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Whether you "hoot" late at night or "tweet" early in the morning, the time of day that you're most alert can say a lot about when you will get the most out of your daily piano practicing.
Many musicians tend to be night owls as that is they way their schedules are set up. Rehearsals and performances usually happen at night and on weekends. It's rare for a musician to hit the bed before midnight during a performance run.
This doesn't mean though, that each of these same musicians are really night people...it may be that they function better in the mornings, but work demands that they perform at night.
Everyone actually - musician or not, has their own biological rhythms that follow certain patterns that are not consciously controlled. We can manipulate them to fit in with work and life demands, but are we functioning at our best if we do?
The scientific name for this natural rhythm is Circadian Rhythm and it is the human physical "clock" that runs on a 24 hour cycle, just like a one day period runs on our planet.
For some, this cycle runs longer than others. When it does, it cause people to be more of a night owl. Morning people tend to have shorter Circadian Cycles and that is why they are most alert in the mornings and the least alert at the end of the day.
This biological clock of ours also has its own ebbs and flows.
When we compare the two in terms of productivity and quality of life, some studies have shown that night owls are more susceptible to depression and can have irregular sleep patterns. On the positive side, night owls can focus better and for longer time periods later in the day, than their counterparts, the early birds; and get this, might even be smarter! (source)
Conversely, early birds tend to be happier people with a more positive outlook, and have more regular sleep patterns. They tend to procrastinate less than the owls and are in general, more agreeable, proactive and more of a team player as well.
What Does This Have To Do With Piano Practicing?
A lot! The best time to practice your piano is when you are feeling your peak amount of energy, focus and alertness.
Why? Because you can get the most accomplished in the least amount of time.
This is important, because when you can identify when you are 'your best' in each day, you'll see more progress in all areas of your life, by getting the most important things accomplished during that time period.
Let's figure out whether you hoot or chirp!
First, start observing how you feel at different points in each day.
With a little observational skills, you can tell where in the day you can get your best work and/or practicing done.
Now what you want to do is begin scheduling your practice time during your peak hours.
Look at the number of hours you have in each day as a budget of sorts. You have to 'budget' in your practice time, so you get the best work done in the least amount of time.
Do you normally practice for an hour, but in a time of the day that is not in your peak hours? OK...switch it around. Try practicing for 1/2 that amount of time...30 minutes, during your peak hours.
Why would you schedule less practice time? Because you'll get more done.
If time is limited by work or family demands...try practicing for just 15 minutes instead. The more you do this, the more you'll be able to work in 5 more minutes here and there.
The key is...to find your best time of the day and utilize that time to get the most accomplished. It just makes good sense, really.
Interestingly, the more you do this with your piano practicing, the more you will incorporate it into other areas of your life, and will end up becoming more productive in work and other things that you want to accomplish.
This is just one of the many ways that learning the piano helps us to function better in life!
So don't leave it to the birds...be your best by finding your own unique rhythm and learning to work with your energy to accomplish more and play the piano better!
Stay tuned to LessonsOnTheWeb to learn much more!
Most blogs written by | <urn:uuid:2dfaa78d-a24e-459a-9776-aa5e7f0621e7> | CC-MAIN-2020-29 | https://www.pianolessonsontheweb.com/blog/archives/05-2016 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-29/segments/1593657163613.94/warc/CC-MAIN-20200715070409-20200715100409-00353.warc.gz | en | 0.96426 | 896 | 3.15625 | 3 |
The Public key infrastructure (PKI) is the set of hardware, software, policies, processes, and procedures required to create, manage, distribute, use, store, and revoke digital certificates and public-keys. PKIs are the foundation that enables the use of technologies, such as digital signatures and encryption, across large user populations. PKIs deliver the elements essential for a secure and trusted business environment for e-commerce and the growing Internet of Things (IoT).
PKIs help establish the identity of people, devices, and services – enabling controlled access to systems and resources, protection of data, and accountability in transactions. Next generation business applications are becoming more reliant on PKI technology to guarantee high assurance, because evolving business models are becoming more dependent on electronic interaction requiring online authentication and compliance with stricter data security regulations.
In order to bind public keys with their associated user (owner of the private key), PKIs use digital certificates. Digital certificates are the credentials that facilitate the verification of identities between users in a transaction. Much as a passport certifies one’s identity as a citizen of a country, the digital certificate establishes the identity of users within the ecosystem. Because digital certificates are used to identify the users to whom encrypted data is sent, or to verify the identity of the signer of information, protecting the authenticity and integrity of the certificate is imperative to maintain the trustworthiness of the system.
Certificate authorities (CAs) issue the digital credentials used to certify the identity of users. CAs underpin the security of a PKI and the services they support, and therefore can be the focus of sophisticated targeted attacks. In order to mitigate the risk of attacks against CAs, physical and logical controls as well as hardening mechanisms, such as hardware security modules (HSMs) have become necessary to ensure the integrity of a PKI.
PKIs provide a framework that enables cryptographic data security technologies such as digital certificates and signatures to be effectively deployed on a mass scale. PKIs support identity management services within and across networks and underpin online authentication inherent in secure socket layer (SSL) and transport layer security (TLS) for protecting internet traffic, as well as document and transaction signing, application code signing, and time-stamping. PKIs support solutions for desktop login, citizen identification, mass transit, mobile banking, and are critically important for device credentialing in the IoT. Device credentialing is becoming increasingly important to impart identities to growing numbers of cloud-based and internet-connected devices that run the gamut from smart phones to medical equipment.
Using the principles of asymmetric and symmetric cryptography, PKIs facilitate the establishment of a secure exchange of data between users and devices – ensuring authenticity, confidentiality, and integrity of transactions. Users (also known as “Subscribers” in PKI parlance) can be individual end users, web servers, embedded systems, connected devices, or programs/applications that are executing business processes. Asymmetric cryptography provides the users, devices or services within an ecosystem with a key pair composed of a public and a private key component. A public key is available to anyone in the group for encryption or for verification of a digital signature. The private key on the other hand, must be kept secret and is only used by the entity to which it belongs, typically for tasks such as decryption or for the creation of digital signatures.
With evolving business models becoming more dependent on electronic transactions and digital documents, and with more Internet-aware devices connected to corporate networks, the role of a PKI is no longer limited to isolated systems such as secure email, smart cards for physical access or encrypted web traffic. PKIs today are expected to support larger numbers of applications, users and devices across complex ecosystems. And with stricter government and industry data security regulations, mainstream operating systems and business applications are becoming more reliant than ever on an organizational PKI to guarantee trust. | <urn:uuid:a207027d-8ac5-4dea-830b-55f9c0c0e6ca> | CC-MAIN-2023-40 | https://cpl.thalesgroup.com/faq/public-key-infrastructure-pki/what-public-key-infrastructure-pki | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-40/segments/1695233506658.2/warc/CC-MAIN-20230924155422-20230924185422-00540.warc.gz | en | 0.922229 | 792 | 3.0625 | 3 |
It is Easter Sunday. How about other places on the globe such as Japan? Christians are less than 1% of the population of Japan. Yet, because of globalization, geographic locations plays less and less of a role in defining culture. Many people around the world now consume the same food, clothing, music, movies, and technology.
Global corporations play a role in transmitting culture from place to place. Recently, American corporations in Japan have been trying to popularize and commercialize Easter. Disney’s theme park in Tokyo, for example, has promoted Easter with the Disney Easter Wonderland since 2010:
Likewise, beginning last year, Baskin Robbins has been promoting the holiday. This year they have a month-long Wonderful Easter Campaign:
It will be very interesting to see how Easter becomes part of Japanese culture. When the Japanese adopted Valentine’s day, for example, they added their own twist. Women are expected to give chocolate to men; men are supposed to return the favor by giving candy to women on March 14th, White Day. I would not be surprised to find that Easter becomes popular in Japan, but celebrated with a twist – a Japanese flavor.
Sangyoub Park is an assistant professor of sociology at Washburn University, where he teaches Social Demography, Generations in the U.S. and Sociology of East Asia. His research interests include social capital, demographic trends, and post-Generation Y. | <urn:uuid:7c2b908a-81af-4576-9a89-b3cd2442493a> | CC-MAIN-2017-34 | https://thesocietypages.org/socimages/2012/04/08/easter-in-japan/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-34/segments/1502886109803.8/warc/CC-MAIN-20170822011838-20170822031838-00670.warc.gz | en | 0.960059 | 293 | 2.59375 | 3 |
Spills, Accidents and Medical Emergencies Involving Biological Materials
You will find the following on this page:
- Spills outside of a containment device
- Spills inside of a Biological Safety Cabinet (BSC)
- Spills in a centrifuge
- Biological/Radioactive emergencies/spills
- Emergency Phone Numbers and Procedures
- Fire or Emergency Evacuation
- Exposure to Biohazardous Agents or Material
- Security incidents
In general, most spills can be effectively handled by researchers and a spill kit should be available in any laboratory area where biohazardous materials are used or stored. The following are recommended procedures for evaluating and handling a spill:
- An appropriate disinfectant which works against the BSL-2 agents of concern: e.g., microorganisms or human derived materials must be used.
- Allow sufficient contact time for the disinfectant to work. Follow manufacturer’s directions.
- Procedures vary with location depending upon if inside or outside of a containment device.
- Cleaning spills requires personal protective equipment (PPE) including a lab coat or gown, and gloves. A face shield, shoe covers or a respirator may be required.
NOTE: All spills must be reported to the Laboratory Supervisor and/or Principal Investigator. Contact EHS Biosafety (434-982-4911) for any questions about spill clean up procedures.
The spill is not inside of a Biological Safety Cabinet (BSC), Centrifuge, Refrigerator, Incubator, Freezer, Lab instrument etc.
- Close off spill area to traffic, and notify coworkers.
- If the spill may involve an aerosol, (e.g. event involving dropping material onto floor, high mechanical force, a forceful expulsion of liquid) leave the room for 30 minutes to allow aerosols to settle.
- Remove contaminated lab coat or clothing and wash exposed skin.
- Put on clean gloves and lab coat.
- Prepare enough volume of a 1:10 dilution of chlorine bleach or other approved disinfectant to saturate the contaminated area. If dilution is not possible, undiluted household bleach can be used. However eye protection must be worn and care taken not to splash the bleach onto skin or clothing.
- Contain the spill with paper towels or other absorbent material e.g. "bench kote", blue "diaper pads"
- Flood the spill area with disinfectant. Leave on for 10 minutes.
- Push the absorbent material at the edge of the spill into the spill's center. Add more paper towels as needed. If glass is present, do not use bare hands! Use tongs (large pieces) forceps (small pieces) followed by a dustpan to remove pieces.
- Discard the paper towels into a regulated medical waste container (CMC). If contact with bleach occurs with skin, mucous membranes or eyes, flush area with copious amounts of water.
- Discard gloves into regulated medical waste container. Wash hands thoroughly. Autoclave an overtly contaminated lab coat to prior to placing into laboratory laundry bag.
- Report incident to supervisor and Principal Investigator.
- Leave BSC on.
- Put on gloves and lab coat and gather paper towels for cleaning.
- Prepare a fresh dilution of 1:10 bleach or approved disinfectant. Prepare enough solution to cover the entire contaminated area. Always follow manufacturer’s directions. Do not use 70% ethanol as it evaporates too quickly to allow adequate surface contact time.
- Flood the area with disinfectant solution and allow to remain in contact for required time: 10% Bleach for 10 minutes; or, Cavicide (full strength) for 3 minutes; or, Beaucoup (diluted according to manufacturer’s directions) for 10 minutes.
- Spray and or wipe down the cabinet interior and any items inside the BSC with a towel dampened with disinfectant.
- Discard all contaminated disposable items and towels used for cleaning into a contaminated materials container (CMC) or autoclave according to guidelines.
- Spills large enough to result in liquids flowing through the front or rear grilles require more extensive decontamination; consult EHS immediately at 434-982-4911, for guidance. If a spill such as this has occurred, do not turn the BSC off.
- Report incident to supervisor and Principal Investigator.
Biohazardous spills in centrifuges can be quite difficult to disinfect. Some but not all centrifuges have closed rotors, buckets or other carriers with leak proof lids, designed to contain spills and allow efficient, safe emptying and decontamination. However, not all centrifuges are equipped with these containment devices. A spill resulting from primary container breakage requires immediate suspension of use. PI notification and assistance from EHS Biosafety.
If unusual sounds from a centrifuge suggest that breakage and a spill has occurred, or, if breakage and a spill is discovered after the machine has stopped, wait at least 30 minutes after centrifuge has stopped before opening. This will allow hazardous aerosols to settle in the centrifuge.
- Don lab coat, gloves, and face shield prior to opening centrifuge and then open carefully to assess the situation. Use of a respirator is recommended and double gloving is advisable if glass tubes were used and broken.
- Attempt to determine if the spill is contained in a closed cup, bucket or tray carrier, or within a closed rotor.
- If the spill is contained as described in (2), spray the exterior with disinfect and allow adequate contact time. Take the carrier to the nearest BSC approved for use with this agent. NOTE: If a BSC is not available or if the rotor cannot be removed, the centrifuge should remain closed. Post a sign indicating "contaminated-do not use". Notify lab director and or PI and contact Biosafety at 434-982-4911, for assistance.
- Obtain and place into the BSC containers suitable for holding tubes, broken glass or other containers while cleaning centrifuge components.
