cloaks are able to generate enough heat to activate their muscles by first “shivering” in their protected hideout. Once they’ve activated their muscles, they climb out of their crevice to find a warm spot in the sun, where they sit with their wings open. “This helps the dark wings to better absorb the heat from the sunlight,” he says. The radiant energy from the sun further powers their flight muscles to enable flying. But what happens to these delicate creatures if the temperature should plummet again? That’s what happened in Toronto after I saw mourning cloaks flying on the weekend of April 11. On April 13, the high recorded at the airport was 22.7 C; on April 16, the overnight low was -6.9 C. I wondered if the butterflies I had seen would be killed by the frost. Or, with their muscles slowed down once again by the freezing temperatures, if they would become easy meal targets for all our returned songbirds. I needn’t have worried. “If the temperatures drop again,” Hall explains, “then the butterfly will search out the same or another hibernation site and settle back into it. They can then hibernate again until the temperatures warm once more. “Just last week, I watched a mourning cloak later on an afternoon as the temperature dropped,” he continued. “It settled at the base of a tree with a hole in it and then climbed steadily back up into the hollow of the tree.” You have to hand it to that clever Mother Nature for combining the magic of insect antifreeze with the instinct for survival. Keep your eyes open the next few weeks before the trees leaf out completely and you might see one of these dark beauties. Look for them sheltering in white oaks, basking on fallen logs or in the leaf litter, or perching nearly motionless on the trunks of trees like black willow or hawthorn, where they feed on the tree’s sap. - As Toronto's political landscape widens, find out where you fit - How do we unite a divided city? Despite amalgamation, cracks remain - Lost in the streets. Lost in time. Why do those with dementia wander? - NEW Carlyle safe for now, some others not so lucky: Cox - NEW PayPal offers longer refunds in 2015: Roseman - NEW Falling oil price skewers Stephen Harper’s economic plan: Walkom - NEW U of T prof was admired for compassion, academic contributions - Updated Some experts nervous about drug hair analysis in legal setting
Local advocates for the Empire Mine State Historic Park expressed dismay after officials from the California Department of Parks and Recreation indicated they would not fund the continued construction of a 875-foot underground mine tunnel. “A lot of money has been spent on a hole in the ground,” said Jim Dierberger, a volunteer with the Empire Mine State Park Association, a nonprofit established to support the park. “It’s not only maddening, but it certainly raises a tremendous number of issues regarding their wisdom, decision-making and what they are really after.” Department of parks’ spokeswoman Vicky Waters said the department’s financial struggles in recent years meant the agency could not dedicate more resources to the project that was intended to provide prospective visitors with a unique opportunity to tour an adit — a mining tunnel. ““Given the fiscal constraints our department has been under for the past several years and the challenges we continue to face, our priority is on the repair and replacement of existing facilities and properties throughout the state park system,” Waters said. “As stewards of the people’s resources, we are obligated to ensure the viability of cultural and natural resources in the entire system and are therefore unable to allocate further funding to the Empire Mine adit project.” Dierberger said the nearly $3 million spent on the project since it was conceived of in 1986 and begun in 2004 should be considered a waste. “They had to purchase real property, but there is talk of taking those parcels and liquidating them,” he said. Empire Mine features hundreds of miles of underground workings, a vestige of its heyday as one of the most productive gold mines in world history. Each year, about 100,000 visitors descend on the park, some of whom come to learn about historic mining activities and see what once was the centerpiece of the California Gold Rush. The Empire Mine association estimates that those visitors generate about $1 million for the local community. The association further states that the underground tunnel, which would be unique in California’s park system, would attract an additional 100,000 people and further bolster the local economy to the tune of another $1 million. The Nevada County board of supervisors passed a resolution in October urging the parks department to prioritize the project. Ultimately, cost became an insurmountable impediment, according to the parks department. A steel bracing set crucial to the integrity of the tunnel deteriorated due to the presence of groundwater in the tunnel and the flow of damp air from the workings. The cost to replace the support system proved too much. The parks department has other projects on the wish list of local officials, including the installation of solar panels at Malakoff Diggins State Historic Park to help defray energy costs and a project to rehabilitate the Bridgeport covered bridge, part of the South Yuba River State Park system. Both those parks were on the closure list and still face revenue problems. Empire Mine was never on the closure list due to the park’s relative popularity and its ability to garner revenues. To contact Staff Writer Matthew Renda, email [email protected] or call 530-477-4239.
I catch a lot of flack for reading Harvard Business Review. "Egghead academics with no real-world business experience telling you how to deal with a pain-in-the-a** employee? No thanks," is how one colleague put it. I showed him the return Harvard's endowment generated in fiscal year 2008; it shut him up. Whatever they're doing in their ivory towers isn't all that complicated, and is a testament (yet again) to the benefits of asset allocation and a properly diversified portfolio. So relate this little tale the next time one of your clients gets emotional. Whether it's an up or down market, money is still to be made. More importantly, this also means your poor performance is a whole lot tougher to excuse. James Stewart, writing in his Common Sense column in the Wall Street Journal, runs through the numbers. The endowment generated a return of between 7 percent and 9 percent for fiscal year 2008.The S&P 500 fell about 15 percent during the same period - which equals a 22 point spread (if you didn't get that, find another career). "How did Harvard do it? The key is diversification, and not just by investing in a variety of stocks and bonds," Stewart writes. "Harvard invests in 11 noncash asset classes, only one of which is U.S. stocks. Like Yale and other large endowments, it counts on one or more of those to shine even when others are weak, achieving better long-term results than could be attained with fewer asset classes. It looks as though Harvard's 33 percent allocation to real assets, which include commodities and real estate, salvaged performance in what was otherwise a treacherous year." Read the whole thing at online.wsj.com.
Newspaper: The Sentinel Date: April 9, 1979 Article: The rally: Not just activists Author: Dennis O' Brien HARRISBURG - Like most rallies, impassioned radicals called for an end to Three Mile Island and its "nuclear time bomb." Folk singers led chants. Petitions were signed and a number of bumper stickers and buttons were sold or Marching demonstrators wore gas masks, shouted slogans and carried signs with sayings that read "Ban the nuke," "Danger, radiation city," and "Nuclear power is not healthy for little children and other living things." But there was something different at this demonstration - something that set it apart from the antiwar rallies of the 60s. MOST OF THE demonstrators, out under cloudy skies Sunday on the Capital steps, were not the fire breathing activists or militant reactionaries that called for an end to Vietnam before it became popular. They were central Pennsylvania's middle class. Factory workers, preschool children, old men and mothers - the type you might see on a floor wax commercial or in a Mixed in with the long hair, the blue jeans and the army jackets, were the hard hats, the baby carriages and the teenagers in football jerseys. "The whole TMI thing is something that's got me worried," said Angela Herrider, a Middletown resident and the mother of two children. "It's the kind of thing husbands and wives are fighting about. The husbands are saying there's no danger and the wives want their kids out of there," Herrider, with one five-year old and one eight-year old, said she intended to go back to college, but is now using the money she saved for tuition to enroll her children in a private school in Maryland. "WITH RADIATION, the things is, you never know about the effects," said another mother from Mechanicsburg. She looks to the crowd of about 1,000 people at the rally and adds, "The reason only this many people showed up is that they're still afraid to come out and I'm talking about my neighbors." Meanwhile, Dr. Thomas Winters, a physician from the University of Massachusetts, told the crowd that "there's nothing you can do to run from the (radiation's) "There are two ways you can battle with the end effects, though," said Winter, a member of a group called Physicians for Social Responsibility. "You can use a very complicated and expensive method of chemical treatments, or you can just make sure that no nuclear plants like Three Mile Island are ever built," Winters said to a cheering crowd. The rally slated for 2 p.m. at the capitol, was planned by Three Mile Island Alert, a group that has opposed TMA for several years. BUT IT WAS apparent from the rally that the group was not a full-time organization, or one that was used to planning major assemblies. At times, the public address system failed. They ran out of copies for the press of the list of speakers and their names. There were repeated pleas for money and most of the eight or ten speakers were concerned local residents, not polished performers. Dr. Judith Johnsrud, co-director of the statewide Environmental Coalition on Nuclear Power, charged that Metropolitan Edison had been illegally operating unit two of the Three Mile Island nuclear plant since it started up Dec.31. She claimed there were no environmental impact statements filed before the unit began operating and the plant violated certain safety requirements of the U.S. Atomic Energy Act. She said the group has filed a petition in the Court of Appeals in Washington, D.C. stating that the plant's license was improperly issued. If the group wins the case, Met Ed, the government and the plant's designers will be liable for the damages, Johnsrud said. "You were told that this type of accident couldn't happen now you know that it could," she said. "How ready were you to evacuate, did you have your birth certificates, your insurance policies and your other records packed and ready? How informed were you? she asked. Ken Cassidy, a factory worker from Middletown told the crowd that he was very concerned about the Three Mile Island and about the lack of information he had about the incidents, WITH A pregnant wife and a 14-month-old baby, he said he didn't know who to believe. "They waited 2½ days before telling us that we should leave the area," He adds that in the near future he intends to leave the area permanently. "They claim that the biggest advantages to nuclear power are that it's safe, that it's inexpensive and that it's all right for the environment, but I think this has shown that it's not safe, it's not cheap and it's not going to be around, I hope," he said. Renny Cushing, a founder of the antinuclear Clamshell Alliance, based in Seabrook, N.H., said the alliance was supporting the antinuclear drive in Pennsylvania. "They said that it's safe now at Three Mile Island, and that the danger's over. But it's not over, it's only beginning."
The Chief Minister of the Indian state of Kerala, Oommen Chandy, has asked his counterpart in Karnataka, CM Jagadish Shettar, to ban the sale of smokeless tobacco, according to a story in the latest issue of the BBM Bommidala Group newsletter. The Kerala government outlawed the production and distribution of products such as gutkha and pan masala in May, creating an attractive opportunity for traders from the neighboring states of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. Meanwhile, the Delhi State Chief Minister, Sheila Dikshit, has imposed a blanket ban on chewing tobacco products, making the state the 12th to do so in recent times. The ban covers the manufacture, transportation, storage, display, sale and purchase of chewable forms of tobacco such as gutkha, pan masala, khaini and zarda. Violations of the ban can lead to a seven year prison term and an Rs100,000 fine. Apart fromDelhiand Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Haryana, Chhattisgarh, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Maharashtra, Gujurat, Rajasthan andPunjabhave implemented bans on chewing tobacco. Category: Breaking News
Gov. John Kasich’s proposal to expand Ohio’s sales tax is provoking a high degree of bipartisanship in Columbus. Unfortunately for the governor, most of it is in opposition to his plan. The governor wants to lower the sales tax rate from 5.5 to 5 percent. At the same time, he wants to broaden the tax base to include a wide range of services: haircuts, bowling, event tickets, newspaper advertising, cable TV, tax preparation, legal representation, and a host of other things that have not been taxed before. Mr. Kasich argues plausibly that the new tax structure would reflect the increasing importance of the service sector to Ohio’s economy. But few lawmakers or lobbyists appear convinced. Many small businesses that would be affected fear the tax plan would chill job growth. Travel agents worry that customers would buy services online to avoid the tax, putting them at a competitive disadvantage. Cable TV providers say their customers already are taxed in the form of a franchise fee. Newspapers argue that advertisers would switch to other media. (Block Communications Inc., which owns The Blade and Buckeye CableSystem, would face higher taxes under the plan.) The liberal advocacy group Policy Matters Ohio says the expanded sales tax would fall disproportionately on poor Ohioans. Lawyers say they shouldn’t be taxed, because they provide essential services, similar to medical services. Even Mr. Kasich’s fellow Republicans among legislative leaders are cool to the idea. Senate President Keith Faber (R., Celina) and House Speaker William Batchelder (R., Medina) have practically begged for other options. There is merit, in theory, to expanding the sales tax to include more services. But the experience in states such as Florida — which broadened its tax base, then abandoned the effort as unworkable — suggests it should be done slowly and for the right reasons. Mr. Kasich is eager to combine an expanded sales tax with higher taxes on oil and natural-gas drillers to pay for a 20-percent cut in the state income tax, and nearly a 50-percent cut for small businesses. But the nonpartisan Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy says the richest Ohioans would benefit most from this plan, while taxes would increase on the state’s poorest residents. Before they expand the sales tax, state lawmakers should close tax loopholes and exemptions that cost the state billions of dollars in revenue every year. Revenue growth from a narrow expansion of the sales tax and higher severance taxes should be used to restore cuts in state aid that have hurt local governments and schools, not to give another tax break to people who don’t need it. And if Governor Kasich insists on his plan to lower the state’s “high” taxes (which Zach Schiller, Policy Matters’ research director, argued in a recent Blade op-ed column are about average compared to other states), he should protect poor Ohioans from having to pay more. Services that are broadly used by low-income residents could remain exempt from sales tax. Households with incomes below certain levels could qualify for tax credits. Mr. Kasich asked for too much too fast. Now he is in danger of getting nothing. It may be time to slow down the bus.
Bon Air Golf Club, as Augusta Country Club was originally called, dates back to the 19th century, 1897 to be precise, and the club pre-dates its famous neighbour across Rae’s Creek (Augusta National) by more than 30 years. The club started out with a 9-hole course featuring sand browns instead of greens. My how things at Augusta have moved on since then! At the turn of the 20th century, the club had expanded its facility to 18 holes and re-branded itself the Country Club of Augusta. Golf in the area continued to grow in popularity, fuelled by visits to the club by US presidents Warren Harding and William Taft, and by 1909 a further 18 holes were added by club president William Harrison and club pro David Ogilvie for the exclusive use of club members. The new course became known as the Hill course and the original layout as the Lake course. In 1927, Donald Ross was commissioned to convert the sand putting surfaces on the Hill course to grass. Additionally Ross re-routed the front nine and re-bunkered the entire course. After the Great Depression the Lake course was sold but thankfully the Hill course survived, becoming an important tournament venue for ladies golf with the club hosting to the Titleholders Championship for thirty years. In 2000, inspired by original Donald Ross plans, Brian Silva was commissioned by Augusta Country Club to restore the course. The result of his greens, bunkers and tees reconstruction has put Augusta Country Club back on the map. The club will always be overshadowed by its famous neighbour, but Silva’s work is undoubtedly artful and we’re sure Augusta Country Club will only rise higher in future rankings.
Black ice. Popular term for a very thin coating of clear, bubble-free, homogeneous ice which forms on a pavement with a temperature at or slightly above 0oC (32oF) when the temperature of the air in contact with the ground is below the freezing-point of water and small slightly super-cooled water droplets deposit on the surface and coalesce (flow together) before freezing. Dry chemical spread rate. The chemical application rate. For solid applications it is simply the weight of the chemical applied per lane kilometer (or mile). For liquid applications it is the weight of the dry chemical in solution applied per lane kilometer (or mile). Freezing rain. Super-cooled droplets of liquid precipitation falling on a surface whose temperature is below or slightly above freezing, resulting in a hard, slick, generally thick coating of ice commonly called glaze or clear ice. Non-super-cooled raindrops falling on a surface whose temperature is well below freezing will also result in glaze. Frost. Also called hoarfrost. Ice crystals in the form of scales, needles, feathers or fans deposited on surfaces cooled by radiation or by other processes. The deposit may be composed of drops of dew frozen after deposition and of ice formed directly from water vapor at a temperature below 0oC (32oF) (sublimation). Light snow. Snow falling at the rate of less than 12 mm (1/2 in) per hour; visibility is not affected adversely. Liquid chemical. A chemical solution; the weight of the dry chemical in solution applied per lane kilometer (or mile) is the chemical application rate – the "dry chemical spread rate" – used in this appendix. Moderate or heavy snow. Snow falling at a rate of 12 mm (1/2 in) per hour or greater; visibility may be reduced. Sleet. A mixture of rain and of snow which has been partially melted by falling through an atmosphere with a temperature slightly above freezing. Slush. Accumulation of snow which lies on an impervious base and is saturated with water in excess of its freely drained capacity. It will not support any weight when stepped or driven on but will "squish" until the base support is reached.
Live Long And Geek Out The Wall Street Journal has a nifty interview with Marc Okrand, PhD. Who is he? Well, he's professor of linguistics, director of the National Captioning Institute and creator of the Vulcan and Klingon Languages: Q. And that led you to create the more complex Klingon language?The irony of this? As the unimpeachable Onion reports, more people now speak Klingon than Navajo. A. I got to work from scratch for the third film, which included creating grammar and vocabulary (for the Klingon language). I did base some sounds off the lines spoken in the first film. But I came up with some basic rules and stuck to them. Q. Did you draw from real languages? A. You can't help being influenced by what you know, which (for me) was a bit of Spanish, French and American Indian. I also knew Southeast Asian languages. I'd be writing something and suddenly realize that it sounded like Navajo. I'd stop and make sure the next thing sounded as different as it could possibly be. I expanded the language for the fifth and sixth film and wrote a book called The Klingon Dictionary in 1992.
Green Eyes On: Eco-Spas Take Miami Photo via Mandarin Oriental Hotel. It's good enough for Kourtney and Khloe Kardashian, that is. Is it good enough for you? With brand new eco-spas opening there, maybe Miami is. Long thought of as the playground of the rich, famous, and scantily clad, Miami is ushering in a new era. Sure the beaches are still lined with 5-star resorts, pricey restaurants, and beaches full of thongs and speedos, but the city is also now host to a small bevy of eco spas and resorts. Take Uhma Spa, the eco-chic urban sanctuary designed to bring people and nature together as uma (Portuguese for one). Uhma, on 6th Street in downtown Miami, sells and uses only 100% natural, organic and cruelty-free products. Or Emena, another boutique eco-spa found in the bustling Design District of Miami. While waiting, guests are offered their choice of wheat grass, fruit-infused water, or organic tea. And, so their clients can fit into their speedos and thongs, Emena offers more than deep sea wraps and massages, they offer personal training and Power Plate Fitness. And then there's the Mandarin Oriental Miami. Mandarin Oriental hotels are commonly recognized as home to benchmark spas and luxe surroundings, but the Miami branch is stepping that up a bit in the direction of giving back and protecting the earth around as they play host to new eco experiences that even include a trip into the wild west of the south — the Everglades. For every Herbal Thai Compress Ritual that the spa performs, a tree (oak, bald cypress, slash pine, or gumbo limbo) is planted in the nearby Everglades National Park. In this way the guest is helping to support a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Founded by the United Nations Foundation and Expedia, the World Heritage Alliance for Sustainable Tourism was designed to engage the travel industry to promote environmentally and economically sustainable business practices around UNESCO World Heritage sites. The Mandarin Oriental Miami has chosen the Everglades as their partner UNESCO site. After undergoing a relaxing spa treatment, hotel guests can venture out into the Everglades and participate in the Mandarin Oriental voluntourism program; planting trees, weeding out exotic plants, and working on recycling projects. Giving back with kicking back is pretty sweet! Of course, like many hotels, the Mandarin Miami has also implemented a number of other "green" practices, including the use of post-consumer recycled content paper, lighting timers, recycling, and low-flow water fixtures. The "Miami Everglades" package includes: • Accommodations for two nights • American breakfast daily • Day Trip to Everglades National Park, which includes: - 9:30am — noon: Volunteer mission - Noon — 1pm: lunch (boxed lunch provided by Mandarin Oriental, Miami) - 1pm — 3pm: Inspiring tour of the park • Hybrid rental car for a day Package prices (based on a two-night stay), range from $698 prior to September 30, 2009 and from $798 from October 1, 2009 through December 15, 2009. www.mandarinoriental.com.
You are here: Home / Publication Information Title: Phoretic Arthropods of the Red Imported Fire Ant in Central Louisiana. Author: Moser, John; Blomquist, Stacy Publication Series: Scientific Journal (JRNL) Description: More than 4,665 phoretic arthropods comprising29species were collected from alates of the red imported fire ant, Solenopsis inoicta Buren, preparing to fly from nests in Pineville, LA. A wide variety of taxonomic groups were represented, including two insect and 17 mite families. Most arthropods fell into two classes: 1) those that may be truly phoretic with more than four specimens collected (13 species) and 2) those seeming to be accidentally phoreticwithone to three specimens collected (16 species). The latter group may be the result of gathering "accidental" mites from adjacent sources, suchas grass, soil, tree bark; thus, practically any very small arthropod may use phoresy as a dispersal mechanism. The arthropod with perhapsthe highest total numbers was Cijphodems similis Folsom, a wingless insect, and the only known Collembola phoreticspecies. Eight new species of mites found in this study were recently described, with several other species future candidates for descriptions. Results indicate the more common species may actively persist in nests for the entire year. At least 11 species from six families may feed on fungi within nests.These and common associates from other families cany hyperphoretic spores offungi thatlive inside fire ant nests. All three ofthe laelapid associates may be important predators or parasitoids of individuals within the nests. The collembolan is possibly a general feeder, and Hisliostoma spp. are filter feeders that consume microorganisms. S. invicta is native to Argentina, and we speculate that some of the common mites associated with this ant species also may have originated in Argentina. Keywords: mites, phoresy, red imported fire ant, Solenopsis invicta, alate - We recommend that you also print this page and attach it to the printout of the article, to retain the full citation information. - This article was written and prepared by U.S. Government employees on official time, and is therefore in the public domain. XML: View XML Moser, J.C.; Blomquist, S.R. 2011. Phoretic Arthropods of the Red Imported Fire Ant in Central Louisiana. Ann. Entomol. Soc. Am. 104 (5):886-894 Get the latest version of the Adobe Acrobat reader or Acrobat Reader for Windows with Search and Accessibility
In the 1000 years o history of the Athonian city many types of religious asceticism were formed and practiced. Nowadays the following still exist: communal asceticism, in the twenty big monasteries, skites, cells, and very few hermits. Until recently the institution of idiorrythmia was still practiced in 1992 though the last idiorythmo monastery-Pantokratoros Monastery- became communal. See in the pictures the cells of nuns from Monastery Iviron. From the exterior appearance they resemble [ftochika], frugally and simply, as is generally speaking also their life. Appear in the background the Mountain Athos and certain buildings of his internal Monastery that you saw in yesterday's my picture. here Athos I.M. Iviron - Look at other my two shot imprinting in the WS1+2 another shot from the same subject additional and sorry that the quality is low because small camera Critiques \| Translate bracasha75 (24517) 2008-06-21 1:45 The Monastery complex is lovely presented and the note is intresthing to Tue (27696) 2008-06-21 1:55 A very attractive photo that gives a nice impression of the town. The colours are very pleasant and natural and are nicely brought out by the sunlight. The composition is also very good. Good photo work! izmirli (3987) 2008-06-21 2:12 kalimera dear georgios wonderful lovely villace and composition.excellent old houses and excellent lovely colours.wonderful light and reflections.well done my friend. riclopes (35577) 2008-06-21 2:32 Olá Georgios, interesting place shown in TE only by your 3 posts, which is a surprise because it seems quite beautiful town. This FG is quite original, but I think I would go for the more normal view in WS2 with its lovely long yellow facade contrasting with the green forest. Nice try here, though. meltemi (0) 2008-06-21 2:52 Geia Sou Georgios, nice composition here using a great point of view to create depth and balance. Excellent image with clarity, awesome colours and much details in it. Great, full of calmness atmosphere given by these very old and fascinating houses. All the best. mesutilgim (82344) 2008-06-21 3:02 Nice pov with the pool in the foreground. A capture with nice info's about Athos. A pity ,that not some nuns or monks are been included to the scene. TFS and best regards ChrisJ (95900) 2008-06-21 6:12 Wonderful reflections in the fg pool with superb colour, sharpness & high pov. Well done! ifanik (21679) 2008-06-21 7:26 Ekpliktikh foto Giorgo Sygxarthria gia ola gia tokadrarisma gia ta xrwmata gia ton fwtismo Poly kalh doyleia syd1946 (18663) 2008-06-21 9:33 Γεια σου Γεωργιε, Απο οτι βλεπω το οδοιπορικο στο Αγιο Ορος συνεχιζεται...πολυ ωραια αρχιτεκτονικη,τοσο φιλικη σε ενα καταπληκτικο φυσικο περιβαλον.Μ'αρεσει πολυ! Ευχομαι ενα καλο Σαββατοκυριακο, jusninasirun (17160) 2008-06-21 18:36 Hello Georgios. I like this image in sharp strong contrasting color. The water featured in the foreground and the reflection is brilliant. Well done and best regards. Jusni Budapestman (82620) 2008-06-22 1:44 Beautiful shot for this interesting place with spectacular composition.The colours and lights are splendid, excellent architectural shot. Have a nice Sunday rodgerg (55767) 2008-06-22 2:16 A good composition with the wall incurved and the water with nice reflections in the FG.Then the beutiful houses colored with the red tiled roofs. And finally, in the BG, the mountains underd the blue sky. steliosk (4802) 2008-06-22 8:16 pwwww pw, ti eksoxo POV. kai lampero xrwma. Apla th koitazw!! Sto workshop mou sou ekopsa ligo 8orybo kanontas ton ourano na deixnei pio soft. COSTANTINO (53757) 2008-06-23 3:06 Geia sou Giorio, omorfi arxitektoniki prooptiki tou ierou autou xwrou pou me arketh megali eukrinia katharotita kai kalo POV mas parousiazeis,xairetismous, trekks (14348) 2008-06-23 3:22 Very lovely composition of this pov to show such good sharpness and high contrast details. I like the bright light to bring out the wall texture and the depth. AiresSantos (56155) 2008-06-23 10:31 Nice view of the Monastery with fine colours. I like your POV and reflections TFS and greetings jonathan_hart (21274) 2008-06-23 11:05 the sky has not the best quality but it's OK to appreciate the view, good perspective, pleasing colours, i like the rooftops and the mount in BG kpav (5031) 2008-06-23 17:10 Γεια σου Γιώργο, πανέμορφη εικόνα με εξαιρετικά χρώματα και υπέροχο φως. Οι αντανακλάσεις στα νερά μπροστά προσθέτουν στην σύνθεση και το πεζούλι που ξεκινάει από την κάτω αριστερά γωνία δημιουργεί προοπτική. Χαιρετώ, - Copyright: Georgios Topas (TopGeo) (38202) - Genre: Places - Medium: Color - Date Taken: 2008-05-25 - Categories: Daily Life, Nature, Architecture - Camera: Olympus FE-140 - Exposure: f/4.6, 1/400 seconds - More Photo Info: view - Photo Version: Original Version, Workshop - Theme(s): Holly Mount-Athos [view contributor(s)] - Date Submitted: 2008-06-21 1:20
Kostrzyn nad Odra is a town in western Poland at the confluence of the Oder and Warta rivers, on the border with Germany. Located in Lubusz Voivodeship in Gorzˇw County. Fortress Kostrzy˝ - a team of fortifications built and operated between the sixteenth and the twentieth century Kostrzyn and its surroundings. Critiques \| Translate danos (85221) 2013-12-17 2:51 nice the architectural details of this window belonging to fortress Kostrzy˝.The excellent light management enhance the details of the bricks. jhm (137668) 2013-12-17 3:01 On these way create you perspective and depth with the excellent choice of your angle. You shows a nice part of this bastion "Philippe" Composition and presentation be superb. Very well done, TFS. snunney (81885) 2013-12-17 3:53 It's the superb detail to be seen in the brickwork that makes this for me. Perfectly exposed and well composed. mesutilgim (82344) 2013-12-17 4:37 Hello dear Krzysztof, my neighbour ! This is not an usual window (!) but very interesting. Reminds me to the modern architecture of American architects. TFS and best regards Subhogen (4065) 2013-12-17 10:03 Very good detailing on the brick wall to bring out the depth effect on this window. Very well managed light. Good thought process and very well executed to produce this excellent result. Thanks for sharing. abmdsudi (42012) 2013-12-19 8:20 Good close up detail showing us section of the fortress - Wise on the view point and there's loads of detail in the brickwork with great depth of field with a slice of history. Congrats. Thank you. - Copyright: Krzysztof Dera (Fis2) (84020) - Genre: Places - Medium: Color - Date Taken: 2013-10-07 - Categories: Architecture - Camera: Canon EOS 30D, Canon EF-S 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5 USM, Hoya HMC SUPER UV M77 - Exposure: f/5.6, 1/50 seconds - More Photo Info: view - Photo Version: Original Version - Theme(s): "My windows V" [view contributor(s)] - Date Submitted: 2013-12-17 0:30
Carbon Neutral Liverpool Observatory 92 entries from around the world covet this opportunity. The Duggan Morris observatory consists of two distinct buildings: a visitor's center and an observation deck. Not only does it look fantastic, but the design will be carbon neutral when finished. Implications - Famous locations of monuments ensure that a certain degree of traffic, tourism and media attention will always revolve around that location. Businesses that consider opening up offices or retail stores in these locations can help to make certain that the consumer traffic they desire to sell their product will be present.Stats for City Facelift Competitions Trending: Older & Chilly Traction: 3,198 clicks in 347 w Interest: 4 minutes Concept: City Facelift Competitions Related: 85 examples / 65 photos Segment: Neutral, 18-55 Comparison Set: 31 similar articles, including: eccentric celebrity art, retrospective sunglasses, and disneyland-frequenting feline photography.
