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Snow Petrels - Pagadroma nivea
Snow petrels are pure white birds with jet black beaks and eyes. They are the size of a pigeon and arguably the most beautiful of all the Antarctic birds.
Snow Petrel facts - Basics
Snow petrel
Weight: 240 to 460g, it is a characteristic of snow petrels that there can be a large range of sizes amongst individuals.
30 - 40 cm, wingspan: 75 - 95 cm
Breeding Season: Nests are made and eggs laid from October to November, the chicks fledge and leave the nest 41 - 45 days later, snow petrels can live for up to 20 years.
Estimated world population: - More than 4,000,000 individuals.
Feeding & diet: A varied seafood diet of krill, fish and squid that are usually taken very close to the surface, though shallow dives are also undertaken. They will also feed on carrion where it is available.
Conservation status: Least concern.
: Circumpolar, usually found near to pack ice and even continuous ice as long as there are open water leads to feed at. Breeds mainly on the Antarctic continent and surrounding islands, it is the most southerly breeding bird species, breeding even further south than the Emperor penguin. Snow petrel have even been seen at the south pole.
Predators: Antarctic (south polar) skuas, though weather conditions especially snow blocking nesting sites cause much greater loss of eggs and chicks.
What are snow petrels like?
Snow petrel
In their appearance and behaviour snow petrels symbolize the very essence of the deep south. They are the purest of white and despite their diminutive size are as tough as animal needs to be to survive and even thrive in low temperatures and with a frequently high wind chill. They are frequently encountered in their hundreds, rarely in thousands, they tend to be spread out over a wide nesting area rather than being close together in large discrete colonies as are other Antarctic species.
They feed largely on krill and must always be near to the sea in order to feed. They are found therefore particularly along coasts and along the Antarctic peninsula.
The flying pair of birds in the picture are are a courting couple. In the Antarctic spring the males go looking for mates, and the females put them through their paces to assess their suitability and tenacity.
The courtship ritual consists initially of a male snow petrel following a female as she flies around the nesting area which is frequently a rocky outcrop or cliff with suitable ledges or nest holes. The female then leads him around the cliffs in a high speed aerial ballet, climbing and diving, flying almost into the cliff face at full speed before changing direction with an imperceptible twist of the wing at the last moment.
Snow petrel pair The poor beleaguered male not only has to match this aeronautical master class, but he has to do it as close as possible to the female and without a script, gauging her every move while proving himself her equal at rapid flying. Many would be suitors seem to give up and get left behind, certainly in the early days. In this picture the male is calling to the female during a relatively relaxed moment.
Photographing flying snow petrels requires a lens on fixed focus, bright light, fast shutter, small aperture, and much cursing. Even then, it all happens so quickly that you don't really know what you've got until you can look at the picture on a bigger screen.
Why are these snow petrels hiding down a hole?
Snow petrels in nesting hole Unusually for Antarctic birds, snow petrels seem to apply some thought to the practicalities of a nest site. This pair are at the entrance to their nest which has been made in a natural crevice amongst some large broken-up rocks. This is a frequent choice for a nest site though not always available or in plentiful supply as snow petrels nest very far south and such crevices are frequently snowed or iced up.
Attempting to approach a nest (as I did on many occasions when helping in a long term programme on nesting success) brings out the worst in snow petrels. A well aimed stream of foul smelling, bright pink, oily, semi-digested krill mixed with oily stomach secretions would come in your direction as their (admirably unpleasant) defence mechanism. As small birds, nesting in crevices gets them out of the wind so reducing their risk of chilling in the wind and also protects them from nest raiding birds such as skuas. Antarctic has no land based nest raiding mammals such as cats or rats.
Snow petrels have been known to nest far inland on the Antarctic continent, 325 km. from the nearest sea that they must travel to in order to feed. They must nest on rock and in these cases choose "nunataks" isolated outcrops of tall rock ridges and mountains that protrude above the surrounding ice from the bed rock.
Isn't it cold and windy sitting out on the sea ice?
Snow petrels on sea ice Snow petrels are birds of the Antarctic, they don't migrate as such but move further north in winter as the cold weather sets in. Research in recent years has shown that the Antarctic ocean beneath the winter ice is surprisingly rich in life - a fact that it seems these birds have known about for some time.
They frequently arrive surprisingly far south in the winter in ridiculously low temperatures and high winds for such small creatures and rest overnight on totally exposed sea-ice, as here. Any spring and summer shelter is blocked up by now by blown snow. The reason they venture south in such adverse conditions would seem to be in order to take advantage of the abundance beneath the ice and the relative rarity of summer competitors.
Why are these snow petrels hanging around the edge of this tide crack?
That these birds are prepared to undergo so much to find their food is testament to the nutritional value of that food - krill. Here snow petrels (and in the first photograph a crabeater seal too) are taking advantage of a tide crack to fish through in the case of the birds and to breathe at in the case of the seal who will be busy fishing for krill under the ice. A tide crack is a long narrow open lead of water that stretches between two points such as nearby islands or exposed rocks. It arises when the tide rises and falls, when the tide rises the crack opens when it falls, the crack closes. Such tide cracks can easily stretch for several kilometres, but never being more than about 50cm wide.
The snow petrels space themselves out along the tide crack and sit patiently waiting for a krill to swim by at which point they jump out and hover just above the surface to take the tasty morsel. |
Georg Feuerstein
The Benefits of Engaging the Quads in Forward Bends (and the risks of misguided cautions)
In our last post we mentioned that true caution is based on accurate knowledge and wisdom; practicing it in yoga enhances benefits and minimizes risks. In this post, we talk about misguided caution and provide a couple of examples. This type of caution is usually based on fear: If you do “this”, a bad thing will happen. In fact, misguided cautions can enhance the risks and diminish the benefits of yoga because following them, among other things, diverts your focus from what is important. In a sense, this is a type of passive aggressive way to decrease benefits and increase risks.
Two widely circulated examples of misguided caution relate to engaging the quadriceps in various yoga poses. One is that people with strong quads and misaligned kneecaps experience rapid progression of arthritis, and the second is that we should avoid contracting the rectus femoris in forward bends because it can cause “congestion”. Neither of these misconceptions has any basis in science, yet they are prevalent and have been incorporated into the curriculum of yoga, creating a conflict among teachers and practitioners. This has resulted in many teachers discouraging students from engaging these important muscles for fear of potential injury. I’ll address each of these “cautions” in turn later in the post, but in order to help resolve this conflict, let’s go over some of the basic science for the muscles and joints and then look at the benefits of engaging the quadriceps in a forward bend like Marichyasana I.
As I discuss in my books, joint stability is determined for each individual articulation by a combination of three factors: bone shape (ball and socket vs. hinge, etc.), the capsule and ligaments, and the muscles. At the joint, the bones are covered with articular cartilage. This cartilage and the ligaments surrounding the joints should be protected during a stretch. Stretching ligaments beyond about 6% of their normal length (from which they still recoil) can result in loss of their contribution to stability, especially if done on a regular basis. Unstable joints become incongruent; their surfaces do not match perfectly according to their design. When joint surfaces become incongruent, this can damage the articular cartilage and lead to arthritis. The muscular stabilizers form a type of dynamic sleeve around the joints and aid in protecting them by maintaining joint congruency. This concept is well supported, especially by experts in body weight training (a time-honored system similar to gymnastics that uses the body weight itself for conditioning, rather than external weights).
The beneficial effect of activity—which necessarily includes muscular engagement, especially the quadriceps—on joint cartilage is also supported by the peer-reviewed medical literature, including a recent review1 of articles evaluating the effect of activity on the knee joint. The theory behind this is that cartilage responds positively to judiciously applied forces. One of the reviewed articles states:
In conclusion, we demonstrated a protective effect of past and current vigorous physical activity on knee cartilage in healthy, community-based adults with no history of knee injury or disease. 2
quadriceps in marichyasana I
The quadriceps stabilizing the knee joint in Marichyasana I.
Next, let’s take a look at the cascade of beneficial effects that ensues when you do engage the quadriceps of the extended knee in Marichyasana I. This includes: 1) improved joint alignment and stability at the knee; 2) release of the hamstrings through reciprocal inhibition (so that lengthening occurs in the muscle belly, rather than overstretching in the tendons); and 3) the rectus femoris synergizes the psoas in flexing the hip and tilting the pelvis forward. This aids in preventing hyperflexion of the lumbar spine in the pose through joint coupling (lumbar-pelvic rhythm). (For those who tend to hyperextend the knee, use co-contraction of the quadriceps and hamstrings to maintain alignment).
rectus femoris in marichyasana I
The rectus femoris synergizing anterior tilt of the pelvis.
This is only one example of one muscle benefitting a pose; obviously we don’t engage all of the muscles at once in any given pose and may even relax completely in certain restorative poses. What I recommend is incorporating periodic muscular engagement into your practice—I call this “walking around the pose”. In addition to the benefits described, practicing in this way establishes the mind-body connection and focuses attention, thus creating a meditative state within a hatha yoga practice. The Mat Companion series takes you through the muscles involved in stabilizing the joints in the asanas as well as cues for engaging them—and much more. Feel free to browse through this collection at the Bandha Yoga website.
Now, let’s look at the two examples of misguided caution that we cited earlier:
The first states that “people with strong quads and misaligned kneecaps experience rapid progression of the disease” (arthritis). This is apparently a distorted interpretation of a peer-reviewed article (to put it charitably) that was circulated in 2011. I discussed it in a previous blog post.
The second implies that contracting one of the heads of the quadriceps, the rectus femoris, causes “congestion”. Congestion, in the medical sense, is caused by an upstream blockage to the flow of blood (or lymph). A blood clot within a vein or a mass lesion (such as a tumor) pressing on it from the outside can cause congestion. It can also be caused at the capillary level through various pathological processes. Congestion is not caused by muscle contraction.
rectus femoris in relation to femoral artery, vein and inguinal lymph nodes
The rectus femoris in relation to the femoral artery and vein and inguinal lymph nodes.
In fact, engaging muscles (like the rectus femoris) produces a “pumping” effect on both the lymphatics and veins, which improves venous flow and relieves “congestion”. One of the reasons that we mobilize patients as soon as possible after surgery is to access the pumping effect of muscle contraction and so prevent the development of venous thrombosis (a clot forming due to venous stasis).
one-way valves within muscles
Diagram of veins with one-way valves demonstrating pumping action of muscle contraction.
Furthermore, the rectus femoris shares the same innervation as the other three heads of the quadriceps (the posterior division of the femoral nerve). Therefore, you cannot relax it without relaxing the rest of the quadriceps (even if you wanted to). Thus, attempting to relax the rectus femoris in isolation (to avoid “congestion”) is an example of attempting the impossible, out of fear of the imaginary, while at the same time avoiding the beneficial.
The risks of following either of these misguided cautions include: 1) diminished alignment at the knee, with potential adverse effects on the cartilage and ligaments; 2) overstretching of the hamstring tendons; 3) decreased anterior tilt of the pelvis resulting in lumbar hyperflexion (in forward bends); 4) loss of the pumping effect on the veins; etc. You get the picture.
Basing your practice and teaching on unsound theory has the potential to contribute to the risk of injury, especially considering the number of people doing yoga today. Conversely, basing it on sound theory has the potential to provide some relief.
If you do suffer from knee pain or an injury, consult your physician; always work under a physician’s guidance to manage your condition.
Great to see you all and many thanks for your support and comments on our last post! Be sure to visit us on Facebook for your free Chakra poster and e-book. See you next week, when we’ll go over a technique for improving muscle control and proprioception that you can learn in Chaturanga and then apply to any pose!
Ray and Chris
.1. Urquhart DM, Tobing JF, Hanna FS, Berry P, Wluka AE, Ding C, Cicuttini FM. What is the effect of physical activity on the knee joint? A systematic review. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2011 Mar, 43(3):432-42.
.2. Racunica TL, Teichtahl AJ, Wang Y, et al. Effect of physical activity on articular knee joint structures in community-based adults. Arthritis Rheum. 2007, 57:1261–8.
.3. Uyen-Sa D.T. Nguyen, DSc; Yuqing Zhang, DSc; Yanyan Zhu, PhD; Jingbo Niu, MD, DSc; Bin Zhang, ScD; and David T. Felson, MD, MPH. Increasing prevalence of knee pain and symptomatic knee osteoarthritis: Survey and cohort data. Annals of Internal Medicine. December 6, 2011, 155(11): 725-732.
1. Thank you for the knowledge and beautiful graphics! as a nurse, both are very helpful.
2. I'm mostly self-taught for circumstantial reasons; having your books and this blog for reference is so helpful and empowering. Thank you. Please see http://www.khanacademy.org/. The teaching is on all levels: it's accessible and self-directed, it's visual, it's oral, it's applied. I hope someday you can offer a similar format for your Bandha yoga lessons.
Thanks again!
3. Dear Ray and Chris,
You are making a wonderful job here. I am a physician (otolaryngologist) and I medically backup your approach. There is a lot of sound medical knowledge here and it is very important to offer blind studies and reviews. The significance of engaging the reciprocal inhibition mechanism is ingenious and enhances safety. I have ordered all your books and can't wait for amazon to deliver. I hope there are more to come. I would really like to see a blog post on recommended routines for warm-up and specific areas ie routines for knee or back enhancement.
Keep up your excellent work!
4. thank you!! It is really helpfull!
I forward for other helpful information.
thanks again!
5. Hello Ray and Chris... I so appreciate and love your blogs and books and all the great information you give us on your site. I teach approx 14 to 16 classes a week and continue to search and crave more information and confirmation on my highly tuned instincts. I just have a simple and slightly embarrassing request. I do understand most everything you tell us but would appreciate a little more layman terms so I can really grasp every morsel!
Thank you so much... ox
6. Hello Nikos, Thanks for your comment and support for our work! I'm looking at some warm-up routines--will keep you posted. All the Best~Ray
7. Hello Anon,
Thanks for your comment and appreciation for our work! I will work on your suggestion for using more layman terminology (pls check back for the next post). Namaste'~Ray
8. It is so encouraging to hear this, especially with the recent media coverage about yoga and injuries (thank you New York Times, among others!). So a massive thank you for sharing your knowledge to help us teachers and practitioners to deepen our understanding of the physical asanas. I recently read an opinion implying that yoga teachers don't need qualifications, they only need experience. Much as I find my personal yoga experience invaluable for teaching others, I am limited to but one body (in this lifetime at least), so it is both fascinating and educational to learn more about other bodies and potential issues we may come across. Namaste x
9. Thanks for your comment, Helen!
I think the goal is finding ways to improve, both through experience and continued study. We are always doing this in medicine and should do the same in yoga. My personal experience has been that using knowledge of the body vastly improved the benefits of my practice--and I see that I'm just scratching the surface of what is possible. Thanks for adding your thoughts!
10. Thank you so much for your generous knowledge and information which I personally find very helpful in my yoga teachings & all my other classes. Please continue to send me any current info that will help me to improve in various ways. Truly appreciate you. Thank you, Your friend
11. I love your internal visualization illustrations.
These really help everyone with visual learning.
12. So, are you saying that the fundamental premise of Yin Yoga is wrong? (sustained 4-7 min stretches of connective tissue)
13. Nope, not saying that. I like to differentiate connective tissue that forms the sheath around muscles (fascia), etc. from the connective tissue that forms the cords and band-like structures of the ligaments. We lengthen the myofascia all the time in yoga and it is generally a good thing--even permanent changes. On the other hand, ligaments perform a different function at the joint. It is generally accepted that ligaments recoil from a stretch of no greater than 6% of their length--after that they begin to tear. When they get damaged like that they can start to lose their contribution to stabilizing the joint. So you want to avoid stretching ligaments beyond 6% of their length.
I also use periodic gentle muscular engagement (of the quads, for example, in a forward bend) when I am practicing longer duration relaxed stretch that is directed towards lengthening myofascial sheaths. Periodically engaging the agonists--or yang side of a stretch--does not diminish lengthening on the antagonist (yin) side. In fact it can enhance it both biomechanically and physiologically. This engagement also re-establishes alignment and mental focus. For Yin Yoga, you should talk to someone trained in that to find out their fundamental premise. Or get their new book.
14. Thanks for you in depth conversation about the asana's. I love your asana images !!
Question ......When you speak of engaging the quad, do you mean
a quad set kind of engagement or a softer version such as simply dorsiflexing the foot? Sometimes students get very focused on intense quad muscular tensing that they are like rocks and/or the hip stabilizers go completely unnoticed and unengaged (in various poses, not speaking of only seated forward bends).
Thanks for your time!!!!!!!
15. Hello Anon,
I mean applying controlled engagement of the muscle, not rock hard quads. I apply gradual activation and release--so that it is a dynamic process. With a bit of practice (not a lot), the engagement becomes "Strong yet supple" for stabilizing the joints and creating the form of the pose.
Thanks for commenting! Ray
16. Thanks for contacting attention to these concerns. I believe men and women should be skeptical of another drug program, and possibly request for non-pharmacological treatment options just before accepting drug treatments. Regrettably, with mass-advertising of drugs within this nation, we've arrive at accept routine drugs as being a standard of care instead of the exception.
Arthrose Behandlung Expert
17. It's actually a great and useful piece of information. I'm satisfied
that you just shared this helpful information with us.
Please keep us informed like this. Thanks for sharing.
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18. Nicely seeing that care continuously is giving of yourSelf. Namaste vivid satatmane. Amour.
19. You done a great job by write this article about yoga :)
Yoga Tips for Beginner
20. Thank you! I've always wondered why teachers would say "engage the quad," now I understand. |
Agile 101: A Brief Intro to Agile Development
The terms "Agile" and "Scrum" are often used interchangeably in the software development world. For those who have never worked in a technical enviroment, the nomenclature can get a bit confusing, so let's start with the basics. Before you attempt to understand the full scope of Agile Software Development, let's first take a look at the standard definitions.
What is Agile Software Development?
According to the Agile Alliance, "Agile Software Development is an umbrella term for a set of methods and best practices based on the values and principles expressed in the Agile Manifesto." Taking an "Agile" approach encourages cross-functional collaboration, self-organization and creativity. The Agile Manifesto contains valuable resources and guiding principles that are worth exploring, such as the 12 Principles and a Subway Map to Agile Practices. Agile project management focuses on continuous improvement, embraces team input and allows for more flexibility in order to develop quality products. Here's a helpful diagram we found from Agile For All:
Following the diagram above, an Agile product team consists of several types of people who work together on a ranked product backlog in order to create a finished, viable product.
What does "Scrum" mean?
When you hear the term "Scrum," typically this is referencing a framework that is used to implement Agile development. When implemented efficiently, Scrum is known to improve teamwork, communications and speed to market. The framework was originally created for software development projects, but the concept has proven to be effective for any complex scope of work. If you ever work in a software development environment, it's not uncommon to see a company hire an Agile coach to guide the team if they are in the beginning phases of Agile implementation.
Ok, so what does an Agile team look like?
Agile teams are typically small, consisting of five to seven members. Here's a quick debrief on Agile project teams:
• Developers: Every Agile team will have a group of people who actually build the product. These are your programmers, testers, writers, UX/UI designers, and basically anyone who has a direct role in product development.
• Product Owners: Product Owners always have the end-user's best interest in mind. They are essentially the wheelhouse between the customers, stakeholders, and development team. The Product Owner attends every Spring Planning Meeting and helps identify requirements and prioritize tasks based on customer needs. They are considered the "product experts" in many cases.
• Scrum Masters: Scrum Masters are there to help support the development team. Their role is to ensure that the Agile methodologies are being utilized properly and consistently. They are the executors and often are the ones who focus on avoiding product roadblocks. A strong collaboration between the Product Owner and Scrum Master is ideal. Sometimes you'll notice a Scrum Master with the letters CSM behind their name, which means they are a Certified Scrum Master. Often, a Scrum Master is also a developer on the team, so they get to contribute to the code base as well.
• Stakeholder: Stakeholders consist of any individual that has an interest in the success of the project. This is typically a very diverse group of people which can consist of end users, project sponsors, system administrators, legal counsel, sales team members, and subject matter experts.
• Agile Coaches or Mentors: Agile coaches or mentors typically have extensive experience implementing Agile methodologies and best practices. They are typically brought in to help guidance and feedback to the project teams.
Interested in learning more about the role of Agile in the software development world? If you're planning to attend a coding bootcamp, like DigitalCrafts, be sure to ask if the program's curriculum covers Agile methodologies and best practices. Honing in on these skills will definitely benefit you as you begin your career in software development.
Have more questions? E-mail us at or give us a call at (770)858-5806. We're here to help!
Natalie Elmquist
Campus Director, Atlanta |
Drivers License Practice Test
Before you can take the behind-the-wheel test needed to obtain your driver's license, you'll need to take a written knowledge test. If you're nervous about passing, consider taking a practice test first.
Benefits of Practice Tests
• Saving money.
• In most states, if you fail your first written knowledge test, you'll have to pay a fee in order to retake the examination.
• Taking your driving test sooner.
• In most states, you must wait for some time before retaking a written knowledge test—meaning you have to wait even longer to take the behind-the-wheel exam for your driver's license.
• Getting comfortable with the format.
• The phrasing of the multiple-choice questions on your exam can take a while to get used to; a practice test can get you acclimated to the format of the DMV's written test.
• Helping you study.
• Taking a practice driver's license test can help you determine which sections of your state's driver's license manual will require some additional study time.
Our sample driver's license practice test and those offered by our trusted partners are designed to give you a basic understanding of the questions you'll find on the DMV's written exam. Answer the following questions and let's see how you do!
Free Drivers License Practice Test
1. When you see a flashing yellow light at an intersection you should:
2. If your car begins to skid, on a slippery surface you should:
3. When you are backing up, out of a parking space it is usually best to:
4. Scanning the road ahead for hazards helps drivers:
5. When entering a freeway on an on-ramp, you should:
6. When driving in adverse conditions, the proper speed to travel is:
7. When planning to make a left turn across an intersection and you are waiting in the middle of the intersection for the traffic to clear, your front tires should be turned:
DMV.ORG BBB Business Review |
Why energy must be at the core of EU security thinking
“Europe must respond to the growing assertiveness of energy-producing countries with a much more coherent strategy of its own,” writes Jozias Van Aartsen, a former Dutch foreign minister, in a March article for Europe’s World.
This new policy will have to “reach beyond the EU’s borders into south-east Europe, the Caucasus, the Middle East and north Africa,” argues the author.
Van Aartsen notes that that “no democracy can be truly sovereign unless, broadly, it enjoys independence in energy,” going on to claim that “many European countries fail to provide affordable energy to their citizens, leading to preventable deaths, mostly from cold in winter, economic losses and sometimes even political turmoil”.
The solution, believes Van Aartsen, lies in a “collective effort to improve the situation”. The long-term goal should be to “develop an integrated market stretching from Europe to central Asia, the Middle East and north Africa,” he argues.
The objective is “not just to make connections between the EU and major energy producers in this region,” but also to “develop long-term energy security in order to promote industrial development, economic expansion and political stability in partner countries”.
In order to achieve these aims, countries would have to be “willing to integrate their energy markets and tackle problems from a common perspective, rather than every state looking after itself,” Van Aartsen says. “They would also have to make basic commitments to democratic values,” he adds, citing the European Energy Community, which “groups the EU with former Yugoslavian states and Albania that are still outside the Union,” as an example of this.
An invigorated energy community, argues the author, could “become a new zone of international prosperity” and a “vehicle to extend peace and prosperity to an even greater number of states”. Moreover, “it could provide a solid basis for increased investment, economic integration and political co-operation in non-energy areas,” he adds.
On the thorny issue of EU-Russia energy relations, Van Aartsen claims “we have a chance today of engineering a win-win solution” because “whatever the headlines, the EU is stuck with Russia and Russia is stuck with the EU – neither has an alternative”. The solution, he argues, is to find a way to depoliticise the relationship, ideally through a legal agreement, and maintain equitable investment relations in the energy sector.
Van Aartsen concludes that “the challenges of climate change increase the pressure on the Union to act”. “The EU must accept that our neighbours’ energy security is our own energy security,” he argues, adding: “We must embrace interdependence and extend energy security guarantees to all our neighbours.”
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Looking Disease in the Eye | Dr. Sanjay Gupta | Everyday Health
Looking Disease in the Eye
An eye exam could help diagnose several conditions before you even have symptoms.
We’ve all heard the expression “the eyes are the window to the soul.” They can also be windows on your health. A visit to the optometrist or ophthalmologist may turn up more than a new prescription for eyeglasses, it could help spot and treat conditions such as hypertension, high cholesterol, and diabetes.
Most people are completely caught off guard when we find things like this in a routine eye exam,” said Dr. Matthew Alpert, a VSP Vision Care optometrist in Woodland Hills, Calif. “We catch a lot of things before they become symptomatic.
During a routine eye exam, the doctor typically will dilate your pupils in order to check the retina, optic nerve, and blood vessels in the back of the eye. Glaucoma, a condition in which the optic nerve is damaged due to increased eye pressure, is often diagnosed this way. The following are examples of other diseases that can be picked up during an eye exam.
Narrow or enlarged blood vessels and tiny “flame-shaped” hemorrhages can be an indicator for hypertension, said Dr. Alpert. There are both arteries and veins behind the eye that cross over each other. In a person with normal blood pressure, the arteries and veins occupy the space without issue; but in a person with hypertension, the higher pressure will cause the arteries to push down on the veins, cutting off some of the circulation.
In a recent study, researchers at the Singapore Eye Research Institute at the National University of Singapore examined the eyes of people diagnosed with hypertension to see if they could predict stroke. “We showed in persons with high blood pressure that damage to the blood vessels in the retina, called hypertensive retinopathy, is linked to an increased risk of stroke,” said lead author Kamran Ikram, MD, PhD. This difference in risk existed even if high blood pressure was controlled with medication.
High cholesterol
High cholesterol, which can lead to heart disease and diabetes, may be noticeable during an eye exam. “Cholesterol that has built up in the carotid artery can break off,” said Alpert. “Blood from the carotid is constantly flowing to the eye, and sometimes they can lodge there.” This is called a Hollenhorst plaque. Large broken-off pieces can be dangerous — if it goes to the eye and blocks off a major vessel, a person can have an ocular stroke and go blind.
Cholesterol can build up in the eye as a person ages and cause macular degeneration, a breakdown of the layer of tissue on the inside back wall of the eye which leads to vision loss in the center of the field of vision. A study on mice that was published in the journal Cell Metabolism earlier this year suggested cholesterol-lowering eye drops could be used to treat macular degeneration, but such a treatment for humans is still several years away.
Dr. Stephanie Marioneaux, an ophthalmologist in Chesapeake, Va. and a clinical spokesperson for the American Academy of Ophthalmology, said she’s often the first person to spot diabetes in a patient.
“They’ll come in and think they just need their glasses changed,” said Dr. Marioneaux. “But consistently elevated blood sugar will cause swelling in the lens, which causes the vision problems. The changes are not the same kind associated with aging, it’s a bigger change.”
Diabetics will have damaged blood vessels in the retina, which can cause blood and plasma to seep out into the eye and trigger vision changes.
Marioneaux said the vision change happens over time. If a person has high blood sugar one day, they won’t notice any difference. But if their blood sugar is significantly higher than 100 for 10 days or more (a normal fasting blood sugar range is between 70 and 130), that’s when the damage starts to be noticeable.
Multiple Sclerosis
An inflamed optic nerve may signal multiple sclerosis, a degenerative disease in which the immune system attacks the protective coating on the nerves.
“In about one-third of multiple sclerosis cases, inflammation of the optic nerve is one of the first signs,” said Alpert. This inflammation, called optic neuritis, causes blurred vision.
The National Multiple Sclerosis Society estimates that 66 percent of people with the disease will have at least one episode of optic neuritis. The instances of blurred vision are often temporary and cannot be treated with prescription glasses. Steroids may be used to reduce the inflammation, but the episodes can recur.
Keeping track of thinning retinas can help predict multiple sclerosis relapses, in which symptoms recur as isolated flare-ups. A January study in the journal Neurology found that patients with MS relapses had 42 percent faster retinal thinning than those without relapses. The study’s authors noted that the findings may suggest that retinal thinning occurs faster in patients with more active MS.
“There are many things you can diagnose by examining the eye that you can’t determine by vision alone,” said Marioneaux. “Typically, you’re not going to pick up on these diseases based on how well you see.” |
Drs. Dale Meyer & Edward Wladis
What is it?
• Xanthelasma (or xanthelasma palpebrarum) is a sharply demarcated yellowish collection of cholesterol underneath the skin, usually on or around the eyelids. Although not harmful or painful, these minor growths might be disfiguring and can be removed. They are common in people of Asian origin and those from the Mediterranean region.
Because of the hereditary component, they might or might not indicate high blood levels of cholesterol. Where there is no family history of xanthelasmata, they usually indicate high cholesterol and might correlate with a risk of atheromatous disease.
What is Xanthalasma?
Who gets them?
• Although most patients have a normal lipid level, more than 30% do show an lipid abnormality. Serum cholesterol might b elevated.
• Xanthelasmas usually occ
General appearance
Other than the characteristic yellow colour, the lesions can be hard i.e. calcareous or soft. In the initial stages, they tend to be symmetrical with all four eyelids being involved. However, over time they might join together and become larger lesions, making it look asymmetrical.
Clinical features
As has been described above, the lesions in xanthalasma are typically yellowish plaques that are seen on the inner aspect of the upper eyelids. They rarely cause any significant symptoms but in some cases they might cause drooping of the eyelids, also called ptosis.
Where do they Occur?
Are they dangerous?
• They usually do not cause patients
• discomfort, but can cause a significant cosmetic blemish.
• They are not malignant
The characteristic appearance makes diagnosis is fairly simple to just clinical examination. Patients might undergo additional tests to check their blood cholesterol and lipid levels. If required, a biopsy might be performed for further analysis and all this will show is the presence of certain cells called histiocytes that have within them deposition of fat.
By themselves, xanthalasma often do not cause any problems. If blood lipid levels are high, it might require treatment. If the lesions are large and are causing problems with droopy eyelids, then in some cases, surgical treatment might be offered. Additional specialist treatments such as laser ablative treatment are also available along with cryotherapy and cauterisation using chemicals.
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April 24, 2017
Do Catfish Eat Other Fish And How To Fish Them
catfish eat other fish
Are you planning to add catfish to your aquarium? Well, you are probably wondering how well catfish relate with other fish and do catfish eat other fish? You may also have heard the talk amongst fellow enthusiasts of how they suspect their catfish is eating their other fish.
Catfish are distinguished from other fish as they have smooth bodies that are without scales. They have organs that look like whiskers on their heads. These organs are also known as “barbells”.
The barbells are used to help the catfish to locate food in dark waters. You will find different species of catfish in various numbers in particulars parts of the world that they habit. If you are a catfish angler, the size of catfish that you expect to catch will depend on the area you are fishing and the type of water body.
Catfish Feeding Habits
Catfish Feeding Habits
These fish adapt their diet to their environment. They are usually bottom feeders but change with the environment. Some of their different feeding modes include:
• Surface feeding.
• Individual shoveling.
• Formation feeding.
• Individual foraging.
Catfish usually filter feed in groups at the water surface. The structure of their buccal cavity encourages suction feeding. They feed on different organisms depending on their availability in their habitat.
To answer your question, if they eat other fish? Yes, catfish eat other fish. They use their sense of smell as what draws them to a particular food. They are attracted to foods that have a strong odour.
What is the Catfish diet?
As I stated earlier, catfish adapt their feeding habits to their environment. Whatever is found in plenty at that place and time, is what they will take a bite. Even their size has an effect on their type of diet.
Catfish grow continually, therefore, the bigger the fish, the older it is. Small catfish will feed on small organisms and the bigger get, the more significant their type of diet becomes. The small catfish feed on insects, snails and clams.
As it grows big, then it starts feeding mainly on, dead or live fish. It is so whether the fish is in a tank or its natural habitat. In its natural habitat, catfish will feed on worms, frogs, fish, etc. during spring or summer. In winter, they turn to feeding on dead fish near the bottom of the water.
During fall, they feed on fish and frogs mainly. You can see that fish is the organism that dominates their diet in and out of season. They are usually, continually feeding that is from sundown to midnight.
They use their sense of smell and taste, to find food, as they normally have small eyes. Different types feed on various material, some feed mainly on wood and algae, while others relish the blood of other fish.
Fishing for Catfish
If you are a catfish angler, then you are in luck as they bite all-year round. The ideal place for you to look for catfish is at the bottom of the water. If you are planning to pull in big fish, you will have to invest in a sturdier fishing rod.
Can you catch catfish without a rod? Yes, you can. The most common methods used to catch catfish without a fishing rod includes the use of
• Trotlines.
• Limb lines.
• Jug lines.
Commonly used baits that you can use to fish catfish comprises minnows, hot dogs, cheese, stink bait, etc. Your choice of bait should depend on the size of fish you want to catch and the temperature of the water. Attach it to a sharp hook, especially one that has a baitholder at its shank.
As for the perfect line to use, it is recommended that you use a thick line, say, of at least 10 pounds. They are prone to putting up a struggle once caught. When fishing rivers or streams, fish for them in the outer edges of the bend with snags, rocks or uncut banks.
If you have catfish in your tank and may be noticing that some of your fish seem to be disappearing, you are probably wondering who could be the culprit. Do catfish eat other fish? Yes, they do.
Catfish adapt their feeding habits to their habitat. Whatever organism is found in plenty in their environment, that is, what they will feed on that time. The season also matters, but the constant body that makes up their meal is fish.
Their size dictates their type of diet. Small catfish will feed on insects, clams or snails. As it becomes significant, so does its food vary. Big catfish feed on dead and live fish. The bigger the fish, the older it is.
They use their sense of smell to pick their feed. Therefore, the stronger the odour, the more likely it is to be fed on by the catfish.
Read more: How To Kill A Catfish
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Why Does IVF Feel Worse Than Donating Eggs? New Research Explains
Closing this gap is not as simple as giving women trying to get pregnant cash
Women undergoing in vitro fertilization (IVF) have significantly less pleasant and more intense experiences than women undergoing the exact same medical procedure when donating their eggs in exchange for money, a new study suggests. “This idea that the same medical technology and medical regimen could be experienced differently by people who were doing it for different reason might be new,” study coauthor Rene Almeling of Yale University told Fatherly.
“Which doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist, but we went and looked and couldn’t find any.”
READ MORE: The Fatherly Guide to IVF
Although women who donate their eggs for cash sit through exactly the same medical procedure as women who have their eggs removed so that they can have children via in vitro fertilization, separate studies of each population have shown that there are emotional differences at hand. While women doing it for IVF describe the procedure as painful and depersonalizing, egg donors looking for cash tend to describe it as painless and easy.
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But Almeling and her team are the first to analyze these two populations side by side. Early on, she anticipated that measuring pain alone would not be accurate “because their physical experience is shaded by their psychological and cognitive experiences” Almeling says. “You’re missing the story because it really is about how those things affect each other.” So to paint a fuller picture, Almeling and her colleagues used an analytical tool to cumulatively measure and compare the emotional, physical, and cognitive experiences of a small sample of 50 IVF patients and 62 egg donors.
When Almeling and her team looked at pain as the sole factor, the women all gave nearly identical responses—which makes sense, because they all underwent the same procedure. But when they threw in emotional scores, which looked at how stressed and sad the women were, along with cognitive scores, the two cohorts’ experiences varied consistently and dramatically. IVF patients reported more intense experiences overall, while donors got off easy, emotionally speaking. Almeling suspects that this effect comes down to very distinct differences between the two groups.
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IVF patients are usually women in their late 30s and early 40s who have been trying to get pregnant for some time and have already thrown a lot of money into the bottomless pit of fertility medicine. The stress and cost of yet another procedure likely contributes to their higher levels of stress and sadness. Egg donors, on the other hand, tend to be in their mid-20s, and they’re not in it for the babies. “They’re doing this because someone is giving them $8,000 and are less invested in the process,” Almeling says. “And that’s what’s showing up in these less intense bodily experiences.”
While the sample size was for this initial study was small, the differences were stark enough that Almeling believes they could be duplicated in larger trials. Another possible limitation was that the study did not look at baseline pain scores to indicate whether women with higher pain tolerances may be more prone to donating eggs in the first place.
Nonetheless, Almeling thinks her preliminary findings could inform medical practice. She suggests that physicians provide women who are about to try IVF with information that prepares them for greater levels of sadness, stress, and distraction than that of women who are undergoing the same procedure for other reasons.
“Having that knowledge,” she says. “Can often be quite calming in it of itself.” |
Cabiria (1914) poster
Death rays were popular throughout the 20th century, but their conceit goes much farther back. Action at a distance – the separation of soldier from target – can be pushed back as far as the first monkey throwing the first rock and taken through a logical course from spears to arrows to catapults to muskets and rifles. Each of these weapons had a potentially fatal flaw. They were finite and physical. Spears were heavy and could only be thrown once. Worse, a thrown spear could be tossed back at you. Other projectile weapons had similar limitations. From classical times, the dream weapon discarded the mundane physical intermediary. Point and kill. Over and over again.
The first weapon to capture this dream appears to be Archimedes’ heat ray. The always unreliable fantasist and satirist Lucian of Samosota credited Archimedes with the power to set ships afire. Later authors embellished this bare detail not confirmed by any contemporary until a small miracle of ingenuity emerged as a set story. By the twelfth century Tzetzes of Byzantium, no relation to the fly, had a complete narrative at his fingers.
Archimedes constructed a kind of hexagonal mirror, and at an interval proportionate to the size of the mirror, he set similar small mirrors with four edges, moving by links and by a kind of hinge, and made the glass the centre of the sun’s beams … So after that, when the beams were reflected into this, a terrible kindling of flame arose upon the ships, and he reduced them to ashes a bow-shot off (Chiliades, 2.109-123).
Giovanni Pastrone’s Italian epic Cabiria, released at lengths from two to three hours in 1914, contained a five-minute scene featuring the ancient Archimedes called into the losing battle against the Romans at the end of second Punic War, shown below. Desperate to stave off the Roman battle fleet, Archimedes putters in his workshop until inspiration strikes. A simple grid of mirrors reflecting the sun causes a piece of paper to be set on fire. In no time he directs the construction of a gigantic mirror array, neither hinged nor apparently focusable, an odd omission from a filmmaker. Hugeness is sufficient. Several times larger than the tiny figures at its base, the mirror shoots off blinding rays that strike the viewer as much as the ships; in modern 3-D this effect would have audiences leaping out of their seats. The Roman fleet burns like matchsticks.
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Testosterone: What’s behind the muscle building hormone?
Hero Testosteron
Behind the hormone testosterone lie several mysterious assumptions. Especially in sports, testosterone is a controversial topic of discussion. How does testosterone affect athleticism, muscle growth and overall physical capacity? Is there a possibility to higher your testosterone level in order to become fitter, more bulky or faster? In this article we will shed some light on different assumptions about testosterone to find out more about this muscle building mystery.
Take note: In order to correctly reflect on the studies used for this article, we will only discuss what happens within the male body since only men were probands in the surveys.
First things first: what is testosterone?
Testosterone is described as the androgenic sex hormone that is mostly produced within the testicles. Hold on, what does the term “androgenic” mean? “Androgenic” basically means “becoming a man”. Slightly vague, we know. To get a better understanding, here are testosterone’s main functions within the body:
• Developing male characteristics such as reproductive organs and body hair growth.
• Highly supports the development of bones and muscles as well as stimulating fat burning.
• Stimulating the production of red blood cells that transport oxygen within the body.
What’s interesting is, scientists discovered that 8am is the time of day when the most amount of free testosterone is found within the blood, whereas 8pm, the least. Does this mean training in the morning has a greater impact on muscle growth? Not necessarily. It has yet to be determined whether or not the time of day makes a difference on training results. Nevertheless, let’s take a look at the relationship between testosterone levels and training methods.
Does strength and interval training have an impact on my testosterone levels?
To be honest, there are so many studies out there concerning testosterone and how its level within the blood can be increased in order to have a greater, overall muscular capacity.
What’s relatively certain is that high intensity intervals with exercises such as burpees or sprints have a consistent impact on the body’s testosterone level. A study shows that even 20 minutes after the physical strain, the probands’ testosterone level was elevated. Here, we can record that exercises with short and high intensity create the hormonal precondition that is needed to build muscles and burn body fat.
What’s also said to be relatively sure is that training with compound exercises such as weighted squats and deadlifts has an impact on your body’s testosterone level due to the stressing of large muscle mass. It was observed that after doing such exercises, the testosterone level increased, which then again establishes a good hormonal environment to gain muscle mass.
Take note that the time testosterone can be found within the blood is relatively short. Testosterone is also not the only hormone within a complex chain that has an impact on muscle growth and reducing body fat. It is one of many important compounds.
What are the effects of an illegal use of pseudo testosterone?
“Anabolic steroids” – is the term that often comes up when people talk about the illegal use of pseudo hormones in athletic performance. Anabolic steroids are related to testosterone due to their similar chemical structure. When steroids are taken, the burning of body fat and the protein synthesis are accelerated when simultaneously performing intense physical training.
The use of anabolic steroids is absolutely not recommended. Here are just a few of the many dangerous side effects:
• Infertility
• Liver diseases
• Increased risk of heart attack
Do eating habits have an impact on my testosterone level?
Yes, we can say that it does. A lack of zinc, magnesium and also essential amino acids has a negative impact on the production of testosterone within your body. Especially, during times of hard and intense training, your body is in great need of such nutrients. So, it is highly important to provide your body with enough water as well as sufficient micronutrients in order to keep your testosterone levels high.
Let’s recap
Training with high intensity or heavy weights supports your body’s hormonal environment. This means that testosterone has a positive effect when it comes to building more muscle as well as simultaneously burning unwanted body fat. But keep in mind that only with a good and adequate supply of nutrients, is your body able to do so. As well as this, testosterone is one of many important compounds that your body needs to be able to build muscles, burn body fat and create a better overall fitness level. |
English English language Etymology Expression Phrase origin Usage Word origin
Do you party hardy or hearty?
Q: Throughout my life, I have thought that “hardy” meant being able to withstand hard things, while “hearty” referred to doing things heartily. Why do so many people say “party hardy” when I would say “party hearty”?
A: Well, “party hearty” is the older of the two phrases, but both of them have been around for dozens of years, and “party hardy” is slightly more popular on the Web.
The Oxford English Dictionary says the colloquial verb phrases “party hearty” and “party hardy” mean the same thing: “go to parties, celebrate, drink, etc., esp. unrestrainedly.”
The OED’s earliest citation for “party hearty” is from a headline in the Dec. 24, 1955, issue of the Washington Post: “Young set still party hearty.”
The dictionary’s earliest example for “party hardy” is from the July 7, 1977, issue of the same newspaper: “ ‘Party hardy! Yeehaw!’ yelled Brenda Stephens, 14.”
Oxford says the “hardy” form “seems likely to derive from the expression party hard,” with the “-y” suffix added “for reduplicative effect.”
(We’ve written several times on the blog about reduplicatives, terms with recurring sounds. A recent post discusses examples like “goody goody,” “bow-wow,” and “choo-choo.”)
The OED also has citations for “party hearty” and “party hardy” used as adjectival phrases, including these two:
“Those party-hearty people who manage, somehow, to take in four and five debuts a day are complaining,” from the Dec. 24, 1955, issue of the Washington Post.
“The Gang cranks up one of its party-hardy grooves,” from the Jan. 14, 1985, issue of People Weekly.
And the Dictionary of American Slang (4th ed.) has an entry for the noun phrase “party hearty.” The dictionary defines the noun as a “party animal” and gives this example:
“He attracted a Hollywood set of Hawaiian-shirt party hearties who sunned themselves like alligators down in Key West.”
We suspect, as you do, that “party hardy” was initially the result of an eggcorn, the misinterpretation of a word or phrase as another word or phrase. The linguists Geoffrey Pullum and Mark Liberman coined this term for a substitution—like “egg corn” for “acorn.”
The OED suggests that the American accent may have contributed to the substitution of “hardy” for “hearty.”
“The interchangeability of hardy with hearty is likely to have arisen because their U.S. pronunciation is frequently identical,” the dictionary says. It notes that the usage originated in the US and is chiefly seen there.
The Eggcorn Database, a collaborative collection of eggcorns, has a Feb. 20, 2005, entry on “party hardy” submitted by the linguist Ben Zimmer.
Zimmer cites two songs released in 1977: “Party Hardy,” by the funk band Slave, and “We Party Hearty,” by the funk band L.T.D.
Ten years ago, when Zimmer wrote his entry for the Eggcorn Database, he said the usage was running “about 1.3:1 in favor of party hearty.”
Our Internet searches indicate that Web usage is now running slightly in favor of “party hardy,” indicating that the “hardy” version is gaining in popularity. And popularity is what ultimately determines common usage in English.
Which, you ask, makes more sense: “party hardy” or “party hearty”?
Colloquial expressions don’t always make sense, but if we’re talking about people who party hard until they drink themselves under the table (as the OED’s definition suggests), then the partyers had better be hardy.
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Map of Polynesia
Quick facts
Pronunciation: PAHL-uh-nee-zhuns
Location: Pacific Ocean, generally within the Polynesian Triangle, drawn by connecting the points of Hawai`i, New Zealand and Easter Island (Rapa Nui).
Population: 1,139,527
Languages: Native languages of the islands and French, English and Spanish
Religion: Christianity with elements of native religion
Polynesia is a subregion of Oceania, made up of more than 1,000 islands in the central and southern Pacific Ocean. The indigenous people of Polynesia share many similarities including their family of languages, culture, and beliefs. They, like many other Pacific Islanders, are descendants of Austronesian-speaking navigators who first settled western Polynesia as many as 3,000 years ago.
The term “Polynesia” was first used in 1756 by French writer Charles de Brosses. It originally applied to all the islands of the Pacific. However, eventually it came to mean those who generally are from islands in the Polynesian Triangle. There are some islands, though, that are inhabited by Polynesian people who live on islands outside the Polynesian Triangle. Geographically, the Polynesian Triangle is within the points of Hawai`i, New Zealand (Aotearoa) and Easter Island (Rapa Nui). The other island groups within the Polynesian Triangle are Samoa, Tonga, the Cook Islands, Tuvalu, Tokelau, Niue, Wallis and Futuna, and French Polynesia.
There are also small Polynesian settlements in Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands and Vanuatu, all within Melanesia, and some within the Caroline Islands in Micronesia. One such island group with strong Polynesian cultural traits outside of this great triangle is Rotuma, situated north of Fiji. The people of Rotuma have many common Polynesian traits but speak a non-Polynesian language. Some of the Lau Islands to the southeast of Fiji have strong historic and cultural links with Tonga as well.
Physical geology
Polynesia’s geology is characterized by small islands spread over a large portion of the mid- and southern Pacific Ocean. Most Polynesian islands and archipelagos, including the Hawaiian Islands and Samoa, are volcanic islands built by hotspots in the ocean. New Zealand, Norfolk Island, and Ouvéa, the Polynesian outlier near New Caledonia, are the unsubmerged portions of the largely sunken continent of Zealandia. Zealandia is believed to have mostly sunk by 23 million years ago and resurfaced geologically recently due to a change in the movements of the Pacific Plate in relation to the Indo-Australian plate, which served to uplift the New Zealand portion. At first, the Pacific plate was subducted under the Australian plate. The Alpine Fault that traverses the South Island is currently a transform fault while the convergent plate boundary from the North Island northwards is a subduction zone called the Kermadec-Tonga Subduction Zone. The volcanism associated with this subduction zone is the origin of the Kermadec and Tongan island archipelagos.
Out of about 117,000 or 118,000 sq mi (300,000 or 310,000 sq km) of land, more than 103,000 sq mi (270,000 sq km) are within New Zealand; the Hawaiian archipelago comprises about half the remainder. The Zealandia continent has approximately 1,400,000 sq mi (3,600,000 sq km) of continental shelf. The oldest rocks in the region are found in New Zealand and are believed to be about 510 million years old. The oldest Polynesian rocks outside of Zealandia are to be found in the Hawaiian Emperor Seamount Chain, and are 80 million years old.
Populating Polynesia
The Polynesian people are considered to be, by linguistic, archeological and human genetic ancestry, a subset of the sea-migrating Austronesian people. The Polynesian languages places their prehistoric origins in the Malay Archipelago and ultimately Taiwan. Between about 3000 and 1000 BC speakers of Austronesian languages began spreading from Taiwan into Island Southeast Asia.
There are three theories regarding the spread of humans across the Pacific to Polynesia. These are outlined well by Elke Kayser et al. (2000) and are as follows:
• Express Train model: A recent (c. 3000–1000 BC) expansion out of Taiwan, via the Philippines and eastern Indonesia and from the northwest (“Bird’s Head”) of New Guinea, on to Island Melanesia by roughly 1400 BC, reaching western Polynesian islands right about 900 BC. This theory is supported by the majority of current genetic, linguistic, and archeological data.
• Entangled Bank model: Emphasizes the long history of Austronesian speakers’ cultural and genetic interactions with indigenous Island Southeast Asians and Melanesians along the way to becoming the first Polynesians.
In the archeological record there are well-defined traces of this expansion which allow the path it took to be followed and dated with some certainty. It is thought that by roughly 1400 BC, “Lapita Peoples,” so-named after their pottery tradition, appeared in the Bismarck Archipelago of northwest Melanesia. This culture is seen as having adapted and evolved through time and space since its emergence “Out of Taiwan.” They had given up rice production after encountering and adapting to breadfruit in the Bird’s Head area of New Guinea. In the end, the most eastern site for Lapita archeological remains recovered so far is at Mulifanua on Upolu. The Mulifanua site, where 4,288 pottery sherds have been found and studied, has a “true” age of c. 1000 BC based on C-14 dating. A 2010 study places the beginning of the human archeological sequences of Polynesia in Tonga at 900 BC.
Within a mere three or four centuries between about 1300 and 900 BC, the Lapita archeological culture spread 6,000 km further to the east from the Bismarck Archipelago, until it reached as far as Fiji, Tonga, and Samoa which were first populated around 3,000 years ago as mentioned previously. A cultural divide began to develop between Fiji to the west, and the distinctive Polynesian language and culture emerging on Tonga and Samoa to the east. Where there was once faint evidence of uniquely shared developments in Fijian and Polynesian speech, most of this is now called “borrowing.” This borrowing is thought to have occurred in those and later years more as a result of continuing unity of their earliest dialects on those far-flung lands. Contacts were mediated especially through the eastern Lau Islands of Fiji, and this is where most Fijian-Polynesian linguistic interaction occurred.
Traditional Polynesia society
Linguistic evidence suggests that western Polynesia was first settled some 3,000 years ago, by people of the Lapita culture. It has proved harder to establish when eastern Polynesia was settled. It is possible that some islands were occupied soon after the arrival of Lapita colonists in western Polynesia. However, while the Lapita are best known for their distinctive pottery, eastern Polynesia’s archeological sites lack ceramics of any kind. Nonetheless, it is clear that the various island groups in Polynesia interacted frequently with one another during the early period of settlement, exchanging luxury goods such as basalt adzes, pearl shell, and red feathers.
Polynesia divides into two distinct cultural groups, East Polynesia and West Polynesia. The culture of West Polynesia is conditioned to high populations. It has strong institutions of marriage and well-developed judicial, monetary and trading traditions. The groups of Tonga, Niue, Samoa and the atolls of Tuvalu to the north are all considered part of West Polynesia. It is likely the pattern of settlement involved the spread of Polynesians out from the Samoan Islands into the Tuvaluan atolls, with Tuvalu providing a stepping stone to migration into the Polynesian Outlier communities in Melanesia and Micronesia.
Eastern Polynesian cultures are highly adapted to smaller islands and atolls, as seen principally in the Cook Islands, Tahiti, the Tuamotus, the Marquesas, Hawai`i, Rapa Nui and smaller central-Pacific groups. The large islands of New Zealand were first settled by Eastern Polynesians who adapted their culture to a non-tropical environment.
All Polynesian societies had chiefs and community members who traced themselves to a common ancestor. Chiefs controlled a fairly stable territory. Unlike in Melanesia, leaders were chosen in Polynesia based on their hereditary bloodline. (Samoa, however, had another system of government that combined elements of heredity and real-world skills to choose leaders. This system is called Fa’amatai.) In Polynesian societies, rank and status depended on inheritance–the standing of both parents was important (in general, political power was inherited from the father’s line, but rank and status were inherited from maternal lines). Chiefs generally had absolute authority, decided all the laws and matters of justice, but their rule was tempered by more pragmatic concerns, such as being good and fair leaders, listening to the advice of peers and considering the interests of their subjects.
Women in general did not wield political power, even though they may be of higher rank than their brothers, husbands or sons. Still, women could be very influential in the political realm by sheer force of their character or personality.
Another feature of Polynesian chiefdoms is their variability in structure in relation to the scale of the community or size of the territory (and resources) they controlled. In small atolls like some of the Cook Islands, for example, a chief may not seem much different than the other men in the group. On the other extreme were more highly stratified societies as found in Tonga and Hawai`i with numerous chiefs and nobles commanding thousands of warriors, and an elaborate system of rituals and prohibitions.