- Carefully retrieve unbroken tubes, wipe outside with disinfectant, and place them into the other empty container in the BSC, out of the way. The broken glass tube(s) must be removed with a forceps or other instrument and immersed in a beaker of disinfectant solution for a time appropriate to achieve disinfection. The pieces can then be disposed of in a sharps container.
- After proper decontamination, carriers, rotors etc. can be washed with a mild detergent according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
- Thoroughly wipe the inside of the centrifuge chamber with disinfectant saturated towels. Allow for adequate contact time before wiping up excess liquid.
EHS Radiation Safety (434-982-4911) must be notified and will assist in the cleanup of a biological/radioactive spill. Determine if anyone has been contaminated; remove contaminated clothing and wash contaminated skin with soap and water. Proceed with clean up as instructed by the Radiation Safety Office. The infectious agent will be neutralized first, taking care in choosing a disinfecting agent to avoid chemical incompatibility. Chlorine compounds such as bleach must NOT be used to disinfect anything containing I-125 because the chlorine will cause the volatilization of radioactive iodine.
Fire and Medical Emergencies within the Medical Center: 434-924-2012
Fire and Medical Emergencies: 9-911
UVa-WorkMed (Academic staff): 434-243-0075
UVa Employee Health (Hospital staff): 434-924-2013
UVa Student Health Center (students): 434-924-5362
Hospital Emergency Room: 434-924-2231
Office of Environmental Health and Safety (Biosafety Office): 434-982-4911
MCI (report worker’s compensation): 888-627-2681
In case of fire, activate the fire alarm pull station and evacuate immediately. Judgment should be exercised in deciding whether to store or contain any hazardous materials prior to evacuation.
- Stop all work and cover or secure materials.
- Remove contaminated protective garments and gloves.
- Exit the laboratory and building following normal exit procedures.
- Assemble at the designated, prearranged meeting place for your laboratory.
- Do not re-enter the laboratory until advised by the Fire Department that it is safe to do so.
If an injury is life threatening call 9-911. For less serious injuries treatment should be sought at UVa-WorkMed for Academic staff, UVa Employee Health for Hospital staff, or the Student Health Center for student laboratory personnel during weekday, daytime hours. During night and weekend hours, treatment should be sought at the UVa Hospital Emergency Room. Any injury to a laboratory worker shall be reported as soon as possible to the Principal Investigator.
An exposure is defined as: BSL-2 agent contact with broken skin, eyes, nose, mouth, other mucous membranes, a percutaneous injury with a contaminated sharp, or contact with an infectious agent over a large area of apparently intact skin. Individuals are encouraged to report any conditions which may increase risk or consequences of a laboratory acquired infection. (e.g. pregnancy, a medical condition which compromises immunity) to UVa WorkMed. Likewise personal physicians should be informed of exposure conditions in the workplace.
In the event of exposure:
- Wash the area with soap and water or flush eyes, nose or mouth with large amounts of water for 15 minutes.
- Staff must notify UVa-WorkMed or UVa Employee Health, or Student Health (students) immediately during normal business hours. Medical personnel will advise personnel as to when they should report to the clinic for a post-exposure follow up evaluation. All laboratory personnel must report to the Hospital Emergency Room after hours.
- All exposures must be reported to the immediate supervisor and Principal Investigator.
- Principal Investigators are responsible for reporting exposure incidents to EHS Biosafety.
- EHS Biosafety will perform a follow-up investigation of the incident and report findings to the Institutional Biosafety Committee (IBC).
Security incidents such as suspicious visitors, missing chemicals, or missing biological agents must be promptly reported to the Principal Investigator. University Security or Police should be notified. Principal Investigators are responsible for reporting incidents to the EHS Biosafety. | <urn:uuid:51c4a8eb-f878-4d7c-962e-f0a06c3ed33d> | CC-MAIN-2014-35 | http://transcoder.usablenet.com/tt/ehs.virginia.edu/biosafety/bio.emergency.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2014-35/segments/1409535920849.16/warc/CC-MAIN-20140909043019-00091-ip-10-180-136-8.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.88616 | 2,168 | 2.703125 | 3 |
What are induced pluripotent stem cells?
Induced pluripotent stem cells, or iPS cells, are a type of cell that has been reprogrammed from an adult cell, such as a skin or blood cell. iPS cells are pluripotent cells because, like embryonic stem cells, they can develop into virtually any type of cell. iPS cells are distinct from embryonic stem cells, however, because they are derived from adult tissue, rather than from embryos. iPS cells are also distinct from adult stem cells, which naturally occur—in small numbers—in the human body.
In 2006, Dr. Shinya Yamanaka developed the method for inducing skin cells from mice into becoming like pluripotent stem cells and called them iPS cells. In 2007, Dr. Yamanaka did the same with adult human skin cells.
Dr. Yamanaka's experiments revealed that adult skin cells, when treated with four pieces of DNA (now called the Yamanaka factors), can induce skin cells to revert back to their pluripotent state. His discovery has since led to a variety of methods for reprogramming adult cells into stem cells that can become virtually any cell type—such as a beating heart cell or a neuron that can transmit chemical signals. This allows researchers to create patient-specific cell lines that can be studied and used for drug discovery and possibly someday for regenerative medicine.
How are iPS cells different from embryonic stem cells?
iPS cells are a promising addition to embryonic stem cells for tackling human disease in the future. Embryonic stem cells hold tremendous potential for regenerative medicine, in which damaged organs and tissues could be replaced or repaired. But the use of embryonic stem cells has long been controversial. iPS cells hold the same sort of promise and can be made in a patient-specific manner. iPS cells are similar to embryonic stem cells, but some differences remain. Ongoing research, which compares iPS cells to embryonic stem cells, is addressing these differences.
Why is iPS cell technology so important?
iPS cell technology represents an entirely new platform for fundamental studies of human disease. Rather than using models made in yeast, flies or mice for disease research, iPS cell technology allows human stem cells to be created from patients with a specific disease. As a result, the iPS cells contain a complete set of the genes that resulted in that disease—and thus represent the potential of a far—superior model for studying disease and testing new drugs and treatments. In the future, iPS cells could be used in a Petri dish to test both drug safety and efficacy for an individual patient.
Does iPS technology obviate the need for embryonic stem cell research?
Because iPS technology is so new, it is still critical to fund and conduct human embryonic stem cell research. Knowledge gained from research with embryonic stem cells, in part, helped Dr. Yamanaka discover iPS technology. Researchers are still learning many important things about the safest and most efficient ways to create iPS cells for drug discovery, personalized medicine and tissue regeneration. To further refine iPS technology for such promising purposes, scientists still need to measure iPS cells against the "gold standard" of actual human embryonic stem cells.
What has happened since Dr. Shinya Yamanaka developed iPS technology?
There have been several advancements in the field since Dr. Yamanaka first developed iPS cell technology. The most recent advancement is called direct reprogramming, which offers a host of advantages when adult cells are reprogrammed into another type of cell without having to revert back to the pluripotent state. Deepak Srivastava, MD, who directs cardiovascular research at the Gladstone Institutes, earlier this year announced the direct reprogramming of cardiac fibroblasts—the heart's connective tissue—directly into beating cardiac-muscle cells in animal hearts. Also this year, Associate Investigator Yadong Huang, MD, PhD, announced the use of a single genetic factor to reprogram skin cells into cells that develop on their own into an interconnected, functional network of brain cells.
How can iPS cell technology be used in the future?
Who is Dr. Shinya Yamanaka?
- Regenerative medicine. Gladstone scientists are testing the regenerative effects of iPS cells on animal models. For example, Deepak Srivastava, MD, who directs cardiovascular research at Gladstone, is working on ways to use iPS cell technology to re-grow heart muscles in individuals who have suffered heart attacks. Researchers are also testing whether iPS cell technology can help individuals with spinal cord injuries, as well as neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's, Huntington's and Parkinson's.
- Testing drug safety. Many drugs fail because they cause health problems that are not detected until clinical trials begin. Using iPS cell technology, Gladstone Investigator, Bruce Conklin, MD, is developing heart cells from reengineered adult human cells to test toxicity of drug therapies earlier in the drug-development process—with the goal of reducing the cost and time required for expensive animal and human trials.
- Personalized medicine. Drugs interact differently with different patients due to each individual's unique genetic makeup. Using a patient's own cells, researchers could leverage iPS technology to create brain, heart, liver and other cells with that patient's DNA. Those cells could then be used to test potential drug interactions for that specific patient, or someday potentially be used for transplantation or regeneration.
Dr. Yamanaka is a senior investigator and the L.K. Whittier Foundation Investigator in Stem Cell Biology at the Gladstone Institutes. At Gladstone, he conducts research at the Roddenberry Stem Cell Center. Dr. Yamanaka is also a professor of anatomy at the University of California, San Francisco, as well as the director of the Center for iPS Cell Research and Application (CiRA) and a professor at the Institute for Integrated Cell-Material Sciences (iCeMS), both at Kyoto University, Japan. Before joining Gladstone as a postdoctoral fellow in 1993, Dr. Yamanaka was an orthopedic surgeon practicing in Japan. Leading up to his 2012 Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine, Dr. Yamanaka has received a host of other honors recognizing the importance of his iPS discovery, including the Albert Lasker Basic Medical Research Award, the Shaw Prize, the Wolf Prize in Medicine, the Millennium Technology Award Grand Prize and the Kyoto Prize for Advanced Technology. In 2011, Dr. Yamanaka was elected to the U.S. National Academy of Sciences, garnering one of the highest honors available for U.S. scientists and engineers.
How did Dr. Shinya Yamanaka develop iPS cell technology?
Dr. Yamanaka came to Gladstone in 1993 as a postdoctoral fellow, where he studied cholesterol and fat metabolism. However, after his experiments yielded unexpected results, his focus soon evolved into the study of how stem cells transform into various cell types.
Armed with the expertise he gained at Gladstone, Dr. Yamanaka returned to Japan in 1997 where he developed the innovative method of inducing skin cells into becoming pluripotent, just like embryonic stem cells. He first announced this breakthrough in mice in 2006 and the following year reported that he had done the same with human cells.
Where does Dr. Shinya Yamanaka work?
Dr. Yamanaka splits his time between San Francisco and Kyoto, where he is the director of the Center for iPS Cell Research and Application (CiRA) and professor at the Institute for Integrated Cell-Material Sciences (iCeMS) at Kyoto University. In San Francisco he is a senior investigator and L.K. Whittier Foundation Investigator in Stem Cell Biology at the Gladstone Institutes, where he conducts his research at the Roddenberry Stem Cell Center. He is also a professor of anatomy at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF).
What is the Gladstone Institutes doing to build on Dr. Shinya Yamanaka's work?
The Roddenberry Stem Cell Center at Gladstone, houses several Gladstone scientists who are building upon Dr. Yamanaka's development of iPS cell technology:
And in July, Dr. Yamanaka's Gladstone lab reported that environmental factors critically influence the growth of iPS cells, taking an important step towards understanding how these cells develop—and towards the ability to use stem cell-based therapies to combat disease.
- Deepak Srivastava, MD, who directs cardiovascular and stem cell research at Gladstone, in April announced that his lab had reprogramed cardiac fibroblasts—the heart's connective tissue—directly into beating cardiac-muscle cells in animals to repair damaged hearts.
- Steven Finkbeiner, MD, PhD, associate director of neurological research at Gladstone, in June announced the creation of a human model of Huntington's disease from the skin cells of patients with the disease.
- Also in June, Associate Investigator Yadong Huang, MD, PhD, announced the use of a single genetic factor to transform skin cells into cells that develop on their own into an interconnected, functional network of brain cells—offering new hope in the fight against neurodegenerative conditions such as Alzheimer's disease and Huntington's disease.
- Shomyseh Sanjabi, PhD, an assistant investigator at Gladstone is collaborating with Dr. Yamanaka and colleagues at UCSF and Yale to use human iPS cells to create mouse models of the human immune system—in order to better understand how to prevent, treat or cure HIV/AIDS.
What is the Gladstone Institutes?
Gladstone is an independent and nonprofit biomedical-research organization dedicated to accelerating the pace of scientific discovery and innovation to prevent, treat and cure cardiovascular, viral and neurological diseases. Founded in 1979, Gladstone is affiliated with the University of California, San Francisco. | <urn:uuid:634bb85c-f21a-4573-929a-dfbfece04bab> | CC-MAIN-2013-48 | http://gladstoneinstitutes.org/nobel/faq.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-48/segments/1386163860676/warc/CC-MAIN-20131204133100-00001-ip-10-33-133-15.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.935967 | 2,054 | 3.1875 | 3 |
"Sprites are a true space weather phenomenon," explains lightning scientist Oscar van der Velde of Sant Vicenç de Castellet, Spain. "They develop in mid-air around 80 km altitude, growing in both directions, first down, then up. This happens when a fierce lightning bolt draws lots of charge from a cloud near Earth's surface. Electric fields [shoot] to the top of Earth's atmosphere--and the result is a sprite. The entire process takes about 20 milliseconds."
Although sprites have been seen for at least a century, most scientists did not believe they existed until after 1989 when sprites were photographed by cameras onboard the space shuttle. Now "sprite chasers" routinely photograph sprites from their own homes. "I used an astro-modified Canon 5D II in video-mode to catch my sprites," says Grønne. Give it a try! | <urn:uuid:38c0f2ec-c292-4d70-9b85-205566b927e4> | CC-MAIN-2023-50 | http://www.ascensionnow.co.uk/quick-info/red-sprites | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-50/segments/1700679100164.87/warc/CC-MAIN-20231130031610-20231130061610-00391.warc.gz | en | 0.931615 | 180 | 3.1875 | 3 |
It's nearly impossible to gaze up during the day without spotting sort of cloudy, billowing face staring back at us. But rarely do we get the opportunity to see the faces we so casually trample right beneath our feet. Now, a new program by Onformative is giving us a bird's eye's view of every facial landform on Earth.