A giant golden orb weaver spider in a backyard of Atherton, Australia was found to be feeding on a bird that was many times its size. An Australian newspaper Cairns Post posted the pictures of the golden orb weaver spider feeding on the bird. The pictures were captured on film, probably by the home owner. The bird is a Chestnut-breeded Mannikin and apparently got entangled in the web of this spider. The giant golden orb weaver spiders are found in Australia and are usually known to only prey on large insects. This is the first time anyone has seen it eat a prey this large. the golden orb weaver’s web is very strong is said to be rich in protein. These spiders usually wait till their preys give up and become a sitting duck. The spider’s web is so strong that the prey usually stand very little chance in breaking the web and escaping. You can imagine how strong this particular spider’s web would have been to capture this Mannikin and not let it free itself. Get this amazing poster of the Golden Orb Weaver.
06-26-2007, 10:31 PM \| \|\| \| Then your angels are likely to spawn soon. You might want to set up a PVC pipe (half part only) or slate for the angels to stick their eggs on. Remove the pipe or slate containing the eggs once they're done. If you have a spare tank, use it for the eggs to hatch. A sponge filter and an airpump connected with an airstone will help here. Methylene blue should be added as well to prevent development of fungus. Originally Posted by nvmyluv420 i have 5 all together and there are 2 which i bought together that never seperate. they seem to prefer one side of the tank than the other plus they are riping my plants out of that area. they dont seem to mind the other angels when its not feeding time. the smaller 2 also seem to be pairing as well but i have one whos the total outcast and gets picked on a lot by even the smaller ones. out of the pair that i purchased together the female (i think) is very aggresive to the other fish and seems to be getting fatter everyday. my mother had a breeding pair of angels and shes the one that brought this to my attention. if they do have eggs do i need to take them out of the tank or leave the eggs in?? also the male seems to be eating less is this for any particular reason? First-time spawners tend to eat the eggs but that is no reason to worry about. They will spawn again and will eventually become good parents.
KESSLER, GEORGE E. KESSLER, GEORGE E. (ca. 1862–1923). George E. Kessler, pioneer city planner and landscape architect, was born in Frankenhausen, Germany, in 1862 and in 1865 was taken to Dallas, Texas, by his widowed mother, who taught French and art to support them. Later he worked as a cashboy at Sanger Harris Dry Goods. He moved to Europe and studied civic design in Germany, France, and Russia. By 1882 he moved to Kansas City and designed a railroad-owned amusement park. In 1893 he drew up a plan for the development of the city's park-boulevard system. He designed and landscaped the St. Louis World's Fair grounds in 1904. The same year he redesigned the grounds of Fair Park in Dallas, but his biggest contribution in Dallas, the "famous" Kessler Plan, came five years later. In 1909 the Chamber of Commerce established the City Plan and Improvement League and hired Kessler to draft a design for a long-range plan of civic improvements. Kessler drew up his plan to solve many of the city's problems, including the uncontrollable flooding of the Trinity River, the dangerous railroad crossings, and narrow, crooked downtown streets. The plan was not implemented at the time because it was not believed to be practical, but it became increasingly clear that changes were needed. Kessler returned in 1918 to act as consulting engineer for the Dallas Property Owners' Association and in 1919 began working for the Metropolitan Development Association of the Dallas Chamber of Commerce. He remained in Dallas until January 3, 1922, when he returned to St. Louis. The Trinity River was improved and the levee system was completed in the 1930s. In addition to a plan for Dallas, Kessler drafted city plans for Cincinnati, Indianapolis, Cleveland, El Paso, Denver, and Syracuse. He designed Camp Wilson, the national army cantonment near San Antonio. On March 20, 1923, he died in Indianapolis, Indiana, survived by his wife and son. Dallas Morning News, March 20, 1923. Darwin Payne, Dallas: An Illustrated History (Woodland Hills, California: Windsor, 1982). William H. Wilson, "Adapting to Growth: Dallas, Texas, and the Kessler Plan, 1908–1933," Arizona and the West 25 (Autumn 1983). The following, adapted from the Chicago Manual of Style, 15th edition, is the preferred citation for this article.Lisa C. Maxwell, "KESSLER, GEORGE E.," Handbook of Texas Online (http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fke44), accessed November 28, 2014. Uploaded on June 15, 2010. Published by the Texas State Historical Association.
ST. MARY'S HOSPITAL, GALVESTON ST. MARY'S HOSPITAL, GALVESTON. St. Mary's Hospital, Galveston, the first Catholic hospital in Texas, was opened as a charity hospital by Bishop Claude M. Dubuis, second Catholic bishop of Galveston, in April 1867. The staff of the thirty-bed frame hospital consisted of sisters Blandine Mathelin, Joseph Roussin, and Ange Escudé, all from France and all founding members of the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word, whom the bishop had recruited the previous year for mission work in Texas. Dr. James Nagle was the medical director, and the daily charge per patient was two dollars-the same rate charged private patients at the tax-supported Island City Hospital then operated by Dr. Greensville S. Dowell. At first the sisters had few patients, but a virulent yellow fever epidemic that lasted from July until November 1867 filled both hospitals to overflowing. Among those who died at Charity Hospital was the young superior, Sister Blandine. In 1868 the hospital closed for a short period because of a dearth of patients. In July 1869, with help from Dr. C. H. Wilkinson, the sisters contracted with the United States government for the care of marine patients at the rate of a dollar a day each, and the hospital reopened as St. Mary's Infirmary. (It was renamed St. Mary's Hospital in 1965.) Within a few years the hospital was able to contract for city and county patients as well, and additional sisters came from France to help the work. Frame buildings were added to accommodate additional patients and orphaned children. In 1874 the orphans were moved to a new location, St. Mary's Orphanage, but the hospital continued to support them. In 1875 and 1879 two three-story hospital buildings designed by Nicholas J. Clayton were constructed. Part of the 1879 building housed the St. Mary's Hospital School of Nursing, which opened in 1907 and operated until 1968, graduating 825 nurses in its seventy-one-year history. All the frame buildings were destroyed in the Galveston hurricane of 1900, but only one life was lost at the hospital. The brick buildings, although badly damaged, remained standing and sheltered patients, staff, and nearly 1,500 refugees. St. Mary's orphanage, however, was completely destroyed, and ten sisters and ninety-two children were killed. St. Mary's Infirmary was the principal convent or motherhouse of the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word until 1928, when the central administration was transferred to Villa de Matel, Houston. Until 1928 groups of sisters went from St. Mary's to found hospitals in San Antonio, Houston, Temple, and Beaumont; they also established facilities in Louisiana, Arkansas, and California. In its early years St. Mary's Infirmary relied for support-especially for building construction-on Bishop Dubuis, who in turn depended on help from France and elsewhere. In 1881 the bishop deeded the hospital to the sisters, and they have owned and operated it since then. The Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word incorporated in Texas in 1910, and the original charter has been amended periodically to adjust to changing circumstances. In 1987 St. Mary's Hospital was an operating division of the multi-institutional Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word, Houston, Health Care System. St. Mary's has enjoyed local community support. The St. Mary's Auxiliary, organized in 1952, has consistently helped by raising money and by personal service. There have been communitywide fund-raising campaigns; the latest in 1983 raised $1.3 million. In 1961 the hospital received a $1.5 million Hill-Burton grant and a Moody Foundation grant of $250,000 that helped generate matching funds. In 1982–83 St. Mary's Hospital received a total of $29,486,000 from system-wide tax-exempt bond issues; the money was used to build a new hospital wing and a parking garage. In 1965 a new nine-story hospital replaced the 1875 Clayton building; construction and renovation since then have resulted in a modern 271-bed facility. Outpatient and ambulatory services have grown. Psychiatric services have been expanded and include adolescent psychiatric and substance-abuse units. The medical staff numbers ninety-eight active and 126 courtesy members. St. Mary's Hospital is a member of the American Hospital Association, the Catholic Health Association, the Texas Hospital Association, and the Texas Conference of Catholic Health Facilities. It is accredited by the Joint Commission for the Accreditation of Hospitals and has an affiliation agreement with the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston. As the oldest private hospital in Texas, it was awarded a historical marker in 1980 by the Texas Historical Commission and the Galveston County Historical Commission. Sister Mary Loyola Hegarty, C.C.V.I, Serving with Gladness: The Origin and History of the Congregation of the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word, Houston, Texas (Milwaukee: Bruce, 1967).
The latitude and longitude presented here is an approximation to protect the reporters identity Over One Mile Object Flight Path So late August early evening maybe just after sunset around 1974 or1975 I was looking West or Southwest over the Androscoggin valley, about 15 years old at the time I saw A fireball about the size of an orange and the same color or a bit more red with a tail. Like you would expect from a missile but no body leading it. Its trajectory was even with the horizon. My thoughts were I saw a fairly large meteor but its size and the fact it was going straight across the horizon had me confused. Did You See It? Have a Comment or Question? Discuss it Below.
The Jena experiment Diversity and functions of arbuscular mycorrhizal and soil fungi with oxidative potential in grasslands with different levels of plant diversity Context: The role of biodiversity for element cycling and trophic interactions: An experimental approach in a grassland community The Jena Experiment aims to study the interactions between plant diversity and ecosystem processes, focusing on element cycling and trophic interactions. Artifical plant communities are established from a species pool of 60 species from Central European Arrhenatherum grasslands, divided into four functional groups. The main experiment is carried out on 90 large 20 x 20 m plots and plant species richness ranges from 1 to 60 species. To assess within-mixture variability, all species mixtures from 1-60 species and the control treatments of the main experiment are identically replicated on 90 small 3.5 x 3.5 m plots. Monocultures of all 60 plant species are grown in 120 replicated monocultures on small plots to test for overyielding in mixtures, and to provide a basis for measuring species-specific traits. The experimental communities serve as basis to study ecosystem fluxes of carbon and nutrients. In addition, special attention is given to interactions between species both within the primary producer level and between the different trophic levels, regarding as well above-ground as below-ground process. Our studies are focused on one key group in below-ground processes - the fungi. Host range of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) will be studied in monoculture plots. In poly-cultures with different biodiversity levels, the interdependence between species richness of plants and of AMF will be further investigated. A labelling experiment will serve to specify more precisely the role played by AMF mycelial networks for resource partitioning between plant species and plant functional groups. Additionally, in plots with different plant species combinations, the diversity and expression profiles of fungal genes encoding laccases, oxidative exoenzymes common in fungi, will be related to the measured nitrogen mineralization and organic matter accumulation in the soil. For further questions, please contact:
Glossary of thoracic operations is a brief description of some chest operations. Your team will advise you on the specifics of your own surgery. 'VATS' refers to video-assisted thoracic surgery, sometimes called 'keyhole' surgery. This uses cameras and special equipment to avoid making large cuts in the chest wall or spreading of the ribs. A 'thoracotomy' is the standard open approach to the The lung is divided into lobes (two on the left, three on the right). A lobectomy involves removal of an entire lobe. This has traditionally been achieved via a thoracotomy but is now often performed by VATS (keyhole) techniques Usually, lymph glands from the hilum (root) of the lung and middle of the chest will also be removed at the same time. This is the standard operation for lung cancer provided that the whole tumour can be This is the removal of an entire lung. The risk of the operation and the chances of breathlessness after surgery are higher than for lobectomy, although both are very dependant upon your own state of health before surgery. For this reason, it is usually reserved for tumours where a lobectomy will not remove the entire Each lobe of lung is divided into segments. Segmentectomy involves the removal of one segment. It is 'lung-preserving' surgery and can be performed for lung cancer in patients who are not fit for a complete lobectomy. This is the removal of part of the lung, usually using a stapling device. It is often performed to diagnose lung masses seen on a CT scan, to remove tumours which have spread from elsewhere in the body (known as metastases), or sometimes to treat lung cancer in patients who are not thought fit enough to undergo a lobectomy operation. Although often performed with the VATS technique, but it can sometimes require a thoracotomy (open) incision. Other lung operations - Lung volume reduction surgery A very select group of patients with severe emphysema may benefit from this surgery. The aim is to remove redundant lung tissue. This allows the lung tissue that remains to re-expand. The mechanics of breathing may be improved. Thorough investigation and treatment, usually including smoking cessation, medical treatment and physiotherapy will take place before any surgery. Diagnostic procedures and bronchoscopy The surgical bronchoscope is different from the flexible fibre-optic scopes used by physicians. It is a long rigid tube that is passed into the trachea (windpipe) under general anaesthetic. It enables visualisation of the airway and allows procedures such as biopsy and stent placement (to hold open a diseased airway) to be performed. Bronchoscopy is often performed as a day case. Enlarged lymph nodes in the chest can be biopsied using an instrument called a mediastinoscope. A small incision is made over the trachea (windpipe) in the neck and the scope passed into the chest. Results will usually take several days. Mediastinoscopy is often performed as a day case. A small incision made over the second rib (usually the left) in order to biopsy lymph nodes or tissue in the mediastinum (middle of the chest) or at the hilum (root) of the lung. In patients with suspected interstitial lung disease (an inflammatory or scarring disease of the lung tissue) a lung biopsy can help plan medical treatment. Biopsies are taken under general anaesthetic, usually using a VATS approach. Biopsy (sampling) of the pleura is performed to investigate collections of fluid in the pleural space (pleural effusion), or thickening of the pleura. It is often combined with pleurodesis- the use of irritant material to create pleural adhesions- to prevent fluid collecting around the lung again after surgery. This surgery is often performed using VATS Operations for pneumothorax or collapsed lung Pneumothorax is the collapse of a lung, usually caused by air leaking from it. This can happen spontaneously, particularly in young people. It may also happen because of underlying lung disease, for example emphysema. Smoking increases the risk of many of these diseases. There are several ways to treat pneumothorax, with different advantages and disadvantages. When surgery is advised, it often includes removal of weakened areas of the lung (called bullae or blebs) if present, together with a procedure to "stick" the lung to the chest wall. This can be achieved by stripping the pleura to create a raw surface, known as pleurectomy, or by using an irritant substance to induce inflammation, called pleuredesis. Talcum powder specially prepared for the purpose has been used for many years. In Bristol most of this surgery is now undertaken using VATS techniques. Your own team will be able to discuss the options Developing a pneumothorax may affect flying and scuba diving in the future. If this affects you, please discuss it with your Surgery for chest wall deformity Pectus carinatum (excessive prominence of the breastbone, or 'pigeon chest') and pectus excavatum (excessive indrawing of the breastbone, or 'funnel chest') can be treated by surgery in appropriate cases. Currently the department undertakes between 20 and 30 operations for chest wall deformity every Surgery for myasthenia gravis Patients with myasthenia gravis (a disease characterised by progressive muscle weakness on repetitive use) often benefit symptomatically from removal of the thymus gland. Surgery is more successful if the patient is young with an early diagnosis. In Bristol we perform a radical thymectomy via a neck incision (trans-cervical approach) with VATS techniques. This enables a quick recovery and often just an overnight stay in hospital. If you have myasthenia gravis you will need to discuss with your neurologist whether a thymectomy is appropriate for you.
A Working Story: Professor’s Path Completes Connections As the University community is recognizing Hispanic Heritage Month in September, accomplishments and contributions from its diverse group of faculty and staff, including those with a Hispanic heritage, are also being highlighted. At home in the classroom and with a nose to the grindstone attitude toward writing, associate professor of English Daniel Orozco enjoys taking the stories of working people and bringing them to life. For the son of Nicaraguan immigrants, it is the challenge of crafting the story that draws him to create the story. With a book of short stories due out this spring, in addition to working on his first novel, he is not short on material. “I love crafting stories: building the story, creating it and making it work,” says Orozco. “I enjoy the challenge; I don’t write for other people. I am always writing for an audience, but I’m the first person who has to like it.” He wasn’t always a writer though. After several different majors at Stanford University, Orozco graduated with a film and broadcasting degree. He swore he would never write anything again. “I was that student; I hated writing papers,” says Orozco. It was in his late 20s or early 30s that Orozco decided to try writing again, but this time he was going to write what he wanted: short stories. As he applied for graduate school at San Francisco State University, he found he enjoyed the writing process and was good at it; but he also wanted to learn more about the writing craft. With a newfound passion for writing, he discovered he didn’t want to just write, he wanted to teach – and went on to earn his MFA at the University of Washington. Over the last 15 years, Orozco has had many of his stories published. There is a common theme that runs through his stories: they are they are told at work – whether it is two Golden Gate Bridge painters, a Nicaraguan dictator or two police officers. “I’m interested in people at work, what they do,” says Orozco. “And people on the margins, people alone…yearning for some sense of connection.” Focusing on connections, his story “Only Connect” was selected for inclusion in the Best of the West 2010: New Stories from the Wide Side of the Missouri, and picked as a “Recommended Story” in the O. Henry Prize Stories. Orozco joined the University of Idaho in 2002 and the native San Franciscan spent the first few years here biding his time. For Orozco, the path was never straight, nor direct. As he writes and teaches at the University, he has come to love his surroundings as much as the path he took to find the right career.
A message from the vice president for student services Tom Rocklin, vice president for student services, describes plans for a revitalized Iowa Memorial Union that’s a hub for student life and leadership development. Read the message. File the FAFSA for financial aid The UI Office of Student Financial Aid encourages students to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) as soon as possible after Jan. 1. Awards are made on a first-come, first-served basis to students who have submitted all required documents, with the first awards finalized in mid-March. Students can apply for financial aid throughout the year, but funding for some aid programs may be depleted by May 1. Families can use tax estimates to complete the FAFSA, and must also submit the Iowa Verification Form and copies of federal income tax returns. View the financial aid office’s Step-by-Step Process web page for detailed information. Financial aid info on Facebook The Office of Student Financial Aid Facebook page provides an easy way to keep current on financial aid deadlines, learn tips on the financial aid process, get answers to frequently asked questions, and find other valuable information regarding student success at Iowa. (You don’t need a Facebook account to view the page’s content.) Remind your student to reapply for housing On Jan. 31, students who live in the residence halls will receive an e-mail message and a flyer about reapplying for housing for the 2011–12 year. The deadline to reapply is 5 p.m., Feb. 10. Get more information on the University Housing web site. New online money management course Going to college often means learning to manage money—and understanding that today’s financial decisions affect savings and debt, credit ratings, and future choices. A new online course called Managing Your Money introduces basic financial concepts and practices, plus ways to prevent money problems commonly associated with college life. Encourage your student to consider enrolling in this 1 semester-hour class for spring. Help keeping finances in check Another campus resource for helping students with financial issues is Student Credit & Money Management Services, a program that teaches students about the wise use of credit and provides direct help with money management issues. Course credits over spring break While some students will head south for traditional spring break trips, others will take advantage of for-credit University excursions and on-campus offerings the week of March 14. It’s not too late for your student to enroll in courses on land navigation, sea kayaking, bicycling in the southern United States, salsa dancing, golf, and photography, to name a few topics. To learn more, visit the ISIS courses page and type “spring break” into the keywords area. Honoring MLK’s legacy The University will celebrate the life of civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. this month with free events—from symposiums, lectures, and musical performances, to a human rights fair, blood drive, and film screening. The UI Community-Based Learning Program also will organize volunteer opportunities for the MLK Day of Service on Jan. 17. Learn more at http://mlk.uiowa.edu. How to unsubscribe from this list Did your student recently graduate? Because your e-mail address is not linked to your student’s UI information, you are not automatically unsubscribed from the Parent Times list when your student leaves the University. To unsubscribe, visit the list management page and click “Subscribe or Unsubscribe” in the right-hand column. This Parent Times e-mail update is produced for family members of University of Iowa students by the Office of University Relations in collaboration with the Division of Student Services and the Office of the Provost. A print publication is mailed four times a year. Visit Parent Times online at www.uiowa.edu/~ptimes which includes archives of print and e-mail content.