Religion, farming, fishing, weather prediction, outrigger canoe (similar to modern catamarans) construction and navigation were highly developed skills because the population of an entire island depended on them. Trading of both luxuries and mundane items was important to all groups. Periodic droughts and subsequent famines often led to war. Many low-lying islands could suffer severe famine if their gardens were poisoned by the salt from the storm-surge of a tropical cyclone. In these cases, fishing, the primary source of protein, would not ease loss of food energy. Navigators, in particular, were highly respected and each island maintained a house of navigation with a canoe-building area. But all people had to work hard together for the betterment of the community.
Settlements by the Polynesians were of two categories: the hamlet and the village. Size of the island inhabited determined whether or a not a hamlet would be built. The larger volcanic islands usually had hamlets because of the many zones that could be divided across the island. Food and resources were more plentiful and so these settlements of four to five houses (usually with gardens) were established so that there would be no overlap between the zones. Villages, on the other hand, were built on the coasts of smaller islands and consisted of thirty or more houses—in the case of atolls, houses would be built on only one of the group so that food cultivation could be done on the others. Usually these villages were fortified with walls and palisades made of stone and wood. However, New Zealand demonstrates the opposite: large volcanic islands with fortified villages.
One of the principal characteristics of traditional Polynesian cultures is an effective adaptation to and mastery of the ocean environment. The Polynesians were superb mariners—their voyages extended as far as Chile, approximately 2,200 miles (3,500 km) east of Easter Island—but their mastery did not extend merely to the technology involved in shipbuilding and navigation. It also permeated social organization, religion, food production, and most other facets of the culture; they had social mechanisms for coping with the human problems of shipwreck, such as separated families and the sudden loss of large portions of the group. In short, they were well equipped to handle the numerous hazards of the beautiful but challenging Pacific environment.
As well as being great navigators Polynesians were artists and artisans of great skill. Simple objects, such as fish-hooks, would be manufactured to exacting standards for different catches and decorated even when the decoration was not part of the function. Stone and wooden weapons were considered to be more powerful the better they were made and decorated. In some island groups, weaving was a strong part of the culture and gifting woven articles an ingrained practice. Dwellings were imbued with character by the skill of their builders.
Another important characteristic of traditional culture was a certain amount of conservatism. This is apparent in all Polynesian cultures, even those that are separated by hundreds or thousands of miles, and whose populations were separated two or three millennia ago. For instance, a comparison of material goods such as stone adzes and fishhooks from widely separated groups reveals a remarkable similarity. The same is true for kinship terms, plant names, and much of the rest of the technical vocabulary of the cultures, as well as for art motifs and medical preparations. The ornate and voluminous genealogies, chants, legends, songs, and spells that were passed down and elaborated through the generations show a profound reverence for the past.
Polynesian cultures displayed a thoroughly practical exploitation of the environment. Their languages reflect their systematic observations of the natural world, abounding with terminology for stars, currents, winds, landforms, and directions. Polynesian languages also include a large number of grammatical elements, indicating, for example, direction of motion implied by verbs, including movement toward or away from the speaker, relative positions of objects with reference to the speaker, and direction of movement along a seashore-inland axis.
The religious attributes of Polynesians were common over the whole Pacific region. While there are some differences in their spoken languages they largely have the same explanation for the creation of the earth and sky, for the gods that rule aspects of life and for the religious practices of everyday life. People traveled thousands of miles to celebrations that they all owned communally.
Polynesians also exhibited a profound interest in the supernatural, which they viewed as part of the continuum of reality rather than as a separate category of experience. As a result, Polynesian cultures placed every person in a well-defined relationship to society and to the universe. Creation traditions told of the origin of the world, setting forth the order of precedence of earth, sky, and sea and their inhabitants, including man and woman. Genealogies fixed the individual tightly into a hierarchical social order. A variety of legends interpreted natural phenomena, while historical accounts often described, with varying amounts of mythological elaboration, the migrations of people before they arrived at the island on which they were located, their adventures on the way, and the development of the culture following settlement.
Religion was important for maintaining political authority and social order. The eastern Polynesians had a pantheon of gods who lived in the sky and sometimes came down to earth, interacting with humans. Gods generally controlled or influenced specific aspects of nature or human affairs. In western Polynesia, there were fewer gods but more spirits attached to persons or families. Power was seen as more important than ethics and religion in general was more pragmatic, with worship more focused on appeasing gods or to avoid misfortune.
The two most important religious concepts were mana and tapu. Mana was the sacred power which a god possessed; humans had mana, too, and the more mana one had, the more power they could wield. Tapu (tabu or kapu, English: taboo) applied to things that were sacred or cursed and, as such, were inaccessible or out of bounds to those who did not have a dispensation. Tapu was a means of social control–to keep a person isolated, or to protect and preserve a certain place or thing. Sometimes tapu could be burdensome–for example, a chief could be so tapu that anything he touched would be tapu as well and no one else could touch it ever again. Another example, people who prepared the dead for burial could be tapu for several months and therefore, was unable to feed himself or handle food, so others had to take care of him. The authorities for religious matters were known as kahunas or tohangas–priests, wise men and skilled experts. These individuals usually led important rituals and ceremonies. Some kahunas did not necessarily have to be experts in the divine, but could be skilled in certain kinds of crafts or activities.
Violence was an ever-present element of Polynesian cultures as well, as reflected in the oral literature and in all aspects of traditional life. Various customs controlled and repressed the direct physical expression of aggression within the kin group and the tribe up to a point, but there were definite boundaries of behavior beyond which only violence could restore status or assuage injured pride. Punishments for transgressing ritual prohibitions and social rules often incorporated ritual sacrifice or even the death of the transgressor. Intertribal warfare was extremely common, particularly when populations began to outgrow available resources.
Perhaps the most publicized and misconceived aspect of Polynesian culture has been its sensuality. As in many other aspects of life, Polynesian peoples generally took a very direct, realistic, and physical approach to gratification of the senses. Notably, while traditional culture placed clear restrictions on sexual behavior, the fact that the range of acceptable behavior was wider among Polynesians than among the Christian explorers and missionaries who reported it has fostered a stereotype of extreme sexual promiscuity. In reality, there was no abnormal focus or concentration on any aspect of sensual gratification, a situation in contrast to that seen in many other cultures where, for example, eating, drinking, or sex has become the focus of great cultural elaboration. In general, Polynesians’ balanced approach to sensual gratification seems just another reflection of a generally straightforward approach to the world.
Of the many cultural traditions in the Pacific, Polynesian tattooing is considered one of the most intricate and skillful tattooing of the ancient world. The Polynesians believed that a person’s mana is displayed through their tattoo. Each Polynesian group had their own designs and motifs. Elaborate geometrical designs which were often added to, renewed, and embellished throughout the life of the individual until they covered the entire body. The Samoan islands probably had one of the more distinctive tattooing traditions, called tatau, applying the designs defined by rank and title and lines of descent, in particular on the thighs and buttocks. Tattooing ceremonies for young chiefs were elaborate but painful affairs, not taken lightly and a symbol of an individual’s strength and maturity. The Hawaiians called their tattooing art kakau, and was used to protect their health and spirituality. Designs resembling woven patterns would be painted on arms, legs, tori and faces on men, while women were tattooed on their hands, fingers and wrists and sometimes tongues.Body modification was taken to another extreme in New Zealand in a style known as ta-moko whereby designs were carved into the skin with chisels, leaving permanent scars. The full-face moko was a sign of distinction of status and tribal affiliations. Women often received moko patterns on their chins and lips.
Dance and traditional music are also important parts of Polynesian culture. Music was generally religious in nature and in the form of chants accompanied by dance motions. The hula in Hawaiian culture is probably one of the most well known dance forms in the world, but has many variations. Movements of hands, feet, hips and arms provide gestures that illustrate the music or chants. Music and rhythms were often provided by gourds, nose flutes or shell rattles. In other cultures, drums and wooden sticks were integral to musical experiences.
As happened throughout the Pacific, the arrival of western missionaries forced many unique art forms of the Polynesians into decline by discouraging or forbidding them outright, such as tattooing and even hula, and anything seen as sexually provocative. Recent decades, however, have seen a great resurgence in most traditional art forms and new elaborations that utilize modern innovations and technologies.
A brief history
A cultural divide began to develop between Fiji to the west, and the distinctive Polynesian language and culture emerging on Tonga and Samoa to the east. Where there was once faint evidence of uniquely shared developments in Fijian and Polynesian speech, most of this is now called “borrowing” and is thought to have occurred in those and later years more as a result of continuing unity of their earliest dialects on those far-flung lands.
European explorers navigated much of the area in the latter quarter of the 18th century, and the first missionaries arrived in the late 1700s and early 1800s. The sandalwood trade, whaling and the beche-de-mer trade brought more people into the islands, new ideas and new kinds of materials and goods that they traded with the Pacific Islanders. Polynesians also participated in these exchanges, some leaving on whaling or trade ships and traveling to far off lands. Introduced diseases, alcohol, weapons and violence, however, decimated populations in the islands. The establishment of plantations after whaling and sandalwood trades diminished led to the import of foreign labor from all over the world, including Europe, Asia and other Pacific islands, creating multicultural populations in places like Hawai`i. Great Britain annexed New Zealand through the Treaty of Waitangi (1840), but interethnic tension arose between the indigenous Maori and the British settlers. Other colonial powers that laid claim to various parts of Polynesia included France, Germany, New Zealand, the United States, and Chile.
Missionary influence on Polynesian peoples increased over time, and Christianity eventually became an integral part of the islanders’ lives. In many areas Christianity was also influenced by local traditions and customs. Quite commonly, villages competed to build larger and more elaborate churches, and first-time visitors to Polynesia are often surprised at the intensity of the islanders’ commitment to Christianity. Many Polynesians were recruited to proselytize other parts of the Pacific, particularly Melanesia.
World War II was a faraway affair until the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor 7 December 1941. After that, Hawai`i became central to the United States’ war effort in the Pacific. The Hawaiian islands became a changed place, ruled by martial law for the duration of the war and hosting hundreds of thousands of servicemen as they moved through on their way to and from battle. Many Japanese families, settled in Hawai`i for decades and generations, were torn apart by the war. Many younger Japanese men fought for the United States, earning great distinction with the 442nd Regiment.
The modern era in the Pacific indigenous rights movement may be considered to have begun after World War II in 1946 with two major events. The first was the recognition of the right to self-determination for colonized peoples in the newly drafted United Nations Charter under Chapter XI, Article 73. A list of 72 Non-self-governing Territories eligible for decolonization and a process for decolonization were created.
The second major event in 1946 was the onset of a 50-year era of Pacific nuclear testing led by the US in the Marshall Islands, followed by the United Kingdom (UK) in 1952 and France in 1966, heightening Cold War tension. Because of Pacific protests, the US in 1962 concluded its Pacific nuclear testing with missile megaton explosions over Kiribati (Christmas Island) and Kalama (Johnston Atoll).
The cost of the testing to Pacific islanders was long term human suffering and radiation injury, and other extensive environmental degradation and the lasting bitterness of Pacific islanders. Yet, in 1959, the US military established a Pacific Missile Range Facility (PMRF) in the Marshall Islands as the impact site for nuclear intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM). Moreover, in 1966, France conducted the first of 193 Pacific nuclear tests at Moruroa and Fangataufa atolls southeast of Tahiti which ended only after another clamor of world-wide protests 30 years later.
Thus, the Pacific indigenous rights movement was a response to the West’s persistent colonial domination in violation of the UN Charter’s call for decolonization at that time and the West’s Cold War pretext for use of the Pacific islands for devastating nuclear testing.
Persistent nuclear detonations by the US and France in 1975 spurred the first Nuclear-Free Pacific Conference held in Suva, Fiji, sponsored by a Pacific-wide network of anti-nuclear groups. A Pacific People’s Action Front (PPAF) was organized. This alliance of indigenous activists and Western liberals was a major factor in shaping awareness and compelling Pacific governments to take stronger anti-nuclear and anti-colonial stands.
Ensuing nuclear free conferences in Pohnpei in 1978, and in 1980 at Kailua, Ka Pae’aina Hawai`i and in 1983 at Port Villa, Vanuatu, produced a People’s Treaty which subsequently became a People’s Charter for a Nuclear Free and Independent Pacific (NFIP). NFIP concluded that a nuclear-free Pacific could be attained only by independence from colonial imperialism.
The 1983 NFIP Conference in Vanuatu proclaimed a united front against Japan nuclear waste dumping, French nuclear testing and US Pacific Rim military exercises. NFIP announced support for Kanaky (New Caledonia) and Tahiti Nui (French Polynesia) independence from France, and issued the Port Villa Declaration for an Oppression-Free Pacific.
In the same year in Geneva, the UN Cobo Report concluded that discrimination against indigenous peoples was due to their lack of self-determination, that imposed assimilation was a form of discrimination, and that the right of indigenous peoples to cultural distinctiveness, political self-determination and secure land resources should be formally declared by the UN. The result was the creation of the UN Working Group on Indigenous Populations (UNWGIP) in 1982 and the UNWGIP’s work on a Draft Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (DDRIP) completed after 12 years in 1994.
Easter Island (Rapa Nui) is the anomaly of the region. The aboriginal population was so decimated by European-introduced diseases and by slavers in the 1860s that it almost became extinct. In 1888 the island was annexed by Chile; its people are now the only Pacific islanders controlled by a Latin American power. Little remains of Easter Island’s original culture. The indigenous Polynesian language (also called Rapa Nui) survives, but most people also speak Spanish. About one-third of the island’s small population is from Chile.
20th century economies
With the exception of New Zealand, the majority of independent Polynesian islands derive much of their income from foreign aid and remittances from those who live in other countries. Some encourage their young people to go where they can earn good money to remit to their stay-at-home relatives. Others advocate a simple life, as has been traditional in the Pacific for centuries. Many Polynesian locations supplement this with tourism income. Some have more unusual sources of income, such as Tuvalu which marketed its ‘.tv’ internet top-level domain name, or the Cooks that relied on stamp sales. Others grow cash crops for sale in larger markets. The US state of Hawai`i’s economy is also partially sustained by the large US military industry.
Political status
The island groups of Polynesia have the whole spectrum of political statuses with relationships to many larger countries. Hawai`i is a US state and American Samoa is a US territory. Other Polynesian islands are British and French overseas territories. A few of the islands are independent nations, some with free associations with larger countries such as New Zealand, Australia, France, Chile and Great Britain.
For further reading
Campbell, I. C. 1996. A History of the Pacific Islands. Berkeley and Los Angeles: University of California Press.
Goldman, I. 1970. Ancient Polynesian Society. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
Hooper, Anthony, and Judith Huntsman. 1985. Transformations of Polynesian Culture. Auckland, New Zealand: The Polynesian Society.
Melville, Herman. 1876. Typee. New York: Wiley and Putnam.
American Samoa
Cook Islands
Easter Island (Rapa Nui)
French Polynesia (Tahiti)
New Zealand (Maori)
Norfolk Island
Pitcairn Island
Wallis and Futuna
Helpful POP Culture section links:
POP Cultures: People of Melanesia click here>>>
POP Cultures: People of Micronesia click here>>> |
The lighthouse was originally built in 1824 and it was originally owned by Dr. Allan Ballard. He sold the lighthouse to the government in 1865. It was sold because he thought the ocean would swallow it. Florida’s money were depleted after the Civil War and they offered to buy the lighthouse for significantly lower that its real value. Ballard refused the offer and the state threatened to take the lighthouse from Ballard without giving him anything. Ballard was outraged and vowed never to leave the lighthouse and a lot of people say that is exactly what he did. He can be seen in the property.
The lighthouse keeper named Peter Rasmussen was someone who always enjoyed smoking cigars. He was also known for being strict and meticulous. Today the scent of his cigar can be detected several times a week according to the people who are now working to preserve the lighthouse.
However, it is believed that it is not only Rasmussen who is the smoke loving entity in the lighthouse. Some say that Joseph Andreau, another keeper who died in the 1850s, also loves to smoke. Many people believe that the footsteps on the stairs, as well as the cigar smoke, are from him. He died when he fell while painting the tower.
The most popular ghosts in the lighthouse are those of the 13-year old and 15-year old daughters of Hezekiah Pity or Pittee. Pity was commissioned to renovate the lighthouse and he brought his family down with him from Maine. One day, his two young daughters were playing around the grounds an despite their father’s warning, climbed in the cart which was used to carry building materials from the bay to the lighthouse.
Both of the girls drowned when the cart broke loose and slid down into the bay. When you visit the lighthouse today, you just might hear the two little girls laughing late into the night. The elder Pity girl can be seen wearing her favorite blue velvet dress and blue hair bow.
Standing at the north end of Anastasia Island, St. Augustine Lighthouse is now owned by the St. Augustine Lighthouse & Museum, Inc. It is now open to the public with admission fees going to the Lighthouse fund programs.
According to the lighthouse, St. Augustine was built and placed on the same spot where a watchtower as also built by the Spanish. Early lamps which were used in the tower used lard oil. By 1855, multiple lamps had silver reflectors which improved the range of the lighthouse.
At the beginning of the Civil War, Paul Arnau and a woman named Maria de los Delores removed the lens in the lighthouse and hid it. This was done in order to block Union shipping lanes. The clock works and lens were recovered Arnau was captured and forced to reveal their location.
Today the lighthouse consists of the original tower, the keeper’s house, a garage, two summer kitchens and a coast guard barracks. It is also listed on the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. |
://How to properly install and use the bottle-top dispenser
How to properly install and use the bottle-top dispenser
1. Install the pipette
According to the size of the reagent bottle used, cut the matching pipette into a suitable length, and manually tighten one end of the pipette with the fixed threaded sleeve to the bottom valve of the bottle-top dispenser.
2. Install the return pipe
Insert the straight end of a short transparent end of the transparent liquid return tube into the socket at the bottom of the bottle-top dispenser and next to the pipette valve.
3. Install the dispensing tube
A dispensing tube with a white plastic support sheath is secured to the horizontal interface on the front side of the finish dispenser by a fixed nut at one end thereof. Note that the dispensing tube is now tightened and the nut is tightened.
4. Installed into the reagent bottle
Install it onto the threaded opening of the reagent bottle through the threaded connection (caliber A45) on the bottom of the bottle-top dispenser. If the diameter of the reagent bottle is smaller than the above-mentioned diameter, it can be transferred to the reagent bottle used by the three threaded adapters (caliber: A32, A38 and S40).
5. Prepare liquid aspiration
Hold the reagent bottle in one hand and turn the bottle-top dispenser on one hand so that the label of the dispensing tube and reagent bottle is facing the operator. Place the liquid container under the dispensing nozzle, remove the sealing cap of the dispensing nozzle, and slide back (ie, toward the dispensing tube interface) to insert the cap into the fixed position.
6. Remove the bubbles
Turn the dial on the top of the bottle-top dispenser to the quarter or third of the range, and turn the side safety valve to the arrow on the back of the finish dispenser (ie, facing the back of the dispenser) Direction rotation). This operation was repeated several times by pulling the handle on the top of the bottle-top dispenser and then quickly pressing it, until the visible air bubbles were not observed through the side window of the bottle-top dispenser. Next, rotate the safety valve until the arrow points to the front position (ie, rotates in the direction of the pipette), and repeat the above aspiration and liquid discharge operation until all the air bubbles in the pipe are discharged.
7. Quantitative dispensing
Rotate the metering dial on the top of the bottle-top dispenser to the desired dispensing capacity (the dial can be rotated in both directions). The container that needs to receive the liquid is placed under the dispensing nozzle, and the top piston handle is lifted gently and steadily until it can not be pulled, and then pressed down to the bottom to quantitatively remove the required volume of the solution.
8. Processing after use
After use, you should ensure that the pipetting piston is at the bottom (controlled by the top handle) and the scale dial scale should be zero to lock the pipetting piston.
9. Simple maintenance and cleaning
To ensure a long service life of your bottle-top dispenser, some maintenance and cleaning work can be done in the following cases: pipetting pistons are not flexible; dispensing some restrictive solutions (such as high concentration of salt solution and high After the concentration of the alkaline solution); before the replacement of the liquid separation reagent; before the bottle-top dispenser is sterilized; replace the pipe of the bottle-top dispenser (suction pipe, liquid return pipe and liquid separation pipe);
2018-09-06T03:08:51+00:00September 6th, 2018| |
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How To Cook Delicious Dishes Without Going Out
Posted by heath on
If you want to cook healthy, nutritious, flavorful food at home, you can do it.
While there are lots of recipes online to help beginning cooks, busy cooks, and people on a budget, very few tell you how to buy the ingredients you need to prepare your food. After all, the quality of the meal depends on the ingredients used to prepare it.
Here we give you some advice on how to buy fresh produce, herbs, and spices. In addition, we will some info about the benefits should you wash meat before cooking.
Buying Fresh Fruit and Vegetables
It is best to buy your fresh produce from local growers or farmers’ markets. Produce supplied by local growers is sold to consumers sooner than imported produce. This matters to the at-home cook because the shorter the time from field to table, the more nutritious, fresh, and tasty your produce will be when you eat it.
When possible buy produce that is natural and non-GMO. GMO is an abbreviation for genetically modified organisms. In this case, it means your product is the result of Frankenstein-like experiments to create something better than the original. The natural, non-GMO produce tastes better, has higher nutritional content, and is more easily digested by your body.
Focus on buying produce that is in season. When produce is sold during its growing season, there is likely to be a lot of it available. If there is a lot of it available, you will have a larger selection of products to choose from and it will be cheaper.
In the produce section, stay away from produce that is uniform in size and color, and comes from the same lot. Instead, choose produce that is imperfect. Buy the produce that looks like insects have been munching on it, and shows some signs of decay. Think of it this way, if a bug refuses to eat it, it’s not safe for you.
For the health-conscious home cooks, try to purchase produce with at least five different colors. Think of the product colors as representing different kinds of nutritional value. When you consume at least five different colors of fresh produce, you are more likely to meet all of your nutritional needs.
Avoid Produce with High Levels of Chemical Residue
As an at-home cook, you should be aware of the “Dirty Dozen”. The Dirty Dozen is a list of produce that tends to have high levels of pesticide and herbicide residue on it. Those chemicals are known carcinogens, so you should avoid ingesting produce covered with their residue as much as possible.
Flavoring Food with Fresh Herbs and Spices
It’s better to buy fresh herbs and spices. Fresh herbs and spices have more potent aromas, stronger flavors, more nutritional value, and more active ingredients than dried herbs.
When buying your fresh herbs and spices shop at natural or herbal shops. Customers at those shops can smell the herbs and spices before purchasing them. Note, the stronger the smell of the herbs and spices, the fresher they are and better they are for you.
Home cooks should triple the number of fresh herbs and spices used in a recipe based on dried herbs and spices. Dried herbs and spices are more potent than fresh ones. Also, fresh herbs and spices are added at the end of the meal preparation, whereas dried herbs and spices are added at the beginning of the dish preparation.
Washing Meat: Do you do it?
Absolutely! All meat should be washed before it used for cooking. If the meat is not cleaned properly, there is a good chance that there will be E. coli or salmonella on it. If the E.coli or salmonella are ingested, they can cause diarrhea, dehydration, and in extreme cases, kidney failure. Beef and red meat should be rinsed with water and allowed to drip dry before being used in food preparation.
To properly clean chicken takes several steps. First, rinse the chicken. Next, rub the chicken, inside and out, with salt. After you finish rubbing salt all over the chicken, soak the chicken in water that has lemon juice and peels from a half to a whole lemon. The chicken should soak for ten to fifteen minutes. When you have finished soaking the chicken, rinse it under running water, and let it drip dry in a colander. The chicken is salted and soaked in lemon juice and oils to kill any bacteria that may be on the surface of the chicken, or just below the surface of the chicken. They are the best natural disinfection agents for chicken. |
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What is PCI Compliance?
PCI DSS (Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard) is a set of standards designed to ensure that credit card information remains safe and is captured and transmitted in a secure way.
In other words, it is a set of rules to reduce the risk of fraudsters, hackers, and thieves from stealing sensitive credit card information. PCI Compliance is mandated by the major card brands (Visa, Mastercard, American Express, etc.) and the rules apply to all payment processors, service providers, and merchants.
Who does it apply to?
PCI compliance applies to all businesses accepting credit and debit card payments, regardless of their size or their nature. Even smaller merchants using a mobile app at pop-up shops on the weekend are required to meet PCI standards. PCI is the world's largest security standard, as it applies to millions of merchants, processors, ATM companies, and other service providers worldwide.
Who sets the standard and who enforces it?
The Payment Card Industry Security Standards Council (PCI SSC) is the governing body that sets and updates the standard. It was created in 2006 by the major card brands, including Visa, Mastercard, Discover, and American Express in order to have a universal set of rules. The card brands are the ones that enforce the standard, requiring processors to be compliant, validate their merchants, and impose fines if a breach occurs because of non-compliance.
Why do I have to be compliant?
Quite simply, to avoid a potential security breach, compromising sensitive credit card information, and suffering severe fines. Fines imposed by the card brands in the event of a breach can be extremely costly to your business, and sometimes, in the case of a smaller business, crippling. In this digital age, all businesses should want to protect themselves as much as possible, and being PCI compliant is an easy step to take to avoid much bigger headaches down the road. By being compliant you also gain access to extended data breach insurance coverage, which would help provide some relief if a breach were to occur.
My payment processor is compliant, does that mean I'm compliant?
The short answer is no. While all payment service providers are required to be PCI-DSS Level 1 compliant, merchants are still responsible for the security scope of their own business environment. A virus-infected computer or a dishonest staff member is all it could take to have someone steal credit card numbers from your business. We recommend that merchants use as many compliant services as possible to help shift the scope of responsibility from their business. These include using your payment provider’s credit card vault, using card readers and terminals that offer end-to-end encryption (E2EE), using hosted payment pages and .js payment plugins, and whatever other tools are available to shift your PCI liability over to your payment provider. But even with a reduced security scope, if you’re a merchant, you must still complete a basic self-assessment questionnaire (SAQ) once per year, confirming that your business is PCI compliant.
For more information you can check out these additional articles:
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The Science of Fitness: Does Exercise Change Your DNA?
There’s little doubt that focusing on fitness will make a big impact on your heart health, waistline, diabetes risk, stroke risk, cancer risk … the list could go on and on. The exact reason as to why exercise is so good for us has long confused even the experts. But recent research suggests that the answer may lie in a process called epigenetics.
Epi-what? Exercise, Epigenetics and You
Epigenetics is a fancy word that describes the study of the factors that influence how our genes work. These factors cause changes that happen on the outside of your genes, a process called methylation. Methylation changes the ability of a gene to receive and react to biochemical messages from the body.
Picture your genes almost like a string of lights: constantly turning on and off depending on which biochemical signals they’re receiving from the body.
Scientists know that methylation patterns are affected by lifestyle, diet and exposure to pollutants. They also know that even a single workout can change the methylation pattern on some of the genes in our muscle cells. The long-term effect exercise has on methylation patterns, however, has been a mystery until recently.
Genetics 101: The Exercise Experiment
Researchers in Stockholm, Sweden conducted a three month-long test involving 23 adult men and women. They had them exercise on a bicycle but only using one of their legs. The other leg served as a control.
As a reminder from eighth grade science class, the control in an experiment is the thing that stays the same. The variable is the thing (or things) that changes based on whatever the scientist is testing. Usually, the control and the variable come from two separate things. But in this instance, the control and variable were both on the same person (unexercised leg = the control, exercised leg = the variable).
This allowed scientists to test the effects of activity versus inactivity all within the same person! That means all other factors (lifestyle, diet, exposure to pollutants, etc.) remained the same, so that they could be certain the results showed only the effects of the exercise. Pretty neat, right?
The study participants had to bicycle at a moderate pace for 45 minutes, four times a week during the study. Muscle biopsies were performed before and after the training.
At the end of the study, as expected, the exercised leg was stronger, showing physical improvements to the muscle. But microscopic studies found that over 5,000 places on the muscle tissue of the exercised legs showed signs of new methylation patterns, while the unexercised leg tissue did not. Most of the genes that changed were connected to metabolism, insulin response and muscle inflammation.
The Final Proof
So what does that mean for us? Exercise affects how fit and healthy we become at the cellular level.
And since less than half of American adults (48 percent) don’t get the recommended amount of physical activity each week – 150 minutes of moderate exercise or 75 minutes of vigorous exercise – they’re doing themselves a big disservice. Those who consistently exercise are proven to:
• Live longer
• Have improved muscle and bone strength
• Decrease their risk of stroke, heart disease, Type 2 diabetes, depression and many forms of cancer
And now we know why. We have the power (and scientific proof) to change how effectively our genes make us fitter and healthier through lifestyle changes and regular exercise. The entire picture isn’t filled in yet, but it’s another big, important piece of the biochemical puzzle.
For ideas on how you can move more, visit our MoveWell section and subscribe to get weekly emails.
Categories: MoveWell |
The Great Scots Bring Back Coldplay
Photo by Leena Butt.
Photo by Leena Butt
Earlier this week, an underground arts group called the Great Scots met in the basement of Watkins to hold a “concert” before the building is destroyed. This term comes from gatherings that were very popular in the 20th and early 21st centuries, in which large groups of people congregated and listened to “bands” (small groups of people that played instruments and sang songs). The event was a new and interesting experience, and a look back at how people used to listen to music.
The whole concert was very foreign to me. I hadn’t even heard about the event until my friend, who has ties to the organization, happened to tell me about it. He said that real people used to play music for crowds, but all I’ve ever known (and I’m sure many of you feel the same) is listening to my I-Doser in bed to induce REM sleep. The Great Scots used retro holograph technology to bring a popular 21st century band, Coldplay, back to life. This technology was first used in 2012 at a music festival called “Coachella,” when a deceased artist named Tupac appeared to perform on stage. To be honest, I wasn’t aware that people actually watched others play music in this medium, and I doubted whether it would inspire as much of a true feeling of efficiency as my I-Doser.
The collective reaction of the audience was the most interesting part of the night. Students and other patrons threw their bodies around the floor and off the walls of the dank, dimly lit basement as sound blared. They called this movement “dancing,” and I couldn’t help but notice that they exhibited emotion through their movements. The strangest part was when they jumped around and swayed back and forth depending on the song’s rhythm, and changed their facial expression to match their actions.
Though they existed only in hologram form, the members of Coldplay seemed to have some kind of connection with the audience, as if they didn’t care if anything mathematically quantifiable was going on at that moment. The looks on their faces seemed to indicate great passion for what they were doing—just like the looks of the dancing students. The odd thing was, it seemed like a different type of enjoyment than what the I-Dosers usually give me. It certainly felt like there was some sort of explanation beyond my comprehension as to why everyone was enjoying the concert so much.
Admittedly, there was a bit of the communal feeling I usually only see when productivity pills are taken at work. The difference was that instead of working solely for the sake of statistical achievement, these people were simply dancing and singing. One of the oddest moments came towards the end of the show, when after only a few opening notes to a song called “Fix You,” the crowd immediately yelled and cheered in great approval. The crowd loudly sang along with the band (rather than sitting, listening and quantifying sound) and seemed to truly have some kind connection with the people around them, even though they were complete strangers. One line in “Fix You” resonated with the crowd as they sang, “Tears stream down your face / When you lose something you cannot replace.” Some patrons even began crying, as if they were sad as they danced. It was very perplexing to me; how could dancing, which seemed to carry connotations of happiness, mix with the apparent sadness of crying? I’m still not quite sure what they experienced.
During the concert, I couldn’t help but tap my foot. I keep thinking about it, and I felt something beyond just completing my work status reports, but I can’t quite seem to identify what it is. However, I am curious to see if these feelings can be replicated if I attend more of these functions.
Overall, I do think this cause is worth investigating. When I talked to one patron afterwards, she explained that she felt “revitalized” and that she “couldn’t truly explain what [she] was feeling.” I can’t say for sure what went on in that basement, but it was certainly a fascinating event. Something tells me that these concerts will continue to exist—partially due to the unexplainable emotions of those in the room, which seem to take them to far deeper, if not different places, than laying in their bed with I-Dosers and earbuds.
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Bethnal Green Tube Disaster
by Brian Penn
On 17th December 2017, a memorial was unveiled to mark the worst civilian disaster of World War II. It also represented the greatest single loss of life on the tube system, but curiously didn’t involve a train or vehicle of any description. On 3rd March 1943, an air-raid warning sounded and locals raced for cover at Bethnal Green tube station. Confusion and panic conspired to trap hundreds on the staircase entrance. In the crush that ensued, 173 were killed including 62 children with over 60 injured.
My Mum was 16 years old at the time; her education long since curtailed, she was working in a factory bottling disinfectant. The family home was at 12 Type Street, a five minute walk from the tube station. People were initially banned from using the tube to shelter from air raids. Authorities feared a siege mentality and disruption of troop movements. So people had to rely on conventional brick buildings or the woefully inadequate Anderson shelters. Rules were eventually relaxed as the tube became a safe haven for thousands of Londoners. Bethnal Green tube was built in 1939 as part of the Central Line eastern extension. It soon became a subterranean environment with a canteen and library serving residents. People bickered over the best spots like tourists fighting over a sunbed. Weddings and parties were commonplace as the tube quietly worked its way into people’s daily routine. Dinners were half eaten and bodies half washed when the siren went off and everyone bolted for the tube.
Penn family
The picture above shows just how relaxed and comfortable people felt on the underground. My Mum is in the centre eating a sandwich; to the left, looking unbearably cool in a turban is my Aunt Ivy; while on the right, knitting needles in hand is my Aunt Jinny. Just behind Mum to the left is my Nanny Jane. Grandad Alf (not in picture) was a veteran of the Great War, but with lungs wrecked by a gas attack was unable to serve in WWII. He was instead employed as a carman on the London, Midland and Scottish Railway.
The weather had been surprisingly mild for March, although it had been raining that day. The Blitz had finished a year previously, but the allies had bombed Berlin and reprisal attacks were expected. That evening, Mum and her two older sisters sat down for supper at 12 Type Street. At 8:13pm the air-raid warning sounded; Nanny looked to the patriarch for guidance. Grandad drew breath and said “no I think we’ll be alright, let’s stay up tonight”. This display of bravado can only be described as a fateful decision. I can’t help but wonder if he saved everyone’s life that night, and the lives of seven grandchildren and ten great grandchildren that followed?
But something wasn’t right; anyone who experienced the Blitz recognised the same pattern. After the siren came a short pause followed by the ominous rumble of plane engines, and then the whistling terror of bombs descending – but this time nothing? But then suddenly a thunderous salvo that sounded similar to bombs but without the planes overhead? Minutes felt like hours as everyone sat tight waiting for the all clear. Then a knock at the door; there had been a crush on the tube and people had been hurt. Grandad told everyone to stay put as he rushed off to help in the rescue. Anxious relatives scurried from house to house, desperate for news of their loved ones; hoping for the best but fearing the worst. My Grandad was the second youngest of 13 children, which meant Mum had around 40 first cousins living in the surrounding area, one of whom, George had just returned home on leave. He was told his wife Lottie and their three year old son Alan had gone down the tube. Having not seen his wife and child for several months, he excitedly ran to catch them up. Grandad returned home in the early hours exhausted by the carnage he had witnessed; a grim reminder of the Great War made worse by the knowledge that George, Lottie and Alan were among the victims.
The full scale of the tragedy became clear in the days that followed, but the true cause was kept secret for another 34 years. Early reports suggested the tube station had been hit by enemy aircraft. However, there was no air-raid that night nor were any bombs dropped. The truth would be a massive blow to morale and give the enemy comfort, so the council kept quiet to maintain the war effort.
Bethnal Green today
With the warning siren in full effect, hundreds were streaming towards the entrance; they were joined by passengers alighting from buses nearby. A woman carrying a young baby fell; an elderly man tailgating tripped over her with the inevitable domino effect. The momentum of those behind carried them forward as a sense of urgency turned into naked fear. People were convinced they heard bombs falling and pushed even harder to find cover. But why were Blitz hardened Londoners unduly disturbed by such a familiar sound?
The answer can be found in the secret testing of anti-aircraft guns in nearby Victoria Park. People felt that they were under attack from a new weapon of destruction. The authorities had made a catastrophic miscalculation; they assumed people would treat the test as a routine air-raid and file calmly into the tube station as normal. But the unexpected ferocity of gun fire caused people to panic. Surprisingly, no policemen were on duty at the entrance. There were no central hand rails on the stairway, nor was there sufficient light or marking of steps. Two years before the disaster, the council had asked if they could make alterations to the entrance but were denied funds by the Government. Typically, handrails were installed and steps painted white after the incident.
Hindsight is a wonderful thing but events of that night were reasonably foreseeable. Conspiracy theories still do the rounds, but just occasionally the truth is more compelling. Frailties of the human condition were there for all to see; it was just one assumption too many. As the disaster slips from living memory, it is even more important to mark the event.
Stairway to heaven
In 2006, the Stairway to Heaven Memorial Trust was set up to erect a memorial in tribute to those who died. The unveiling ceremony was attended by special guests including the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan. It was finally vindication and recognition of the errors made. The memorial is long overdue and a refreshing change from the usual statues and plaques; instead, an inverted staircase overlooks the entrance with the names of victims carved into each side. With memorials appearing on every other street corner, it’s tempting to let another pass by unnoticed. But to neglect the past betrays the lessons we can learn from history.
All photographs © Brian Penn
Brian Penn is an online feature writer and theatre critic.
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Convert Atomic Mass Unit to Pound (amu to lb)
In next fields, kindly type your value in the text box under title [ From: ] to convert from atomic mass unit to pound (amu to lb). As you type your value, the answer will be automatically calculated and displayed in the text box under title [ To: ].
Atomic Mass Unit (abbreviations: amu, or u): also known as dalton (symbol: Da), is a standard unit of mass that used on an atomic or molecular scale (atomic mass). One unified atomic mass unit is about the mass of one nucleon (either a single proton or neutron) and equivalent to 1 g/mol.
Pound (abbreviations: lb, or lbs, or ps): is a unit of force used in some systems of measurement including English Engineering units and the British Gravitational System. Also, it is a unit of mass used in the imperial, United States customary and other systems of measurement.
How to Convert Atomic Mass Units to Pounds
Example: How many pounds are equivalent to 67.55 atomic mass units?
1 atomic mass units = 3.66E-27 pounds
67.55 atomic mass units = Y pounds
Y equals 67.55 times 3.66E-27 over 1
(i.e.) Y = 67.55 * 3.66E-27 / 1 = 2.47233E-25 pounds
Answer is: 2.47233E-25 pounds are equivalent to 67.55 atomic mass units.
Practice Question: Convert the following units into lb:
( i ) 48.98 amu
( ii ) 11.9 amu
( iii ) 88.68 amu
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AdventureWild Abu Dhabi
Far from the steel and glass of the bustling metropolis is Abu Dhabi's incredible wilderness
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Beyond the shimmering towers and the seemingly endless sandy plains there is another side to Abu Dhabi, where nature-rich reserves teem with fluttering flamingoes and grazing gazelles. These protected sanctuaries were set up to conserve rare and endangered species, as well as providing wildlife corridors and generating vital, and sustainable, ecosystems for the region. Join us as we head out into Abu Dhabi’s wilder side to explore its stunning national parks.
oryx wild abu dhabi
Arabian Wildlife Park
Over 10,000 free-roaming animals make Sir Bani Yas Island their home, at the Arabian Wildlife Park. Three miles off the coast in one of Abu Dhabi remoter regions, this small island was deserted until the 1970s when UAE founder, Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan transformed the desolate space into a sanctuary for endangered animals. After years of careful conservation, today, its savannah-like terrain is inhabited by prowling cheetahs, hyenas and jackals. Abundant gum trees and acacia offer shade, while a complex irrigation system keeps the park green and fertile.
giraffe wild abu dhabi
Reachable by water taxi, Arabian Wildlife Park is best explored in an open-top 4x4 safari. Grab your binoculars and watch out for Arabian oryxes locking their elongated horns, giraffes playing and ostriches sprinting across the sands. To feel even closer to nature, we recommend a leisurely mountain bike ride around Sir Bani Yas Island.
wildlife wild abu dhabi
Mangrove National Park
Like a verdant oasis in the middle of Abu Dhabi’s island archipelago, Mangrove National Park is seven square miles of sinuous mangroves rising from the crystalline Arabian Gulf. Its saltmarshes and mudflats make the area rich in biodiversity; the trees themselves act as a natural windbreak and desalinate the surrounding waters.
Channels wind and twist their way through the mangroves, making it the perfect place to take the water in a kayak. With Abu Dhabi’s gleaming towers visible in the distance and only the sound of birds chirruping in the air, paddle through the calm waters and bask in the quietude. Keep eyes peeled for herons and flamingoes soaring above, and crabs scuttling and fish swimming below the waters. You may even spot a fox or two burrowing into the tangle of mangrove roots. If kayaking isn’t your thing, explore the Mangrove National Park in comfort on a private boat tour.
flamingos wild abu dhabi
Al Wathba Wetland Reserve
Head south from Abu Dhabi and as steel skyscrapers shimmer mirage-like in the distance, the waters of Al Wathba come into view. Comprising natural and manmade wetlands, sabkhas (salt flats) and dunes, the Al Wathba Wetland Reserve is famed for its incredible flocks of flamingoes, nourished by the brine shrimp that occupy the wetland’s waters. From autumn through to spring, swirls of pink birds flutter around the water before migrating to Central Asia in their thousands for summer.
exotic birds wild abu dhabi
Flamingoes aside, Al Wathba Wetland Reserve has plenty more to explore either on foot along the reserve’s many trails or via dune buggy ride. Amid its reed marshes and carpets of yellow tetraena qatarensis, eagle-eyed nature lovers can spot a black-headed yellow wagtail bobbing along or spiny tailed lizard slithering across hot dunes. Look out for shimmering metallic dragon- and damselflies flitting above the lakes. Open to visitors on Thursdays and Saturdays during winter, Al Wathba Wetland Reserve makes the perfect nature escape from the commerciality of Abu Dhabi. |
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American Ethnic Studies
How can Majoring in American Ethnic Studies benefit you?
American Ethnic Studies equips students with marketable skills and knowledge that translate into successfully living and working in a diverse world. Knowledge acquired through the major plays an important role in building a truly inclusive multicultural democracy. This is why employers from many lines of works favor American Ethnic Studies graduates. We offer both research skills and practical skills training through our internships and service learning opportunities.
As an AMETH major you will possess the following skills to be used in many different career paths:
• The ability to work effectively with increasingly diverse populations
• The capacity to analyze racial impacts of law, politics, culture, and public policy
• Strong written and oral communication skills
• Critical thinking and analysis skills
• Knowledge about diverse human behavior and communities
• Awareness of social justice struggles
• The development of cultural competency, central to living in and understanding the surrounding world
How can Minoring in American Ethnic Studies benefit you?
Education Majors: You can learn how to guide your students on a cultural and emotional journey into American history from a lofty vantage point filled with "real" facts, different perspectives, and an appreciation for American’s diverse ethnic groups.
Social Work Majors: You can enhance your sensitivity to diverse groups and their backgrounds, enabling you to better understand the socioeconomic dynamics which have impacted their pasts and which will likely affect their futures.
Business Majors: You can better understand the important demographic trends of American Ethnic groups as they relate to the business and marketing arena.
Political Science Majors: You can be exposed to information vital to solving many of the social, economic and international problems facing a contemporary era.
Pre-law Majors: You can gain expertise in how the law impacts communities of color, including immigration and the criminal justice system, which, according to the Law School Admissions Council, "is essential to the study of law," giving you an advantage in the law school application process.
Pre-med and Vet Majors: You can attain insight that will be critical to your works in cross-cultural settings in medical and veterinary professions.
Journalism Majors: You can learn how to work more effectively with groups comprised of different ethnicities and perspectives.
History Majors: You can acquire an understanding of the contributions of ethnic and racial groups to the US and world civilizations.
Psychology Majors: You can gain a greater awareness of the intellectual and emotional flexibility necessary for living and functioning in a culturally diverse society and world.
Leadership Majors: You can become a better leader, growing personally and professionally, from a greater understanding and appreciation of diversity. |
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Positive Discipline Tool Card: Assumed Inadequacy
Updated: Dec 15, 2019
Positive Discipline Teacher's Tool Cards by Jane Nelsen and Kelly Gfroerer and Positive Discipline Parenting Tool Cards by Jane Nelsen and Adrian Garsia, each offer 52 Positive Discipline tools that are available to help with many teaching and parenting challenges. Assumed Inadequacy is the highlighted tool in this blog post.
Story -
5th grader Darryl was the kind of student that seemed invisible in class. He snuck into class at the last minute, avoided talking during class to anyone, and often was the first one out of class when the bell signaled the end of day. His teacher, Mrs. Rolan, was at a loss on how to help him. Darryl had previously avoided her attempts to get him to participate in class.
After attending a Positive Discipline in the Classroom workshop, Mrs. Rolan learned about Mistaken Goals, and that Assumed Inadequacy was the mistaken goal she often found that lined up with Darryl's behavior that left her feeling hopeless and not knowing how to help him..
Mrs. Rolan decided to try something different with Darryl. She committed to chatting with him to get to know him better and identify his strengths. Then, she set up opportunities for success for him, based upon those strengths. One of these opportunities was she had him lead a group in creating a poster for one of the class assignments. Darryl was talented at drawing and he seemed to get more involved with the project because of this. After the project, Darryl started connecting better with his classmates and with Mrs. Rolan. He even raised his hand in class to answer a question, that week.
There is no equivalent Positive Discipline Parenting Tool Card for Assumed Inadequacy. Please refer to the teacher's tool card above.
Story -
After Emily got home from school, her usual routine was to watch one hour of TV and then her mom, Corrine, would sit with her while she did her homework. This was the least favorite part of Corrine's day because Emily would stall, get easily distracted, and drag homework on for what seemed like hours. It seemed like Corrine was herding cattle instead of checking in with her daughter on homework.
One day, Corrine decided to try talking to Emily to find out what was going on.. Corrine could already see Emily fell under the mistaken goal of assumed inadequacy. Emily shared she felt overwhelmed with homework and it seemed like too much. Corrine helped Emily decide where the homework could be broken into smaller pieces, so Emily could take breaks every so often and still feel like she was accomplishing something. Also, Emily would ask for help when needed and Corrine showed much faith in Emily to be able to own her homework responsibility.
©2020 by BCD Communications/Kind and Firm Parenting |
Cardboard Learning Tree
Cardboard Learning Tree
We upcycled a large piece of cardboard and turned it into a Christmas tree, added some ornaments with Velcro dots, and then made some learning games for kids at all stages of learning. The ornaments can be laminated or covered in contact paper so you can use them over and over again with erasable markers. For preschoolers, there were games for identifying letters and numbers, matching upper- and lowercase letters, and finding the letters in each kid's name. For my emergent reader, we practiced finding sight words and making groups of word families. This tree was easy to make and so fun to play with!
2 - 9
Est. Time:
1-2 hours
How we did it:
Materials List
1. cardboard
2. paint
3. scissors
4. cookie cutters
5. markers
6. contact paper
7. velcro stickers
8. construction paper
9. dry-erase markers
1. We found a large piece of cardboard about four feet long. I used a plastic-backed tablecloth and spread it on the carpet for the kids to paint, since it was too cold to paint outside. We gathered our green paint, brushes, and a pencil.
2. I drew a large Christmas tree shape onto the cardboard.
3. The kids got to work painting the tree.
4. While the paint dried, we gathered our next group of supplies to make the ornaments: holiday themed cookie cutters, colorful paper, markers, scissors, and contact paper.
5. The kids traced some of the cookie cutter shapes onto the colorful paper.
6. Some shapes were a little difficult for them to trace, so I traced the shapes in pencil and the kids went over them with a marker.
7. When we were done tracing, we had a lot of ornaments, about 25 total.
8. I laminated the paper ornaments and we cut them out. Laminating the ornaments will make them more durable, so that you can use the pieces for many different games.
9. Using Velcro sticky dots, we attached the rough side of the Velcro to the back of each ornament.
10. By this point, our paint was dry, so I used a box cutter and trimmed away the excess cardboard. I used another piece of cardboard underneath the tree painting to protect my carpet.
11. Here's our finished tree.
12. Next, we randomly placed the soft "loop" side of the Velcro sticky dots on the tree itself. I just leaned our tree up against the wall but you can also attach it to the wall with painter's tape.
13. Now for the fun! Using wet-erase markers (dry-erase would work as well), I made an uppercase and lowercase letter match game for my preschooler. He pulled off an uppercase letter, then found its lowercase match and lay them on the floor in pairs. A quick wipe over the ornaments with a damp paper towel and we were on to our next game.
14. To practice number identification, I gave my preschooler a container and called out numbers. He found the correct ornaments on the tree, pulled them off, and placed them in the container.
15. For the next game, I put random letters all over the tree and had the preschoolers find the letters in their name. (You could also do this with with spelling words for older kids.)
16. Here's a sight word game. I wrote all of the sight words my six-year-old is working on this week, then had him read the word and remove the ornament from the tree.
17. Here's our word family game for emergent readers: I created small ornaments for letters and large ornaments for the rest of the words. The kids pull the ornaments off the tree and put them together on the floor to make words. We made some silly words, too, which is another way to engage kids in sounding things out in a fun way.
18. We had such fun all week with the different games on our learning tree. What other uses can you think of for this activity? I'd love to read your comments. |
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Six Tips for Social Distancing with Kids
The COVID-19 pandemic has transformed the way people interact with each other, from giving hugs and shaking hands to observing social distancing. For parents, this means being extra careful especially when going out with children. Don’t worry, in this article, we’ve provided some tips that can help you practice social distancing with your kids.
COVID-19 and Kids
Although older people with pre-existing conditions are at higher risk of COVID-19, no age group is exempt from being infected. In fact, a Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report states that 1.7% of the COVID-19 patients from February 12 to April 2, 2020 in the United States are children. Meanwhile, an earlier study observed 2,143 children with COVID-19 in China and found out that pediatric patients show less severe symptoms than adults.
The CDC reiterated that social distancing and everyday preventive measures must be observed to avoid the transmission of COVID-19.
What is Social Distancing?
Social distancing, also known as physical distancing, is the practice of maintaining a safe distance between yourself and other people. This helps lessen the transmission of the coronavirus and protect ourselves from getting the virus at the same time.
To practice social distancing, you must stay at least six feet from other people, avoid group gatherings and crowded places.
Six Tips for Social Distancing with Kids
Staying home is the best way to keep kids from getting sick. However, it may be challenging to stay home with children, especially when playdates with friends and running outside have been a part of their lifestyle. Here are some tips that can help you and your kids practice social distancing when going outside and keep them engaged while staying at home.
1. Speak with your child about COVID-19.
Explain the virus to your child, how it can be transmitted and how it affects the community in a way that he/she will understand why we need social distancing. Be calm about it, avoid negative language, stick to facts and be open to questions.
2. Wear masks when going into public places.
Tell your child that you need to wear masks for protection. If possible, buy colorful masks that are enticing and fun for kids to wear.
3. Keep a hand sanitizer with you.
Frequent hand washing is one of the best ways to get rid of bacteria. Always keep a bottle of hand sanitizer with you, especially when going outside. Be sure to sanitize your kid’s hands as soon as he/she accidentally touches anything outside (e.g. door, elevator button, chair, table, etc.) and before going inside your home.
4. Take less crowded routes.
Taking less crowded routes or sidewalks can help you keep a safe distance when going out, especially if you live in a high-density neighborhood. If you enjoy walking with your child in the afternoon, go to an empty outdoor space rather than going to more bacteria-prone areas such as the park playground.
5. Include time for fun and creative activities at home.
Introduce activities that you and your child will enjoy at home such as painting, learning an instrument, baking, coloring books, building puzzles and exercising. This can help him/her get used to having fun and learning new things even inside your home. And it’s great for family time together.
6. Coordinate with other parents for online or socially distant playdates.
To help your child stay connected with other kids, be creative about scheduling playdates. Prepare online games and challenges can give them a sense of achievement while also helping them develop social skills. And meeting outside is a great way to burn energy and stay safe as long as children understand the need for physical distance.
Final Thoughts
For the foreseeable future, we must practice social distancing. In addition to social distancing, eating healthy, getting plenty of sleep and exercising can help keep you and your kids safe and healthy during these difficult times.
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Music: The Other Mood Altering Drug
If physical exercise is like a mood altering drug, so is music. Think about your own musical experiences for a moment. Can you remember a time when you’ve been so totally mesmerized by the sounds you were hearing that you were swept away into another world by a melody, a harmony, and a rhythm?
Music can both create or reflect a mood. It also has a powerful impact in helping people manage stress. Sound can calm you down, wake you up, and stimulate your senses. If you’ve ever had a massage, you’ve probably experienced firsthand how music can also enhance a sense of deep relaxation. It is so effective as a mood enhancer that many people use music during meditation, relaxation, and visualization exercises. Music has such a profound effect that researchers are currently exploring whether music therapy could become a way of retooling brains afflicted with a variety of emotional disorders. |
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Acropolis: 'High City' of Athens
The Acropolis of Athens (Image credit: Lefteris Papaulakis Shutterstock)
Situated in the center of ancient Athens, the Acropolis is a hill containing ancient monuments and fortifications.