Using openFrameworks and Google Maps, Onformative's searching agent, Google Faces, scans satellite image after satellite image with a facial detection algorithm, picking out any potential new geological friends along the way. And it does this at Every. Possible. Zoom level.
Starting at infancy, we're trained to seek out the familiarity of human faces, because it's those same faces hovering over us that (hopefully) also provide safety and comfort. With Google Faces, Onformative hopes to explore this general phenomenon:
Objective investigations and subjective imagination collide to one inseparable process. The tendency to detect meaning in vague visual stimuli is a psychological phenomenon called Pareidolia, and captures the core interest of this project. We were driven by the idea, to explore how the psychological phenomenon of Pareidolia, could be generated by a machine. We wrote an algorithm simulating this tendency, as it continuously searches for face-like shapes while iterating above the landscapes of the earth.
For the application to be able to work independently, the team uses ofxBerkelium, a service wrapper that allows them to capture images from the virtual browser zooming around Google Maps within their own application.
But finding and taking down all these coordinates doesn't come quick—Google Faces will be traveling around the virtual world for the next several months. Of course, not all the resulting finds produce an immediately recognizable face, but just as many more offer visions of an Earth more expressive than you could have ever imagined. So tread lightly—you never know who you're stepping on. [Onformative via Creative Applications Network] | <urn:uuid:e9ff9255-61d6-4ef2-b72c-790a1fb7b7a7> | CC-MAIN-2017-47 | https://gizmodo.com/you-can-use-google-maps-to-find-faces-hidden-in-the-ear-509090559 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-47/segments/1510934805049.34/warc/CC-MAIN-20171118210145-20171118230145-00261.warc.gz | en | 0.929928 | 398 | 3.03125 | 3 |
1. Papyrus – This species of aquatic flowering plant belongs to the sedge family. The tall leafless grass has a greenish cluster of stems at its tip and has been used historically to produce papyrus paper.
2. Plume thistle – Found all over Egypt, but especially around the Nile, the plume thistle is a tall biennial plant that consists of a rosette of leaves, a taproot and a flowering stem. Traditionally, the stems were peeled and boiled for consumption.
3. Chamomile – This is a daisy-like plant from the family Asteraceae. There are many species of chamomile, however the one common to the Nile is Matricaria – a type commonly used in herbal remedies.
4. Blue Egyptian water lily – The ‘blue lotus’ is one of the most iconic plants on the Nile. With broad leaves and colourful blue blooms, this water lily stands out amid the sandy tones of Egypt. It had a spiritual link to the Ancient Egyptian deity Nefertem.
5. Opium poppy – As the name suggests this is the species of poppy from which opium is derived – the source of narcotics like morphine. The plant has blue-purple or white flowers and silver-green foliage. | <urn:uuid:18bd4ded-5a58-4a33-9252-c3e327decf16> | CC-MAIN-2017-26 | https://www.howitworksdaily.com/plants-of-the-nile/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-26/segments/1498128322873.10/warc/CC-MAIN-20170628065139-20170628085139-00461.warc.gz | en | 0.945861 | 266 | 3.59375 | 4 |
In the present scenario, minimum dependency on fossil fuels is the prime objective for the entire world, since these energy sources are limited and are declining at a rapid rate. This has diverted the focus of various countries on a reliable energy supply. To achieve the set objective, the renewable energy production throughout the world must be drastically increased. Thus wind energy is prominent and best solution for the production of energy across the globe. The wind energy is produced with the help of wind turbines. Wind speed is considered to increase with the help of the continuity principle. This can be attained by the installation and expansion of many on-shore and off-shore wind parks built with the help of wind turbines.
Wind turbines come in various configurations and sizes, and are built from wide range of materials. In other terms, a wind turbine comprises of a rotor that has wing shaped blades linked to a hub, a nacelle that contains a drive train comprising of a connecting shafts, gearbox, generator, support bearings, tower and various electrical equipments. The turbine blades play a crucial role in the wind turbines. Blades are needed to protect an optimum cross section for aerodynamic efficiency to produce the maximum torque to propel the generators. The efficiency of the wind turbine is directly dependent on the material of the blade, angle and shape of the blade. Hence, the material of the turbine blade is very important in wind turbines. Blade material possesses high stiffness, long fatigue life features and low density.
Wing shaped blades on the rotor harvest the energy in the wind stream. The rotor transforms the kinetic energy of the wind to rotational energy transmitted with the help of drive train to the generator. Generated electricity can be directly connected from the feed to the utility grid. The cost and weight of the turbine are some of the key points for making wind energy competitive with various other power sources. The real opportunity today is through better and low cost materials, while ensuring that reliability is maintained.
Components of the turbines are changing drastically as technology continuously improves and evolves. There is a direct trend towards light weight systems. Low cost materials and light weight are key important factors of blades and towers. Firstly, the weight of the rotor and blades is multiplied to get the exact weight.
Blades are generally made of GRP, which is expected to continue in the future as well, while use of CFRP may help to cut down weight and cost up to some extent. Reliability and low cost are some of the primary drivers for the material selection. Increasing in offshore applications may offset this trend in favor of the use of composites.
Growing population and emerging economies are some of the key drivers of the wind turbine rotor blade market. However, high cost required for the maintenance of the wind turbine rotor blade can hamper the growth of the market. Huge opportunities are there for wind turbine rotor blade market as demand for electricity is increasing at a healthy rate in Asia Pacific countries especially in India and China.
Some of the key companies in the business of wind turbine rotor blades are Kemrock Industries And Exports Limited, TANG ENERGY, SGS SA, Moog Inc., LM Wind Power Group, Blade Dynamics, Siemens AG among others.
This research report analyzes this market on the basis of its market segments, major geographies, and current market trends. Geographies analyzed under this research report include
· North America
· Asia Pacific
· Rest of the World
This report provides comprehensive analysis of
· Market growth drivers
· Factors limiting market growth
· Current market trends
· Market structure
· Market projections for upcoming years
This report is a complete study of current trends in the market, industry growth drivers, and restraints. It provides market projections for the coming years. It includes analysis of recent developments in technology, Porter’s five force model analysis and detailed profiles of top industry players. The report also includes a review of micro and macro factors essential for the existing market players and new entrants along with detailed value chain analysis.
Reasons for Buying this Report
· This report provides pin-point analysis for changing competitive dynamics
· It provides a forward looking perspective on different factors driving or restraining market growth
· It provides a six-year forecast assessed on the basis of how the market is predicted to grow
· It helps in understanding the key product segments and their future
· It provides pin point analysis of changing competition dynamics and keeps you ahead of competitors
· It helps in making informed business decisions by having complete insights of market and by making in-depth analysis of market segments
· It provides distinctive graphics and exemplified SWOT analysis of major market segments
MRRSE offers custom market research services that help clients to get information on their business scenario required where syndicated solutions are not enough.Get A Free Custom Research Quote | <urn:uuid:6f6d993f-5d1d-4c02-8c1a-6715dd4aaf53> | CC-MAIN-2017-30 | http://www.mrrse.com/wind-turbine-rotor-blade-market | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-30/segments/1500549424559.25/warc/CC-MAIN-20170723122722-20170723142722-00530.warc.gz | en | 0.927883 | 971 | 3.625 | 4 |
This is a survey of modern American military history, but in the modern era it is more than that. Since 1900, war has reshaped the way America is governed. It has shaped industry and innovation. It has spawned a vast intelligence establishment with military capabilities of its own. The experience of war and narratives about it have colored popular culture in every generation for more than a hundred years.
The course will concentrate on the major episodes and, for each, address four basic questions. Why did the United States go to war? How did the United States choose to wage war? Why did the war turn out the way it did? What impact did the war have?
This course is also a kind of sequel to HIUS 2051, Gary Gallagher's fine course on "U.S. Military History, 1600 to 1900."
This is a lecture course with discussion sections. Class size will be limited to 60 students. There will be a midterm and a final exam. | <urn:uuid:f92b4d48-d5cd-4c4f-ad9d-d54db0721791> | CC-MAIN-2017-39 | http://history.as.virginia.edu/instructors/zelikow-philip | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-39/segments/1505818689806.55/warc/CC-MAIN-20170923231842-20170924011842-00494.warc.gz | en | 0.969299 | 195 | 2.984375 | 3 |
In 1909, businessman Louis Blériot astonished the world by flying across the Channel
France soared into aviation history on July 25, 1909, when Louis Blériot piloted the first aeroplane across the English Channel, accomplishing what no one had done before. In just over half an hour, Blériot crossed la Manche, the 38km-wide body of water that had once kept Napoleon at bay. Following the success of the Wright Brothers’ first powered flight, Blériot’s feat was the most significant event in aviation history.
Born in 1872, the dapper and moustachioed Blériot was a shrewd businessman. A graduate from the École Centrale des Arts et Manufactures, the clever young engineer founded the Établissements Louis Blériot, which developed the first practical headlamp for the burgeoning auto industry.
EYES ON THE SKY
Blériot kept his early enthusiasm for flying machines to himself, but he became a fanatic aviator as his business prospered. Blériot fine-tuned and perfected ten precarious-looking prototypes. His family fortune dwindled while his dreams of flying grew: he sold the patent to his headlamp to raise funds, along with his summer home and his car. “Like a gambler,” he said, “I had to recover my losses. I had to fly.” And by the summer of 1909, he was one of the few men in the world who could. Blériot’s 11th model could stay aloft for 30 minutes. What he needed now was a spectacular event to attract interest and investors.
THE RACE IS ON
The Daily Mail came through for him, offering a £1,000 prize to the first person who could successfully cross the English Channel in a flying machine. Just six days before Blériot’s attempt, rival Hubert Latham accepted the dare. Latham ditched his monoplane, the Antoinette, in the sea, making Latham not only the first pilot to attempt to cross the Channel but the first to land in a body of water. Latham vowed to try for the prize again and Blériot was spurred into action.
Little more than a motorised kite, the construction of Blériot’s monoplane was simple and efficient, its fuselage just sturdy enough to bear the weight of its component parts – the 25-horsepower engine, its finely-tuned propeller, and its pilot. Latham, with his replacement plane, had set up camp on the cliffs just minutes from Blériot at Les Baraques.
With Blériot and Latham both preparing for flight, flocks of reporters descended, eagerly recording the contest between these intrepid men in their flying machines. Who would dare fly first? Blériot, the early bird, left at dawn. Latham missed his chance.
Dealing with high winds and fog, with no compass or instruments, Blériot drifted off course. His heart soared when he saw a French reporter madly waving the Tricolore atop the white cliffs of Dover. Half a kilometre as the crow flies from Dover Castle, Blériot crash landed. He had succeeded in crossing the Channel in just 36 minutes, stretching aviation technology to its limits and winning the world records for speed, altitude, distance, and duration.
The spot where he landed is now marked with a memorial. His company, Blériot Aéronautique, designed and produced aircraft up until 1937. The famed Blériot XI is now suspended under the rafters of the church next to the Musée des arts et métiers in Paris, where to this day it continues to set imaginations soaring.
From France Today Magazine
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Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked * | <urn:uuid:01c00f8c-a08b-42c3-b62e-192b4adeb075> | CC-MAIN-2023-50 | https://francetoday.com/culture/those-magnificent-men-france-and-aviation-history/?comment-reply=9130 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-50/segments/1700679100476.94/warc/CC-MAIN-20231202235258-20231203025258-00572.warc.gz | en | 0.962653 | 804 | 3.328125 | 3 |
Zinc & the Environment
Zinc, like all metals, is a natural component of the Earths crust and an inherent part of our environment. Zinc is present not only in rock and soil, but also in the air, water, and the biosphere - plants, animals, and humans. Zinc makes up an estimated 0.004% of the Earths crust and ranks 24th in order of abundance.
Zinc is constantly being transported by nature, a process called natural cycling. Rain, snow, ice, sun, and wind erode zinc-containing rocks and soil. Wind and water carry minute amounts of zinc to lakes, rivers, and the sea, where it collects as sediment or is transported further. Natural phenomena such as volcanic eruptions, forest fires, dust storms, and sea spray all contribute to the continuous cycling of zinc through nature.
During the course of evolution, all living organisms have adapted to the zinc in their environment and used it for specific metabolic processes.The amount of zinc present in the natural environment varies from place to place and from season to season. For example, the amount of zinc in the Earths crust ranges between 10 and 300 mg/kg, and zinc in rivers varies from less than 10 µ g/L to over 200 µ g/L. Similarly, falling leaves in autumn lead to a seasonal increase in zinc levels in soil and water.