The Swiss Food Giant Nestle Marketing Essay The marketing communication these days have changed like never before with more emphasis on the non conventional media rather than just relying on the mass media. Companies are no longer looking at the mass media as their saviour to reach out to the masses and convince them; on the contrary many of them find these mass media advertising as intrusive and the messages carried through them does not create the impact as much as they want it to be. Integrated marketing communication is the order of the day with multiple mediums used by the companies ensuring that they reach out to the customers in a more effective and efficient manner. By having the messages communicated through various channels they make sure that these companies are able to create a complete brand experience. IMC tries to integrate various marketing communication channels such as PR, online and social media, mass media advertising etc into one singular entity conveying a compelling simple theme that can get the customers for the company. The main factor that these companies have to make sure is that they convey a unified message in all the mediums. There are several examples where companies in an attempt to woo the customers tried to pass on conflicting messages thus driving the customers away from them. Synergy between various mediums and the compatibility of the messages in all the mediums thus plays a very important role in this case (Fall C, 2002). NESTLE In UK In a recent media statement, the Swiss food giant Nestle said that they are well placed to cope up with the changing demographics and cost pressures and they are all set to rule the UK market. This statement came in view of the rise in the input prices by almost 10 % which has made other major corporations found wanting. Nestle still believes that they can be a market leader in confectionaries after the huge success of their brand Kit Kat which was well established. But the company has been under severe pressure to streamline its processes due to the fact that there has been an increase in the price of raw materials and that too the customer base in UK is more or less saturating leaving no room for further expansion. Major supplier of cocoa, Ivory Coast going through a rough political phase has been the reason for worry in UK confectionary industry. This leads to changes in prices even though Nestle claims that the pricing won’t vary much and would be decided upon based on various segments that they are catering to (Ellwood, I. 2002). All these factors lead to the importance of having a loyal customer base and increased frequency of use by the existing customer base. In order to reach to your customer and get a share of their mind, especially in the FMCG segment it is essential that you have to reinforce the message again and again so as to get a top of the mind recall. In this age when one is bombarded with thousands of advertisements every day, unless and until you try out something different the customers are not really going to pay attention to you. One way to overcome this problem is using an integrated marketing communication approach, wherein the messages are passed on to the customers by means of various channels and thus reinforcing the message. By using various media options that are seen as non intrusive you are actually talking to the customers in a more conducive environment and hence they are more likely to listen to you (Davies, M. 1998). When you run a campaign it is essential to monitor the campaign and then guide it at each and every stage so that the money that is spent on advertising is not wasted. This is also possible by the use of various media options like Social and interactive media where the customers essentially form a part of the campaign thus giving them a feeling that they have an involvement in the whole process and thus they feel like owning the product. Integrated Marketing Campaign by NESTLE Nestle has been using Integrated marketing campaigns to good effect in almost all the countries they are into. They have been using non conventional media options to good effect so as to maintain the brand image that they have developed at the same time ensure a top of the mind recall in the minds of the customers. They have been into event marketing which is a very effective mode of communicating with your customers, as they are in a framework of mind to listen to you. For example their recent family days campaign as a part of the Minor league basketball sponsorship. They are using all the available media options for this purpose and have made an interactive website which has already attracted many hits in the initial days of the campaign itself. Thus by making the product a part of the events the company is trying to make it an essential part in the lives of those who love baseball and the customers start associating themselves with the brand more. This gives them immense opportunities to piggy-back on those events and thus creates a hype and excitement around the brand (Brassington, F and Pettitt, S, 2000). They can even analyse the current brand health and these events gives you the best platform to relaunch or reinforce the position in the market. By linking a campaign to loyalty and frequency programs the company can actually get more of repeat purchases thus ensuring that they are getting most out of a profitable customer by maintaining a long term relationship with them. Let us now look at various media options that are available, the pros and cons of them with respect to Nestle and then analyse whether they should go ahead with such an option or not. Nestle being in FMCG category it is essential for them to advertise and remain in the minds of the customers and hence they have to use mass media. This is the cheapest option in terms of the cost per customer is concerned but the main worrying factor is that most of the developed nations have already admitted the famous death of mass media marketing as there are so many messages bombarded to the customers and they started ignoring the messages or is selectively paying attention to these channels. Another main factor that repels customer attention towards these channels are that the messages which are communicated are not distinctive or refreshing. For example when two companies Nestle and Cadbury comes up with a TV commercial about similar products, the customers don’t find any major difference between the two and hence they tend to ignore both and the purchase is often impulsive. By “Have a break Have a Kit Kat” campaign the company tried to project the chocolate as a thing that can be used whenever there is a break. The marketing teams often fall into this trap, they cannot survive the competition without getting a share of mind and voice which is possible only with mass media channels, but they themselves know that the message that they communicate is not targeted at the population that they are selling to or the majority does not care to buy the product. But in an FMCG industry in order to ensure parity with others in the market, companies are forced to make media expenditure on the product. The company thus have to ensure that they get the right TV spots whenever they are advertising rather than just extravagantly spending on Television advertising. In case of print media the life of ad is even longer and one can actually target the customers in a more effective manner. They can communicate their brand positioning in a more effective manner and the shelf value of such ads are much more than that of a radio or a TV commercial. Nestle has been not utilising this medium effectively, rather than just concentrating heavily on the TV commercials (Aaker, D and Joachimsthaler, E 2000). They should come out with effective Print ads in various national dailies and magazines that are meant for fun since their target group essentially reads these magazines and dailies. By means of print media, company can give more information to the customers and they can even invite them to be a part of various contests that they are planning in any campaign. With widespread adoption of mobile phones, this is one of the important areas which can be effectively used by the Nestle. Most of the customers find mobile marketing as non intrusive and hence they welcome it if done in moderation. Again being an FMCG product Nestle have to combine this mobile marketing with any other sort of marketing such as event related or contests. They can give personalised information to individual customers on various product information and event sponsorships like that of Minor League Football Sponsorship. This medium is very effective because of the fact that the company can target its customers in a more effective manner. Unlike mass media which appeals to all sections of the population, in this case only the profitable customers can be targeted by effective use of CRM and database solutions. The messages are passed on to only those who have a good customer life time value according to the company statistics. This medium can also be used to lure those customers who are likely to switch by offering them better deals and better variety of options. Given the tie up of Nestle with major retail stores in UK, it can be stated that they have good information about its customers preferences and they can utilise them to attract the customers into their fold. Marketers have realised the power of online media and almost every other company is trying hard to use the online media space to communicate their message to the customers. The customers on the other hand prefer this media much more than that of any other media channel because of the fact that this media channel gives them the option of a two way dialogue. Nestle can come up with initiatives to make customers a part of their marketing campaigns by means of suggestions and contests. Online media can be a double edged sword; it can create negative word of mouth which can affect the brand equity. No one realises it better than Nestle as they have already faced the brunt of Milk product campaign which gave them bad word of mouth and the news got spread all across the world in no time because of online media. There were several Boycott Nestle campaigns run across the world. So it has to be handled effectively. Online media also gives in-depth product information that the customers need. One of the main challenges that Nestle faces while addressing such an issue is that they have attract the customers to their website, which is difficult in case of an FMCG product. This can be done by having interactive sections, games and contests on the website which will draw the public towards these websites. The company can also go in for advertorials and expert comments which are taken with more credibility by the public. They develop a sense of trust in the brand when the products are endorsed by the domain experts and celebrities. Social networking is one major tool which is being increasingly used by many companies. People who are their target segment are internet savvy and spend most of their time in social networking sites like facebook. The company can promote their products through these sites and get a customer feedback directly from them (Assael, H. 1992). By placing the product promotions within various games and other applications that can help them in making the brand memorable in the minds of the people. One of the important factors why marketers prefer this media option is that they get a direct feedback over a specific marketing campaign that they run and hence they are able to mould it accordingly based on the needs and requirements of the company. Moreover internet offers them immense opportunities to promote the product at a very less cost and thus direct the expenses in a more effective manner. Out of the Home Advertising Out of the home advertising has moved on from the ages of static bill boards which occupied the advertising history for so long. Emergence of 3D sign-boards and likes has made the arena more compelling and attractive for the customer to take a note while he is on transit. There are several examples where companies engage in direct battles with the competitors through out of the home media (Baker, M. 2000). The industry is focusing more on OOH as it provides a cheaper substitute to the mass media at the same time helps them in making aware about the product. Nestle even though have been involved in a certain degree of Out of the home mode of advertising, they haven’t made any real breakthrough as afar as out of the home media is concerned (Booms, B.H. and Bitner, M.J. 1981). They heavily rely on 2D ordinary bill boards still. They have to move out of the conventional methods and try out something new like a 3D billboard. If the company has to target the rural segment then they have to effectively use it. Given the fact that the urban customer base are already on a saturation , Nestle has to concentrate more on its rural population and this can be done effectively with the help of Out of the home media channels. Direct and E-mail Marketing FMCG companies use less of direct and email marketing, as they have very little information as compared to that of many high involvement products. The company have not been using this media option that much. Nestle can still use direct mailers and e mails to its profitable customers. But still they won’t have much of an option when they consider such an option. This can be used while they run any particular contests or to attract the customers to their websites. Nestle can use this mode of option to direct the traffic to the website and then promote the products through the website. Marketers can measure the response rate of the direct mailer campaigns and hence can monitor the same very easily. Many companies ignore this route but Nestle can make use of this mode so that it can complement other methods of marketing (David Sebastan, 1959). PROS & CONS of IMC: Why it should be Used? One of the main advantages of using an IMC approach in case of an FMCG is that it helps in effective cross functional merging of various media channels rather than just depending on the mass media to deliver. With an integrated marketing approach communication with the customers improves and it ensures that customers voice is also heard and at the same time gives them a sense of involvement in the whole process. By profiling the customers based on demographics and psychographics, Nestle can actually target only those who are actually a part of the target group rather than just communicating with anyone and everyone who is not a part of companies target group (John Gullivan, 1998). By applying strategic segmentation of customers, the company would be clear with respect to the communication objectives that they are upto and they help them in simplifying the whole process as they get an idea about how much to spend on each channel based on the effectiveness of the medium. Integrated marketing communications approach also makes sure that many offline and online mediums which have high potential but rarely used are also used in the process to ensure that the customers are attacked from all the sides and they essentially develop a sort of bonding with the customers (Hoyer, W.D. and MacInnis, D.J. 2001). With the advent of online and internet marketing numerous ways to woo the customers such as Search engine optimisation e marketing campaigns pay per click, blogs, RSS podcasts etc are used which have proved to be non intrusive and very effective in reaching the customers. One of the main advantages of such a campaign is that Nestle would be able to customise the marketing communications based on the time budget and resources of the customers. This helps in streamlining the available resources with the company in a efficient manner. Nestle being a large corporation has the financial muscle power to utilise various channels to reach out to the customer and thus create a visible difference in their current campaign. The main disadvantages of such a campaign are that there need to be simple message that needs to be communicated through various mediums. If the messages in various mediums are contrasting then it is never going to work in favour of the company. It also depends excessively on the database that the company have and the profiling that they do with the data. If not done in a proper manner then all the money that one spends on it is going to be wasted (Glynn Mangold, David J. Faulds, 1992). The benefits of such campaigns are that it helps the company is maximising the use of money that they spend on marketing communications and it has been seen in many examples that the net results out of such campaigns per dollar is much more than that of normal mass media communications. It helps in interacting with the customers at an individual basis which is more effective and when you have a simple compelling story to tell through various media channels it is going to be a success for sure. If you are the original writer of this essay and no longer wish to have the essay published on the UK Essays website then please click on the link below to request removal:
As part of an interchange of scholars and foreign policy specialists hosted jointly by entities of Duke University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the speakers shed light on current U.S.-European relations in light of the current state of the war on terror. The author of this report provides for the reader an informative overview. -- Ed. Significant shifts in U. S.-European relations have occurred in the last five years, according to Kurt D. Volker, principal deputy assistant secretary of state for European and Asian affairs. Volker presented a brief lecture and answered numerous questions at Duke University's Franklin Center, Durham, N. C., on February 28, 2006. The key change in transatlantic relations, Volker said, is that it is no longer about Europe anymore. Throughout the Cold War the focus was on containing the Soviet Union and defending Western Europe. After the Cold War the issues were on NATO expansion and reintegrating Eastern European nations. Even the conflicts in Bosnia and Kosovo were European issues. Since 9/11, however, the U. S. focus has shifted away from Europe. The global war on terror, Afghanistan, and Iraq are clearly not about Europe. This shift has contributed to some of the tensions and misunderstandings evident in transatlantic relations. The Bush administration has recently been making efforts to improve relations with Europe. Volker said the administration in its second term has come to understand the importance of soft power in the global war on terror. The moral weight of a united democratic front is important for winning the war, Volker said. In his first press conference after re-election and on several other occasions, President Bush specifically said he wanted to work with Europe in pursuing important common goals. Volker said there is much Europe and America agree upon. The objective of a free and democratic Iraq has always been shared, and now there is much more agreement and cooperation on the means and policies of achieving that objective. Europe is doing much more in Iraq, Afghanistan, and even Bosnia than is commonly known in the United States. Currently, there are 14,000 European troops in Iraq, and Europe is undertaking a large role in training Iraqi forces. Also, Europe has pledged a half billion dollars to Iraq reconstruction. One critical challenge facing the America, according to Volker, is projecting an accurate image abroad. Since the war on terror is ultimately a war of ideas, projecting an accurate image is an important part of the effort. People have a right to be free and to live with human dignity. Those who exploit Islam to further their agenda of violence and repression challenge this idea, however. One questioner asked Volker if he worked with the European Union or with separate European countries. He answered it was necessary to work with both. Even when there is an EU issue in which the United States is interested, Volker said he must deal with individual European countries to try and get the EU result Washington prefers. Another questioner asked Mr. Volker how effective he thought Karen Hughes was in her position. (Hughes is the under secretary of state for public diplomacy and public affairs.) Volker said Hughes has a tough problem crafting a message for two very different audiences. Volker said the moral superiority and arrogance of Europe is vastly different from the venomous, highly charged dislike expressed for America in the Mideast. He offered an observation about the first trip Hughes took abroad. On that trip she clearly stated her purpose was to listen, and that is what she did. So, on many occasions she received heavy doses of criticism of America and U. S. policies, to which she did not respond. Media reporting of the trip criticized Hughes for being unable to articulate U. S. values and policies, which in fact was not her intended purpose. Volker thinks Hughes is doing fine. One question dealt with how the United States should respond to Hamas winning the Palestinian election. Volker discussed how in the past America had preferred some unsavory, authoritarian governments that were favorably disposed. Today, in the war of ideas about the freedom agenda, that path may not be the best. Volker said if the United States really believes that democracy is a self-correcting system, and if it wants to project that idea abroad, then it must deal with freely elected governments. But, Volker said, that does not mean we have to give Hamas money or approve of its anti-Israel positions. Volker said Israel has a right to defend itself, and that Israel would continue to receive US support. One questioner identified himself as a European, and he directed to Volker perhaps the sharpest question of the session. He first listed several international conventions to which the United States has refused to join. These included those pertaining to Kyoto, Land Mines, International Court of Justice, and Dum Dum Bullets. The questioner then said with this record, how could the United States claim to be a partner or a leader in world affairs, and how could it deny being hypocritical. Volker responded by saying there is a tendency in Europe to collapse an issue into a process. That participation in a particular process becomes symbolic evidence for a solution. Volker said the United States is more interested in finding solutions than in participating in a process. While not addressing each issue raised by the questioner, Volker did comment on Kyoto by saying that one objection Washington had was that it did not include China and other developing economies that were expected to be the primary source of greenhouse gases in the future. Volker also said the United States is pursuing a number of initiatives directed at climate change that appear very promising, and that in fact it leads several European nations in the reduction of the increase of greenhouse gases. Similarly, in regard to the International Court of Justice, Volker said the United States is pursuing bilateral agreements with as many nations as possible to fulfill the intent of an international system of courts and justice. In his position as second-in-command of the Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs, Kurt Volker oversees strategic planning, congressional relations, and post management for the bureau. His attention is focused on working with Europe to address the common challenges our nations face, based on our shared values of freedom, through instruments such as NATO, U.S.-EU relations, the OSCE, and numerous bilateral relationships. Mr. Volker served previously under former NATO Secretary General Lord Robertson, during which he took primary responsibility for Balkans peacekeeping, defense and nuclear planning, and NATO force and command structure issues. Duke's Center for International Studies sponsored the event along with Duke's Office of the Vice Provost for International Affairs and Development, Duke's Center for European Studies, the Center for European Studies UNC-CH, and the Center for International Studies UNC-CH. Dr. Gilbert W. Merkx, Duke's vice provost for international affairs and development, hosted the lecture. Ms. Deborah Schwartz, Duke's diplomat in residence, introduced the speaker.
UNCW strives to provide a safe environment for all students. There are many campus resources students can utilize to help decrease their risk of harm. Know the Facts - UNCW Alert: Seek official university communications during an emergency. - Fast Facts: Understand and prepare for various types of emergencies and threats to safety, including hurricanes, pandemic flu, interpersonal violence and more. - Quick Links: Your quick guide to the student health services, the Counseling Center, class cancellations and more. Dating and Interpersonal Safety The UNCW Code of Student Life defines harassment as "Unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, or other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature when such conduct (i) constitutes an expressed or implied condition to another person's academic pursuits, university employment, or participation in activities sponsored by the university or organizations or groups related to the university or (ii) is engaged in for the purpose of interfering with such pursuits, employment, or participation, or (iii) creates a hostile, intimidating, or offensive environment for such pursuits, employment, or participation." - UNCW harassment resources: - Share concerns about harassment with professional staff:
Enhancement of Literacy in Afghanistan Country Profile: Afghanistan \|Access to Primary Education – Total Net Intake Rate (NIR)\| \|Total Youth Literacy Rate (15-24 years)\| \|Adult Literacy Rate (15 years and over, 1995-2005)\| \|Programme Title\|\|Enhancement of Literacy in Afghanistan (ELA)\| \|Implementing Organization\|\|Afghan Ministry of Education (through the Literacy Department) and UNESCO\| \|Language of Instruction\|\|Dari and Pashto\| \|Programme Partners\|\|Government of Japan\| \|Date of Inception\|\|2008–2013\| Context and Background Although the Afghan constitution (in particular sections 13, 14 and 44) obliges the government to provide equal access to basic education to all citizens in order to promote development, efforts in this endeavour have been hampered by numerous challenges. In particular, the country has experienced a continuous pattern of violent armed conflict since the early 1970s which has precluded development, intensified poverty and caused widespread destruction of educational infrastructure, displacement of people and emigration of professional educators from the country, all of which have undermined governmental efforts to universalise the provision of education. Efforts to universalise access to quality basic education have also been hampered by poor public funding of education, entrenched socio-cultural practices such as child labour and early marriages and intense opposition to secular education from ultra-conservative Islamists. As a result, many Afghans have been deprived of their right to basic education as manifested not only by the prevailing low primary and secondary school enrolment and completion rates (see above) but also by the low literacy rates among youths (34,3 per cent) and adults (29 per cent). The situation is particularly dire for rural inhabitants and for females, with reports suggesting that only about eight per cent of Afghan women are literate. Regrettably, the lack of educational opportunities and the resultant high illiteracy rates and lack of livelihood opportunities among the majority of Afghanistan’s citizens have been identified as being among the major causes of underdevelopment and the vicious cycles of conflict that have afflicted the country and beyond since the early 1970s. Hence, in an effort to address these challenges, and in particular to combat the scourge of illiteracy and promote sustainable development and peace in the country, the government of Afghanistan and UNESCO initiated the Enhancement of Literacy in Afghanistan (ELA) programme in 2008. The Enhancement of Literacy in Afghanistan (ELA) Programme The ELA programme is an extensive and integrated literacy education and vocational skills training programme which, as noted above, was instituted in 2008 by the Afghan Ministry of Education (MoE, through the Literacy Department) with technical and financial support from UNESCO and the government of Japan. The ELA programme is currently being implemented in 18 provinces (comprising a total of 94 districts) within the context of the Afghan National Education Strategic Plan (NESP, 2006–2010) which aims to rehabilitate and develop the national education system as well as UNESCO’s Life Initiative for Empowerment (LIFE) programme which aims to improve literacy and living standards in Afghanistan. The five-year programme (2008 to 2013) aims to provide quality literacy education to 600,000 youths and adults (60 per cent of whom will be women) as well as vocational skills training and income-generating opportunities to participants who successfully complete the literacy training component of the programme. The ELA programme primarily targets illiterate and semi-literate youths and adults (aged 15 years and above) from socio-economically disadvantaged and often remote communities, primarily because they have been disproportionately deprived of basic educational opportunities and therefore constitute the population segment with the highest illiteracy and poverty rates in the country. Similarly, because the literacy rate among women is only 13 per cent and because women are particularly disadvantaged within Afghan society, the ELA programme aims to enable especially women to have greater access to educational opportunities in order to facilitate their empowerment. As emphasised below, the fundamental goal of the ELA programme is not only to combat the scourge of illiteracy among socio-economically disadvantaged groups but also to promote sustainable development and peace in Afghanistan. To this end, the ELA programme emphasises the following principal and integrated areas of study: - literacy (basic and functional literacy); - vocational or income-generating skills training (in, for example, carpentry, wool processing, tailoring, knitting, crop and animal farming), - life skills or civic education (e.g. health awareness, leadership training, human rights awareness, democratic governance; conflict management and resolution; gender education). Aims and Objectives The adoption of such an integrated curriculum is primarily intended to allow the programme to cater for the diverse needs of learners and their communities in order to enable them to improve their living standards as well as to promote development and peace in Afghanistan. More specifically, the ELA programme endeavours to: - improve the quality of education in the country; - combat the scourge of illiteracy in the country; - promote a culture of learning among Afghans; - promote the development of life skills (including income-generating skills) among Afghans in order to combat poverty and promote social empowerment; - promote a culture of self-reliance; - facilitate cultural preservation and environmental conservation; - support ongoing peace-building initiatives; and to - empower Afghans to actively participate in nation-building activities and processes. Over and above these primary objectives, the ELA programme also aims to build up the institutional and human capacities of the Literacy Department of the Afghan Ministry of Education so that literacy education will be sustained within the country after the completion of the programme. Programme Implementation: Approaches and Methodologies Development of Teaching-Learning Materials In order to facilitate the efficient and sustainable implementation of the ELA programme, the MoE’s Literacy Department with technical support from various stakeholders has developed and produced various literacy teaching-learning materials for use by programme participants. Recruitment and Training of Facilitators As noted above, the acute shortage of educational infrastructure and professional educators constitutes one of the main challenges inhibiting the universalisation of basic education in Afghanistan. In order to address these challenges as well as to ensure sustainable and efficient implementation of the ELA programme, the MoE and UNESCO have, with active support from the local Community Development Councils (CDCs), established community-based literacy centres (CLCs) and recruited about 2,000 community-based volunteers to act as programme facilitators or trainers. Since a majority of these volunteers are primary-school graduates with little or no experience in non-formal educational practices, the MoE and UNESCO provide them with formal induction / pre-service and ongoing in-service professional training or mentoring in various aspects of non-formal education, including: - literacy and life skills; - teaching-learning methodologies; - classroom management; - the development and production of appropriate teaching-learning materials; and - assessment and evaluation of learning outcomes. After being trained, facilitators are obliged to provide training services to an average of 25 learners as well as to assist the programme implementers and the CDCs to mobilise and recruit potential learners into the programme, encourage ordinary community members to support the programme and to manage the CLCs. Each facilitator is paid a stipend of US$88 per month for these services. Recruitment of Learners As with other non-formal educational programmes, the selection criteria for the enrolment or recruitment of learners into the ELA programme are generally flexible and as such, the learners’ prior learning and levels of literacy are rarely considered given that the fundamental aim of the programme is to create learning opportunities for the less privileged and illiterate. In general however, potential learners must: - be over 15 years and illiterate or semi-literate; - be from a poor socio-economic background; - be self-motivated to learn and improve their own and their community’s well-being; - have family support to participate in the programme (this particularly essential for females); and - be a permanent resident of the village. Teaching-Learning Approaches and Methods ELA programme learners are obliged to attend basic and post- or functional literacy classes for six and three months respectively. Learners who excel at these initial literacy training stages are selected and encouraged to attend vocational skills development classes, after which they are provided with microcredit and income-generating facilities. In both situations, the training of learners is predominantly based on learner-centred participatory teaching-learning methods, including group discussions; question and answer; role play and demonstrations. Programme Impact and Challenges Monitoring and Evaluation The ELA programme is monitored and evaluated an ongoing basis by internal (i.e. by officers from the MoE and UNESCO) and external professionals in order to ensure its effective and efficient implementation. With regard to the former, professional teams from the MoE and UNESCO undertake monthly field visits during which they consult with facilitators, members of the CDCs and district and provincial staff to establish the strengths, weaknesses and impacts of the programme. These consultative visits are also used to map mechanisms of improving the programme. Apart from this, the learners’ learning achievements are continuously assessed by facilitators through a series of tests. External professional consultants have also been engaged to evaluate the ELA programme. The evaluation studies that have been undertaken to date indicate that the ELA programme has made some positive and indeed lasting contributions towards creation of literate environments, community development, poverty alleviation, social empowerment, peace-building and rehabilitation of war-torn communities. More specifically, the major impacts of the ELA programme include - Enhancement of Literacy Rates: As of 2010, about 90,000 people in nine provinces had participated in the nine-month literacy classes and about 3,000 youth (aged 15–24 years) who attended and successfully graduated from the initial nine-month literacy skills training course also participated in the vocational skills training classes in diverse areas such as carpentry, wool processing, tailoring, knitting and crop and animal farming. In both cases, the completion rate was 94 per cent. Furthermore, about 92,500 learners are currently enrolled in the ELA classes in the 18 participating provinces. Accordingly, the programme has played (and continues to play) a critical role in enhancing literacy levels in Afghanistan as well as in enabling participants to establish sustainable livelihoods, - Empowerment of Women: As noted above, about 60 per cent of the ELA participants are women. As such, the programme has helped to empower women not only by improving their literacy skills but also by enabling them to engage in viable income-generating activities which enable them to contribute to their families’ livelihoods. Furthermore, learning with other women also created rare opportunities for them to interact with non-family members, thereby empowering them to be active and influential members of their communities as exemplified by election of some female graduates into the Community Development Councils (CDCs), •- Peace-building: By equipping participants with literacy and productive skills and linking them to income-generating opportunities, the programme has not only enabled participants to improve their living standards but has also contributed to promoting peace and the socio-economic rehabilitation of conflict-affected communities. Access to reliable income has also improved people’s resilience to adversity and their self-reliance, making them less vulnerable to being enticed into joining one of various armed groups. As such, the programme is making positive contributions towards nation- and peace-building. - Capacity Building: In addition to literacy classes for learners, a series of capacity-building activities take place each year to strengthen the human capacity for literacy delivery at the central, district and community levels. These include planning, monitoring and teacher training. Such activities have enhanced the potential of these institutions to continue providing literacy education to the people after completion of the ELA programme. Although ELA is being supported by the State, the government of Japan and UNESCO, its full and effective implementation has been impeded by an intense opposition from ultra-conservative Islamists; critical shortages of financial, material and human resources as well as by the prevailing state of insecurity in the country. With regard to the latter, it has been difficult for professional teams and field facilitators to venture deep into the rural areas due to fear of being abducted and killed by the armed groups who oppose the ‘imposition’ of ‘European-style’ education in Afghanistan. Programme participants, especially women, have often been targeted and killed by insurgent groups, thereby discouraging others from enrolling in the programme. The acute shortage of female facilitators has also hampered the participation of women because female classes can only be taught by female educators. Furthermore, constraints of financial and material resources have also been exacerbated by the fact that the ELA programme is by far the largest and perhaps somewhat over-ambitious literacy interventions in Afghanistan. It has been observed, for example, that it is practically impossible to train 600,000 illiterate people over five years in a country as poor and insecure as Afghanistan. In light of these challenges, some analysts argue that the training provided to learners fails to effectively equip them with sufficient skills. - UNESCO: The pilot programme of enhancement of literacy in Afghanistan - UNESCO Press Release: The official agreement on the ELA signed by the Afghan Ministry of Education - UNESCO: The ELA and Skills development Programme in Afghanistan Last update: 12 November 2013
Tips for Managing Your Inbox An inbox full of unsorted, unmanaged emails can clog the system and slow down access to your messages. There are three things you can do to manage your email, whether you use Webmail or a desktop email program: clean, organize, and filter. Delete what you won’t use — Stockpiling messages in your inbox slows you down in two ways; you spend time searching through large quantities of email and it makes the server work harder. Empty trash and spam folders — Many email programs keep emails you've deleted in the trash folder. This takes up space on your account, so remember to empty your trash regularly and delete the contents of your spam folder. Manage your sent-mail folder — If you automatically save copies of sent messages, remember to delete ones you don't need. Email conversations frequently include your original message. Archive old messages — If you want to archive old messages, create storage folders on your local computer and compress and save old emails there. Caution: Archiving messages to your local computer does not guarantee the preservation of your files. Make sure to regularly back up your hard drive to preserve your archived messages. Create and use folders — Create and use folders to sort and store information you want to keep. This not only helps organize your information so you can find things more quickly, but it also it helps your inbox stay at a manageable size. Download attachments — Since email attachments take up a lot of space, it's a good idea to save attachments to your local computer and then delete the message from your inbox. If you need to save both the email message and the attachment, save them both to your computer and delete them from the server. Unsubscribe from all those advertisements — When you purchase something online, you are often automatically signed up for that company's mailing list. In no time, you'll be getting dozens of unwanted advertisements per day. Each of them should have an unsubscribe link at the bottom — follow that link to remove yourself from those mailing lists. - Automatically filter your messages — Your inbox may become overloaded with messages if you leave it untended. Set up filters to automatically sort incoming messages into specific folders instead of your inbox. Check your email program's help on how to set up preferences or rules for email filters. Last updated August 9, 2012 @ 3:51 pm
“If Person A steals a bike from Person B, then Person A is riding a bike to school, and Person B is walking. A is better off at the expense of B. That is clear-cut and most people’s view of theft. In Serge’s case, think of being at a company for three years and you carry a spiral notebook and write everything down. Everything about your meetings, your ideas, products, sales, client meetings—it’s all written down in that notebook. You leave for your new job and take the notebook with you (as most people do). The contents of your notebook relate to your history at the prior company, but have very little relevance to your new job. You may never look at it again. Maybe there are some ideas or templates or thoughts you can draw on. But that notebook is related to your prior job, and you will start a new notebook at your new job which will make the old one irrelevant. . . . For programmers their code is their spiral notebook. [It enables them] to remember what they worked on—but it has very little relevance to what they will build next. . . . He took a spiral notebook that had very little relevance outside of Goldman Sachs.” The real mystery, to the insiders, wasn’t why Serge had done what he had done. It was why Goldman Sachs had done what it had done. Why on earth call the F.B.I.? Why coach your employees to say what they need to say on a witness stand to maximize the possibility of sending him to prison? Why exploit the ignorance of both the general public and the legal system about complex financial matters to punish this one little guy? Why must the spider always eat the fly? And I'm still waiting for Liars' Poker to be made into a movie.