At its extreme points, it is 270 meters (885 feet) long and about 156 meters (512 feet) wide, writes University of Oregon researcher Jeffrey Hurwit in his book, "The Acropolis in the Age of Pericles" (Cambridge University Press, 2004). He notes that although it is not the highest hill in Athens, its natural defenses, access to water and a summit that you can build on made the ancient Athenians decide to build some of their greatest monuments on top of it.
There are different translations of its name, but the word Acropolis basically means “high city.”
“Almost every Greek city-state (or polis) had one, but no other acropolis was as successful as the Athenian,” Hurwit writes. The structure was always visible and “at various times throughout its uninterrupted 6,000 year-long cultural history served as dwelling place, fortress, sanctuary and symbol – often all at once.”
Early history
Hurwit notes in another book, "The Athenian Acropolis" (Cambridge University Press, 1999) that evidence for a human presence at the Acropolis goes back at least 6,000 years with a seven-inch (13.9 centimeters) statue of a “full-figured woman,” dating from that time, found near the Acropolis.
About 3,200 years ago, large structures were built on the Acropolis including what appears to be a palace (of which very little survives) and a series of “cyclopean” walls, so named because a myth emerged in later time periods that the walls had been built by mythical creatures called Cyclops.
Hurwit notes that these walls extended for about 2,500 feet (760 meters), were up to 33 feet (10 meters) high and up to 20 feet (6 meters) thick. These walls, which were back-filled with earth to form a flat terrace, “did not so much shield and hide the royal compound inside as lift it high above the level of any attack,” he writes. These walls would remain standing for centuries and remains of them can still be seen on the Acropolis today. The civilization that built the palace and fortifications, today referred to as “Mycenaean” by archaeologists, fell into decline after 3,200 years ago, falling victim to a period of instability across the eastern Mediterranean world.
It would be 600 years before the next great building project on the Acropolis began.
The first sanctuary
The transformation of the Acropolis into a sizable religious sanctuary would begin in earnest during the sixth century B.C., nearly 600 years after the sizable Mycenaean fortifications were built. In this century, the “Hekatompedon,” a sizable temple, was built. It was 135 feet (41 meters) long, Hurwit writes, and little remains of the structure today.
Other features of the new construction included a ramp leading up to the Acropolis entranceway and the presence of an olive wood statue of Athena, housed in a temple of its own. “It was so old that the Athenians believed it had fallen from heaven,” writes Brooklyn College researcher Rachel Kousser in a 2009 journal article.
In the fifth century B.C., work would begin on another building known to us as the “old Parthenon”; however, before it was finished Athens would be sacked.
Last stand – sacked by Persians
In 480 B.C., war broke out against the Persians, again. An invasion attempt a decade earlier had been foiled at the Battle of Marathon and the Persians, led by king Xerxes, tried again.
As a massive army marched into northeastern Greece, Athens, Sparta and a number of smaller states decided to unite together to face the common threat. The venture did not start off well, with a defeat at the Battle of Thermopylae (where a Spartan force of 300 was annihilated by a Persian force many times its size). The Persians made their way to Athens, whose leaders decided to abandon the city, leaving the remaining defenders to make a stand of their own, this time on the barricaded Acropolis.
The Persians “wrapped arrows in tar and set them on fire, and then shot them at the barricade. Still the besieged Athenians defended themselves, although they had come to the utmost danger and their barricade had failed them,” writes the ancient historian Herodotus.
“When the Pisistratids [Persians] proposed terms of surrender, they would not listen but contrived defenses such as rolling down boulders onto the barbarians when they came near the gates.”
The Persians managed to flank the Athenian defenders by scaling an unprotected cliff. “When the Athenians saw that they had ascended to the acropolis, some threw themselves off the wall and were killed, and others fled into the chamber. The Persians who had come up first turned to the gates, opened them, and murdered the suppliants. When they had levelled everything, they plundered the sacred precinct and set fire to the entire acropolis.” (Translation by A.D. Godley, through Perseus Digital Library)
Although the Greeks soon turned the tide of war, winning a key naval victory at Salamis and eventually driving out the Persians, the Acropolis had been sacked and it would remain untouched for nearly 30 years, a war memorial of sorts.
The building program of Pericles
In the decades after Persia’s defeat, Athens would enter what many consider to be its “golden age.” It formed a naval alliance (eventually more like an empire) tasked with fighting Persia in the Aegean and east Mediterranean. This alliance resulted in tribute pouring into the city.
With Athens fortunes on the rise, a statesman named Pericles proposed that the city engage in an ambitious building project on the Acropolis, which had been kept in ruins after the Persian sacking.
Among the buildings that would be constructed was the Propylaea (a new entrance building), a sanctuary to Athena Nike, a temple called the Erechtheion and of course, the Parthenon, an iconic temple dedicated to Athena, whose name means “the house [or temple] of the virgin goddess.”
The costs were high. “These buildings alone cost easily more than the equivalent of a billion dollars in modern terms, a phenomenal amount for an ancient Greek city-state,” writes College of the Holy Cross professor Thomas Martin, in his book "Ancient Greece: From Prehistoric to Hellenistic Times" (Yale Nota Bene, 2000).
Propylaea and Sanctuary of Athena Nike
The Propylaea is a gateway, never completed, which was built for visitors ascending the entrance ramp to the Acropolis. Designed by an architect named Mnesikles, and containing northwest and southwest wings, it was constructed between 437 and 432 B.C. but never completed, Hurwit writes. Why the Propylaea was left uncompleted is a mystery, with financial, religious and aesthetic reasons given as possibilities.
Though it was unfinished, the Propylaea would have been used in antiquity. “[T]he southwest wing served as a waiting area and provided access to the [Athena] Nike sanctuary,” Hurwit writes. This sanctuary was a small square structure that had four slim Ionic columns on each side and an image of the goddess Athena Nike within it.
Hurwit also notes that, according to the ancient writer Pausania, the ceiling of the Propylaea was decorated with “gold or gilded stars against a blue background” and the northwest wing was filled with paintings, the collections including an “Achilles among the Virgins of Skyros” and an “Odysseus Surprising Nausikaa,” both works by a classical artist named Polygnotos.
The Elgin Marbles once adorned the Parthenon in Athens. (Image credit: Anastasios71 Shutterstock)
The Parthenon, the largest building ever constructed on the Acropolis, measures 288 feet (69.5 meters) by 101 feet (30.9 meters) and stood about 65 feet (20 meters) high. Housing a gold and ivory statue of the goddess Athena, whom the temple was dedicated to, the structure was lavishly decorated in color.
It had 17 columns on its long sides and eight columns on its short ends. There were two pediments (triangular niches holding statues) towering above the short sides of the temple. The sculptures on the east pediment telling the tale of the birth of Athena and those on the west show a battle between Athena and Poseidon to determine who would be the patron god of Athens.
In addition, the Parthenon had 92 metopes carved in high relief showing scenes from Greek mythology. They were perched high atop the building, surrounding it on all four sides. Each side has a different battle, “beginning with the east or main entrance of the temple, Olympian gods fight earthborn giants for supremacy of Mount Olympos,” writes researcher Katherine Schwab in the book "The Parthenon" (Cambridge University Press, 2005). In the south, the metopes show a fight between Lapiths (a legendary people) and centaurs, while to the west they depict Amazons (women warriors) fighting Greek soldiers. Meanwhile the “fourth battle, in the north metopes, illustrates the Sack of Troy.”
In addition, a frieze, carved in low relief, wraps around the Parthenon for 524 feet (160 meters). While it’s hard to see on ground level, it depicts a procession that includes chariots racing, men on horses, young women carrying ritual items, cows to be sacrificed and depictions of gods including Dionysus, the god of wine and revelry, Demeter, goddess of the harvest, and Zeus, seated on his throne.
The Erechtheion was an asymmetrical complex, started in 421 B.C., that honored multiple deities. Part of the building was supported with long slender Ionic columns while another section, shaped like a porch, was supported by shorter columns in the shape of six female figures known as “caryatids.”
Boston University professor Fred Kleiner notes that the structure contained a wooden statue of Athena while another section, supported by the caryatid pillars, held a spot where the mark of Poseidon’s trident was said to have been made.
All in all it “incorporated shrines to a host of other gods and demigods who loomed large in the city’s legendary past,” Kleiner writes in "Gardner’s Art Through the Ages: The Western Perspective" (Cengage Learning, 2010) “Among these were Erechtheus, an early king of Athens, during whose reign the wooden idol of Athena were said to have fallen from the heavens,” he writes. Another section was a tomb for “Kekrops, another king of Athens, who served as judge of the contest between Athena and Poseidon.”
Odeon at the Acropolis (Image credit: V. J. Matthew Shutterstock )
Theater and Odeons
Although not technically part of the Acropolis, a number of structures were built on the southern slope of the Acropolis. Among them was a theater of Dionysus, shaped like an orchestra, which dates back to as early as the sixth century B.C. Later Pericles, the statesman, constructed a roofed Odeon beside it (now largely destroyed) where, according to the ancient writer Plutarch, Pericles held musical contests.
Pericles got “a decree passed that a musical contest be held as part of the Panathenaic festival. He himself was elected manager, and prescribed how the contestants must blow the flute, or sing, or pluck the zither [a string instrument]. These musical contests were witnessed, both then and thereafter, in the Odeum,” (From Plutarch’s "Parallel Lives")
Ruin and restoration
The passage of time was not kind to the Acropolis. With the spread of Christianity in Greece, the Parthenon would eventually be turned into a church and many of its metopes would be defaced. But perhaps the worst event in the history of the Acropolis occurred in 1687 during a siege of Athens by a Venetian force.
At the time, the city was controlled by the Ottoman Empire, whose military forces used the Parthenon as a gunpowder store. The structure was hit during the battle and an explosion devastated the Parthenon, leaving it in ruins.
At the beginning of the 19th century, Lord Elgin would remove many sculptures from the Parthenon, a controversial act that has led to a modern-day repatriation battle between the United Kingdom and Greece. The 20th century also posed problems for the monuments as the growth of Athens, and the adaption of the automobile, resulted in an increase in air pollution.
Today, in the 21st century, a new group of people is making a mark on the Acropolis. Conservators, engineers, architects and other scientists are working together at conserving and restoring the structures on it, part of a project that has been going on for 35 years.
“The restoration has clothed the monuments in scaffolding and filled the terraces of the sacred rock with temporary workshops and offices,” writes British Museum curator Ian Jenkins in the book "Acropolis Restored" (British Museum, 2012).
Jenkins notes that some of these people have been laid off or forced to retire due to the financial problems Greece is experiencing. “The honour that they have earned and the benefit of their work to the monuments and generations of visitors to come can never be diminished. Their legacy will endure.”
Owen Jarus, LiveScience Contributor |
Born by the ear of Mary
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We are in the Marienkapelle of the German city of Würzburg. In the northern portal, our attention is focused on a tympanum depicting “The Announcement to Mary” - also known as the Annunciation. In an enigmatic, relief-like representation, we see a hose that runs from the mouth of the God-Father enthroned in heaven to the ear of Mary. On the hose, which transforms in a dove at the ear of the mother of God, the naked Christ-child, with a cross adorned, glides towards his mother's ear. That ear is surrounded by a dove.
Image: Tillman 2007 CC BY-SA 4.0
The work dates from just before 1400. The unusual connection between the mouth of God and the ear of Mary is not an invention of the anonymous late medieval sculptor. On the contrary, he has portrayed what was a firm belief in the fourth, fifth century: the conception of the son of God took place through the ear of Mary, whereby her virginity remained intact. It is a completely different interpretation of the Christmas scene than the traditional story that is now in vogue in almost all of the world. However, the birth through the ear of Mary seems to have been finally erased from the collective memory. It is almost impossible to find in any source. Only in a few places in Europe, such as in Amiens and in Lower Austria, we still find battered examples of this.
This is all the more remarkable when we consider that the Christian holiday of the Annunciation - March 25, which is nine months before Christmas - is an important one and symbolizes the transition from the Old to the New Testament. For centuries, the annunciation coincided with the Florentine New Year. The introduction of the Gregorian calendar ended this. To this day, the feast of the “Annunciation to Mary” in Florence still gives rise to an alternative, tradition-rich “New Year's celebration”, on March 25th. Birth through the ear (lat. concepcio per aurem) was also common among artists. Early Byzantine images attest to this, as do a group of Italian paintings from the thirteenth century as well as the impressive wall paintings in the chapel of the Egyptian necropolis of El - Bagawat (4th and 5th centuries).
Our interest in the subject only increases when we discover that birth through the ear is not a Christian monopoly but shows universal features. For example, in the Eastern legend of the Mongolian Savior Chigemouni, we learn that he chose the beautiful Mahaenna, the most perfect virgin on earth, and impregnated her by piercing her right ear during her sleep. And Gustav Jung states in one of his works that the Mongol Buddha was born from his mother's ear.
This apparently peculiar, forgotten depiction of the conception of the spirit, which in Dutch is also called the Mary's Message, requires further clarification. We are undoubtedly dealing here with a symbolic expression of a hidden truth and certainly not with the literal description of an actual event.
Why do we know so little about birth through the ear and why is the phenomenon virtually invisible in our historical spiritual tradition? Why does birth take place through the ear?
The answer to the first question will come as no surprise. In the fifteenth century, the image was condemned by the ruling church for violating the dogma that the word of God had become flesh from the body of a virgin. It was feared that birth through the ear would draw attention to the greatest Gnostic1 of all time, Valentinus (~ 100-160) and, under pain of prosecution, ordered all images to be destroyed. According to Valentinus, Christ had brought his body to earth in fully matured spiritual form and Jesus is an example and archetype of every spiritual man. In one of his letters Valentinus remarks the following about this:
Jesus controlled himself under all circumstances. Jesus realized his divinity, he ate and drank in a certain way without secreting food and drink. So great was the power of self-control that no digestion took place in him. Because he did not know destruction.
According to Valentinus, Jesus has only been on earth with a mock body. This view, widely held among the early Gnostics, is also called Docetism (dokein is Greek for appearance).
Giving birth to a God
For Valentinus, Mary was not really a mother, but only a means and a conduit. The Bogomils and Cathars saw it exactly the same centuries later. A Bogomil does not need a Mother of God, he or she is a Theotokos, a Godbearing, while proclaiming the Word of God. For Bogomils and Cathars, the concepcio per aurem was an important aspect of their worldview because they rejected everything that came "from the lust of the flesh".
Here we touch on a key point.The condemnation of birth through the ear makes it poignantly clear how seriously "Western and Eastern Christianity has deceived his believers" to render Christ convulsively as a human being, to confine him to the person who Jesus may have once been. "Christ is not a human being, is not a writing, but a refined, subtle essence that spreads in the human being and is to the planet the light of the world."2 That subtle essence allows the entire universe to become the perfect expression of divine love
The ear as a primal organ
Conception through Mary's ear is a model for a deeply spiritual Christian truth: "Faith comes by hearing," says Paul. Mary is often depicted as not looking at the angel but only hearing his voice. Hearing a word of God in faith, she believes.
The ear is also called the female part of the head. Hearing has an awareness that offers maximum attention with minimum preconceived intent. The ear itself cannot achieve anything, it cannot produce anything, it cannot do any harm, the ear chooses from what is offered, and if something does not please the hearing one can turn away. Ear and primal are concepts that are close together. The hearing organ is our primal organ; it is the first sense to act in the fetus, and when the time of death is there, hearing is the last sense to leave us. The French listening therapist and throat, nose and ear doctor, Alfred Tomatis3 (1920-2001), gives an illustrative example of this. A French-speaking mother visited him with her daughter for a developmental disorder. When her daughter was of the language-sensitive age, she only spoke English, while only French was spoken to her in the upbringing and in the family. After a thorough self-analysis of the mother, it appeared that during the first months of the pregnancy she had worked intensively as an interpreter …. in English. The key to solving the disorder was found!
So listening occurs early in pregnancy. The fetus hears the mother's voice, confidence grows that beings are one with her, before thinking. That trust that is beings-one is love.
Even then the possibility is created to later learn to listen inwardly to the “voice of the silence” or to “what the spirit proclaims from the new field of life”. No mysterious images are needed for this.
How can we develop the inner hearing and seeing? What is the attitude to life of a person who strives for this?
Tat asks Hermes the following question: What kind of human being is that, Father?
That is a person who speaks little and lends the ear to little. Because who spends his time on holding and hearing disputes fight shadows. After all, God, the Father, the Good, can neither be spoken nor heard by the (ordinary) ear.
However, we can only develop our inner ear if we also perfect our outward hearing in a social sense. Hearing is a unique way of perceiving, we “saw” this before. Sounds cannot be changed or pushed away. We can close our eyes, squeeze our noses, withdraw from touch and refuse to taste. But we cannot close our ears. As “the eye is the lamp to the foot” that casts light on the objects it sees, the ear is like a membrane “drummed” and like a shell in which the swell of the ocean echoes. Through sound we experience distance as proximity and the other as near.
Listening is a process in which we become the other and let the other become a part of us. True listening seeks self-forgetfulness, not self-expression. In a dialogue of equal partners, the one who listens is in the position of the humble receiving. While the word echoes, the ear "hears" to the other, the ear is lent to the other. For that short moment we give up our own identity, after which we return to ourselves and accept or reject what has been said.
But in that fleeting moment of self-fading, something new is born!
• 1. Simone Pétrement, Le Dieu séparé les origines du gnosticisme, (Paris 1984, 698 pages)
• 2. Peter Huijs, Volmaakt Licht, p. 80, Almere 2007, p. 80
• 3. A. Tomatis, Het bewuste oor, Katwijk 2006
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Healing Multiple Sclerosis
Multiple Sclerosis (MS)—a label mired in confusion and mystery—can be an earth-shattering diagnosis. MS sufferers experience a range of painful symptoms that can completely alter their lives. Fortunately, this condition is not an incurable disease in which your immune system is attacking sections of the nerve sheath, as many well-intentioned experts believe. The truth is that aggressive viruses and their cofactors are what trigger many MS symptoms. Once you understand what’s really behind MS, you can take steps to heal.
True Birth of the MS Diagnosis
In the past, neurological conditions were often taken seriously by medical professionals only if the condition could be seen by the doctor’s own eyes. For example, a doctor could easily see if someone was suffering from tremors or involuntary autonomic spasms and would deem these neurological issues. However, if a woman’s neurological problems, such as severe fatigue or increased blindness, weren’t visible, their reported symptoms were often not believed or not taken seriously. Women’s descriptions were wrongfully met with scorn and disbelief.
Although women had vocalized their health struggles, it wasn’t until men began to complain of similar neurological issues that medical professionals began to take serious note of these symptoms. Once men (who were deemed honest and trustworthy within the patriarchal society), complained of similar symptoms, doctors began to take these health issues seriously. Read about the history of MS and get a full understanding in Medical Medium
It’s Viral
When the first true MS diagnoses were delivered, suggested treatment options were limited, inappropriate, and actually led many people to suffer unnecessarily.
The truth, which is unknown to medical science and research, is that almost every neurological symptom stems from one group of viruses—the herpes family. There are certain types of bacteria that can cause instant swelling and inflammation in the brain, but the problem that arises is strikingly different than the neurological symptoms that people with MS, ALS, Lyme disease and more have to endure. Learn more about the herpes family viruses here.
The Epstein-Barr virus falls within the herpes family, and it’s the culprit that’s often responsible for MS. However, other cofactors are usually involved too, including toxic heavy metals, such as mercury, copper, aluminum, lead, nickel, arsenic, cadmium, chromium, alloys, and steels, or dangerous chemicals, like pesticides, herbicides, fungicides, rodenticides, and DDT. These toxins can fuel and support the many strains of Epstein-Barr and other herpetic viruses that trigger neurological symptoms. Medical science and research aren’t yet aware that there are over 60 strains of Epstein-Barr viruses alone, a truth I discuss in detail in Thyroid Healing.
Brain Markings
Oftentimes a brain lesion will be seen on the MRI or CAT scan of someone who has been diagnosed with MS. It’s important to note that millions of people who aren’t diagnosed with MS live their lives with harmless markings inside their brains that they are completely unaware of. These lesions can be caused by a number of things that aren’t problematic and aren’t causing any issues, including a crystallization, calcification, or scar tissue from a knock on the head many years ago that may not be causing you any issues.
However, if you’re struggling with stiffness, weakness, numbness, blurry vision, or any other symptom associated with MS, you may be given an inaccurate MS diagnosis. It’s common to have unharmful markings on your brain. Today’s MRIs can’t even pick up on all of the markings we have—it’ll be 20 to 30 years before these machines will be able to scan the brain with the accuracy needed.
If you ever have an MRI or a CT scan with contrast, make sure to stay hydrated and add a little bit more lemon or lime water into your routine for a period of time. The contrast contains heavy metals, and it’s important to flush these toxins out of your bloodstream and organs. You may also consider drinking the Heavy Metal Detox Smoothie daily.
Even if you aren’t exhibiting symptoms, you may be incorrectly told that you have MS if a scan reveals noticeable markings on the brain. These markings (which you may have had from birth or childhood and which could be deposits of heavy metals or MSG) are seldom connected to MS. There are unique cases where viral inflammation leads to the creation of severe pockets and lesions in the brain along with damaged nerve sheaths and nerve endings, and all of this may trigger MS-related symptoms. But these instances are rare.
If you’re suffering from MS symptoms, it’s likely that a variety of Epstein-Barr virus is releasing an abundance of neurotoxins. Neurotoxins are a harmful byproduct that’s created when a virus feeds off a toxin, such as a heavy metal. This damaging byproduct can interfere with your neurological system’s ability to function and can trigger MS symptoms. This can occur whether or not you have lesions or markings on your brain.
Some people experience MS symptoms because of a combination of viruses, such as a strain of Epstein-Barr, shingles and HHV-6. Other factors that can contribute are B-12 deficiencies and methylation issues. Regardless of the specific mix of viruses and issues you’re up against, it’s likely that an abundance of neurotoxins are floating through your system and wreaking havoc. You can learn more about how viruses affect the body and create many mystery illnesses in Thyroid Healing.
The Lyme Trend
Fewer people are being given an MS diagnosis today, or if they have been given an MS diagnosis in the past, it’s now getting changed to a different diagnosis. This is largely due to the fact that a wide array of symptoms are now being wrongfully funneled into a Lyme disease diagnosis. The number of new MS diagnoses are falling as the number of Lyme disease diagnoses continue to skyrocket, and this trend will continue for some time.
Because many people who have MS symptoms may have also received a Lyme diagnosis—or may get that diagnosis in the future—it’s important that you know the truth about Lyme disease. There is so much misinformation around this disease.
Around the birth of the Lyme disease diagnosis, a number of incredible doctors unanimously and accurately recognized it to be viral. However, in the early 1970s, there were no antiviral pharmaceuticals that could treat viruses. There were steroids and antibiotics available though, so once professionals latched onto the mistaken notion that Lyme was bacterial, patients began to receive prescriptions that weren't actually addressing the true cause behind this disease—viruses.
The brilliant doctors who told their patients the truth—that Lyme was viral—didn’t have any medications to offer. If a patient had suggested one of these doctors treat their virus-based disease with antibiotics, the doctor would have likely objected, asserting that treating a viral infection with an antibiotic would make the patient worse.
This piece of information is still true today and is one reason why close to 85% of people suffering with Lyme grow worse as they treat their viral condition with antibiotics. The other 15% of those suffering may improve, but it’s likely due to alternative treatments they incorporate into their protocol such as IV vitamin C therapy and certain beneficial supplements like cat’s claw
I've espoused the value of supplements like cat’s claw to numerous Lyme doctors over the past three decades, and this information is finally starting to circulate within the field. I’ve worked with numerous Lyme sufferers whose lives were changed once they discontinued antibiotics and began a true antiviral protocol. Because MS, like Lyme disease, is caused by viruses wreaking havoc in the body, antibiotics should be avoided and an antiviral protocol should be implemented instead. (Learn more in the “Lyme Disease” chapter in Medical Medium)
Steps to Take
A tremendous amount of neurotoxins in the body can lead to such severe nerve inflammation that the nerves can dry and crack. If someone’s nervous system is in a state of complete disarray and if they aren’t providing their body with the foods and supplements that can help them fight the invaders and toxins that are causing the problems, they may find themselves struggling and being prescribed immunosuppressive drugs.
Immunosuppressive drugs break down the immune system, so if someone is taking some of these medications, it’s critical that they bring in certain foods and supplements that fortify the immune system. If someone suffers from acute attacks, their doctor is likely to prescribe a steroid to reduce inflammation, but the provider won’t be able to share the information that will allow someone to overcome these attacks indefinitely.
Supportive Supplements & Teas
When it comes to healing MS, there are certain supplements that help fight back and eradicate the viruses in your system. Two are critical:
Additional recommended supplements include:
Additional supplements to consider are:
If you’re interested in the specific supplements and teas I recommend, check out my preferred supplements page
Supportive Foods
Making sure your diet includes a plethora of life-giving, disease-fighting foods is another critical component for healing MS.
Wild blueberries are an essential food to consume while healing from MS. They contain a number of health benefits, including restoring and calming the nerves. Wild blueberries alongside spirulina and barley grass juice powder are three out of the five most powerful foods to help draw heavy metals out of the system. Regularly incorporating all five of the heavy metal detox foods can be unbelievably beneficial for anyone recovering from MS. Drinking my Heavy Metal Detox Smoothie daily is one way to achieve that. (Learn more by reading about my heavy metal detox).
Other helpful foods to incorporate include fruits, dandelion greens, spinach, mâche, collard greens, turmeric, burdock root, avocado, hemp seeds, and walnuts (but keep fats in the diet low). Also, try munching on a handful of shelled, dried watermelon seeds occasionally for some powerful healing support.
One tasty, nourishing meal might be a little bit of guacamole wrapped up in collard greens. Another simple, supportive option is potato or sweet potato soup. Add carrot, onion, garlic, celery, and any tasty vegetables or herbs you like. You could receive an abundance of benefits from dining on this soup daily.
Also, start bringing juices into your day, such as celery juice, turmeric ginger shots, and wheatgrass juice. It’s helpful to follow the Liver Rescue Morning I describe in Liver Rescue every day.
Foods to Avoid
Removing foods from your diet that feed viruses like Epstein-Barr can be a critical piece of fully healing from MS. Some of the most important foods to avoid include:
• Eggs
• Dairy products
• Gluten
• Corn
• Canola oil
• MSG, natural flavors, and citric acid
If you’ve been diagnosed with MS, your practitioner may recommend an abundance of protein believing it supports muscle strength. But it’s critical to understand that eating plenty of clean carbohydrates (which I discuss in Liver Rescue), not protein, is more important and will actually help you build muscle. As you work to recover from MS, bring in an abundance of carbohydrate-rich fruits and veggies, as well as plenty of leafy greens, to help maintain strength and heal. At the same time, keep your animal protein to once per day or less when possible. During a period where you're working to heal severe neurological symptoms, lowering animal protein and bringing in more healing fruits, leafy greens, and vegetables is ideal. The 3:6:9 Cleanse would be wonderfully supportive.
Moving Forward
Throughout the years I’ve helped many people overcome multiple sclerosis and neurological symptoms of all kinds. If you’ve been suffering, even if it has been for many, many years, it’s critical that you hold onto faith in your body’s ability to heal. You can move past the chronic pain, tremors, weakness, fatigue and whatever symptoms you’re battling.
As you take one day at a time and implement a protocol of healing, antiviral supplements and nourishing juices and meals, try your best to keep a light heart. Celebrate as each symptom lightens and heals and know that this information is always here for you to return to and find encouragement in. Healing is not always a straight path–it is three steps forward and two steps back. Even though healing isn’t linear, you’ll be moving forward as you learn and apply the information shared here. I know you can find true victory in the end.
This item posted: 30-Aug-2017
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When to Get Your Car's Oil Changed | Hutchinson, KS
Your car's oil is responsible for lubricating, cooling, and protecting your engine. If the oil isn't changed often enough, it can fail to do these jobs properly. The question isn't if you need an oil change, it's when to have your car oil changed.
As a general rule, most vehicles can go as far as 7,500 miles or six months between oil changes. Notably, the 3,000-mile rule is no longer relevant. Engine and oil technology has progressed to allow engines to continue functioning at peak performance for up to 15,000 miles in some high-end luxury vehicles. However, don't let your car go that many miles without an oil change unless you're absolutely sure that it's designed to do so!
The best way to see when your specific Ford vehicle needs an oil change is to consult the owner's manual. Most Ford manuals include a chart that lays out major maintenance milestones. Not all vehicles need an oil change at the same time, though. Trucks like the Ford F-350 will require oil changes at different intervals than a Ford Focus.
It's a good idea to check your car's engine oil every month. This can be as easy as pulling out the dipstick, wiping it clean, reinserting it, and pulling it out again. If the engine oil is low, add more and make an appointment to get an oil change.
Failing to get your car's oil changed often enough can result in damage to the engine block. That damage could cost hundreds or even thousands of dollars to fix, making a simple engine oil change look cheap.
If you aren't sure about the best timetable for changing your car's oil, head to a certified Ford dealership like Midwest Ford. Our expert technicians can explain how often your engine needs an oil change and how much it will cost.
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The Invisalign® teeth straightening method uses a series of clear trays that are replaced every two weeks or so. This allows the Invisalign® system to provide gradual realignment of crooked teeth while ensuring the most attractive appearance throughout the treatment process.
How Much Does Invisalign® Cost?
Invisalign trays are usually slightly more expensive than traditional and clear braces.
Is Invisalign® Different from Traditional Braces?
Metal and clear braces use brackets and wires to put pressure on teeth to realign them in the desired way. Invisalign® systems, on the other hand, are removable plastic trays that fit tightly over teeth to move them gradually into the right position.
Do Clear Braces Provide Straighter Teeth?
Clear braces, just like traditional braces, use brackets and wires to move teeth into the right place. They are somewhat less expensive than Invisalign® and can provide some of the same benefits for your appearance.
How Much Should I Expect to Pay for Clear Braces?
Clear braces will typically cost somewhat more than comparable metal braces. A portion of the cost, however, may be covered by some dental plans.
Which Works Better? Clear Braces vs. Invisalign®
Depending on your personal preferences and the amount of realignment needed to enhance your smile, you may prefer the convenience and ease of use of Invisalign® or the faster results sometimes available with clear braces.
Metal and Ceramic Braces, and Self-ligating Brackets
Could Metal Braces Work for Me?
Metal braces use brackets that attach to the teeth with adhesive and wires to apply pressure to the teeth and to pull them back into alignment. This is a gradual process that requires months to complete.
How Much Should I Expect to Pay for Metal Braces?
Our orthodontist will discuss the costs of the various options available to you for correcting the alignment of your teeth. This can help you plan more effectively for these expenses as they arise.
Would Metal or Ceramic Braces Be a Better Choice?
Metal braces are usually more affordable. If you are interested in a more natural look, however, ceramic or clear braces may be the most effective option for you.
Are Self-ligating Brackets Helpful?
Rather than using elastic bands to connect wires and brackets, self-ligating brackets feature a trap-door component that can attach to wires without the use of elastic.
How Much Should I Expect to Pay for Self-Ligating Brackets?
Because of the more complex configuration of self-ligating brackets, they may cost significantly more than traditional brackets designed for use with elastic bands.
Orthodontics and Phase 1
Is There an Orthodontist Office in Addison?
If you need the services of a professional orthodontist in Addison, our practice can help with expert solutions designed specifically for you and your family. We will work with you to ensure that you receive quality, cost-effective treatments to ensure the brightest possible smiles.
How Much Should I Expect to Pay for Orthodontic Treatment?
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Is an Orthodontist Required to Place Braces?
We recommend visiting an orthodontist for your braces. These dedicated professionals have advanced training to ensure that your braces fit properly and that you achieve the best results possible.
What Services Are Considered to Be Phase 1 Orthodontics?
Phase 1 orthodontic procedures offer proactive options for parents of children between the ages of six and 10 years old to correct developing problems with tooth alignment.
How Much Should I Expect to Pay for Phase 1 Orthodontics?
The cost of Phase 1 orthodontics from our office will vary depending on the amount of work necessary to correct tooth alignment and to ensure a fully functioning bite.
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Of the 900 known species of crickets, 100 live in the United States. These insects derive their name from the chirping noise they make, which sounds like “crik” – “et” to many.
Get rid of Crickets - Cricket Pest Control
While crickets are viewed as nuisance pests by many, there are also cultural associations with these insects. In China and Zambia, crickets are thought to bring good luck. In Barbados, they signal impending wealth. In Brazil, they are believed to predict rain, pregnancy, illness, or sudden income. In some cultures, they are harbingers of death. High in protein, crickets are fried and eaten by humans in some parts of Asia. They are also bred and kept as pets by people all over the world.
What do crickets look like?
Crickets range from 1/2” to 2” in length, with the house cricket on the smaller side and the field cricket about an inch long. Depending on species, they can be green, red, brown, or black and may have markings of a different color. The body of a cricket consists of a head, thorax, abdomen, six legs, two long antennae (called feelers), two pairs of legs, and two sets of wings that lay flat against the body.
Crickets’ bodies are covered in a hard exoskeleton with openings called spiracles through which they breathe. They have compound eyes with many lenses, giving them excellent vision. The rear hind wings are longer than the front forewings, though crickets do not fly. The cricket’s hind legs are longer than the front, making them capable of jumping 20 times their body length.
Crickets hatch from eggs to become nymphs and then grow into adults. The mating ritual is initiated by the male cricket, who rubs its wings together to create a chirping sound to attract the female. After mating, the female lays up to 400 eggs in soil or plant material, where they stay until the weather grows warm. When they hatch, the eggs become nymphs, which look like smaller versions of adults without wings. The nymphs, or baby crickets, will molt multiple times as they develop into adults, which typically takes about three months. The average life expectancy of most adult crickets is 1-3 months, though they may live as long as a year in the wild.
What are the unique characteristics of crickets?
Crickets use their antennae to find food and detect motion in potential prey. They are omnivores who will eat just about anything. Crickets consume other insects and plant-based items, especially those that are decaying. However, these insects are opportunistic and will eat paper, fresh fruit and vegetables, fungi, and fabric. Some species also demonstrate cannibalistic tendencies, feeding on other weak or injured crickets.
Crickets communicate by rubbing their wings together to create a chirping sound. Chirping, also called stridulation, is most often done by males to attract females or ward off other males. Aside from mating, crickets tend to be solitary animals, living alone.
What are the habits of crickets?
Crickets are nocturnal insects, becoming more active at night (which is why you tend to hear chirping at bedtime). They prefer warmth over the cold and will hibernate or seek shelter indoors during the winter. Cricket eggs hatch in the spring, becoming nymphs and adults over the summer and early fall. During this time, crickets are most visible and abundant.
Where are crickets commonly found?
Crickets live on every continent except Antarctica, with the most species found in tropical locales. Outdoors, crickets live under rocks, logs, leaves, grass, soil, and debris. Some types, especially the aptly-named house cricket, prefer to live indoors where they seek out cracks and crevices for shelter and protection of their eggs.
What are the risks of crickets?
Because they eat other insects, crickets are an asset to your property when outdoors. However, when they find their way into your home, crickets can be both disruptive and destructive. House crickets will eat fruit, vegetables, clothing, paper, linens, and other items they find around your home. Their chirping, which occurs at night, can also be loud enough to disrupt or prevent sleep.
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War, Maps, Mystery: Dutch Mapmaker Bernard Romans and the American Revolution
9:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m.
Connecticut Historical Society Museum
1 Elizabeth Street
Hartford, Connecticut 06105
Connecticut Historical Society Museum
This exhibition shares the little-known story of Revolutionary War Patriot and Dutch mapmaker Bernard Romans. Romans came to the American colonies in 1757 during the French and Indian War, surveying for the British along the Atlantic seaboard. Romans became a supporter of American independence, joined the Continental Army, and eventually settled in Wethersfield, CT. Both the British and Americans used Romans’ maps during the American Revolution. In 1780, he was captured by the British and died in 1784, mysteriously, while a prisoner.
Incredibly rare maps from the CHS collection, published by Romans and his contemporaries, as well as earlier Connecticut maps from the 17th and 18th centuries, will be displayed.
With special gratitude to Priscilla Romans Hexter and Madeleine Hexter.
The Hexters are direct descendants of Bernard Romans and his first wife, Maria Wendell. Priscilla Hexter has done extensive research on the life of Romans. She identified his birth date of 1741 (not 1720, as claimed in several books and articles) and had his record at the Library of Congress changed.
The CHS is grateful to Priscilla for donating the Holster Atlas (including Bernard Romans’ map of the British Southern Colonies) to the CHS collection.
Funded project of Connecticut Humanities, a state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities. |
Cyklo-F heavy period relief tablets (tranexamic acid)
Everything you need to know about taking Cyklo-F tablets
tranexamic acid heavy period tablets
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What are Cyklo-F tablets used for?
You can buy this medicine without a prescription if you frequently suffer from heavy bleeding during your period and you have a regular menstrual cycle.
Your menstrual cycle is considered to be regular if you usually get your period every 21 to every 35 days and this doesn't change by more than three days each month.
Your periods are considered to be heavy if you:
• pass large clots of blood
• have to change sanitary protection every two hours or more often
• have to use double sanitary protection, eg tampons and towels
• can't carry out your normal activities, such as working, doing sport or going out
• get bleeding through to clothes and bedding; this is referred to as flooding.
Buy Cyklo-F heavy period relief now from Boots
💡Key facts
• Cyklo-F heavy period relief is a brand name for tranexamic acid 500mg tablets.
• The tablets reduce your bleeding and make your period lighter.
• You take them three times a day for up to four days of each heavy period.
• Cyklo-F tablets are suitable for women aged 18 years and over.
• They're not suitable if you have irregular periods, bleeding between your periods or blood in your urine, if you're taking the combined pill, or if you've ever had a blood clot or suffer from epilepsy.
• The most common side effects are diarrhoea, feeling sick or vomiting.
• It's OK to drink alcohol with Cyclo-F tablets.
How do Cyklo-F heavy period tablets work?
Cyklo-f tablets contain the active ingredient tranexamic acid, which is a type of medicine called an antifibrinolytic. It's not a hormone. It works by stopping your body from dissolving blood clots.
When you get your period, you shed the tissue that has built up in your womb lining. Enzymes in your womb lining then stop the bleeding by making the blood clot. Heavy periods seem to happen when your body dissolves the blood clots in your womb lining, which increases the volume of blood that is shed with each period.
Tranexamic acid helps to reduce bleeding by stopping blood clots dissolving. It can reduce menstrual blood loss by up to 58 per cent. It doesn't stop your periods, it just makes them lighter.
Who should not take Cyklo-F heavy period tablets?
Cyklo-F heavy period relief tablets are not suitable for everyone. You should not take them if:
• you are under 18 years of age
• you have irregular periods or bleeding between your periods
• you have blood in your urine
• you've ever had a blood clot in your leg (deep vein thrombosis) or in your lungs (pulmonary embolism) or you have a family history of blood clots
• you are taking warfarin or another anticoagulant medicine to treat or prevent blood clots
• you are taking the combined contraceptive pill
• you have a history of convulsions or fits, for example if you suffer from epilepsy
• you are pregnant.
You should see your doctor before taking Cyklo-F to treat your heavy periods if:
How do I take Cyklo-F tablets?
You take the tablets for up to four days during each heavy period.
The recommended dose is two tablets taken three times a day (eg morning, afternoon, evening), starting on the first day you get heavy bleeding. (The medicine only works once you've started bleeding - there's no point in taking it before your period starts.) If your period is particularly heavy you can take an extra two tablets at night.
• Do not take more than eight tablets in 24 hours.
• Do not take this medicine for more than four days during each period.
You can take Cyklo-F to reduce menstrual bleeding for as long as your periods remain heavy and regular. However, if your bleeding doesn't improve after using this medicine for three periods in a row it is important to see your doctor.
What are the side effects of Cyklo-F heavy period tablets?
Medicines and their possible side effects can affect people in different ways. The following are some of the side effects that may be associated with tranexamic acid. Just because a side effect is stated here doesn't mean that all people taking Cyklo-F will experience that or any side effect.
• Diarrhoea.
• Feeling sick or vomiting.
Other possible side effects
• Allergic skin rash.
• On rare occasions tranexamic acid can cause a blood clot in the blood vessels (thrombosis). Stop taking Cyklo-F and get immediate medical advice if you experience any of the following symptoms: stabbing pains and/or unusual swelling in your arms or one leg, sudden breathlessness, sudden severe chest pain or a feeling of heaviness in the chest, coughing up blood or fainting.
• On rare occasions tranexamic acid can cause a change in colour vision or a blood clot in your eye. If you notice any changes in your vision you should stop taking this medicine and consult your doctor.
Read the leaflet that comes with the medicine or talk to your doctor or pharmacist if you want any more information about the possible side effects of Cyklo-F tablets. If you think you have experienced a side effect, did you know you can report this using the yellow card website?
Can I take Cyklo-F tablets with other medicines?
It's important to tell your pharmacist what medicines you are already taking, including those bought without a prescription and herbal medicines, before you start taking Cyklo-F tablets. Similarly, check with your pharmacist before taking any new medicines while taking Cyklo-F, to make sure that the combination is safe. Some key points are:
As tranexamic acid carries a very small risk of causing a blood clot, you shouldn't take Cyklo-F tablets if you're taking any of the following medicines, unless you've discussed it with your doctor first:
• the combined contraceptive pill
• hormone replacement therapy
• tamoxifen
• anticoagulant medicines to treat or prevent blood clots, such as warfarin, rivaroxaban or apixaban
• fibrinolytic medicines that dissolve blood clots, such as streptokinase.
It's fine to take painkillers such as paracetamol, ibuprofen, naproxen or mefenamic acid alongside Cyklo-F tablets.
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Radiating cables
• Radiating cablesThese perforated coaxial cables act like antennas in confined environments, like tunnels or subway stations, where conventional antennas cannot operate.
• They are extremely important for radio-based technologies.
Nexans provided integral cabling for the 35 kilometer Lötschberg railway tunnel in Switzerland, the longest land tunnel in the world. Along with energy and optical fiber links, radiating cables assure full GSM-R operability. Nexans has also been supplying radiating cables to the London Underground for many years. |
Why Do 4-Year-Olds Love Talking About Death?
Easter may bring up dark questions from your preschooler. Here’s how to answer them.
Credit...Nan Lee
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When our older daughter was 4, it seemed like she was asking us about death constantly. These questions were apropos of nothing; we hadn’t had a death in the family or lost a pet. What was jarring was her matter-of-fact tone. We’d be sitting at dinner and she’d ask a barrage of questions in a completely neutral voice: “When are you going to die? Is Grandma going to die first because she’s old?” And on and on. I tried to calmly match her tone and answer her honestly, but sometimes you just want to eat your salad without contemplating your own mortality.
At the time, I was slightly worried that there was something wrong with her — at best she was a proto-goth who would be really into the Cure as a teenager; and at worst, her questions meant she had some troubling anxiety that was emerging through a fixation on death. But when I started talking to other parents, I learned that their preschoolers were also asking tons of questions about death at awkward moments.
A lot of parenting questions boil down to: Is this a thing, or is something wrong? So I decided to start an occasional series explaining why certain things seem to happen to your kid (or to your body or your relationships) as your child grows. For this edition, I asked three psychologists, two of whom have done research on children and their understanding of death, about why preschoolers ask a lot of questions about death, and how to best answer them. If you have a question for a future “Is this a thing?” newsletter, email me here.
Why do kids start asking about death in preschool?
Preschool is the age of “why” in general, said Dr. Lauren Knickerbocker, Ph.D., a child psychologist at N.Y.U. Langone’s Child Study Center. And what adults sometimes don’t realize, because we’re inured to it, is that our kids are surrounded by death all the time: Cartoon characters die, the leaves on the trees die, an ant they smushed at the playground is dead.
Because they’re already so curious about the world, they see our reactions to their questions about death — our faces may blanch — and they pick up on that and want to dig deeper.
What do they understand about death at 4?
There are four subconcepts of death that psychologists have identified, explained Dr. Sally Beville Hunter, Ph.D., a clinical assistant professor at University of Tennessee, Knoxville: nonfunctionality (your body doesn’t work anymore), universality (all living things die), irreversibility (once you die, you can’t come back to life) and inevitability (you can’t avoid death).
Though children pick up these concepts at different ages, depending on their cognitive abilities and their life experiences, at 4, the subconcept they tend to understand first is nonfunctionality, Beville Hunter said. Because it’s straightforward, many preschoolers can understand that when you’re dead, your arms and legs don’t move anymore, and your heart stops beating.
“We’re all gonna die” is something that’s a bit harder for a 4-year-old (or let’s be honest, a 37-year-old) to fully internalize. But according to Beville Hunter, many kids will understand all four subconcepts somewhere in the 7-10 age range.
How do I answer their many, many questions about death?
Do not use euphemisms. Children in the 3-6 age range have very concrete thinking, said Dr. Dunya Poltorak, a pediatric medical psychologist in private practice in Birmingham, Mich. If you say something like, “Grandpa passed away” instead of “died,” it may confuse your child. She may think, “Did they go away somewhere? Are they on a trip? Did they pass over the border into Canada? It can just potentially risk greater confusion and lack of understanding,” said Poltorak. So use the term “died,” even if it feels harsh.
Try to respond simply and clearly. Don’t brush off their questions even if they make you uncomfortable, said Poltorak. And you don’t need to get into too much detail with kids this age, said Beville Hunter. So for example, if your child asks you, “When are you going to die?” You can say, “I try to take very good care of myself and to be careful and plan to live a very long time until I’m quite old,” Poltorak suggested. If kids have follow-up questions, they will ask.
If your kids are endlessly curious about death in a nonanxious way, you can take them on a tour of a cemetery, Beville Hunter suggested. It’s something she did with her own children. “We went around and read the names on the gravestones, we did etchings, we looked at the numbers and talked about the age they were when they died,” Beville Hunter said. It opens up a space for your kids to get answers to many of their pressing questions.
If a kid is anxious about death, “I would assure them of safety, health and everything within your family dynamic, then I would try to redirect from there,” said Poltorak. Try classic distraction after addressing their questions clearly — let’s go paint! Or, why don’t we read a book? If a kid is really ruminating and you’re concerned because his anxiety is affecting his quality of life, talk to your pediatrician. Your child’s doctor may recommend a pediatric psychologist. “It’s always good to intervene young when children have anxiety,” Poltorak said.
When you have a death in the family, Knickerbocker and Poltorak both recommend that grieving children memorialize loved ones with art projects. They emphasized the concreteness of preschoolers’ thinking, so having something to work on like a scrapbook of memories of that person is helpful.
If your religious beliefs include an afterlife or resurrection like in the Easter narrative, again, try to address any questions straightforwardly. You don’t need to overexplain or answer questions that weren’t asked, said Beville Hunter. Poltorak, who is Catholic, said she talks to her children about heaven and tries to keep it light. Her father, who was very close to her children, died recently. He used to bring candy over to their house all the time, so Poltorak tells them, “Grandpa is probably up in heaven giving Jesus cavities.”
P.S. If you’re enjoying this newsletter, sign up to receive it in your inbox every Wednesday, or forward it to a friend with a morbid preschooler. Follow us on our beautiful Instagram @NYTParenting.
• A fascinating op-ed from the Times last year takes on kids and lying. Just as it’s normal for your 4-year-old to talk about death, it’s also perfectly normal for your preschooler to lie, and it may be a (completely infuriating) sign of intelligence.
• Maria Russo, the Times children’s book editor, recommends “The Flat Rabbit,” which she called “a quietly profound” picture book that deals with the death of a stranger straight-on.
Parenting can be a grind. So let’s celebrate the tiny victories.
“I bought mini trash bags to keep on each floor and stuck a couple free bags between the mattress and box springs. This has quickened the cleanup and reset process for my wife’s nausea, which has been necessary almost every night into her second trimester.”
— Bryan Mierke, Phoenix, Ariz.
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Wer bestimmt die Wirtschaft? Sind es die Regeln der Politik oder die Gesetze des Marktes? Darf eine unabhängige Zentralbank im freien Spiel der Marktkräfte intervenieren? Wie wirkmächtig ist die Geldpolitik der EZB?
Lesen Sie hier, was Professor Ewald Nowotny, ehemaliger Gouverneur der Oesterreichischen Nationalbank, am Rande eines Treffens von Ökonominnen und Ökonomen in der OeKB dazu sagte. (Interview in Englisch)
To what extent are economic developments driven by economic laws, and to what extent are they influenced by policy action and policy rules?
Let me illustrate this question using the example of interest rate policy: today’s world is characterized by ultra-low or indeed negative interest rates. In Europe, more than 65% of outstanding bonds have negative interest rates. There are two economic drivers behind this: the first is the development of inflation. In Japan, which is a country with low inflation, we have seen some 20 years of zero interest rates. In Western economies, we are seeing a breakdown of the inverse relationship between changes in unemployment and inflation rates, i.e. the breakdown of the Phillips curve.
Prof. Ewald Nowotny
What role is there for savings in this scenario?
This is exactly the second aspect we have to mention, more precisely the relationship between savings, i.e. the supply of capital, and investing. We have a so-called “savings glut”, a clear oversupply of savings. On the other hand, thanks to modern technology and technical progress, which is capital saving, we see a tendency to drive down the price of capital to the “natural rate of interest”. This interest rate, by definition, supports the economy at full employment or maximum output while keeping inflation constant. This natural rate of interest is going down worldwide.
And what conclusion can we draw from that?
The tendency towards low interest rates is caused by economic developments originating outside the central banks. In addition, however, we have to assume that the policy of the ECB did and does exert an additional effect on interest rates. Obviously that is the reason why the ECB lowered them.
What’s wrong with negative interest rates? There are several countries with interest rates below the freezing point.
Right, there is Switzerland, there is Denmark, there is – as mentioned before – Japan. But those countries have used their policy of negative interest rates as an instrument of exchange rate policy. They need to avoid appreciation of their currencies. The ECB case is different. The ECB’s goal is to use the interest rates to achieve price stability.
Would you recommend a change in the ECB’s interest rate policy?
I advocate getting away from negative interest rates. However, this is no easy task for the ECB. The ECB is stuck in the middle of a self-inflicted dilemma. The ECB’s mandate for price stability is set in the EU treaties, yet without a clear definition of “price stability”. In 1989, an inflation target was set at an upper limit of 2%. In 2003, this definition was clarified more precisely to “an inflation rate close to 2% over the medium term”. Over time, the ECB has developed an inflation target of 1.9%. However, the inflation rate within the eurozone has never reached this self-imposed limit. The ECB was obliged to follow its self-imposed rule although there was no macro-economic rationale for it in the last years.
Should the rules be changed?
We have to adapt the rules so that the ECB can stick to them. Not reaching its own self-imposed goals and rules is harmful to the credibility of a central bank.
That is a strong argument for a more realistic and flexible definition of price stability. Your advice?
The ECB should stick to 2% with a range between 1–3%. Such a range is already being used by quite a number of other central banks around the world.
How would financial markets react to such a change in the rules?
Large parts of the financial markets would not welcome any move away from a policy of low interest rates. Nevertheless, a central bank should act independently of both state intervention and market pressure, and we saw a dramatic monetary policy intervention in the markets on July 26th, 2012. It was spectacularly successful. As Mario Draghi stated at the time, “Whatever it takes”, and this intervention literally “saved the euro”.
Let’s look at this dramatic episode in more detail …
The point of departure was a strongly declining trust in public finances in some EU countries. The interest rates for their bonds exploded and massive capital flight set in, with the risk of breaking up the eurozone. The extreme nervousness of the markets at that point was not without reason because legally, according to the rules of the EU treaties, every single member state in the eurozone is subject to the risk of insolvency and article 123 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union prohibiting the ECB from financing public debt. There is, at least in theory, always a risk of public default by an EU country.
Is there an intended strategy behind that, or is this mechanism an “accident”?
The mechanism was deliberately introduced into the treaty as a way of enforcing fiscal discipline among the member states. It was additionally reinforced by article 125, which introduced a no bail-out clause ensuring that the responsibility for repaying public debt remains national and prevents risk premiums caused by unsound fiscal policies from spilling over to partner countries. To cut a long story short, we ended up in what the German chancellor Angela Merkel called a “competitive market democracy”. The markets decided at the end of the day, triggering a self-feeding and accelerating cycle of panic that could only be stopped by outside intervention.
Draghi’s intervention in 2012 may have stopped the panic, but it did not solve the problem …
The actual problem was the economic mismanagement of specific countries, plus, secondly, ignoring the fact that all eurozone members are closely connected via the capital markets and market expectations. Thus, 2012 has to be seen as a dramatic illustration of the dilemma of rule-based approaches and targeted interventions. The most important lesson, however, was that we had to engage in massive reregulation of the banking sector and adopt new rules in order to achieve long-term stability. On the macro-economic side, we clearly saw that there has to be leeway to avoid costly short-term policy mistakes.
What needs to be done to solve the problem?