There has been some concern introducing additional zinc to the environment, through hot-dip galvanized steel elements and other sources, is detrimental to organisms in the surrounding area. However, as organisms are used to varying levels of zinc naturally, they are able to regulate the uptake of zinc through homeostasis. Though taking in excess zinc is possible, a number of studies have been done to show the small amounts of additional zinc from hot-dip galvanizing added to the environment over decades of service is not enough to harm any organisms or exceed criterion levels. This has been of particular concern where zinc enters water environments during storm events. The AGA has produced a white paper Hot-Dip Galvanized Steel's Contribution to Zinc Levels in the Soil Environment to address this misconception. | <urn:uuid:bb27c43e-fcd3-4091-86e6-677479995e0d> | CC-MAIN-2020-16 | https://galvanizeit.org/hot-dip-galvanizing/what-is-zinc/zinc-and-the-environment | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-16/segments/1585371810617.95/warc/CC-MAIN-20200408041431-20200408071931-00077.warc.gz | en | 0.952463 | 441 | 3.765625 | 4 |
thyssenkrupp Rasselstein researches use of hydrogen in tinplate production
Image: thyssenkrupp Rasselstein
The German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action is funding two joint projects in which thyssenkrupp Rasselstein is participating as part of the “Hydrogen Technology Offensive”. The research projects are looking at how hydrogen fuel can reduce CO2 emissions in the steel industry, including further processing, i.e. not just during steel production.
Both research projects are part of the comprehensive, long-term decarbonisation strategy of thyssenkrupp Steel Europe AG, which affects not only iron and steel production but also all downstream production processes. They are based on thyssenkrupp Steel Europe’s voluntary commitment to be completely climate neutral by 2045.
The research projects play an important role in the sustainability strategy at the Andernach site of Germany’s only tinplate manufacturer: By 2045, the company aims to save around 400,000 tons of CO2 emissions there each year. This is roughly equivalent to the emissions generated within two years by the private natural gas consumers in the surrounding district of Mayen-Koblenz with its 215,000 inhabitants. The climate plans of thyssenkrupp Rasselstein thus offer the region great leverage for climate neutrality.
Both projects deal with the use of hydrogen in the energy-intensive annealing processes of tinplate production. These processes are necessary to restore the crystalline structure of the material which is destroyed during cold rolling.
In the “FlexHeat2Anneal” research project (funding code 03EN2078 A-C), the focus is on the use of hydrogen in the continuous annealing line in which the ultra-fine strip is unwound and recrystallised by running over rolls at a high temperature and in short cycle times.
Up to now, mostly natural gas has been used for annealing the strip. In the future, this fossil fuel is to be gradually replaced by adding green hydrogen. “The planned flexible use of hydrogen in the annealing process poses several issues. Hydrogen, for example, burns hotter than natural gas. That’s why the burners and radiant heating tubes have to be adjusted,” says Torsten Schmitt, expert and electrical engineer responsible for strip line maintenance at thyssenkrupp Rasselstein.
“In addition, the exhaust gas contains a lot of water vapour. We will only be able to fully assess what this means for the process once we have concluded our tests in the laboratory and applied our findings to the large plant under real operating conditions. And of course we need adapted safety concepts to operate our plants with hydrogen as safely as usual.”
The FlexHeat2Anneal research project will run for three years. In addition to thyssenkrupp Rasselstein GmbH, the project partners are the department for Industrial Furnaces and Heat Engineering at RWTH Aachen University and WS Wärmeprozesstechnik GmbH.
The aim of the “H2-DisTherPro” research project (funding code 03EN2077 A-D) is to substitute fuel gases containing carbon with hydrogen in discontinuously operated thermoprocessing plants. To this end, tests are being carried out to use up to 100% hydrogen on thyssenkrupp Rasselstein’s batch annealing unit. The ultra-fine strip remains stacked as coils for up to 48 hours and is recrystallised in this process, too.
The research project focuses on adapting the infrastructure for the integration of hydrogen, the modeling of the discontinuous annealing process with hydrogen heating and a long-term test with selected batch annealing units.
“Here, too, safe operation must be ensured, as well as a consistently high product quality,” stresses Dr Peter Kirchesch, project manager for research projects at thyssenkrupp Rasselstein. “In the Duisburg pilot plant station of the VDEh Betriebsforschungsinstitut, a test facility for the development of suitable burner technology is being set up as part of the research project. And, at the same time, the internal energy processes at the Andernach plant are already being adapted for the subsequent installation of a demonstration facility.”
In the three-year project, thyssenkrupp Rassselstein GmbH is conducting research together with thyssenkrupp Steel Europe AG, VDEh Betriebsforschungsinstitut GmbH and Küttner Automation GmbH. With the experiments, the partners are conducting practical, basic research that is of interest far beyond their own plant. “Whether melting, casting, forming, drying or heat treating: Burner technologies are used in various industries,” says Dr Daniel Schubert from CO2 research at thyssenkrupp Steel’s Competence Center Metallurgy in Duisburg. “The more decarbonisation takes place, the more knowledge we can harness for various industrial processes.” That’s why thyssenkrupp Steel is also involved in one of the two research projects.
As part of its integrated transformation strategy, thyssenkrupp Steel plans to switch its steel production to direct reduction technology. This should already avoid 30% of CO2 emissions by 2030. Steel production is to become climate-neutral by 2045 at the latest. In addition to reducing CO2 emissions, one of the company’s top priorities in this respect is: no reduction in steel quality and grade portfolio. High-quality steel is an innovation driver and an essential material for numerous industries. thyssenkrupp Steel also intends to keep it that way in the future. | <urn:uuid:60bab3c3-d5e0-4c53-95de-a7eb3be28424> | CC-MAIN-2023-23 | https://www.cantechthegrandtour.com/news/4310/thyssenkrupp-rasselstein-researches-use-of-hydrogen-in-tinplate-production/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-23/segments/1685224656737.96/warc/CC-MAIN-20230609132648-20230609162648-00277.warc.gz | en | 0.904053 | 1,249 | 3 | 3 |
stakeholder (plural stakeholders)
- A person holding the stakes of bettors, with the responsibility of delivering the pot to the winner of the bet.
- An escrow agent or custodian.
- (law) A person filing an interpleader action, such as a garnishee or trustee, who acknowledges possession of property that is owed to one or more of several other claimants.
- A person or organisation with a legitimate interest in a given situation, action or enterprise.
The last definition essentially contradicts the historic definitions and hence the word has become a contronym. The last definition refers to one who has an interest in an issue, whereas the initial definitions refer to one who does not have an interest in the property held. The last definition has gained significant use since the 1990s, especially when discussing corporate governance. | <urn:uuid:ce1fa658-110e-4b90-ab82-72abf4a8fe66> | CC-MAIN-2013-48 | http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/stakeholder | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-48/segments/1386163049570/warc/CC-MAIN-20131204131729-00033-ip-10-33-133-15.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.898625 | 173 | 2.5625 | 3 |
1. What is the vessel’s ability to demonstrate history in her physical fabric?
Evidence for designs, functions, techniques, processes, styles, customs and habits or uses and associations in relation to events and people. How early, intact or rare these features are may impact on significance.
FEASIBLE was built as a steam drifter for herring fishing, and she still has her original steam winches and derricks. Her riveted steel hull is also original. There have however been a large number of modifications in welded steel since, including bulwarks, hatch, and a large deckhouse in place of the engine room. FEASIBLE has three decks and she was originally fitted with two masts. She was later converted to a side trawler, and then to diesel propulsion with a 3-cylinder Kromhout 2-stroke diesel, a clutch and a controllable-pitch propeller. This engine was subsequently replaced, first with a diesel Bruvnoll 3-cylinder 220 horse-power engine and then with a Rolls Royce engine from a trawler. There were plans to return her to steam propulsion, but in 2007, her engine was given back to its country of origin, Norway, for use in the Bruvnoll Museum.
2. What are the vessel’s associational links for which there is no physical evidence?
Associations with people or places. Off-ship research.
FEASIBLE has Scottish associations, being built in 1912 by John Duthie of Aberdeen. She is significant for being called up for service in both World Wars, and was engaged in incidents around the British Isles and beyond during her working life. In the First World War she was requisitioned for use as a patrol boat and in 1917 took part in the sinking of U-48 in the North Sea, during which she took one prisoner on board. Once demobilised, she went back to herring fishing, later suffering damage in four separate accidents in North Holland, Scotland, Ireland and Pembrokeshire, losing a crewman on the last occasion in heavy seas. During the Second World War, FEASIBLE was again requisitioned by the Admiralty, this time as a minesweeper. She took part in the Dunkirk Evacuation 1940, picking up soldiers from smaller vessels who were ferrying them out from the beaches, and her engineer, A.A. Storr, was later decorated with the Distinguished Service Medal. On one of her returns to Ramsgate FEASIBLE was bombed and disabled. After the Second World War, she was sold to Norway, where she was operated as a coaster and given the name MELOY after an island above the Arctic Circle. She has been recorded on the National Register of Historic Vessels since 1997 and is part of the National Historic Fleet.
3. How does the vessel’s shape or form combine and contribute to her function?
Overall aesthetic impact of the vessel, her lines, material she was built from and her setting. Does she remain in her working environment?
The steam drifter, of which FEASIBLE is a rare surviving example, represented the vanguard of the transformation of the British fishing fleet from sail to steam. Very early steam drifters were wooden and some were converted sailing vessels. The purpose-built boats were a rather different shape, but their immediate ancestry in the world of sail is very obvious. Drifters lay for hours at a time to lines of nets of immense length and because of the often poor conditions, it was essential that they could keep their bows fully up to the approaching seas. To assist this process, draught was greater aft than forward, without compromising the buoyancy and power of the bow sections. Steam drifters featured a rudimentary form of the old sailing rig; most drifters had been luggers with big foremasts set well forward in the bows. These, if left standing, created sufficient windage to compromise the boat’s ability to lie head to wind. The masts, some of which weighed up to a ton, were therefore lowered at sea each night as the boats lay to the nets. On sailing boats, they were lowered into a crutch which was shipped in massive brackets well aft. On steam drifters the masts would be lowered into a stout chock situated at the forward end of the wheelhouse roof. Ample evidence for this practice is provided by contemporary photographs. The fairlead arrangements were of great interest, as were the steam capstans that allowed crews to lower the massive masts and handle the colossal weight of nets. Much of this detail on FEASIBLE appears to have been subsumed by the conversions which have marked her life, but there is no mistaking the distinctive shape of her powerful hull. FEASIBLE is currently undergoing conservation work at Bristol.
Source: NHS-UK team, 26 January 2016.
This statement was developed as part of the Heritage Lottery funded First World War project. http://www.ww1britainssurvivingvessels.org.uk/
FEASIBLE was built in 1912 by John Duthie of Aberdeen as a steam drifter and still has her original steam winches and derricks. She was called up for service as a patrol boat in World War I and assisted in the destruction of U-Boat 48 on 24 November 1917. Once demobilised, she went back to herring fishing. She had no less than five accidents including a collision in heavy seas, on one occasion losing a crew member overboard. At the outset of World War II she was again requisitioned by the Admiralty, this time as a minesweeper. Commanded by CC Findlay RNR, under orders from HMS, she was ordered to Dunkirk, where she picked up soldiers from smaller vessels who were ferrying them out from the beaches. Her engineer, A A Storr, was later decorated with the Distinguished Service Medal. On one of her returns to Ramsgate, FEASIBLE was bombed and disabled.
After the war, she was sold to Norway and given the name MELOY after an island above the Arctic Circle. She was also fitted with a 22hp diesel engine. Arctic Shipping of Cowes, found her 70 miles from the sea in Veafjord and brought her across the North Sea from Bergen to Cowes under her own power. A snapshot of the life and times of a steam drifter/trawler is provided by the personal log of Roy Jenner Breach during a voyage to the West Coast of Ireland in March 1937. He sailed on one of a fleet of 9 fishing vessels under the ownership of his father, John Victor Breach. FEASIBLE was one of this fleet. Leaving Lowestoft on 24 March the fleet tracked north. The log notes 'very impressive to see vessels under one ownership and newly painted in owners' colours steaming in company.' The first port of call was Hartlepool for bunkers on 25 March and Aberdeen was abeam at 3pm on 26 March; the potentially dangerous waters of the Pentland Firth and Cape Wrath were navigated the same night and the fleet arrived at Mallaig for bunkers at 10pm on 27 March. The fleet had run down the West Coast of Scotland partially under the shelter of the Western Isles and the Isle of Skye. Now they headed west into the open Atlantic Ocean and abeam of Aran Island off Donegal they commenced fishing: It was now 29 March and had taken them 5 days to reach their fishing grounds. The log tells that one of the vessels was appointed 'Admiral', co-ordinating the fishing and designating one of the vessels to be 'fleet carrier' for the day. During 30 March, weather conditions worsened and the fleet ran for cover in Killybegs where their catch of herring was sold by a local agent. Leaving the next day, they continued fishing for 4 more days. They then retraced their steps round Malin Head and to Ayr in Scotland where on 4 April, fish was landed and the log ends. It is assumed that Roy Breach left the fleet at Ayr and returned to Lowestoft. In 1937, fishing lacked technology and choosing fishing grounds was by visual observation and the knowledge of skippers; frequent calls had to be made at ports to take on coal bunkers and navigation was less sure - the log records that on the voyage back to Ayr they were steaming on dead reckoning and later 'cruised about trying to locate our position.'
In 2007, FEASIBLE was located in Penzance harbour having been bought by her current owner in 1997 and sailed down from the Isle of Wight. Each time an attempt was made to round Land's End with her 1903 engine, it stopped and the lifeboat had to be called. Finally, the engine was given back to its country of origin; Norway, for use in the Bruvnoll Museum. The owner has plans to restore FEASIBLE, but is currently awaiting funding.
This vessel is a survivor from the First World War. You can read more about her wartime history by visiting our First World War: Britain's Surviving Vessels website www.ww1britainssurvivingvessels.org.uk.