Winner announced here The Competition is organized every year and has been held since 1991, receiving more than 3 million entries from children in over 100 countries. The theme of this year's competition was “Green communities". The organizers invited children all over the world to submit their paintings to the UNEP office in their regions. Ended: 29 February, 2012 The Brussels based United Nations Regional Information Centre for Western Europe - UNRIC provides information on UN activities to the countries of the region. It also provides liaison with institutions of the European Union in the field of information. Its outreach activities extend to all segments of society and joint campaigns, projects and events are organized with partners including the EU, governments, the media, NGOs, schools and local authorities. United Nations Regional Information Centre for Western Europe (UNRIC Brussels) Residence Palace, Rue de la Loi/Wetstraat 155, Block C2,7th and 8th floor, Brussels 1040, Belgium Tel.: +32 2 788 8484 / Fax: 32 2 788 8485
Roundup is a highly toxic herbicide containing the active ingredient glyphosate. Glyphosate is a non-selective herbicide which means that it kills most plants by preventing them from making certain proteins required for their growth. Monsanto produces Roundup and the seeds that grow into genetically engineered (GE) plants that are tolerant to glyphosate. Worldwide Roundup sales are approximately $6B annually. They are projected to be $9B by 2019 due to the demand created by the company’s proprietary Roundup Ready genetically modified crops. Roundup destroys all life in the soil. It kills all microbes that would typically help in plant growth by providing nutrients and protection from diseases. Sugar is required for production of bioenergy and other metabolic processes taking place in our body cells. Though sugar is an important part of our diet, the simple fact is that our consumption of sugar largely exceeds our body’s metabolic needs. The modern diet contains approximately 50-80 grams of sugar and most of it is derived from fructose. Fructose is metabolized differently in the body than glucose is. Present in soft drinks and most types of processed food and sweets, the consequences of excessive fructose consumption are dangerous and it has been associated with an increase in diabetes, heart disease and many other health problems. The drugs intended to reduce blood pressure, correct arrhythmias and some forms of heart disease are the most commonly prescribed drugs in the US. One in every three adults, or approximately 75 million people, is diagnosed with high blood pressure in the US and many more have pre-hypertension. About 15 million people have some form of irregular heartbeats or arrhythmias. The most commonly prescribed drugs to treat these and other conditions are the so called “channel-blockers” or “agonists” which include calcium, sodium and potassium channel blockers. Worldwide sales of these drugs have reached $6 billion. In the United States, calcium channel blockers are the eighth largest drug class in prescription sales.
Frequent sex: Does it protect against prostate cancer? Medically reviewed by Drugs.com. Last updated on Nov 2, 2018. At this time, there is no conclusive evidence that frequent ejaculation reduces the risk of prostate cancer. Some studies have suggested that men with a higher frequency of ejaculations may have a slightly lower risk of prostate cancer. However, this difference appears to be very small. Other studies haven't supported this conclusion.
Quality is a key value Quality is critical in our business and we’re committed to providing products that comply with all applicable regulatory requirements. Rene Hogenboom, Sr. Director, Global Quality, explains Quality Management at DSM Biomedical Quality people and processes equate quality products Years of experience and a high level of expertise have given DSM a comprehensive understanding of how the body reacts to foreign materials placed inside it. This enables us to design materials that are compatible with the body’s physiology. For DSM, the definition of quality includes a thorough understanding of the rigorous requirements for medical devices and the assurance that our materials will help manufacturers develop devices that sustain, restore or repair. Our commitment is demonstrated through our high-quality materials and their ongoing use in products that benefit millions of people worldwide. We comply with all applicable regulatory requirements, like the ISO 13485:2016 quality standards. Material Master Files for many of our products have been submitted to the FDA and appropriate agencies in Europe. Quality is built into our processes and confirmed by in-depth quality checks throughout our processes (as defined in our ISO-compliant integrated quality management system). Our state-of-the-art facilities include dedicated application labs, world-class analytical departments, and work with cGMP compliant manufacturing facilities and biocompatibility assessment facilities. Among our 22,000 employees are some of the world’s brightest scientists and biomedical engineers. Working in our sophisticated research facilities, these dedicated individuals have repeatedly found innovative solutions to the tough challenges facing medical device manufacturers and biopharmaceutical companies.
How to Carry on a Galaxy S6 Conversation via Texting Texts stored sequentially are old-school. Your Galaxy S6 keeps track of the contact with whom you’ve been texting and stores each set of back-and-forth messages as a conversation. In the bad ol’ pre-Galaxy S days, most mobile phones would keep a log of your texts. The phone kept the texts that you sent or received in sequential order, regardless of who sent or received them. In the following figure, you can see that the first page for messaging holds conversations. After you start texting someone, those texts are stored in one conversation. Each text message is presented in sequence, with the author of the text indicated by the direction of the text balloon. Note the Enter Message text box at the bottom of the screen. With this convenient feature, you can send whatever you type to the person with whom you’re having a conversation. In the bad old days, it was sometimes hard to keep straight the different texting conversations you were having. When you start a texting conversation with someone else, there is a second conversation. Before too long, you’ll have multiple conversations going on. Don’t worry. They aren’t the kind of conversations you need to keep going constantly. No one thinks twice if you don’t text for a while. The image here shows how the Messaging Home screen can look before too long. It is easy to change the font size of conversations. To make the fonts larger and easier to read, use the stretch motion. Use the pinch motion to make the fonts smaller so you can see more of the conversation.
Chapters in the History of Organized Labor in Texas. by Allen, Ruth The University of Texas, 258pp. Original printed wrappers. Wraps soiled, top corner bumped, else clean and very good. Various incidents in Texas labor history including a chapter on the first and only cowboy strike that occurred in 1883. Book Id: 20518
The seminar will offer a space to discuss together some of the most relevant themes of the contemporary graphic design scene, with a mix of theoretical lessons and open discussions with the group. At their greatest, designers are participants in the creation, critique and dissemination of culture. An intensive exploration into interactive style with information, objects, and spaces, developing on DES 2460 and 3800. These publications have layouts that illustrate theories and diagrams Graphic style also applied to layout, formatting, illustrations and charts. The participants were usually wonderful artists and reformers: Arp, Grosz, Heartfield, Duchamp, Ernst, Schwitters, and so on. This central financial help is deeply rooted in the countrys history: artists have enjoyed a comparatively high social status given that the Golden Age of the Dutch monarchy. In light of the elevated inventive interplay currently amongst architects and interior and graphic designers, it is not surprising that an architectonic style of graphics has come to typify the American Post Modern day style. Much more than any other form of art, graphic design and style straight reflects the prevailing historical, financial, political and social contexts. In the field of graphic design and style and visual communication, aesthetic and artistic practices can invent and introduce imaginative spaces for revealing and challenging cultural and political obstacles and limitations. Of course, the Web offers limitless space for self-expression, and Dutch designers are zealously embracing it. There has by no means been a smaller gap among new and old media. The styles exposed in the show are a mirror of contemporary Italian visual language. Intelligent, stunning and informative, Aesthetica is one particular of the leading publications for art, design and style and photography. We are most proud of the trust that designers have given us. We could under no circumstances have got to the artistic level we so promptly reached, devoid of the help of the designers!
After 10 years of successful activities the Bulgarian Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Credit Line (BEERECL) is concluding its operations. Under the facility more than €150 million in loans were provided to private businesses for nearly 300 projects which involved about €230 million investment costs. Launched in 2004, when Bulgaria was preparing for EU membership, BEERECL was designed to help address challenges in the energy sector like high energy intensity, high dependency on imports, rising end-user energy prices and the decommissioning of units 1 to 4 of Kozloduy Nuclear Power Plant. Investments under the framework have led to savings of one terawatt hours per year and carbon emission reductions of 710,000 tons per annum. These savings are equal to the combined household electricity consumption of 890,000 people or the residential electricity consumption of the Bulgarian cities like Plovdiv, Varna and Burgas combined. The estimated carbon emission reductions are equivalent to taking 390,000 cars off the road. Daniel Berg, EBRD Director, Bulgaria, said: “We are very proud about what has been achieved. This is reflected in the impressive figures, but BEERECL has also had a real impact in changing the mind-set of many businesses and banks and put energy efficiency and renewables very high on the public agenda. This growing interest in energy savings is vital for improvements to strengthen local companies’ competitiveness.” BEERECL’s results could not have been achieved without the work of consultancy experts who prepared more than 300 technical assessments. Energy audits were provided to clients free of charge and were crucial in determining the course of action for the implementation of energy efficiency measures or the switch to renewables. The facility was designed and launched by the EBRD supported with a €35.2 million grant from the Kozloduy International Decommissiong Support Fund (KIDSF). The grant funding was dedicated to project preparation and verification and incentives to sub-borrowers and banks. Participating commercial banks over the past 10 years were Allianz Bank Bulgaria, DSK Bank, Eurobank Bulgaria (Postbank), Piraeus Bank Bulgaria, Raiffeisenbank (Bulgaria), UniCredit Bulbank, Unionbank and United Bulgarian Bank. To recognise excellence in the field of energy efficiency, BEERECL for the last time in its history assigned its Sustainable Energy Excellence Awards in course of the farewell event held today. The winners were: 1. Most Effective Industrial Investment Award: IHB Electric JSC, Sofia IHB Electric JSC (former Elprom ZEM) is the largest manufacturer of rotating electric machines in Bulgaria. The company took a BEERECL loan of €47,920 and received a €7,188 KIDSF grant to replace five ageing machines with one new induction copper welding machine. The new equipment improved the company’s operations and competitiveness and the work environment. The energy costs for welding operations fell by 73 per cent annually while water, labour and material costs were also reduced. Annual carbon emissions were 81 tons lower. 2. Most Innovative Investment Award: Delta Textile Ltd, Ruse Delta Textile Ltd produces socks for popular global brands. The company received a €840,000 energy efficiency BEERECL loan and a € 126,000 KIDSF grant. The project replaced 49 knitting and 12 sewing machines with 34 new state-of-the-art knitting machines. These machines boosted revenues significantly by increasing the production of higher quality socks, reduced waste and lower operation and maintenance costs. Energy costs per unit of production were cut back by 36 per cent and carbon emissions were reduced by 380 tons per year. 3. Most Effective Agricultural Investment Award: Kemapul Ltd, Svishtov Kemapul Ltd invested a BEERECL loan of €130,739 to replace inefficient old tractors and received €19,611 KIDSF grant for this project. With the implementation the time to complete field processes was reduced, allowing the farm to finish work at the optimal time and higher quality. Labour costs, diesel fuel expenses and maintenance and repair costs were reduced. 4. Food Sector Energy Savings Award: Fiesta 13 Ltd, Pleven Fiesta 13 Ltd is a confectionery and food retailer in Pleven. The company used a €174,053 BEERECL loan and a KIDSF grant of €26,108 to renovate its building and energy systems. The project included installing thermal insulation, efficient windows and doors, a solar water heating system, air-to-air heat pumps and a natural gas boiler for space heating and cooling as well as a modern ventilation system. Annual energy costs were reduced by 67 per cent and carbon emissions were lowered by 530 tons per year. 5. Most Effective Building Investment Award: Mototehnika Jsc, Sliven Mototehnika Sliven JSC runs an automobile service centre in Sliven. To improve its building’s energy efficiency the company used a €27,800 BEERECL loan and a €4,170 grant from KIDSF. The measures included exterior wall thermal insulations, double glazed windows and energy efficient metal doors. Electricity costs were cut by 47 per cent and carbon emissions were reduced by 160 tons per year. At the award ceremony Terry McCallion, EBRD Director for Energy Efficiency and Climate Change, said: “Apart from the projects that we celebrate today, we are also delighted to honour the efforts made by our partner banks to promote energy efficiency and low-carbon through their lending practices. BEERECL was the EBRD’s first ever sustainable energy financing facility and based on the successful experience in Bulgaria, we have provided over €2 billion in sustainable energy financing in 20 countries with annual carbon emissions reduction of over 4 million tons”. Increasing energy efficiency and sustainability remains a priority for the EBRD in Bulgaria and the Bank will continue its support with financing and an active policy dialogue. Since the launch of the Sustainable Energy Initiative in 2006, the EBRD has provided over €643 million for energy efficiency investments in Bulgaria with a total project value of close to €2.4 billion.
WHAT IS COMPOSITE DECKING MATERIAL MADE OF? Composite decking is a man-made alternative built with recycled wood fibres, recycled plastic, and bonding agents. It is therefore eco-friendly as well as being low-maintenance and having a longer lifespan than traditional wood decking. To answer to the demand of wooden coloured decks or patios, composite decking can now simulate different wood types, including exotic hardwoods which are not typically available with traditional wood decking. WHAT IS THE AVERAGE COST OF COMPOSITE DECK? On average 26.50£ per square foot with installation. Homeowners can expect to pay between 6,820£ to 15,150£for a full composite deck, these prices depend on factors that either increase or decrease the total installation cost. For the craftiest of homeowners, average deck prices without installation go from 5.30£ to 7.50£ per square foot, in that sense not employing professionals can lower the costs, but most often than not contacting a decking professional would be better to ensure the quality of the results. Extra accessories such as lights, benches or specifics of decking professionals, might increase the costs more if added. IS COMPOSITE DECKING MORE EXPENSIVE THAN WOOD DECKING? On average, wooden decks cost between 11£ to 20£ per square foot to install with cedar wood (one of the most expensive) at about 23£ per square foot. Composite decking costs about 23£ to 34£ per square foot. Composite decking is more expensive than traditional wood decking. For a full deck, most composite decks start at 6 820£, while most wooden decks can be built for about 3 800£. WHAT COLOURS ARE AVAILABLE FOR COMPOSITE DECKING? While traditional wood decking has more options with colours and patterns, composite decking comes in diverse colours with patterns and added grain to make them look more like real wood. Composite decking’s colours can be sorted into four wide colour categories: grey, light or medium brown, dark brown, beige and red. IS COMPOSITE DECKING BETTER THAN WOODEN DECKING? Today a majority of decks are built with wooden boards since wood is less expensive than other types of decking in is initial costs. However, the main reason why people choose composite decking is for the low maintenance costs needed. Both have their advantages: wooden decks are easier to install but composite decking is less expensive concerning maintenance costs, which makes composite decks less expensive on the long run without the risks of crack or splinter. IS COMPOSITE DECKING SLIPPERY? Wooden decks are more likely to be slippery when wet than composite decking. Composite decking has the advantage, as a man-made material, to have a textured finish to make them less slippery. Slippery surfaces are caused by algae growing on wood or other organic surfaces, however, algae can’t grow on composite materials, causing it to not be slippery after the rain. Although, when in winter, ice and snow are still slippery either on composite of wood decking. HOW LONG DOES A COMPOSITE DECK LAST? Composite decking due to its resistance to weather’s impact, insects and rotting or staining lasts about 25 to 35 years or longer while traditional wood decks have a shorter lifespan (10-15 years) before they lose some quality. WHAT IS COMPOSITE DECKING’S IMPACT ON THE ENVIRONMENT? Composite decking is surprisingly eco-friendlier than wood decking. Wood needs to be pressure-treated to be a decking material for it to resist outdoor flooring use and resistant to insects. To do so, its need to be treated with chemicals which prevent it to be recycled or burned. To be labelled “eco-friendly”, materials must be produced in a way that it doesn’t have a negative impact on the environment or the labour involved. Unlike wood, composite decking is majority made by using recycled plastics such as milk jugs, grocery store bags, cleaning supplies containers, shampoo bottles ect., combined with recycled woods (like scraps from door frames, lumber, cabinet pieces, and windows trim). Furthermore, the process of making composite decking is waste-free and use no toxic elements, as well as contributing to reducing the protection of the air, by using materials that would otherwise be burned in incinerators. DOES COMPOSITE DECKING EXPAND? If spaced incorrectly, composite decking may crack or split along the edges, since like most decking woods, they need space for expansion or contraction. Furthermore, during summer, composite decks expand more than wooden decks on its lengths, which has to be taken into account when installing the deck. Even though composite decking is a man-made combination of wood and plastic, it isn’t indestructible and can be scratched easily if careless. CAN YOU SEAL COMPOSITE DECKING? Typically, sealing the surface of composite decks after cleaning isn’t necessary, but it is popularly suggested. By doing so, homeowners can get several more years of usage out of it before needing to clean it again (unlike doing it every 6 months like previously mentioned). DOES COMPOSITE DECKING GETS HARMED OUTSIDE? Composite decking to stay at a high-quality level needs to be properly able to dry, for example by being slightly angled away from walls to deck jointure. Otherwise composite decking unlike wood won’t absorb water, instead, water trapped under the decking or on the joists stay there until rotting and decay rather than being released in the air. CAN YOU USE COMPOSITE DECKING INSIDE? While composite decking was primarily designed for the outdoors, but it is originally similar to laminates which are used indoors. In that sense, they could be used for indoor flooring even though it is an unpopular option. DO COMPOSITE DECKS FADE? Composite decking is made to be fade resistant, but it may fade over time under strong sun UV rays, so it could be turning slightly lighter in terms of colour tone after a few decades. CAN YOU BURN COMPOSITE DECKING? Composite as it is made from wood and plastic, can still be burned like natural wood materials. It’s very important for your safety to avoid having open flames near the deck. DO COMPOSITE DECKS FEEL HOT? The main complaint from homeowners with composite decks is that it becomes very hot under direct sunlight, especially darker coloured decks which absorb the heat and get to higher temperatures faster. However, due to the recent evolution of composite decking, this problem has been resolved so as to help homeowners in the summer appreciate their decking area. CAN A FIRE PIT GO ON A DECK? To install a wood-burning fire pit on a flammable deck safely, you need to create a no-burn zone under and around the pit while keeping it away from furniture, plants, trees, railings, pets or children or anything that could be harmed by the fire. The fire pit in itself must be in some type of flame-resistant surface so has to hold the fire pit and catch the sparks safely. HOW TO REMOVE OIL FROM COMPOSITE DECKING? If you’re planning for an outside kitchen in your decking area, keep in mind to keep the followings near you when cooking to remove oil spills. By using a scrub brush, vinegar, baking soda and a bucket of warm water, you can easily clean oil before it stains your composite deck. CAN YOU PUT SALT ON A COMPOSITED DECK? Normally, salt won’t damage composite decking and is even recommended by many manufacturers, to use rock-salt against ice on decks. It’s very efficient and the drying effect of salt on the decking is minimal, and salt can even be used as a scouring powder. However, since composite decking can be scratched, it’s better as to not rub or press salt too forcefully on composite decking. Salt, while not harming your deck, might leave a chalky residue on top, which can make the deck look dirtier than it is. To remove the salt residue, rinse the deck with a garden hose, with high-pressure water for a fast and efficient result. You can also use any household cleaner with only a small amount of phosphoric acid. HOW TO REMOVE ICE FROM COMPOSITE DECKING? If during winter, your deck gets covered by snow or ice, you will need a plastic shovel (with no metallic edge), a bucket of hot water and rock salt to safely remove it from your composite deck. When you finished removing loose snow, press slowly, gently and upward on the ice edge on your deck. While doing it gently makes it a slow task, chipping the ice edge with the shovel could damage the deck permanently. Then pour a bucket of hot water on areas that you can’t finish, as it will melt the thicker sheets of ice to finish cleaning it with a shovel. Finally spreading rock salt on the last spots of ice and afterwards on the deck so it doesn’t build up again. The salt will be easily removed with a garden hose when not needed anymore. IS COMPOSITE DECKING WATERPROOF? Many composite decking has features that make them waterproof, such as: - Full waterproof material capping surrounding the board so as to protect the above and under core. This feature will make it a non-slip surface as well as moisture resistant. - Co-extruded capping which is capping bonded to the core of the board to make sure it won’t peel or crack and be damaged by water. – Hidden fasteners inserted into the groove in the side of the board, screwed into the substructure, this way no screws actually pierce the surface of the board itself, leaving above capping intact to resist water impact. - Hidden fasteners inserted into the groove in the side of the board, screwed into the substructure, this way no screws actually pierce the surface of the board itself, leaving above capping intact to resist water impact. CAN YOU PAINT COMPOSITE DECKING? While the colour of composite decking is supposed to last for decades, some homeowners prefer to paint it so has to refresh the colour or change the look of their deck. To do so, one must first clean their deck of the debris, dirt, leaves ect., with clean water and soap. Then, when its dry and with visibly no defects, cover surrounding plants, concrete, grass that you don’t want to stain by mistake and start painting with a high-quality composite deck stain. To make sure the paint will work properly stir the stain thoroughly and evenly before starting to paint. With other products such as oil-based stains, ask for the help of a professional so as to not develop cracks by mistake on your deck. Once the staining is finished, apply a coat of composite deck finish and wait about 30 minutes before brushing any excess paint on the deck. HOW DO YOU MAINTAIN COMPOSITE DECKING? To maintain composite decking, you need to clean it bi-annually gently with soap-and-water in general cases, cleaning dirt and debris from the deck is easy and won’t take time. However, here is a list of things that might damage your deck if left uncleaned : - Chalk may discolor the surface if used - Ice and snow may scratch the deck if not removed gently - Oil, food stain or grease should be cleaned as soon as possible with a hose and warm water with soap - Pollen and dirt if staying on the surface too long can develop into mold, again warm water and soap should be enough to clean them. Try to not pressure wash your composite deck as it is softer than natural wood and can be damaged by high pressured water, and can then chip and get damaged by the sun more easily. To prevent mold from developing under your deck, clean the gaps thoroughly at least once a year so the air can pass between the board to keep the underside dry.
Tar-Amandil was the third ruler of Númenor (UTI/219). Many centuries later a second, more famous, Amandil was the last lord of Andúnië and the father of Elendil, and was therefore ancestor of the kings of Gondor and Arnor (LotR/1035-6, S/271-3). This name is a compound of Aman and the suffix -(n)dil “lover”, and thus means “Lover of Aman”. Conceptual Development: When this character first appeared in the “Lost Road”, his name was ᴹQ. Elendil “Elf-friend”, while his son was called ᴹQ. Herendil (LR/57). In “The Notion Club Papers”, the character was given the Adûnaic name Ad. Arbazân >> Aphanuzîr, while his son was named Ad. Nimruzân >> Nimruzîr “Elf-friend” (SD/389-90), so the meaning of the father’s name shifted to his son. The contemporaneous Quenya names for the characters also shifted to ᴹQ. Amardil and ᴹQ. Elendil (SD/356). The final form Amandil did not appear until quite late in the development of the Akallabêth (SD/382).
A new animation film was released by Expo 2020 Dubai, showcasing the ghaf tree, and how it symbolises Expo 2020's message of unity and collaboration. The animated short film tells the story of 'Salama', a wise character based on a real-life ghaf tree preserved on the event's site due to its value as the national tree of the UAE and symbol of peace and the ability to bring people together. The film follows the life of Salama as she witnesses the UAE through the ages, including the country's unification, through to the present, and then looks towards the exciting future that Expo 2020 represents. Salama represents a beacon of safety for travellers and visitors and, as a meeting place for many generations, helps to forge understanding and tolerance, therefore symbolising Expo's theme of 'Connecting Minds, Creating the Future'. Similar to the UAE, she grows and flourishes under all circumstances. The film concludes with Salama perched on a hill overlooking the site of Expo 2020, which will bring together the world for six months from 20th October 2020.
Amongst the front-line staff at Thames Reach, those undertaking outreach work on the street or managing our hostels for rough sleepers, there is always a sense of relief when the Christmas period is behind them. It was an article that demanded an equally uncompromising response, for which the New Statesman was willing to provide a platform and I took the opportunity of writing a rebuttal. Before the piece was completed however, there was an additional, grotesque twist to the debate. A distraught colleague alerted me to the fact that the image used alongside the article, that of a young man, arm outstretched holding a cup, was of a former homeless man who she had supported. He had tackled his heroin problem and been clean for years, living successfully in a council flat before starting to use again for a short period before tragically overdosing and dying. I included this shocking and distressing information in my original piece for the magazine. Regrettably, the New Statesman was not prepared for this bitter supplement to the story to be included though they did, with alacrity, remove the picture of the young man. I have re-produced below the original, unexpurgated version intended for New Statesman. I hope that as 2018 progresses we will see fewer deaths of homeless people on our streets. But until we face up to the fact that the disproportionate supply of food, clothing and hard cash given out on the street are magnets, inexorably drawing people back to a place where the risks to their health and well-being are immense, I fear this horrible cull will continue unabated. Of course, homeless people are in desperate need of food, clothing and money along with access to proper healthcare, support to address addictions and settled, safe accommodation. But where, how, when and in which combination support is given is critically important. Getting this wrong really can make things worse, and in the context of the brutal existence which is street homelessness, for worse, read dead. Alan slept rough in south London. Toni, an outreach worker from my organisation, Thames Reach, met up with him most weeks. Over time she broke through his innate suspicion and painstakingly built up his trust. Sometimes, with her help, Alan would move into a hostel, but never for more than a few weeks. His life was chaotic, dominated by heroin dependency which was remorselessly destroying him. Toni’s attempts to help him enter drug treatment were always thwarted by his mistrust of services and, she suspected, fear of failure. Toni also had to contend with the countervailing forces drawing Alan back onto the street. The most powerful of these was the magnet of begging. Sitting outside Lewisham station, Alan was able to beg enough money in two hours to buy a wrap of heroin. There was never a shortage of local dealers prepared to do business with him. Rough sleeping is an incapacitating existence. It took its toll on Alan’s health which, one winter, deteriorated alarmingly, culminating in Alan’s sudden, tragic, death from pneumonia. He died at his begging pitch, his body cradled in the arms of another rough sleeper. Thames Reach’s outreach teams work across London every night of the year. Last year we helped 1,237 people find accommodation and end having to sleep rough. It’s challenging work. Almost 2,000 of the rough sleepers met and assessed by outreach teams working throughout London in 2016-17 were drug dependent, with heroin, crack cocaine and spice the dominant substances. Outreach workers get to know homeless people very personally through nightly contact. Their resolve to help people off the streets is driven by their knowledge that sleeping rough can kill. Equally, an understanding of the impulses that lead people to beg means that outreach workers' responses to the tossing of coins into a proffered cup ranges from bafflement and resignation to outright anger. The facts speak for themselves. On occasions when the police arrest people for persistent begging, more than 70 per cent routinely test positive for crack or heroin. Many homelessness charities, including Thames Reach, have supported campaigns asking the public not to give to people begging. Instead, we have encouraged donations to be made to local charities or, where a person is believed to be sleeping rough, for a referral to be made to the StreetLink website so that the person can be assisted by an outreach team. These are primarily public awareness campaigns. Yet the public’s propensity to give money to people begging seems undiminished. Too often, we witness situations where former rough sleepers are making progress in tackling an addiction, but are sadly overwhelmed by the temptation to return to the street to beg for drug money. It is perverse that as Christmas approaches and the largesse of the public swells, we must be especially vigilant because of the increased risk of overdoses among people begging on our streets. When we say to the public, “your kindness can kill”, we mean it. Recently the New Statesman website ran an article entitled “Why you should give money directly and unconditionally to homeless people”. The glib nihilism of this piece, which singled out Thames Reach for criticism, was shocking, encouraging the kind of mindless giving that works so powerfully against the efforts of outreach workers. Its casual bleakness was best illustrated by the approval given to the sentiment, spoken by the founder of User Voice, a charity staffed by former addicts, that “if your money funds the final hit, accept the person would rather be dead “. And then an additional, bitter layer was added to our shock at the callousness of the article. A distraught colleague contacted me because she recognised the young man in the picture accompanying the on-line article, the image showing him sitting on the pavement holding a cup, arm stretched out in supplication. He was someone she had supported and who had successfully stopped using heroin and settled into a flat but who started using again, overdosed and died. To quote her directly: ‘He would be mortified as he relapsed for such a short amount of time before his death after being in recovery for years. He wasn’t street homeless either, he died in his own council flat of an overdose, so this article is terribly ironic’. To its credit, New Statesman rapidly removed the picture. To witness the death of people through overdoses, knowing they have bought the drugs primarily with money raised through begging, as we have at Thames Reach, is devastating for our staff. Indeed, the article was a kick in the teeth for all the committed teams from homelessness charities working directly with street homeless men and women who will not acquiesce to the inhuman fatalism which assumes there is some kind of death-wish gripping people begging to buy drugs.