We have to better coordinate the monetary and fiscal policies in a crisis, and, as Stanley Fischer and Philipp Hildebrand suggest in their paper “Dealing with the next downturn”, there should be a standing emergency fiscal facility. Activated, funded and closed by the central bank in order to achieve an explicit inflation objective, the facility would be deployed by the fiscal authority.
To summarize and get back to your keynote title “Power or Economics?”: what is the answer?
There are four points: first, economic life is influenced by both power (rules) and economics (intervention). Second, we have to find an appropriate equilibrium between the two forces. There is no room for an overly dogmatic approach. I do not recommend the lawyers’ dictum “Fiat iustitia et pereat mundus” (“Let justice be done, though the world perish”). Third, the challenge is of specific relevance to central banks as public institutions, as it decides how they exercise their independence. Fourth, the ECB made good use of its independence in 2012, but it has to be aware that there will be more challenges in future.
About Ewald Nowotny:
Ewald Nowotny is an Austrian economist, a social democratic politician and former governor of Oesterreichische Nationalbank, Austria's central bank. He was also a member of the European Central Bank’s governing council. Nowotny graduated in 1966 with a doctorate in Law from the University of Vienna, qualified as an associate professor in Economics at the Johannes Kepler University Linz in 1972 and was a full professor at the Vienna University of Economics and Business from 1981 until 2008. |
Combined effort makes for glowing report
Hybrid ramanOne of the most powerful techniques available to analytical scientists is Raman spectroscopy. Unfortunately, it is not easy to distinguish the low-intensity signals it produces when studying fluorescent species in cells because they are swamped by the much brighter glow from various cell components. Now, Dutch researchers have overcome this incompatibility to hybridize Raman with fluorescence microscopy by exploiting the optical properties of semiconductor fluorescent quantum dots (QDs). They have demonstrated hybrid Raman fluorescence spectral imaging in studies of single cells.
Biophysical engineers Henk-Jan van Manen and Cees Otto of the University of Twente, The Netherlands, have used fluorescent nanoparticles to broaden the scope of single-cell microscopy by combining it with intracellular chemical analysis based on Raman. The researchers explain that quantum dots allows weak Raman signals from DNA to shine through the ubiquitous glow from proteins and lipids.
You can read the full story in my SpectroscopyNOW column this week.
Author: bob投注平台
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Appendix 2. Item Rating Level Statistics - Incumbent
Rating Level Statistics
For each of the domain elements, additional rating level statistics, such as Standard Error and data flags are included to help provide a description of the quality of the data values. Each of the domain files (Education, Training, and Experience, Knowledge, Tasks, Work Activities, Work Context, and Work Styles) has columns to represent these additional values.
The explanations for the Rating Level Statistics columns are explained in the following definitions.
Standard Error - Standard errors were calculated to provide an indication of each estimate’s precision. The standard error is the square root of the variance of the estimate. Statistics with large variances are generally considered less precise than those with small variances.
Upper CI Bound and Lower CI Bound - The standard error was used to define a range (confidence interval) around the estimate. The 95-percent confidence level means that if all possible samples were selected and an estimate of the value and its sampling error were computed for each, then for approximately 95 percent of the samples, the interval would include the true average value.
Recommend Suppress - Users are encouraged to use estimates exhibiting low precision with caution and for many applications users are advised to consider suppressing these estimates. An estimate is considered to have low precision if any of the following are true: (1) the sample size is less than 10; (2) the variance is 0 and the sample size is less than 15; (3) the relative standard error (RSE) is greater than 0.5. (The RSE of a mean estimate is the ratio of the estimate’s standard error to the estimate itself. To calculate the RSE of the estimates expressed as percentages (e.g., the proportion of respondents who indicated they perform a task once per week), the log transformation of the proportion was used.)
Not RelevantLevel estimates were flagged as not relevant if more than 75% of item respondents to the corresponding Importance item rated the item as not important. Users are encouraged to provide their end-users with an indication that the item level rating is not relevant rather than displaying the level value or displaying no level information. |
Water Temperature Loggers Survive Airport Bomb Blast
A researcher found that she was able to recover all collected data from 15 TidbiT data loggers in PVC pipes left at the airport in the trunk of her rental car - AFTER the devices were mistaken for bombs and the bomb-squad used a high-pressure stream of water to “detonate” them.
So, when Dr. Anne Jefferson’s underwater temperature loggers were blown up by a Minneapolis-St. Paul airport bomb squad, she hoped she would still be able to recover the five months' worth of data stored on them. And amazingly, she did.
Jefferson, a research associate studying hydrology in the Department of Geosciences at Oregon State University, had been using the devices to collect water temperature data in stream channels along the Mississippi River. Over the Thanksgiving weekend, she put the data loggers in the trunk of a rental car she had been using during the holiday break. She and her husband spent the holiday with family, and forgot to look in the trunk when they returned the car to the airport. By the time they arrived in Oregon and found federal agents waiting for them at the gate, the damage was already done.
A rental car company employee had been suspicious of the five, one-foot lengths of PVC pipe filled with gravel that he found in the car’s trunk. The pipes each contained three battery-powered underwater temperature-monitoring devices, called TidbiTs, which are slightly larger than bottle caps and have blinking LED lights.
The employee called the airport police, who in turn called the FBI, who eventually brought in a bomb squad.
When bomb-sniffing dogs found nothing, the squad removed the pipes from the trunk and used a high-pressure stream of water to “detonate” them. Nothing exploded, but the pipes were reduced to bits of plastic pipe and gravel.
After confirming her story with airport officials in Oregon, Jefferson said, “We drove the two hours from the airport to Corvallis, and there was a message waiting from the Minneapolis airport saying that some of the loggers were still intact.” The message wasn’t specific, but did mention that some of the devices’ green lights were still blinking.
Massachusetts-based Onset, which manufacturers the TidbiT loggers, caught wind of the story. According to Linda Cain, customer service manager, “We were able to contact Dr. Jefferson and let her know that we would like to try to retrieve the data from the loggers."
Two long weeks after the incident, Jefferson finally received all the loggers in a sealed police evidence bag.
Of the 15 battered devices, Jefferson was able to download data from all but a few. She sent the remaining two loggers to Onset, where engineers were able to recover the rest of the data.
Having this temperature data is a tremendous relief. “The data is the study, the basis for my postdoctoral research,” said Jefferson, “and without it, there was going to be a problem.” It wasn’t only Jefferson’s research at stake; scientists from several other universities are also participating in the project.
According to Onset’s Cain, the data likely survived because of the nature of the loggers. The TidbiTs are designed to be submerged underwater and to withstand rough conditions. The data recorded by the device is stored electronically in EEPROM, which unlike RAM, retains data even when the power supply is cut off.
Overall, no great harm was done, though Jefferson hasn’t tried to fly anywhere or rent a car since the incident. “We’re probably on their blacklist,” she said. |
How Lifestyle Can Cause Erectile Dysfunction & How to Address It
How Lifestyle Can Cause Erectile Dysfunction & How to Address It
Exercise and erectionsMillions of men live with erectile dysfunction, but many do not investigate the cause. Research suggests that nearly half of all men over the age of 40 experience ED in some form, but it isn’t all that uncommon in younger men.
There are many harmful myths about erectile dysfunction including, “it’s just a phase” or “maybe you aren’t attracted to your partner”. Myths such as these can be seriously damaging to a man’s sexual fulfillment and the health of his intimate relationships.
Lifestyle choices and their impact on your overall health are often at the root of erectile dysfunction. Unhealthy behaviors that cause stress or interfere with the cardiovascular system can lead to erectile issues in men and ultimately cause more serious concerns. It is important to stay knowledgeable and change behaviors in order to address ED and get on the path to better health.
Lack of Fitness Leads to Lack of Passion
Consistent workout routines and exercise have a significant impact on the male body’s ability to perform and even enjoy sex, for many reasons. Firstly, research has shown that men who exercise regularly have higher testosterone levels, which directly affects libido and sexual response. Additionally, a lack of exercise can cause higher body weight, which has the ability to upset healthy hormone balances and cause ED. Men who are of an unhealthy weight can experience a long-term state of inflammation in the body, damaged blood vessels, and lower testosterone. All of these combined health effects can wreak havoc on a man’s erectile functioning.
It’s important to note, however, that too much rigorous exercise can have the reverse effect and actually lower testosterone levels. If you’re new to working out, be sure you’re consulting a doctor or professional trainer so that you’re proceeding in a healthy, informed way. It’s also important that men keep their body weight healthy through regular exercise: not too high and not too low.
Aerobic exercise is especially good at improving cardiovascular fitness, which stimulates blood flow throughout the body, including the genital area. Keep this in mind and you find a healthy balance in your fitness routine.
How Alcohol & Drug Use are Holding You Back
Can exercise give me better erections?Unhealthy habits including long-term smoking, as well as drug and alcohol use can also cause ED by impairing the circulatory system. Often, a drug’s presence in the body causes damage to the heart and blood vessels and restricts the natural blood flow that causes erections.
Struggling to quit their drug habits have many resources that they can use to find support. Several treatments, including behavioral therapy and group counseling, rehabilitation centers, as well as medical treatments that lower urges have been found to be effective. If you’re having trouble quitting on your own, or want to explore which option might be best for you, speak with your doctor or a counselor who will gladly lend a helping hand.
Stress and Your Sex Life
Most adults live with stress that they view as normal or unavoidable. While everyday stressors such as constant irritability in traffic, feeling overwhelmed at work, and anxiety over the future are common they can do long-term damage to the body and hinder sexual performance for men.
Consistent stress floods the body with adrenaline, disturbing the balance of other hormones like testosterone. This can negatively impact a man’s libido and result in sexual problems such as erectile dysfunction. Additionally, the long-term effects of chronic stress on the heart and individual sleep patterns can cause a cycle of physical and mental stress that distracts from the innate interest in, or even ability to have sex.
To lower stress, consider visiting a counselor, meditating, or journaling. While this may sound simple, these methods have been proven to lower heart rate and calm racing thoughts to relax. Try to find time every day where you can de-stress in order to look out for your overall health.
Many unhealthy lifestyle choices don’t just affect a man’s likelihood of developing diseases but can also affect his sexual performance. It’s critical to be vigilant over the different ways that your lifestyle choices can affect your overall health, including your sexual health.
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By |2019-11-29T13:24:44-08:00November 29th, 2019|Men's Health|Comments Off on How Lifestyle Can Cause Erectile Dysfunction & How to Address It
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Generation Z
But now, the time has come to ask those same questions again of a different generation, Generation Z.
There is a debate about when Generation Z starts, with some arguing that the earliest members were born in 2000 and others saying they go back as far as 1990, which would mean that the oldest members are now in their early 20s.
So what defines Generation Z? While definitions vary, their general characteristics are as follows:
They are often the children of Generation X, and are completely unique as they have grown up with the internet, never having known a time without it; they are avid networkers, using social networks and mobile phones as their main means of communication and entertainment; and are often referred to as Digital Natives.
The importance of digital media in their lives has had a massive effect on the way that they work and interact with others. Gen Z-ers ‘multi-screen‘, multitasking across up to five platforms daily and spend the majority of their time on computers and mobile devices. Their constant connection to the world (ironically also a sort of disconnection) has given them a fear of missing out, meaning that being connected to social media has become critical in their everyday lives.
But there is much more to Generation Z, than social networking and technology.
Gen Z-ers’ most informative years have existed in a world post-9/11, most not remembering or having experienced relaxed security at airports, or a time before the ‘War on Terror’ or economic recession. This has given them a sense of social justice, philanthropy and maturity. Unfortunately, Gen Z has been given a bad rep by the media in the UK, often being portrayed as selfish, binge drinking, insensitive, badly behaved and out of control. (As if to prove my point, when I searched Google for figures of the number of people in the UK that are 20 or younger, the first page spits up statistics about smoking, binge drinking, drugs, unemployment, and STIs).
About 30.7% of the UK population is below the age of 24, and whilst there are some issues with disaffected youths in this generation, the majority are healthy, respectful, ambitious individuals who care about their education and the world around them. Nothing sums up better how many Gen Z-ers are feeling than this letter by a 16 year old girl written to The Times:
Sir, I am getting increasingly annoyed at the barrage of articles about teenagers, and the adults who keep trying to explain our behaviour (“Moods and meltdowns: what’s inside the teenage brain?, Mar 1).
I am 16 and a straight-A student, like most of my friends. We are not as irrational and immature as adults seem to think. We’ve grown up with financial crises and accept that most of us will be unemployed. We no longer flinch at bloody images of war because we’ve grown up seeing the chaos in the Middle East and elsewhere. Most of us are cynical and pessimistic because of the environment we’ve grown up in – which should be explanation enough for our apparent insolence and disrespect, without “experts” having to write articles about it.
Has no one ever seen that we are angry at the world we live in? Angry that we will have to clean up your mess, while you hold us in contempt, analysing our responses as though we were another species?
I would like adults to treat us not as strange creatures from another world but as human beings with intelligent thought – a little different from yours, perhaps, but intelligent thought nonetheless.
Stop teaching adults how to behave around us, and instead teach them how to respect us.
Jenni Herd
Kilmarnock, E Ayrshire
Why is all of this so important?
Well, mostly because Generation Z is growing up; they are entering adulthood and starting to have a serious effect on the economy, businesses, technology, media, and so much more, and their influence will only grow.
A study in New York discovered that up to 60% of Gen Z want to change the world or have some impact on the world, compared to 39% of Gen Y, with roughly a quarter of Gen Z-ers being involved in some sort of volunteering. They are much more entrepreneurial than previous generations, with the majority of Gen Z-ers interviewed saying they want to start their own business and be self-employed.
Possibly for these reasons, and a kind of ‘anyone-can-do-it’ attitude, they lack brand loyalty. More concerned with the product than the brand, they will quickly abandon a brand in favour of higher quality. This means that companies will have to rethink their brand and product strategies to always be at the forefront of their field, otherwise they will start losing a large and influential customer base. Their constant connectivity means that they know about things the moment they are happening, and a sort of prestige has developed around being the first to know and spread the word. Companies need to be reaching out to these people first, as the second they know about something, the rest of their network knows too.
But perhaps the most important thing is not to patronise this generation. They have grown up with more access to real world content than any generation before them, and have grown up with full, un-censored knowledge of what is happening in the world. The most important part of Jenni Herd’s letter to The Times is where she asks for youths to be treated as ‘human beings with intelligent thought – a little different from yours, perhaps, but intelligent thought nonetheless’.
It is this feeling that companies need to tap into if they want to be successful with this generation. Don’t be a ‘try-hard’, be genuine. Gen Z-ers know the difference, a skill they have been taught through their constant connection to the internet, they have learnt how to distinguish between the best brands and the top quality products, and the brands that are faking it, trying too hard or not authentic.
Gen Z-ers judge each product on its merits – Mashable used the example of two movies that were release in 2009, one based its marketing strategies on the fact that there were two well-known actors from popular movies, so therefore, this movie must be good. The other built its reputation through film festivals and small scale releases, until word of mouth took over. The first movie (called Year One) made just $62 million, the second (Paranormal Activity) made $193 million, with very little marketing. This goes to show that Gen Z-ers make their own judgements, and take quality over popularity, platform, production value or brand name. They have been described as ‘Curators’ because they collect or curate their own version of the world through what they wear, watch and read.
Finally, as this generation is so connected, it is important to generate (but not dominate or domineer) a conversation with Gen Z-ers. If you can do this effectively, word of mouth marketing will take over, and they will create a transparency around your brand (bad as well as good) that will help you develop and innovate to improve your brand and products and help your future success.
The QRi Team x
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How the Other Half Ate: A History of Working Class Meals at the Turn of the Century
In the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, working-class Americans had eating habits that were distinctly shaped by jobs, families, neighborhoods, and the tools, utilities, and size of their kitchens--along with their cultural heritage. How the Other Half Ate is a deep exploration by historian and lecturer Katherine Turner that delivers an unprecedented and thoroughly researched study of the changing food landscape in American working-class families from industrialization through the 1950s.
Relevant to readers across a range of disciplines--history, economics, sociology, urban studies, women's studies, and food studies--this work fills an important gap in historical literature by illustrating how families experienced food and cooking during the so-called age of abundance. Turner delivers an engaging portrait that shows how America's working class, in a multitude of ways, has shaped the foods we eat today.
Imagine spending half of your income on food. If you were a member of the American working class in the late nineteenth or early twentieth century, food would have been the largest item in your budget, more expensive than rent or the mortgage, than heating fuel, than clothes or schoolbooks or anything else your family needed. About fifty cents of each dollar went toward food. Imagine how carefully you would buy and cook your food if you spent so much on it: looking for bargains on wilted vegetables and stale bread, walking an extra mile to buy meat at a lower price, fastidiously saving left overs to make soup. Would you try growing your own vegetables or raising chickens, or would you use that time to work longer hours and earn more money? Would you spend the time to bake your own bread from cheap flour, or would you look for a good price on day-old bread? If eggs were only affordable for a few weeks in the summer, would you buy several dozen and try to preserve them for the winter, or would you just go without eggs for much of the year? How would you cook and eat if you could barely afford enough food for your family? Millions of poor and working-class Americans in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries faced this problem—the problem of food—every day.
Like us, they lived in a time of massive social and economic changes. Many were migrants or immigrants who had traveled hundreds or thousands of miles from their birthplace in search of work or to follow kin. the kind of work they did, their homes, their neighborhoods, and their household tools were all likely to be very different from those of their parents. the traditional ways of living, working, and supporting a family weren’t always useful to them; they had to find new ways to live.
Amid all these transformations, they had to face the following important questions every day: What will I eat? What will my family eat? Working-class . . .
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How Lightning Damage Is Only The Beginning
A lightning strike causes a significant amount of damage to nearly anything it hits. Most people have seen pictures or videos of the damage that is caused in the area that the strike happens, generally resulting in explosion and fire, and most times resulting in the destruction of the thing that is struck. In order to prevent lightning from striking structures that are known to be vulnerable due to their physical makeup and positioning, precautionary measures like the installation of nearby lightning rods and overhead shields is usually the consideration. The main idea is to divert the lightning away from the structure that would be damaged by the strike, and to a different area that would see less costly damage. Lightning always travels to earth, so the methods of diverting lightning strikes involve positioning these protection mechanisms away from expensive equipment and connected to the ground. Hopefully, the lightning will be attracted to them instead of the more expensive structure in the event of bad weather.
One issue that most industrial facilities face is that lightning striking is not the only form of damage that is usually sustained. A massive power surge follows the lightning strike as electricity from the strike is distributed along the paths of least residence. This surge of power can couple into nearby structures and lines or cables, and ultimately travel along those paths until it is either stopped or diverted. This means that far more electricity than can be safely managed will move from the point of strike along any path that it can, and any components or equipment that are chained together either through attachment points in a structure or through data or power lines are now vulnerable. The power surge will damage the circuitry of any computerized equipment, and potentially create an explosion or fire within it. Because that component is connected to additional components through cables and wires, the surge is allowed to continue to that next piece of equipment and do the same. Because of this vulnerability, damage is not isolated to the strike point and can be found to have negative effects on components that are not even in the same structure where the strike took place. This causes damage costs and levels to be significantly higher than otherwise would be found.
The installation of surge protection devices in addition to lightning protection is necessary to avoid this type of additional damage, or to at least minimize it. Surge protection devices installed along the potential electrical paths from component to component can create a gap where the flow cannot continue, protecting any equipment beyond it. While there is no such thing as a perfect system that can prevent all types of damage, we must expect that certain types of installations will eventually be struck by lightning and prevent against the damage that we know will occur. Installation of surge protection devices redundantly and constructed from the most robust materials is the most effective way to minimize damage.
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What Is Listhesis?
According to WebMD, listhesis or spondylolisthesis is a slipping of the back bone or vertebra, usually occurring at the base of the spine. It is a fracture or defect of one or both of the wing-shaped bones of the vertebrae, resulting in it slipping backward, forward or over a lower bone.
WebMD notes many causes of spondylolisthesis. A vertebra can be defective from birth. It can also be broken by a stress fracture or other trauma. Vertebrae can also be broken down by disease or infection. Spondylolisthesis occurs most commonly in children or adolescents who are active in athletics like gymnastics.
WebMD states that the symptoms for spondylolisthesis include pain in the buttocks, muscle tightness or stiffness, lower back pain and pain radiating down the legs due to pressure on nerve roots. It is typically treated through physical therapy aimed at strengthening the supportive abdominal and back muscles. If patients continue to experience disability and severe pain after physical therapy, they may have the option of surgery to fuse the problem vertebra to the bone below it.
Wikipedia indicates that the types of spondylolisthesis include traumatic, degenerative, pathological and isthmic. Traumatic spondylolisthesis is rare and is the result of acute fractures. Degenerative spondylolisthesis occurs in older adults and is a result of joint remodeling due to arthritis. Pathological spondylolisthesis is a result of metabolic bone disease. Isthmic is the most common form of spondylolisthesis, occurring in five to seven percent of the United States population; this type occurs due to a latent slip or fracture of an intravertebral joint. |
Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) like safety glasses for eye protection is essential to the health and safety of workers. Unfortunately, even with corporate PPE policies in place, many employees may not wear safety glasses for several reasons:
• They cannot see clearly in them.
• The glasses fog up in certain conditions.
• They are uncomfortable, especially if worn for long periods of time.
• They do not fit properly.
These problems are especially prevalent if the glasses are of an inferior make or don’t take the wearer’s eyesight into consideration, especially if they need a prescription, which leads to eye fatigue and discomfort. Here’s how you can encourage your employees to wear safety glasses at work:
Consistently Enforce Policies
PPE policies are designed to minimize hazards in the workplace. If these policies are not consistently enforced, it may cause confusion and the mindset of “Not everyone does it,” leading to employees not taking this essential safety precaution. Make sure your PPE policies are enforced in a way that is consistent and clear by:
• Publishing them in the employee handbook.
• Holding educational PPE policy and safety classes.
• Training supervisors on how to consistently and fairly enforce PPE policies.
These will help employees both old and new understand your company’s PPE policies, why they are in place, and how they are enforced.
Educate Employees
Educate employees as to why your PPE policies are in place and how they benefit them. For example, protective eyewear that protects the wearer from UV rays helps reduce the chance of developing cataracts. When employees know why a certain policy is in place, they are more likely to follow protocol. Simply handing them glasses and telling them to put them on without explaining why is not a good strategy in getting employees to consistently wear safety glasses. Tell them why in an educational and respectful manner.
Lead By Example
If your department head is not wearing safety glasses, then why should the other employees? Have those in charge lead by example to show employees that everyone needs to wear safety glasses, no matter if they are the head of a department, a janitor, or a visitor. In leading by example, employees are much more likely to wear their safety glasses.
Fit Employees For Safety Glasses & Give Them Options
Safety glasses are not a one-size-fits-all product. What works for one employee may not work for another. If an employee complains about their eyewear, it is essential that you listen and try to address the problem. Ignoring their complaints or thinking that they will “get over it” is detrimental to their safety and eye health.
Another reason employees may not wear safety glasses is that they think they cannot afford quality eyewear that will meet their needs. Inferior products can cause eye strain and other discomforts that will discourage employees from wearing them.
Thankfully, there are many corporate programs available that makes it easy and affordable to get employees the safety glasses they need. With so many frame selections available, employees will appreciate the wide frame options available that will fit their needs and personal style.
Learn More About SafeVision’s Corporate Safety Eyewear Programs |
The muon is a remarkable particle, and its characteristics continue to be of interest eighty years after its discovery despite the fact that we have measured them better than almost anything else around. So, for instance, the muon lifetime is known to better accuracy than that of any other unstable particle; and the muon anomalous magnetic moment remains at the top of our list of things to determine more precisely nowadays.
Why do we obsess on measuring to the tenth decimal place quantities that the Standard Model predicts with extreme accuracy ? Because the Standard Model predicts them with extreme accuracy, of course. Theoretical calculations can be matched to observations at a level of precision that would allow us to detect even tiny departures, and these would automatically imply that there is new physics not described by the model.
One interesting feature of the muon phenomenology is the way the particle decays. After an average lifetime of 2.2 microseconds the muon decays to an electron, an electron antineutrino, and a muon neutrino. The three light fermions are emitted preferentially in a configuration whereby the electron is kicked in one direction and the two neutrinos recoil in the opposite one.
(Picture from
To explain the reason of the peculiar configuration note first of all that the muon spin, equal to 1/2 in h-bar units, must be balanced by those of the three final state particles. And all three final state leptons are quite light, so they are relativistic - meaning that their total energy is much larger than their rest mass. In such conditions, both the electron and the muon neutrino want to have their spin aligned opposite to their direction of motion - what is called "left-handedness", or also "negative helicity"; the electron antineutrino wants instead its spin aligned along its motion (right-handed, or positive helicity).
[Note that in the nice graph above it is a positive muon that is taken to decay, so the particles emitted are all antimatter copies of the ones I have been considering: a positive electron, which wants to be right-handed; and the two neutrinos which have swapped helicities with respect to what I have been discussing.]
The above constraints can not be satisfied if the neutrino and the antineutrino are emitted in opposite directions, for in that case the electron cannot be fully left-handed. The most probable situation is the one mentioned above: the electron goes in one direction, and the two neutrinos recoil in the opposite direction.
What that amounts to is that the electron tends to have a momentum which is balanced by the sum of momenta of the two neutrinos: so out of the 105 MeV of energy released by the decayed muon, the electron will likely get 50 MeV or so, and the two neutrinos will get 25 MeV each. All of this may seem obscure, but it is just relativistic kinematics coupled with the rules of weak interactions, plus the conservation of angular momentum and linear momentum.
Now, the momentum spectrum of the electron emitted by decayed muons can be measured with good accuracy, and its distribution compared to Standard Model predictions. The distribution indeed "peaks" at 52 MeV, above which value it drops like a stone (values above 52.5 MeV are forbidden by energy conservation). The distribution has been measured precisely and the comparison shows that the Standard Model indeed predicts the phenomenon quite accurately.
In a paper I found in the arxiv today there is a comparison of new theoretical calculations to the measurement of the momentum spectrum obtained from negative muons stopping in a heavy medium. While in vacuum negative and positive muons behave absolutely in the same way, in matter there is a difference. A negative muon can be captured by a heavy nucleus and start orbiting it like an electron does; while a positive muon cannot do the same as it is repelled by the nucleus due to its charge.
Muons orbiting nuclei cause a modification of the momentum spectrum of the electrons they emit when they decay. A detailed measurement of this spectrum is harder to perform than for free muons, and a comparison with theory is harder to produce as the theory requires more careful correction for radiative effects. In fact, in the past the TRIUMF collaboration had found a discrepancy between observed and predicted spectrum in this case.
In the paper it is shown that accounting for radiative corrections for muons orbiting nuclei, using a complex formalism whose description is beyond the scope of this post, allows to obtain good agreement between theory and experiment. This is shown in the figure below.
Here you can see the momentum distribution of the decayed electron, compared to several curves. The green curve is the one relative to non-captured muons, and is there only for reference; the other curves show the theory calculations with or without radiative corrections included in the calculation. You can see that the data agrees very well with the red line, which includes the corrections.
The interest of this result is twofold. First, the discrepancy between predicted and measured spectrum has been shown to be due to previously unaccounted quantum corrections: the Standard Model rulez. Second, one should not forget that these precise low-energy measurements have a bearing on the high-energy physics investigations, as for example the Higgs boson mass indirectly inferred from global fits to Standard Model observables do require those precise inputs. |
Where are all the sea stars?
by Kate Leavitt | Director of Mission
We get this question a lot. Nearly every day, visitors ask our naturalists why they can’t find sea stars in our Tide Pool Touch Tank anymore. It’s not because these animals are really good at hiding, or that we’ve forgotten to put any in the tank. Unfortunately, many sea stars in North America have been afflicted with Sea Star Wasting Disease (SSWD) and ours have been affected as well.
When sea stars are infected with Sea Star Wasting Disease, they purposely disengage their limbs from their central disk and eventually die.
Over the past several years, we have lost more than 50 sea stars. In 2017, we published an in-depth blog post explaining SSWD and hoped that the disease would quickly run its course. It did slow down and we were able to get some healthy sea stars again but the disease has returned and we have removed all sea stars from our public exhibits. Our aquarist team is trying a new treatment on several sea stars in an isolation tank out back but until we can ascertain that the sea stars are disease-free, we cannot introduce them back into shared tanks.
So while we wait for more research and results, what are the real-life implications of a mass sea star die-off in the ocean? The ecological effects can be quite large. Sea stars are often referred to as keystone predators, or predators that are dominant in their ecosystems. Sea stars control a variety of prey species, most notably molluscs, such as dog whelks and blue mussels. This predation effectively stabilizes populations and helps to maintain biodiversity. The loss of sea stars as predators could completely change the population of the rocky intertidal zone landscape. There could also be a “mosaic” response, in which mussel species dominate in some areas and not others. Long term implications depend greatly on the pace and scale of sea star recovery.
Helping visitors learn more about the ocean ecosystem is one of the goals of our naturalists and volunteers. Talking about the interconnectedness of sea stars with other organisms in the rocky shore ecosystem, the health and interconnectedness of that ecosystem with the larger ocean biome, and ultimately with humans, encourages scientific thinking and reasoning. Chats alongside the Tide Pool Touch Tank help raise awareness and increase understanding of the importance of ocean conservation and biodiversity. We hope these kinds of interactions will encourage people to take actions in their own lives that support a healthy ocean.
One day, healthy sea stars will hopefully be able to rejoin other animals in the Touch Tank but for now, please don’t hesitate to ask questions when you are here. Our team loves curious visitors and does their best to answer inquires from all ages.
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Learning the Hard Way Vol 6 : Taking Action The Hard Way | Timothy Kenny | Skillshare
Learning the Hard Way Vol 6 : Taking Action The Hard Way
Timothy Kenny, Author of "Accelerated Learning for Entrepreneurs"
Play Speed
• 0.5x
• 1x (Normal)
• 1.25x
• 1.5x
• 2x
15 Lessons (3h)
• 1. Introduction
• 2. When Lightning Strikes
• 3. Know What Sparks You
• 4. Passive Learning
• 5. Active Learning
• 6. Follow The Flow
• 7. Preventing Overwhelm
• 8. Fear of Failure
• 9. Fear of Failure for Future Leaders
• 10. Prime Your Body for Action
• 11. One Page Plan
• 12. Planning Schedule
• 13. One Page Review
• 14. One Focus Per Day
• 15. Flow Redundancy
About This Class
Taking action is the difference between thinkers and doers. Between those who talk the talk and those who walk the walk.
The question is, how do you take yourself from being a thinker to a doer?
What is the key difference?
For a long time, I didn't have a good answer to this question.
But then I started noticing some patterns.
As I studied the lives of successful entrepreneurs throughout history, as well as ones that I met in person, I noticed an interesting pattern.
Most of them weren't that smart. Most of them weren't speed reading. Most of them weren't learning advanced memory techniques or even taking notes on what they read.
Through my digging, I eventually learned that taking action is based on an emotional feedback loop that controls what motivates different kinds of people.
A lot of the way you think about learning originated when you were in school. In school, you learn that you have to cram info in your head short term, pass a timed test, and then dump the information and move on to the next thing. And if you fail, there are no second chances.
Well, it turns out life is usually the exact opposite of that, especially if you are an entrepreneur.
The whole concept of agile development, which has taken over software development and Silicon Valley and is still expanding starts off with failure as the default mode. It's not about avoiding failure but learning from it quickly and minimizing the losses.
it's about learning by doing and taking calculated risks.
Usually, I'd be the first to tell you that learning by doing is the slowest way to learn. But that's not always true. When you are solving a problem that has never been solved before, learning by doing is usually the only way to learn. (Sometimes software or other models can help simulate reality).
The problem for many accelerated learners, and the reason I designed this course, is that the feedback loop you learn in school can often have very negative impacts on your performance, and how you use what you've learned, once you enter the real world.
The key here is to understand that there are two types of learning. Logical learning and emotional learning.
Logical learning is knowing that eating junk food and not exercising is bad for your health.
Emotional learning is actually changing how you live. Changing what you value so that you change how you behave.
Many accelerated learners are really good at the first kind of learning, but not so good at the second. They tend to not have much control over the second type of learning, and not be so good at it.
This course is about understanding that second type of learning so that you start taking more action on what you learn.
And you'll do that by understanding how the existing feedback loops that are keeping you from taking action can be changed.
What's the biggest of these feedback loops?
For most of you, it's fear of failure.
This all goes back to school. The system of having one chance to succeed via a test makes people become perfectionists. It build a lot of fear about doing anything without a perfect plan and perfect knowledge.
With tests, there is a deadline. People tend to do well with deadlines.
But when you are learning on your own, deadlines don't exist. It's just you and you. So you end up rarely if ever taking action, and many times it ends up being too late when you finally get around to implementing it.
In this course, you'll learn how to do two basic things:
1. Destroy the old feedback loops that prevent you from taking action
2. Build up new feedback loops that will keep you in action mode
I've talked about the emotional game of taking action, and how much of it is about emotional learning. Which is just a fancy phrase for making an association between a thought and a feeling. Think Pavlov.
Building these associations, and breaking the old ones, is tactical. But it doesn't equal success on it's own. You also need strategies to organize your thinking and planning to prevent common problems like information overwhelm and lack of focus.
In this course you'll get access to a series of one page action systems that will allow you to quickly deconstruct problems and plan your projects and you weeks with maximum efficiency and with an action oriented stance.
If you've taken my memory course, you understand why I say that most of the time, memorizing what you learn is a mistake. Most of what you learn can be stored without memorization if you have the right systems in place to keep it organized enough that you can take action on it.
Many accelerated learners imagine a fantasy scenario where they have memorized all important information in their domain of interest and can do anything with it.
But the truth is that this is not how the most successful people operate. Instead they learn just enough to take the first few steps, often delegating massively to others, and learn just enough to develop their vision and execute that vision with a team who collectively know much more than they do.
Much of the information you want to learn doesn't need to be memorized. It just needs to live in your head long enough for you to take action on it and then discard it or store it for later retrieval in a paper or digital format. The massive time it would take to get spaced repetitions on all this rarely-used information is incredibly costly and almost never worth it.
But this is the trap and the dream that many accelerated learners fall for and never make it past this stage because the dream is impossible to achieve.
I'm not saying memory is worthless, I'm just saying you have to be very strategic about it, and make sure you aren't memorizing and/or over consuming information as part of a feedback loop that is driven by procrastination rooted in fear of failure.
In this course you'll learn how to not just train yourself to love taking action, but also how to handle information so that you know when to forget it, when to memorize it, when to store it via paper/digital (for later implementation), and when to take action on it immediately.
There are millions of over educated, under paid accelerated learners across the globe who never get anywhere because they never get past square one except in their imagination. The only difference between where you are now and where you want to be is the actions you have yet to take.
Reading time is over...it had to happen eventually.
Sign up now and let's get started. |
Why The Food Movement Is Unstoppable
The following is an abstract of a longer article available at Independent Science News.
Not so very long ago food and agriculture were high on the list of unfashionable subjects in most parts of the world. Relatively suddenly, however, millions of individuals have separately begun to develop passionate interests in the products and processes of agriculture. Coffee, beer, bread, organic food, herbal remedies, food supplements, supposed “super foods”, local food, Slow Food, fairly traded food, non-GMO food, and cheese, are just some of these interests.
The consequence of this upsurge, according to one international consultant is “complete paranoia“, at major food companies who now are taking emerging food movements as a serious threat to their core businesses. Thus the New York Times recently asserted that the centre aisles of US supermarkets are being called “the morgue” because sales of junk food are crashing.
So what explains this dramatic upsurge of interest food that we can now talk about a Food Movement, and that, in the central American country of El Salvador, the National Coordinator of its Organic Agriculture Movement can call organic farming and agroecology not just a farming practice but the center of a: “titanic but beautiful struggle, to reclaim the lives of all Salvadorans”?
Can a new political order really be built around good food and good agriculture? How far, in short, can the food movement go?
The Parade at Terra Madre Salone del Gusto 2016 brought together thousands of food movement activists from around the world
I have proposed five characteristics that define and explain the food movement and distinguish it from other social movements.
1) The food movement is self-organized. It is an anarchic and spontaneous happening that does not depend on specific charismatic leaders.
2) Complementing this, the food movement is universal in its appeal. Rich and poor, employed and unemployed, young and old, anyone is welcome. Thus Prince Charles and landless peasants are both part of it because there are no barriers to entry.
3) The food movement is international. Whatever local needs may be, the food movement can always meet them.
4) The food movement is low-budget. Unlike all other mass movements, the food movement is not dependent on rich donors or powerful foundations. It has a few of those, but is not beholden to them or controlled by them.
5) The food movement has many and diverse values. Health concerns, animal welfare, economic justice, ecological sustainability. All of these find a home there.
These diverse and unique characteristics have their root in a novel philosophy based on food. This philosophy is a revolt against the ruling paradigm of our time, the misnamed “enlightenment” and represents the beginning of a profound philosophical shift that is now underway.
The characteristic of the enlightenment was to discard conventional and folk wisdoms as merely superstition and aneccdote and replace them with pure logic and rationality (i.e.science). This development was a necessary accompaniment to the industrial revolution that required a revisioning of society. Science obliged with social Darwinism and nature was redescribed as being epitomized by struggle and competition.
But in doing so the philosophy of the enlightenment pitted people against people, people against nature and even nature against nature. This view, we now know, was false. Nature is a synergy of species that evolved from just one species to create a habitable planet for billions of unique organisms. To take just one example of this synergy, many people imagine our atmosphere is a geological creation. But it is not. Every gas in it is a product of biological organisms. Without life there would, in fact, be no atmosphere to prevent the seas from boiling away
The rediscovery of that synergy is the underlying philosophy of the food movement. It explains why conventional agriculture can only envisage exploiting soil, the plants and the animals, whereas the food movement sees agriculture as a symphony of the soil, a synergy of all beings.
What this means, in sum, is that all those people in the food movement represent not just a practical and political challenge to the existing order but that, unlike socialism or traditional environmentalism, the food movement has unearthed a profound philosophical challenge. One that, because it possesses deep scientific validity, will not whither or fade away.
Jonathan Latham is co-founder and Executive Director of the Bioscience Resource Project and the Editor of Independent Science News. Dr. Latham holds a Masters degree in Crop Genetics and a PhD in Virology. He was subsequently a postdoctoral research associate in the Department of Genetics, University of Wisconsin, Madison. He has published scientific papers in disciplines as diverse as plant ecology, plant virology, genetics and genetic engineering. He is also the Director of the Poison Papers project which publicizes documents of the chemical industry and its regulators.
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Hot Tub Chemicals 101
There are many different manufacturer/brand, and names of hot tub chemicals. Typically each manufacturer produces the same type of chemicals as another, some like SpaBoss, produce a higher quality product, meaning you won’t run through products quite as quickly, and SpaBoss chemicals will work longer, and harder than others. Distinguishing between the names of chemicals and what their purpose is, gets a little more complicated, especially with terms such as; TA, pH, etc. Hence, the purpose of this article; to give you, the end user, a little more insight as to why you’re adding which chemicals, and when. Let’s get started!
1) Sanitizers
Every hot tub user wants clean water, and to enjoy their hot tub without worrying about the bacteria, fungus, mold; or other contaminants in the water with you. This is why you use a Sanitizer. Two common types of sanitizer are; Chlorine, or Bromine. Sanitizers are essential in your hot tub to ensure the water stays clean, and to minimize the risk of skin irritations; or worse, mold and fungus taking over your hot tub. Keeping a sufficient level of sanitizer at all times in the hot tub, regardless of temperature outside, temperature of water, and how tightly closed the hot tub is; the sanitizer will work to destroy all contaminants in the water.
Chlorine is available in puck form, which you add to a floating dispenser; or granular form, which you sprinkle into the water. Granular form is a bit less convenient, as you add it by hand and may have to do so more often to keep levels up. Bromine is also available in both, pucks or granular form.
Chlorine is cost effective, easy to manage and apply, and an aggressive bacteria killer. Some people dislike the “smell” of chlorine, or have skin sensitivities to it; therefore, choose to use Bromine. Bromine works differently than chlorine as it’s more effective in killing certain types of algae, and keeps killing bacteria after an ‘attack’, like chlorine. You can read more on the differences between chlorine and bromine in our article here.
Chlorine levels in a hot tub are recommended to be in the 1-3ppm range, whereas bromine levels should read between 3-5ppm.
2) Shock (Oxidizer)
All hot tubs need to be shocked regularly as part of routine maintenance. Shocking agents are also classified as a type of sanitizer, but are used differently. Spa shocks are quick dissolving and fast acting, and used for killing anything your sanitizer has missed, or to supplement your sanitizer. For chlorine users, the shock oxidizes the dead (or combined) chlorine along with body oils, sweat, dirt, etc. For bromine users, shocking recharges the non-working bromides and gets them destroying bacteria, as well as getting rid of the oils, sweat, dirt, etc.
There are two different types of shock, chlorinated or non-chlorinated. Non-chlorinated shock can be used in chlorine or bromine hot tubs. Shocking should be done after heavy bather loads, or even a small amount after every use; or as a weekly treatment to maintain water clarity and sanitation. You can also give your water a shock treatment for other water issues such as; kill algae, eliminate foul odors, water discoloration, and poor clarity.
Make sure you follow the dosage instructions on the container and make sure you know the water capacity of your hot tub to ensure you’re using the right amount.
3) Balancers
Balanced water levels refer to having your chemical readings all within proper ranges. Balancing chemicals consist of Alkalinity increaser, pH increaser/reducer, and Calcium Hardness increaser.
Alkalinity, aka TA, is a pH stabilizer which helps your pH levels from fluctuating wildly. Alkalinity should be adjusted first to the correct range, and then pH should be adjusted. If both, TA and pH are low, adding alkalinity increaser will increase both, but make sure to check pH to ensure it reached to the appropriate level. If both are high, pH decreaser will lower both levels. Low TA and pH mean more acidic water, which can cause damage inside the tub, especially the heater. High TA and pH can cause scaling which will also damage the heater and anything else the water flows through. Proper levels of TA are between 100-150 ppm and pH between 7.2-7.8.
Calcium Hardness; or Total Hardness measures the amount of calcium and magnesium dissolved in the water. When within range, it prevents the water from eating away at the hot tub’s shell and plumbing. If Total Hardness is too high, you may notice your water may not be able to dissolve chemicals properly, and can lead to scaling on the sides of your tub, in the plumbing and can also lead to cloudy water. If Total Hardness is too low, the water can cause damage to the tub. It can eat away at the plaster, and corrode your plumbing, jets, and everything else it touches. Raising the Total Hardness is simple; just add the proper amount of Cal-Rise according to the instructions on the container. High Total Hardness readings can be difficult to reduce, so be cautious that you follow the instructions and dose accordingly. Total Hardness range is between 200-400 ppm.
pH level measures the acidity of your hot tub water. High pH readings are considered to be basic or alkaline and cause your sanitizer to work poorly and can lead to cloudy water, and scaling. Low pH readings indicate your water is too acidic, and can also cause the sanitizer to work poorly, as well as; causing your eyes to burn and skin irritations. Low pH can also reduce the ability to control the TA. Acidic water can also cause damage to the hot tub. Proper level of pH is between 7.2-7.8
Water test strips can give you sufficient readings of your water balance, including the sanitizer level, TA, Total Hardness, pH and even the Combined Chlorine levels; and most Spa Dealers have water test systems that can read more accurately, and give you recommendations on what to add, and how much. |
“In a society that worships love, freedom, and beauty, dance is sacred. It is a prayer for the future, a remembrance of the past and a joyful exclamation of thanks for the present.” - Amelia Atwater-Rhodes
Stereotypes can be hard to break. There’s still the common misconception that dancing isn’t for boys. Be it break dancing, tango, dance hall, whatever, every style is open to every child, regardless of their sex.
So to improve their choreography, rhythm, or motor skills, here’s how you can find dancing classes.
Check with your Local Government
You’d be surprised at some of the places you can find dance classes. Local leisure centres often have many dance classes. First, find the nearest place that offers dance classes in your town.
Where can you find local dance classes?
Check with the local government for dance lessons. (Source: sobima)
Of course, not everyone lives in a big city. This means that you mightn’t have every style on offer. Don’t get discouraged. Just because they’re not offered at the leisure centre or by the local government, that doesn’t mean they’re not available.
In smaller towns, there may be one activity available in your town and the dance class you’re looking for in the neighbouring one. Check to see if you can find anything in the neighbouring towns. A quick phone call should do the trick.
They should be able to give you all the information you need or, at the very least, the contact details for who you should be speaking to. Be it swing, ballet, or Oriental dance, you should be able to find somewhere in the region offering dance classes to children, teenagers, and adults.
Learn more about the benefits of children's dance classes.
Finding Dance Classes in a School
Some cities are lucky enough to have schools dedicated to dance. Keep in mind that this doesn’t necessarily mean a large building dedicated to dance.
How can you find dance schools?
You won't struggle to find dance schools in most cities. (Source: Jenco215)
Sometimes there will be a huge building, complete with its theatre, dance hall, etc. However, most of them will be in smaller rooms such as a dance studio. The teachers there may share rooms throughout the week.
No matter what type of dancing you’d like to do, get in touch with dance schools and dance studios and ask them about their class schedule.
Some dance schools can be quite costly, after all. Do your research to see exactly how much everything will cost including the equipment that you’ll need to get.
Conservatories are also great places to learn how to dance. However, they can be demanding and require an advanced level before children can attend. This is a great option if your child takes their dancing very seriously and would like to do it professionally in the future.
Get help choosing the right dance lessons for your kids.
Dance Associations
Dance associations are great if you’re on a budget. You may find dance associations or groups in smaller towns where there aren’t dance schools. There may be a few dance teachers who offer classes. Some may be volunteers whereas others may be paid.
In some cases, they may be even more demanding than conservatories. However, make sure that your child enjoys their classes. Some of the classes will depend on what the students are after. Generally speaking, they’re quite flexible. Furthermore, they may be able to offer classes and sessions for things like birthday parties, etc. Similarly, they also put shows on for members.
You may also be able to discover less common dance styles that aren’t often offered at schools. If you're looking for ballroom dance, Latin dance, bachata, west coast swing dance, or just an introduction to dance, your child might be able to learn to dance with them. You should have a look around for sporting groups or dance associations online. You just need to get in touch with them.
Where Can You Find Private Dance Tutors?
You mightn’t have thought of getting in touch with a private tutor. However, if you can’t find an association or school that you like, you might want to get a private tutor for your child. A private tutor doesn’t necessarily mean that your child will be alone.
Where can you find dance tutors?
For specialised tuition, you should look for dance tutors. (Source: sobima)
This is just one of the options when it comes to private tutoring. You can also get group tutorials with several students attending. Your child can progress while having fun with other children their age. You can find private dance tutors in cities and the country.
Start by having a look on Superprof. There are plenty of tutors offering dance tutorials all over the country. The advantage is that you can choose the best tutor for your child. Different tutors specialise in different types of dancing such as ballroom dancing, hip hop dance, jazz dance, waltz, Zumba, or the Lindy hop.
You can also find tutors through word of mouth, online, social networks, or classified ads in local businesses.
Learn more about what children's dance lessons are like.
Finding Dance Classes through Word of Mouth
Word of mouth is often the most effective way to find dance classes. Talk to your child about what they want to learn, tell your friends and family, and word of mouth can do the rest. Of course, sometimes your words will get twisted.
Tell your family, friends, other parents. Other parents might already know who you need to talk to to find tutors or a dance school. If this isn’t the case, their friends might know exactly what you’re looking for. Dancing is quite common so it’s pretty easy to find classes.
Word of mouth not only helps you find potential teachers and tutors, but you’ll also undoubtedly hear opinions on them. They’ll never recommend a teacher that they were disappointed with. If they’re being recommended to you, that generally means that they’ve impressed someone in the group. Keep your ears open!
Finding Dance Classes Online
The internet is a goldmine for resources, no matter what you’re looking for.
So why not use it to find dance classes near you?
How can you find dance lessons online?
Thanks to the internet, it's never been easier to find classes. (Source: StartupStockPhotos)
Just type “dance classes”, “dance lessons”, “dance instruction” into a search engine with the name of your town and see what comes up.
Of course, that doesn’t necessarily mean that you’ll immediately get the answer you’re looking for. You’ll still find sites for dance schools and private tutors, though. You might also find articles on dance classes in the area.
Have a look on social networks, too. Let people know that you’re looking for dance lessons. You’re bound to get a response.
Check Out the Classifieds
Classified ads still exist! Even if the internet has become the best way to find people, there are still classified ads. Whether it’s for babysitters, academic support tutorials, or personal trainers, you can still find classified ads and posters around. Keep an eye open at local businesses like bakeries, florists, butchers, etc.
Some larger supermarkets also have local noticeboards where customers can put up ads. You’ll probably find an ad for dance classes, an association, or private dance teachers. Be it contemporary dance, modern jazz, tango, dance fitness, modern dance, or an introduction to dance, you’ll be surprised at what you can find.
These ads will generally detail what’s included in the lessons. Stretching, improv, choreography, footwork, etc.
Similarly, there are also sites like Craigslist and Gumtree.
Perhaps you’d also like to learn how to dance?
You can find a private dance instructor or tutor on Superprof and get private lessons for you and your child. Whether it's Argentine tango, tap dance, or ballet classes, many of the tutors offer the first dance lesson for free so you can talk to them about what you're after, how you like to learn, and what your goals are.
There are many talented and experienced dance tutors offering face-to-face tutorials, online tutorials, or group tutorials. Each type of tutorials comes with its pros and cons so it's up to you to choose the one that's best for you, your preferred learning style, and your budget.
Face-to-face tutorials are the most cost-effective because you're the only student but they also tend to be the most costly per hour. That said, you do get a completely bespoke service.
Online tutorials tend to be cheaper per hour than face-to-face tutorials as the tutor doesn't have to pay travel costs and can schedule more tutorials each week. This increased earning potential and fewer outgoings allow them to charge more competitive rates.
Group tutorials are usually the cheapest per person per hour as the cost of the tutor's time is shared amongst each of the students in attendance. Of course, this also means that tutors time has to be shared between each student so they won't be able to offer as much one-on-one time as in private tutorials.
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Nowhere is the birth rate in Europe higher than in France. What other countries can learn from the French model.
For many years, women in France have had the highest birth rate in Europe. According to the European statistical office Eurostat, French women had on average 1.92 children in 2016. It led all other countries, as the following chart shows.
There are many reasons for the high birth rate. In France, having children is viewed not only as a private matter, but also as a social duty. For this reason, the country spends about four percent of GDP on family-specific social insurance measures – one of the highest rates in the world.
The “French exception”
While there is much discussion about the effects of family policy measures on the birth rate, most demographers agree that family policy plays an important role in the birth trend. Demographers around the world talk about the “French exception”: the first modern society that does not discourage women from having children, but instead encourages them to do so with a constantly evolving family policy. France is the country where families have the most children even though mothers maintain their careers. With its high rate of employment among women, especially young mothers, the country is exemplary in Europe.
Depending on their individual situation and income, families are eligible for more than 20 family benefits. For example, all families with at least two children receive child benefits. Since 2015, the amount of the benefit has been based on income. There are also other maintenance payments as well as allowances to help pay for the care of children and shared childcare allowances that enable one or both parents to take time off from work or to reduce their level of employment.
Nationwide care facilities
The country’s comprehensive offerings also include nationwide full-day care facilities for all children. This means that children and young people receive full-day care until they graduate from secondary school. Kindergarten (called “école maternelle” in French) offers free full-day care to children as young as two to three years, allowing parents to focus on training, work or the search for a job. In addition, hundreds of thousands of government-recognised and fairly paid childminders also provide full-day care for children. Parents receive a childcare allowance to help pay the costs and most care costs can be claimed as a tax deduction.
Independent old-age provision
However, government support is not the sole reason France, the country with the largest population in Europe after Germany, has a higher birth rate than other European countries. Under the French family-policy model, women can also return to work a few months after giving birth – and not, as is common in most other countries, primarily on a part-time basis, but rather for typically full-time. Combined with the statutory minimum wage, this means that more women than in many other EU countries earn an income that allows them to survive on their own and thus ensures independent old-age provision.
And at 15.2 percent, the gender-specific wage differences are lower in France than they are, for example, in Germany (21.5%) or Switzerland (17%). In addition, more women are in management positions (43%) than the European average (25%).
Socially accepted
For economist Angela Greulich, the main reason for the high birth rate is the fact that women are less often forced to choose between family and career. According to Greulich, who teaches at Panthéon-Sorbonne University, the French state deals with the issue of equal treatment holistically rather than viewing the needs of families and women in isolation through the lens of family policy. “In France, employment among mothers is promoted systematically”, writes Greulich, who researches issues related to women in the labour market, the compatibility of family and work, and equality, in a study. “There is a uniform overall concept across various policy areas, such as the labour market and social policy, education policy and financial support for families.” A progressive family policy alone is not enough, Greulich continues: an active policy for women in every life situation is also required.