Brann, Christian, The Little Ships of Dunkirk: 55th Anniversary Supplement, Collectors' Books Ltd, 1995
Peterkin, Tom, Scotland on Sunday: Aberdeen-built classic is fished out of river, 15 February 1988
Vessel built in John Duthies yard, Aberdeen, for fishing
Assisted in the destruction of U Boat 48 on 24 November during the First World War
Vessel returned to Lowestoft and re-registered as LT 122
Damaged in collision with s/d PENCISELY at Ijmuiden
Broke her foremast at Tobermory
Damaged and flooded by heavy seas off Milford Haven. She was towed in by GOZO of Hull. Whaleman Edward Halliday was washed overboard and drowned
At the outset of the Second World War, vessel was requisitioned by the Admiralty as a minesweeper
Arrived back in Lowestoft
Vessel sold to Norway and renamed MELOY
Converted to motor
Sold to new owner
Based in Penzance harbour
Own this vessel?
If you are the owner of this vessel and would like to provide more details or updated information, please contact [email protected] | <urn:uuid:cdce1f43-3f13-4852-92e7-6c275c340a05> | CC-MAIN-2020-16 | https://www.nationalhistoricships.org.uk/register/711/feasible | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-16/segments/1585370505359.23/warc/CC-MAIN-20200401003422-20200401033422-00519.warc.gz | en | 0.983202 | 2,170 | 3 | 3 |
These shoes are typical of a fancy shoe for women in the mid-nineteenth century. Labelled a “turned shoe” because they are constructed inside out and the “turned” – therefore allowing all the stitching to be hidden. They were often made of black silk or leather with narrow ribbons to tie around the ankle. This one is made of black satin. Pairs like these were produced throughout Essex County – commonly found in communities like Haverhill and Lynn.
“Black Satin Turned Shoe.” Haverhill Historical Society, Haverhill, MA.
You must be logged in to post a comment. | <urn:uuid:cb29718c-74d8-48d6-8707-5300986dcb8e> | CC-MAIN-2023-23 | https://usingessexhistory.org/documents/fancy-turned-shoe-c-1840/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-23/segments/1685224648000.54/warc/CC-MAIN-20230601175345-20230601205345-00301.warc.gz | en | 0.971702 | 138 | 2.640625 | 3 |
"Divine Sonnet X," or "Death Be Not Proud," is one of 19 poems that form the "Divine Meditations," otherwise known as the "Holy Sonnets," written by English poet John Donne in the early 1600s. Donne is among the artists known as metaphysical poets, because of his exploration of spiritual themes using both an emotional and intellectual perspective. A devout Catholic turned Anglican preacher, Donne wrote the "Holy Sonnets" during a personally tumultuous time.
Tone and Personification
The speaker in "Divine Sonnet X" directly addresses a personified figure of death, repeatedly using imperative verbs to put death in its place, so to speak. Repeated commands such as "death, be not proud" and "death, thou canst kill me" convey a stern, resolved tone and a determined speaker. The line "thou canst kill me" seems to explain the speaker's resolve, as if the speaker himself is facing death, and therefore warding off his own fears by reminding death of its powerlessness over him.
"Divine Sonnet X," like many of Donne's poems, utilizes a version of the Petrarchan Sonnet: it contains 14 lines divided into three, four-line stanzas and one ending couplet, with a rhyme scheme of "abbaabbacddcaa." There is a pattern of enjambment, in which the speaker's sentences continually spill over one line to the next, rather than ending neatly with each line break. This has the effect of enhancing the speaker's authority over the figure of death, since the enjambments force the listener to pay closer attention.
Rhyme and Sound, Beginning
The frequent use of enjambments gives "Divine Sonnet X" considerable rhythmic variation and slightly mutes the rhyme scheme of a traditional Petrarchan Sonnet. The first stanza is halting and heavily punctuated, with many stops and starts. This corresponds to the speaker's attempt to set limits with death on what it can and cannot do. The second stanza uses more fluid syntax. in accordance with the speaker's more hopeful thoughts on what happens to the "best men" when they die.
Rhyme and Sound, Ending
In the third stanza, the speaker falls into a rhythm as he gains confidence in his ability to surmount death, listing the whims that death is a "slave" to as well as the negative circumstances within which death "dwells." The middle of the last line contains an abrupt break, then ends with one final, monosyllabic phrase, "Death, thou shalt die." This rhythmic switch has the effect of emphasizing the sentiment that, when a man enters eternal life, death is the one that truly dies. The poem asserts that death was in fact the instrument of its own defeat, and emphasizes that death, itself, will die eternally after the Christian resurrection.
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History | Location | Population | Climate | Taxes | Schools | Medical | Real Estate | All-America City | Prospective Residents | Fun Facts
Washington's rich history adds to the character of the community. The settlement of Washington was laid out in 1775 on the northern bank of the Pamlico/Tar River by Colonel James Bonner and named in honor of General George Washington, his commander-in-chief. The City was incorporated by an act of the North Carolina General Assembly in 1782. It became the county seat of Beaufort County in 1785, an honor previously held by the Town of Bath, North Carolina's oldest town, located 15 miles east.
There are numerous towns named Washington in the United States, but Washington, NC, is the first to have been named for General Washington (prior to his being named our nation's first president). Therefore, Washington, NC, is "The Original Washington."
Because of Washington's strategic location at the junction of coastal and inland rivers, the town developed as a regional shipping center and was recognized as a port in 1784. Washington also was a federal supply outpost during the Revolutionary War.
Washington has rebuilt after devastating fires destroyed all but a few of the City's antebellum structures. The construction that followed the second major fire in 1900 (the first burning was during the War Between the States) produced a concentration of Victorian era homes and commercial buildings in the area now designated as the Washington Historic District, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is one of the largest commercial and residential historic districts in North Carolina. More history
Washington is located on the Pamlico and Tar rivers in the inland coastal region of North Carolina at the intersection of US 17 and US 264, approximately 125 miles east of Raleigh.
The NC Department of Administration revises population figures annually. The estimated population for Washington is 9,840 (Office of State Budget and Management). US Census data for Washington, NC, through 2010 is available.
Washington has four distinct seasons with generally has mild winters and hot summers. Ice and snow are possible during the winter, but not frequent. Summerlike weather usually begins in May and extends into September. Summer days can be hot and humid, with frequent rain and thunderstorms. For more precise weather data, please visit the National Weather Service's Climate Prediction Center, which offers historical weather data online for points across the country.
In North Carolina both municipalities and counties can assess property taxes, and property inside municipalities is assessed both the municipality's and the county's property tax. In addition, unincorporated areas in Beaufort County, NC, may be part of fire and/or rescue districts, each with its own tax rates. There is no state property tax in North Carolina.
The City of Washington's 2014-2015 property tax rate is 50 cents per $100 valuation. Beaufort County's 2014-2015 property tax rate is 53 cents per $100 valuation. For district rates in specific areas please call the Beaufort County Tax Office at 252-946-2922.
Public pre-kindergarten through high school education is offered through the Beaufort County Schools. A charter school and parochial and non-parachocial private schools also are available. The area also is served by Beaufort County Community College and East Carolina University. Visit our Links of Interest page to locate websites and more information about these organizations.
Washington is served by a diverse and thriving medical community revolving around Vidant Beaufort Hospital. Specialized medical care also is available 20 miles west in Greenville, through Vidant Health Systems. Links of Interest page to locate websites and more information about these organizations.
The National Association of REALTORS® offers a website, Realtor.com, that allows you to search for property in any area of the country that participates in this service. The Washington-Beaufort County Board of Realtors participates, and many local real estate agents, companies and properties are listed on this site. We cannot recommend individual real estate agents or companies but we can point your to that resource. Click here to go to the National Association of REALTORS® website. Another option for online research for real estate agents is to conduct a "yellow pages" search on www.google.com. You will get a choice of online directories. Choose one directory and proceed with your research. This may expand your choice of agents and companies. If you need further advice, call the Washington-Beaufort County Board of Realtors at 252-946-3589, address 110 S. Main St., Bath, NC 27808.
Washington was named an All-America City in 1993 in recognition of the community's use of collaborative problem-solving involving a diverse variety of community groups and organizations.
Are you thinking of relocating to our area and seeking information about other community characteristics? Please see our Frequently Asked Questions page for responses to similar inquiries.
Visit our fun facts page to find out interesting information. | <urn:uuid:de726e02-8819-4cf2-af48-6418eb530ded> | CC-MAIN-2017-47 | http://www.washingtonnc.gov/community-information | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-47/segments/1510934807056.67/warc/CC-MAIN-20171124012912-20171124032912-00230.warc.gz | en | 0.945713 | 1,018 | 2.875 | 3 |
Dual Credit / Dual Enrollment
Dual credit refers to students earning college and high school credit simultaneously for a course taken either in the high school or on a college campus. Students can earn dual credit on the high school campus through partnerships with a postsecondary institution when specific faculty criteria are met. Depending on the school/program, students also might be able to earn credit on the college campus. Tuition and/or administrative fees might apply. All high schools offer some form of dual-credit opportunities, but courses vary by school. Check with your school guidance counselor or college and career coach for the latest information.
KnowHow2Transfer -- To determine course equivalency, search under “Learn how your courses transfer.”
- Course equivalency guide -- Simply select a community college and a four-year university, and the system will populate a list of transferable courses between those institutions. | <urn:uuid:625e3339-fa13-42b7-9d1e-09aedcaebcd6> | CC-MAIN-2020-29 | https://www.fcps.net/Page/13669 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-29/segments/1593655937797.57/warc/CC-MAIN-20200711192914-20200711222914-00288.warc.gz | en | 0.939241 | 180 | 2.6875 | 3 |
Wifredo Lam. b. Sagua La Grande, Cuba (1902 – 1982), Inspired by and in contact with some of the most renowned artists of the 20th century, Lam melded his influences and created a unique style, which was ultimately characterized by the prominence of hybrid figures. Though he was predominantly a painter, he also worked with sculpture, ceramics and printmaking in his later life. During the 1930s Lam was exposed to a variety of influences. The influence of Surrealism was discernible in his work, as well as that of Henri Matisse. Throughout Lam’s travels through the Spanish countryside, he developed empathy for the Spanish peasants, whose troubles in some ways mirrored those of the former slaves he grew up around in Cuba. In 1938 Lam moved to Paris. He quickly gained the support of Picasso, who introduced him to many of the leading artists of the time, such as Fernand Léger, Henri Matisse, Georges Braque and Joan Miró. Picasso also introduced him to Pierre Loeb, a Parisian art dealer; Loeb gave Lam his first exhibition at the Galerie Pierre Loeb in 1939, which received an enthusiastic response from critics. Picasso and Lam also exhibited their work together at the Perls Galleries in New York in the same year. Lam’s work went from showing the influence of Matisse, seen in his still lifes, landscapes and simplified portraits, to being influenced by Cubism. Wifredo Lam was influenced by the Afro-Cubans of the time. Lam dramatically synthesized the Surrealist and Cubist strategies while incorporating the iconography and spirit of Afro-Cuban religion. For that reason, his work does not belong to any particular art movement. He held the belief that society focused too much on the individual and sought to show humanity as a whole in his artwork. He painted generic figures, creating the universal. To further his goal, he often painted mask-like faces. While Cuban culture and mythology permeated his work, it dealt with the nature of man and therefore was wholly relatable to non-Cubans. In 2015 a retrospective exhibition of his works opened at the Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris; this exhibition is to travel to the Reina Sofia Museum in Spain and the Tate Museum in London afterwards.
Wifredo Lam, Untitle, 1947, ink on paper, 9 x 11" | <urn:uuid:4087fcd5-5a22-4171-bcce-42d50c8a0dd2> | CC-MAIN-2023-50 | https://www.kendallartcenter.org/wifredolam | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-50/segments/1700679100800.25/warc/CC-MAIN-20231209040008-20231209070008-00165.warc.gz | en | 0.983311 | 497 | 2.71875 | 3 |
Adenosine deaminase 2 (ADA2) deficiency is a disorder characterized by abnormal inflammation of various tissues. Signs and symptoms can begin anytime from early childhood to adulthood. The severity of the disorder also varies, even among affected individuals in the same family.
ADA2 deficiency is caused by mutations in the ADA2 gene. This gene provides instructions for making an enzyme called adenosine deaminase 2. Studies suggest that this enzyme plays an essential role in the growth and development of certain immune system cells, including macrophages, which are a type of white blood cell that plays a critical role in inflammation. Some macrophages are pro-inflammatory, meaning they promote inflammation, while others are anti-inflammatory, meaning they reduce inflammation.
More than 160 individuals with ADA2 deficiency have been described in the medical literature. However, researchers suspect that many more people may be affected, and ADA2 deficiency may not be a rare disease. They are working to determine whether this condition could underlie other, more common forms of vasculitis and stroke whose causes are currently unknown.
This condition is inherited in an autosomal recessive pattern, which means both copies of the gene in each cell have mutations. The parents of an individual with an autosomal recessive condition each carry one copy of the mutated gene, but they typically do not show signs and symptoms of the condition.