How can we have a meaningful conversation? We all talk together but meaningful conversations don’t happen all the time. Is there anything to help us to do so? Of course, there are some steps that you can follow to have a good effect on the other person you are talking to. Sit down in a quiet place: When talking, you don't want to be interrupted by surrounding noise. Because of this, choose proper times for sitting outside so the noises of cars and birds will not overwhelm you. If you choose to stay inside, remember to have a private setting for the conversation and have a chair/seat that is comfortable so you won't be interrupted by awkward pain. Choose an interesting topic: If you want to attract your listener then you should start talking about something that even yourself enjoy talking. Most people will instantly know when you are lying. This is not a good character and you lose the interest of your listener. We don’t like people who are always disagreeing with us. So, try to accept the facts that your other partner talks about. Look at them: While talking if there is no cultural prohibition try to look at the speaker’s eyes. This shows that you are really listening and care about the conversation. Mumbling is a sign of covert anger, resentment, disrespect, or sadness. If you feel awkward in the discussion, say so without resorting to mumbling; it is better to avoid any confusion. Let go of distractions: If there is anything distracting you while talking then get rid of them. Turn off your cell phone or turn off that television that you don’t watch and only the noise is interrupting. Be honest in your listening: Don’t just pretend that you are listening. Be compassionate and sympathetic in the conversation so you can keep the conversation alive. There can be other things to affect your conversation and keeping it nice and smooth, but whatever you do be honest, compassionate and interested in the talking with the other person in front of you. Whatever the purpose of your conversation is to try to enjoy it too.
A New Year is once again upon us. But whether 2004 will be happy or glum still is pretty much an open question. What is not in doubt, however, is that 2004 will be a pivotal year. Seeing the future isn’t so easy. So for some of us, the start of a new year traditionally is a time for retrospection, although looking backward isn’t risk-free either. As the late baseball legend Leroy “Satchel” Paige once put it: “Don’t look back. Something might be gaining on you.” (Whether the current U.S. Secretary of Education, Rod Paige, is any kin to the Major Leaguer cannot be told, but it might be said that both became famous for their pitching skills.) Paige–the ball player–had it right. What’s gaining on us, in my view, is sharp, technology-powered competition from around the globe. America’s mounting debt grinds away at our ability to prepare our teachers and students for the global economy. Meanwhile, other nations ramp up their commitment to high-tech education. Such programs are under way in parts of Europe, South America, the Far East, and on the Asian subcontinent–including, most especially, in India. Most Americans, it seems to me, have the feeling that the United States is far out in front of the rest of the world–especially when it comes to technology. Little that our leaders are doing or saying serves to undercut that debilitating misperception. Almost weekly, I talk to representatives of organizations with a global perspective. We discuss innovative technology programs under way in nations and education ministries around the world. Increasingly, the news is about programs and technologies one, two, or even three years ahead of where we are here in the United States. As far as I can tell, this gathering competitive advantage elsewhere is not based on any true, pervasive technological superiority–at least, not yet. (The fact that our current tenuous status depends so heavily on imported scientists and technicians, however, is not a source of comfort.) Rather, the rising challenge from overseas seems to derive from a clearer recognition elsewhere of what technological sophistication means to a nation’s economic and security interests. Contrasting the accelerating programs “over there” with our own stalled or declining ones throws a lengthening shadow over our long-term prospects. Right now, to be sure, an emerging developmental gap is only just becoming clear, but it isn’t likely to narrow by itself. Worse yet, awareness of this unsettling situation seems all but nonexistent here at home. In fact, the actions of our leaders–cutting millions intended for technology training for teachers, for instance; retarding the flow of investment in education technology through the eRate, for example–would make you think we can afford complacency. We can’t. The ill effects of an emerging tech-prep gap, combined with labor issues, already have diverted hundreds of thousands of U.S. jobs to other countries. High productivity levels–currently the single shining star in our economic firmament–are the direct result of investments in education and infrastructure made during the 1990s. Now–as you can read in report after troubling report throughout this issue–those investments are being dialed down, giving way to priorities deemed by some to be more pressing. Security, health, and levels of taxation are important issues, to be sure. But America–provided it is blessed with wise leaders–is a nation that can serve and protect its citizens in the short term without selling short its need to prepare the next generation to succeed in a high-tech future. It depends on leadership. Beginning on page 34, you can read about the men and the woman who want our votes for president this year. Deciding who will be president for the next four years is no small responsibility, but Washington is not the only place–and some might say it is the last place–to look for leadership. As always, the future depends most importantly on us. Now, for better or worse, we have a whole new year to make a difference. And as we grapple with that daunting task from day to day, we might do well to consider yet another sage saying of Satchel Paige: “You win a few; you loose a few. Some get rained out. But you got to dress for all of them.”
Honeywell to modernize 21 FAA buildings Honeywell has announced a facility infrastructure modernization project at 21 Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)-operated facilities across the United States. Officials said the project will create 95 related jobs over the course of the program and is expected to help the FAA reduce the energy use in those facilities by nearly 10%. The project will be funded through a combination of an Assisting Federal Facilities with Energy Conservation Technologies (AFFECT) Grant from the Department of Energy and a 23-year, $10.8 million energy savings performance contract (ESPC). The ESPC will enable the FAA to fund the upgrades using annual energy and operational savings guaranteed by Honeywell, eliminating the need for upfront capital investment. Honeywell will lead work for the multi-phased, facility infrastructure upgrades to air traffic control towers (ATCT), terminal radar approach controls (TRACON), and air route traffic control centers (ARTCC) at 21 locations across the FAA’s Central Service and Eastern Service areas. The project will enable the FAA to address deferred maintenance to critical building systems, reduce overall energy costs, and implement renewable energy sources. “Aging infrastructure can be crippling to an organization’s annual budget and hinder its ability to meet organizational goals,” said John Rajchert, president of Honeywell Building Solutions. “Our work with the FAA is a prime example of how energy savings performance contracts are a valuable tool to help customers address critical building needs without further hindering capital budgets. That’s a winning solution.” The project will focus on upgrading infrastructure and industrial processes at FAA Air Traffic Control facilities to make the buildings more energy and operationally efficient. The work includes: • Installing solar panel arrays to help power FAA facilities • Installing energy-efficient LED lighting • Upgrading building automation systems for improved HVAC control According to Honeywell, the project is slated to be completed by the summer of 2018 and is expected to help reduce the FAA’s energy use by more than 6 million kilowatt hours per year.
Agreeably, consumers do not consume products for material utilities but consume the symbolic meaning of those products as portrayed in their images. For the customers of a product, there can be those who emphasize human relationships while at the same time, others have a preference for the acquisition and possession of material goods (Claxton and Murray, 1994). According to symbolic interactionism, society is continuously produced and reproduced through the processes in which individuals interact with symbolic representations of what is around them (Ibid, 1994). From this interactionism, the said individuals adhere to an interchangeable mechanism that enables them to substitute objects and subjects so as to function effectively in differing physical and social scenarios. This is the basic mechanism through which people understand themselves and their standing in a given society. Consequently, materials/products have a significant role for people not just by their own standing but also for helping individuals identify themselves and their roles as well as position in society. In order to understand materialism that in turn drives consumption, it is important to first understand the origin of the concept. Essentially, materialism arises from the sociology of interchangeability described. This is the genesis of person's assumed roles as well as their mechanism for adapting in a society. It means that consumption is significantly correlated to how such a person then functions within the society/community. In this paper, the focus will be to discuss how the symbolic meaning attached to a product goes beyond the material satisfaction derived from it. In addition, there will be relevant examples to aid in illustrating these stances. Materialism as relates to consumption can be understood as the basic driver of people's satisfaction in life, their general happiness and also an indicator of whether they are progressive or not (Claxton and Murray, 1994). The way individuals view materialism is also significant in that, it determines whether they appreciate objects over subjects and vice versa. Essentially, a person who deems materialism to be positive, he/she is bound to want to accumulate material products for themselves. Conversely, a person who views materialism as negative, is more likely to value human relationships instead and thus he/she will have little or basic demand for products or material goods (Ibid, 1994). Underlying consumption in terms of the consumer therefore, can be understood as an interplay of the personal values held in as far as materialism is concerned. Further, these belief or views on materialism are determined by some underlying factors such as the religious beliefs, cultural assumptions, upbringing, education as well as social status. To illustrate, religious people such as Quakers and puritans believe that materialistic consumption is but an outward expression of the exploitation of workers (Ibid2, 1994). Puritans in particular, believe that materialism is a hindrance to spirituality and thus products are deemed only necessary for survival and excesses in terms of consumption are frowned upon. On the other hand, the so-called bourgeois or the aristocracy, view common goods as inferior and thus there is a deliberate effort on their part, towards differentiating their tastes form the common place products in “lowly' markets. Today, the distinction in the consumer market may not be as distinct to warrant the classifications of Bourgeois or Puritan but rather, there are people who seek status or prefer higher quality of life through products while at the same time, even among these, some will still look for ‘bargains' for certain commodities. To illustrate some college friends may insist on dressing in strictly designer clothes but when looking for school books, they will know the places to get them for cheap as well. The ordinary consumer of this day and age, better fits to this description and not the described classes that seem to have slowly vanished. For the product marketer, it is essential that they take a more open-minded stance from the role assumed by the consumer. This is to say that, while they may have their preferences at a personal level, when dealing professionally, they must be objective in the classification of consumers' tastes and preference in order to be effective marketers. In addition, they must evaluate the underlying factors of cultural beliefs, religious orientation as well as social class and standing in targeting particular consumers of products. Given such need for objectivity, the marketer can thus benefit most, if he/she regarded materialism from a purely business angle and not wish to be drawn into the details of how and why people consumer at different preference. However, it is important to understand the human identities inherent in the things that they choose to consume. Indeed, human identities are more resident in objects as indicators of their culture and social category more than they are valuable materially. From this background, product marketers and manufacturers have increasingly called upon experts such as product designers so as to understand the meanings that people attach to the symbolism of materials they purchase. The end objective is to allow them insights into how best to target the identified market or customer niche and a key term here is product semantics. Essentially, product semantics are defined as the ‘meanings” attached to products and these vary from person to another (Kurosu, 2011). Basically, the mentioned underlying factors lead to different consumers attaching different meaning to a similar product on offer. This in turn has a direct influence on the choice and successful purchase of what is being sold by the marketer or manufacturer (Ibid, 2011). Product semantics therefore, aims to study the meaning of regular symbols as applied in regular products. This helps in creating a human oriented approach to consumers and thus marketing becomes more effective in terms of conveying intended meaning on the products on offer. Perhaps the best example for illustrating how symbolic value becomes more important than the material value of a product, is the work of creative artists. Townley and Gulledge inform that for this category of products, such as artwork and music, the aesthetic qualities are more significant than the economic aspect attached to material involved (Townley and Gulledge, 2015). The nature of value in market goods from the creative industry can be correctly said to have higher or more significance on the symbolism attached to them than the material aspect of the same. For example, the preference of say, Scottish writing is more symbolic than it is material. This again goes back to the symbolic interactionism that defines the value a person places on products or goods such as books of Scottish writing design or origin. The marketing Association appreciates the significance of symbolism and it is more important role than the material aspect in as far as the consumer is concerned. Essentially, the Association states that, the meaning of a product is not intrinsic in the object because the meaning attached to it, is that which is defined by the society (Management Association Information Resources, 2014). It means that through products people attach meaning to life and thus society's symbolism is important in choice and preference over and above the material value of a good. Indeed, according to the Association, such “intrinsic” value does not exist in an object/product (Ibid, 2014). In addition, it can be said that the consumer today, does not purchase a product merely, due to material value but also from the projected symbolic value. The symbolic value as illustrate comes from society and interactionism within it. Wilson takes it a step further and informs that there has even emerged a category of products preferably, referred to as “symbolic goods' (Wilson, n.d). In essence, these are the intellectual and artistic goods and that are chiefly the possession of the upper class as well as institutions such as the state and the church (Ibid, n.d). The legitimacy of these products lies not in their material value or composition but rather on the “consecration” offered through their symbolic value which is in turn enforced by the said institutions and class. Artists and intellectuals are therefore forced to produce for the purposes of the symbolic value of their work and not necessarily the material value of products produced. For this reason, Art and artistic work/products, are increasingly demanded to appeal to the intellect as opposed to the materiality of what is produced and marketed by extension. To illustrate, Artists today have even broken the custodial barriers of Museums and churches and the success they have found is attributed to the relevance of personal stories as well as the symbolic value they are able to tease out of unique experiences and lives. Artists and Artwork as become autonomous and products such as shows, CDs, videos and tours are bought primarily out of the symbolism depicted by the respective artists. The value is not intrinsic of itself but must also come from the society that consumes the work or products. In conclusion, product symbolism as discussed, is more important than the material value attached to products. This is true of the consumer in the product market today as it was in the days of snotty hard-nosed aristocrats and bourgeois people. Essentially, the value of a product goes beyond mere material value but must find value through what it symbolized. This symbolic value on the other hand, is purely the creation of society and it dictates the acceptability or rejection of such a product. ...(download the rest of the essay above)
Test Your Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Detectors Winter is known for more than just the busy holiday season and colder temperatures. Fires and carbon monoxide poisoning are more common, so you need to take precautions with your HVAC systems. Smoke and carbon monoxide (CO) compromise your indoor air quality and puts you and your loved ones at risk. Keep your family safe and test your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors now. Need new detectors or help with installation? Call Estes Services today to schedule maintenance on your HVAC systems. Our NATE-certified technicians can instruct you and install your detectors in the appropriate locations. Also, they can check to make sure your furnace is not leaking CO. If he or she detects a malfunction, he or she will alert you immediately to next steps. The Importance of Early Detection Detecting a fire or carbon monoxide leak early will keep your family, home and valuables safe. Smoke detectors are designed to identify potential fires in your home and save you from physical harm or damage to your property. According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, close to 2,000 people die in residential fires every year. The heat doesn’t travel as fast as the smoke and deadly gases during a fire. Many residential fires happen overnight and residents are unaware until it’s too late to escape. A smoke detector is your first line of protection against fires. It emits a shrill alarm when it detects smoke, which can give you the time you need to get to safety. Carbon monoxide is an odorless, colorless and poisonous gas which kills over 150 people every year. CO detectors keep track of carbon monoxide levels in your home and alert you when the levels are hazardous. This deadly gas is a byproduct of burning fuel to heat a house or from a gas-fueled appliance. Common sources of carbon monoxide leaks include: - HVAC systems - Gas-fueled appliances and space heaters - Wood-burning stoves and fireplaces - Unvented fireplaces - Kerosene heaters and - Leaky chimneys. Schedule Maintenance on HVAC Systems Checking your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors and scheduling HVAC maintenance early will keep the risk of CO leaks and fire low. Our NATE-certified technicians look for potential problems with HVAC systems to prevent safety issues later. Carbon Monoxide can seep out of HVAC systems through small cracks or holes. We ensure your equipment is dependable and no areas are damaged where CO can leak. HVAC maintenance includes an inspection of all electrical connections. We tighten and lubricate loose components or those experiencing friction when moving. By inspecting and repairing compromised areas in HVAC systems, we can reduce the risk of fire when your unit is in operation. Take the first steps to keep your family safe and check your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors. Call Estes Services to schedule maintenance on HVAC systems. Because we care about the safety of you and your family, 0ur technicians are licensed and NATE-certified. They have the knowledge, training and experience to keep your home and family safe this winter.
Indigenous Elders can have a broad range of positive effects on the mental and physical health of urban Indigenous people who often experience marginalization and barriers accessing health care, according to a study in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal) http://www. In urban settings, such as Vancouver's Downtown Eastside, where the study was conducted, Indigenous people often feel excluded from mainstream health care services because of experiences with racism, lack of cultural understanding and other marginalizing factors. In particular, mental health services which have not been adapted to serve the needs of Indigenous people, may not be welcoming. Elders, respected for their leadership, wisdom, compassion, dedication to healing and other positive qualities, play important roles in providing mental health support to Indigenous Peoples. "Access to Elders as part of routine primary care offers one important avenue for meaningful participation in cultural practices that can improve Indigenous patients' care and help reduce inequities," writes Dr. George Hadjipavlou, Department of Psychiatry, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, with coauthors. The qualitative study, which explored patients' experiences and perspectives as part of a larger project, included 37 participants from 20 different First Nations who were interviewed about the impact of Elders on their mental health. Five broad themes were identified: - Healing after prolonged periods of seeking help and desperation - Strengthening cultural identity and belonging - Developing trust and opening up - Coping with losses - Engaging in ceremony and spiritual dimensions of care as a resource for hope. The study adds to the body of (non-Indigenous) knowledge describing the positive effect of Elders on mental health. Its findings support the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada's recommendations to include Elders in health care to improve the health and care of Indigenous patients. "Our findings are consistent with research showing that the inclusion of Elders in health care initiatives led to a reduction in teen suicides, decreased rates of domestic violence, improved quality of life, reduced depressive and trauma symptoms, and improved understanding and trust between Indigenous and non-Indigenous staff and patients," write the authors. The study was funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, Pathways to Health Equity for Aboriginal Peoples Grant. "'All my relations': experiences and perceptions of Indigenous patients connecting with Indigenous Elders in an inner city primary care partnership for mental health and well-being" is published May 22, 2018.
People in Kyoto turned up to the historic Shimogamo Shrine on Saturday to mark Girls' Day. March 3 is Hina Matsuri, or Girls' Day, in Japan. Families with young daughters often display a set of hina dolls on a tiered staircase. At the UNESCO World Heritage shrine, a man and woman dressed in ancient court-style costumes played the roles of Odairi-sama, or Emperor doll, and Ohina-sama, or Empress doll. They placed paper dolls into reed baskets, which they set afloat on a stream. Children from a local kindergarten also put paper dolls into the water and sang a song celebrating the festival.
External iliac artery. A. iliaca externa. Second branch of the common iliac artery; it continues as the fermoral artery. A Inferior epigastric artery. A. epigastrica inferior. It arises dorsal to the inguinal ligament and passes upward to the inner surface of the rectus abdominis. It produces the lateral umbilical fold and anastomoses with the superior epigastric artery. A B Public branch. Ramus pubicus. Branch that supplies the pubis. A Obturator branch. Ramus obturatorius. Branch anastomosing with the pubic branch of the obturator artery [[corona mortis]]. A Accessory obturator artery. [A. obturatoria acces-soria]. Obturator artery occasionally arising from the inferior epigastric artery. Cremasteric artery. A. cremasterica. Branch that supplies the cremaster muscle in the spermatic cord. It corresponds to the artery of the round ligament of the uterus. Artery of round ligament of uterus. A. liga-menti teretis uteri. It supplies the connective tissue and smooth muscle of the round ligament. AC Deep circumflex iliac artery. A. circumflexa iliaca profunda. Branch taking a curved course posterolaterally along the iliac crest beneath the transversalis fascia. A Ascending branch. Ramus ascendens. It ascends between the transversus abdominis and internal abdominal oblique muscles to McBurney's point. It anastomoses with the iliolumbar artery. A Femoral artery. A. femoralis. It extends from the inguinal ligament to the popliteal artery, with which it is continuous. B Superficial epigastric artery. A epigastrica su-perficialis. It arises distal to the inguinal ligament and courses on the abdominal musculature toward the umbilicus. B Superficial circumflex iliac artery. A. cir-cumflexa iliaca superficialis. It proceeds parallel to the inguinal ligament in the direction of the anterior superior iliac spine. B External pudendal arteries. Aa. pudendae ex-ternae. Usually paired arteries that supply the lower abdominal wall and the external genitalia. B Anterior scrotal branches. Rami scrotales anteriores. Branches that supply the scrotum. B Anterior labial branches. Rami labiales anteriores. They supply the labia. B Inguinal branches. Rami inguinales. Branches that supply the inguinal region. B Was this article helpful? Before we start working on how to get six pack abs in six weeks, there should be clarity in our mind about the need for six abs. Ones' personality is the key to his interaction with others. How we look, increases our confidence and boost up our self esteem. It's just not a person’s own confidence that goes up, but the other people around him also have more confidence in a fit and a healthy person.
A Fairy Tale from the French Alps: Fairy Sisters Want to Marry Once there lived two brothers who were twins, Each was as beautiful and handsome as the day itself. They were proud and courageous. No one was their equal in all the kingdom. One evening as they were returning home from the annual market, they had to traverse an immense forest. It was the summer month of July and almost nine o’clock in the evening. The moon was full. Suddenly the two brothers could hear bright, ringing laughter coming from within the bushes. They pulled on the reins of their horses and stopped. “Listen, brother, do you hear that sound!” the older one asked. “Yes, it sounds like the laughter of a young maid, a bright, cheerful sound.” In that very moment two young beauties emerged from behind the bush. They were dressed in gold and silk and were as lovely as angels. “Good evening, young gallants!” their voices rang out like bells. “Good evening, young maidens!” was the reply. “We are not maidens. We are fairies and twin sisters. You are twin brothers. If you marry us, we will make you as rich as the sea and will give you many children, who are as beautiful, strong and brave as you yourselves are.” The older brother said “Let’s marry. I will take the older twin.” “Yes, let’s marry. I will take the younger one,” the younger brother said. “Good,” both fairy sisters replied. “We will marry tomorrow morning, bright and early. Now go home but at daybreak you must already be standing at the church door facing the forest. Make sure that you neither eat nor drink in the meantime. If you do, a great misfortune will befall us.” “Fairy sisters, your words shall be followed!” And the twin brothers rushed home. They did not talk; they went to bed without eating or drinking. At two in the morning they got up and silently left the house. “Quickly, quickly! We have just enough time to reach the church at the edge of the forest.” On the way, the twins passed a corn field. The corn was almost ripe. Without thinking, the younger brother picked an ear, took a kernel and pressed it between his teeth to see if it was completely dry. Before day broke the two stood before the church at the edge of the forest. The doors were open, the altar was decorated and the candles were lit. Both fairies were waiting. They were dressed as beautiful brides , each wearing a white dress and veil, a wreath of flowers on her head and a fragent posy tied into her belt. “My friend,” the younger of the two fairies said sadly, “You forgot that you weren’t supposed to eat or drink. Now you have caused a great misfortune to befall us. By marrying you, I would have become a woman like all others. But now I must remain a fay forever.” With that the younger of the two fairy twins left the church and her groom never saw her again. The priest read the mass for the older twins. Then the younger brother spoke to the couple “Fare thee well! I am going far away and shall enter a monastery as a monk. Tell my father and my mother they will never see me again.” And with these words he departed, while his older brother took his bride home to his parents. In the evening before they went to bed, she said to her husband “Listen! If you love me then pay heed. Never call me fey or crazy. If you do a great misfortune will befall us.” “Dear wife, don’t worry, I will never call you fey or crazy.” For seven years they lived happily as man and wife. They were as rich as the vast ocean, lived in a castle and had seven children. One day the husband went to the annual market and the wife stayed behind to act on his behalf. It was mid-July. The weather was beautiful, the grain was almost ripe. The lady of the castle looked out and gazed at the heavens. “You man servants and maid servants, up and out!” she cried. “Quickly cut the grain! A storm and hail will soon be here!” “But lady, what are you thinking? It is the most wonderful weather in the world and the grain isn’t even ripe.” “Do what I say, quickly! Hurry, hurry!” The farm hands followed her orders. They were still working when the master of the house returned from market. “Wife, what are the workers doing?” he asked. “They are doing what I ordered them to do!” the wife replied. “But look, wife, the cut grain isn’t even ripe. You must be crazy!” As soon as these words were spoken, the wife got up and left. In the same evening, hail and storm ravaged the entire land. Despite it all, the fay returned to the castle every morning. She entered the room of her seven children, and while crying combed their hair with a golden comb. “You must never tell your father, that I come every morning at dawn to your room and comb your hair with a beautiful golden comb. A great misfortune will happen if you do.” The children replied “Mother, we will never tell!” But the father was amazed at the beautifully combed hair of his children. Every morning he asked “Who combed your hair so beautifully, my little ones?” And his children always said “It was the servant girl.” But the father remained skeptical. One evening when he went to bed he hid himself in the room of his seven children. When dawn broke their mother came and while crying, combed their hair with a golden comb. The man lost control “My poor wife,” he called. “O come home, I beg you, come!” But she vanished as fast as lightening. From then on neither the husband or his children ever saw her again. Translation Copyright FairyTaleChannel.com Please read and enjoy this article. Pass on to friends or link to. Please do not plagiarize, copy or pilfer. Thanks and enjoy!
There was a fun article on the NPR webpage yesterday about summer teen movies and how they are, basically, movies about a crime spree. I have to admit, my knee-jerk reaction to just about any teen movie is to mentally chronicle the crimes that are being depicted, going back to when I first saw Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. Perhaps that reveals something deep about my chosen career path. Regardless, there is, I think, an important lesson in this observation. When we watch these movies, such as Ferris Bueller’s day off, the audience’s reaction is not “Arrest the Scofflaw” but, rather, sympathy with the main character in the movie. Why is that? Why do we, as audience members, forgive criminal conduct when it’s done in the name of teenage fun? This is an important question for people accused of a crime because the only meaningful difference between a moviegoer and a juror is whether the person was compelled to learn about the subject of the movie or trial. So why does the audience root for the person committing a crime when watching these movies? If you have questions about how federal criminal charges are different than state criminal charges, please visit this page on Maryland federal criminal charges or Washington DC federal criminal charges. The answer, I think, is not terribly deep. It’s because people watching a movie sympathize with the person in the movie. They’re disposed to sympathize with him or her by the nature of the movie (and there’s some self-selection there, folks probably wouldn’t shell out $10 to watch a film that was sympathetic towards, say, Stalin). By contrast jurors are disposed not to sympathize with the person accused of a crime (for the most part). Another part of it, of course, is that the person’s life is put into context in a movie. Often, in a criminal trial, the lawyers forget or are unable to show the jurors who the defendant is as a person. When the only thing the jurors hear about is the one regrettable day in that person’s life, they’re less likely to cast a sympathetic eye toward him. As I’ve said before, it’s important to have people sympathizing with you. Much of this is forced on criminal defense lawyers by the rules of evidence and how narrowly the elements of most offenses are construed by the courts. But I think the real lesson of Ferris Bueller is that people will root for you and sympathize with you if they understand a little bit about you. Also, life moves pretty fast. You don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.