In France, there is no moralising about whether mothers should work or even have a career. “There is no debate about whether children are harmed if they are not cared for by their own mothers”, says German journalist Annika Joeres, who lives in France and is the author of “Vive la famille: What we can learn from the French about family happiness”. No wonder the French don’t have a word like the German “Rabenmutter”, referring to the raven, which apparently abandons its nest.
Interview with
Pierre Francois
CEO of Health, Disability and P&C Activities at Swiss Life France
How can a young family save and provide for retirement?
Three tips from Pierre François, CEO of Health, Disability and P&C Activities at Swiss Life France
When a family has a child, what is the main thing they should consider in terms of insurance?
Avant toute chose, la famille doit déclarer la naissance à la caisse maladie afin que l’enfant puisse y être admis.
Is there anything in particular that must be noted?
It is important for the policy to cover the child’s specific health problems, e.g. orthodontics. And concluding an insurance policy in the event of death and disability, which protects children against financial hardship, is also becoming increasingly important. In this connection, parents should make sure that the lump-sum and pension benefits are sufficient. I recommend policies that include education insurance.
What changes should a young family make to its saving habits?
The birth of a child is the right time to conclude a life insurance policy and for setting aside money on a regular basis. Children’s education is expensive, especially when financing studies which are now taking ever longer to complete. For those who had a life insurance policy before the birth of their child, they must consider reviewing the beneficiary clause and, if necessary, modifying it.
Series: Exemplary France
France has Europe’s highest birth rate and the most women in leadership positions. In a series of articles we detail how France has managed this and what other countries can learn from it.
Pamela Druckerman
Interview Pamela Druckerman
Read more
Clara Gaymard
«Don’t feel guilty, women!»
Read more |
The Most Important Inventions of the 21st Century
Advances in Technology that Changed the World
Abstract image of several inventions
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There's no question that the technological breakthroughs of the first two decades of the 21st century have drastically revolutionized people's day-to-day lives. Television, radio, paperback novels, movie theaters, landline telephones, and letter writing have been replaced by connected devices, digital books, Netflix, and communicating via addictive apps such as Twitter, Facebook, Snapchat, and Instagram. For these innovations, we have the following four key 21st-century inventions to thank.
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Social Media: From Friendster to Facebook
View of a smartphone's social media apps
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Believe it or not, social networking did exist before the turn of the 21st century. While Facebook has made having an online profile and identity an integral part of our everyday life, its predecessors—basic and rudimentary as they now seem—paved the way for what became the world’s most ubiquitous social platform.
In 2002, Friendster launched, quickly amassing three million users within its first three months. With seamless integration of nifty, intuitive user-friendly features such as status updates, messaging, photo albums, friend lists, and more, Friendster’s network served as one of the earliest successful templates for engaging the masses under one network but its supremacy was short lived.
In 2003, when MySpace burst on the scene, it quickly outpaced Friendster to become the world’s largest social network, boasting over a billion registered users at its peak. By 2006, MySpace would go on to surpass search giant Google as the most visited website in the United States. The company was acquired by News Corporation in 2005 for $580 million.
But as with Friendster, MySpace’s reign at the top didn’t last long. In 2003, Harvard student and computer programmer Mark Zuckerberg designed and developed a website called Facemash that was similar to a popular photo rating website, Hot or Not. In 2004, Zuckerberg and his fellow schoolmates went live with a social platform called thefacebook, an online student directory based on the physical "Face Books" that were used on many college campuses throughout the United States at the time.
Initially, registration on the website was restricted to Harvard students. Within a few months, however, invitations were extended to other top colleges including Columbia, Stanford, Yale, and MIT. A year later, membership was expanded to employee networks at major companies Apple and Microsoft. By 2006, the website, which had changed its name and domain to Facebook, was open to anyone over 13 years of age with a valid email address.
With robust features and interactivity that included a live update feed, friend tagging, and the signature “like” button, Facebook’s network of users grew exponentially. In 2008, Facebook surpassed MySpace in the number of worldwide unique visitors and has since established itself as the premier online destination for more than two billion users. The company, with Zuckerberg as CEO, is one of the richest in the world, with a net worth of over $500 billion.
Other popular social media platforms include Twitter, with an emphasis on short form (140- or 180-character "Tweets") and link sharing; Instagram, whose users share images and short videos; Snapchat, which bills itself a camera company, whose users share photos, videos, and messages that are available for only a short time before expiring; YouTube, a video-based sharing platform; and Tumblr, a micro-blogging/networking site.
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E-readers: Dynabook to Kindle
Someone reads an e-reader
Andrius Aleksandravicius / EyeEm/Getty Images
Looking back, the 21st century may be remembered as the turning point in which digital technology started to make print materials such as photographs and paper obsolete. If so, the fairly recent introduction of electronic books or e-books will have played a large role in paving that transition.
While sleek, light e-readers are a fairly recent technological arrival, clunky and less sophisticated variations have been around for decades. In 1949, for instance, a Spanish teacher named Ángela Ruiz Robles was awarded a patent for a “mechanical encyclopedia” comprised of audio recordings along with text and images on reels.
Besides a few notable early designs such as the Dynabook and the Sony Data Discman, the concept of a mass-market portable electronic reading device didn’t really catch on until e-book formats were standardized, which coincided with the development of electronic paper displays.
The first commercial product taking advantage of this technology was the Rocket eBook, introduced in late 1998. Six years later, the Sony Librie became the first e-reader to use electronic ink. Unfortunately, didn't catch on, and both were expensive commercial flops. Sony returned with the revamped Sony Reader in 2006, only to find themselves quickly up against competitor Amazon’s formidable Kindle.
When it was released in 2007, the original Amazon Kindle was hailed as a game changer. It packed a 6-inch grayscale E Ink display, keyboard, free 3G Internet connectivity, 250 MB of internal storage (enough for 200 book titles), a speaker and headphone jack for audio files, as well as access to the purchase of countless e-books at Amazon’s Kindle store.
Despite retailing for $399, the Amazon Kindle sold out in roughly five and a half hours. High demand kept the product out of stock for as long as five months. Barnes & Noble and Pandigital soon entered the market with their own competitive devices, and by 2010, sales for e-readers had reached nearly 13 million, with Amazon’s Kindl owning almost half the share of the market.
More competition arrived later in the form of tablet computers like the iPad and color screen devices running on Android’s operating system. Amazon also debuted its own Fire tablet computer designed to run on a modified Android system called FireOS.
While Sony, Barnes & Noble and other leading manufacturers have stopped selling e-readers, Amazon has expanded its offerings with models that include higher resolution displays, LED backlighting, touchscreens, and other features.
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Streaming Media: From Realplayer to Netflix
A streaming video playing on a laptop monitor.
EricVega/Getty Images
The ability to stream video has been around at least as long as the Internet—but it was only after the turn of the 21st century that data transfer speeds and buffering technology made quality real-time streaming a truly seamless experience.
So what was media streaming like in the days before YouTube, Hulu, and Netflix? Well, in a nutshell, quite frustrating. The first attempt to stream live video took place just three years after Internet pioneer Sir Tim Berners Lee created the first web server, browser, and web page in 1990. The event was a concert performance by the rock band Severe Tire Damage. At the time, the live broadcast was screened as a 152 x 76-pixel video and the sound quality was comparable to what you might hear with a bad telephone connection.
In 1995, RealNetworks became an early media streaming pioneer when it introduced a freeware program called Realplayer, a popular media player capable of streaming content. That same year, the company live streamed a Major League baseball game between the Seattle Mariners and New York Yankees. Soon enough, other major industry players such as Microsoft and Apple got into the game with the release of their own media players (Windows Media Player and Quicktime, respectively) which featured streaming capability.
While consumer interest grew, streaming content was often beset with disruptive glitches, skips, and pauses. Much of inefficiency, though, had to do with broader technological limitations such as lack of CPU (central processing unit) power and bus bandwidth. To compensate, users generally found it more practical to simply download and save entire media files in order to play them directly from their computers.
All that changed in 2002 with the widespread adoption of Adobe Flash, a plug-in technology that enabled the smooth streaming experience we know today. In 2005, three veterans of the PayPal startup launched YouTube, the first popular video streaming website powered by Adobe Flash technology. The platform, which allowed users to upload their own video clips as well as view, rate, share, and comment on videos uploaded by others, was acquired by Google the following year. By that time, the website had an impressive community of users, racking up 100 million views a day.
In 2010, YouTube began making the transition from Flash to HTML, which allowed for high quality streaming with less drain on a computer’s resources. Later advancements in bandwidth and transfer rates opened the door to successful subscriber-based streaming services such as Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Prime.
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jeijiang/Getty Images
Smartphones, tablets, and even Smartwatches, and wearables are all game changers, however, there's one underlying technological advance without which these devices could not have succeeded. Their ease of use and popularity is largely due to advances in touchscreen technology achieved in the 21st century.
Scientists and researchers have dabbled in touchscreen-based interfaces since the 1960s, developing systems for flight-crew navigation and high-end cars. Work on multi-touch technology began in the 1980s, but it wasn't until the 2000s that attempts to integrate touchscreens into commercial systems finally began taking off.
Microsoft was one of the first out of the gate with a consumer touchscreen product designed for potential mass appeal. In 2002, then Microsoft CEO Bill Gates introduced the Windows XP Tablet PC Edition, one of the first tablet devices to feature a mature operating system with touchscreen functionality. While it’s hard to say why the product never caught on, the tablet was fairly clunky and a stylus was required to access the touchscreen functions.
In 2005 Apple acquired FingerWorks, a little-known company that had developed some of the first gesture-based multi-touch devices on the market. This technology would eventually be used to develop the iPhone. With its intuitive and remarkably responsive gesture-based touch technology, Apple’s innovative handheld computer is often credited for ushering in the era of smartphones, as well as a whole host of touchscreen capable products such as tablets, laptops, LCD displays, terminals, dashboards, and appliances.
A Connected, Data-driven Century
Breakthroughs in modern technology have enabled people around the globe to interact with one another instantaneously in unprecedented ways. While it's difficult to imagine what will come next, one thing is sure: technology will continue to thrill, captivate, and enthrall us, and have a far-reaching impact on almost every facet of our lives. |
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Cervical Cancer
Cervical Cancer is a big deal, so big that every year in Australia over 900 women are diagnosed. It is one of the most common cancers that affect women and girl’s reproductive systems. It’s particularly bad as you can develop it as part of normal life or you can catch it as sexually transmitted disease. Cervical Cancer affects the cervix, which is the lower part of the Uterus, or womb, and is situated at the top of the vagina. Cervical Cancer will normally only affect women over 30, but if you’re a young girl then it’s not a cool idea to just ignore this seriously nasty disease.
How can I get Cervical Cancer
Normally Cancer happens when normal cells in your body go all weird and mutate into cells that grow much quicker than normal cells, eventually forming a growth inside you called a tumour. Human Papillomavirus (HPV) can be the cause of Cervical Cancer; however this is not always the case! In order to protect yourself from HPV, make sure you and your partner are fully protected any time you engage in sexual activities, although sometimes even using protection might not help prevent HPV.
The bad news is that Cervical Cancer often has no real symptoms that you might notice. That’s why screening and regular visits to your doctor are a must. Some women may get an indication that they have Cervical Cancer: the symptoms include some vaginal bleeding in between periods, a vaginal discharge that has blood in it and has an unusual odour or pain around your pelvic area. Some warts ‘down there’ might also indicate you have HPV (the STI that can cause Cervical Cancer); however this is not always the case. In recent studies, HPV appears more often in girls who are younger than 18 and have unprotected sex (another reason to always be safe). Smoking has also been found to increase the risk of getting HPV which can lead to Cervical Cancer.
Stopping Cervical Cancer
If you are an 11, 12 or 13 year old girl at school you can get a free Cervical Cancer vaccine that will protect you against up to 80% of all Cervical Cancer. Even if you are not 12 or 13 you should still ask your doctor about getting the vaccine. The NHMRC Immunisation Handbook recommends it for 9 to 18 year olds. The Cervical Cancer Vaccine consists of 3 vaccine injections over a 3 month period. The bad thing about the vaccine is that it won’t help you much if you already have HPV so it’s best to get the vaccine when you are still young and not sexually active. Vaccination together with regular checkups and pap smears are the best way to protect yourself against Cervical Cancer. In fact studies have shown that pap smears save around 1,200 women in Australia each year from Cervical Cancer.
Cervical Cancer sounds like scary stuff, but if you get regular checkups combined with having the vaccine (check with your parents and GP to confirm this is right for you) and practice safe sex, then it should be something that you don’t need to worry about too much. Even if you are diagnosed with Cervical Cancer there is a reason to be optimistic, there is lots of proof that when Cervical Cancer is found early and treated properly, a woman has every reason to expect full recovery.
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Wednesday, November 20, 2019
Student-athlete gambling research suggests challenging future
In 1998, men's and women's basketball and football student-athletes from across the country provided a window into their gambling activities through a University of Michigan study conducted by friend and colleague Ann Vollano and myself (The extent and nature of gambling among college students, Cross and Vollano, 1998).
Prior to the study, data about student-athlete gambling was essentially non-existent. Our research garnered national media attention and prompted the NCAA to conduct its own studies which advanced this initial work. Twenty years later, the 1998 research provides an insightful point of comparison with the NCAA's 2016 gambling study (Trends in NCAA student-athlete gambling behaviors and attitudes, 2017) and possible future trends.
Positive trends
Specific types of gambling among male student-athletes have declined in nearly every case (except the purchase of lottery tickets.)
Type of Gambling Activity
Wagering on sports
37 %
24.3 %
Playing cards for money
39.1 %
22.9 %
Wagering in a casino
48.5 %
18.6 %
Dice games
18.5 %
7.7 %
Wagering on horses, dogs
13.5 %
6.3 %
Commercial Bingo
8.0 %
5.0 %
Lottery tickets
27.8 %
36.4 %
The percentage of male Division I student-athletes who gambled in the prior 12 months declined significantly as well, although half the population still wagers:
71 %
48 %
The trends above make sense - the lottery is more prevalent than it was 20 years ago with some jackpots exceeding $500 million. The popularity of bingo, horse and dog racing as well as dice games has waned. The poker boom has receded. And the NCAA's long-standing educational efforts are having an impact on sports wagering.
But not all of the news is positive.
Neutral and Negative Trends
Wagering activity below $50 was unchanged but the percentage of athletes making large wagers drifted upwards and internet gambling has grown exponentially.
Percentage who wagered less than $10
32.5 %
33.0 %
Percentage of male athletes who wagered more than $50
20 %
21 %
Percentage of males who wagered more than $500 at one time
1.5 %
4 %
Percentage of male student athletes who wagered via the internet
Less than 1 %
Approximately 33.0 %
Keep in mind, the most recent NCAA numbers are nearly 4 years old. Since 2016 sports wagering has become legal in many states with the number of internet-based tools and phone-based apps exploding. The 2016 numbers most certainly under-report the activities of 2019 and it’s reasonable to expect the amounts wagered will increase due to the simplicity of wagering with a credit card.
The Future
If you accept the premise that student-athlete wagering is correlated with societal gambling practices, college sports faces a daunting situation. Consider the following trends that have emerged since 2016:
• legalization of sports wagering,
• significant emergence of internet wagering options from legalization,
• increased media coverage and commentary on sports wagering in light of legalization, including point spreads on college football games, over/under, etc.
• general societal acceptance of gambling, and
• a tsunami of technology and data, which can be facilitated by artificial intelligence, makes the exploitation of information for wagering purposes both irresistible and fiscally prudent for those who choose to gamble.
The potential for manipulation that impacts the integrity of contests is real. For decades the NCAA has advocated a zero tolerance policy towards wagering on sports sponsored by the Association. But with new opportunities for wagering emerging, it seems unlikely wagering on sports will decrease further when the rate of decline over the past 20 years has been less than 1% annually.
Intercollegiate athletics leadership needs to utilize the same legislative and technology-based tools that are available to gamblers to eliminate avenues for possible contest manipulation. Legal options through state houses and court houses will be important. But the more fruitful approaches will be technology and policy based.
Standardized data tracking and ownership at the conference level along with consistent injury reporting are easy first steps. When everyone has the same information, insider intelligence that can be exploited for gambling is reduced. Publicly available data should track team, student-athlete and referee performance. There isn't agreement about this approach, but it's needed - secrecy in the information age doesn't work well. Additionally, some institutions have already taken steps to limit faculty and staff gambling.
Interesting policy questions will also emerge from the economic pressures facing higher education and college athletics. The decreasing number of traditional-age college studentsa re-invigoration of trade occupations, an unwillingness of today’s families to assume large amounts of student loan debt and softening game attendance will rationalize gambling access in a manner similar to the expansion of alcohol sales at college sporting events. Alcohol availability is a revenue opportunity wrapped in the language of "enhanced fan experience" and "decreased incidents". "Enhanced fan experience" and "reduced risk of contest manipulation" will provide similar linguistic justification for institutions to pursue the financial opportunities of legal wagering and associated businesses (e.g. sponsorship) despite its moral murkiness.
How long will it take to get meaningful tools in place to protect contest integrity? Or for institutions to take a permissive approach regarding wagering? I don't know the answer to either question, but if there is an over/under on the amount of time it will take to see either occur, I'll bet the over.
Sunday, March 31, 2019
Risking prosperity in college athletics
• the FBI investigation into men's basketball recruiting,
Monday, August 13, 2018
Unintended consequences of NCAA transfer rule changes
The NCAA recently implemented changes to student athlete transfer rules. They are well-intended and promote fairness to student athletes seeking different opportunities while balancing these expanded opportunities with institutional needs. But like all rule changes, unintended consequences and creative ways to use the rules to an institution's advantage will immediately emerge. Here are a few potential outcomes to these rule changes:
1) Increased transfers - In an environment that already has significant student athlete movement, allowing students to move without restriction will make transferring more prevalent. Coaching staffs around the country will watch the "free agent list" for their sport to see who has become available and aggressively recruit those individuals.
2) "Tampering" will occur - Any coach will tell you, when a student athlete asks for permission to talk to other schools about transferring, in most cases they're already gone. "Permission" is just a formality and in some cases contributes to the restrictions coaches have attempted to place on where an athlete transfers.
Under the new system, although a student athlete has to merely inform their current institution they may leave, the risk of losing their athletic aid provides significant incentive for the athlete to do their research before declaring their intent to transfer.
Tampering (influencing someone to transfer to another institution without the student having informed their current institution) will be a level-two NCAA violation, but this will be a limited deterrent because recruiting relationships are essential to providing a steady flow of talented student athletes. AAU coaches, advisers, quasi-agents and others will continue to have a full understanding of the marketplace for student athletes with whom they are close. And coaches will certainly have the same understanding of that marketplace and close relationships with those same individuals. Winks, nods, and "hypothetical" conversations will continue to occur despite the threat of a level-two violation because tampering is exceedingly hard to prove and coaches generally don't turn in their peers, preferring to avoid someone doing the same to them.
Just as it currently is, player movement will continue to be negotiated on the front end in many cases.
3) Faster coaching searches and contract changes - The speed required to make a coaching hire will add pressure to coaching searches. Trying to maintain a roster with no coach in place will be more difficult than ever with student athletes merely having to declare their desire to move once a head coach vacancy is announced.
The speed necessary to fill a coaching vacancy will increase the need for on-going relationships with search firms and agents in advance of an anticipated vacancy where a coach is being let go or may move to a higher profile program.
AD's will have even greater incentive to move quickly in coaching searches because transfers put the NCAA's academic-based revenue distributions at risk.
Internal succession of an assistant coach to head coach could also become more likely with familiarity, connections, name recognition and pedigree facilitating decisions - making the advancement of diverse and female candidates more difficult if they are not tied into these networks.
The primary reason for many athletes choosing a school is a relationship with the head coach or a key assistant. These relationships will take on even greater importance and departing coaches will recruit directly from the roster of their former institution since the athlete's institutional choice cannot be restricted.
I expect to see a new standard contract clause stipulating a coach will not allow a student athlete from their prior institution on the roster of their new institution - a similar concept to buyout clauses requiring a home-and-home series between a coach's former and new schools.
4) Students and coaches will have greater incentive to maximize value and make the market more efficient - Recruiting is an inexact science. Finding the individual who fits in your system, identifying late bloomers, eliminating recruiting misses and maximizing ability to win will encourage both coaches and athletes to take advantage of the new rules.
Student athletes will have greater incentive to test their value in the marketplace, just as we have seen with graduate transfer rules. Student athletes have three primary goals when transferring - maximize the value of their scholarship; play more because they're underutilized in their current environment; or play at a higher level to perform against better competition and enhance future professional opportunities.
Coaches will have incentives to encourage transfers as well. They will seek transfers who can enhance their team's chance to win by actively seeking students who aspire to play more or compete at a higher level. And student athletes who haven't developed in the manner anticipated by a coach will be "encouraged" to look elsewhere. Coaches will now have additional incentive to have direct conversations with a student athlete about their ability to play in a program since a coach can immediately recover a scholarship once the student athlete is placed on the transfer list - regardless of whether they actually find a new school.
Coaches will also communicate with their peers who are indirect competitors at lower tier schools to find landing spots for student athletes who need a fresh start.
There are clearly benefits to student athletes in the new transfer rules. Similarly, coaches will utilize the transfer rules to their advantage while administrators attempt to minimize the negative effects of these same changes through contractual clauses and rapid coaching transitions that utilize search firms and agents to facilitate hiring.
Wednesday, February 21, 2018
Bench pressing with the king of analogies
This morning as I had breakfast with my son Nathan, I was reminded how words and actions can be influential. Nathan calls me the "King of Analogies". I love using them to better explain myself and provide helpful examples.
Nathan shared with me an analogy about weight lifting - specifically, bench pressing.
The child is the weight lifter and the weights are "the weight of the world." Considering some of the things going on around us right now, I'm sure to a teenager it feels that way. I know it does as an adult.
The parent is the spotter. Do too much work as a spotter and the child doesn't get stronger. Don't provide assistance at the right time and the weight lifter gets crushed.
Pretty good analogy, right? Nathan was fired up for developing it, and I was fired up that he embraced the power of the analogy.
As a coach, leader or parent - what's your approach? Are the the people you have responsibility for getting crushed? Are you doing too much "spotting" - in effect micromanaging and helicoptering? Or are you providing security and encouragement, helping only when necessary?
Your approach as a spotter matters.
Tuesday, January 9, 2018
If you want to stop the ride, you need a three-legged stool
2017 had many of us in athletics feeling like we were on Mr. Toad's Wild Ride - and that the operator couldn't turn it off. The coaching carousel has never spun faster, with coaches losing their positions after short tenures and unmet (perhaps unattainable) expectations. Public measures of success such as fan satisfaction and wins or losses can mask more complex situations and stories lived by those most effected - the student athletes themselves.
Receiving student athlete feedback, asking the right questions, developing actionable and chronological data, and implementing coaching and mentoring before it's too late are not only desirable but appropriate first steps for all involved - student athletes, administrators and coaches.
The trouble is many athletic administrators don't have these measures available to support a coach on the hot seat, to respond to an anxious booster or president to explain patience may be prudent or to put a plan in place to redirect an off-course program. This doesn't have to be the case, as the following real life example demonstrates.
Last year an athletic director colleague did their post-season coaching evaluations and found that one of their head coaches was at risk of losing the locker room. Their team reported numerous examples of behavior by the head coach that were not in alignment with the department-wide culture, and it was coupled with a dismal team record and a poor student athlete experience.
In addition to qualitative data mined from student survey questions, anecdotal comments that were repeatedly shared by student athletes last year included:
"Speaks to players and assistant coach in a rude and harsh manner. Not professional."
"Doesn't respect the players of our own team."
"Does not discipline those who go against team rules. Rarely addresses issues or team conflicts."
"Very knowledgeable about the game but a terrible coach who is immature and inappropriate."
""Forgot" to provide the team breakfast multiple times before away trips."
The athletic director faced a choice - do nothing (which was not an option), make a coaching change, or dig into the issues and develop a plan for improvement.
The athletic director utilized the data collected using Athlete Viewpoint and presented it to the coach to develop specific, actionable feedback. They met regularly and put an action plan in place to help the coach grow professionally and personally. As the 2017 season began, the AD had regular check-in's to make sure that new, positive habits weren't crumbling under the pressure of being "in-season".
After the season, the data came in from their student-athlete surveys. The athletic director had data from both last year and this year to compare and see if progress had been made.
In addition to dramatically different evaluations and ratings from the student athletes, their comments told an incredible turn-around story:
"Last year we were all brutally honest with the coaching evaluation, so this year I think credit should be given where it is due. Our coach really stepped it up this year and I personally think we had a phenomenal season as a team on and off the field."
"Our coach improved greatly and she has the ability to be a really great coach."
"Our coach completely destroyed my expectations for this season. Her readiness to help us in any way that she could and her overall coaching abilities were outstanding. When she gets more experience she will be an amazing coach with a record of wins and championships."
This coaching success story was possible because 3 critical factors existed for this AD and supported a positive outcome:
1. Actionable Data - Their department's use of a student-athlete survey instrument that was professionally built to collect meaningful data provided a compelling case that change needed to occur with specific, comparative examples to other programs of strengths and weaknesses.
2. Leadership - An athletic administrator who was willing to look for the causes behind the losses and negative reviews and decide there was a possibility of improvement while personally investing time in mentoring the coach.
3. Introspection - The coach was open to hearing direct feedback from their team, didn't become defensive, looked in the mirror and decided their career was important enough to them to do the work required to improve.
It was rewarding for both the coach and the AD to see their efforts achieve the desired results. And this year's data will yield a new plan for the trajectory of improvement to continue.
Like all three-legged stools, if any one leg is missing, then it will tip over. It's great if you are willing to give your coaches feedback - but what is it based on - gut reaction, experience, anecdote? If your coach is naturally introspective, you've got a chance to intervene, but what if they aren't? Can you visually show a problem exists and provide actionable feedback.
Having real data and analytics should be incorporated into all areas of your athletic program to
enhance performance, mentor, lead, and support decision making.
If you would like to maximize performance in your department and stop the wild ride, I encourage you to support with your data collection initiatives by joining the growing list of campus partners who are using Athlete Viewpoint.
Athlete Viewpoint will be at the NCAA Convention. Shoot us an email if you would like to meet.
Watch a brief video and schedule a demo of Athlete Viewpoint at
Wednesday, September 6, 2017
Student-Athlete Survey Data: To Share or Not to Share
Post #2: To Share or Not to Share
Three trends are happening today regarding data and social media:
Wednesday, August 2, 2017
Vanity Metrics are Useless
Post #1: Vanity Metrics are Useless
Typical survey question focused on vanity metrics:
On a five-point scale, rate your head coach.
Survey focusing on actionable metrics:
My head coach communicates clearly with me. 4.8
My head coach uses appropriate language around the team. 4.9
Additional variables that impact coach ratings:
Were you recruited by your current head coach?
What is your average level of playing time?
Do you have a leadership role on your team?
Improving your Student-Athlete Survey:
Thursday, April 13, 2017
Athletic budget update #75
New Mexico dropping their men's and women's skiing teams.
North Dakota dropping women's hockey, men's and women's swimming.
Missouri State dropping their field hockey program.
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Choosing the best time to refinance
Lenders set the interest rates for their own loan products based on a number of factors including the yield on a 10-year Treasury note, risk and consumer demand.
Interest rates can be relatively stable for extended periods, or they can rise quickly in response to bad economic news or world events that destabilize the financial environment. Choosing the right time to refinance could save you thousands of dollars in mortgage interest payments.
What is a baseline rate?
The average homeowner in the United States sells or refinances within the first 10 years of purchase. That’s why lenders use the yield on a 10-year Treasury note to set the baseline for current mortgage interest rates.
However, because mortgages are a riskier investment for a lender than purchasing a note guaranteed by the U.S. government, lenders add a percentage to the Treasury rate to account for the additional risk of a mortgage default.
This difference between the 10-year Treasury note yield and the mortgage interest rate is known as the mortgage spread, and it can vary depending on a variety of events.
How seasonality affects mortgage interest rates
Seasonality plays an important role in determining when to refinance. The winter holiday season is a traditionally slow time in the real estate market; homeowners want to relax and avoid having prospective buyers visit their homes. Therefore, the demand for mortgage money is less, so lenders lower the spread in order to attract new business. This can be a great time to refinance.
On the other hand, the summer is typically an active time for home purchases, so lenders can afford to increase the spread, which results in higher interest rates.
How economic and world events impact refinancing
Mortgage lenders are very sensitive to risk, and bad financial news may cause them to immediately increase the spread. Triggers include:
• Sudden drop in the stock market’s S&P 500 index
• Rise in unemployment numbers
• Rise in inflation as measured by the Consumer Price Index
• Increase in the discount rate (the interest rate that the Federal Reserve charges member banks on borrowed money; these banks pass along the increased rate to borrowers in the form of a higher mortgage spread)
For more information about refinancing your mortgage loan, compare mortgage refinance options with us or contact one of our U.S. Bank loan officers. |
How to Safely Turn a Breech Baby
Mid section of pregnant woman lying in bed with open book in foreground
moodboard / Brand X Pictures / Getty Images
There are lots of ways to turn a breech baby. Some require nothing more than holding certain positions with your body and others require trained assistance from a doctor or midwife. About 3-4% of babies are breech, including frank breech, near the end of pregnancy. Many of the personal turning techniques can be started around week 30, or even sooner, while others are done closer to labor.
Frozen Peas
Before you start laughing and wondering how frozen peas can help turn a baby, it's simple—it's cold. Babies, like the rest of us, prefer comfort. So using frozen peas placed at the top of your belly near the fundus can encourage your baby to turn away from the cold. Some mothers say that this works really well while laying in a warm bath, others use a warm pack like a rice sock on the lower part of their abdomen. This can be used as often as you like because it's not medical in any way.
Playing music towards your pubic bone is another method employed safely at home. You can get headphones and simply play the music loudly enough that you can hear it towards your pubic bone so that the baby will want to come towards the sound. Some mothers say that they actually start by trying to get the baby to move slightly and begin playing the music to the side of their abdomen, then moving more downwards towards the pubic bone.
Breech Tilt
The breech tilt is an exercise that you can do at home. You want to put your pelvis above your head. The easiest way to do this is to lay the ironing board on the couch (still closed). You lay with your head towards the floor, allowing your feet to be up. While this isn't medical treatment, it can make you dizzy and should only be done for a few minutes at a time. If you're feeling light-headed talk to your doctor or midwife before attempting it again. Some women do a slight variation in the bed with a pile of pillows under their buttocks.
Like the music, the light is designed to encourage the little one to follow the source. Using a flashlight, simply point it at your lower uterus and allow baby to move that direction. Can also be used in conjunction with the cold trick above.
Swimming is one of those things that feels really good at the end of pregnancy. The breaststroke and crawl can be very beneficial in getting baby to move. Some studies also looked at diving (not the high dive) into deep water as a way to turn babies.
Sometimes all your baby needs is a bit of encouragement to flip head down. Finding positions that you assume that give your baby room can be very simple. Good positions to try include hands and knees, kneeling leaning forward and lunging.
Using disposable needles, a practitioner will insert them just into the skin to release qi, prevent it from being blocked or help it move. This release of energy is said to help the baby find a better position by allowing mom's body to move freely and the baby to have the room he/she needs to be well placed in the uterus for birth.
This form of traditional Chinese medicine involves burning a moxa (mugwort) stick near a certain point on the small toe of the foot (bladder 67). You can find practitioners in a variety of settings including the acupuncture clinic and other practitioners.
Chiropractic Care — The Webster Technique
The Webster Technique is used to help the pelvis open and the ligaments soften, allowing the baby enough room to assume a good position in the pelvis. A chiropractor should be trained in this technique but be sure to ask how often they've used it. This is not usually a one-time technique, though it can be.
External Cephalic Version (ECV)
The most medical attempt to turn a breech baby is known as an external cephalic version (ECV). This simply means that your doctor or midwife will use their hands on the outside of your abdomen to encourage your baby to get into a head-down or vertex position. Typically this is done at the hospital with the help of ultrasound to monitor the baby and the location of the placenta before, during and after the procedure. Some practitioners prefer to use this with a uterine relaxant like terbutaline (Brethine) and some also use epidural anesthesia because of the pain involved to mom. Most mothers who have had this done report that they would much rather have the version that has a cesarean section, even with the pain involved. This is typically a once or twice attempt and is done after 37 weeks of gestation.
The truth is that not all babies will turn, despite the best efforts of a mother and her practitioner. Some babies will remain breech for reasons that are known until the time of birth like a uterine issue or sometimes a problem with the baby, though these would normally be seen in an ultrasound. Breech babies are about 3-4% of all babies at term. Some babies are also stubborn and don't turn until labor has begun. Your practitioner may be skilled at vaginal breech birth or refer you to someone who is, if you are a good candidate, while others may suggest a cesarean birth if your baby does not turn.
Was this page helpful?
Article Sources
1. American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. If your baby is breech. January 2019.
2. UT Southwestern Medical Center. Can you turn a breech baby around?. December 2015.
3. American Academy of Family Physicians. Breech Babies: What Can I Do if My Baby is Breech?. Updated March 2018.
4. US National Library of Medicine. Breech birth. Updated September 2018.
5. Pai M, Kushtagi P, Chakravarti S. Manual Obstetrics (Fourth Edition). Elsevier India. 2015.
Additional Reading
• External cephalic version. Practice Bulletin No. 161. American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. Obstet Gynecol 2016;127:e54–61.
• Hofmeyr GJ, Kulier R, West HM. External cephalic version for breech presentation at term. Cochrane Data-base of Systematic Reviews 2015, Issue 4. Art. No.: CD000083. DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD000083.pub3. (Meta-analysis)
• Cook HA. Experience with external cephalic version and selective vaginal breech delivery in private practice. Am J Obstet Gynecol 1993;168:1886–9; discussion 1889–90.
• Cunningham FG, Leveno KJ, Bloom SL, Spong CY, Dashe JS, Hoffman BL, et al. Breech delivery. In: Williams obstetrics. 24th ed. New York (NY): McGraw-Hill Education; 2014. p. 558–73.
• Westgren M, Edvall H, Nordstrom L, Svalenius E, Ranstam J. Spontaneous cephalic version of breech presentation in the last trimester. Br J Obstet Gynaecol 1985;92:19–22. |
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Guide to Seville the Capital City of Andalucia
in Seville Municipality in Seville Province, Andalucia, Spain
By Nick Nutter | 8 Nov 2019
Seville Panorama Tram in Seville Seville Cathedral Plaza Espana, Seville
The Capital City of Andalucia
Two hundred kilometres north of the Costa del Sol is the capital city of Andalucia - Seville. The city is situated on the River Guadalquivir at the highest point of navigation for seagoing ships, and the broad, slow flowing river still dominates the city. Since its founding, in the 9th Century BC, the city has been a centre of trade, originally occupied by the native people of the area, the Tartessians.
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History of Seville
At the end of the 3rd Century BC, the city was sacked by the Carthaginians and then rebuilt by the Romans. Almost simultaneously, in 206 BC, the city of Italica was founded five kilometres north west of Seville. The first mention of the name Hispalis is found in 49 BC, just four years before Julius Caesar granted it the status of Colonia. The city prospered until 426 AD when the Vandal king Gonderic captured it. In 429 the Vandals departed for Tunisia for new conquests and plunder only to be replaced by the Suevi. Their temporary occupation came to an end in about 527 AD when the Visigoths arrived.
In 712 AD the city was conquered by the Moors who changed its name to Isbylia. The city then had a turbulent history for the following 500 years until in 1248 Ferdinand III reconquered the city. In 1481 Seville as it was then named, became the first seat of the Holy Office, better known as the Inquisition. In 1492 Spain was unified under a single crown and America was discovered by Christopher Columbus. Seville became the Spanish gateway to America and was soon a thriving mecca of European trade. Seville's importance was diluted slightly in 1717 when the administrative offices for trade with the Indies moved to Cadiz, principally because of the difficulties of navigating the river. However, Seville's connections with the New World remained strong. In 1725 the Royal Tobacco Factory, of 'Carmen' fame was built. The building is now the University. As late as 1929 Seville still identified strongly with the American trade, hosting the Ibero-American Exposition in that year.
With such a long and diverse history, it is not surprising that Seville is an intriguing city but one that requires some time to get to know. Perhaps the first impressions a visitor receives of Seville is it's monumental, often awe-inspiring architecture. Everything seems too big, out of proportion, creating a feeling of disorientation or intimidation. Only when you delve beyond the surface, do you realise that Seville was created to fulfil a succession of dreams which has given it a dream-like atmosphere and, as with dreams, everything is not as it seems.
Tour of Seville
Before starting the tour of Seville, it is worth considering that most of the sites are in the old part of the city, the area once surrounded by the city walls. Driving is not recommended, and parking is difficult. Take a city centre hotel, or one just outside and leave your car there. Walking is free, and taxis are plentiful. Even better, if you get the chance, use the Metro. The Seville Metro Centro Tram was opened in 2007 and trundles above ground right through the centre of the city. There is a very reasonable standard price for any distance travelled.
Of the Roman, Vandal and Suevi periods there is little that remains today, all having been built over. The Real Alcazar, Royal Palace, is perhaps the oldest surviving building, started in 931 AD there are traces of the original Moorish architecture, but then you notice much later additions from the Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque periods. The Torre del Oro, Golden Tower, is named after the reflection of the sun on the gold tiles on the roof dome. The 12 sided tower was built at the beginning of the 13th Century and formed part of the cities defences. The Torre del Oro overlooks the river alongside which there is a fine river walk.
Plaza de Espana
From there it is a short distance to Plaza de España. This two hundred metre diameter semi-circle was built in 1929 for the Ibero-American Exposition in what has been described as a 'theatrical' style. Today it is a series of offices in a monumental 'Peter Pan' like building that encloses a huge fountain and a moat. The public are allowed into the cloisters at the lower level. Notice the exquisite tiles with the coats of arms and emblems of the various regions of Spain set into the walls.
Parque De Marie Luisa
Opposite Plaza España is a huge park, Parque De Marie Luisa. In 1893 Princess Maria Luisa donated half the gardens of the Palace of San Telmo to the city. In 1929, again for the Exposition, they were modified to what you see today. Kilometres of paths wind through formal and less formal gardens. There are orange trees that are 100 years old, masses of flowering shrubs and flowers, fountains, ponds and lakes. It seems that most of the pigeons of Seville call the park home, along with a surprising selection of other birds for a location in the centre of a city. Keep your eyes open for the Roman style statues on 15-metre-high columns giving a real 'Imperial' feel to the area. They, together with the horse-drawn carriages, (no cars allowed), transport you back to a less frantic era.
Within the park, there are other places of interest, the Museum of Arts and Popular Customs, the Royal Pavilion and the Archaeological Museum. The latter has a magnificent display of gold jewellery and ornaments collectively called the Tartessian Treasure hoard and one of the best graphical 'timelines' with example artefacts covering the Prehistoric to Roman periods in Andalucia. The museums are free for ECU residents.
Shopping in Seville
For those more inclined to shopping then this city is a paradise. Walking a gentle spiral outward from the cathedral takes you through narrow streets, most are pedestrian only, shaded, at roof level by great swathes of muslin during the summer, in which you find all the 'big name' stores as well as smaller specialist and artisan shops. Scattered amongst them are innumerable tapas bars, coffee shops and restaurants. In the evenings the place comes alive as the tables appear in the streets and peripatetic musicians and entertainers wander between them.
The Sevillians all seem to dress for dinner on any night of the week. Join in the fun and do likewise.
Go to: Seville province
Museums in Seville municipality
Seville Archaeological Museum
Places to go in Seville municipality
Seville Cathedral and the tomb of Christopher Columbus
Isla Magica
Find Seville Capital City of Andalucia on the map
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Declaration of Independence
Definitions of Declaration of Independence
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Episode Nine: Bullying and the Law
Bullying lawsuits and agency complaints are on the rise across the nation. What does the law say about bullying and what criteria do courts and agencies use in deciding legal liability? How can districts avoid being found deliberately indifferent to bullying? Miriam and Lisa start off our series on bullying with a brief overview of the laws and how they apply to school districts and their employees.
View Podcast Transcript
Miriam: Welcome to Education Law Update, the broadcast that entertains and informs. I’m Miriam.
Lisa: I’m Lisa.
Miriam: We are Ohio attorneys, we practice school law, and we get together every so often and we talk about the latest legal developments that affect anybody in the schools, school districts, board members, administrators, anyone who works with the schools.
Lisa: Today we have an interesting topic that we’re going to start on regarding bullying, which is obviously really relevant to the school districts currently and is getting a lot of media attention. We are going to spread this across a couple episodes to dive into different aspects of it. For today we’re going to start with what’s involved in a bullying lawsuit or agency complaints and give you a little bit of background, definitions, protections that are involved and walk you through some insights as how the court would analyze and address different components of a bullying lawsuit and weave in some tips in how to avoid and prepare for the situation and those types of analysis should your district end up involved in one of these lawsuits.
Miriam: Yes, so in other words, if you as an administrator, a teacher, or a board member are pulled into a bullying lawsuit, what is the court going to look at to determine if you violated the law or if your employee violated the law.
Lisa: Yes, let’s start by just giving you first the distinction between what a court lawsuit is going to look like versus an agency complaint because this could come in either fashion.
Miriam: Yes, and I think people are sometimes confused about this. A lawsuit is filed in court, federal court or state court and it will be against usually the district, the board of education, and other individuals; teachers, bus drivers, superintendents, those will all be named. The lawsuit is where the parent is asking for money. Agency complaints–
Lisa: Is it always asking for money as the remedy?
Miriam: Usually, sometimes they add on other requests, but very often in bullying lawsuits, the parents are looking for damages.
Lisa: Then agency complaints, the key agencies we have involved in these are usually the Office of Civil Rights or your state department of education are probably the two you’re going to see a complaint filed with for bullying.
Miriam: Here an agency complaint is when a parent alleges to that agency that the school district as a whole is not following regulations. Then that agency comes in and does an investigation. They will take a look at the district, at your policies and practices and just determine whether the law was violated. There’s usually no financial burden involved in terms of a remedy.
Lisa: Let’s give just some background on some of these definitions that float out there on bullying. We’re going to use the terms bullying, harassment, intimidation, pretty much interchangeably, but there are a variety of definitions out there.
Miriam: Yes, from what I’ve seen, Lisa, there is no one set agreed upon definition of bullying, but most definitions involve a power imbalance between the students and typically includes situations where children are limited in the educational benefit that they received. The child’s education, the victim’s education is somehow affected by the harassment or intimidation. There’s also different kinds of bullying, so some bullying is just generic mean things that kids say to each other, “You’re so fat”, “You’re so ugly”, “You’re dressed weird.”
Then there’s also bullying based on a protected category, which is race-based bullying, gender, disability status, religion. That looks more like, “You’re so ugly because of your skin color,” or, “What is that weird thing that you wear on your head?” Obviously school districts are obligated to curtail all kinds of bullying, but most of the lawsuits that we see tend to focus on the second type of bullying, bullying based on a protected category.
We’ll address both kinds, but we will mostly be talking about bullying based on a protected category.
Lisa: these are going to be important because in a lawsuit, especially for these, you’re going to be invoking a variety of federal laws, not just one component. There’s going to be multiple facets of analysis that have to be taken by the court.
Miriam: Before I jump into the constitution and the federal laws, I also just want to point out that school districts should avoid getting caught up in their technical definitions in their policies. Different school districts may define bullying differently, but if you’re faced with a victim, alleged victim, or the parent of an alleged victim, it’s always better to err on the side of caution and not get into a whole discussion about whether a certain situation was actually bullying or was maybe something a little bit less than bullying.
Lisa: An example of that, we hear a lot of districts get caught up in the, “Oh, it only occurred once,” or some specific terminology within their definition but having more of a broad view of it is going to be helpful. Also making sure you’re following your policies for investigation even if, on the face of it, you’re not entirely sure if it really is bullying, still go through those steps of investigation.
Miriam: Right, exactly. Don’t get caught up in the technical definitions. Go through the investigative process.
All right, let’s just jump ahead. Let’s just jump into the 14th Amendment. The 14th Amendment has two clauses that are relevant to bullying. The substantive due process clause prohibits governments, prohibits states from taking away your fundamental rights without a process, without a trial, without a hearing. For example, you can’t expel a student without a hearing, and you’re not going to go to jail without some kind of trial.
In terms of bullying lawsuits, the student comes, the parent comes to court and says, “Look, I had a fundamental right to an education free of harassment based on my religion, the district didn’t do anything. I was harassed, I was bullied because of my faith or my skin color, and the district didn’t do anything.” It took away this fundamental right without any kind of process.
The question is, does this work? Does this kind of lawsuit claim work? Do courts take this seriously? Typically they don’t. This specific kind of claim courts reject and they say, “This is not something you can bring to court because this is about the government taking away your fundamental rights, not other students bullying somebody else.”
Lisa: As in typical legal fashion, there are exceptions to this.
Miriam: Exactly. There’s an exception here for state-created danger, and I think it kind of makes sense. If a government actor creates a situation of risk or increases the risk, then that government actor and agency can be held more accountable. For example, just give a quick school example that might apply, let’s take Susie. Susie comes to her social studies teacher and she says, “Look, these two girls are being mean to me. They’re harassing me because of my skin color. Please help me.” The social studies teachers says, “Okay, we’re going to have a long-term social studies project, Susie, and I’m going to put you together with those girls. You’re going to be working with them, and you’re going to work out all your issues. You’re going to be together, you’re going to work out all your problems.”
Susie says, “No, they’re just going to bully me more,” but the teacher has made up her mind. Eventually, it does happen, Susie is bullied more. She brings a lawsuit, and she makes the claim against the teacher that the teacher’s actions increased the risk to her. That’s a kind of a situation where the court might say, “Okay, that might be a 14th Amendment violation.”
Lisa: What are some things that districts can do to avoid this type of action going forward? Consider like mediation or a change of class schedule, trying to find ways to keep the alleged bully away from the victim.
Miriam: Definitely. If you have a chance to change schedules so that the alleged bully and the victim are not in the same classes, that’s going to be usually a good idea. We always caution districts to be careful and not deprive the victim of education. You never want the parent to come back to you and say, “Look, you moved my kid from honors algebra to regular algebra because he was bullied, and now he’s being victimized again.”
Lisa: The other component that we often see constitutionally is equal protection.
Miriam: Thank you. The equal protection clause bars governments including school districts from discriminating against you based on your race, based on your protected category, based on your religion, race, nationality, ethnicity, disability status, or gender. In bullying lawsuits, the way this works is the student comes to court, the parents come to court and they say, “My child was discriminated against because the school district allowed the bullying to continue. My child was bullied because of his race. The district allowed this to continue and because they didn’t do anything about it, they were complicit in the bullying.” This actually is starting to work a little bit.
In the past, the courts did not want to get involved. They said, “Look, school districts discipline bullies, and they take care of the bullying situations in whatever way they see fit. We’re not going to get involved.” Now, more and more, probably over the last five to 10 years, Lisa, you and I are seeing cases where the courts are intervening and are saying that if a school district was deliberately indifferent, if administrators, teachers, if you were deliberately indifferent–
Lisa: That’s going to be the key standard here for those.
Miriam: Exactly. Deliberate indifference. If you’re deliberately indifferent, you might be held accountable in a court of law and deliberate indifference has a vague definition. It’s–
Lisa: Basically, clearly unreasonable. Clearly clear terms too, but clearly unreasonable response in light of the known circumstances. Again, known circumstances is going to need a very factual based analysis by the court.
Miriam: If we look at some examples of deliberate indifference, it might become a little more clear. In the Patterson versus Hudson case, Sixth Circuit case from 2009, we had a situation where the school district, there were actually a bunch of bullies, and each time the school district addressed individual children and that child stopped harassing the victim, but then a new one would pop up. The district just kept addressing the individual kids but did not look at the global picture, and the court didn’t like that. Also, in that situation, the school district had the child on an IEP and was providing the child specially designed instruction in a resource room for ninth grade.
The child was away from the bullies for ninth grade, and he had a great year. In 10th grade, it was a new principal appointed to that high school, and the principal said, “Hey, you know what, you don’t really need this special education. You don’t need this resource room, you’re just going to go back to the regular class.”
The parents were very upset. The parents said, “Hey, our kid is going to be bullied again.” The principal said, “It doesn’t matter. This is the classroom your child belongs in.” The court also looked at that situation and said, “School district, you knew what worked. You knew what worked for this child and you still took it away, and that was deliberately indifferent.” How about we take a look at an example of no deliberate indifference?
In the Port Huron School District, a 2012 case from the Sixth Circuit, the Port Huron School District had a pretty severe racial harassment problem. There were just for many many years black students, African-American children were exposed to slurs, graffiti, death threats, simulated lynchings, assault, for many years, and the school district did not do anything about those for a long time. Then a new principal was appointed, a new superintendent took over, appointed a new principal and the new principal pretty much took immediate action. He set up video surveillance, he got the police involved, he expelled students, he hired even a management consultant. He hired a consultant to help him with improving the climate of the district. He had parent conferences and training seminars. In the end, bullying still continued.
The parents sued, but the court said, “Look, this person was clearly not deliberately indifferent. Obviously, we’re not going to be able to stop all bullying. School districts are not obligated to end bullying everywhere, but they are obligated not to be deliberately indifferent.”
Lisa: The big thing I hear between these examples of deliberate indifference and no deliberate indifference is really the district’s proactive approach to attempting to make things better, attempting to resolve the issues?
Miriam: Yes, let me give you just a few practical applications of what we just talked about. School districts should avoid forcing mediation and forcing victims together with their bullies. Mediation is a good idea, but if a victim does not want to be with the bully in the same room talking about the issues, district shouldn’t force that. In cases of sexual assault, the Office for Civil Rights specifically does not want mediation to take place.
You’re going to keep an eye out for that whack a mole bullying that I just talked about. If one kid stops the bullying because you disciplined him, but then another one pops up, you want to keep an eye out for that and consider some global changes that we’ll talk about in a future episode. Then here’s just really the most important thing; some administrators, some teachers that we see just have an attitude, still. In 2017, they have an attitude of, “Kids will be kids.” When I hear that I always think, “Lawsuits will be lawsuits.”
Miriam: That ship has sailed. That ship has sailed, and the kids will be kids’ attitude has to end.
Lisa: That’s the key area where investigation is so important, is just not making that excuse and not looking into it.
Miriam: Let’s just quickly talk about some of the federal laws. We talked about the constitution and how the constitution is brought in; in lawsuits, what courts think about when they’re looking at whether an administrator or a teacher violated the constitution. There are also federal statutes that protect victims of bullying. Title IX protects discrimination based on gender. Title VI prohibits discrimination based on race, ethnicity, national origin. Section 504 and the Americans with Disabilities Act prohibits discrimination based on disability.
There’s also another law, the IDEA requires schools to provide a free and appropriate public education. It’s not a discrimination law, but it does come up with bullying. I just did want to mention it here because it will come up later in our conversation.
Lisa: Obviously all of these are going to be intertwined and which ones are relevant are going to be based on the facts of the case and how they intertwine and the court looks at them very slightly.
Miriam: Exactly. In all these cases though, for Title IX and Title VI, the student has to show that he or she fell into a protected category and was harassed because of that category. The harassment was because of the race, because of the religion, or because of the gender and that the harassment was severe, pervasive, and objectively offensive so that it deprived the child of access to educational opportunities and benefits. More than that, if the child comes to court, if the child is in federal court or state court, typically in federal court, the child has to show that this district knew about the harassment but was deliberately indifferent. Again, we see that deliberate indifference statute come up.
Lisa: This is relevant with Title VI with Fulton and Western Brown case, right?
Miriam: This is a 2015 case from Ohio. We had a biracial middle schooler who was called racial slurs. He was subjected to many negative comments about African-Americans, even from teachers. The teachers were unkind to the child about his race, but the district’s policy required anti-harassment officers to investigate racial bullying. Instead, however, the district pretty much didn’t do anything. When the district saw that this was progressing, that the parents were getting increasingly upset and were getting ready to take their child out, the district pulled in an investigator from an outside agency. The investigator did a cursory review and found that the district did nothing wrong, but then it came out in the trial that this investigator had never done a bullying investigation before.
The court said, “This was deliberate indifference, the district should have taken more action, should have been more responsive to the parents’ complaint. That was deliberate indifference.”
Just one more, I guess one more example of when the court found no deliberate indifference, and then we’ll move on. Interestingly, in this situation, in 2016, Peterson versus Kramer, there’s a high school girl who becomes a victim after she reports a racial slur. Sometimes we see this. A student will tell somebody else about some discrimination or some harassment that another child experienced, and then the child who’s reporting now becomes the target and that’s what happens to this girl. She received emails, lynching threats, and she got into tiffs. Later on she was suspended and expelled for a fight.
The school district did take action though. The school district disciplined the student who initially used the slur. The school district got the police involved, and even placed hidden cameras to catch the bullies in the act. Also the school district offered accommodations, the school district asked this girl if she wanted to change schedules, if she wanted to have a staff member escort her to class, safety plan situation. The student did not want any of these, didn’t want a schedule change, didn’t want staff members escorting her between classes. The court said, “Look, this district was not deliberately indifferent. Look at all the steps they took.”