Published Date: August 01, 2018Published By: National Institutes of Health | <urn:uuid:57aeb88d-c1eb-47aa-96ac-a940d4892ee7> | CC-MAIN-2023-14 | https://www.medifind.com/conditions/adenosine-deaminase-2-deficiency/4878 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-14/segments/1679296945288.47/warc/CC-MAIN-20230324180032-20230324210032-00175.warc.gz | en | 0.956728 | 293 | 3.703125 | 4 |
|Teaching and Learning Forum 2008 [ Refereed papers ]|
Department of Philosophy, The University of Western Australia
School of Media, Communications and Culture, Murdoch University
Richard Posner has argued that teaching moral philosophy is a misguided and pointless exercise. According to Posner, ethical philosopher exaggerate the role rationality play in moral judgement. As a result, classes on moral philosophy are "useless," as they invariably fail to influence students' thoughts or behaviour. We sought to test Posner's claim by surveying students in two university units dealing with ethics. Our findings suggest that, contrary to Posner's suggestion, ethics units do in fact influence students' moral thinking, including the judgements they make about particular moral issues. The influence of ethics units on students' behaviour was smaller, lending some support to Posner's view that there is a difference between making a moral judgement and possessing sufficient motivation to act on it. However, the purpose of ethics units may not be to cause students to embrace a set program of action, but to teach them to think critically about morality. Our evidence suggests ethics units succeed at this goal, and so are not the arenas of pointless futility that Posner portrays.
What lesson should we take away from the philosophers' legal intervention and the judges' seeming reluctance to engage them in dialogue? According to the influential legal theorist Richard Posner, the episode highlights a deep-seated flaw with contemporary moral philosophy. Philosophers such as those who sought to sway the Supreme Court take it for granted that their arguments can influence other people's beliefs and behaviour. According to Posner, however, this view is mistaken. He argues that our moral beliefs are beyond the reach of abstract theoretical arguments of the type employed by philosophers. Our moral views are instead shaped by factors such as our emotions and self-interest, aspects of our identity that are impervious to philosophical analysis. As Posner summarizes his position, "people who make philosophical arguments for why we should alter our moral beliefs or behavior are wasting their time if what they want to do is alter those beliefs and the behavior the beliefs might influence. Moral intuitions neither do nor should yield to the weak arguments that are all that philosophers can bring to bear on moral issues" (Posner 1999: ix; cf. 38-42, 68-85).
Posner's analysis represents a fundamental challenge to the academic study of morality. Although his view may strike some observers as extreme, we believe it is worth taking seriously. One reason is Posner's prominence and status. As the author of almost 40 books and a founder of the law and economics movement, he is one of the most influential legal theorists now writing. Posner's iconoclastic argument also raises important questions that are rarely discussed. It is hard to see what value the teaching of moral philosophy can have, if it makes no difference to the thoughts and actions of those who are exposed to it. Yet the transformative power of moral theory is not something moral philosophers have traditionally sought to demonstrate. Often they have simply taken it for granted that moral arguments do in fact change people's minds. This widely held assumption is worth putting to the test. Just what effect, if any, does exposure to moral philosophy actually have?
In order to partly answer this question, we administered a survey to university students. We asked them to respond to a list of questions regarding the effect studying moral philosophy on their beliefs and behaviour. Our goal was to test a view which we term the Posner hypothesis: academic moral instruction makes no difference either to students' beliefs or to their actions.
Before outlining our findings, below, we set out our hypothesis and methodology. We then go on to compare the effects ethics units have on students' thinking with the effects of university units in general. Next, we discuss students' views regarding a list of particular moral subjects, before discussing some comments students provided regarding the effect ethics units had on their thinking regarding ethical subjects beyond those mentioned in the survey. We then turn to the separate question of behaviour, and analyse the effects ethics units have had on students' activities in a variety of ethical areas, such as charitable giving and volunteer work.
Posner offers a wide variety of claims to support his conclusion regarding the futility of moral philosophy. Two of these claims influenced how we designed our survey, and so are worth mentioning. The first has to do with a distinction Posner draws between moral theory and science, particularly social science. Posner believes that theories from outside the realm of moral philosophy can transform our thinking. Examples he gives of successful and genuinely transformative theories are Darwin's theory of evolution, Weber's sociological analysis and the general study of economics (1998: 14). Posner also argues that our ethical views can be changed by new factual information. As he puts it, "if the only reason that virgins are hurled into volcanoes is to make crops grow, empirical inquiry should dislodge the practice" (1998: 22). Given Posner's distinction between moral theory and more empirical methods of inquiry, we sought to investigate whether ethics units were less transformative than other types of university units, as Posner's analysis would appear to suggest.
The second claim that influenced our survey concerns a distinction Posner draws between academic moralists and moral entrepreneurs. An academic moralist is someone who engages in abstract moral reasoning, albeit to little effect. For Posner, practically all modern philosophers who teach ethics fall into this category. Moral entrepreneurs, by contrast, are effective at changing how people think about morality. This group, which includes both Jesus Christ and Adolph Hitler, take a very different approach from that of modern ethics professors. Entrepreneurs speak to our emotions, our feelings of pity or shame or solidarity, and inspire us through such practices as the use of rhetoric or by setting an inspirational personal example. As Posner puts it, "they don't do this with arguments, at least good ones. Rather they mix appeals to self-interest with emotional appeals that bypass our rational calculating faculty and stir inarticulable feelings . . . they teach us to love or hate whom they love or hate" (Posner 1999: 42). Posner's emphasis on the role of self-interest and emotions in shaping our moral views inspired a section of our survey in which we asked respondents what role these and other factors played in their moral decision making.
Our methodology took the form of a an anonymous paper survey. The students involved were enrolled in philosophy units at two different universities in Western Australia. One, the University of Western Australia, is a large public research university, while the other, the University of Notre Dame, is a smaller private Catholic institution. At UWA the survey was filed out by 33 students in Social Ethics: Life and Death, a survey course addressing such familiar staples of contemporary ethics instruction as abortion, euthanasia and animal rights. At Notre Dame the survey was filed out by 38 students in Legal Philosophy, a survey course in jurisprudence that exposed students to a wide variety of philosophies of law, many of which touched on ethical questions (see below). In both units we asked students to indicate how many ethics-related units they had taken, with ethics units defined broadly to include not only ethics survey courses but any unit with a pronounced ethical theme, such as those dealing with legal or political philosophy, medical ethics, human nature or love and friendship. The students had taken a mean average of 3 ethics-related units, and the survey was designed to gauge the effect of any ethics-related units that a student had ever taken. Only one of our questions was written in a manner that took into account the particular unit in which the survey was being administered (see below).
In designing and carrying out our study, we were partly inspired by previous research into the ethical effects of studying economics. Such research has often been taken to show that students who are exposed to modern economic theory become less altruistic and more self-centred (Marwell and Ames 1981; Frank et al. 1993). However, this widely held belief has recently been challenged by Bruno Frey and Stephan Meier (2005). They note that while economics majors donate to charity less often than other students, this difference is evident even before they have attended their first day of university. The different donation rate is thus not an "indoctrination effect" but a "selection effect," in that economics attracts people less likely to give to charity to begin with (2005: 168, 170). In carrying out our own project, we sought to investigate the "indoctrination" or transformational effect of studying ethics, as distinct from any selection effect. Hence our decision to administer a survey to students, asking what effect studying ethics had on their thinking and behaviour.
Although there have been other studies on the effects of studying ethics, we are unaware of any previous research with quite the same focus and methodology. While ethics surveys and tests have often been employed by education researchers, they have tended to focus on students in disciplines such as nursing , public administration and business, rather than philosophy (Menzel 1997, Krawczyk 1997, Perryer and Jordan 2002). Research into the type of ethics instruction done in philosophy classrooms, by contrast, has tended to eschew surveys and other social scientific tools, in favour of normative investigations into which teaching style or approach works best.
The responses to our questions about university units indicate that students are often influenced by their studies. Seventy-nine percent of students we surveyed (55 respondents) either agreed or strongly agreed that taking university units made them better listeners. Eighty-nine percent of students (62 respondents) said that taking university units provided them with better reasons for views the already held. Ninety percent (63 respondents) said university study made them more open to new ideas, beyond those discussed in class. Finally, 76% of students (53 respondents) said that taking university units caused them to sometimes or often change their mind about a topic the unit covered. By contrast, only 24% of students (17 respondents) said university units never or only rarely caused them to change their mind.
These results suggest that the things students hear in class do not merely go in one ear and out the other, but have an actual effect on what they think. The transformative effect of university education seems particularly true in regard to students' receptiveness to new ideas: the high number of positive responses to this question suggests that most students do not just passively receive the ideas that are part of the curriculum, but become more open to novel concepts in general. This is consistent with the high number of respondents who said they had become better listeners, a disposition that suggests openness to unfamiliar modes of thought, and also with the equally large number of respondents who indicated some degree of belief-revision due to their university studies.
It might be thought that the very highest figure, that concerning students acquiring better reasons for views they already held, cuts against the overall transformative trend. After all, the answers to our better reasons question might simply suggest that students engage in a process of rationalizing their firmly held conclusions, and so are not really transformed by what happens in class. Although this may be true in some cases, we believe it is more consistent with the other answers in this section to take a more positive view of students who answered yes to the better reasons question. We take the answers to this question to indicate that due to their education, students came to recognize important flaws in the original justifications for their views. In other words, students who came to embrace new reasons for their thinking are engaging in a different sort of transformation, not avoiding transformation altogether.
How transformative were ethics units compared to units in general? To answer this question, we asked students to indicate whether they strongly agreed, agreed, were neutral, disagreed or strongly disagreed with the following statements:
Taking ethics units has enabled me to give better reasons for ethical views I already held.These questions have a similar wording to the ones we asked about university units in general. The difference is that the question about becoming a better listener was replaced by one that asks students to reflect on whether ethics units have helped them to identify contradictions in their ethical views. We also asked students to respond to the following statement:
Taking ethics units has made me better able to spot poor ethical arguments and fallacies. I feel I am less likely to be taken in by bad ethical arguments.
Taking ethics units has helped me to identify contradictions in my ethical thinking and to make my views more consistent.
Taking ethics units has made me more open to new ethical ideas, beyond those we discussed in the units themselves.
Taking ethics units has caused me to change my mind about an ethical or ethics-related subject we discussed.Responses to this question took the form of indicating whether it was the case never, rarely, sometimes, often or always.
The results of our ethics-related questions suggest that ethics units are just as transformative as general university units. This can be seen by noting the high percentage of students who agreed or strongly agreed with the first four questions regarding possible changes brought about by ethics units:
|Effect of ethics units||Agree or Strongly agree|
|Better ethical reasons||57||80%|
|Openness to new ethical ideas||58||82%|
In addition to the above, 69% of students (49 respondents) indicated that they had "sometimes" or "often" changed their mind due to taking an ethics unit. These results suggest that ethics units had a noticeable effect on students' thinking. True, the numbers were not quite as high as those regarding university units in general. But it is worth pointing out what a wide category "university units" is: it can refer to everything from a unit in ancient history to physics. These classes will often expose students to a wide range of topics, from the causes of the Peloponnesian War to the truth or falsity of string theory, which they may never have heard of before, let alone had a position on. In the case of ethics units, by contrast, students arrive at university already holding some sort of moral view. The relatively small difference between the responses to the questions regarding general units and those dealing with ethics may thus simply be due to the lesser chance of coming in contact with completely unknown material in a class touching on ethics. Given this possibility, it would appear prudent not to make too much of the different responses, and classify general and ethics units as more or less equally transformative.
If that is the case, then it would appear we have grounds to reject Posner's claim that ethical beliefs, unlike other convictions we hold, are beyond the reach of reason. If Posner's theory were correct, we should have expected to find that students changed their mind significantly more often in general units than ethics-related ones, due to being exposed to new information or to social scientific theories. But this is not what students report. Rather students' ethical view are also influenced through academic discussion. This would appear to suggest that our ethical beliefs, rather than occupying a special category, are just as susceptible to rational scrutiny and revision as our non-ethical convictions.
AbortionThe list of subjects was partly drawn from topics covered in the units in which we administered our survey. At the time of the survey, for example, the UWA ethics unit had recently covered abortion, animal rights and the harm of death, while the nature of rights and the relationship between morality and law were major themes of the Notre Dame legal philosophy unit.
The harm of death
The nature of rights
The existence of God
The nature of moral character
The ethical significance of love
The ethical significance of gender
Australia's status as a democracy
Human nature as selfish or altruistic
The ethical significance of friendship
The relationship between morality and law
Whether students said their thinking regarding a subject on our list had changed strongly correlated with whether or not the subject had been covered in the unit in which they were being surveyed. This can be seen by comparing the overall results from this section with the same results broken down according to unit.
|The nature of rights||42||57||52|
|The relationship between morality and law||27||71||51|
|The harm of death||58||16||35|
|The nature of moral character||30||39||35|
|The existence of God||30||34||32|
|Human nature as selfish or altruistic||27||29||28|
|The ethical significance of love||18||29||24|
|Australia's status as a democracy||9||34||22|
|The ethical significance of gender||3||32||18|
|The ethical significance of friendship||15||18||17|
The results indicate that over 50% of students said their views on abortion, the nature of rights and the relationship between morality and law had been influenced in some way by ethics units. The fact that these three topics generated such high responses is no doubt due to the fact that they had recently been covered in depth in the two units in which students were surveyed. This interpretation is borne out by the extremely high response rate UWA students gave regarding animal rights, and the equally high response Notre Dame students provided regarding morality and law. UWA students heard a lecture on animal rights immediately before writing the survey, and the relationship between morality and law is a central theme of the legal philosophy unit. That students were responding to topics their units had recently covered is confirmed by the high UWA response regarding the harm of death, a slightly unusual topic with which the Social Ethics unit had commenced.