Before you venture into home buying, you should review the types of mortgage loans that are available, as there are quite a variety . Please use the information below as a guideline to help you determine which would be the best mortgage loan for you. A study conducted by Consumer Financial Protection Bureau estimates that half of mortgage borrowers do not shop around, while 47 percent do not even compare lenders. There are a wide range of options available in the market for the types of loans to choose from. Your decision to choose types of loan can make or break you as a loan seeker (borrower). Basic knowledge of loans available for mortgages is very essential. If you think you need a check on the types of loans available in the US market, keep reading below. Types of loans for mortgages: The following options are available to choose from when looking for mortgage loans in the US. A conventional home loan is a regular type of loan available in the market. It is not insured or guaranteed by the government and can be either fixed or adjustable. It only adheres to the rules and regulations set by your financial institution. Government insured loans Government insured loans are of the 3 following types: - FHA (Federal Housing Authority) mortgage Loans: These are available to all types of borrowers and are not limited to first time buyers only. Under FHA loans, the government insures the lender, in case of defaults by borrowers. The program exclusively allows users to make down payments at only 3.5 percent (on perchance price). However, at the end of the day, you may end up paying more amounts in the mortgage than the actual price. - VA Loans: The department of Veteran Affairs in the US offers this program exclusively to the family members of the military service members. Like FHA programs, VA loans are also under federal government insurance. The best part of VA loans is that borrowers are eligible to receive 100 percent financing, without any down payment charges! - USDA/RHS Loan: These loans are designed specifically for borrowers from rural areas, and who hardly meet their minimum income requirement. This program is managed by the Rural Housing Services which is also part of the department for agriculture. Furthermore, as per law, the borrower’s income must not cross 115 percentage of the adjusted AMI. The federal government created the Home Affordable Modification Program to aid homeowners who are a victim of defaulting. The program helps to fix your mortgage loans payments in such a way that it does not equal more than 31 percent of your monthly salary. More info. here. Also known as Home Affordable Refinance Program, these programs were designed to help underwater homeowners with the opportunity to refinance their home mortgage at a lower interest rate. These are some of the essential types of loans that are available in the US market for mortgages. It is recommended that you further research each program before you decide to settle into mortgaging your house or the vehicle of your dreams. More info. here.
Millions of Americans go to the hospital each year for reasons that are often necessary and unavoidable. Whether we fall, get sick, or hurt ourselves in a number of different ways, going to the hospital for medical care is something that we simply can’t avoid. However, the same cannot be said for a substantial fraction of people who are readmitted to hospitals each year. Hospital readmission is not only extremely costly and harmful to the patient, it can be easily avoided with proper care and precaution. Although there are many factors that can play into the need for a hospital readmission, the most common reasons for them are poor discharge and transition processes, improper home care, and a lack of patient support. For the elderly, hospital readmissions are much too common and can lead to future health complications. So how can you prevent costly and harmful hospital readmissions for your aging parents? The answer is easier than you may think. Below is a brief list of tips that you should follow in order to reduce costly hospital admissions for your aging parents. Before you leave the hospital As your parents prepare for discharge at the hospital, make sure you are educated in the health status of your parents before they go home. Many hospitals are over crowded and may discharge parents before they are ready. Make sure your parents health is stable enough for home recovery before you take them home. Once your parents health is stable enough for discharge, speak with the medical professionals to ensure you understand the status of their health, as well as what you need to do once they are home. This may seem straight forward, but many people do not receive a sufficient amount of information about their parents before they go home. You can never ask too many questions, and the worst situation you can find yourself in is not knowing what to do when there is no one there to help you. What to do once you are home Next, ensure that your parents have proper home care during their recovery. Aging adults are often readmitted to hospitals as a result of complications that arise after their discharge from the hospital. This means that understanding how to care for your parents at home can play a vital role in their health and can be the difference between a healthy recovery and readmission. Don’t know what to do? Get help from home care professionals such as the FirstLight Home Care caregivers. The simple act of having a little extra help can make a big difference in your parents recovery, and it can help ease the worry that is involved with taking care of ailing parents. Additional Tips from a Certified CNA: 1. Follow directions the doctor gives you – Administer medications at the same time each day – Perform treatments and exercises as directed 2. Keep area of wound sterile to avoid infection – Actively change bandages with sterile hands – Monitor the wound and take notes on how it is healing 3. Limit patient’s movement after serious injuries – Don’t rush the recovery as it will only aggravate the injury – Play on the safe side when performing new exercises making sure your parents are healthy enough to perform them
Elasmobranchii (sharks and rays) > Rajiformes (Skates and rays) > Rajidae (Skates) > Rajinae Etymology: Dipturus: Greek, di = two + Greek, pteryx = fin (Ref. 45335). More on author: Whitley. Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range Marine; bathydemersal; depth range 160 - 765 m (Ref. 114953), usually 400 - 550 m (Ref. 6871). Temperate; 28°S - 44°S, 112°E - 155°E (Ref. 114953) Indo-West Pacific: southern Australia, from Western Australia to New South Wales. Length at first maturity / Size / Weight / Age Maturity: Lm ?, range 127 - ? cm Max length : 184 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 114953) Occur over soft bottoms of the continental slope (Ref. 7300, 75154). Mainly feeds on small bony fishes (Ref. 114953). Oviparous (Ref. 50449). Eggs have horn-like projections on the shell (Ref. 205); egg cases ca. 19 cm long (Ref. 114953). This species reaches maturity at ca. 13 years. Length of mature males at ca. 120 cm TL; young hatch at ca. 26 cm TL (Ref. 114953). Life cycle and mating behavior Maturity \| Reproduction \| Spawning \| Eggs \| Fecundity \| Larvae Oviparous, paired eggs are laid. Embryos feed solely on yolk (Ref. 50449). McEachran, J.D. and K.A. Dunn, 1998. Phylogenetic analysis of skates, a morphologically conservative clade of elasmobranchs (Chondrichthyes: Rajidae). Copeia 1998(2):271-290. (Ref. 27314) IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 120744) CITES (Ref. 115941) Threat to humans ReferencesAquacultureAquaculture profileStrainsGeneticsAllele frequenciesHeritabilityDiseasesProcessingMass conversion Estimates of some properties based on models Preferred temperature (Ref. 115969 ): 7.8 - 10.8, mean 9.5 (based on 33 cells). Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref. 82805 = 0.5000 [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high]. Bayesian length-weight: a=0.00282 (0.00128 - 0.00621), b=3.24 (3.06 - 3.42), in cm Total Length, based on LWR estimates for this (Sub)family-body shape (Ref. 93245 Trophic Level (Ref. 69278 ): 4.0 ±0.6 se; Based on size and trophs of closest relatives Resilience (Ref. 69278 ): Low, minimum population doubling time 4.5 - 14 years (Assuming fecundity<100). Vulnerability (Ref. 59153 ): Very high vulnerability (85 of 100) .
Windows is an operating system which has provided a lot of help and support to the people who use devices such as a computer, laptop, tablet, and so on. There are numerous solutions that the Windows provide to its customers but it is very important that the users must keep on updating the OS for proper functioning. While updating it can happen that the users might face Windows 10 Update Error 0x80242006. It is one of the most annoying errors in the complete OS errors list. It mainly restricts you from getting an update for the OS. It is very important that the users of the Windows OS must solve this Windows 10 error 0x80242006 as soon as possible. The more this error stays in the system of the users, the more it creates problems for the users and affects the functioning of the OS. Reasons for Windows 10 Update Error 0x80242006 Windows is an OS used by a lot of people and it is very easy to understand which gives it a quality of being utilized by the people of all age groups. The reasons for which the Windows 10 Error 0x80242006 is faced involve numerous but there are mainly two reasons due to which this error is faced by the users of Windows OS. - Distribution Database on Windows Defender is Broken - Stoppen BITS Service - Broken Database of Windows Defender We suggest the users follow the steps that are listed below for the procedure to solve this error in the Windows OS. All the steps are effective and they would provide sure-shot solutions for the error 0x80242006 in Windows 10. Steps to Solve Windows 10 Update Error 0x80242006 There are mainly 4 methods through which this error can be solved by the users manually. All these steps are unique and they provide complete help for the problem at every step. The users can select the methods according to their ease. Method 1: In this method, you need to start BITS Manually - To start with the process, type services.msc command on the Cortana Text Field and tap on the Enter button to launch Services. - A window opens on the screen of the PC with a list of services. Moving ahead, locate Background Intelligent Transfer Service or BITS in the window which is open on the screen. - Double-click on the option and as the dialogue box appears on the screen, click on Start. Once the process starts, click on Apply and then click on OK so that the process of BITS start. Once you are done with the process, try to update the windows and check if the update completes successfully. If the Windows 10 error 0x80242006 still shows on the screen then you can try the next method. Method 2: You must rename the Update Folder through the Batch Files - For this, on the Cortana Search, type Notepad and hit Enter to launch it. - When the notepad shows up the PC Screen, copy and paste the below text in the space given on the screen. net stop wuauserv Ren Download Download.old net start wuauserv - Once you are done with inserting text, click the File option. From the menu which would appear on the screen, click on Save As option. - Now, name the file as RenameUpdate.bat and tap on Save button to continue. - Once done, locate the batch file which you have saved on your computer. Right-click on the file and from the list which is open in front of you, click on Run as Administrator. - As you do so, it will run and update the Windows as the process completes. If the error still continues, you need to use the next method. Method 3: It involves running Windows Update Troubleshooter - In this method, you need to click Windows and I key to launch the built-in settings program. - On the homepage, search and click on the option Update and Security. - Now, click on Troubleshoot on the left sidebar on the window which has been opened. - Once done, select Windows Update and click on Run the Troubleshooter button from the screen. - As you will do so, the troubleshooter will scan the system and repair the damaged database. In case, this method does not work then you must move to the next step to solve Windows 10 error 0x80242006. Method 4: In this method, you need to Disable the Windows Defender - In this method, you need to open the Start Menu and type gpedit.msc on the Cortana and click on Enter. - Now, navigate the path as shown below. - Computer Configuration => Administrative Templates => Windows Components => Windows Defender Antivirus. - After that, Switch to the Corresponding side, locate and double-click the setting named Turn Off Windows Defender Antivirus. - Once another window opens, select the option Enabled. As you are assured of the process, click on the Apply button and wait till you see OK option on the screen. All these methods can be used by the users to solve Windows 10 Update Error 0x80242006. Similarly, if you face some other issue such as Windows 10 Loading Very Slow Issue then you must visit our website.
Sushi done right is a wonderful thing, but those who have a refined palate can tell immediately when they are biting into an inferior piece. Like many methods of food preparation, sushi prep is an art form and there are a lot of things that can go wrong. Learning the tricks of the trade is essential before you pick up the knife and begin to make sushi for the first time. Making sushi is far from easy, but practice these techniques and you will be able to create luscious sushi that will be as good as any you have tried in a restaurant. - Know What You Are Going to Add Before the First Cut There are many ingredients to a properly made piece of sushi other than the fish and rice. Vinegar and seaweed may be needed, but more exotic ingredients such as a spicy mayonnaise or other sauce may enable you to make a signature piece. All of these items should be well within reach because you will need to make several pieces at a high rate of speed and there is no time to go looking for an ingredient. - Make The Rice First Before working with any of the seafood components, you will need to make the rice first. Not only is the rice the only part of the recipe that you actually cook in many recipes, but it needs the opportunity to cool down significantly before you can begin to make a piece of sushi with it. Remember to use the proper equipment when making rice as just boiling it in a pot will not have the desired result. The rice will be perfect to work with when it is only lukewarm and still very sticky. Remember to keep your fingers very wet when shaping the rice to ensure that the rice does not clump or stick to you when you roll it or ball it up. - Use The Proper Equipment You should not make the cuts of sushi using just any knife. It requires a set of knives specially made for the purpose that has a very sharp edge. You will also need a rolling mat, as just doing on on a cutting board may create an uneven shape or rough texture that will be aesthetically displeasing to even the casual sushi fan. If you are making rice, noodles, or sheeting make certain that you have the right sushi machine for making the mouth-watering recipe. - Appropriate Handling Of Fillers Proper handling of fish and other seafood fillers is of the utmost importance both for safety and flavour. Since the meat is not cooked, it must be frozen for one full day to kill any bacteria or parasite is may have received from the animal. Before you make any cuts, rub in a fine grain seas salt and let it sit for 30 minutes. This flavours the meat and also makes it safer to eat. After this, the meat should be rinsed with pure cold water and patted dry before sprinkling with rice vinegar. - Cut Precisely and Roll Carefully Each piece of sushi will need to be sliced differently in accordance with the standards of that piece. Keep the chart in front of you so that you will know the difference between a cut of Maki and that of Salmon. Once you have your fillings measured and cut in the proper amounts, you will need to make rolls deliberately and at a good pace. It may be the slowest part of the entire process. When rolling seaweed rolls, remember that you will need to keep the shiny side of the seaweed away from you as you roll. Just like when you were working the rice, make sure that your hands are moist to prevent sticking.
PETALING JAYA: Muslimah fashion industry players in Malaysia have noticed that Muslim women in the country have become increasingly fashion conscious, giving them new challenges. Their observations are in line with a recent report by marketing portal Mumbrella Asia, which cited a study titled “The New Muslimah: Southeast Asia Focus”. The study found that Muslim women in Southeast Asia were becoming not only increasingly cosmopolitan but also more religiously observant, creating both opportunities and challenges for market players in the region. The survey, carried out by the Asia unit of J Walter Thompson’s Innovation Group, took into account the views of 500 Muslim women in Indonesia and 500 in Malaysia. FMT contacted a company selling prayer garments for women (telekung), a T-shirt company and a company selling Muslimah clothing and asked them to comment on the challenges they faced. Telekung TEA owner Areej Torla said the increasingly fashion conscious market did not pose much of a challenge for her. Most of the time, she said, it was just a matter of tweaking the colours and motifs of her telekung. However, she acknowledged that it was still important to keep up-to-date with the latest fashion trends. “Sometimes, women prefer pastel colours during a particular period, and we also have to ensure that the motifs on the telekung are in line with current trends.” On the other hand, Mardiah Mat Saad, who runs a company selling T-shirts for Muslim women, said business had become increasingly difficult for her. Mardiah, who operates Hilyah Designs with members of her family, said T-shirts weren’t exactly what fashion conscious customers were interested in most of the time. “When you’re talking about women’s fashion, you usually mean dresses and blouses,” she said. “You don’t really think about T-shirts. “It’s extremely difficult to market our T-shirts to those who are fashion conscious and most of the customers we do get are loyal customers who are more interested in the quality of the cloth as opposed to fashion.” She said Hilyah’s T-shirts were made of cotton to enable better sweat absorption. “We cannot focus on those who are fashion conscious,” she said. “Our focus is more on the simple Muslim women who think about practicality over fashion.” The owner of Gadis Kurung, who declined to be named, told FMT that her challenge didn’t lie in keeping up with trends, but in competing with celebrities who had gone into the fashion industry. “Trends are easy to follow,” she said. “The real challenge is that most of the Muslim women here are not only fashion-conscious, but also brand-conscious. “They prefer to buy clothes sold by famous celebrities than those sold by small unknown players. “That’s why many who want to run their own businesses will try to get some sort of fame first and you see this happening most frequently on Instagram.”
The Madeleine Hermitage in Räsch near Düdingen is carved into the cliffs above Lake Schiffenen. It consists of different rooms measuring 120 metre in total. In 1448 there is a first mention of a hermitage in the hamlet Räsch. From 1609 the hermit is referred to in records. Most of the digging work has however been accomplished by hermit Johann Dupré and his helper Johann Liecht between 1680 and 1708. Today the hermitage belongs to Düdingen Parish. To avoid its collapse and to preserve it for the public, the parish has conducted extensive renovations in 2005/06. The hermitage is a site of special geological interest, but it was only lately discovered: The uneven, wave-like floor is a sign of fossil dunes created by a tertiary sea. Following the work from 1680 to 1708 natural erosion brought the initial sand shape to the surface. As a consequence the visitor moves on dunes that bear evidence of a 20 million year old sea in Fribourg. The site has been declared worthy of conservation on the ground of its geological importance.
This medium-size town is an easy day trip to the east of Alexandria. Rosetta (Rashid in Arabic) flourished after the Arab invasion of A.D. 640, which put an end to the Roman administration of Egypt and the dominance of Alexandria over the North Coast. The town did particularly well under the Ottoman Turks, who conquered Egypt in 1517. As the easiest Egyptian port to reach from Istanbul, it received a disproportionate benefit from the trade with Turkey. Top Places to Go in 2019 The Best of the Caribbean The Best of Mexico Cruise Inspiration: Top Picks All Destinations » Cruise Inspiration: Top Picks The Best of the Caribbean The Best of Mexico Cruise Inspiration: Top Picks All Trip Ideas » Deals & Bookings Tips & News How to Craft the Perfect Itinerary for Any Destination Air Travel Cruise News Entry Requirements & Customs Car, Bus, Rail News Money & Fees Health, Insurance, SecurityFAQs Frommer's Translator Store All Tips & News »
Benzene, also called phenyl hydride, is a volatile organic compound (VOC) that occurs naturally from volcanic eruptions and forest fires, but also is a man-made chemical used to make plastics, resins, dyes, detergents and petroleum-based fabric fibers. It usually is a colorless or pale yellow liquid at room temperature and emits a sweet odor. When in the soil, benzene evaporates readily into the air, and in water it floats on the surface. Benzene is one gas monitored to determine air quality in urban areas. Trace amounts of benzene included in the watering of plants results in increased root formation. This results in overall plant growth stimulation, according to GTZ Corporation of Germany. It is only slightly soluble in water, reinforcing the fact that minute amounts of the VOC is appropriate for this effect on plants. Interestingly, the National Aeronautic and Space Administration (NASA) found that many house plants effectively absorb and remove benzene that occurs in typical interior home or office spaces. This is why house plants may be considered "air cleaners." In higher concentrations in the air, soil or in water, benzene can inhibit photosynthesis or block normal plant cell division and therefore stunt growth. Excessive exposure to the gaseous form can suffocate plants as the gas displaces the needed carbon dioxide that plants use to metabolize. In some plant species, if the liquid form of benzene is on foliage and evaporates, a "burn" may occur as the change in state causes a drop in temperature on leaf surfaces, partially killing tissue or leading to foliage dessication. Ultimately, excessive exposure to benzene kills the plant. The exposure can be lethal solely through soil-, air- or water-borne means, or a combination thereof depending on duration and concentration of benzene. - Common Halogen Disinfectants - The Effects of Mineral Water on Plants - The Effects of Antifreeze on Grass - The Effect of Nitrogen Fertilizer - What Is Liquid Nitrogen Plant Fertilizer? - Get Rid of Phosphorus in a Swimming Pool - How Does a Saltwater Chlorine Generator Chlorinator Work? - Dechlorinate Water for Garden Plants - Can Plants Live in Anoxic Soil? - Why Does a Concrete Floor Sweat? - What is Cypermethrin? - House Plants & Carbon Monoxide
GCG PUBLISHING’S SPECIAL OFFER FOR AUTHORS OF NOVELS: 5 FREE copies of your book when you order 100 or more 5.5 x 8.5 perfect bound books. Mention the code WEB FOR NOVEL to your Publishing Consultant when you place your order. The most compelling form of the written word is the story, and of the spoken word for that matter. Would you rather listen to a lecture or a story? People are interested in the what, when, where, why, and how of other people’s lives. Stories are how we learn and how we convey what we have learned, about everything life, love, ourselves, other people, the world. Bowker’s marketing research for book sales in 2012 indicates that romance and literary novels were the most popular categories for self-published books, which makes the novel both the most probable genre for success and the most difficult market to succeed in. Like art, music, sports, and the theater there are varying levels of success local, regional and national. Pick your target and market accordingly. The success stories of self-published authors are full of novelists who believed in their own work enough to publish and promote it; some of them well-known authors whose publishers didn’t think the book would sell, until after the author proved them wrong. HELPFUL HINTS FOR AUTHORS OF NOVELS: -5.5 x 8.5 is the most economical format for a self-published novel. Set your page size to 5.5 x 8.5 BEFORE you begin typing your manuscript! Give yourself a .75 inch margin on all four sides. When you are finished you will have a fairly accurate page count to figure out what it will cost to print your book. -Invest in an editor. Interview several and pick the one you are most comfortable with. The two of you will disagree sooner or later so pick someone you can agree to disagree with. -Proof your book. Proof it again. Proof it one more time. Then get a professional to do it once more before you layout the design of the book. -Make sure your cover is consistent with your topic and compelling. Cover design is the number one reason people select a book to buy, according to Bowker’s research. -Be prepared to market your book heavily.
When it comes to using fall protection equipment for on mobile elevating work platforms (MEWPs), many still do not fully understand, or comprehend, the requirements in the ANSI A92 and CSA B354 standards, as well as the OSHA and OHS requirements, for fall protection on MEWPs in the United States and Canada. It is not that the industry is completely unaware; in fact, the majority of MEWP operators are aware that PFPE (personal fall protection equipment) is required when operating either self-propelled or trailer-mounted booms. After that point, it becomes a hodgepodge of misinformation, causing a lot of confusion in the industry. To help clear up the confusion, there are two key things everyone needs to know: First, the primary means of fall protection on all MEWPs is provided by the guardrail system. And second, there are some instances when a second level of fall protection is required by the standards for MEWPs in North America. Following outlines those specific instances and provides details MEWP operators need to know: Standards for Type 1, Group A (1A) manually-propelled elevating work platforms and Type 3, Group A (3A) self-propelled elevating work platforms, such as scissor lifts and single personnel lifts, do not require the use of personal fall protective equipment (PFPE) in addition to guardrails.1 However, if a user, employer or local government regulations requires an operator to use PFPE in addition to guardrails on these MEWPs, lanyard attachment points are provided for this purpose by Genie. For example, some provinces in Canada, such as Saskatchewan, Ontario and Nova Scotia have regulations that do require all occupants in a scissor lift to wear PFPE. Fall Protection Requirements on Booms The use of approved PFPE in addition to a guardrail for operator fall protection is required in the United States and Canada for Type 1, Group B (1B) and Type 3, Group B (3B) boom-supported MEWPs. This requirement is mandated by the standards for Mobile Elevating Work Platforms1 and Vehicle-Mounted Elevating and Rotating Aerial Devices2 and is enforced by OSHA in the United States and OHS and provincial authorities in Canada. There are two types of secondary fall protection for MEWPs: Fall Restraint and Fall Arrest. Fall restraint systems prevent a MEWP occupant from being exposed to any fall. If the person is protected by a restraint system, either a body belt or a full body harness may be used. When a restraint system is used for fall protection in a Group B MEWP, the employer/user/operator must ensure that the lanyard and anchor are arranged so that the operator is not exposed to falling any distance outside the platform. A system that permits an arrested fall is considered a fall arrest system. A body belt is prohibited in a fall arrest system; instead, a full body harness and lanyard that limits the fall distance and arresting force on the person is required. Fall arresting lanyards typically have a shock absorbing section or are a self-retracting lifeline/lanyard. The following is a general summary of fall protection requirements as discussed above for Group B MEWPs: - The user is responsible for providing approved fall protection for employees3. - A personal fall arrest system used on a boom type MEWP cannot allow the operator to fall more than 6 ft4. - A personal fall arrest system used on a boom type MEWP cannot allow the operator to come into contact with any lower surface4. Now let’s take a look at what secondary fall protection options are for Group B MEWPs. During travel in the stowed position and whenever the platform height is below the calculated total fall distance (or whenever they are above the calculated total fall distance) for every operator and occupant: - The operator and all occupants must wear a full body harness with either a fall restraint system or 6-ft maximum length self-retracting lifeline (which has been approved for use on a MEWP by the manufacturer); - A full body harness with a double lanyard system (fall arrest and fall restraint); - The fall restraint lanyard must be used during travel in the stowed position and when the platform height is below the calculated total fall distance. - The fall arrest lanyard can be used when the platform height is above the calculated total fall distance and when all other factors have been taken into consideration. - It is no longer acceptable to place two double-locking snap hooks to a single D-ring. When using a double lanyard system, such as the one mentioned here, MEWP occupants must use a D-ring extension to separate the two devices. Never use a side d-ring for fall arrest; So, what is the final takeaway here? It is never acceptable to use a 6-ft shock-absorbing lanyard by itself when operating a Group B MEWP. Even if MEWP operators are loading or unloading a truck, moving the machine in the yard or other tasks, it is critical that each person is protected against harm. It is important that each MEWP occupant is equipped with the proper fall protection equipment as outlined in this article. 1ANSI A92.22-2018 and CSA B354.7:17 2ANSI A92.2-2015 and CSA C225 3OSHA Title 29 CFR 1926.501(a)(1) 4OSHA Title 29 CFR 1926.502(d)(16)(iii)
Listening to Climate Change: experiments in sonic democracy Dr George Revill, Senior Lecturer in Geography (PPEDG, FASS), Research Associate Dr Johanna Wadsley, and Mr Gair Dunlop of Duncan and Jordanstone College of Art and Design, University of Dundee, were awarded £498,532 by the AHRC for Listening to Climate Change: experiments in sonic democracy (ARHC Grant Ref: AH/P000126/1, HEI cost £641,881.81). The primary project partner is the National Trust and the grant application was developed with the support of the OU’s OpenSpace Research Centre. With a public title of Sounding coastal change, the project considers environmental and social change in North Norfolk, and aims to “bring human and non-human voices together, to think about the future”. The idea is to use sound, music and different kinds of listening, to explore the ways in which the coast is changing and how peoples’ lives are changing with it. The project home is Blakeney village and the geographical focus is the village, Blakeney National Nature Reserve, and the North Norfolk coast more generally. The research involves residents, school children and young people, local interest and community groups, institutional stakeholders and their representatives, and visitors to the area. The research team includes geographers, musician/composers and sound artists, and an art/documentary film-maker. The project will result in workshops, live performances of new music and film, sound installations, radio broadcasts, sonic exhibitions, an interactive online sonic map of the area, a documentary-art film and e-books. Everything created and presented through the project will be free to attend or download. In addition to the National Trust, in-kind partners/collaborators/supporters include The Pilgrim Federation of Church of England Schools, Blakeney Parish Council, St. Nicholas’ Church, the Norfolk Wildlife Trust, Future Radio (Norwich) and the British Library Sound Archive. The project launch week takes place between 3 – 7 July 2017, with school workshops, sound installations in local venues, and a live performance event at St. Nicholas’ Church, Blakeney. See www.soundingcoastalchange.org for details. The creative highpoint is the spring and summer of 2018, when the project culminates in a series of workshops, radio broadcasts, live performances and interactive exhibitions. The project runs until March 2019, wrapping up with the publication of two free-to-download, media-rich e-books about the project, and deposits of the sonic and film work in various national archives. The team currently includes: - Dr George Revill, geographer, Principal Investigator & project leader, [email protected] - Gair Dunlop, film-maker & Co-Investigator, [email protected] - Dr Johanna Wadsley, geographer, Research Associate & project manager, [email protected] - Sam Richards, composer, musician & folklorist - Dr Lona Kozik, composer, musician & digital sound artist - Richard Fair, radio producer, sound recordist & audio-visual artist - Robert Chastney, geographer & Norfolk research consultant For further information contact [email protected].