Lisa: You could hear just in that description all those proactive activities we talked about.
Miriam: Those are pretty much the federal laws. Now I do need to say that the Office for Civil Rights is the agency tasked with enforcing those laws. When an agency complaint is filed, the standard is a little bit lower. What we just talked about that a child needs to prove in federal court is going to be lower if a parent is just filing an agency complaint. The federal agency, the Office for Civil Rights has developed detailed regulations and investigates claims where the parents are not looking for money necessarily, but they just want the school district to change what they’re doing. Generally, the Office for Civil Rights requires districts to have detailed policies and procedures to inform parents and students of those policies, and also to have staff training.
Lisa: A lot of times I hear at least with districts that certain staff members might not know what their policies are, let alone how to follow them. Just having the policy alone isn’t going to be enough. The staff members that need to implement the policy really need to be trained in what it looks like, how to go through the process.
Miriam: Just a funny story. At one point I was involved in a deposition and the parents’ attorney, the victim’s attorney was getting a little hostile, and he pulled out the district’s policy, and he said to this teacher, he said, “Look, I don’t understand why you didn’t follow this policy. This policy clearly says that you should have taken the complaint, the bullying complaint, reduced it to writing and sent it to the Title IX compliance officer for your district. That’s what your policy says, why didn’t you follow it?”
The teacher turns to me in the middle of a deposition and she says, “Do we have a compliance officer for our district? Do we have a compliance officer?”
Lisa: Perfect example of not being aware of the policy or who’s in position to enforce it.
Miriam: You never want to be in that situation. If you’re a district administrator, you always want to make sure that your employees, your teachers, even your bus drivers understand your bullying policy and know exactly what they need to do.
Lisa: If it is like a teacher who maybe wouldn’t be the one to do the full investigation, that they know how to report it, who to report it to within what time period, those kind of details.
Miriam: I think those are the details that we’ll talk about next time. In our next session, we’ll talk specifically about the practical prevention steps that districts should have in place to minimize liability or even to prevent these lawsuits in the first place. We’ll also talk about the [music] practical immediate steps that administrators and employees, including teachers and bus drivers, should be taking right away when a parent complains about bullying or a student alleges that he or she was bullied.
Miriam: Lisa and I hope that you really enjoyed this podcast and that you will give us a high rating. You’ll rate as well on iTunes or Stitcher, wherever you get your podcasts from. If you look at the notes for this show, you’ll see our email. Please drop us a line, let us know what you thought, and let us know what other topics you’d like to see discussed on this show. Have a great day.
Lisa: The content of this podcast is provided for general information purposes only. The podcast is not legal advice, does not create an attorney-client relationship, and should not be relied upon in making legal decisions. Actions on legal matters should be taken only upon advice of legal counsel. Walter Haverfield does not guarantee the accuracy of information contained in this podcast. |
Delving into an interest in wine starts with understanding how it's produced and how different fermentation and production processes can affect the way a wine may taste and smell; fancy terms can often perplex consumers. That's why we're here. Wine labels often include descriptive terms and phrases to describe how a particular wine may be interpreted by the consumer's senses, We'll discuss these.
Wine Descriptors & what they Mean
If you are new to wine or how it is made, then you probably do not recognize or perceive some of the aroma and flavor descriptors related to a certain wine. Or perhaps you take note of different aromas and flavors. This does not mean you are incorrect, or that what is listed on the label is incorrect. Here’s why.
You might have heard of the fancy term, "terroir". Terroir refers to the environment in which grapes are grown and includes the following factors:
• Climate
• Soil
• Geomorphology
• It even includes other flora that grow in the vicinity of the vines.
Each of these factors will influence the characteristic aroma, flavor and texture of the fruit, which can directly influence the wine from which they are made. For instance, a vineyard that may be in close proximity to Eucalyptus trees can produce wines with subliminal hints of Eucalyptus aroma. Labels manufactured for wines like these, might use aromatic descriptors such as menthol, peppermint or simply, eucalyptus. This is just one simple example of how a certain characteristic might influence a wine’s aroma. Some other factors may get a bit more scientific, but it can be explained simply enough.
You might have heard of how specific grapes can have varietal characteristics. For example, Cabernet Sauvignon may have aromas of bell pepper, Shiraz, peppercorn or Chardonnay, apple and/or butter. The aromas may vary, but remain within a certain parameter of a descriptor depending on the ripeness of the fruit at harvest and its balance of sugar and acidity. Photosynthesis will create reactions in the grape, which can add to characteristics of the fruit as it matures. A "bell pepper" smell can range from green bell pepper to a sweet and roasted red bell pepper. An apple smell in wine could range from crisp, green apples to baked cinnamon and buttery apples.
Wine Character & the Production Process
A wine that has a higher percentage of alcohol is one that had a higher ratio of sugar content at harvest, and one that is low in alcohol volume would have had a lower sugar ratio at harvest. Acid content is indirectly related to the amount of sugar. Hence, the higher the sugar, the lower the acidity, which influences aromas and flavors in wine (However, this may be manually corrected during the winemaking process.) .
The winemaking process will also have a direct effect on a wine’s flavors and aromas. In fact, it is during the fermentation process that wine mutates and changes at a faster rate. This is when most of the aromatic flavor and texture influences can take place; the type of yeast alone can determine many different characters of the wine. It can influence aroma, flavor, texture and the finish of a wine. A certain yeast for white wine may give the wine a peaches and cream aroma and texture, whereas another might accentuate a wine’s natural bright acidity.
If the fermentation is controlled and slowed, the fermentation environment can be more favorable in giving the wine more palatable and enjoyable aromas. If it is fast and the temperature not controlled, negative characteristics may form; vinegary-smells, cooked or dried fruit flavors, nail polish remover or "acetone", etc. Fermentation is also the time in which winemakers can influence the wine and understand how much the soil and its elements may be showcased in the wine; mineral-tastes, dusty earth, wet forest floor, etc. It is important to get a good balance of elements encompassing the aroma, flavor and texture of a wine during fermentation. Once it is complete, certain aspects can not be reversed, masked or altered.
When the wine has finished fermentation, it is then sent off to an aging vessel. This may be a stainless steel tank or barrel, an oak cask or an oak barrel. Each vessel has the ability to impart more flavors, aromas and textures into the wine, or not. Of course oak can impart obvious aromas and flavors such as vanilla, cinnamon, pepper, tobacco, warm spices, chocolate, coffee, variants of all listed and more. The use of American oak or French oak will each have more specific aromatics imparted into the wine. This is why a winemaker may choose one or the other, or both. Almost all red wines will spend time in oak barrels, and some fuller-bodied whites, such as Chardonnay and Viognier. A barrel can be used up to four to five times and still have the ability to impart aromas and flavors into wine, whereas stainless steel is mainly used as more of a neutral medium. It allows for acidity and aromas in wine to remain fresh and young. Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling and Pinot Gris/Grigio are just a few examples of white wines that may stay in stainless steel vessels during their aging process. Some lower-end red wines may also be kept in this manner.
Aging & How it Affects Wine
While wines are aging, aromatics and flavors can be influenced, but at a much slower rate than during fermentation. They can pick up elements from their storage vessel and via another type of fermentation referred to as malolactic fermentation or secondary fermentation. If you've ever wondered how "butter" or "cream" can get into your wine, it is during this type of fermentation. This may happen naturally or be induced by the winemaker.
Every wine has malic acid. This is the tart acid you might be familiar with in green apples. The malolactic fermentation transforms malic acid into lactic acid, which is much softer on the palate and on the nose. It is the same acid found in buttermilk. One of the bi-products of this fermentation is diacetyl, which is the exact chemical aromatic naturally found in butter. This is why wines that have gone through this fermentation process have notes of butter, cream or the like.
So how might you guess or note which flavors are in your wine? Just start smelling and tasting and taking notes. There is really no wrong answer. Really! There have been over 10,000 different aromatic compounds identified in wine! Some are obviously more geared towards red wine or white wine, but there are more than just a few descriptors. How you describe a wine might just depend on how big your aroma "vocabulary" is. To train your nose, just start by putting different variations of wines and blends in a wine glass, and take long whiff of it; cut grass, a piece of leather, lemon peel, jams, cinnamon and other spices. Pretty soon, you’ll be able to identify more descriptors in wine. |
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Rheumatoid Arthritis
Rheumatoid arthritis (rue-ma-TOYD arth-write-tis) involves inflammation in the lining of the joints and/or other internal organs. RA typically affects many different joints and is usually chronic involving multiple flare-ups.
RA is a systemic disease that affects the entire body and is one of the most common forms of arthritis. It is characterized by the inflammation of the membrane lining the joint, which causes pain, stiffness, warmth, redness and swelling. The inflamed joint lining, the synovium, can invade and damage bone and cartilage. Inflammatory cells release enzymes that may digest bone and cartilage. The involved joint can lose its shape and alignment, resulting in pain and loss of movement.
What Are the Symptoms?
Symptoms include inflammation of joints, swelling, difficulty moving and pain. Other symptoms include:
• Loss of appetite
• Fever
• Loss of energy
• Anemia
Can affect other parts of the body. Other features include lumps (rheumatoid nodules) under the skin in areas subject to pressure (e.g., back of elbows).
What Causes It?
The cause of rheumatoid arthritis is not yet known. However, it is known that RA is an autoimmune disease. The body's natural immune system does not operate as it should, resulting in the immune system attacking healthy joint tissue and causing inflammation and subsequent joint damage.
Researchers suspect that agent-like viruses may trigger RA in some people who have an inherited tendency for the disease. Many people with RA have a certain genetic marker called HLA-DR4. Researchers know that there are other genes that influence the development of RA.
What Are the Effects?
Early in the disease, people may notice general fatigue, soreness, stiffness and aching. Pain and swelling may occur in the same joints on both sides of the body and will usually start in the hands or feet. RA affects the wrist and many of the hand joints, but usually not the joints that are closest to the fingernails (except the thumb). RA also can affect elbows, shoulders, neck, knees, hips and ankles. It tends to persist over prolonged periods of time, and over time, inflamed joints may become damaged. Other features include lumps, called rheumatoid nodules, under the skin in areas that receive pressure, such as the back of the elbows.
How Is It Diagnosed?
It is important to diagnose RA early in the course of the disease, because with the use of disease-modifying drugs, the condition can be controlled in many cases. Physicians diagnose RA based on the overall pattern of symptoms, medical history, physical exam, X-rays and lab tests including a test for rheumatoid factor. Rheumatoid factor is an antibody found in the blood of about 80 percent of adults with RA. However, rheumatoid factor may be seen in other conditions besides RA.
Treatment Options
Highly effective drug treatments exist for rheumatoid arthritis. Early treatment is critical. Current treatment methods focus on relieving pain, reducing inflammation, stopping or slowing joint damage, and improving patient function and well-being. Medications can be divided into two groups
Symptomatic medications, such as NSAIDs and aspirin, analgesics, and corticosteroids, help reduce joint pain, stiffness and swelling. These drugs may be used in combination. Disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) include low doses of methotrexate, leflunomide, D-Penicillamine, sulfasalazine, gold therapy, minocycline, azathioprine, hydroxychloroquine (and other antimalarials), cyclosporine and biologic agents.
People with moderate to severe RA who have not responded well to disease modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs) may opt to try Prosorba therapy.
In addition, treatment most often involves some combination of exercise, rest, joint protection, and physical and occupational therapy. Surgery is available for joints that are damaged and painful. A balance of rest and exercise can help conserve energy and maintain range of motion and use of the joints.
Natural Alternatives
Evening Primrose Oil: Supplementation with evening primrose oil and other sources of GLA has been shown to lessen the joint pain and swelling of this crippling disease.
Boswellia: Arthritis sufferers taking Boswellia have experienced reduced swelling and inflammation, and eventually increased mobility, in the back, knees, hips, and other joints.
Recommended Herbs:
Evening Primrose Oil
Calcium-Magnesium Formula
Arthritis Foundation-Comprehensive website dedicated to assisting those who suffer from all forms of arthritis
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What Are The Biggest Industries In The Democratic Republic Of The Congo?
By Sharon Omondi on May 10 2019 in Economics
The rainforest in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
The rainforest in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is a country located in Central Africa. Its capital city is Kinshasa. DRC is the second largest country in Africa after Algeria with a total land area of 905,568 square kilometers. It is bordered by South Sudan, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi, Uganda, Angola, Zambia and the Central African Republic. The country has a population of about 91 million people.
It is believed that the net worth of the DRC in terms of mineral resources is US$24.5 trillion. Some of these minerals include copper, cobalt, silver, gold, diamonds, zinc, uranium, tin, manganese, tungsten and cadmium. DRC is popular worldwide for being the largest producer of copper and cobalt. It is also the world’s second largest producer of diamonds. DRC also has hydrocarbon reserves estimated to be around 1.6 billion barrels of oil and 90 billion cubic meters of natural gas. The minerals found in DRC have been underexploited for several reasons such as frequent civil wars, political instability, lack of proper infrastructure, as well as corruption and mismanagement of public funds. Nonetheless, the mineral resources have contributed greatly to the economy of the county. The GDP of the DRC as of 2018 was around US$77.486 billion.
The Mining Industry
The rich deposits of minerals in the DRC have attracted a lot of foreign investments to the mining industry. Consequently, several mining companies have been set up and operate across the country. The Kinsevere mine, located in the north of Lubumbashi in the Katanga province, is one of the largest copper mines in the world. In 2017, the company led the mining of 80,186 tonnes of copper resulting in three consecutive years of producing over 80,000 tonnes of the mineral. The mining sector accounted for an estimated 11.5% of the GDP of the DRC in 2012. The top mineral exports as at 2017 were refined copper (US$1.9 billion), copper ore (US$960 million), cobalt oxides and hydroxides (USD$721 million), and cobalt ore (US$512 million).
Agriculture Sector
The agricultural industry is a major sector in the economy of DRC as it contributes about 21.6% of the value of the country’s GDP. The agricultural sector also employs about 70% of the country’s population. The country has the second largest rainforest in the world covering very fertile lands. Over 80 million hectares of DRC’s land is arable with about 4 million under irrigation. The major cash crops grown in DRC are cocoa, coffee, cotton, palm oil, tea, rubber, sugar cane, corn, peanuts, and cinchona tree. On the other hand, the crops cultivated for local consumption include maize, rice, potatoes, cassava, plantains, and cashew nuts. Agriculture is a fast-growing industry which is responsible for the mass production of food consumed by the citizens of DRC. Due to its significance to the economy of the country, the government of DRC has launched a program focusing on the training of farmers, storage of farm produce, and the marketing of agricultural produce. It also collaborates with other non-governmental organizations to educate farmers on modern farming methods in order to increase crop production.
Fishing Sector
Many rivers and lakes are used for fishing purposes. Fishing in the DRC is divided into two: marine and inland fishing. The country has a very small coastline meaning that marine fishing is only practiced by the artisanal fishermen. Marine fishing contributes to around 4% of the total national fish harvest. Fishing in the lakes and rivers within the country form the inland fishing. Some of these lakes are Lake Tanganyika, Lake Kivu, Lake Edward, Lake Albert, the Congo River Basin, Lake Tumba, and Lake Mai Ndombe. Marine, lake, and river fishing, as well as aquaculture, contributes 12% of the GDP of DRC. The total fish production is estimated to be more than 240,000 metric tonnes per annum. The inland fishing contributes 96% of the annual fish caught. According to the Food and Agricultural Organization’s (FAO) report of 2009, 39.6% of the total animal protein consumed in DRC came from fish. The fishing sector has also created over 700,000 jobs either directly or indirectly.
Manufacturing Industry
The manufacturing industry in DRC is not very well developed. However, most of the factories in the country are located in urban centers. The manufacturing industries mostly deal with agricultural products such as sugar, flour, and beverages. Other industries manufacture beer, textile, and clothing, footwear, processing of wood and paper, industrial manufacture of chemicals, cigarettes, glassware, nails, and variety of metal furniture, cement, bricks, and petroleum refining.
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Science Day at Salfords Primary School
On Monday, Mrs Sims took five Year 4 and 5 children to a fabulous science day at Salfords Primary School. The day was run by Andrew Smith, a qualified teacher, arachnologist, writer, field collector (he spends a month abroad every year collecting tropical insects and spiders!) and natural history film director. Andrew brought with him numerous small animals (amphibians, reptiles, spiders and snakes) for the children to learn about. They discovered more about habitats, where animals originate from, life-cycles, food chains, evolution due to climate/environmental changes and so much more! The day was a huge amount of fun as well as being very educational and worthwhile. All of the children who attended were a real credit to Yattendon. They behaved brilliantly and learnt loads! Mrs Sims was very proud of them all! |
Renadyl™ – Uniquely formulated to help patients feel better
Not all probiotics are alike. There are many types of these helpful bacteria found in your digestive system.
Not all probiotics are alike. There are many types of these helpful bacteria (called strains) found in your digestive system, and some strains have been found to provide specific health benefits, such as improving digestive health, strengthening immune response, and controlling constipation.
Renadyl™ contains 3 probiotic strains: Streptococcus thermophilus (KB19), Lactobacillus acidophilus (KB27), and Bifidobacterium longum (KB31). Each probiotic strain has been carefully screened and selected to target and break down specific toxins when introduced into the colon. These toxins are the same as those that build up due to kidney dysfunction.
Additionally, unlike other probiotics, the 3 bacterial strains found in each serving of Renadyl™ have been scientifically evaluated and are found in high concentrations (45 billion colony-forming units). This ensures the colon receives a frequent supply of each probiotic so that the probiotics can go to work as soon as possible to help promote kidney health.
A specially designed coating helps probiotics
survive the trip
Because probiotics are live organisms, they require protection to ensure they are alive when they reach the colon. That’s because the stomach acids that break down food and ordinary pills can do the same to the probiotics before they reach their destination.
Renadyl™ doesn’t have this problem. Its special coating is designed to protect the probiotics contained within the capsule as they move through the stomach. As a result, the probiotics are released intact once they enter the colon, where they’re needed.
“Latest scientific, evidence-backed supplements from Renadyl have been a book to my patients”
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Scientists Explain Why We Have Oral Sex
Scientists Explain Why We Have Oral Sex
The question of why we have oral sex seems like a no-brainer: because it feels damn good. But recent research shows there could be a few other, slightly less conscious and slightly more scientific reasons why both men and women engage in oral sex.
First up, there’s an evolutionary explanation. According to a study published in 2000 in the Journal of Reproductive Immunology, swallowing semen can make your body accustomed to someone’s DNA so that your immune system doesn’t act up during pregnancy. Since a number of pregnancy disorders stem from recognizing the father’s genes as foreign, introducing them into your body beforehand can help you out when you’re pregnant. It sounds strange, but scientists believe it’s a possible evolutionary explanation for blow jobs.
What about when men go down on women? That practice could’ve also been inherited from our ancestors. One study published in 2013 in Evolutionary Psychology found that men who perceived that a lot of other guys were interested in their partner (aka men who had “greater sperm competition”) were more likely to make their female partners orgasm through oral sex. The authors speculate that the act might function to prevent cheating, which in turn prevents sperm competition and helps men pass on their genes.
Neither of these explanations, however, explain why people who aren’t in heterosexual relationships have oral sex—which obviously happens in same sex couples all the time. It’s one example of how the reasons a behavior evolved within a species aren’t always the same as the reasons we actually decide to do it. Mostly, we have oral sex because it feels good or we want to make our partner feel good—and pleasure is reason enough.
By Suzannah Weiss
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Poly(ethylene terephthalate), or PET, is a thermoplastic resin. Such resins may be classified as low-viscosity or high-viscosity resins. Low-viscosity PET typically has an intrinsic viscosity of less than 0.75, while high-viscosity PET typically has an intrinsic of 9.0 or higher. Low-viscosity resins, which are sometimes referred to as “staple” PET(when used in textile applications), are used in a wide variety of products, such as apparel fiber, bottles and photographic film. High-viscosity resins, sometimes referred as “industrial” or “ heavy denier” PET, are used in tire cord, seat belts, and the like.
PET is used extensively in the manufacture of synthetic fiber, which compose the largest segment of the synthetic fiber industry. Since it is a pure and regulated material meeting FDA food contact requirements, PET is also widely used in food packaging, such as beverage bottles and frozen food trays that can be heated in microwave or conventional oven. PET bottles are used for variety of foods and beverages, including salad dressing, mouthwash, syrups, peanut butter, and pickled food. Containers made of PET are being used for toiletries, cosmetics, and household and pharmaceutical products. Other application of PET include molding resins, X-ray and other photographic films, magnetic tape, electrical insulation, printing sheets and food packaging film. |
How Humidity Affects Your HVAC
If you find that your home feels warmer to you, even though the thermostat indicates a comfortable temperature, you might wonder why you can't ever feel comfy at home. Even if all your AC components are working beautifully, humidity can play a big part in weather or not your house feels comfortable -- when it is warm and when it is cold. In dry climates, humidity is not working against you, but in wetter areas, it's a major factor in climate control.
Here's how humidity affects your HVAC and what you can do about it.
1. Cooling is less effective.
When water is in the air around you, it becomes more challenging to remove the heat from the air, which is what your AC unit works to do. Many modern AC units will also dehumidify your air for you so that you can feel the cool, dry air inside.
However, in especially humid climates or during especially humid days, your AC may not be able to handle the load of humidity, so your house will feel warmer and stickier than usual. Some older units may not dehumidify as effectively, so even though you'll have a lower temperature inside, your AC unit will lag behind in removing moisture. You'll see increased electrical bills as a result of the AC running more frequently and for longer in an effort to battle the ever-increasing indoor humidity.
If your AC is struggling to handle the load of wet air, it's best invest in a large dehumidifier in your home to give your AC a helping hand. In very wet climates, a whole house dehumidifier may be necessary. You might falsely believe that a larger AC unit will solve the problem. But large units can cool a smaller space faster, so they will actually be less effective at removing moisture, since they will run less often.
If you are concerned about your unit's ability to handle the humidity in your house, contact an air conditioning contractor. You might need to install a new compressor that has increased capacity to remove moisture, or you might need to get your current unit serviced so it can at least run as effectively as possible.
You can also help offset the sticky, cloying feeling of indoor mugginess by installing ceiling fans to move the air around. Ceiling fans do not cool the air, but they can make it seem cooler simply because it is moving.
2. Heating can be a challenge.
In the summer, humidity works against you in your cooling needs, but in winter (just when you could use some of that wet air to hold more heat inside), humidity levels drop drastically. Even wetter climates experience a large drop in relative humidity, and heating your home becomes harder because it is so dry inside. You'll actually feel cold when your thermostat is set at a cozy temperature of around 75 degrees if your humidity levels are too low in the house.
Fortunately, it's easier to add some humidity to the air than it is to remove it. You can use a humidifier to help bring some moisture back into the room. You can also boil a pot of water on the stove or open the dishwasher to let out the steam, instead of keeping it all inside.
If you still are having trouble regulating the temperature inside your home, you may need to get a programmable thermostat and trouble shoot your system for other problems, such as blocked return vents.
You don't have to suffer through dry winters and humid summers if you have the right tools. For more information, contact a company like Aggressive Mechanical Contractors, Inc. in your area. |
The 5 NIATx Principles: Principle #4 — Get ideas from outside the organization or field
Mat Roosa, LCSW-R
NIATx Coach
When a substance use disorder clinic is struggling to engage and retain clients, we might understand why they would reach out to a more successful clinic for assistance.
But what about asking a hotel or an amusement park?
Many industries, especially in the health and human service sector, have remained highly isolated, with limited opportunities to consider applying the innovations of other sectors. With its roots in process engineering, NIATx was founded on some of the core process improvement methodologies that drove the rapid advancements in manufacturing following WWII. As NIATx began to work with behavioral health providers, this encouragement to look beyond familiar territory opened up a whole new world of improvement for the early adopters of NIATx.
The Venn diagram below offers a means of considering ideas from outside. Ideas from within the smallest circle of providers who offer the same service are the most familiar and easiest to understand and implement. At the other extreme are services provided in different industries. These are the least familiar and often the most challenging to understand.
So why not just stick with familiar territory and explore improvements by learning about the best practices of successful peers who provide the same service?
While there may be plenty to learn from those who provide the same service, those services represented by the larger circles allow us to reframe how we see things, and consider ideas that we would never have considered otherwise. It makes sense to try to think outside of the circle of the familiar.
The table below offers another perspective on this spectrum of services from more to less familiar. As we move farther away from the familiar, the corresponding questions in the right column allow us to consider new ideas. These broader questions can spark new and creative visions. In departing from the familiar, our questions focus less on improving what we do now and more on doing something new.
Consider the actions of a fine hotel determined to make you a loyal customer. Hotel staff greet you with warmth, carry your bags, offer you courtesy beverages and snacks, and thank you for staying with them. Fine hotels ensure that the environment is attractive and that every customer’s encounter with staff results in a pleasant experience and a positive outcome.
Now imagine if an SUD clinic sought to maintain this same standard of customer service. What would be the costs and the return on investment related to such an effort? How might this approach improve client engagement and retention? How can we do what they do?
Exploring and acting on these questions will uncover valuable opportunities. Ideas from outside shine a light upon new paths of action, leading to innovations with powerful results.
Has your organization tried out ideas from other organizations or industries? What were the results? Share your story in the comment section below.
About our Guest Blogger
Mat Roosa was a founding member of NIATx and has been a NIATx coach for a wide range of projects. He works as a consultant in the areas of quality improvement, organizational development and planning, evidence-based practice implementation, and also serves as a local government planner in behavioral health in New York State. His experience includes direct clinical practice in mental health and substance use services, teaching at the undergraduate and graduate levels, and human service agency administration.
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Cellulose Insulation
cellulose insulation
Cellulose insulation is commonly used in attics because it is an affordable solution for increasing the attic’s r-value. The cellulose insulation offers better thermal resistance than fiberglass. Because cellulose is made from the natural cells of plants, it does not conduct heat; it absorbs it. Cellulose fibers are naturally resistant to moisture and will not crack in cold temperatures, which makes this type of insulation ideal for unheated attic spaces. The cellulose is made from recycled shredded paper and plant resin, making it an environmentally friendly way to insulate a home. Cellulose is rodent-resistant, which is a benefit to homeowners in areas where squirrels, mice and other critters access the attics during the winter for warmth.
The r-value of cellulose insulation is about 3.5 per inch of thickness. The efficiency of cellulose insulation makes it a top choice for use in a home’s attic or walls. The r-value of cellulose insulation are higher than other commonly used materials for attic insulation. Cellulose insulation maintains its r-value even at extremely cold temperatures.
Cellulose insulation is ideal for spraying into tight and difficult to reach areas. It is usually installed with the use of an insulation blowing machine. As a form of loose-fill insulation, it can be placed where other types of insulation such as rolls or batts cannot. To help reduce the risk or spread of fire, the cellulose fibers are treated with fire retardants before they are sprayed into the house. This adds to the protection and safety of the attic, especially if there are wires or electrical boxes underneath the area where the insulation is to be placed. |
White Privilege
White privilege is an often debated term. People argue about it without knowing what it means. So, as I begin to examine white privilege, I will define what I mean by it. (Note: I am white)
I often hear from white people like myself that they have suffered some unfair things, like being poor, and some not-white person, often Barack Obama, was able to become really important, thus white privilege does not exist. The problem with this is that these are individual cases. No one is denying the reality of struggles that affect certain white people. Poverty strikes people of all races. The meaning of white privilege is not that all white people have no problems at all and that non-white people have nothing. All white privilege is that a white person gets certain advantages from being white. This advantage can be minimized or erased by some other advantage that a non-white person has, such as being wealthy.
Imagine a job opening. This job has two people that want it. These people have the same intelligence, the same age, the same gender, and the same sexual orientation (This is necessary to remove other privileges). One of the applicants is African-American. He has a P.H.D. in the field since his parents were able to pay for him to go to a university. The other one is white. He has no degree since his parents live in poverty. In this case, the job would go to the African-American man. White privilege is obscured in this situation. Now, let us imagine the white applicant’s parent right before he graduated from high school won enough money to put them in a financial equivalency. The white applicant was able to go the same university as the African-American applicant and was able to get the same degree. Now, when they both apply for the same job, what is likely to happen. The white man is likely to get it. Why? His white privilege gave the employers the assumption that he is more competent for the job even though that he is not. The assumptions made about white people versus African-American people would make a huge difference in the second situation, where the vast economic privilege overcame that in this first.
White privilege is definitely real. Unfortunately, it is unclear what the full extent of this privilege is. There are times where it seems that economic inequality trumps racial inequality, but it also seems that racial inequality, along with other social inequalities, drive the economic inequality. My thought on this topic is that it is probably pointless to try and completely separate these problems. I do not believe it is possible to attack one and leave the other. I believe that attacking both inequalities simultaneously, maybe not the same attacks but coordinated ones, is the best strategy to defeat these evils.
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October 29, 2009
Computers Everywhere
It seems like computers are becoming more and more pervasive. They are all over the place: smart phones, cars, GPS units, and many other devices. Basic computer technology is just so cheap. You can slap a processor, memory and/or flash memory into a very small space for a very cheap price. Some devices might need a screen or some form of input like buttons, but it just depends on what the device is intended for.
Where will the next big push go? I keep hearing about appliances like fridges with built in computers to tell you what's in your fridge and what you need to buy at the store. But these haven't really been widely available. Maybe it will be in clothing? Your show will be able to track and trend how many steps you take, and how far you go on a daily basis.
All I can assume is that computers will continue to be more and more available and used in our every day lives; and not just traditional desktops or laptops. How long until computers will be embedded in us?
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Friday, September 29, 2017
Observations on Learning the Italian Language
What follows are a few observations on learning - or shall I say trying to learn - the Italian language for years now. Perhaps reading this you may find something to take comfort in if you are struggling with learning a new language.
Sure, I'm slowly improving with my Italian, but to me there will always be a frustrating lack of progress, naturalness, and ease in speaking. Yes, learning a language is more than speaking. There is listening comprehension, reading, writing and gestures, and they are all related to speaking. However, in my experience and especially in Italy, speaking is the most important to master, especially if you are learning the language as an adult. If you can speak reasonably well in Italy, you can get yourself understood. Therefore, the following observations focus on speaking.
Talkers and Story-Tellers
He who talks a lot in his native language, talks a lot in the new language, and therefore, masters speaking quickly. It's not really all that surprising. I've seen many cases that prove this, including two friends, one Persian and one German, who I'd say are talkative types and have picked up Italian easily. In Italian, these two friends would be said to be portati per le lingue.
I've also noticed that people who often tell stories (gossip, what they had for dinner, etc.) to relate points or just do it naturally as part of conversation, also easily pick up speaking a new language.
So, what to do if you are more of a listener and not a natural story-teller in your native language? Answer: nothing. You'll be the same way in the new language. Changing the language doesn't change who you are fundamentally.
Ears vs. Eyes
How to categorize learning styles and whether instruction should be tailored to these styles are not widely agreed upon subjects. The Wikipedia page for Learning Styles gives a taste of the differing categorizations of learning and critiques of them. Notwithstanding, I can't help but notice that there are those who learn more aurally, and those that learn more visually. I fall in the latter category. For example, when meeting someone in Italy, I often ask the person to spell their name so I can process it or write it down. It might be because I'm unfamiliar with Italian names and have no existing points of reference, but I think it's because I process information better visually. While the person is spelling their name, I'm writing it in my mind. I don't hear it by sound only. In my opinion, people who learn aurally, can usually get the name right hearing it just once.
As well, when learning a new word someone tells me orally, I can rarely repeat it perfectly the first, second or even third time. The only time I can repeat the word on the first try is if it is a word I already have seen or know. In fact, if someone tells me a new word like a name, I often write it down or at least "see" and "spell" the word in my mind. Whether it's laziness on my part or a mode of learning I've fallen into, but could possibly change, I don't know. My visual style also applies beyond just single words. My little black notebook, on my person at all times, is littered with phraseology and idioms heard during the day. Italian friends who are telling me a new word or phrase in Italian know me well enough by now to prompt me to pull out my notebook and write it down.
I relate these anecdotes to point out that it helps to think about how you learn and at least start by maximizing that mode for learning a language.
I've often wondered about the connection between people who can carry a tune well and their related ability with language. Again, not to disparage myself, but I'm a bit oblivious to melody. In Italian, I'm said to be stonato or tone-deaf. Is that connected to my penchant for tending to process information visually? Would taking singing lessons help me speak Italian better?
Accept Your Accent
Of course, I can't hear my own accent, but I'm often told that I have an obvious American accent (accento) when I speak Italian. To think that my "Italian" voice in my mind - when I'm speaking without really speaking so to speak - always sounds perfect and without accent! What's up with that discrepancy between the inner voice and my actual voice?
The other day, I was part of a conversation and we were talking about a foreigner who spoke Italian like mother tongue (madre lingua), with no accent. What struck me about the conversation was how the Italians kept praising her ability and how she had essentially no accent. I cringed just a little inside wondering what they really thought about my accent.
What's wrong with having an accent? Answer: nothing is wrong with having an accent. It's more important to get your ideas across. Remember that successfully communicating simple or profound ideas doesn't require complicated language or a perfect accent. Feel better?
Reading vs. Speaking
Reading doesn't always lead to better speaking, at least immediately for me. In fact, reading for a few hours takes a short term toll on my speaking. After reading for a good two to three hours, I'm almost paralyzed when it comes to speaking. I've wondered about this phenomenon. Is it just me? Is it imagined? Does reading temporarily make part of my brain for speaking less accessible? Eventually, my speaking returns. In fact, I think that reading really does help long term.
The book I'm currently reading in Italian is Carlo Rovelli's, La realità non è come ci appare or "reality is not what it seems." It's an wonderful book about physics. I've noticed that after several hours of reading it (sometimes quietly, sometimes out loud), I can barely manage a ciao and buongiorno. So read you must, but before you head to your local café for a chat, warm up with some common phrases*. I've learned not to walk in and expect to rattle off a interesting tidbit from Rovelli's book like this bit about quantum field theory, "sono oggetti strani: ciascuna delle particelle di cui sono composti appare solo quando interagisce con qualcos'altro." (p. 127).
* Common phrasing. I've been enjoying the interesting video content on the site, in particular, the Italiano in practica series. I wish had seen these videos years ago.
Relax Parrot Smile
Like skiing, I'm stiff when it comes to talking. And, unfortunately, this is the case in both English and Italian. (Can you notice it in the writing?) I know the key is to relax. I'm not on a stage, it's not a do or die situation, there are no obligations, but still there are times that I have to remind myself to relax. It also helps to remind myself that I'm speaking with Italians in their language and not in English, i.e., I'm making the effort.
Besides relaxing, being a parrot helps, in Italian that would be pappagallo. Repeating back phrases and asking questions will at least keep the conversation going. You don't have to have original ideas for every conversation. Repeating and paraphrasing what you heard is fine at least as you warm up to the conversation.
And, always smile. A smile is understood in most languages without needing a translation.
Dosey Doe Language Partners
In my language-learning world, people fall into these categories:
• Scrunchies: People who scrunch up their face and are prone to saying "whaaaat?" They make little effort to cross the bridge of communication.
• Sweaties: People I feel nervous talking to. They make me sweat. I feel like I'm on trial. It may have nothing to do with speaking a different language.
• Sweeties: People I could talk with for hours. They make learning a language a joy.
If you are the non-confrontational type like me, you'll search out the Sweeties, put yourself in front of the Sweaties every now and then, and avoid the Scrunchies. If you are a talker, story-teller, or even mildly confrontational, you'll likely get bored with the Sweeties, and enjoy the Sweaties and the Scrunchies. To each his own: a ciascuno il suo. The point is to understand what types you like to talk with in your new language.
I will take this moment to rant a bit. I actually get annoyed at Scrunchies. I know I can't master one consonant versus two consonants* (nono - 9th, nonno - grandfather) or put the accent in the right place (pappa - food, papà - dad, papa - pope) but please Scrunchies, just try to pay an iota of attention to the context of the conversation and work with me!
* Last year around New Year's we wished many people a Buon Ano (or Good Anus) instead of Buon Anno (Happy New Year). New Year's resolution: I will pronounce my double consonants!
Let There Be English
I used to get mad when people spoke English with me in Italy. It felt like I had failed in my ability to speak Italian, that my Italian wasn't good enough. Then I realized that there are a couple of good reasons why this happens. First, someone's English may be better than my Italian and in the interest of efficient communication, we communicate in the strongest common language. Second, I find that people are eager to speak English, even if they just know a few words. Many Italians want to learn, and want the opportunity to speak English. Italians learn English in school starting pretty young but don't really have a chance to practice it.
Finally, there is what I would call the over-eager, tourist-friendly service provider phenomenon. Typically, it's a waiter who wants to make you feel as comfortable as possible and speaks in English no matter what. He has sized me up as English speaker and that's what I'm served. What the waiter doesn't know is that while Debbie from Dubuque or Takashi from Tokyo may feel at home with that approach, he loses points with us. This tends to happen in the most popular Italian tourist destinations. So the solution is obvious, go where there are less tourists. For example, when I want to escape English for sure, I head to the hills. In small towns in the hills in Italy, I can tip the balance back so that our Italian is the best mode to communicate. Travelmarx has been known to talk for hours to a sweet old grandmother in the middle of nowhere.
Aside: Don't expect that when talking to an Italian and using an English word, in particular, a city name, that you'll be understood right away. It's not because the word isn't known, but rather how you pronounce it. For example, to this day when we say we are from Seattle, pronounced /siˈætəl/ with the sound of one "t" like a "d", it almost always elicits a hesitation and then a restatement of Seattle as /siˈæt təl/, with two "t" sounds distinctly pronounced. That's because in Italian, two of the same consonant sound very different than just the single consonant. Beyond places, there are many English words commonly used in Italy that are - as you'd expect - pronounced according to the Italian alphabet and pronunciation rules, including top (pronounced "taupe"), stop ("stow-p"), hamburger ("amburger" ), ok ("oh kay"), and mix ("mee ix") to name just a few. I find myself starting to use these Italianized pronunciations. When in Rome, do as the Romans do….or in Italian: paese che vai, usanza che trovi.
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Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Accounting for Health
In the last awkward post, I brought up the fact that health concerns of an individual may not be in line with ideas about the health of the group.
Insurance plays a large role in the current health care regime. With insurance, people pool together their resources with the hope of funding their individual care by withdrawing funds from the pool.
The people administering insurance inevitably stop seeing the individuals and start seeing themselves as administering to the care of the group. Pooling resources for health care immediately creates a conflict between the individual and group.
The conflict between the group and individual becomes most pronounced in employer based insurance. When a person changes employment, that person is no longer part of the group. Attending to the needs of the former employee is no a priority of the group insurance plan.
The conflict also shows up when some members of group insurance game the system to get more than their fair share of care. Some policy holders blatantly commit fraud. If you look at any group policy, you will find that there are some people who get a great deal of care, and others who are underserved.
Group funding of private care also creates a moral hazard: The simple fact that policy holders spend group money on their individual health care means that they are less attentive to costs than they would be if they were spending their money.
The conflict between the individual and insurance pool is the source of most our angst in health care. The solution is to create a new business model that creates a healthier balance between the individual and group.
The Medical Savings and Loan is a new business model for funding health care. The business model differs from standard insurance in that it centers all of the accounting on the individual. The heart of the system is the individual's savings account. Policy holders deposit a portion of their income into their savings account for anticipated medical needs.
In addition to savings, policy holders will have access to interest free guaranteed loans.
Considering that people who suffer medical emergencies often see a decline in income, the program will anticipate a high default on the medical loans.
Like insurance, the Medical Savings and Loan transfers some wealth from the healthy to those in need. The difference between the medical savings and loan is that the accounting is done on an individual basis and that each policy holder ends up owning their individual medical history and ends up building equity in their policy.
The Medical Savings and Loan does not eliminate the conflict between individual and group. Nor does it completely eliminate moral hazard. The main thing the program does is create a more accurate accounting of one's individual health care to help the individual take better control of their health care resources and consequently of their health.
Wellescent Health Blog said...
There really has to be a better instrument to protecting one's health than a Medical Savings and Loan given that such an approach does little to protect individuals from the various chronic illnesses that have a genetic component. Such an approach also does little to protect those who are young and have had little opportunity to accrue savings before they become ill.
y-intercept said...
It is a big mistake to develop the health plan for all based on a few exception. Yes, there childrens who have genetic diseases that costs millions of dollars to treat. No society has come up with a good answer to this dilemma. For example, Cuba aggressively screens pregnancies and aborts up to half of all pregnancies every year to stop childhood disease. Those who see babies as a form of human life don't really see killing babies as a disease.
The single payer sytems in Europe shows a high fatality rate for these children. Socialized medicine makes cost benefit analysis for the state and rejects claims for a lot of diseases.
That said, the Medical Savings and Loan does well by people suffering both catastrophic illness and chronic disease as it helps with financial planning and gives the patient direct control over their health resources.
This post did not jump into the repayment mechanism for the loans. The repayment mechanism will be set in accord to the patient's income (and wealth).
A person who has the means to pay for their chronic condition will end up having the tools to be self sufficient. A person who does not have the resources will end up defaulting on some of the loans.
There is a point at which a person with a chronic condition will need to seek public assistance.
The medical savings and loan creates a paradigm where it takes all the people who can be self sufficient off the table and clarifies just who needs public assistence.
Once you have a large number of strong, healthy people ... they start helping others.
The alternative of forceing everyone into a state of dependency to handle simply impoverishes the entire society while not saving the patients used to justify the power grab.
Your notion that we should make others weaker to render aid just results in a dysfunctional society. |
Research Field
What is Cancer Genomics?
All cancers arise from changes that occur in the DNA of cells. DNA is the chemical set of instructions inside each cell that tells the cell what to do. The complete set of DNA within a species is called the genome. When the DNA instructions have mistakes in them, cells may not function normally and may grow out of control, causing cancer. The study of genes associated with cancer is referred to as cancer genomics. Cancer-causing changes in DNA, called mutations, can be inherited but most are acquired throughout life. While cancer was once thought of as a single disease that affected many different parts of the body, researchers now know that there are differences in the DNA makeup of cancer cells of each patient and that changes in the cancer’s DNA can cause each cancer to have a unique behaviour. That’s why two patients who have cancer in the same part of the body may respond differently to the same treatment. Testing for mutations in cancer cells is known as molecular profiling.
Why is Molecular Profiling Important?
Genomic changes in cancer can potentially provide information on benefit or resistance to certain targeted cancer treatments. We can already see the success of targeted cancer treatments in various cancers, such as use of imatinib in chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML); trastuzumab in human epidermal growth factor receptor-2 (HER2) amplified breast; and epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) inhibitors in lung cancers. In addition to these approved settings and commercially available agents, there are early and promising results testing PARP inhibitors in patients with germline BRCA1/2 mutations, and ALK inhibitors in non-small cell lung carcinoma patients with ALK mutations. By looking at the molecular profile of many tumour samples from many different patients, we will be able to gain a better understanding of what makes one cancer different from another, which is important because it will help explain why two patients with the same type of cancer may respond very differently to the same treatment. By connecting specific genomic changes with specific outcomes, we will be able to develop more effective and individualized ways of treating each cancer patient.
Molecular Profiling Initiative at Princess Margaret
(Molecular Profiling Video)
Comprehensive molecular profiling is currently not offered as standard of care in the treatment of solid malignancies in Ontario. Patients only receive testing for a single gene mutation that has been shown to influence treatment response. Examples of this include testing for EGFR mutations in non-small cell lung cancer patients, BRAF mutations in melanoma patients, KRAS mutations in colorectal patients and HER2 amplification in breast patients. Patients interested in more comprehensive genomic analysis of their cancer to inform clinical decision making must pay privately for testing via for-profit vendors At the Princess Margaret, the CGP is offering comprehensive molecular profiling free-of-charge to our patients as part of one of our many research studies. Our testing currently includes nearly 50 genes known to be involved in cancer. In the future, we anticipate expanding the number of genes that we test for. |
3b. Seventeenth Century Cork
In the first decade of the seventeenth century, the town boundaries were changed. A charter granted by James I in 1608 officially extended the limits of municipal jurisdiction from within the town walls by a radius of approximately three miles beyond the settlement. This area became known as the “County of the City of Cork”. The subsequent increase in trade meant that a large new dock was needed. It was constructed on the edges of one of the marshes to the east of the town. The dock can be seen in John Speed’s depiction of the walled town of Cork in 1610. The dock would have extended from Daunt’s Square, down the northwest side of St. Patrick Street as far as Academy Street, northwards as far as Lavitt’s Quay, westwards to Corn Market Street and then southwards to rejoin Daunt’s Square. The town’s custom house was moved from the centre of the walled town to this new dock. In these old depictions of the walled town the terms town and city are used interchangeably, making it difficult to ascertain when Cork officially became a city.
Speed’s depiction of 1601 show the principle streets, North and South Main Streets, typically fronted by three-storey buildings. Narrow laneways, twenty-nine in all, are shown extending at right angles from the main streets, eastwards and westwards. Add to this the fifteen routeways, and the total number of streets and laneways was forty-four. Additional buildings are shown, both dwellings and outhouses, and these were constructed well back from the main streets. They are located in the original plots of the Anglo-Norman houses and aligned in a north-south direction. A market cross is also shown, and the drawbridges are illustrated as timber structures.
The years leading up to the mid-seventeenth century witnessed significant changes in the townscape, primarily an increase in the number of streets, lanes and buildings. The Corporation of Cork and the town’s wealthier merchants were central to the creation and modification of the urban townscape. As a result, the 1641 Royal survey of Cork records that the number of streets and laneways in the town had increased to sixty-nine, while in the suburbs it had increased to twenty-four. Thus, the total number of streets and laneways in the urban area in 1641 was 93. The estimated number of domestic dwellings in 1602 in the town and suburbs was c.445, by 1641 the official number given was 1,266 dwellings.
South Main Street, c.1600
There were also other improvements in the built fabric of the town. During the seventeenth century, the walls and entrances continued to be an integral element of the defences of the town. On 14 November 1639, the Corporation of Cork agreed to build North Gate Bridge with “good and sound timber” and to pave it with sand. They also decided to put similar pavement on the South Gate Bridge. New drawbridge towers were also to be built on the bridges and the river channels were to be cleaned of rubbish.
The problems arising from English colonisation in the late sixteenth century continued into the early 1600s. Many Irish Catholics felt strong resentment towards the Crown. They refused to accept the new Protestant religion and as a result small, violent rebellions were common. It was at this time that Cork became known as the ‘rebel county’. By the late 1600’s, two Irish Chiefs, Hugh O’Neil and Red Hugh O’Donnell were waging all-out war against Queen Elizabeth. In 1600, O’Neil marched to the south of the country, reaching Inniscarra, five miles west of Cork. Here, he met with southern chieftains Florence McCarthy, Lord of Carbery, and Donal O’Sullivan, Lord of Beara. A campaign against English forces was proposed. However, while O’Neil was in the south, 7,000 English foot soldiers and 800 horsemen invaded Ulster. O’Neil was forced to temporarily abandon his campaign in the south and returned north to a struggle of varying fortunes.
During the closing decade of the sixteenth century, O’Neil was in communication with Spain and received occasional aid in the form of arms and monies. However, requests made to Philip II for foot soldiers came to naught. Philip II died in 1598 and was succeeded by his son, Philip III. At the beginning of 1600, Philip III honoured his father’s promise and sent military experts to Ireland to negotiate with O’Neil regarding the sending of a Spanish force.
On 23 September 1601, during a meeting of the Queen Council in Kilkenny, a message was received that a Spanish fleet had arrived off Kinsale Harbour and had taken the town and its environs. Approximately 3,500 Spanish soldiers had landed at Kinsale, 700 at Baltimore. The English responded by sending 2,000 men, under the leadership of Charles Blount, Lord Mountjoy, to join the 7,000 already stationed in Cork, and the town became a crucial pawn in the attack on the Spanish invaders.
The Spanish leader, Don Juan Del Áquila, sent word for help to O’Neil and O’Donnell. O’Neil immediately left his northern territories and marched south with 4,000 men and 200 horses. Arriving at Kinsale, O’Neil’s army surrounded the town, but were flanked by English despatches and forced to retreat. The English prepared for a lengthy siege of the Spaniards’ positions at Kinsale, Baltimore, Castlehaven and Berehaven. In January 1602, Don Juan Del Áquila agreed to evacuate his troops and the joing Spanish-Irish campaign came to an end.
In April 1603, Queen Elizabeth I died and a new Protestant king, James I, was proclaimed. One Captain Morgan was responsible for bringing the news to all Irish towns. In Cork, the messenger was received by George Thornton, one of the Kings’ appointed commissioners for Munster, who relayed it to the mayor of Cork, Thomas Sasfield. The mayor and the citizens of any royal town had the choice of refusing to proclaim a new monarch on the English throne, but this rarely occurred due to the threat of military action. However, in this case, Sasfield was determined to refuse to proclaim the new monarch on the grounds of his religion. He knew he could not refuse outright, so instead he used political loopholes to buy time.
Sasfield used his perogative to call together all Corporation officials at the town court house to decide on the matter. He knew that other towns had already proclaimed James, so time was short. Sasfield managed to keep Thornton waiting by declaring that the meeting had to be adjourned until the following day. Under the pressure of time, Sasfield and the citizens agreed to arm and forcibly prevent English forces from entering the town. The rebellion was quickly quashed and Thornton proclaimed James I as king. The mayor and several insurgents were executed.
James ruled until 1624, a time of prosperity for the walled town of Cork but also a time of uncertainty for the civil administration of the town. James was replaced by his son, Charles I. Fearing another Spanish-Irish attack, Charles attempted to win the support of Irish Catholic landlords. He rejected the Oath of Supremacy, to which Roman Catholics objected on religious grounds, in favour of an Oath of Allegiance, which the Catholic landlords swore in return for three annual subsidies of £40,000. Influential Protestant families, such as the Inchiquins and Broghills, publicly questioned Charles’s strategy. They launched a letter campaign to persuade the monarch to change his approach, but their pleas were ignored. Over time, this situation had a detrimental effect on the financial and social position of the Protestant settlers in Cork. Many Protestant landlords deemed Charles’s support of Catholicism wrong and felt the work of conversion that had been completed in the preceding years was being unravelled.
By January 1649 the King’s own parliament had turned against him and his own MPS ordered his capture and execution. Britain thus became a republic. The Parliamentarians sent a force to Ireland to suppress any pro-Royal sympathy. The army was led by the new Lord Lieutenant in Ireland, Oliver Cromwell.
Cork Vision Centre aka St Peter's Church 1674 memorialCromwell arrived in Ireland on 15 August 1649 and immediately took control the town of Drogheda after a bloody massacre He then proceeded to Wexford and Ross and sent out small contingents into the Munster countryside to take note of any Royalist military activity. The atrocities visited on the various towns by Cromwell was unprecedented. In October 1649, the Corporation of Cork surrendered before Cromwell even arrived in the area, such was the fear of slaughter. From 1649 to 1683, the Irish Catholic citizens of Cork lived under severe restrictions and were monitored in all aspects of their daily life.
In 1683 a new Catholic King ascended the throne, King James II. The English parliament objected to the new monarch and offered the throne to the Dutch prince, William of Orange. James was forced to flee to Ireland and in March 1688 he arrived at Cork and incited the people to rise up against the Protestant pretender. In the spring of 1689, William led a huge army to Ireland to restore power.
The first confrontation between the Jacobites and Williamites occurred in 1690 on the banks of the River Boyne, where the Jacobites were defeated. James fled south and sailed into exile. After the Battle of the Boyne, William turned his attention to the walled town of Limerick, which was also occupied by supporters of James II. After a summer of major setbacks, William failed to take Limerick and was forced to retreat. At the same time, rebellions against William’s Protestant side escalated in South Munster. However, the English forces were far better equipped and more numerous, easily able to deal with localized rebellions. It is recorded that the governor at Youghal, along with his rebel forces, were forced to surrender to a contingent of English soldiers.
In September 1690 a Jacobite army along with a number of Irish rebel factions combined forces to take control of Cork to provide a stronghold position against King William. The actual number of insurgents is not recorded, but it is likely that several hundred soldiers were involved in the takeover of the walled town. These forces were welcomed by the Catholics in the area. They manned the drawbridges and the town wall-walks, readied numerous buildings and waited for the attack they knew must surely come.
North Gate Bridge, c.1600 |
Role of Government
Private enterprise does millions of things very well. It plays by the rules of survival of the fittest and reduces the need for government to run day to day activities.
However business does not have any pressure to look after common property, or the long term future. Issues such as health, environment, or a society's culture need to be protected by government on behalf of society.
Government needs to draw up the rules. Most business will be happy to work within the rules a long as their competitors are too. Business people are citizens too and just want a stable level playing field.
Political beliefs, lobbying, donations, and corruption
Politicians are humans, and prone to human weaknesses like the rest of us. Their reasons for in-action on climate change may be due to any of this list:
1. Their beliefs - they may genuinely believe there is no problem with CO2
2. They may be pandering to the ignorant to gain their votes. There are so many of them
3. They may have been lobbied by a string of professional lobbyists with convincing arguments and finally succumbed to pester power.