Overall, these figures tell us that, at least in the short term, studying ethics makes a difference to the ethical views of students. This again would appear to call into question Posner's portrayal of ethical judgement as beyond the reach of reason. What lends added force to this consideration is the surprising number of students who said their thinking about abortion was influenced by their ethics studies. Admittedly, our question was phrased broadly, asking students if their thinking on this and the other issues had been influenced "in any way" by ethics units. Nevertheless, there is a common perception that people's views on the abortion issue is intractable and immune to criticism. Our findings, however, suggest that this common view is exaggerated, and that academic analysis can influence a person's views even on this emotional subject.
Also worthy of comment is the high number of Notre Dame law students who said their studies had influenced their understanding of the relationship between morality and law. Although the list by itself did not say exactly what form the changes took, several students' written comments addressed this question. As one student wrote, ethics related units had taught him "that morality does not always apply to law." Another student commented that her views had been changed regarding "judicial activism," a negative term for judges who decide cases according to their own moral and political convictions, rather than precedent and textual authority.
Based on these comments, we interpret the high level of responses to the morality and law question to indicate a substantial number of law students had a similar experience: they came to see morality as having less rather than more direct application to law. This is in keeping with a familiar aspect of first year law school, during which students are taught that the law and justice are two different things, and that legal questions sometimes have a complex relationship to moral ones. An awareness of this aspect of legal education suggests a different relationship between moral philosophy and law than the total opposition portrayed by Posner. This alternative relationship has been suggested by Charles Fried, a critic of Posner who is (like Posner himself) also a judge. As with Posner and our students, Fried shares the widely held concern that judges not decide cases according to their personal moral beliefs. However, unlike Posner, Fried does not defend this idea by arguing for a complete divide between morality and law. Rather he argues that there are ethical reasons for resisting judicial activism. As Fried puts it, "my own legal philosophy sets great store by fidelity to the texts, precedents, and traditions of the legal tradition in which I work. But it does so as a matter or political morality" (Fried 1998: 1743).
This interpretation of the relationship between morality and law should cause us to recognize there is something one-sided about Posner's account. Moral theory is not necessarily antithetical to good judicial practice, and exposure to abstract moral arguments can potentially instil students with a legal philosophy similar to Fried's. That is, moral philosophy can makes future jurists less rather than more sympathetic to judicial activism.
I have become more open to opposing arguments and have less conviction in my original view. (21-year-old woman)Given that a central purpose of philosophy units is to make students less close-minded more careful and thinkers, these results are perhaps unsurprising. Here we merely point out that such response would seem to further call into question Posner's portrayal of the modern ethics classroom as an arena of pointless futility. Students' exposure to moral philosophy would instead seem to instill in them with a new capacity for critically analyzing moral concepts.
I find that I am more likely to refect on an idea/argument before commenting. I am more likely to try to understand the other person's point of view before commenting. (28-year-old man)
Whereas I had fixed positions in the past, now I am more inclined to be sceptical of any fixed position and look further beyond and behind an issue before arriving at a position. (50-year-old woman)
Students' comments were similar to their responses to our list of moral topics, in that they often reflected the curriculum of the unit in which they were enrolled. This was especially true of students in the UWA unit, who often listed abortion and animal rights as subjects on which an ethics units had influenced their thinking. This would at least suggest that students do not forget everything they have heard as soon as a lecture is over (much as instructors might think otherwise after marking a disappointing set of essays).
Given that the survey asked about ethics units beyond the one in which students were surveyed, we were interested to see whether students changed their mind about any topics that were neither on our list of prompts nor part of their current unit. As it turned out, UWA students did not mention any topics that met this description while 47% of Notre Dame students did. (A difference we attribute to the fact that UWA students were exposed to a wider variety of ethical topics in their unit). Unprompted topics that Notre Dame students mentioned included the death penalty, racism, the distribution of wealth, stem cell research, pornography, religion is schools and migration and terrorism issues. Although the frequency with which any individual topics was mentioned was fairly low, ranging from between two to five respondents, we took the frequency with which Notre Dame students brought up some issue beyond those mentioned in the survey to indicate that previous ethics units had exerted an influence on their moral judgment. Moreover, the issues on which they tended to change their minds were not remote or irrelevant subjects, of interest only to someone living in an Ivory Tower, but instead reflected familiar political debates in the wider society.
Taking ethics units has influenced something I said in a discussion with family or friends.
Taking ethics units has influenced an article or letter I published in a newspaper, magazine, campus periodical or public Web site.
Taking ethics units has influenced how much I give to charity.
Taking ethics units has influenced which charities I donate to.
Taking ethics units has influenced the amount of volunteer work I perform.
Taking ethics units has influenced my decision to joint a political or advocacy organization (e.g. Amnesty International, political party, campus group, etc.).
Taking ethics units has influenced my decision to join a religious or spiritual organization.
Taking ethics units has influenced how I vote.
Taking ethics units has influenced me in becoming vegetarian.
Taking ethics units has influenced my dietary habits (free-range eggs, fair-trade coffee, etc).
Our results indicate that students' behaviour is sometimes influenced by ethics units. A large majority of students say their discussions with family or friends have been influenced by studying ethics. This is perhaps unsurprising, given that there is no cost or sacrifice involved in participating in a conversation. Slightly more surprising was the fact that 22 percent of students overall said their dietary habits had been influenced in some way by ethics units. Clearly a significant percentage of students regard food choices as exercising their moral judgement, and they draw on their study of ethics in making such choices. A significant number of students also said that their ethics units influenced how much volunteer work they performed. As perhaps befits an ambitious group such as law students, a fifth of Notre Dame respondents said that ethics units had influenced their decision to join a political party or similar group.
By contrast, the questions on our list that generated the lowest responses involved joining a religious organization and switching to vegetarianism. In the case of joining a religious group, the low result is perhaps unsurprising when only 40% of students expressed any religious belief to begin with. In regards to vegetarianism, it is perhaps to be expected that such a significant dietary change was not embraced by more students. Moreover, there is the possibility in the case of Notre Dame students that they have never been exposed to readings making the case for animal rights. When one focuses on UWA students, it is slightly surprising that as many as nine percent made a decision to go vegetarian partly due to taking ethics units.
Overall, we interpret the behaviour section of the survey to indicate that although students' behaviour is sometimes influenced by taking ethics units, it is not as dramatic as the changes that takes place regarding their beliefs. In that sense, we feel Posner is on stronger ground querying the effect of ethics units on behaviour compared to beliefs. Clearly, students do not undergo a behavioural transformation when they study moral philosophy. However, it is worth asking whether the purpose of an ethics unit is to transform student behaviour. No honest ethics instructor can pretend to be entirely neutral on ethical questions: we all have views on these subjects. At the same time, it is worth pointing out that the readings in the two units we surveyed often disagreed with each other. Students would read one article on an ethical subject that would be contradicted by the next week's reading. If the purpose were really to argue students into a particular view regarding abortion, the nature of rights or some other topic, such an approach would seem counterproductive. Given the frequency with which ethics units expose students to conflicting perspectives, it seems more accurate to regard the primary goal of such units to be teaching them to think for themselves. If so, then changes in behaviour of the type our survey reveals represent significant side effects, rather than a failure to achieve the unit's primary purpose. In this sense, ethics units may not be useless, even though they have less of an effect on students' behaviour than on their beliefs.
We also surveyed members of a Philosophy Café that meets monthly to discuss philosophical subjects. Several of the items on our list (concerning moral character, Australia's status as a democracy and human nature) were topics the Philosophy Café had discussed in the past six months. However, when we administered the Café survey, we received only ten usable responses, no doubt due to the heavy rain that reduced the Café turnout. This is too small a sample to make meaningful inferences from, so we leave the Café findings aside.
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Krawczyk, R. (1997). "Teaching Ethics: Effect on Moral Development." Nursing Ethics, 4: 57-65.
Marwell, G. and R. Ames. (1981). "Economists Free Ride. Does Anyone Else? Experiments on the Provision of Public Goods. IV", Journal of Public Economics, 15: 295-310.
Menzel, D. (1997). "Teaching Ethics and Values in Public Administration: Are We Making a Difference?" Public Administration Review, 57: 224-230.
Nagel, T. (1979). Mortal Questions. Cambridge University Press: Cambridge.
Perryer, C and Jordan, C. (2002). "The Influence of Gender, Age, Culture and other Factors on Ethical Beliefs: A Comparative Study in Australia and Singapore." Public Administration & Management, 7: 367-382.
Posner, R. (1999). The Problematics of Moral and Legal Theory. Harvard University Press: Cambridge, Mass.
Schwitzgebel, E. (2007, July 19). "The Generosity of Philosophy Students." Message posted to http://schwitzsplinters.blogspot.com/2007/07/generosity-of-philosophy-studen ts.html
|Authors: Andy Lamey, Department of Philosophy,
The University of Western Australia.
Kirsty Best, School of Media, Communications and Culture, Murdoch University. Email: [email protected]
Please cite as: Lamey, A. & Best, K. (2008). Posner on the uselessness of moral theory: An empirical analysis. In Preparing for the graduate of 2015. Proceedings of the 17th Annual Teaching Learning Forum, 30-31 January 2008. Perth: Curtin University of Technology. http://otl.curtin.edu.au/tlf/tlf2008/refereed/lamey.html
This paper was accepted as a refereed research paper. The authors elected to not proceed with publication at the time, although the paper was presented at the Forum [Timetable] . Upon receiving a request from the authors, dated 24 July 2009, Committee agreed to proceed with the publication of this paper.
Copyright 2008 Andy Lamey and Kirsty Best. The authors assign to the TL Forum and notfor profit educational institutions a non-exclusive licence to reproduce this article for personal use or for institutional teaching and learning purposes, in any format (including website mirrors), provided that the article is used and cited in accordance with the usual academic conventions. | <urn:uuid:89cf8f21-5e82-4510-b356-2dad8c4bab6d> | CC-MAIN-2017-30 | http://clt.curtin.edu.au/events/conferences/tlf/tlf2008/refereed/lamey.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-30/segments/1500549426372.41/warc/CC-MAIN-20170726182141-20170726202141-00256.warc.gz | en | 0.961609 | 6,262 | 2.546875 | 3 |
People from many different backgrounds and experiences arrive in the workplace expecting success for themselves and the organization. When this diversity is valued and leveraged, organizations have better outcomes with retention, morale, productivity, customer service, and profitability.
This session focuses on understanding diversity and inclusion—what do these terms mean in the workplace? Participants will learn to learn to recognize different types of exclusion and will practice several communication skills to create a more inclusive environment.
After completing this course, participants will be able to:
- Recognize the characteristics that make up diversity
- Talk more comfortably about differences
- Decrease conscious and accidental exclusion
- Create an inclusive workplace
- Resolve misunderstandings related to diversity
This program is designed for supervisors and managers.
Length: 3 hours
HRCI Credits: This program has been submitted to HR Certification Institute for review. | <urn:uuid:3d35ec08-ad19-49c5-b0e7-3b8a4a960376> | CC-MAIN-2020-16 | https://www.connect2classes.com/seattle/classes/business/diversity-and-inclusion-in-the-workplace/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-16/segments/1585371576284.74/warc/CC-MAIN-20200405084121-20200405114121-00520.warc.gz | en | 0.925609 | 173 | 2.984375 | 3 |
“Genomic parasites” jumpstart the evolution of pregnancy, a UChicago economist recommends paying NCAA college athletes, some regulations make power plants less efficient, and neural responses predict generosity in three- to five-year-olds.
Evolution of the stork
The vast genetic shifts that marked the evolution of pregnancy in mammals involved thousands of genes recruited to the uterus from other systems—brain, digestive, circulatory—repurposed to new functions, such as suppressing the maternal immune system and sending signals between mother and fetus. Shedding light on how organisms develop novel structures, an international team including UChicago geneticist Vincent Lynch cataloged genes expressed in the wombs of 13 different animals, including mammals, reptiles, and amphibians. The emergence of pregnancy was driven by ancient “genomic parasites” called transposons: fragments of DNA that can jump around in the genome. Ancient mammalian transposons had binding sites for the reproductive hormone progesterone that regulated the recruitment of genes to the uterus and activated them. The research was published online January 29 in Cell Reports.
Play for pay
In a study calling today’s college athletic system “inefficient, inequitable, and very likely unsustainable”—as well as a possible violation of the Sherman Antitrust Act—UChicago economist Allen Sanderson and a Vanderbilt University colleague recommend paying college athletes. Published in the Winter 2015 Journal of Economic Perspectives, the study finds that NCAA remuneration caps—restricted to room, board, tuition, fees, and books—hold down benefits for top-performing athletes, while coaches and athletic department personnel receive disproportionately high salaries. They also note that students’ exemption from labor laws allows universities to dictate long work hours and the NCAA to steadily expand the number of regular-season and play-off games with minimal marginal operating cost. Recent lawsuits by student-athletes and pressure from regulators may help force a change, the authors argue, reducing the NCAA’s “monopoly power.”
Chicago Harris economist Steve Cicala, AB’04, investigated data on almost $1 trillion worth of power-plant fuel deliveries to analyze the effectiveness of state regulations. In the January American Economic Review, Cicala, also on the faculty of the Energy Policy Institute at Chicago, reported his results: deregulated power plants save roughly $1 billion a year compared to their regulated counterparts. That’s because unregulated power plants can shop around on the open market for cheaper coal. Also, political influence, poorly designed reimbursement rates, and a lack of transparency make coal purchases for regulated plants more inefficient. “It’s critical,” Cicala wrote, “to know what makes for ‘bad’ regulations when designing new ones.”