Probation and parole are a source of confusion for many people. If you face criminal charges, it can help to understand the difference. These two terms are very similar but they also have differences between them. The main difference, according to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, is that probation is usually handed down as a sentence instead of a prison or jail sentence whereas parole is typically granted as an early release when you are already incarcerated. However, to confuse things, probation sometimes is an additional part of a sentence that you will serve after you get out of jail, and parole is sometimes the sentence for certain statutes. So, both could be your original sentence or something you serve after being incarcerated. To further confuse things, they both usually have conditions. This might include not getting into further legal trouble, not changing your residence without approval, paying fees and fines you owe and finding employment. There are also different statuses for both. They include having to report in person, reporting via the phone or not having to report at all. With both, you also run the risk of being incarcerated if you violate the conditions. So, they are very similar in nature. Typically, though, parole is more severe, and if you violate the conditions of parole, you will almost always go back to prison. Another major point is that you usually know you will serve probation. With parole, you may or may not have to serve it. This information is for education. It is not legal advice.
A WORLDWIDE charity to help children living in poverty should receive a massive boost to its funds this year as thousands of Reading shoppers are encouraged to give generously. The Oracle has launched its plan to work for a year with the Reading branch of Save the Children. The campaign will not only raise money but also encourage people to volunteer to help the charity. The project was launched last week when collections were held in the mall but the organisers say they will not just be rattling collection boxes at shoppers over the coming year. The Oracle's customer relationship manager Paul Briggs, who is also president of the Reading branch of Save the Children, said: "It will be far from that, quite the opposite. "There will be events and activities during the year that will not only raise funds but also promote the charity and make people aware of the work it is doing. "We hope that it will lead to people taking a greater interest and volunteering to help Save the Children as well." Alex Hazell, assistant marketing manager, said the fundraising would include in-house collections and raffles among Oracle staff. The Jelly Leg'd Chicken Gallery in The Oracle is decorating a float to take part in a procession on June 3 - the Golden Jubilee Bank Holiday Monday - as part of the Children's Festival. Oracle staff will be on the float collecting for Save the Children as it drives through town. She said shoppers would also be encouraged to donate at the regular face painting and balloon modelling events held in the shopping centre. She said: "We have lots of other ideas which are being discussed. "We could lie down a giant logo of Save the Children on the riverside in the summer and get people to lay coins on it. "We might also collect money at the pancake race next year, although we would need to discuss that with Reading Borough Council which runs it. "The year's campaign will end next year during Save the Children week and we hope we can make a very big contribution to the charity during that time." The Reading branch of Save the Children has been established since 1920 and is thought to be one of the oldest branches in the country, working on projects to provide aid for children, not only internationally, but also in the Reading area.
The International Space Station will receive three Australian-designed cubesats today, with the launch scheduled for a little after 1pm AEST. Part of the QB50 project, the one-kilogram satellites will eventually make their way to Earth's lower thermosphere to conduct research that could impact everything from weather prediction to communications. Best of all, NASA will be livestreaming the launch from Cape Canaveral in Florida, starting from 12:45pm. The QB50 project has two objectives — scientific research of Earth's lower thermosphere and to "demonstrate the possibility" of a bunch of universities worldwide collaborating on a large-scale initiative involving getting stuff into space. As the name suggests, the idea is to get 50 cubesats into the thermosphere, with the construction of the satellites split between 27 countries. UNSW is responsible for two units, called "UNSW-EC0" and "INSPIRE-2". What are the benefits of packing the thermosphere with cubesats? Dr Elias Aboutanios, UNSW's Faculty of Engineering explains: ...improving our understanding of the composition and behaviour of the thermosphere will allow us to produce better weather models, improve our long-range communications, better protect our satellites and have a better understanding of the interaction of solar activity with our Earth environment. According to the QB50 website, the cubesats are superior to previous methods — rather than firing off "atmospheric explorers" that could only conduct experiments for "a few tens of minutes", the cubesats will be "in-situ" and deliver data consistently for months. UNSW's local project page says the launch will be livestreamed via NASA, however, it doesn't seem to be on the live event schedule. It's meant to take place between 12:45pm and 2:15pm, so be sure to check in soon if you're curious. In the meantime, here's a short clip from UNSW where Dr Aboutanios talks a bit about the satellites and the research they'll help with.
DO YOU KNOW? Each year, kidney disease kills more people than breast or prostate cancer.1 Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) is defined as any condition that causes reduced kidney function over a period of time. Chronic kidney disease may develop over many years and lead to end-stage kidney (or renal) disease (ESRD). The five stages of CKD are: Stage 1: Kidney damage with normal kidney function Stage 2: Kidney damage with mild loss of kidney function Stage 3: Mild-to-severe loss of kidney function Stage 4: Severe loss of kidney function Stage 5: Kidney failure requiring dialysis or transplant for survival. Also known as ESRD More you should know: - The overall prevalence of CKD in the general population is approximately 14 percent. - High blood pressure and diabetes are the main causes of CKD. Almost half of individuals with CKD also have diabetes and/or self-reported cardiovascular disease (CVD). - More than 661,000 Americans have kidney failure. Of these, 468,000 individuals are on dialysis, and roughly 193,000 live with a functioning kidney transplant. - Kidney disease often has no symptoms in its early stages and can go undetected until it is very advanced. (For this reason, kidney disease is often referred to as a “silent disease.”) 1Xu JQ, Murphy SL, Kochanek KD, Bastian BA. Deaths: final data for 2013. www.cdc.govExternal Link Disclaimer. Published February 16, 2016. Accessed December 6, 2016.
Anglicanism is now slightly growing after years of being in decline, a new report said. An analysis from the British Social Attitudes Survey and the European Social Survey shows that the number of people who associate themselves as members of the Church of England has increased from 2009 to 2015, The Telegraph reported. In 2009, only 16.3 percent said they were Church of England worshipers, while in 2015, that number increased to 17.1 percent. Likewise, the decline in the number of Anglicans in Britain appears to have been halted. "The proportion of self-describing Anglicans in Britain has more than halved, from 40 per cent in 1983, down to 17 per cent in 2015," the report said. "That said, the past three years are worth highlighting. If talk of even a modest Anglican revival would be premature, one certainly can speak of a newfound stability." Those who describe themselves as having no religion increased to 50.6 percent in 2009, but it has been decreasing since then, reaching 48.6 percent in 2015. Stephen Bullivant, professor of theology and the sociology of religion at St. Mary's University in Twickenham, said the Anglican church is "recovering" after many members turned their back on their faith after the release of Richard Dawkins' atheist book, 'The God Delusion,' in 2006, The Telegraph reported. Likewise, the increase in the number of "non-religious people" has slowed in recent years, according to Bullivant. Dawkins' book introduced atheistic principles. While Bullivant admitted it caused people to stop identifying themselves as Anglicans and leave the church, he said the book only brought out those who claimed to be Anglican but were really not. "That book was really aimed at those people who said they were Anglican but didn't really believe in God," he said. "So a lot of them stopped ticking Anglican on the forms and started to tick atheist instead." As a result, genuine believers were left, and these were the ones who worked to attract people to Christ. "After decades of bad news, this is certainly welcome for the Church of England," Bullivant said. "If I was in the Anglican Church I would be celebrating this." However, he pointed out that the Anglican church is still losing members, as 61 percent of the religious nones grew up as Christians. Another factor that could have contributed to the halting of religious decline is the resurgence of patriotism. For many British people, patriotism and pride in Christianity are strongly linked together. "People see Christianity as an expression of Englishness," Bullivant explained. "There has been more rhetoric around Britain being a Christian nation." "People are looking for ways to connect with others. I suspect a larger proportion of people who do say they are Anglican tend to be patriotic," he said.
Open data is a change in thinking and behavior as much as legislation. All-ish” may be better than all in. Remember the dot-com era excitement around digital government at the turn of the century? Speechwriters (and even a bill or two dropped in the legislative hopper) used the phrase “everything ‘e’ by 2003.” It rhymed and got at the important idea that e-government was more than an alternative service delivery mechanism. But defining the goal as everything turned out to be a mistake. It set the jurisdictions that used the phrase up for failure if even one thing was left offline. It also removed the need for prioritization. And it confused intent, which a fair reading suggests was to make e-government the default for public information and services. Fast-forward a decade to see that open data advocates and practitioners may have been prevented by circumstance from making the same mistake. As Government Technology reported last fall, New York City committed itself anew to the nontrivial task of creating a public inventory of government-held information and releasing dozens of additional “high-value” data sets on a revamped open data portal. At the Sunlight Foundation, the nonpartisan government transparency group, Policy Analyst Rebecca Williams lauded the city as “the first U.S. government [to have] completed a comprehensive data set inventory.” Coining the term “all-ish,” her critique focuses on legislative limits that stop disclosure short of everything. New York state is on a parallel track, “bringing the people back into government …” as Gov. Andrew Cuomo describes it, through the state open data portal at data.ny.gov. The New York experience became a model for Washington state, where the Legislature took up a bill this session to expand its open data portal and the organizational infrastructure behind it. Executive branch agencies complained about the cost and complexity of publishing their data, winning them a reprieve in amendments that would extend the compliance timelines — giving them 15 months, rather than 180 days to file a compliance plan — and giving them a potentially sweeping exemption around the preparation and publishing of data “which would impose undue financial, operative or administrative burden on the agency.” Does it include everything? No. Is it the new default? Yes. It’s a distinction with an important difference. A year ago, the Obama administration issued an executive order “making open and machine-readable the new default for government information.” A bumper-sticker-length version of that same language — “Set the default to open” — is the cornerstone of Sunlight’s 32-point plan for sound and sustainable open data policy for government. Those five words define the goal, the tactic for getting there and a mindset for governing. The other 31 points boil down to four behaviors for those on this journey: There’s one more bit of good news that distinguishes this all-ish open data era from the earlier e-government era. There’s no year that I know that rhymes with “open.” Take that, speechwriters.
Egypt Geography and Maps With a population of approximately 90,000,000 people, Egypt is located in the northeast corner of the African continent on the Mediterranean Sea. It is bordered to the northeast by Palestine and Israel, the Red Sea to the east, Sudan to the south and Libya to the west. The geography of Egypt can be divided into four different regions: the Nile Valley and Delta, the Western Desert, the Eastern Desert and the Sinai Peninsula. Despite covering only about 5.5% of the total area of Egypt, the Nile Valley and Delta are the most important regions in the country. The majority of Egypt’s population lives there as it is the only region with cultivatable land. The Nile is the world’s largest river at 6,690 km (4,160 mi) long. Construction of dams like the Aswan High Dam on the Nile allowed the population to control the annual flooding of the river which in turn protects and supports farmland. The Western Desert covers an area of some 700,000 square kilometres which makes up approximately two-thirds of Egypt’s total land area. The Western Desert is one of Egypt’s most arid regions and is sparsely inhabited. It is home to many oases including Siwa, Bahariya, Farafra, Dakhla and Kharijah, the largest oasis in the country. The Eastern Desert is relatively mountainous with the most prominent feature being a chain of rugged mountains known as the Red Sea Hills. Some of these hills reach altitudes of 900 m (2,952.75 ft) above sea level. While this area of Egypt is essentially uninhabited, it is a haven for many of the country’s natural resources including coal, gems and oil. The Sinai Peninsula is a triangularly shaped plateau that is linked to the Egyptian mainland at the Gulf of Suez. The Peninsula is divided into three sections, a southern section, a middle section and a northern section. The southern section features a geological extension of the Red Sea Hills and houses Mount Catherine, the country’s tallest peak at 2,629 m (8,625 ft). Mount Sinai, the biblical place where Moses received the Ten Commandments is near Mount Catherine. The northern section is a flat, sandy coastal plain. Egypt Travel Information At Goway we believe that a well-informed traveller is a safer traveller. With this in mind, we have compiled an easy to navigate travel information section dedicated to Egypt. Learn about the history and culture of Egypt, the must-try food and drink, and what to pack in your suitcase. Read about Egypt's nature and wildlife, weather and geography, along with 'Country Quickfacts' compiled by our travel experts. Our globetrotting tips, as well as our visa and health information will help ensure you're properly prepared for a safe and enjoyable trip. The only way you could possibly learn more is by embarking on your journey and discovering Egypt for yourself. Start exploring… book one of our Egypt tours today! Extend Your Trip After your Egypt tours, why not consider one of Goway's Europe Tours Book your Egypt tour with Goway! AfricaExperts is the exclusive division of Goway that specializes in planning and organizing Egypt tours and experiences. Choose from a simple city stopover, see the country highlights on our classic itineraries, enjoy a beach stay, locally escorted tour, a stay of distinction, or a cruise on the Nile and more. We want to be your first choice when next you go globetrotting to Egypt. Get a Trip Quote Order a Brochure
Welcome to TBT, a look back at the epic style moves from decades past. Up today: One of the greatest tennis players of all time, a man who succeeded at mashing up sportswear and hair-band trends to become the ’90s’ reigning tennis heartthrob. Who: Andre Agassi Where: Flushing, NY Why: Andre Agassi hadn't hit peak stardom when he competed in the 1988 U.S. Open in Queens, New York, but he certainly made an impression on everyone watching. The athlete was first known for his wild hair, before subsequently shaving it off. Aside from his elaborate mane, in 1988 Agassi did what no other world-renowned tennis player had ever done before or since: He showed up to play in the U.S. Open wearing tiny denim shorts. The jorts were made by Nike, Agassi's sponsor, in a very of-that-moment acid wash. What's remarkable about the style choice is that he was actually able to compete in such a restrictive fabric—this was, after all, before stretch denim became the norm. Jeans were stiff as hell, not to mention the lack of airflow in such a tight weave—not exactly the sweat-wicking techno-fabrics we're used to today. Agassi's shorts had to be extremely short so as not to hamper his hip rotation or his winning stride. But seriously, kudos to Agassi for dressing like the Axl Rose of tennis, essentially pushing the sport (if only a tiny bit) out of its conservative and stuffy comfort zone. Take that, rich grandpas and fancy ladies in hats!
Rules fight dominates first week of Legislature Legislative rules, usually too wonky for the non-politico to care about, drummed up conversation around the state and dominated the first week of the 64th Montana Legislature, providing what some called one of the key votes of the session. Just before the House was to vote on the rules resolution — the first floor vote of the session — the parties worked out a deal that gave each party six “silver bullets” or chances to save their bills from dying in committee, something the Democrats may need to get bills like Medicaid expansion to the House floor for debate. The vote showed a split in the Republican majority still exists, as some of the more conservative members of the party complained that others had joined with the Democrats to force new House Speaker Austin Knudsen, R-Culbertson, to cut a deal. The kerfuffle over the rules started in December. Proposed rule changes came out in the weeks leading up to the 2015 session that would make it easier for Knudsen to kill legislation by burying it in the House Appropriations committee. In a Democratic Party press conference on the first day of the session, House Minority Leader Chuck Hunter, D-Helena, said his party would fight the changes and would work on “ensuring majority rule is what does rule,” rather than letting the opposition have its way. Hunter’s problem with the rules centered on differences in the types of majorities required for advancing bills through the process in different ways. Hunter fought over rules where he thinks requiring a three-fifths, or a “super majority,” vote is unnecessary and gives Republicans too much power. The proposal to give Knudsen bill-killing power was ultimately eliminated in committee. Hunter then eyed rules on “blasting” a dead bill from a committee to the floor. The “blast” rule changed to require a super majority, or three-fifths, in 1989, when a Democrat controlled House had to work with Republican Gov. Stan Stephens, the first Republican governor since the 1960s. The rule is particularly important this session because Democrats may need to blast bills out of committees controlled by Republicans hostile to parts of the legislation. “The committees are structured so that the leadership holds sway,” Hunter said. Rep. Jeff Essmann, R-Billings, said the super-majority blast rule helps the House run smoothly instead of being bogged down by an excessive amount of legislation. “You simply can’t have the process function if 700 bills come to floor,” Essmann said. Hunter’s blast motion amendment failed in the rules committee, but the silver bullet compromise was soon in the works. In the Republican caucus, Knudsen explained the deal: each party would get six silver bullets, essentially exceptions to the super-majority rule, meaning that chosen bills could be brought to the floor with a simple majority vote instead. “I’ve got some heartburn about this,” Knudsen told his party, adding that the deal would make the floor session go smoothly and would prevent “bloodletting.” The most conservative Republicans voted against the deal. “You’ll see additional spending,” said Rep. Art Wittich, R-Bozeman. He said a group of Republicans split with the party and forced Kundsen to accept the deal. “It was basically 10 Republicans who put the speaker in a terrible position,” Wittich said. During the last session, a group of moderate Republicans joined with Democrats to pass major legislation, such as a school funding bill, pension reform and a state employee pay plan. The vote on rules showed the split still exists. Knudsen rejected the idea that he was forced to cut the deal by other Republicans, instead saying he responded to a political reality. “There were a couple of amendments that we just didn’t have the votes to stop,” Knudsen said. One amendment they did have the votes to stop leaves a door open for the GOP to kill bills. Hunter proposed changing the super-majority requirement on overriding “do not pass” recommendations from committees. Those bills can be brought to the floor, but debate doesn’t open unless the recommendation is voted down by a super majority. The amendment failed, and Hunter is afraid Republicans will use that as a tool to kill bills, but other legislators doubted that would happen and said there are ways to work around “do not pass” recommendations. While Wittich and some other Republicans think the silver bullet deal ceded too much to the Democrats, others seem to think the effect will be muted. “I’m comfortable with those rules,” said House Majority Leader Keith Regier, R-Kalispell. “I don’t think it changes much of what’s going to happen.”
Effect of Nigella sativa oil on various clinical and biochemical parameters of insulin resistance syndrome. Int J Diabetes Dev Ctries. 2008 Jan ;28(1):11-4. PMID: 19902033 AIM: The seeds of the Nigella sativa plant have been used to promote health and fight disease for centuries, especially in the Middle East and in Southeast Asia. This plant has been a focus of much research. This clinical study was undertaken to know the adjuvant effect of N. sativa oil on various clinical and biochemical parameters of the insulin resistance syndrome. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This prospective study was conducted at a tertiary health care center in North India. After confirmation of diagnosis, 60 patients who fulfilled the inclusion and exclusion criteria were enrolled in this study. Written informed consent was taken from all the patients enrolled. Approval from the institutional ethical committee was also obtained. The patients were divided into two groups of 30 each. In group I (the standard group), patients were advised tablet atorvastatin 10 mg once a day and tablet metformin 500 mg twice a day for a period of 6 weeks. In group II (the N. sativa group), the patients were advised tablet atorvastatin 10 mg once a day, tablet metformin 500 mg twice a day, and N. sativa oil 2.5 ml twice daily for a period of 6 weeks. Fasting and postprandial blood glucose, fasting lipid profile, and waist circumference were recorded before therapy and after completion of therapy. RESULT: The treatment group showed significant (P<0.05) improvement with reference to total cholesterol, low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), and fasting blood glucose (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: N. sativa oil was found to be effective as an add-on therapy in patients of insulin resistance syndrome. N. sativa oil has a significant activity in diabetic and dyslipidemic patients.
- Organic Chlorella Tablets (180x500mg) Chlorella is a blue-green algae, that is known to be one of the world’s most complete foods. It is regarded as a highly useful general dietary supplement that provides broad support for a healthy diet. Allergen Information: May contain sulphites Chlorella may contain sulphites due to natural occurrence in the production process. - Organic Spirulina Tablets (180x500mg) Spirulina is a single-celled, blue-green algae which uses energy from sunlight to fuel its growth. One of the oldest known life forms on the planet, it is one of the most protein dense foods as well as being a rich source of micronutrients. Sustainably cultivated and harvested in freshwater pools, our minimally processed organic spirulina tablets are 100% pure; providing a natural, environmentally-friendly and highly nutritious complement to anyone’s diet. - Organic Chlorella & Spirulina Tablets (180x500mg) Chlorella and Spirulina are both single-celled algae which use energy from sunlight to fuel their growth. Being two of nature’s most nutritious food sources, combining them into one supplement, their individual and combined beneﬁts are now more easily accessed. - Organic Premium Maca capsules Maca is an ancient Peruvian root that Incan warriors were said to have consumed for stamina and endurance. Our Premium Maca Root capsules contain equal amounts of red, yellow, purple and black maca root powders. The powders are also gelatinised; a process that promotes the bioavailability of the maca. Our Premium Maca powder is blended with Camu Camu powder to provide the complementary health benefits of Vitamin C. - Organic Immunity Capsules Green Origins Organic Immunity has been developed to naturally support the immune system using an expertly formulated blend of five mushrooms - Turkey Tail, Shiitake, Reishi, Chaga and Maitake. All are organically grown using traditional methods. - Organic Vitality Capsules Organic Vitality combines nutritionally-rich greens to provide high levels of vitamin C which contribute to protection from oxidative stress and reduces tiredness and fatigue. - Organic Vitamin C Capsules Acerola Cherry, Camu Camu and Amla are fruits naturally rich in Vitamin C. We have combined these fruit powders together with Turmeric, Reishi Mushroom and Black Pepper to provide a natural, food-form Vitamin C supplement. Vitamin C is an essential nutrient for the human body, which contributes to the reduction of tiredness and fatigue, normal immune system function and the maintenance of normal skin.
When the U.S. was ready to ramp up its solar industry, developers benefited from investments made in Germany, Spain and elsewhere in Europe that had funded gigawatt-scale annual deployments and pushed down costs. The same could happen with offshore wind. By the end of 2016, 14.4 gigawatts of offshore wind capacity had been installed globally, with nearly 90 percent of the total deployed in European waters. Prices for projects coming on-line from 2020 have fallen to $50 per megawatt-hour in Denmark, the Netherlands and Germany. The United States, meanwhile, has so far managed to bring on-line just one modest commercial project, the 30-megawatt Block Island Wind Farm off of Rhode Island. A bill introduced this summer by a bipartisan group of senators aims to help the U.S. catch up with Europe. On August 1, 2017, Senators Tom Carper (D-Del.) and Susan Collins (R-Maine) introduced the Incentivizing Offshore Wind Power Act with 10 co-sponsors. In a clever twist, the legislation trades a calendar deadline -- typical for federal clean energy tax incentives -- for a deployment target. The bill would create a 30 percent Investment Tax Credit (ITC) redeemable for the first 3 gigawatts of offshore wind projects placed into service in both coastal waters and inland navigable waters like the Great Lakes. “Offshore wind energy has the potential to power every home, school and business from Florida to Maine with clean, renewable energy,” said Carper, in a statement. “I’m proud to partner with Senator Collins to provide this growing industry the certainty it needs to draw private sector investments in new offshore wind facilities across the country.” Why the deployment target instead of deadline year? In short, project developers need more time to get more steel in the water. To take advantage of the existing federal tax incentive -- developers can opt for either an ITC or a Production Tax Credit (PTC) -- projects must commence construction before December 31, 2019. Developer interest in the sector is strong. The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management has conducted seven competitive lease sales for wind energy development in federal waters since July 2013. In December 2016, a 33-round bidding war ended with a $42.5 million winning bid by Statoil Wind U.S. LLC to develop 79,350 acres off the shore of New York. But it is unlikely many of the offshore projects in the pipeline will be able to claim the federal ITC/PTC before the 2019 expiration. Sens. Carper and Collins cite the long development time required to build offshore wind as part of the justification for the legislation. “The ideal offshore winds are often found in federal waters -- requiring federal permits and other logistical complications that can add years to the construction timeline,” they said in a statement. Key stakeholders welcomed the prospect of additional federal support. “We are pleased to see continued bipartisan support in Congress for policies that can help the U.S. achieve this bright future and realize the vast potential of our offshore wind resources,” said Jim Reilly, senior vice president of federal legislative affairs at the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA), in an email. “We’re committed to the offshore industry growing far past 3,000 megawatts, as DOE’s Wind Vision, for example, said is possible," he said. "We’ll be looking for opportunities to help make that happen.” "We appreciate the broad support for the offshore wind industry and the jobs and reliable domestic energy that it creates. Support through an ITC extension will help to speed the growth of the industry and enable even greater development over the next decade. We appreciate Senators Carper and Collins’ leadership on this issue,” Lauren Burm, head of public affairs for Dong Energy Wind Power U.S., said in an email. Denmark-based Dong Energy has built more offshore wind farms than any other company -- 3 gigawatts as of the end of 2016. The company recently opened an office in Boston and is aggressively pursuing opportunities in the U.S. market. Building on state-level momentum Carper and Collins’ push to create a long-term federal offshore wind incentive builds upon substantial state-level efforts to jump-start the industry, especially in New York, Massachusetts and Maryland, states with offshore deployment targets. In an interview, Stephanie McClellan, director of the University of Delaware's Special Initiative on Offshore Wind (SIOW), said the Carper-Collins bill is “a very smartly designed bipartisan accelerant for offshore wind.” But she was quick to add that the bill would be “one accelerant of many that we have out there right now.” According to McClellan, 5 gigawatts of projects are planned for construction over the next 13 years, with much of that coming in Massachusetts and New York. “In both of those cases, within the programs building out in three tranches over time, you get down to $100 per megawatt-hour, 10 cents per kilowatt-hour within a decade," she said. "We’re talking about, without any ITC, being able to have a...cost of energy that becomes, in the Northeast, a fairly competitive price." Additional visibility into real-world pricing for the emerging U.S. offshore wind market is coming soon. On June 29, Massachusetts utilities issued an RFP for bids for 400 megawatts of offshore wind energy capacity. Under a law signed by Gov. Charlie Baker in 2016, the state’s utilities must procure 1,600 megawatts of offshore wind capacity by 2027. Bids are due on December 20, 2017. “We’re going to see what kind of prices the big players like Dong Energy can bring here to the U.S. They may surprise us all and make our work far out of date,” said McClellan. “This is a market-driven industry, and that market is well on its way, with record bids for the New York offshore leases, and steel in the water off Block Island,” she added. “This is the time for Carper-Collins, is how I think about it. There’s so much momentum. If we can get this bill over the hump, man, it would just take off.”