4. They may be obliged to act in the interests of those companies making political donations for their election - (Is this not a bribe?)
5. The government may own coal mines and power stations that contribute revenue
6. They may be corrupt and taking money from the industry.
It is very hard to argue against business = jobs = happy voters = good for the country = re-election.
Too often this leads to laws that maintain the status quo.
Political donations
The term political donations refers to gifts to a politician, a political party, or an election campaign.
In Australia, the majority of political donations come in the form of financial gifts from corporations,[1] which go towards the funding of the parties' election advertising campaigns. Donations from trade unions also play a big role, and to a lesser extent donations from individuals. Donations occasionally take the form of non-cash donations, referred to as gifts-in-kind.
The Australian Electoral Commission regulates donations to political parties, and publishes a yearly list of political donors.[2] Donors can sometimes hide their identities behind associated entities.[2] Wikipedia
Election funding by government
Australian Electoral Commission |
After a bearing number, you may see additional letters. These letters are: S, Z, SS, and ZZ . What these indicate is the time of shielding is on the bearings to prevent contamination of the bearing. The S stands for rubber shielding and the Z stands for metal shielding. SS and ZZ mean the shielding is on both sides, not just one.
You can learn more about bearing prefix and suffix numbers here: |
Comets and plagues – Gibbon’s Decline and Fall of the Empire Chapter 43 Part 2
Comets and plagues - Gibbon’s Decline and Fall of the Empire Chapter 43 Part 2
A comet lighting up the sky was a portent
We are at the end of chapter 43 and we find Gibbon in full on enlightenment mode. The reign of Justinian happened to coincide with a couple of comets, some significant earthquakes and a major plague. Previous ages would have agreed with the Byzantines themselves and taken these as communications from God but Gibbon is a modern man and instead gives us the science. The plague was probably the biggest event in history since the fall of the western empire and had profound effects many of which are still being unpicked today.
It originated in Asia, probably China. It has recently been discovered that the Black Death – some 800 years later – was carried to Europe by gerbils. I think they managed to avoid the blame for so long because they shredded the evidence.
Justinian’s plague was very similar to, and may well have been identical to the Black Death. Recent research has suggested that both were caused by the same bacteria, though bacteria famously adapt rapidly so we can’t be sure just how similar the effects of an infection would have been several hundred years apart. But biologists do know a remarkable amount about the causative organism. It has even been possible to detect the effects of the plague on the genome of the modern day European population. The rapid radiation from central Asia left tell tale signs in the DNA, which can be read and analysed by modern technology. This is a science that is still in its infancy and who knows what information more years of diligent study will glean from this source.
What we know without any science is that the effects in the sixth century were devastating. In the short run, the death toll was astonishing. Procopius reported 10,000 deaths a day. He has a tendency to exaggerate. But modern experts have made their own assessments that the real figure was 5,000 which is still high enough. It was enough to overwhelm the city’s social resources leaving bodies piling up in the streets and filling the air with the stench of death. In the immediate aftermath the estimate is that 25% of the population of the mediterranean area died, hitting food production and tax revenues. The plague fell in the middle of the wars against the Ostrogoths in Italy, and it no doubt affected both sides. It is far from impossible that it affected the outcome of the campaign.
Gibbon doesn’t speculate on it’s effects beyond the empire itself, but it is quite likely that it was a major factor in a shakeup of the size of different tribal groups in northern Europe. This was the darkest patch of darkness in the dark ages and we are very short of sources. But one possible consequence was that in the island of Britain the urbanised Romano-Britons were more exposed to the plague than the agrarian Saxons. If so it may well have been a factor, and maybe even the decisive factor, in the triumph of Saxon culture over that of the indigenous inhabitants. If so, the plague that affected Justinian also played a role in my currently using English to talk to you. It was certainly an event that has cast a long shadow.
Justinian himself was probably more bothered by actually contracting the disease himself. He survived it, but it may well have impaired his abilities and led to a much less impressive leadership style. His mean spirited treatment of Belisarius for example took place late in his reign after he had recovered from the infection. He also lost his soul mate Theodora at around the same time – possibly as a result of cancer. So it might have been that rather than his own illness that lowered his spirits. But an outbreak of a serious disease must be something that is very draining to someone with the controlling tendencies that Justinian always displayed. Wars can be won. Earthquake damage can be repaired. Building projects can be completed. A plague in an era when nobody knows what causes it or how to treat it, just saps the energy of the state and comes and goes at its own pace heedless of the actions of the humans it afflicts.
This was a disaster that affected every aspect of the empire, from the untilled fields, the unpaid taxes, the unmanned defences all the way to the palace inhabited by a widower with no companion to console him as his plans and ambitions for his empire collapsed before his eyes.
There was another calamity that afflicted Constantinople directly. There were a prolonged series of Earthquakes that caused extensive destruction.
Plague and earthquakes are still not entirely understood by modern science, but in an earlier age they were completely beyond explanation. In the absence of anything better, one possible explanation was divine intervention. And it was a common supposition that what happened among the stars affected what went on below. It doesn’t seem an unreasonable belief in fact. The sun and the moon both have very noticeable effects, so why shouldn’t the more modest celestial bodies? So when something really out of the ordinary happens in the sky alarm bells would ring. Comets were regarded as predictors of war, plague and disaster. This notion would have been confirmed by the arrival of a comet early in Justinian’s reign.
What exactly they heralded would no doubt have been the source of much speculation when they appeared.
But comets were of great interest to the scientists of Gibbon’s time too. Indeed this was at the cutting edge of the science of his day. One of the early triumphs of seventeenth century astronomy was the realisation not only of what comets were but of the successful calculation of their orbits. The most famous of these is of course Halley’s comet, named after Gibbon’s contemporary Edmund Halley. The comet that appeared in Justinian’s reign had also been identified and its periodic returns determined. The passage where Gibbon describes this comet’s career is my favourite part of the whole book and I hope you will indulge me in simply handing over to the man himself with just some mild editing.
“In the fifth year of his reign, and in the month of September, a comet was seen during twenty days in the western quarter of the heavens, and which shot its rays into the north. The nations, who gazed with astonishment, expected wars and calamities from their baleful influence; and these expectations were abundantly fulfilled. The astronomers dissembled their ignorance of the nature of these blazing stars, which they affected to represent as the floating meteors of the air; and few among them embraced the simple notion of Seneca and the Chaldeans, that they are only planets of a longer period and more eccentric motion.
Time and science have justified the conjectures and predictions of the Roman sage: the telescope has opened new worlds to the eyes of astronomers; and, in the narrow space of history and fable, one and the same comet is already found to have revisited the earth in seven equal revolutions of five hundred and seventy-five years. The first, which ascends beyond the Christian era one thousand seven hundred and sixty-seven years, is coeval with Ogyges, the father of Grecian antiquity.
The second visit, in the year eleven hundred and ninety-three, is darkly implied in the fable of Electra, the seventh of the Pleiads, who have been reduced to six since the time of the Trojan war. That nymph, the wife of Dardanus, was unable to support the ruin of her country: she abandoned the dances of her sister orbs, and fled from the zodiac to the north pole.
The third period expires in the year six hundred and eighteen, a date that exactly agrees with the tremendous comet of the Sibyl, and perhaps of Pliny, which arose in the West two generations before the reign of Cyrus.
The fourth apparition, forty-four years before the birth of Christ, is of all others the most splendid and important. After the death of Caesar, a long-haired star was conspicuous to Rome and to the nations, during the games which were exhibited by young Octavian in honor of Venus and his uncle. The vulgar opinion, that it conveyed to heaven the divine soul of the dictator, was cherished and consecrated by the piety of a statesman; while his secret superstition referred the comet to the glory of his own times.
The fifth visit has been already ascribed to the fifth year of Justinian, which coincides with the 531st of the Christian era. And it may deserve notice, that in this, as in the preceding instance, the comet was followed, though at a longer interval, by a remarkable paleness of the sun.
The sixth return, in the year eleven hundred and six, is recorded by the chronicles of Europe and China: and in the first fervor of the crusades, the Christians and the Mahometans might surmise, with equal reason, that it portended the destruction of the Infidels.
The seventh phenomenon, of 1680, was presented to the eyes of an enlightened age.
Its road in the heavens was observed with exquisite skill by Flamstead and Cassini: and the mathematical science of Bernoulli, Newton and Halley, investigated the laws of its revolutions.
At the eighth period, in the year two thousand three hundred and fifty-five, their calculations may perhaps be verified by the astronomers of some future capital in the Siberian or American wilderness.”
You can’t fault writing like that.
That is quite a bit of name dropping at the end there. He manages to mention John Flamsteed, the first astronomer royal, Cassini who first noticed the divisions in the rings of Saturn, the great mathematician Bernoulli as well as Newton and Halley the go to guy for comet related matters.
Sadly, you can fault the science. It is no longer believed that this comet actually exists. That does spoil it a bit. But I just love the sense of optimism and the confidence of it. Gibbon’s time had reached beyond the ignorance of former ages and from now on mankind could look forward to greater and greater knowledge, and in the future the wastelands would be transformed into centres of learning and culture.
And in fact a lot of the promise that Gibbon saw has materialised. Sadly no comet will brighten the sky in 2355 but we can still hope that on the predicted day the world will live up to Gibbon’s expectations of progress and hopefully of peace.
I’ll end this episode by noting the end of the man who has been the chief actor over the chapters I have been looking at recently. Justinian died on the 14th of November 565 at the age of 82 after a reign of 38 years. That record in itself puts him in the top league of emperors. Only Theodosius and Augustus outlasted him. And getting to die of natural causes was something of a rarity too.
It was very much a reign of 2 halves, with brilliant and ambitious projects in his early years and much more caution in the later ones – possibly due to the after effects of the plague. He nonetheless deserves his place among the greatest of the Roman emperors. In some ways he was the greatest in terms of the growth in power and influence of the empire. His ego was well ahead of his ability, but both were considerable. He rated himself as a statesman, an architect, a tactician, a lawyer and a theologian. Had he not had an empire to run he would probably have had the talent to do at least one of those extremely well. He was hard working, shrewd and above all was a good judge of character and was able to find and nurture the talent he needed to run his government.
His achievements were many. Some simply stand for themselves and command respect. The legal code and Hagia Sophia are both unique testaments to a remarkable mind and imagination. His military achievements on the other hand probably looked a lot more impressive at the time than they do looking back. When you know just how transitory they were they lose their lustre. His interventions in the theological controversies that absorbed his contemporaries would not trouble us much today even if they had been decisive. But as it is they had little effect then and are not remembered now.
However his character will always be blighted by his treatment of Belisarius. Of course, we are not despotic rulers of decadent empires. We don’t really understand the pressures he was under or how things would have panned out if he had done things differently. It is possible that Justinian was simply doing what needed to be done rather than what he actually wanted to do.
But there is one failing that we simply cannot excuse him for. He failed to nominate a clear successor. This could have been disastrous for the empire that he did so much to build up. We’ll see how things worked out on that next time.
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Side Effects Of MS Contin Abuse
Side Effects Of MS Contin Abuse
Abuse of MS Contin is usually brought about by the ingredient morphine, which forms part of the drug. Morphine is a narcotic that causes a feeling of euphoria or high like no other drug can produce.
This feeling is what makes most people addicted to the MS Contin drug. MS Contin is available as a slow-releasing tablet or as a rapid relief painkiller. It acts on the brain’s central nervous system and blocks the feelings of pain.
It also affects the feel-good cells in the brain making the user feel good about them. Use of the drug for a long time may cause a physical or psychological dependence. In the end, this is dangerous because the body will not be able to function without the addict using the drug.
Instead of a prescription drug, morphine may also be chewed, snorted, or injected for recreational purposes. This is a very dangerous thing because the ingredients in the drug are meant to be released slowly to the body.
Side Effects Of MS Contin Abuse
The MS Contin drug has many adverse side effects when it is abused. The drug acts on the intestinal tract and causes a malfunction. It reduces the peristalsis in the intestine and reduces the rate of gut-emptying, thereby causing a slow movement of the tract. The drug also causes reduced secretions in the gut and intestinal absorption.
Abuse of the drug may also lead to tolerance. Tolerance refers to an action in the body where the drug’s usefulness becomes less and less with time, leading to the user increasing their rate of taking the dose. The MS Contin drug also causes unusually pleasant or unpleasant feelings in the body of the user. This causes confusion to the metabolism of the body.
Abuse of MS Contin may also cause an allergic reaction to the drug. The allergic reaction may be very severe. Signs of an allergic reaction to the drug includes: swelling of the tongue, throat, lips, or face. The abuser may also develop hives and have difficulty breathing. Onset of such signs should immediately be reported to the doctor. Other common side effects of the drug abuse include:
• Cold and clammy skin
• Weaknesses and unsteadiness
• Convulsions and seizures
• Confusion
• Difficulty in passing of urine
• Slow heart rate and severe drowsiness
There are also some side effects which may not be as common to everyone who is abusing the drug; they include headaches, shakiness, tremors, diarrhea, dry mouth, redness in the face, impotence, lack of a sex drive, and sweating.
Abuse of MS Contin for a long time may cause addiction and possibly withdrawal symptoms. The withdrawal symptoms may occur without abuse of the drug but are more severe in people who abuse it. The withdrawal symptoms are, however, not fatal if the person using the drug is healthy and physically fit. The withdrawal causes a rapid shedding of the cells in the body’s organs leading to an increased metabolic rate. This will cause sweating and dizziness.
The drug withdrawal symptoms take place in stages, with the onset of the symptoms occurring two hours after the last dose. The symptoms become severe in time and can last for several days or weeks. Abuse of the drug may also lead to an MS Contin overdose and eventual death.
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OREALD.COM - An Old Electronic Library
The Sinking of the Titanic
Pages: <1> 2
In the whole story of distress at sea there is no more catastrophic chapter than the sinking of the Titanic with the loss of over 1,500 lives. The leviathan's doom in the Atlantic icefield off Gape Race, on that cold, beautiful, starlit night of April 15, 1912, her great steel plates ripped like tinfoil by the fangs of an iceberg, shocked and bewildered the world.
The "ship that could not sink" had gone, closed in upon by the fathoms she had been designed to ride with easy arrogance, dominant and indestructible, the biggest and safest vessel ever built by man - queen of the seas. And she was humbled and destroyed not by the spit and fury of a tempest but by a sea as placid as an inland lake; man's genius, man's wealth, man's enterprise halted by an enemy of no more substance than frozen water, steel bending in defeat to ice.
The Titanic was on her maiden voyage to America. She was the Queen Alary of her day, the pride of the White Star Line and the envy and admiration of the maritime nations of the world. In speed, in comfort, in beauty, in equipment she was a masterpiece. Everything about her was big and fascinating. Built in the Belfast yards at a cost of something like £2,500,000, her displacement was 46,328 tons, and she was 882 ft. from bow to stern. Her funnels towered 175 ft. above the keel, and her engines had the power of 56,000 horses. Ten decks rose tier on tier. Passengers could walk for four and a half miles without exploring all of her wonders. Among her amenities were a Parisian cafe, a Jacobean dining-room seating 500, a swimming-pool, squash racket courts, a gymnasium, a library, sun parlours and tea-terraces and a huge ballroom with hidden lighting.
For 1912 the Titanic was a miracle of luxury and a magnet for millionaires, several of which, both American and British, were among the passengers. It was estimated at the time that the total wealth represented by the first-class passengers was in the region of £50,000,000. Some paid as much as £870 for the trip. Altogether, the Titanic had on board some 2,200 souls, including a crew of nearly 900 and over 100 children. Only about 700 were ever to sight land again.
The fateful night of April 15 was bitterly cold. Not the slightest puff of breeze, however, ruffled a flat sea. The Titanic was doing between twenty-one and twenty-two knots without vibration. There was every indication, on her performance, that she was easily capable of setting up an Atlantic record, though no attempt was being made to do so. This was the time, not for record-breaking, but for testing and observation. Already, from captain to deck-boy, the crew of the Titanic were satisfied that their ship was supreme. So, too, was Mr. Joseph Bruce Ismay, chairman and managing director of the White Star Line, who was among the passengers.
The passengers themselves, after four days at sea, were in high spirits. They had indulged in all the many joys afforded by the wonder ship, and now they were anticipating the thrill of New York's welcome. There was music and dancing, card-playing, mild flirtations and all the social whirligig of the luxury liner.
On the bridge there was the customary vigilance. It was well known to captain and officers that the Titanic was approaching the regions where ice might be expected, regions, nevertheless, which had been navigated in safety by passenger liners time and time again. Formal messages had been received by radio that there was ice about, but nothing to the effect that there were any dangerous bergs in the Titanic”s direct course.
Second Officer Lightoller had taken the special precaution of giving a special warning to the two look-out men in the ship's crow's nest. He did so, not because of any special fears, but because in such a calm sea the presence of ice would not be betrayed by a disturbance of the water. At ten o'clock, satisfied that all was well, Lightoller handed over the bridge to First Officer Murdock and went below. Murdock was accompanied in the watch by Fourth Officer Boxhall and Sixth Officer Moody, with Quartermaster Robert Kitchens at the wheel.
The ship sped through the night, her lights twinkling against those of the stars. So cold was it that few ventured on deck. The passengers gradually dwindled away to their cabins. Only a few remained in the public rooms over cards, gossip or a drink. And on the bridge there was little sound but the almost indiscernible hum of the engines, the half-hourly clang of the ship's bells in the wheelhouse, followed by the cry from the look-out men in the crow's nest, "All's well!"
At about eleven-forty came the shock that reverberated round the world. The officers on the bridge were staggered to hear three gongs sounded from the crow's nest, the signal that something lay dead ahead. Then came the dramatic cry, "Ice right ahead, sir!"
A berg! The hearts of the watch froze to the temperature of the sea, First Officer Murdock had seen the greenish-white mountain of destruction looming out of space almost as soon as the look-outs. Without hesitation he gave the order, "Hard a 'starboard - full speed astern," in the vain hope that he could swing the ship's bow clear, and then her stern. But it was not to be. The Titanic received a death blow.
Ice tumbled upon her decks. Below the water line the jagged bulk of the berg stove in six of the water-tight compartments. No ship of even twice the strength could have resisted that onslaught. The Titanic's keel was so ripped and her side so buckled that her fate was sealed from this moment. Sooner or later this night the "unsinkable" leviathan was going to sink.
First Officer Murdock now stopped the engines and operated another lever designed to close the water-tight doors. Captain Smith came from the chart-room on to the bridge. His eyes were anxious, his face already drawn, but his voice and hands were steady. "Close the emergency doors," he said quietly. "They are already closed, sir," said Murdock. "Then send to the carpenter and tell him to sound the ship," was the captain's next order. But instinct and the commutator (which shows in which direction the ship is listing) told him the worst.
Next came the order, "All hands on deck," and both watches came tumbling up from below, many of the men only scantily dressed, rubbing the sleep from their eyes. Shipwreck is the last thing in the world expected by the crew of a modern liner; to the men of the Titanic it still seemed impossible even after they had learnt that the vessel had torn herself on the berg. Orders were orders, however, and they rushed to the boat deck.
There was a deafening roar as the engineers began blowing the boilers down, so strident a din that few could hear themselves speak. Below decks the pumps were operating in a futile battle against hopeless odds. In the wireless-room Phillips, the chief wireless operator, was feverishly tapping out the SOS. From the bridge distress rockets were being sent up. Minute by minute they streaked into the sky. The lights of a vessel could be seen a few miles away. Captain Smith and his officers were certain that assistance from this quarter would come quickly and decisively, that every soul aboard his vessel would be transferred to safety. Their hope and their faith was to be shaken. Neither rockets nor radio brought the distant ship, the California, to their aid. Its lights dwindled and died away. Only the stars shone on.
The first effect of the impact on the passengers was peculiar. In the card-room they actually continued, for a time, with their games. Many of those enjoying their "goodnight" drinks speculated jocularly as to "what the fuss was about." Those who were already asleep were awakened by a slight jar or by the sudden and unusual cessation of the engines. They left their cabins, not in fear, but out of curiosity. On deck they met in groups and showered on each other torrent of questions, shouting above the din.
Suddenly the roar of escaping steam ceased. Born of the silence came an awful apprehension. They knew now that there was danger. They saw men working at the boat falls. Sailors shouted to them to fetch their lifebelts. They saw the rockets streaking heavenwards. The word "ice" cut deep into their fears.
Even so, their confidence in this mighty vessel was still not entirely shaken. She was unsinkable. They had been told so. To add to their feeling of false security the story spread that the passengers were to be taken off in the boats purely as a precautionary measure and would in due course return. Little did they know during those moments how minute by minute the water was creeping up and the ship settling down. The band began to play - lively, lilting rag-time airs. Quietly and efficiently the crew went about their duties.
"Women and children first," has been a joker's cry for years. On the boat deck of the Titanic that night it was a grim and earnest command. Without melodrama, almost without threat, the law of the sea was enforced. Few of the men aboard attempted to evade it. One attempt had a touch more of comedy than of cowardice. A handful of foreigners were found concealed under the thwarts of a boat - which they promptly vacated at the point of an empty revolver! In most cases a few stern words, a glanced rebuke, sufficed to stem the inclination of weak men to think firstly of themselves. It is true, nevertheless, to say that a number of such men did occupy positions in the boats to their discredit and shame. All that can be said in their favour is that for several curious reasons some of the boats were being lowered only partially filled.
In the wireless-cabin Phillips continued to quest over the ether for aid, tapping out the SOS time and time again, giving the ship's position. A number of vessels, including the Olympic, responded, and the nearest of all, the Carpathia, a Cunard liner, intimated that she was on her way to the rescue. But it was to take her some hours to reach the Titanic - at least, to reach the spot where she lay fathoms deep.
Both Phillips and his junior "sparks," Harold Bride, remained at the post of duty long after they had been released. Captain Smith himself looked into their cabin, with the firm words, "Men, you have done your duty. You can do no more. Abandon your cabin now. It is every man for himself. Look out for yourselves. I release you. That's the way it is at this kind of time - every man for himself." But the SOS continued to go out.
In that little wireless-cabin on the Titanic, incidentally, was enacted a little drama more akin to the shipwreck of fiction. Bride, the junior officer, who had fixed a lifebelt around Phillips as he sat at the keyboard, returned from a visit to the deck to find a "stoker or somebody" attempting to relieve the wireless chief of his only hope of safety. Let young Bride describe the sequel in his own words: "Suddenly I felt a passion not to let that man die a decent sailor's death. I wished he might have stretched a rope or walked the plank. I did my duty... I hope I finished him. I don't know. We left him on the floor of the wireless-room, and he wasn't moving." But not until the boat deck was awash did these two heroes quit their post. Phillips perished - killed, it is believed, by exposure - but Bride survived. Later, when rescued by the Carpathia, crippled and on crutches, he took his share of duty in the radio cabin of the ship that had saved him.
One by one the Titanic's boats were loaded, lowered and rowed away. There was apprehension of the suction it was surmised would occur when the great vessel took the final plunge. One thing was now obvious: that hundreds would be left behind when all the boats had gone. Even if each had been packed to its utmost capacity there would not have been room for many more than a thousand. Many accepted their fate with nonchalance. Others prepared to jump into the icy water, trusting to Providence and their life-belts. There were stoics and fatalists together on that slanting deck. One amazing feature of the last act was the refusal of many of the women to leave their menfolk. Even when attempts were made forcibly to induce them to enter the boats they struggled for release, pleading to be left alone. Husbands, wives and sweethearts, close in each other's arms, laughed, prayed and trembled on the edge of beyond, a little afraid perhaps, but happy to know that they would go together.
A strange and touching incident was the determination of Mr. and Mrs. Isidore Straus, the millionaire and his wife, not to be separated in death. Time and again Mrs. Straus was pleaded with to take her place in a boat; time and again she refused. "We are old people, Isidore, and we will die together." Ultimately they were seen to drown together as they had wished. In strange contrast was the fate of another millionaire pair - Colonel and Mrs. J. J. Astor. Their honeymoon in Egypt had only recently ended. Now his bride was ill, and the colonel quietly asked if he could accompany her in a boat to protect her. As quietly came the answer, "No." The boat was lowered, the colonel standing to the salute, and that was the end of their love story. Mrs. Astor was saved, but her husband perished, going down with the ship, it is believed, by the side of W. T. Stead, the world-famous editor of the Saturday Review. Yet another strong personality on that deck of doom was Major Butt, an A.D.C. to the American President. As he helped women to safety he was seen to raise his hat, even when the water was lapping around his ankles.
As the last of the boats were getting away, as the Titanic's bows were sinking deeper, her stern rising higher, the band switched from light music to hymn tunes. To many that was the irrefutable signal that the end was near. As the boats drew steadily away there stole to them across the water, under the stars, the tune the whole world knows and reverences:
"Nearer, my God, to Thee,
Nearer to Thee!
E'en though it be a cross
That raiseth me:
Still all my song shall be,
Nearer, my God, to Thee,
Nearer to Thee."
These bandsmen were heroes. "Nothing," said a survivor, "could have been more superb than the courage of these men, knowing that they were facing death, but playing to assure and comfort us. Their courage was equal to that of the captain, officers and crew. It was magnificent." The musicians were eight civilians drawn from London, Dewsbury, Dumfries, Liverpool, Headington, Oxon., and Lille in France. Their leader was Wallace Hartley, a young man of thirty-four. Once a bank clerk, he had toured with the Carl Rosa Opera Company and with the Moody Manners Company. This was to have been his last trip, for he had decided to leave the sea and marry.
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[truth has no nature, and refers to nothing]
30 ideas
True and false statements can use exactly the same words [Anon (Diss)]
Semantics is a very modest discipline which solves no real problems [Tarski]
We cannot analyse the concept of 'truth', because it is simply a mark that a sentence is asserted [Ayer]
'Truth' may only apply within a theory [Kuhn]
Tarski is not a disquotationalist, because you can assign truth to a sentence you can't quote [Davidson]
We need the concept of truth for defeasible reasoning [Pollock]
No deflationary conception of truth does justice to the fact that we aim for truth [Horwich]
The deflationary picture says believing a theory true is a trivial step after believing the theory [Horwich]
Truth is a useful concept for unarticulated propositions and generalisations about them [Horwich]
'True' is only occasionally useful, as in 'everything Fermat believed was true' [Burgess/Rosen]
Deflationism cannot explain why we hold beliefs for reasons [Engel]
Deflationism seems to block philosophers' main occupation, asking metatheoretical questions [Engel]
Deflationism just says there is no property of being truth [Merricks]
Truth lets us assent to sentences we can't explicitly exhibit [Azzouni]
Inferential deflationism says truth has no essence because no unrestricted logic governs the concept [Horsten]
Deflationism skips definitions and models, and offers just accounts of basic laws of truth [Horsten]
Deflationism concerns the nature and role of truth, but not its laws [Horsten]
Deflationism says truth isn't a topic on its own - it just concerns what is true [Horsten]
Deflation: instead of asserting a sentence, we can treat it as an object with the truth-property [Horsten]
This deflationary account says truth has a role in generality, and in inference [Horsten]
Deflationist truth is an infinitely disjunctive property [Rami]
Deflating the correspondence theory doesn't entail deflating all the other theories [Misak]
Deflationism isn't a theory of truth, but an account of its role in natural language [Misak]
Deflationism says truth is a disquotation device to express generalisations, adding no new knowledge [Halbach]
Deflationists say truth is just for expressing infinite conjunctions or generalisations [Halbach]
The main problem for deflationists is they can express generalisations, but not prove them [Halbach]
Some say deflationism is axioms which are conservative over the base theory [Halbach]
Compositional Truth CT proves generalisations, so is preferred in discussions of deflationism [Halbach]
Deflationists say truth merely serves to express infinite conjunctions [Halbach]
Deflationary theories reject analysis of truth in terms of truth-conditions [Young,JO] |
Friday 10th July 2020,
Post-Soviet Graffiti
Nostalgia and False Notions of Empire: The (un)historical rise of the right in Hungary
trianon header slider
Nostalgia and False Notions of Empire:
the (un)historical rise of the right in Hungary
By: Alexis M. Zimberg
Originally published in the Spring 2013 edition of The Hidden Transcript, an international affairs magazine sponsored by Simon Fraser University and the University of Glasgow‘s Centre for Russian, Central, and Eastern European Studies.
——- ——- ——
Contemporary Hungary is perpetually suspended in a state of longing. Consider the half-mile of murals that runs near the Filatorigat stop of Budapest’s Suburban Rail system. These are where artists come to paint large pieces that incorporate a careful array of colors and techniques. “Get Lost Trianon,” reads one scrawled, freehand afterthought juxtaposed with flanking aesthetics. The colloquial reference to—and rejection of—the Treaty of Trianon, which in 1920 redefined Hungary’s borders as a part of a greater post-war peace agreement, is common parlance in Hungary. After all, the Treaty of Trianon resulted in a devastating loss for the Hungarian state.
In the Treaty of Trianon (colloquially referred to as Trianon), Hungary lost approximately seventy percent of its territory (including five major cities and its sea port) and about sixty percent of its population to neighboring Austria, Croatia, Czechoslovakia, Ukraine, and Romania. During World War Two, the Arrow Cross party shook backroom hands with Nazi Germany, offering wartime support to Adolf Hitler and his team of Gestapos in exchange for a restored pre-1920 version of Hungary’s map. Nazi Germany lost the war and Hungary retained its modified boundaries (gaining instead a sordid political history that now involves Nazi-collaboration).
Bad Parlament, Two-Tailed Dog Party (Budapest)
Sixty-five years later, the Trianon rhetoric remains a forefront rally-point for Hungarian national politics and shared identity. Wheatpasted posters in Budapest’s District VI prop up the outline of pre-Trianon Hungary as map-as-logo political ideology. Benedict Anderson, in his book “Imagined Communities,” defines the map-as-logo as the role of the image of an outlined country in defining that nation’s shared identity. By reducing the Trianon political ideology to a logo—the outlined map of former Hungary—and using this term and logo in everyday interactions, the movement is legitimized and propelled into acceptance. As the title of his work suggests, Anderson also goes to significant lengths to explain why national identity is a socially and politically constructed myth. If citizens can see themselves as Kazakhs not Soviets or Texans not Mexicans despite historical land control, why does Hungary have such difficulty separating its current reality from its ghostly reign? After all, the generation that actually experienced the travesty of the Treaty of Trianon is no longer alive.
Nostalgia for bygone greatness—for a powerful and reigning empire—drives and reinvigorates an obsession with the long-since buried reality. The Jobbik Political Party capitalizes on this national yearning for stolen empire by incorporating it into their political platform as a central issue. Jobbik is known to be a far-right political party that props itself on anti-Semitism, anti-Roma positions, and general xenophobia. Shockingly (or, if you are a historian, perhaps not shockingly), as Hungary wades through a tough economy, political movements like Jobbik garner significant popular support. The group won 12.18 per cent of Parliamentary seats in the 2010 election. Jobbik’s projected success in Hungary’s spring 2014 Parliamentary election, if actualized, will quantitatively illustrate the party’s present popularity.
The Post-Trianon Borders Make Up a Gulag #2 (Budapest)
A member of the European Union, Hungary is considered to be a generally free and democratic state. The people vote for their leadership through western-style campaigning and popular elections. Since his 2010 landslide victory, Viktor Orban and the right-wing Fidesz party have guided the country into legalistic authoritarianism via an official censorship strategy, a single-party constitutional rewrite, and vehemently anti-minority policy-making. The current administration is composed of many-a-lawyer and makes certain that its actions are always sanctioned, even if they explicitly threaten human rights or social justice.
It did not take much, however, for this nationalistic right-wing party to gain power after the prior administration left the capitol on a low note. The previous Prime Minister, Ferenc Gyurcsany of the Hungarian Socialist Party, lost all respect and authority after a recording released his confession that he camouflaged a series of poor decisions that catastrophically affected Hungary’s already flailing economy. In swooped Fidesz and its younger sibling Jobbik to re-inspire the people by reviving Hungarian glory. And, to some extent, their efforts have been successful. Fidesz and Jobbik have built beneath them a strong and faithful right wing.
Jobbik (Budapest)
Yet, their rise to power and sharp focus on building a Hungarian Empire for Hungarians poses a few concerns:
(1) Fidesz’s human rights violations and Jobbik’s Trianon rhetoric portray the country as headed in a ‘backwards’ direction in comparison to western norms;
(2) their nationalist policies and rhetoric pit Hungarians against an increasingly angry European Union;
(3) Hungarians abroad have certain citizen rights within Hungary, posing concern for Hungary’s neighbor relations (with Slovakia, Austria, and Romania in particular); and
(4) since the rise of national Hungarian identity, the European state has become an increasingly hostile environment for Jewish and Roma citizens.
There is actually a politically correct term for all of this: magyarization.
Emigrate to the Ragamuffin Collective of Raised Fist, Gypsy, Jewish and Gay (Budapest)
The question must be asked:
is it necessary to threaten Hungary’s domestic stability and status within the European Union (arguably unstable itself to some degree) by latching onto self-aggrandizing nostalgia, a justice-threatening nationalism, and ultimately a false conception of empire that extends its borders beyond this century?
Of course not. After all, we find it to be dangerous when an individual stands victim to these conceptions of self; why would we, the international community, allow a country’s political authority to behave this way?
By reaching into the deep past for a legacy of Hungarian greatness, the current leaders of the small, European country are able to convince supporters of their divine ability to return to their throne at the head of a fictional Empire, pummeling to the ground anyone that threatens to stand in their way. The utopian memory of an idealized nation-state so commonly referenced in Hungarian politics—both in the Parliament and on the streets— threatens Hungary’s ability to move forward and upward as a nation and as an international team player.
Jobbik are Fascists (Budapest) (1)
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01/13/20 In order help Koala bears, we need to stop eat meat
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Animal Friends Croatia points to the cause of the mass tragedies and supports protests in Australia
Koala Bear - fires in Australia [ 278.86 Kb ]
- Scientists and the UN: A global shift towards veganism is necessary for the fight against climate change
Animal Friends Croatia has said they are deeply disturbed by the devastating wildfires in Australia, which is estimated to have swallowed more than 10.3 million hectares of land and killed more than a billion animals so far, and scientists say the number of animals killed could be in the trillions! "We sympathize with the victims and at the same time are concerned about the announcement by experts that some species will become completely extinct. The entire known world is literally disappearing before our eyes, and human species refuses to accept that it is caused by the large consumption of meat, which consumes huge resources and that the key to the survival of the planet and all species, including humans, is the transition to a vegan diet" warn Animal Friends Croatia.
"All of us who mourn the suffering and death of animals in fires in Australia and the Amazon, rising sea levels, floods and the mass extinction of species need to know that we are not helpless. If we want to save koalas and kangaroos, we stop eating cows, pigs, chickens and other animals. And a koala desperately trying to avoid the fire and the terrified lamb waiting to cut his neck equally feel fear and want to live. Veganism is a revolutionary diet because it can literally save the planet,” Animal Friends Croatia said.
A number of Australian citizens who have walked out in the streets in recent days to protest governmental inaction on climate change believe Australia needs to take stronger measures to address global warming. Experts say they must act immediately and are worried about what the planet will look like when global temperatures rise by another two or three degrees Celsius if these tragedies occur even before that happened. Oxford University research agrees that reducing animal products in the diet is the "single largest way" to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Animal Friends Croatia points out that what we eat plays a huge and crucial role in climate change: “In the last 20 years, the number of humans has increased by almost two billion, the fastest increase in the number of humans on Earth in all of human history. Scientists say 10 billion people are expected to live on the planet by 2050. Many people eat meat every day, many in their daily meals because the taste of meat is more important to them than the animal who wanted to live. For farmed animals, it is necessary to provide large agricultural areas where grain is raised for their consumption instead of for the (hungry) people. That is why deforestation is necessary - to convert forests into pastures or arable land, leaving all the animal species that have been inhabited there, which ultimately leads to their extinction.”
Furthermore, Animal Friends Croatia explains that it is necessary to provide plenty of water for raising so many animals. Also, farm waste, animal feces, and blood end up in the waters where they contaminate it. The production of meat, milk, and eggs causes about 50% of water pollution in Europe and ten times more pollution than populated areas and is a major cause of forest loss in many world regions. According to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), animal agriculture is a leading cause of climate change. Namely, the ammonia and methane gases coming from the barns, along with the CO2 emissions from the production of nitrogen fertilizers and the destruction of trees to raise animals, cause more damage and contribute to the greenhouse effect than all planes, trucks, ships, cars, and factories in the world combined. The UN says a global shift towards a vegan diet is needed to combat the worst effects of climate change and fires in Australia are just one of them.
Animal Friends Croatia reports that with increasing numbers of humans on Earth and further demand for meat, floods and fires will become more frequent. They conclude that the easiest way to combat unstoppable climate change is to stop eating meat and switch to a vegan diet, as it also prevents the death of animals in fires and slaughterhouses. Each of us holds in our hands the weapons of mass destruction or the tools to save the planet.
Fires in AustraliaKangaroo - fires in Australia
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The Ljzertoren
Looking through the Pax Gateway
The crypt
The Pax Gateway
West Flanders
Panorama of what it was like
Another view around
Looking down
View around
The Dodengang
The trench
Canadian War Memorial
At Tyne Cot
Graves and the Memorial to the Missing
The unknown soldiers
The river from the gate
Ieper cathedral
Another view of the Lakenhalle
Menin Gate
Looking the other way at the ramparts
Names inside the Menin Gate
After a quiet day we decided we would head down towards Ieper or Ypres and explore the area of the Flanders Fields the area of the World War I battlefields. Our first stop was the town of Diksmuide which sits on the banks of the River Ijzer. The river acted as the frontline for four years during the Great War. The impact on the town was devastating , the town being shelled to pieces. Painstakingly it was rebuilt in the 1920s.
Dominating the skyline of Diksmuide is The Ijzertoren a massive war memorial and museum. The massive tower 84m high is the highest piece monument in Europe. This was not the original tower as the first one was blown up in 1946 in mysterious circumstances. The towers bears the letters AVV-VVK Alles Voor Vlaanderen-Vlaanderen voor Kristus (All for Flanders-Flanders for Christ). In addition to the tower there are a couple of other memorials. The Pax gateway was built in 1950 from the rubble of the original tower. There is also a crypt holding the gravestones of a number of Belgian soldiers.
The tower had a lift that took us up to the top which gave views over the West Flanders landscape and also had a panoramic picture of how the area would have looked like around WW1. We then walked down the tower through the museum and the story of the area and how differently the Flemish speaking and French speaking soldiers were treated. Our final stop was the recreated trenches.
Just north of Diksmuide on the west bank of the river was a more poignant reminder of WW1 – the Dodengang or Trench of Death. Here we were able to see about 400m of a WW1 trench although the original sandbags had been replaced by concrete imitations and the ground was now gravel but it gave an impression. This part of the trench line was held by the Belgians throughout the war.
From here we headed through the back roads of the Ypres Salient near Passendale to an even more poignant bloodshed of WW1 –Tyne Cot. Tyne Cot is the largest British Commonwealth war cemetery in the world containing nearly 12,000 graves and a Memorial to the Missing listing a further 35,000 names whose bodies were never recovered. The futility of war is clearly demonstrated by the endless lines of tombstones and the list of names and ages. A whole generation of men lost for no real reason.
Our final stop was Ieper or Ypres. Like Diksmuide Ieper was shelled to pieces and rebuilt after the war although walking through the town you feel the town is much older. The main buildings of the town square are the Lakenhalle (old cloth hall as Ieper was a major cloth town in the 13th and the cathedral. The other major edifice is the Menin Gate situated on the site of the old Menenport, which served as the main route for British soldiers heading to the front. The gate was built by the British Government and at the time was very controversial as the Belgians were in need of money to rebuild their towns and cities destroyed by the war and many veterans felt it was inappropriate monument to the fallen soldiers. The walls of the gate are covered with over 50,00o British and Commonwealth troops who died in the Ypres Salient and had no grave.
Although a sobering day we were glad we had explored the area.
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How To Fix A Flat
jaiden_icon.gif mika_icon.gif
Scene Title How to Fix a Flat
Synopsis Poor Mika gets a flat tire; Jaiden swoops in and saves the day!
Date August 11, 2010
Battery Park City
Battery Park City is a 92-acre planned community at the southwestern tip of lower Manhattan. The land upon which it stands was created on the Hudson River using millions of pounds of dirt and rocks excavated during the construction of the World Trade Center and certain other construction projects, as well as from sand dredged from New York Harbor off Staten Island. The neighborhood, which is the site of the World Financial Center along with numerous housing, commercial and retail buildings, is named for adjacent Battery Park.
Battery Park City is bounded on the east by West Street, which isolates the area from the Financial District of downtown Manhattan. To the west, north and south, the area is surrounded by the tidal estuary of the Hudson River. The development consists of roughly five major sections. Traveling north to south, the first neighborhood, the "North Residential Neighborhood," consists of high-rise residential buildings, a large hotel, Stuyvesant High School and the World Center Mall. Former parkland in the area was in the process of being converted into high-rise buildings before the bomb in 2006, and now much of the unfinished constructions lie in much the same condition as the ghostly footprints of the World Trade Center, surrounded by derelict cranes and construction equipment.
Much of Battery Park City looks to be in better condition that the majority of upper Manhattan, its streets relatively well tended and buildings in fair condition, though even this far south signs of structural damage to some roads and buildings from the shockwave and debris of the bomb in 2006 are still visible. Due to its location and relative security from the damage of the bomb, Battery Park City is one of the most expensive areas in lower Manhattan to live and features the highest growth rate of new construction. It is not unusual to see banners for Linderman Group sponsored rebuilding efforts and Maxwell Corporation signs on half finished skyscrapers.
It's a beautiful day out. Sunny, gorgeous, and lovely out, though a bit on the warm side. In fact, the sun is just a little bit too much, which is why people have gone to the mall, to enjoy the nice air conditioning it offers.
Mika was one such person today. She's wearing a pair of baggy black shorts and a rather simple tank top for comfort's sake, along with flip flops. The young Japanese woman, perhaps in her early twenties, just finished a trip to the mall herself. She was just heading back toward her home, toting supplies for her new shop, as well as a few new clothes.
Sadly, that's when her large Toyota SUV decided to get a flat tire. She managed to pull over onto the side of the road, where she now stands, staring helplessly at the flat tire. She's mumbling to herself in Japanese right now, since nobody can really hear her over the sound of cars driving past. After an obvious complaint, the tiny girl turns and slumps back against her large SUV, pulling out her phone and peering at it in dismay.
This part of the city - this part of the highway, at least, still has a few problems with cellular reception, so the chances of the Japanese woman getting someone on her phone is slim at best. And New Yorkers are, of course, being New Yorkers, living up to the reputation of not pulling over to help - a few even honking their horns and waving as they speed past. But one car - a Blue 1967 Mustang with racing stripes, pulls past and with the sound of gravel crunching under it's tires, rolls to a stop just behind the large Toyota SUV.
The engine in the Mustang rumbles a few times before the key is turned off, the man behind the wheel grabbing his hat from the passenger seat and stepping out after a moment, closing the door to the car behind him. Emergency Flashers weren't invented by this point, so he's just parked as far over on the shoulder as he can, out of traffic. "Afternoon, Ma'am." The Australian moves between the Toyota FJ and the bumper of his Mustang. "No spare? Any idea what you hit?"
New York is filled with assholes. Luckily, she seems to have found the one man who isn't an asshole. She blinks a few times, approaching the man as he gets out of his car, a relived look on her face. The young lady waves her hands.
When she speaks, it's in perfect English, as if she's been speaking it all of her life. "Oh, thank goodness you stopped! I have a spare…I just don't know how to change it. I've never had to change a flat tire in my entire life." Far longer than he might imagine. She gestures to the full-sized spare on the back of the vehicle, frowning as she nervously brushes a hand through her hair. "And I can't get any reception out here to call a tow truck. Oh, thank you so much for stopping, sir!"
"It's no problem, Ma'am. I work in a garage, after all. Call it cultivating a potential customer, but I call it being a good samaritan, but I try to help out people who need it." Jaiden slips off the hood of his car and peers at the tire mounted on the back, looking and finding a latch that he can undo, the entire plastic cover coming off. Hidden beneath is a spare, a jack, and a few other bits and bobs useful for removing a tire.
"No time to learn like the present then, Ma'am. Simplest way to put it, you need to take the bad one off and put the good one.." He pats the tire. "On in it's place. Could I borrow your key, or could you unlock this lock in the middle? Otherwise we're not going very far with this." HE steps back and, once it's unlocked, lifts the tire down along with the small toolkit mounted in the rim and sets it on it's side to get the jack and the lug wrench out.
Mika smiles gratefully, darting forward and undoing the lock for him, before stepping back to watch him with a thoughtful expression. Her gaze is strange, like there's an old lady staring out from behind the mask of a young woman. "You're so kind…thank you again!" She smiles, quite happy to just watch him. "I think I might have hit a nail or something. I just know that it was suddenly very loud, and very difficult to steer, so I pulled over." She gestures to the tire with a frown.
After a moment of watching him, she offers a practiced, charming smile. "I'm Mika Iwasaki, by the way…what's your name?" She's not in any particular persona today, so she'll happily stay herself.
His hands aren't dirty yet so Jaiden feels no qualms about offering his hand to shake. "Jaiden Mortlock, miss. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance…even if it is on the side of the road." He does take his time, too. Instead of just fixing the problem which would get her on her way and leave her in the same situation if this happened again, he shows her how to assemble the jack and where to place it, how to loosen the lug nuts with the tire on the ground so it doesn't spin, turning on the parking brake, and the like. With all of them loosened, Jaiden positions the jack properly and pumps, the rear of the FJ rising steadily.
"Ah, here we go, Miss." He turns the tire and points to a rather wicked looking screw poking out of the sidewall. "There's good news and bad news. Bad news is you'll need a new tire - no patching that. Good news is the tire didn't blow out and cause you even more heartache." With a grunt, Jaiden pulls it off, giving the smaller woman a glance over his shoulder now and again. She is cute, for certain. A little short, but there's something endearing about a woman you can put your arms around easily. She can almost see the wheels in his head turning as he works, putting the other tire aside and re-positioning the new one, finger-tightening the lug nuts and lowering it slowly to where he can get some torque to tighten them.
Her first instinct is to bow her head lightly in a very cultural display. A However, she shakes that off as quickly as it started, reaching out to shake his hand with a bright smile. "Nice to meet you, Jaiden. Thank you again, so much." She offers that charming smile again. She can't help but get a kick out of the fact that she can still woo the young men, even at 91. Then again, her ability is quite helpful in that aspect.
She watches intently as he changes the tire, carefully examining what he does. Oh, that's easy! She frowns at the news, though. "Oh, I can handle a new tire! Maybe I'll come to the shop you work at to buy one." She tilts her head to one side, drawing just a little closer to watch him work.
Being from Australia - near one of the major cities - one would always see Japanese tourists going around, taking pictures of the trees, the koalas, enjoying the interesting food, the cooler weather, and all sorts of stuff like that. According to what he was told in the military, Japan uses Australia as a vacation land, so the bow, if given, would have been returned with military precision.
When she offers her hand he shows his, black with brake dust and tire crud to the wrists. "Give me a bit, love, and we'll get me all cleaned up for a proper shake." And he turns to tighten the lug nuts in a star pattern, always getting the one furthest away from the last one he tightened. He does chuckle as she suggests purchasing a tire from him, glancing over after a moment, blowing his hair out of his face with an upturned lip and a puff of air. "I could do that for you, sure. You've got a full-sized spare, so you're not going to need a new tire any time soon, but that insurance of having a spare is nice and flat. The sooner you come by, then, the better." The bolts tightened, Jaiden lets the jack down slowly, the car's weight settling on the tire. "All done but the clean up."
All the while, the little Japanese woman watches as he changes her tire, smiling. So that's how it's done! She offers a small cheer as he lets the jack down. "Oh, I could just hug you for helping me out. Thank you again!" She smiles brightly, though she certainly doesn't look thrilled about the tire crud and brake dust. Cars are such dirty things, really.
"I have some water in my car, if you'd like to clean your hands up. And if you give me a card or something, I would happily drive there tomorrow to get the new tire." She smiles brightly. Aww, that meeting was too short. Such a pleasant young man. She'd certainly like the opportunity o get to know him a bit more.
If he only knew how old she was, the thought of being referred to as a pleasant young man wouldn't be nearly as odd as he would consider. Jaiden stands and hoists the flat tire into position in the carrier on the back of her car, replacing the jack and lug wrench, clicking them all into place and closing the case around it. "Please, miss Mika, I'd appreciate it. Cars are great things but they are quite filthy, after all." He frowns slightly, looking at his hands, and makes his way back to his Mustang, popping the boot and rooting around beneath the lid until he finds a pump-bottle of some kind of orange stuff. A few pumps and the crud on his hands is starting to get off, but the water will finish the job.
"Once I get my hands clean, Miss, I'll give you one of my cards. I may be out for a few days, though, so it might be best to come by on Monday. I'm generally covered up with work and finishing up on Thursday and Friday…but Monday I'm clear." He grins. "Although having you visit would be a reason to stay open a bit later than usual."
But then, if he knew how old she really is, he would likely be much less likely to flirt with her. Mika smiles, climbing into her car long enough to pull out a full bottled water, which she unscrews as she makes her way toward Jaiden. Once his hands are held out, she pours the water carefully over his hands, making sure to get the gunk off.
His last remarks prompts the girl to blush. She really does love the youth these days. Well, some of them. They're so charming. Granted, she's old enough to be his grandmother…but he doesn't know that. She offers one of those practiced smiles again, this time unable to stop herself from pulling off one of those cultural bows toward him. That will always be a habit that is difficult to break for the former Geisha. "I'll give you a card, too. There's a tea shop I work at, run by my aunt. It's called Through the Looking Glass. You should stop by some time!" She smiles brightly.
True, Age does tend to colour things - once you get to a certain age, respect comes into it, rather than attraction. Jaiden scrubs his hands quickly and efficiently beneath the stream of water, making sure to get everything off. Somehow it seems water keeps flowing out a bit longer than it should from the bottle, the water kind of hovering 'round his hands, but it's probably a trick of the light.
When she bows it only takes a moment for him to return the bow as well - just low enough to be respectful, but not the hyper-deep RESPECT bow. It's the one given to newly met people. At the very end, though, he tilts his head up and grins playfully. "I just might do that. I know I sound australian, but something rubbed off in my travels around the world and I developed a taste for the chinese teas - mainly whites, but oolong too." Reaching around to fish around for his wallet, he opens it and slides out a card, simply titled with his name, the name of his garage, the address and the phone number. He tucks the wallet back and - in a VERY japanese way - holds it out to her with both hands.
The woman watches the water thoughtfully, her brow arching. Another evolved, perhaps? It's a possibility. She'll have to keep an eye on him. Age brings many things, among it being the ability to notice things. She peers at the water bottle for a moment, before smiling to Jaiden.
Oh, and he's not only charming, but also very respectful too! She can't help but smile at his proper presentation of the business card, taking it with both of her hands and offering a little bow, before looking it over with a smile and a nod of approval. Then, she pulls a business card from her pocket, which she apparently grabbed while getting the water. This is offered in the same way, coupled with a bright smile. "She has all kinds of teas, not just the chinese teas. It's great!" She beams up at him.
PErhaps he is. Perhaps he isn't and it's just a trick of the light. After all, these are strange times and New York is a strange city, full of strange people. He takes the card she gives him and looks it over quickly, scanning it, making sure all the appropriate details are there before retrieving his wallet and tucking it inside.
"I'll look forward to it then, Miss Mika. I may not look it, but I'm a bit of a gourmet, so interesting flavors from around the world are most welcome." Whether or not he's referring to her or food? Remains to be seen.
It doesn't really matter his meaning, he's got the girl blushing like a schoolgirl at prom. She offers him a bright, sunshine-smile. "Well, I am sure that you will like my aunt's tea shop, then." She offers a soft giggle, peering the man over for a moment. Then, there's another smile on her face as she reaches out a tiny hand for him to shake.
"Thanks again, so much. If it weren't for you, I bet I would still be sitting here, clueless as ever." There's that beaming smile again.
He reaches out with his now nicely-clean hand and takes hers in his, giving it a surprisingly gentle squeeze for a man who works with his hands on a daily basis, shaking it and giving a little bow at the same time. He does find himself getting lost in that smile for a moment or two, though, his own appearing, his olive eyes twinkling as he straightens. "Problem solved then, Miss Mika. You're not stranded and you're not as clueless as you were before. Lesson learned."
A smile and a nod is offered as she takes his hand, dipping her head in a slight, respectful bow. "Yes indeed! Next time, I will not be so helpless, thanks to you! You are great." She gestures toward the traffic. "Nobody else would have stopped, so I owe you one, definitely." She grins widely. "Perhaps some free tea when you come to the shop."
"If you'd like. Pick me out a couple of ones you enjoy drinking and we'll sit and chat." A passing car honks, causing Jaiden to jump a little bit, looking over at the BMW as it speeds off into the distance. "It's probably a good thing I did stop, too….some people just aren't very nice nowadays." He smiles. "Walk you to your car, miss?"
Mika smiles, nodding to him. "I have a good strawberry tea, if you like strawberries…or a fruity one, if you like that. Then, I can make a mean cup of iced chai, if you want." She grins, more thinking about when he comes to visit. It's so nice to be so old and still have young men fawning all over you. Once again, the ability helps. She doubts anyone would have stopped if she were her true age.
Then again, if she were her true age, she would either be dead or in a nursing home. She's felt the pull of old age on her mind before, and it's not something she enjoys. She glances toward the BMW, grumbling something in her native tongue after it, before turning to beam at Jaiden once more. "If you would, please, I would very much appreciate it."
"I do like strawberries, but I've never had it in a tea. Being a man, most of the ones the shopkeepers pressed on me were ones for health and virility and long life…things of that sort. The sweet, light teas were rarely offered." Jaiden helps the young woman to the car, standing between her and the road like a gentleman, even opening the door for her and standing out of the way for her to mount.
The petite girl laughs softly as she walks to the driver's side door, smiling brightly at the man. "Ah, but the sweet, light teas are the best of all of them. And they can be just as healthy as those teas specifically designed for health."
She can't help but smile warmly as he opens the door for her, using the handle to climb into the large SUV before fastening her seatbelt. After a moment, she offers Jaiden another one of those beaming smiles that's only marred by that old look she carries in her eyes. "Well, thanks again…if I don't see you before, then I'll see you on Monday when I come to get a new tire from your shop."
"I'll be there with bells on…or at least, with my coveralls on." Jaiden chuckles, standing in the partially opened door. "I will clean up before I come by the tea shop, though. I want to give a good impression for your aunt to base her decisions on whether or not I'm a nice guy on."
The woman laughs softly, leaning slightly toward Jaiden for a moment, before sitting back again, offering him another practiced charming smile. She used to use this smile to stop men in their tracks, back when she was but a Maiko. These days are no different than the past in that aspect. "I look forward to it, then. I'm sure my Aunt will like you, too." She giggles, putting the keys into the ignition and starting up the oversized SUV that makes her look even more tiny than ever.
"Here's hoping. Drive safe, Miss Miko." He gives one of those disarming smiles of his and steps back, closing the door of the giant SUV on the tiny, tiny woman. Wow she was cute.
Mika offers another cheerful smile and a perky little wave. Then, once he's stepped back to his car and is inside (she waits for him to get in his car first!), she pulls back out into traffic, quite thankful for the repaired tire and the new acquaintance. He was handsome, indeed…
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Bern, Switzerland
Bern is located in north western Switzerland. This incredibly beautiful city is the capital of the country and the largest settlement in the fourth largest country in the alpine canton. The city lies on the beautiful River Aare, which is a left tributary of the Rhine and which surrounds Bern on three sides by a water bag. The Swiss capital is not as densely populated as most European capitals. The population Bern is 128 041 people. The town has a profoundly beautiful old part, which is included in the list of World Cultural heritage sites of UNESCO in 1983. Bern extends in a radius of 12 km in all directions around the old city.
The name of the city Bern comes from the word bear. Brown predators are the symbol of the Swiss capital and in relation to its local origin rather tell an intriguing story. In 1191 Duke Berchtold V of Zähringen is entrained in pursuit of a bear and seamlessly reached the area which is surrounded on three sides by the River Aare.
The German nobleman, of course, managed to shoot the wild animal, but while going around the local nature remained fascinated by its beauty. As a result, he decided to start in these places a city that was named Bern. Entrusted with the task was Kuno von Bubenberg who has hewn wood and used wood for building Bern. In 1405 the city suffered a devastating fire and was built almost entirely anew, but this time the buildings were built of sandstone. In the 16th and 17th century they re-raise the buildings and reconstruct Bern.
In 1218, the Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire - Frederick II recognized Bern as a free city. Berthold died without heirs. In 1353 Bern joined the young Swiss Confederation and became the leading city. Bern became the largest city-state north of the Alps, having included in its composition Aarau in 1415 and Vaud - in 1536, as well as some other smaller territories. In 1798 Bern was occupied by French troops during the French revolutionary wars and lost much of its territories. In 1831 the city became the capital of Canton Bern and in 1848 was named administrative capital of Switzerland.
Founded in the 12th century in the hills of the River Aare, the Swiss capital Bern today combines a wide range of typical historic architectural features. In Bern, you can see the 13th century arcades and 16th-century fountains. Most of the architectural masterpieces today are rebuilt, because of the large-scale restoration in the 18th century. They were not removed and complement the original charm of the city.
Besides the bear, which appears on the crest of the city for the first time in 1224 another famous part of Bern is the Clock Tower. It stands in the old town center and is the official reference for Bernse time. It is also the starting point for measuring all distances in Canton. In its main eastern side, the clock has a complex astronomical and astrological mechanism that shows 24 hours a day.
It also provides information for 12-hour daylight, the position of the sun in the zodiac, the day of the week, date and lunar phases, plus the rise of the sun above the horizon during this time of year.
Today visitors Bern able to climb the clock tower and enjoy the beautiful view from the top of the addition, a familiarization tour of the interior of this symbol of Bern is also quite useful. Shortly before the onset of every hour, from inside the clock appear mechanical pieces - dancing jester, Chronos with his hourglass, a cock crow and a parade of bears.
Bern , |
The Pioneers of Human Psychology
An employee may need rest from the place of work, but may not want to ask for it. As a manager, considering the poor output of the employee due to lack of rest, he will force him to get rest. In applying this concept, the manager must show respect to the employees, and balance the respect he has and the task at hand. This concept is characterized by the devotion of a leader to his juniors, and of his desire to assist them in a professional and personal manner. To practice tough empathy, a manager must show the attitude of a value-driven action and portray characters of being firm, tough and direct. He must understand the victim’s view, and thus develop trust. In my own analysis, I agree with this concept of tough empathy, because it builds a good relation and trust in an organization. This situation is effective in a military organization where soldiers are in combat, and one of them faces psychological disturbances, affecting his effectiveness on duty. For example, an officers duty may conflict with his spiritual beliefs on life, and to reconcile these beliefs, and his duty, this concept is necessary (Garner, 2009). A leader cannot build the effective and diverse relationship without depicting some elements of empathy. This is because the ability to see issues in another person’s perspective and identify with the person’s feelings and emotions creates a social atmosphere of building trust. The victim in question sees a sense of concern from the leader. The effect of this is that it produces a stronger sense of cohesion in an organization, strengthening the morale of the staff. It enhances better communication and increases the level of discipline in an organization. Empathy improves the ability of a leader to solve problems and make decisions. It enables workers in an organization to achieve their goals.
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Housing: what theory and what research?
facade of an apartment building showing long balconiesThree academic articles come together for an intellectual tussle on housing theory and policy. David Clapham claims that there is a divide between researchers who focus on policy and those who focus on theory, and he asks where theory for housing research should come from and what it would look like. Hannu Ruonavaara, poses four positions about housing related theory: Is it possible to have one theory for all housing related research?; is it desirable to have one?; should we scrutinise housing as a special activity and experience?; and can we construct a theory about the relationships between the housing system and features of society? Manuel Aalbers, who in his article, asks What kind of theory for what kind of housing research? responds to both academics. He discusses the pros and cons of their arguments. The point about housing research being largely for the audience of other housing researchers is well made. He believes it is more important to demonstrate the relevance of housing research to other social scientists. More importantly it needs to influence policy. Not light reading, but fascinating if you are a housing researcher or interested in housing policy. |
Click to view animation.
HII regions are mainly composed of clouds of ionized hydrogen (that is, protons and electrons). In these clouds, sometimes one proton and one electron will recombine to form an atom of neutral hydrogen. When this happens, the electron starts at a high energy level in the newly-formed atom, then jumps down to a lower energy level. When the electron jumps, it releases a photon, as the animation to the right shows.
The exact series of energy level jumps is governed by quantum mechanical probability. One electron might be captured in the fifth energy level, jump to the third energy level, and then to the first energy level. Another electron might be captured in the fourth energy level, jump down to the third, then to the second, and finally to the first energy level.
The Whirlpool Galaxy
The Whirlpool Galaxy, M51.
Notice the pink HII regions.
Courtesy of The Hubble Heritage Project.
The most important energy level transitions are the ones that give off photons with wavelengths that we can observe with the SDSS. One of these jumps is the transition from the n = 3 to n = 2 energy levels, which gives off light with a wavelength of about 6560 Angstroms, which is in the red part of the spectrum. Because this jump is fairly common, HII regions give off a lot of red light. In a tri-color image using red, green and blue filters, HII regions appear pink. (BUT: SDSS tri-color images use the green, red, and near infrared filters to make color images – confusing, no? In SDSS images, HII regions appear light blue instead of pink.) Transitions from n = 4 to n = 2 and n = 5 to n = 2 levels also produce lines in the visible spectrum.
HII regions also give off a lot of ultraviolet light due to photons from the transitions where electrons jump into the n = 1 energy level. Since SDSS uses a filter in the near ultraviolet, the effects of this transition show up as well.
Question 1. Given the wavelengths of photons emitted by HII regions, how could you use astronomical colors (g-r, etc.) to distinguish HII regions misclassified by Photo from true separate galaxies?
Click on an image to the right to get text as a Flash or PDF document |
Difference between revisions of "257 Sermons"
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(Created page with " Here we are at the beginning of holy week for another year. Palm Sunday not only begins Holy Week but also invites us into a journey that will take us right through to East...")
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Revision as of 16:28, 6 April 2012
Palm Sunday not only begins Holy Week but also invites us into a journey that will take us right through to Easter morning. Like any journey, we may have a sense of our destination, but we cannot be sure what experiences and insights we shall encounter along the way.
So we find ourselves at the beginning of the holiest week in the Christian year.
In Jerusalem, where the Eastern traditions of Christianity are dominant, Palm Sunday will be next weekend, and the crowds will gather to celebrate the beginning of Holy Week. The Palestinian Boy Scouts will lead the faithful on the traditional route from the Mount of Olives down through the Kidron Valley and into the ancient city of Jerusalem.
But what are we to make of this day as we ceebrate it here in our time and place, and how are we going to experience Holy Week this year?
Related to that is the question of what we are the make of the story of Jesus entering the city, and the related story of the incidents Temple plaza?
Interestingly, the New Testament invites us not to take it all too literally!
Although Jesus coming to Jerusalem—and the subsequent events in the temple plaza area—are among the most secure facts for the life of the historical Jesus, the New Testament seems not exactly sure where to place these events.
In the Synoptic Gospels–Matthew, Mark, and Luke–Jesus makes just a single visit to Jerusalem as an adult. John's Gospel, on the other hand, as Jesus make multiple visits to the holy city as an adult.
Matthew, Mark and Luke all agree in placing the temple incident, that we sometimes call the ‘cleansing of the Temple,’ near the end of the story of Jesus. That is where we would expect it to be, given all we have heard in church and in Sunday school over the years.
However, John's Gospel has this remarkable incident happening near the start of Jesus’ ministry. For John, this is one of the first encounters of Jesus with the Jewish authorities, and in that Gospel it sets the scene for the conflicts and tensions that will follow
There are all kinds of reasons why this difference in chronology might have happened, but I am taking the fact that this uncertainty exists as a gentle nudge for us not to be too obsessed about the facts. Instead, we can relax and use our imaginations.
Imagination is an often overlooked elements of faithful Christian living.
What we cannot imagine, we can never achieve. If we cannot imagine the church for the people, we shall certainly never see it. If we can imagine our families being happy and healthy, they won’t be. If we cannot imagine a world that reflects God's values, we shall surely never experience it.
So let us exercise our imaginations as we begin Holy Week together. Let’s try to imagine what this events may have meant some of the people involved.
For the temple authorities ...
When word reached the Jewish authorities who were in control of the Temple about Jesus’ entrance to the city, the welcome he received from ecstatic grounds, and subsequently the incident in Temple plaza, they would not have been impressed.
They would have understood all too well that Jesus was engaging in a series of prophetic and symbolic actions which announced a change in the order of things, and which named and shamed their self-serving religious system for what had become.
In doing this, Jesus was not being anti-Jewish but entirely Jewish.
He was asserting the supremacy of God's values, he was standing in the tradition of the Jewish prophets, and he was anticipating the fulfillment of the messianic dreams. Jesus was asserting in word and action that what God is seeking is not fine buildings and glorious liturgies, but justice and mercy. Note: ‘justice and mercy.’
Not justice without mercy. Not mercy without justice. But both together.
And of course, when the Roman forces did destroy the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem some 40 years later perhaps some of those watching that terrible event may just have recalled what that troublesome prophet from Galilee had said and done.
For the Romans ...
From the perspective of the Roman occupation powers, Jesus’ entry into the city that first Palm Sunday, and the subsequent events in the temple precincts, were not matters of great concern.
In the eyes of the generals, Jesus did not pose a credible threat. This was simply a minor disruption of law and order. It could be left in the hands of the local authorities through whom the Romans preferred to manage their empire. Even at this busy and potentially unruly Passover season, this did not seem to be something requiring military intervention by the Roman powers. There was no need to send in the troops.
Yet because of the events which would follow in the next few days, a very minor and not very competent Roman administrator, Pontius Pilate, would become the best known Roman official of all time. Not because of the achievements of his administration, but because the followers of Jesus would never let his name be forgotten as the person who condemned Jesus to death.
Even more remarkable, in fewer than 300 years time, even the Emperor of Rome will be a follower of this insignificant Jew that did not pose a credible threat to the powers that be.
For the crowd ...
What might the Passover crowds gathered in Jerusalem that spring day have made of Jesus’ entry to the city, followed by the events that unfolded in the temple and its environs over the following few days?
Perhaps they saw in that a call for resistance to Rome? Perhaps it fanned their hopes for another period of political independence?
Perhaps it captured and crystallised and focused the popular criticisms of the aristocratic families who held the priesthood and control the Temple? Sentiments were not unique to Jesus, and his actions may well have fanned them afresh among the crowds.
Perhaps also, some of them saw in the actions and words of Jesus a celebration of traditional Jewish values and affirmation. Here was a movement of grassroots religion in conflict with institutional religion. The power lay with the institution, but the future lay with the people.
Perhaps some of them even saw a chance to seize power and cancel the debts that were crippling their lives? Certainly, when the rebellion against Rome broke out in 66 CE, one of the first actions of the rebels was to burn down the government archives where all the debt records were kept!
For the disciples ...
And what were those closest to Jesus to make of all these events? They had travelled with him around Galilee and from Galilee to Jerusalem.
Are we making the big time now?
Yesterday Galilee, today Jerusalem, tomorrow–Rome?
Were they asking, what is in it for us? How do we get a share of the action?
Are we to imagine them jostling for influence, status, and power?
For Jesus ...
This is the most difficult for me to imagine. With every other example, we have been dealing with more than a single individual. We know something about these groups, their relationships, and the circumstances under which they lived in the ancient world. However, when we try to zero in on an individual face in the ancient crowds this becomes much more difficult.
How do you imagine Jesus?
Did Jesus know in advance what was going to happen to him over the next few days? Did he have an envelope in his back pocket with the secret instructions from the father?
Or was Jesus having to respond to God's call on his life one step at a time, one day at a time, one faithful decision after another?
People may well imagine Jesus differently, however,I prefer to think of Jesus as being more like the second description than the first.
So I imagine Jesus arriving from the North, and stopping to view the city from the Mt Olives. I imagine him weeping over the city as the prophets had done before him. Weeping over a city that had so much potential for good, for peace, for life. And yet, a city which achieved so little of its possibilities.
I imagine Jesus looking down at the city and thinking to himself that this was the destination to which every prophet of God must come at some stage, and despite the risk.
I imagine Jesus choosing to mount the donkey—and deciding not to turn North and put the city behind him, but rather to ride that donkey down the slopes towards the city not knowing what was to happen, but perhaps sensing that what would follow might cost him his life.
And for us...
So where are we this week? Where are we today, this morning, right now?
And are we prepared to pay whatever price God asks of us?
One step at a time, one day after another? |
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Aquascaping Answers: Kelvin Ratings and Green Dust Algae
Alright, time to answer some aquascaping questions! I'll dive right in:
I was doing some research on the compact florescent bulb lighting system on my freshwater planted aquarium. (20 gal). I found out that I have this bulb. SmartPaq Daylight 10000ºK Actinic 460nm 40W I read online that this bulb is likely structured for a salt water reef tanks. Apparently actinic light is supposed to benefit corals. Other sources seem to suggest a K rating closer to 6700 for fresh water plants. Is this salt water bulb harming my plants? Would I get more results out of a 6700 bulb The best bulb available that I cant find is a 10000k/ 6700k 40 watt bulb. Will this make any difference? Thanks
First of all, you are not hurting your plants by using an actinic bulb. However, it's probably not doing them any good either. That's because plants use specific wavelengths of light for photosynthesis. These wavelengths are not produced by actinic bulbs, so yes, you would get more results out of a 6700K bulb. As to what Kelvin rating creates the best growth for plants, that's not the measurement you want to look at. Kelvin just approximates the color the light appears to the human eye, and not the wavelengths produced (though they do often correlate roughly). Therefore, it's much more helpful to get a spectral output graph for the bulb in question. Bulbs that match up with the wavelengths used for photosynthesis will probably be better for you plants. The differences may be too small to notice though, so if you can't find a spectral output graph,
just go ahead and buy a light in the 6700K-10000K range and it should put out the approximate wavelengths needed. That dual 6700K/10000K bulb sounds perfect. For more reading on the subject, check out my article Understanding Full Spectrum Aquarium Lighting.
My tank is relatively clean, free from algae, but I do get green dust algae on the glass. It stays off the plants, but I can't seem to keep it off the glass. Any recommendations? I don't believe I'm over feeding and I've cut my lights back a few hours. Is it just a matter of more regular water changes?
Ahh, the dreaded green dust algae. This one plagues even experienced aquascapers. What causes it is still not certain. Otherwise balanced tanks often experience it, so I wouldn't worry too much about reducing lights and feeding just yet. I'd try your hand at removing it. It's actually a zoospore, and this is important to keep in mind when trying to minimize the green haze it creates on aquarium glass. The usual tactic, scraping it off the glass with an algae scraper, won't work all that well, because this algae can swim. It will just swim right back onto the glass and re-attach itself. Weird, huh? So there are two ways to combat it. There's the not-so-patient method which involves scraping down the glass while doing a water change and sucking up as much of the algae as possible as you scrape it off. This has mixed results, but if done thoroughly and repetitively, should work. The patient method is to wait 2-3 weeks and not scrape it at all. This allows the algae to complete it's lifecycle, at which point it will turn into a thick jelly-like wrinkled substance. After 2-3 weeks, it will either drop off on its own, or you can safely scrape it off, sucking up the remains. Most people report this method to be most successful and the green dust algae does not return. I've managed to keep it in check with regular scraping and water changes and a handfull of Otocinclus catfish, but it's still there. I'm not that patient to let it grow out! Good luck!
Ask a question about aquascaping, keeping aquatic plants, plant-friendly fish, lighting, CO2, fertilizing, or any other aquarium plant related question in the comments to this post, and I'll answer them in next week's edition.
1. That second question was mine. I actually had room in my tank, so I added some more Otos and a BN Pleco (still small). We shall see how they do, but I am also trying out the not scraping method. Once that's done I'll try to keep up with the regular water changes.
2. For the 2nd question, I find I only get it when my tank is lacking in kh2P04.
3. Can negative space be an effective focal point in an aquascape? What about driftwood - not the plants attached to the driftwood, but the driftwood itself (e.g., if you had an interestingly knarled piece)?
4. for the dust algae, maybe you could try to let the water from your return pump drop onto a fine screen or a mesh (like the material used for small aquarium fish nets) before hitting the tank. this way the algae can grow on the mesh instead and not drift onto the glass of your tank. once the mesh is full, you could dispose the algae easily. (this works for marine/ reef aquarium algae)
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Fundamentalism represents a movement within evangelicalism that began in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries as a reaction to two forces that undermined the credibility of the Bible: the “higher criticism” of the Biblical text prevalent in liberal Protestantism and the development of evolutionary theory in science. Many evangelicals began to proclaim the need to establish and defend the fundamentals of the faith against these views1. Fundamentalism was equivalent to evangelicalism from the 1920s through the early 1940s, during the highest point of fundamentalism’s popularity and presence2. Mounting secular opposition to fundamentalism led many within the movement to desire to withdraw from society; this trend led many evangelicals to separate themselves from fundamentalists3. Fundamentalism is marked by a passionate defense of whatever is perceived to involve the “fundamentals” of the faith, including the Trinity, the Incarnation and the Virgin Birth, the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus, and the creation narrative in Genesis. Fundamentalists also hold to the view of inerrancy of the Scriptures. While many different groups of Christians and denominations agree with fundamentalists on many issues, the anti-intellectual, anti-social, and reactionary tendencies often found in fundamentalism marks it off as a specific subset of evangelicalism4.
Sections on this Page
Origins and History
Fundamentalism developed within evangelicalism, as noted above, as a reaction to the undermining of the credibility of the Bible by liberal Protestantism and the scientific community. The 1878 Niagara Bible Conference established a creed of beliefs akin to fundamentalist concepts; in the 1910s, volumes began to be dispersed regarding “the fundamentals,” and this name would eventually attach itself to the entire movement5. The term (and the movement) gained great popularity in the 1920s, and at this time, evangelicalism and fundamentalism were all but synonymous6.
This popularity would not last long. The Scopes “monkey trial” of 1925, regarding the teaching of evolution in schools, was a Pyrrhic victory for the fundamentalists; while they won the trial, they lost credibility in the eyes of many Americans6. Many proponents of fundamentalism began to “circle the wagons”, declare dispensational premillennialism as one of the “fundamentals” of the faith, and promote withdrawal from society at large7. These tendencies, along with concerns regarding anti-intellectualism and the definition of inerrancy prevalent among many fundamentalists, led to the separation of those who would be deemed “postfundamentalist evangelicals” from fundamentalist evangelicals by the 1940s8. From this point on, while most fundamentalists would continue to be evangelicals, not all or even a majority of evangelicals could be considered part of fundamentalism.
Fundamentalism has continued to exist as a subset of evangelicalism. The movement is still marked by a focus on what is deemed the “fundamentals”, right wing politics and a “Christian nation” mentality, suspicion of all things intellectual, dispensational premillennial viewpoints, and oftentimes a reactionary zeal.
Who Are Fundamentalists?
Just as with the term “evangelical”, the term “fundamentalism” is often used and misused in religious discussions today. It is important for us to understand the meanings of the term and how we shall define the term for the purposes of our study.
One definition of fundamentalism, which is quite popular in modern media today, refers to any or all groups who react to modernism in a militant way. In this light, modern Islamic jihadists are described as “Islamic fundamentalists”, and many unhelpful comparisons are often made between such persons and Christian fundamentalism. The second definition of fundamentalism involves the conservative Protestant reaction to the rise of liberal Protestantism in the late nineteenth centuries and early twentieth centuries. A third definition, distinct from the second less by belief and more by mood, represents a narrow, more militant separatist movement within conservative evangelical Protestantism emerging in the early twentieth century, after major Protestant denominations embraced many aspects of liberal Protestant ecumenism9. Based on the second definition, many times “fundamentalist” also refers to any evangelical or to anyone who believes in the fundamental doctrines of the Christian faith.
We can see, therefore, that while the term “fundamentalist” can be viewed rather broadly, so as to include all “conservative” Christians, such a designation can often be misleading. For the purposes of this study, we will focus upon and use the second and third definitions of fundamentalism, speaking of the movement within evangelicalism that has existed since the beginning of the twentieth century.
Denominations Involved
Fundamentalism, especially in its modern permutation, tends to be found in individuals and in individual congregations of many denominations; there are also many independent fundamentalist churches throughout the country. Denominations that have some fundamentalist factions include Baptists, a few Wesleyan groups, and many Pentecostal churches. There may be a few fundamentalist groups in other Protestant denominations, yet their numbers would be far less.
Fundamentalism, as has been noted, is a subset of evangelicalism. Some fundamentalist trends may be found also in some community churches and house churches.
General Considerations
As with many matters involving fundamentalist groups, there is some level of disagreement about many of the matters listed below. They are provided as a general guide for understanding.
Part I
Lutheranism: Faith Alone; The Lord’s Prayer
Calvinism: TULIP
Baptists: Once Saved, Always Saved
Plymouth Brethren: Dispensationalism; Premillennialism
Part III
Concerning Observances:
Observances Concerning the Lord’s Birth: Advent; Christmas
Creeds: The Apostles’ Creed; The Nicene Creed
Instrumental Music
Positions of Authority: Who is the Pastor?; Ordination; Synods, Councils, Conventions, and Other Meetings
Fundamentalism’s Reactionary Tendencies
As we have seen, fundamentalism represents a reactionary movement against liberal tendencies in Protestantism. While there is much that is agreeable in an emphasis on the fundamentals of the faith, there is always a concern of going too far when a group is reacting to events in other groups. The majority of concerns that exist regarding fundamentalism, in fact, revolve around some overreactions that have plagued the movement.
One such overreaction has been noted previously: as the fundamentalist movement developed, dispensational premillennialism was added to the list of “fundamental” doctrines. Any “list” or creedal statement is automatically suspicious, as is made clear in Creeds. Nevertheless, as is evident from Plymouth Brethren: Premillennialism, not only is dispensational premillennialism not a “fundamental” aspect of the faith, but it also represents a false belief system that is not consistent with a holistic understanding of Biblical eschatology. Enshrining dispensational premillennialism as a “fundamental” of the faith demonstrates an instance when a tradition of man is elevated to an improper level.
Another instance of this type of overreaction is seen in the belief system of many fundamentalists regarding women and clothing. Based upon the Old Testament prohibition of men wearing women’s clothing and vice versa in Deuteronomy 22:5, many fundamentalists believe it sinful for a woman to wear pants. Surely it is not sinful for a woman to avoid wearing pants if she is concerned about seeming to look like a man; on the other hand, having such a view and binding it represents an instance where a cultural tradition of a certain time is enshrined as a doctrine of God without any Biblical basis. Sixteenth-century men’s clothing looks feminine or effeminate today; similarly, neither men nor women wore pants per se in the time of Paul. Regardless, such is an Old Testament proscription; while one may want to avoid cross-dressing on the basis of Romans 1:26-27 and 1 Corinthians 6:9-10, we cannot establish anything as binding today on Christians because it was established in Deuteronomy (Ephesians 2:11-18, Colossians 2:14-17). If it is culturally acceptable for women to wear pants and there is no perception that by doing so they look like men, it is inappropriate for us to instead bind a tradition of fifty to a hundred years ago against such a view.
Not all fundamentalists practice such things, but most who do could be classified as fundamentalists. Such views and doctrines demonstrate the stumbling block inherent in reactionary movements: they oftentimes go beyond what is written in the other direction (cf. 2 John 1:9). Such is a trap which ought to be avoided!
KJV Onlyism
Another manifestation of this reactionary tendency within fundamentalism is seen within the King James Version (KJV) Onlyism. While not all fundamentalists are KJV onlyists, most KJV onlyists are fundamentalists. KJV onlyism represents a spectrum of views favoring the King James Version over any and all other versions. In the “mildest” cases, a person simply prefers the KJV over other versions. Others believe that the Textus Receptus (TR), the Greek text upon which the KJV was translated, was in fact inspired by God; some go so far as to say that the KJV itself is the inspired word of God, and any alterations to the KJV are reckoned as anathema.
Such a view has been promoted for as long as fundamentalism has existed, ever since Westcott and Hort came out with a Greek text based upon the more ancient manuscripts of the New Testament in the nineteenth century. These manuscripts–the basis of the modern translations and versions–differed from the TR in many ways. Since Westcott and Hort were both scholars associated with liberal Protestantism, fundamentalists were automatically suspicious of their activities. Many fundamentalists made no distinction between “higher” and “lower” forms of textual criticism and considered the endeavor to present the Biblical text as represented by the oldest and most superior witnesses as equivalent to the literary criticism that was undermining faith in the Biblical text. Some began to defend the KJV and its text base, the TR, strongly against the American Standard Version (ASV) and later versions based on these older manuscripts.
KJV onlyists will often point to various New Testament passages as rendered in the KJV versus modern versions, note various contrasts, and then charge the translators of the modern versions with either denigrating Jesus’ divinity, denying His substitutionary atonement, or some other doctrine. They will claim that the name of God is removed thousands of times from the Bible. Many other serious claims will be made in an attempt to demonstrate the legitimacy of the King James Version over the more modern versions.
The underlying difficulty with all of the arguments made by KJV onlyists is that they use the KJV or the TR as the standard of judgment. If the KJV or the TR represent the standard by which all other versions are judged, then certainly they will all fall short. Should the KJV or the TR be considered the standard?
Desiderius Erasmus, the editor of the Textus Receptus, did not consider either himself or his text as inspired. The members of the translation committee of the King James Version did not claim that they or their translation were inspired. In fact, both Erasmus and the translators of the KJV used many of the same textual critical and translational methods as modern scholars. Furthermore, the King James Version was “authorized” not by God but by the King of England!
What, then, should be the standard? In 2 Timothy 3:15-17, Paul establishes that all Scripture is inspired; Peter speaks of men who spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit in 2 Peter 1:21. We have no doubt, based upon these passages, that the original texts of the New Testament were inspired; there is no indication that any later changes or errors that crept in during the transmission process are also “inspired”. The KJV and the TR, or the modern versions or the present Greek texts of the New Testament, do not represent the standard of judgment: the original texts ought to represent the standard of judgment!
Unfortunately, we do not have possession of the original texts of the New Testament. That is why textual critics seek to use the oldest and most superior manuscripts: they attempt to return to be as close to the original texts as we can be allowed.
Likewise, the charge that modern versions attempt to subvert various doctrines is simply untenable. All modern versions, in appropriate passages, affirm the Deity of Christ, the substitutionary atonement of Christ, and all other appropriate truths of the Gospel. Just because certain other verses read differently does not mean that their translators are denying core doctrines!
It is a task suited for its own book to systematically analyze all of the arguments of KJV onlyism; it is sufficient for our purposes to demonstrate how KJV onlyism represents another reactionary tendency in the fundamentalist movement. In part, KJV onlyism represents the suspicion of any intellectual endeavor: textual criticism is guilty by association with literary criticism, even though the two do not always meet. KJV onlyism also represents enshrining a given later tradition–in this context, a seventeenth century English translation of the Bible–as itself a fundamental, even though there is no Biblical basis for such a view. Finally, KJV onlyism represents the attempt to resolve a theological conundrum regardless of what reality may dictate: many fundamentalists do not want to imagine that the Word of God was altered or changed even to the smallest jot or tittle, and therefore it is easier to consider the KJV inspired than to believe that errors crept into the text, and that textual criticism is necessary to provide a text closely related to the original New Testament.
There are many times when there is good reason to disagree with a given textual critical decision, or to favor one way of translating a given passage over another. Such represents the natural discussion that takes place within the textual critical and translational communities, which ought to involve normal Christians whenever possible. Such discussions, however, provide no justification of elevating one translation as the “inspired Word of God” above any other translation. Translations are the work of men; while they are quite accurate these days, they all have their strengths and weaknesses. Any Bible translation can lead a person to enough understanding of the faith so as to be saved; there are enough tools available to assist any Christian who seeks to grow in his or her faith to understand any difficulties that are present within the Bible.
There is no difficulty in someone preferring the KJV as his or her translation of choice. On the other hand, it is also important to not bear false witness toward God in claiming that He inspired something that He did not inspire, and to elevate a given translation or version as authoritative when God has not given us any ground upon which to do so. It is important to avoid overreacting and “going beyond Jerusalem,” so to speak, and ending up in another kind of error (cf. 2 John 1:9-10)!
Other Resources
1: Roger Olson, Pocket History of Evangelical Theology, 85-88.
2: ibid.
3: ibid., 88-90
4: ibid., 100-101
5: ibid., 85
6: ibid., 86
7: ibid., 88
8: ibid., 90
9: For all these definitions, cf. ibid., 83-84
Return to Movements
Return to A Study of Denominations
4 Responses
1. orlando peccora
Thank you for such great articles and useful tools to learn…..
2. born from above |
[…] attempts to undermine confidence in the validity of the Biblical account of creation and history. Fundamentalism as a movement began within evangelicalism in the early twentieth century as a reaction against […]
3. Roger Metzger
In the section, “Judaic Practices”, Ethan Longhenry has articulated a view that is common among Christians, namely, that (as I understand him) to live under grace and not under the law means to live by the commandments (or laws) given by Jesus but not by the commandments (or laws) given by Moses–except for those commandments reiterated by Jesus.
Jesus told his disciples to go into all the world, teaching people what things he had commended them and baptizing believers.
When I was a boy, my parents were voting members of a congregation that didn’t use the word, “baptism”, to refer to sprinkling or pouring. My parents and their friends taught that the word, “baptism”, means to saturate or immerse. Yet when an elder of that congregation invited people to participate in the Lord’s supper, the invitation was extended to “anyone who is a baptized Christian”. In that context, there was never anything specific mentioned about the meaning of the word, “baptism”, so a person was invited to participate who considered himself to be baptized, even if he was accustomed to using a broader definition of that word.
Should we extend Christian fellowship to people who believe Jesus to be the true Messiah but whose theology differs from our own?
I answer in the affirmative AND I teach that it IS appropriate for Christian congregations or denominations to have behavior criteria for voting membership, even if some of those criteria are things that I cannot substantiate from the Gospels alone.
Deuteronomy 24:15 requires the payment of wages before sundown on the day the work is done. I don’t know of any Christian congregation that requires this as a criteria for voting membership but IF it is made clear that this requirement is not imposed as a condition of Christian fellowship, I would not be opposed to making it one of the criteria for voting membership in a congregation or denomination.
Would that constitute promotion of “judaic practices”?
Jesus said, “Before Abraham was, I am.” The people who heard him say that understood him to mean he was the God of Abraham and of Moses. I agree. Without him was not anything made that was made.
For that reason, I reject the implication that the commandments given through Moses are not given by Jesus. No, he was not yet named, “Jesus”, when he spoke his law in thundertones from the mountain but, speaking through Isaiah, he said, “For I am the Lord thy God, the Holy One of Israel, they Saviour…..I, even I, am the Lord; and beside me there is no saviour.” – Isaiah 43
It should be further noted that the savior could not give his law from the mountain without demonstrating the gospel in the sandbox at the foot of the mountain. The entire sacrificial system was an enacted prophecy of the plan of redemption.
No, I don’t sacrifice animals–and I don’t recommend that anyone else do so. But people learn in stages. It would be better from someone who reads the Hebrew Bible to sacrifice animals until he understands that the firstborn at the time of the Exodus were saved by the lamb of God–the Messiah (not by the sacrificial ceremony itself) than to make a distinction between “the law of Moses” and “the law of Christ”.
The author seems to reject dispensationalism. I do too. Yet he seems to be advocating the very doctrine upon which John Darby developed dispensationalism in the nineteenth century.
Let me reiterate: We can avoid theological disagreements (or at least avoid being “disagreeable”) by making a distinction between Christian fellowship v. criteria for voting membership in a congregation or denomination and by avoiding the implication that criteria based on the Hebrew Bible alone are inappropriate in the latter case.
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Tag Archives: mental
Bradley Cooper, Mental Health & Exercise
Dementia and mental illness are not the most common subjects of Hollywood Blockbusters, but their have been some notable exceptions, for example the excellent performance of Bradley Cooper in Silver Linings Playbook depicting someone with Bipolar Disorder.
As a fitness professional and as someone who lost my father to dementia (I wrote in a previous blog, “Dementia: I lost my father, don’t lose yours” about my very personal experience with Alzheimer’s disease) the link between exercise and diet is one that really interests me.
Since my last blog on this topic then, there has been new evidence linking diet and exercise to the avoidance of dementia, an illness that is reaching epidemic proportions in our aging population.
A recent study by the University of California has concluded that high levels of “bad” cholesterol are linked to the presence of abnormal brain proteins that are seen in Alzheimer’s disease. Whereas previous studies have linked high cholesterol to Alzheimer’s, this is the first direct link between cholesterol levels in the blood to the concentration of amyloid plaques, the hallmark of this degenerative disease, in the brains of living patients.
The study reached the conclusion that whilst effects were small to moderate, over a prolonged period they can make a significant difference in reducing the prevalence of Alzheimer’s. Eating foods such as lentils, garlic, oily fish and avocados, and avoided saturated fats can help to lower “bad” cholesterol levels.
Another study reported in the US at the University of Pittsburgh concluded that physical exercise is as important in reducing the risk of dementia as keeping the mind active. By simply taking a brisk walk three of four times a week can effectively grow back the brain. The study involved 120 people aged 60 to 80. Half of the group had a brisk walk for 30 to 45 minutes three to four times a week. The other half only did light stretching exercises. After the 12 month test period, cognitive tests and MRI scans showed that the group who walked had a 2% growth of their hippocampus region of the brain, the part that is crucial for memory, and a similar growth in the pre-frontal cortex, the area involved in decision making and social behaviour. By contrast, the people in the other group showed a reduction in brain size which is in keeping with the “expected” rate of decline in the elderly.
It is not clear yet exactly how exercising can make the brain grow and improve brain function, but it is possible that the increase in blood flow improves the oxygen supply to the brain. Another possibility is that exercise encourages growth genes to trigger new connections between neurons.
Neural plasticity is a growing area of interest to science, and studies such as this one clearly show that the brain is able to grow well into old age, and that the “inevitable” decline in function is not as inevitable as was once thought.
Dementia. I lost my father, don’t lose yours
This is a very personal and difficult blog for me to write, but one that I really want to share with you all. No pictures, just my honest, heart-felt story.
Dementia, even in 2013, is still a dirty word to many people and misunderstood by many others. It “remains one of the last bastions of stigma and fear when it comes to illness” as the UK health secretary very succinctly put it. This week in the UK press there has been a lot of headlines about it as David Cameron headed a G8 conference on the subject on Wednesday the 11th December. The result of this was that the G8 pledged that they would find a cure by 2025, treating it in the same was as HIV/Aids and cancer
My story is a typical one, nothing special when dealing with this terrible disease. My father started showing symptoms a few years ago. The usual forgetfulness and unusual behaviour. The disease soon progressed to the point where he didn’t recognise me. This thought still makes me cry to this day. If you want to understand what dementia can do, try imagining one of your parents looking at you like a stranger, and worse with mistrust and even fear in their eyes. I witnessed my father not only lose his mental capacity, but also his dignity. The care he received from one of the UK’s so-called leading healthcare providers was a disgrace and only made the whole situation worse. The night my father passed away, I had a horrible dream. I woke up with a sick feeling in my stomach to find that I had slept through a call from the hospital telling me I should get to his bedside immediately as he wouldn’t make it through the night. I will regret missing that call for the rest of my life, but maybe it saved me the pain of seeing him pass away. I can instead remember saying good night to him the night before and kissing him on his forehead as he was in a peaceful, drug-induced sleep.
Labelled the 21st Century Plague, dementia is going to become part of more and more people’s lives. About 800,000 people in Britain currently suffer from it, and this figure is predicted to double by 2050, with cases around the world projected to triple to 135 million by the same date. Currently, there is no cure with health services only able to try to help people live with their disease rather than cure it. This makes it all the more important to reduce the risks of developing it in the first place. Research is increasingly showing that five key components of healthy lifestyle can ward off a range of conditions including heart disease, diabetes and dementia. A recent 35 year study found more evidence to confirm this. So what are the five key components?
1) Regular exercise
2) Eating fruit and vegetables
3) Staying slim
4) Light drinking
5) Not smoking
So not rocket science then, and something that everyone can do. As Doug Brown, director of research at the Alzheimer’s Society said “we have known for some time that what is good for your heart is also good for your head….. healthy living could significantly reduce the chances of developing dementia”.
I still cry when I think back to what happened to my father. Whilst the world’s leading countries have finally woken up to this global issue (some cynics might say their attitude has been clarified by the threat of enormous costs associated with treating sufferers), by taking five simple steps, we can all help to reduce the risk of my story becoming your story, or your children’s story. Trust me, however difficult you might think those five steps are, the alternative could be ultimately worse.
Here are some links to recent articles I have written about the connection between mental and physical health, and about depression. New studies are confirming the links every week. |
Mar 19, 2017
Jack Davis and How Complexity Looks Simple
Reading the Lines: Jack Davis and How Complexity Looks Simple
Travis Hedge Coke
A comic is made up of signs, visual and textual. Signs break down, primarily, into three categories - icons, symbols, and indices - and all three of those have a plentitude of crossover and double-duty.
An icon is a thing that looks like what it stands in for. Most comics art is outline art, and the outlines are one-to-one representations of a woman, a fish, a rocking chair, mountain, or planet with a face floating in front of another outline representing Thor, God of Thunder.
Symbols, on the other hand, are representations that are visual signals (or auditory, but not so much in comics, then), that really exist, then, inside our minds. They’re a kind of noun-action process. “Spider-Man” is a symbol, and so is “spider-sense,” but the wavy lines that we perceive as a visualization of his non-visual (or at least, non-radiant) spider-sense? Not a symbol, but an index.
An index — How many of you are getting a narrator voice in your head? — is a stimulus or representation of a sensory feature, which correlates with and implies a second thing. An index relies on the correlation being statistically common. Wavy lines are not a symbol of spider-sense, because they cannot be removed from Spider-Man’s head and still be statistically likely to mean spider-sense. Wavy lines radiating from Spidey’s hand or his buttocks would imply radically different things. The same lines, haloing a monk or a Christmas tree would not likely be spider-sense or whatever they meant around Spidey-bum.
Text signs can be broken down into universally agreed upon base elements, which for the English language are our basic alphabet and typographical symbols. A, z, m, #, @, *, ! and so forth are our base. However, visual signs cannot be so concretely broken down, and the breakdown we may choose is likely not to be considered universal. The drawing of a head may be broken down into mouth, nose, eyes, and the eye may be broken down into parts illustrates or one continual line, or even where the line was begun. But, the line that makes up the lower lid of an eye, without context, is not the lower lid of an eye except, at most, in the case of intent of the artist.
We can break it down to the smallest whole image, but wtf is a “whole image”? What’s the smallest whole image of spidey-sense? Of hair?
There is a large percentage of the public who feel that more detail is always better art, or indicative of a more quality artist. And, most of us believe we see more detail and specificity reproduced in art than we do. On a simple level, we believe in some way that we have seen a face in art, when we have only seen lines or colors or specks and dots. More deceptively, we often miscalculate how much detail has gone into hair, even when there is quite a lot of detail work in the drawing of hair. Inexperienced artists often try to delineate far too many specific strands or locks, to almost trace out each individual hair, the way many inexperienced writers will write each successive step of an action, presenting their character walking, step by step, across the room to open a door and go outside and close it again and get into their car. An experienced writer just puts them in the car. An experienced artist can imply a lot, make our brains fill in all sorts of blanks.
This is the recently departed Jack Davis’ Jack Davis Meets the Mets from the seventh issue of Help vol 2, dated Oct 1963.
The top four (borderless) panels are meant to be read successively, clearly. Beyond that, do you read left to right? Left, then top/middle right, bottom right? Do you spiral the page like some mutant Fibonacci constant? There is no prescribed reading path. The remaining four panels are, narratively and contextually isolated incidents probably intended to be taken one at a time, on their own terms. I doubt they were even necessarily drawn as a single page; it’s probably a paste up job from the assorted gag strips and single-panel cartoons.
The hatching behind the icons of baseball players, in the strip up top is nonspecific, but from it we can infer motion and we can infer a contextual sense of space. There is no detail to the space, but clearly one must exist, as we have depth, distinguishing differentiation between the dark made by the hatching and the white space left framing the figures.
Similarly, in the tier below, dark is used to push figures to the foreground, while background figures, such as the ticket-taker, are made up largely of white space.
And, while the text of the captions is definitely text, with its own symbols and indices, the text above the turnstile, GATE 2, is an icon and an index. It is a visual representation of a sign that has text on it, but most significantly, it implies to the reader that this is the entry gate for a baseball game because of visual and narrative context.
Perspective is eyeballed. It is not perfect. A layperson or an inexperienced artist may have trouble with this, but perfect perspective is rarely a bonus in actual art. It is generally better that the art seems right or true, than to be measure for measure replicated.
The faces and limbs are not anatomically perfect. Characters are caricatured while seeming, also, pure and true people. Cheeks are cartoonishly distended. A face is shown in in time lapse slices with motion-lines indicated the arc of his head's swing.
It seems, at a glance, to be simple, direct artwork, but there are layers of iconography and implications at play to make it seem simple and act directly.
You probably don’t even have to know a lick about baseball to make sense of any one of the comics on the page, or all of them, together. The indices here are clear, they’re strong. The linework that make up the icons is deft, the icons themselves are both universal and idiosyncratic. These aren’t generic ballplayer, over and over, or generic guy in place. They’re specific people, but they are specific people who reinforce the basic job-person or type they represent.
Nothing on this page requires a specialist knowledge or particular training beyond basic literacy. Maybe, classically, not even that. Child or adult, in 1963 or now, in 2017, everything is identifiable and clear to us almost at a glance. Nothing looks challenging or feels out of place, but the deeper you look, the more effort went into this. The more it feels like Davis was actively conscious of precisely what he was committing.
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Reverse-Engineer the Brain
Reverse-engineer the brain News
For decades, some of engineering’s best minds have focused their thinking skills on how to create thinking machines — computers capable of emulating human intelligence.
Why should you reverse-engineer the brain?
While some of thinking machines have mastered specific narrow skills — playing chess, for instance — general-purpose artificial intelligence (AI) has remained elusive.
Part of the problem, some experts now believe, is that artificial brains have been designed without much attention to real ones. Pioneers of artificial intelligence approached thinking the way that aeronautical engineers approached flying without much learning from birds. It has turned out, though, that the secrets about how living brains work may offer the best guide to engineering the artificial variety. Discovering those secrets by reverse-engineering the brain promises enormous opportunities for reproducing intelligence the way assembly lines spit out cars or computers.
Sophisticated computer simulations could also be used in many other applications. Simulating the interactions of proteins in cells would be a novel way of designing and testing drugs, for instance. And simulation capacity will be helpful beyond biology, perhaps in forecasting the impact of earthquakes in ways that would help guide evacuation and recovery plans.
Much of this power to simulate reality effectively will come from increased computing capability rooted in the reverse-engineering of the brain. Learning from how the brain itself learns, researchers will likely improve knowledge of how to design computing devices that process multiple streams of information in parallel, rather than the one-step-at-a-time approach of the basic PC. Another feature of real brains is the vast connectivity of nerve cells, the biological equivalent of computer signaling switches. While nerve cells typically form tens of thousands of connections with their neighbors, traditional computer switches typically possess only two or three. AI systems attempting to replicate human abilities, such as vision, are now being developed with more, and more complex, connections.
What are the applications for this information?
Already, some applications using artificial intelligence have benefited from simulations based on brain reverse-engineering. Examples include AI algorithms used in speech recognition and in machine vision systems in automated factories. More advanced AI software should in the future be able to guide devices that can enter the body to perform medical diagnoses and treatments.
Of potentially even greater impact on human health and well-being is the use of new AI insights for repairing broken brains. Damage from injury or disease to the hippocampus, a brain structure important for learning and memory, can disrupt the proper electrical signaling between nerve cells that is needed for forming and recalling memories. With knowledge of the proper signaling patterns in healthy brains, engineers have begun to design computer chips that mimic the brain’s own communication skills. Such chips could be useful in cases where healthy brain tissue is starved for information because of the barrier imposed by damaged tissue. In principle, signals from the healthy tissue could be recorded by an implantable chip, which would then generate new signals to bypass the damage. Such an electronic alternate signaling route could help restore normal memory skills to an impaired brain that otherwise could not form them.
“Neural prostheses” have already been put to use in the form of cochlear implants to treat hearing loss and stimulating electrodes to treat Parkinson’s disease. Progress has also been made in developing “artificial retinas,” light-sensitive chips that could help restore vision.
Even more ambitious programs are underway for systems to control artificial limbs. Engineers envision computerized implants capable of receiving the signals from thousands of the brain’s nerve cells and then wirelessly transmitting that information to an interface device that would decode the brain’s intentions. The interface could then send signals to an artificial limb, or even directly to nerves and muscles, giving directions for implementing the desired movements.
Other research has explored, with some success, implants that could literally read the thoughts of immobilized patients and signal an external computer, giving people unable to speak or even move a way to communicate with the outside world.
What is needed to reverse-engineer the brain?
The progress so far is impressive. But to fully realize the brain’s potential to teach us how to make machines learn and think, further advances are needed in the technology for understanding the brain in the first place. Modern noninvasive methods for simultaneously measuring the activity of many brain cells have provided a major boost in that direction, but details of the brain’s secret communication code remain to be deciphered. Nerve cells communicate by firing electrical pulses that release small molecules called neurotransmitters, chemical messengers that hop from one nerve cell to a neighbor, inducing the neighbor to fire a signal of its own (or, in some cases, inhibiting the neighbor from sending signals). Because each nerve cell receives messages from tens of thousands of others, and circuits of nerve cells link up in complex networks, it is extremely difficult to completely trace the signaling pathways.
Furthermore, the code itself is complex — nerve cells fire at different rates, depending on the sum of incoming messages. Sometimes the signaling is generated in rapid-fire bursts; sometimes it is more leisurely. And much of mental function seems based on the firing of multiple nerve cells around the brain in synchrony. Teasing out and analyzing all the complexities of nerve cell signals, their dynamics, pathways, and feedback loops, presents a major challenge.
Today’s computers have electronic logic gates that are either on or off, but if engineers could replicate neurons’ ability to assume various levels of excitation, they could create much more powerful computing machines. Success toward fully understanding brain activity will, in any case, open new avenues for deeper understanding of the basis for intelligence and even consciousness, no doubt providing engineers with insight into even grander accomplishments for enhancing the joy of living.
Berger, T.W., et al. Restoring Lost Cognitive Function,” IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Magazine (September/October 2005), pp. 30-44.
Griffith, A. 2007. Chipping In,” Scientific American (February 2007), pp. 18-20.
Handelman, S. The Memory Hacker,” Popular Science (2007).
Hapgood, F. Reverse-Engineering the Brain,” MIT News Magazine (July 1, 2006).
Lebedev, M.A. and Miguel A.L. Nicolelis. Brain-machine interfaces: Past, present, and future,” Trends in Neurosciences 29 (September 2006), pp. 536-546. |
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The role of the microbiota in preventing allergies
The human body is inhabited by billions of symbiotic bacteria, carrying a diversity that is unique to each individual. The microbiota is involved in many mechanisms, including digestion, vitamin synthesis and host defense. It is well established that a loss of bacterial symbionts promotes the development of allergies. Scientists at the Institut Pasteur have succeeded in explaining this phenomenon, and demonstrate how the microbiota acts on the balance of the immune system: the presence of microbes specifically blocks the immune cells responsible for triggering allergies. These results are published in Science on July 9, 2015.
The hygiene hypothesis suggests a link between the decline in infectious diseases and the increase in allergic diseases in industrialized countries. Improvements in hygiene levels necessarily lead to reduced contact with microbes that is paralleled by an increased incidence in allergic and autoimmune diseases, such as type 1 diabetes.
Epidemiological studies have substantiated this hypothesis, by showing that children living in contact with farm animals - and therefore with more microbial agents - develop fewer allergies during their lifetime. Conversely, experimental studies have shown that administering antibiotics to mice within the first days of life results in a loss of microbiota, and subsequently, in an increased incidence in allergy.
However, until now, the biological mechanisms underlying this phenomenon remained unclear. In this study published in Science, the team led by Gérard Eberl (head of the Microenvironment and Immunity Unit at the Institut Pasteur) shows that, in mice, symbiotic intestinal microbes act on the immune system by blocking allergic reactions.
Several types of immune response can be generated in order to defend the organism. The presence of bacterial or fungal microbes provokes a response from immune cells known as type 3 cells. These immune cells coordinate the phagocytosis and killing of the microbes. However, in the case of infection by pathogenic agents that are too large to be handled by type 3 cells (such as parasitic worms and certain allergens), the cells that organize the elimination of the pathogen, but also allergic reactions, are known as type 2 cells.
The role of the microbiota in preventing allergies In this study, scientists at the Institut Pasteur have shown that type 3 cells activated during a microbial aggression act directly on type 2 cells and block their activity. Type 2 cells are consequently unable to generate allergic immune responses. This work demonstrates that the microbiota indirectly regulates type 2 immune responses by inducing type 3 cells.
These results explain how an imbalance in microbiota triggers an exaggerated type 2 immune response normally used to fight large parasites, but that also leads to allergic responses.
These findings represent an important milestone in understanding the balance between our various defense mechanisms. In terms of allergy treatment, a hitherto unexplored therapeutic approach consists therefore in stimulating type 3 cells by mimicking a microbial antigen in order to block allergy-causing type 2 cells.
These studies were funded by the French National Agency for Research, the French Medical Research Foundation, the Simone & Cino Del Duca Foundation, the European Commission and the “Integrative Biology of Emerging Infectious Diseases” Laboratory of Excellence.
Myriam Rebeyrotte
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Institut Pasteur
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