Georgia should be on your mind. A bill called House Bill 481, which bans abortions after a fetal heartbeat has been detected (which can happen as early as six weeks of pregnancy), has passed through the Republican legislature in Georgia. It is expected to be signed into law by Governor Brian Kemp. It will be the most restrictive abortion law currently in the country, and will mean that many women in the state will be barred from having an abortion before they even know they’re pregnant. Some people will write this off by saying, “Well, thank goodness we don’t live in Georgia!” The fact is, many women who need abortions will go to different states to do so; more than 5,500 traveled to Illinois last year to terminate their pregnancies. But there are also thousands of women who are unable to travel. Remember the woman in Texas who tried to self-induce an abortion? She explained: “I didn’t have any money to go to San Antonio or Corpus [Christi]. I didn’t even have any money to get across town.” Those women will not travel out of state. They will go online to see how they can terminate their own pregnancy. Just like women in Ireland, they will try just about any method available to them, whether it's drinking bleach, using coat hangers, or throwing themselves down the stairs. Some will succeed. Many will not. Many women will die. Their fetuses will die. We know this. This is what always happens when women can’t get an abortion. The number of abortions doesn’t go down. The number of unsafe abortions just goes up. But that will not be anything all that new in Georgia. After the vote passed, Brian Kemp tweeted, “Georgia values life. We stand up for the innocent and speak for those who cannot speak for themselves. The legislature’s bold action reaffirms our priorities and who we are as a state.” What he really means is that they value fetuses. If they valued human life, Georgia wouldn’t lead the country alongside Louisiana in maternal deaths. Uzbekistan, Brunei, Iran, and many other countries Americans might look down upon has a better rate on maternal death than Georgia, which has a death rate of 48.4 per 100,000 births. Restricting women’s choices will only make that statistic worse. What governors like Kemp actually value is pandering to their male constituents who will never have to make a choice regarding whether to give birth or not. Keeping women pregnant keeps them vulnerable, and that keeps men in charge, which appeals to the many, many republicans who feel that masculinity is under threat right now. It’s not exactly surprising that the group that birthed this bill was overwhelmingly male—as illustrated in this photo which showcases 33 Republican men who voted for the bill, and one woman. To be fair, it would have been surprising if there had been more women in that photo. There are only two female Republican senators in Georgia’s General Assembly. Democrats fare far better, but that still means that only 30 percent of the Georgia General Assembly is female. It is a lot harder to advance in politics, or in any profession, if you keep saddling women with motherhood and pregnancy against their will. Which will surely appeal to some men, who would rather see those women dependent upon them. What is most horrifying is that this movement seems poised to spread across the country like a cancer. The New York Times reports: The governors in Mississippi and Kentucky signed fetal heartbeat measures into law in recent weeks, and other states — including Florida, Missouri, Ohio, Tennessee and Texas — are expected to approve similar measures this year. The film industry currently pours billions of dollars into Georgia, and many notable actors are standing in opposition to that movement. Thus far, more than 80 of them have signed a pledge to “do everything in our power to move our industry to a safer state for women if H.B. 481 becomes law.” They’re right to do so. It’s not just going to be a referendum on what people in the state of Georgia value, or claim to value. It’s a referendum on what we as a country value. It might be women’s lives and their future, or it might be male control over women’s bodies. All we can do is fight to try to ensure it’s the former.
Dental Bridges and Dental Crowns. Teeth grinding, dull aches, tooth decay, cracked teeth, and tooth sensitivity can result in chewing problems later on. At Harris Dental Boutique, we offer crown and bridge dental treatments for patients to restore both the appearance and function of damaged teeth. Crowns and bridges are like replacement parts for your teeth and, once in place, they’re there for a long time. By replacing natural teeth, bridges and crowns help to maintain the balance between the jaws when chewing food, allowing you to maintain a normal, healthy diet throughout life. Dental bridges and crowns are different to dentures (or false teeth) in that you can’t take them out and clean daily because they are cemented onto existing teeth or implants, and can only be removed by a dentist. What is a dental crown? A crown can be used to cover or “cap” a damaged or broken tooth. Once it is in place it looks like a natural tooth, is strong and restores your ability to chew. What are crowns made of? Crowns can be made of porcelain or ceramic material which can be matched to the colour of your natural teeth. Sometimes gold and metal alloys, acrylic and ceramic will be used and we will always recommend the type of crown we think will do the best job for you and your teeth. How do I know if a crown is right for me? Generally, Dr Linc will recommend a crown to: - Replace a large filling when there isn’t enough tooth remaining - Protect a weak tooth from breaking - Restore a broken tooth - Attach a bridge too - Cover a dental implant - Cover a discoloured or poorly shaped tooth - Cover a tooth that has had root canal treatment What is a dental bridge? A bridge can replace one or more missing teeth because it does exactly as the name suggests, span the space where the teeth are missing. The bridge is cemented to the natural teeth on either side of the empty space and they serve as anchors for the bridge. Each of those teeth is covered with a crown and the replacement tooth or teeth are attached to those crowns. What are bridges made of? Similar to crowns, there are a choice of materials for bridges and we’ll help you decide what is best for you taking into account its location and function, how you want it to look, and most importantly, the cost. Of course, individual results will vary. Why would patients get bridges? The reason for bridges is simple. When you are missing one or more teeth a bridge may be indicated because the gap can eventually cause the remaining teeth to drift or fall into the empty spaces. That would give you problems with your bite. Dental bridges will ensure that you can regain your chewing and give you a confident, healthy smile. View more in Dr Linc’s Smile Gallery Here. Dr Linc (Meet Dr Linc) is available at Harris Dental Boutique Bargara dental practice near Bundaberg Monday to Saturday at Shop 2/16 See Street Bargara Q 4670. There is usually appointment times available each day to see new patients or dental emergencies. Give the front office team a call on 07 41590 660 to organise a time that suits you Contact Us for more information or book an appointment with Dr Linc in Bargara near Bundaberg.
According to a report issued last week by the station of Washington State Recreation and Conservation Office, populations of wild salmon in the state's rivers are improving, albeit not across the board. The report indicates that the state of wild salmon stocks differ by water body and region, but are generally improving or remaining static. Despite the general trend, some locations and populations are on the decline, though the bulletin refers to these negative changes as "slightly declining". The report identifies the Hood Canal's summer chum salmon and Snake River's fall chinook salmon as the areas/populations where increases have been greatest. Also included in the list of highlights are the Middle and Upper Columbia River's steelhead populations. The graphic above details positive and negative changes through the regions evaluated by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife and regional salmon recovery organizations throughout the state. More positive news can be found in the report's summary of water quality through Washington's waterways. Ninety-five percent of Washington's waterways were found to have either improving water quality (35 percent) or no change in water quality, leaving only 5 percent of Washington's rivers on the decline in regards to water quality. The report also highlights the major threats facing salmon recovery in Washington, which it identifies as habitat loss due to human development and impacts resulting from ongoing climate change (including the loss of winter snowpack leading to lower summer water levels and rising ocean levels leading to estuary and shoreline flooding). Also included in the list of threats to salmon recovery are over-fishing, the need for further dam removal, "some hatchery practices" and a lack of funding for recovery programs. Learn more and/or read the full Washington State of Salmon in Watersheds 2012 Report.
When you purchase a product to use or consume, you should never have to worry about it causing harm to you or a loved one. Unfortunately, we know that defective products make it to the shelves and into our homes regularly. If you ever need a Montebello product liability attorney, you can count on the Hayes Law Firm, APC to be your advocate. Our knowledgeable and experienced team will investigate what happened so we can secure the compensation you deserve. Today, we want to talk about efforts to make the foods we eat safer. When you are watching the news and hear about another food recall, you probably roll your eyes. Then you make sure you do not have the food in question in your house. Just this year alone, we have seen a tremendous number of food recalls. Now, consumers are about to have another tool to help them know about potentially dangerous foods. Recently, a federal judge in California told the Food and Drug Administration that they need to do the following: This judge issued his ruling after a lawsuit brought against the agency by two consumer safety groups. These groups said that the government was not implementing the rules in the Food Safety Modernization Act, a law signed by President Obama in 2011. While we do not have a complete list of which foods are considered “high-risk,” some of them will likely be raw fruits and vegetables such as romaine lettuce, spinach, and cantaloupe. Once these foods get their label, the FDA is supposed to begin forcing the middlemen companies that handle these foods to keep better records of where their ingredients come from and where they are sent. This will be helpful because foods often go through many steps from the farm to the shelves (packers, processors, distributors). These rules will have two effects: If you or a loved one have been injured or become ill due to a defective product, you may be eligible for compensation. At the Hayes Law Firm, APC, you can count on our qualified and experienced team to be by your side throughout this entire process. We will investigate all aspects of this incident and work with every party involved. Our goal is to secure compensation for the: At The Hayes Law Firm, APC, we serve all of Los Angeles and the Inland Empire, so whether you need a personal injury attorney in Montebello or a premises liability attorney in San Bernardino, we are here to serve you. Unlike other attorneys who view clients as cases, we understand that your experience has a human story behind it, and when you are in our offices, you are like a member of the family. We are ethical and compassionate, and we will take the time to find the best solution for your unique case and will work together with you every step along the way. Contact us today for a free consultation.
Gastritis is inflammation of the lining of the stomach. Common causes are prolonged use of certain medicines like aspirin or a bacterial infection of the stomach. In addition, vitamin B12 deficiency or an unhealthy eating habits can also cause gastritis. In many cases gastritis may be asymptomatic. However, the most common symptoms are nausea, vomiting, heartburn, abdominal pain, appetite loss, or a feeling of being full even after eating just a little. Mild cases of acute gastritis usually clear up within a few days. Here are a few home remedies for gastritis, they are very simple, very easy to prepare and yet effective. Yoga is one of the safest procedures and probably the fastest method that can provide relief from gastritis. There are some Yoga poses that you can practice every morning for relieving gastrointestinal stress like Pavanamukt, which helps in releasing gases that are trapped in your body. Further, when a person is stressed, it is well known that his or her immune system is incompetent to handle the germs of the region. Yoga calm your mind, reduce your anxiety, and loosen up muscles that you may be tensing in response to stress. Learn more about the health benefits of yoga: http://www.healthdoyen.com/health-benefits-of-yoga.html Ginger tea has long been used in treating gastrointestinal problems, including gastritis. It can reduce inflammation and treat the infection as well as alleviate symptoms like stomach pain, gas, indigestion, nausea and bloating. As one of the home remedies for gastritis, you can add it in your tea and even eat a pinch of it in powder form. You can also boil milk and water in 1:5 ratio with ginger and drink this liquid. Note: Ginger may interfere with blood-thinning and high blood pressure medications. Chamomile tea may be particularly helpful in treating your gastritis. It is rich in certain essential oils that are beneficial for the digestive system, and therefore chamomile tea has historically been used in treating gastritis, gastric ulcers, indigestion and intestinal gas. Add 1 or 2 teaspoons of dried chamomile flowers to 1 cup of hot water. Cover and allow it to steep for 5 to 10 minutes, then add some honey. Drink this tea several times daily for a week. You must steep the chamomile tea bags in hot water and avoid dipping them in boiling water as boiled water destroys the active compounds. Chewing roasted fennel seeds after meals is one of the most effective home remedies for gastritis prevention and treatment. Due to their stomachic, antispasmodic, anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties, these little seeds are great in relieving various gastritis related discomfort, like indigestion, bloating, intestinal gas, heartburn and vomiting. In addition to chew fennel seeds, you can add a small teaspoon of them in water and boil them. If you feel like the infusion tastes a little sharp, you can add half a teaspoon of jaggery or honey into it before drinking. Drink it 3 times a day for a week. If you have gastritis, it is recommended you drink eight to ten glasses of water a day to lessen the effects of Gastritis. It is easy to reduce concentration of acid in your stomach by drinking lots of water. Note: carbonated drinks can never be a replacement for water and the dissolved carbon dioxide actually makes the water acidic and aggravates the condition. Regardless of the cause of gastritis, yogurt will make a healthy addition to the diet. Yogurt replenishes beneficial bacteria of your gut, beneficial bacteria promote the movement of food via the digestive tract and can help boost the immune health, destroy toxins and prevent infection. A healthy digestive system is the basis of good health of the stomach and the rest of the body. Hence, you can say that yogurt is a great natural cure for gastritis. Another effective remedy for gastritis is raw potato juice. The juice of potatoes that is alkaline can help in neutralizing stomach acid and can help in relieving stomach upset, heart burn, peptic ulcers and gastritis. You can take raw potato and extract juice from it. Drink half a cup of potato juice thrice daily fifteen minutes before meals. See your doctor immediately if you vomit blood or find blood in your stool; otherwise, see a doctor if symptoms last more than a week.
Doctor insights on: Right Renal Cortical Cyst Leftkidney measures11.3x5.5cms enlarged in size rightkidney 9x5.5cms perapelvic cyst leftkidney causing mild calyectasis.Multiple renal cortical cys? Multiple kidney cyst: The vast majority of renal cysts and benign simple cysts which are a symptomatic and causes no problems. It is not the same as polycystic kidney disease, where many cysts on both kidneys could lead to kidney failure. An ultrasound can determine if these are simple vs complex cysts, the latter could be worrisome. I suspect the kind you have could simply be followed over time; urologist will guide. ...Read more A cyst is a structure or mass that consists of a cellular lined sac. It is typically filled with fluid but may be filled with solid material. It can be congenital, traumatic, or acquired. They may develop nearly anywhere in the body and usually require complete excision for eradication or they are likely to recur. Fluid filled sacs that are not cellular lined ...Read more What does: Septated upper pole right renal cyst. Right kidney contains multi septated cyst, 4.5cm in size. May contain punctate calcification. - mean? A single cyst: The cyst you have is not a simple cyst but a septate cyst ,that means the cyst space inside is divided into multiple small spaces from by of bands of tissue. Calcification in the cysts is common from concretions from long standing fluid inside the cysts. But as the cyst if 4.5 cm, just be it monitored with help of US once in every yr-2 yrs to r/o cancer development.Look for pain,blood in urine ...Read moreSee 1 more doctor answer Concerned about a solid 2cm hypoechoic area on left kidney midpole parapelvic region contiguous with lateral cortex similar color flow as renal cortex? Renal cyst: Sounds like it is a cyst, but other charecteristics and number of cyst decides it is benign or complex cyst. Talk to to your doctor who has the complete report and your clinical condition and kidney function etc ...Read more Explain Findings- right extrarenal pelvis of normal variant, free fluid & multiple vascular calcification's in pelvis, simple right renal cyst <1.0cm. Cysts: Renal cysts are small collections of fluid in the kidneys. They occur quite frequently in people and are often only discovered when doing a routine exam for another reason. Most renal cysts do not have any medical significance but it would be reasonable to discuss with doctor. ...Read more M58, CT scan says "bilateral renal cortical cyst noted. The largest cyst at the upper pole of the left kidney measures 3.8x5 cm." Is this significiant? Probably not: The majority of people develop a few kidney cysts, especially by the time we reach your age. They are usually benign. A kidney ultrasound would better characterize if it is a simple cyst (benign) or not, especially if there was no IV contrast in the CT scan. It should be noted how many cysts were found, which was not apparent in your description, so I'm only assuming one on each kidney. ...Read more Here are some...: The prognosis is good - very good although all medical care is based on indirect evidence from continual collection & analysis of prior experience. From now on, to fit your clinical scenario, it is advisable to have kidney US annually for 2-3 yrs, and after that, once every 2-3 yrs in conjunction with blood renal function test annually to monitor renal function as for ?adult polycystic diseases... ...Read more The left ovary with 4cm hypoechoice lesion complex cyst,hemorrhagic cyst endometrium a mass. Color and Doppler flow signal demonstrate annexa bilater? Hemorrhagic Cyst: Since you are trying to get pregnant, do a quantitative BHCG pregnancy test to rule out a early intrauterine pregnancy or a ectopic pregnancy. If this is negative, then this is most likely a hemorrhagic corpus luteum cyst. Do a follow up ultrasound in 6 weeks to confirm it is gone before you resume your infertility treatments. ...Read more Ultrasound showed 2.4x1.3 cm hypoechoic nonvascular region in upper pole cortex of left kidney. Otherwise normal kidney. I'm freaking out. Cancer? It can be benign: Cysts are common in the kidneys. So ask your doctor to confirm if it is cystic or solid structure. Cysts are benign fluid filled structures whic can be left alone. Solid lesions can be a tumor and may need to be removed. Repeat follow up in 6 months can be reassuring if there is no further increase in size. You may need to seen a Urologist to advice you further ...Read more Complex cystic lesion rt ovary within is focal septated cystic structure color dop. Eval. Dem. Arterial blood in septations. Cystic ovarian neoplasm? 4.5 CM left frontal convexity arachnoid cyst small arachnoid cyst right temporal lobe gliosis left occipital lobe partially empty sella turcica means? Hx of Trauma?: These could potentially be caused by a traumatic event earlier in life. ...Read more Kidney function: There are congenital disorders like poly cystic kidney , medullary cystic disease. These conditions are characterized by cysts in both kidneys.It is rare to have multiple cysts in only one kidney disease.However it can occur very rarely. Check your bp, kidney function, see a nephrologist. ...Read more Upper quadrant pain. spleen borderline size 12.1cm, mild bilateral pelviectasis of kidneys. minimal R-side hydronephrosis. peripelvic cyst. Normal? Probably: Pelviectasis is a general term used to describe dilation of the renal pelvis, or collecting system of the kidney and, generally, is clinically insignificant. Hydronephrosis also refers to dilation of the renal pelvis, But has the added connotation that the pathology was caused by an obstructive process, such as a kidney stone or in your case the peripelvic cyst of Rt kidney. Unremarkable finding. ...Read more In your opinion what treatment for Punctate nonobstructing left upper pole renal stone. 15 mm cyst lower pole left kidney with milk of calcium. Hard to say: If the interpretation on the MRI by the radiologist is that it is a cyst, then it is likely benign. It also depends if there is any area of enhancement that would suggest a tumor. Also if you have serial MRI scans, you can tell if it is getting bigger or changing which is more likely a tumor. The location in the ventricle is important too. If it obstructs the foramen it could be a problem. ...Read moreSee 1 more doctor answer Kub ultrasound finding of anechoic focus at the middle pole measuring 1.5x1.5cm, left kidney. Minimal pelvocaliectasia right kidney.What treatment? Probably benign: A description of an anechoic focus in the kidney typically refers to a cyst or a cystic lesion. Minimal pelvocaliectasis typically refers to very mild dilatation of the pelvis & calyces which is where urine drained into before it flow out into the ureter. These findings do not sound concerning as pelvocaliectasis may occur when you have a full bladder. Please check with your doctor to be sure. ...Read moreSee 1 more doctor answer Ultrasound: 2.6cm isoechoic mass in right hepatic lobe.14mm hyperechoic nodule in right anterior lobe. What does it mean? Just had a ct scan done with contrast it showed left adrenal adenoma 1.7 cm. small renal hypodensities left kidney. 1cmcomplex cyst left kidney should I be worried? Likely no, but..: What you report are largely seen incidental findings but a few loose ends here should be addressed to make sure there is nothing more insidious ie.. how complex exactly is that left renal cyst? also, an adrenal adenoma cannot be definitely diagnosis on a contrast enhanced scan unless a very specific protocol was followed. Feel free to schedule a consult and we can review your CT and the details. ...Read more My CT scan showed a 3 mm right interpolar calyceal stone. What is the interpolar region of a kidney? - Talk to a doctor live online for free - Left renal cortical cyst - Cortical cyst in right kidney - Renal cortical cyst left kidney - Ask a doctor a question free online - Cortical cyst seen in interpolar region of right kidney - Right renal cyst symptoms - Simple right renal cyst - Exophytic right renal cyst - Renal cortical cyst right kidney
Ready to add some gorgeous green house plants to your home? Perhaps you’ve already got a house plant crush and can’t stop buying. Or is that just me? Buy some easy care plants to get started. You’ll want to put them where they’ll get the light they need. Bought some that are OK with low light like the Peace Lily? Group them in a spot where they get some indirect light such as a north or east facing window. This is often perfect for plants that don’t need a lot of direct light. The plants who appreciate a half day or more of light like cactus and succulents will be happiest close to a window or under a skylight. Even light loving plants like ficus and pothos don’t like being in direct sun, so keep them in a bright area with morning or filtered sun only. Once you get the hang of picking out the right plants for your space and caring for them, you’ll get all the benefits too. Here’s some inspiring and gorgeous house plant decor ideas for your new plant buddies: 1. Make a hanging pole or cord in front of a window to display your hanging house plants. Use wire or heavy duty cord. Attach to the ceiling at least every foot with hooks. Leave enough space to hook your hanger or an S hook on for those macrame planters. You can also suspend a pole with leather straps or metal chains if you want to create two levels of hanging space one in front of the other as shown here. Of course you can simply attach hooks into your ceiling, but this gives you more flexibility and allows you to move and re-arrange hanging pots as needed. 2. Grouping your plants together not only makes it easier to water them but they’ll look better too. See how some plants have been stacked on small stools or benches? Creating different heights to display your plants is the secret to a lush display. Having the one big plant against the wall creates a focal point by drawing your eyes up and takes advantage of the height in the room. Which is always a good thing. 3. These natural woven baskets are popping up all over the place. This basket conveniently has hangers woven onto it. IKEA has a similar one called Fladis. Adding some texture and natural woven materials in your plant display is essential for a boho or natural vibe. Some plants, like this birds nest fern, like to have air movement around their leaves, so it’s going to be a happy camper in this hanging basket. 4. Succulents look best when they’re grouped together. This plant display is an entire garden’s worth! Succulents and cactus are easy to take care of and need little water, but they do like lots of light. Keep in mind larger cactus can be top heavy so make sure to plant them into a heavier pot to keep them stable on your shelf. Best to put them on the floor or a lower shelf. These shelf racks are easily found at any big box hardware store. They’re specifically meant to carry a lot of weight per shelf. 5. Here’s another trick from a house plant boutique. Use a sturdy garment rack like this one from Habitat to display your hanging plants above with your smaller plants on the shelf below. If you find one with wheels, even better. Then you can gently move it if needed. Rotating your plants to get the light they need is a good idea. Make sure the hanging rod is able to take the weight of your plants like this one that has a metal pole bolted to a wood shelf. This rack from Home Depot is similar. 6. These succulent plants make a nice grouping on top of a fireplace mantel that gets good light. A mantel is a good display place because it’s about at eye level and you can easily see them from anywhere in the room. Keeping all the pots similar in color and style helps make this look work. Having plants of different heights makes it visually appealing too. Keep in mind it if you’re using the fireplace in the winter, you may have to move your plants to a cooler spot! 7. Another idea to steal from a store display, don’t these little cacti look adorable placed in this three tier wooden display? Normally used for cakes, it’s a perfect size for small pots. Larger pots and plants would also work, as would anything that trails down the sides. Can you picture this on your kitchen counter or sideboard? You can find something similar on Wayfair. 8. Trailing plants on a bookshelf and inside a hanging light fixture create a warm and relaxed vibe to this space. Do you have a light fixture that you could fit some small little trailing pots in? Spider plants and pothos plants like these are very easy to propagate just by pinching off a leave with a node and popping it into a glass of water until they root. The large Monstera plant to the right helps to balance it all and gives this room a big shot of personality. Green personality. 9. A french wire basket plant stand is a really pretty way to display these Marantha plants. Or your indoor herb garden. Grouping plants together like this helps the plant too because it creates a little eco-system of moisture. I can picture this plant stand in a master bath can’t you? Keep an eye out in hobby stores, antique stores or flea markets to find your own. 10. This beautiful cactus is a focal point for this corner of the room. With all the natural textures around it, its bold green shape anchors the color scheme. These cacti are super low maintenance to take care of as they need little water and almost no care. I had one in Florida that I ended up planting outside because it got too big for the house! Just be careful with them around kids and pets as they can be spiky. You can find a similar basket at IKEA. 11. This display caught my eye outside a flower shop. To make something similar all you would have to do is make an easy bench with some found lumber or pieces of pallet. Stack it on bricks or blocks and stain it dark. Then stack some wooden fruit crates or boxes you find at your local hardware store, Amazon or a flea market. Use the same stain if you want on the boxes to match your shelf. You’ve just created a rustic looking storage shelf for your plants! This would look great on a patio or balcony too. 12. If you’ve got a sunken tub or whirlpool bath that gets natural light, why not create your own little jungle room like this one? Boston ferns and pothos are both easy to care for and love a little humidity. The pothos could be trained to climb up the wall with a little string or tape. Keep the watering can nearby. 13. The mistletoe cactus hanging down from the shelf here look even fuller when they’re displayed this way. Create shelves at different heights and make sure your brackets are sturdy enough to hold the weight of all your plants. View this post on Instagram 14. Isn’t this lush? This hanging planter could easily be created using a pallet or a section of decking or fence. Turn a section of decking or fence into a frame by attaching 2×4’s to the edges to hide the planter pots. Or you could simply build a shallow box. Add super strong hooks to both the hanging planter frame and your ceiling and attach either heavy duty rope or metal cable as a hanger. Half the fun of plants in the house is displaying them in new and unique ways. Have fun with yours!
With savings accounts and other investment and savings opportunities not offering the same returns as they did a generation ago, it’s time to start thinking about alternative and new methods of putting your money away. Here are some of our favorite and most recommended ways of saving money these days. Peer To Peer Investment Peer to peer funding is all the rage and you’ve no doubt heard the term before, but do you know what it actually means? Well, it’s not that difficult really. Basically put, a traditional loan would be offered by a bank or finance company and the money lent to the customer with interest charged. A peer to peer loan is the same except that the money is lent by one individual to another and a peer to peer company will act as an intermediary, setting up the paperwork and ensuring everything is above board and legal. If you act as the lender you will get a better return than many high-street savings and investment products but there is some risk and you can select lower risk or higher risk peer-to-peer investments for different levels of return. Invest In Someone’s Future This is something I only just heard about and it’s a fascinating idea considering how simple it is. You can actually lend money to a student studying an MBA. If you look at the employment rates for graduates then it’s a reasonable thing to invest in and Prodigy Finance can set this all up for you. The expected return on this kind of investment is around 5%. Crowdfunded Property Investment Property is usually a wise investment, but is your money best put to use just sitting in your own home? You could check AMF Equity Loans to see how much you can take out of your own home and look to other property investments and crowdfunding can spread the risk. If you invest a small amount in many different commercial investments then it can give you a range of returns on your money. Investing in physical assets is not new but it’s certainly an alternative to how most of us think about investing money. But be careful about what you pick to invest in. For example, although often cited as a good bet gold is risky and may not be the best and safest form of physical investment, look at things that increase with age, classic cars, whiskey or fine wine are good bets. Credit unions are an alternative to banks and are often thought of as ways of people getting credit when they can’t get it from a bank or won’t get a good rate of interest. But did you know that you can be an investor in these organizations as well? They tend to be fairly safe and steady with the rate of return and have the added advantage of being non-commercial so you are helping the ordinary members rather than shareholders when investing here. This is an article provided by our partners network. It might not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of our editorial team and management. HedgeThink.com is the fund industry’s leading news, research and analysis source for individual and institutional accredited investors and professionals

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