Young children are natural helpers, but their outlook on sharing is often more selfish than selfless. In a study in the January 5 Current Biology, UChicago neuroscientist Jean Decety and Jason Cowell, a postdoc in Decety’s Child NeuroSuite lab, analyzed generosity in three- to five-year-olds. They recorded brain waves and tracked eye movements of 57 children as they watched videos of cartoon-like characters helping or hurting each other. Then the children played a “dictator game,” deciding whether to keep or share stickers they’d been given. After seeing the helpful or hurtful behavior in the videos, the children exhibited both immediate, automatic neural responses and later, more controlled ones. The latter—choosing whether to share the stickers—was more indicative of generosity. The study was the first to identify specific brain markers that predict generosity and to link children’s implicit moral evaluations to outward moral behavior. | <urn:uuid:a4e1cbed-e667-4626-9d7f-5c3fb6236a62> | CC-MAIN-2023-40 | https://mag.uchicago.edu/university-news/faculty-research-16 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-40/segments/1695233506632.31/warc/CC-MAIN-20230924091344-20230924121344-00134.warc.gz | en | 0.933337 | 772 | 2.984375 | 3 |
Most readers of OldHouseWeb.com own what are considered old homes (built in 1945 or earlier). They were polled about the age of the homes they live in—and nearly half of responders said they owned homes built between 1900 and 1945. About a third own homes built between 1800 and 1899. A small five percent owned homes built before 1800. Let’s take a look at how old houses are across the country.
Average Age of US Homes
Comparing answers to a 1995 housing survey conducted by the U.S. Census, only 27.5 percent of homeowners resided within a house that was built in 1949 or earlier, and 8.9 percent of those polled lived in one built in 1919 or earlier. In 2009, a housing survey conducted by the U.S. Census found the age of most houses in the USA to be 36 years, with 22.9 percent built during the 1950s and 1960s. This makes sense when you study the history of the country, as those decades are when the economically strongest middle class was created.
Depending on the area of the country, the median age varies. Homes in the Northeast are older, with an average age of 51 years. Homes built in the early- to mid-1800s are common in the New England states, again, not surprising to those who know our country’s history. Homes in the South tend to be younger, at an average of 31 years.
Of the homes standing today, 22.9 percent were built during the 1950s and 1960s. Regionally, 12 percent of the homes in the Midwest and 14 percent of homes in the Northeast were built in the 1950s. Eleven percent of the homes in the South and in the West were built in the 1960s. The housing boom in the Northeast began well before the 1950s, however; 14 percent of homes in the area were built before 1919.
Not surprisingly, Buffalo, New York shows 101,800 of homes built in 1919 or earlier. New York City, possesses an impressive 792,800, holding the majority of aged homes for the state. Rochester also offered a significant showing, with 91,800 of the homes there built before 1919.
Obviously, many vintage homes are located in what became massive metropolitan areas of the states. Chicago has about 310,000 and Boston 290,000. The northern area of New Jersey sports 270,000. The whole of Philadelphia also sits at an average of 270,000 homes. Minneapolis holds a count of about 113,000.
The largest concentration of older homes are located in areas that were settled earlier than most of states in the nation. Interestingly, some older areas of the country don’t follow this pattern and have a lower incidence of historic homes. Atlanta, Georgia, offers only 15,500 homes that were built before 1919. Kansas City, Missouri offers 38,000, while Norfolk, Virginia has only 16,600 homes built before that time.
Tampa, Florida doesn’t possess many, where there are only 2,100 homes were built before 1919. The median age of all homes in Tampa metro area is 31 years. Moving over to the Pacific coast, San Diego, California homes are roughly 36 years in age, with only 8,100 built before 1919.
There are only about 900 homes in Phoenix, Arizona that were built before 1919, and the median age of homes in the area is 28 years. So, it is the most significant area for having the fewest old homes for a major US city.
Homes by Decade
If you want to examine the whole of the USA in a quick snapshot, census data of homes built 1900 to 2014 displays which decades are most represented by the current housing stock. Believe it or not the largest share of homes in the Northeastern states was built in the 80s. However, in California, the prevailing decade for houses still being lived in is the 1950s.
The majority of the oldest homes built in the USA from 1920 – 1929 is Washington, DC.
The states holding up the 50s, built in 1950 – 1959 are California, Connecticut, Illinois, Kansas, Michigan, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Wisconsin.
For the decade of disco homes built 1970 – 1979 we see Hawaii, Mississippi, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, West Virginia, and Wyoming.
The most homes built during the New Wave, New Age decade 1980 – 1989, are in the states of Alaska, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont, and Virginia.
Interestingly, the states with the most homes built during the 90s, between 1990 – 1999, only number two states: Delaware and Indiana.
The largest growth is in the current era. Homes built between 2000 – 2010 have occurred in 40% of the whole country: Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Iowa, Kentucky, Minnesota, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, North Carolina, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, and Washington. | <urn:uuid:0942fd8b-57bf-4072-bf75-7d8f6efcd267> | CC-MAIN-2020-34 | https://goldenstatemortgage.com/how-old-are-homes-in-the-usa/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-34/segments/1596439735964.82/warc/CC-MAIN-20200805183003-20200805213003-00435.warc.gz | en | 0.969202 | 1,034 | 2.765625 | 3 |
Trauma surgery is a surgical specialty that utilizes both operative and non-operative management to treat traumatic injuries, typically in an acute setting. Trauma surgeons generally complete residency training in General Surgery and often fellowship training in trauma or surgical critical care. The trauma surgeon is responsible for initially resuscitating and stabilizing and later evaluating and managing the patient. The attending trauma surgeon also leads the trauma team, which typically includes nurses and support staff as well as resident physicians in teaching hospitals. Training.
Most United States trauma surgeons practice in larger centers and complete a 1-2 year trauma surgery fellowship, which often includes a surgical critical care fellowship. They may therefore sit for the American Board of Surgery (ABS) certifying examination in Surgical Critical Care.
National surgical boards usually supervise European training programs; they also certify for subspecialization in trauma surgery. An official European trauma surgical exam exists.
Training for trauma surgeons is sometimes difficult to obtain. In the US there is the Advanced Trauma Operative Management (ATOM) course and the Advanced Surgical Skills for Exposure in Trauma (ASSET) which provide operative trauma training to surgeons and surgeons in training. The Advanced Trauma Life Support course (ATLS) is a course that most US practitioners who take care of trauma patients are required to take (Emergency medicine, Surgery and Trauma attendings, and physician extenders as well as trainees).
The broad scope of their surgical critical care training enables the trauma surgeon to address most injuries to the neck, chest, abdomen, and extremities. In large parts of Europe trauma surgeons treat most of the musculoskeletal trauma, whereas injuries to the central nervous system are generally treated by neurosurgeons. In the US and Britain skeletal injuries are treated by trauma orthopedic surgeons. Facial injuries are often treated by maxillofacial surgeons. There is significant variation across hospitals in the degree to which other specialists, such as cardiothoracic surgeons, plastic surgeons, vascular surgeons, and interventional radiologists are involved in treating trauma patients.
Trauma surgeons must be familiar with a large variety of general surgical, thoracic, and vascular procedures and must be able to make complex decisions, often with little time and incomplete information. Proficiency in all aspects of intensive care medicine/critical care is required. Hours are irregular and there is a considerable amount of night, weekend, and holiday work. Salaries for trauma surgeons are comparable to that of general surgeons.
Most patients presenting to trauma centers have multiple injuries involving different organ systems, and so the care of such patients often requires a significant number of diagnostic studies and operative procedures. The trauma surgeon is responsible for prioritizing such procedures and for designing the overall treatment plan. This process starts as soon as the patient arrives in the emergency department and continues to the operating room, intensive care unit, and hospital floor. In most settings, patients are evaluated according to a set of predetermined protocols (triage) designed to detect and treat life-threatening conditions as soon as possible. After such conditions have been addressed (or ruled out), non-life-threatening injuries are addressed.
Acute care surgery
Over the last few decades, a large number of advances in trauma and critical care have led to an increasing frequency of non-operative care for injuries to the neck, chest, and abdomen. Most injuries requiring operative treatment are musculoskeletal. For this reason, part of US trauma surgeons devote at least some of their practice to general surgery. In most American university hospitals and medical centers, a significant portion of the emergency general surgery calls are taken by trauma surgeons. The field combining trauma surgery and emergency general surgery is often called acute care surgery.
Journal of Trauma and Orthopedic Nursing
Whatsapp no: +1-947-333-4405 | <urn:uuid:055fa832-0955-4905-b7a1-fe31ff5ee503> | CC-MAIN-2020-16 | http://www.imedjournals.org/blog/trauma-surgery-3217.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-16/segments/1585371876625.96/warc/CC-MAIN-20200409185507-20200409220007-00512.warc.gz | en | 0.950426 | 776 | 2.953125 | 3 |
Charles I, Duke of Bourbon
|Charles I, Duke of Bourbon|
Stone statue of Charles I, Duke of Bourbon in the abbey church of Souvigny
|Spouse(s)||Agnes of Burgundy|
|Noble family||House of Bourbon|
|Father||John I, Duke of Bourbon|
|Mother||Marie, Duchess of Auvergne|
|Died||4 December 1456
Château de Moulins
He was Count of Clermont-en-Beauvaisis from 1424, and Duke of Bourbon and Auvergne from 1434 to his death, although due to the imprisonment of his father after the Battle of Agincourt, he acquired control of the duchy more than eighteen years before his father's death.
In 1425, Charles renewed his earlier betrothal by marrying Agnes of Burgundy (1407–1476), daughter of John the Fearless. Charles entered a relationship with Jeanne de Bournan, together they had Louis de Bourbon, Count of Roussillon. Louis founded the House of Bourbon-Roussillon (Rossello). Louis is known for his many services to the State. As a reward for his loyalty and dedication to Louis XI during the League of the Public Weal conflict, Louis XI gave him in marriage his legitimized daughter Jeanne de Valois.
Charles served with distinction in the Royal army during the Hundred Years' War, while nevertheless maintaining a truce with his brother-in-law and otherwise enemy, Philip III, Duke of Burgundy. Both dukes were reconciled and signed an alliance by 1440. He was present at the coronation of Charles VII where he fulfilled the function of a peer and conferred knighthood.
Despite this service, he took part in the "Praguerie" (a revolt by the French nobles against Charles VII) in 1439–1440. When the revolt collapsed, he was forced to beg for mercy from the King, and was stripped of some of his lands. He died on his estates in 1456.
Charles and Agnes had eleven children:
- John of Bourbon (1426–1488), Duke of Bourbon
- Mary of Bourbon (1428–1448), married in 1444 John II, Duke of Lorraine
- Philip of Bourbon (1430–1440), Lord of Beaujeu
- Charles of Bourbon (Château de Moulins 1434–1488, Lyon), Cardinal and Archbishop of Lyon and Duke of Bourbon
- Isabella of Bourbon (1436–1465), married Charles, Duke of Burgundy
- Peter of Bourbon, (1438–1503, Château de Moulins), Duke of Bourbon
- Louis of Bourbon (1438 – August 30, 1482, murdered), Bishop of Liège
- Margaret of Bourbon (February 5, 1439 – 1483, Château du Pont-Ains), married in Moulins on April 6, 1472 Philip II, Duke of Savoy
- Catharine of Bourbon (Liège, 1440 – May 21, 1469, Nijmegen), married on December 28, 1463 in Bruges Adolf II, Duke of Guelders
- Joanna of Bourbon (1442–1493, Brussels), married in Brussels in 1467 John II of Chalon, Prince of Orange
- James of Bourbon (1445–1468, Bruges), Count of Montpensier. Unmarried
- Louis de Bourbon, He is one of the first Knights of the Order of Saint-Michel appointed by letters patent of Louis XI in 1469.
- Renaud de Bourbon, abbot of Saint-Sauveur-le-Vicomte, is Archbishop of Narbonne from 1473 to 1482.
- Pernoud, Régine, Marie-Véronique Clin, Prof. Jeremy duQuesnay Adams, and Bonnie Wheeler, Joan of Arc, (St.Martin's Press:New York, 1986), 177.
- Vaughan, Richard, Philip the Good, (The Boydell Press: London, 2004), 123.
- Vaughan, Richard, Philip the Good, 123.
- Pernoud, Régine, Joan of Arc, 177.
- Pernoud, Régine, Joan of Arc, 177
- Pernoud, Régine, Marie-Véronique Clin, Prof. Jeremy duQuesnay Adams, and Bonnie Wheeler, Joan of Arc, (St.Martin's Press:New York, 1986)
- Vaughan, Richard, Philip the Good, (The Boydell Press: London, 2004)
Charles I, Duke of BourbonBorn: 1401 Died: 4 December 1456
John I and Marie
|Duke of Auvergne
|Duke of Bourbon
Count of Forez
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Why the Circular Economy Is the Future
Grow equals wealth – that’s been the dominant equation in business for decades. But the hunger for growth also leads to existential problems for mankind and the entire planet. When it comes to pollution, resource depletion, and greenhouse gas emissions, clearly we need to rethink our current approach.
The good news is that there are other, better ways to do business. The concept of a circular economy is all the rage these days, and for good reason. It’s a way of doing business that’s efficient, protects the planet’s resources and provides a wealth of opportunities for creative entrepreneurs.
Think upcycling – like when fishing nets get a new life as fabric for car seats or shipping containers become swimming pools. Smart recycling can be good for the planet and your wallet, for example when you buy a refurbished smartphone at a fraction of the original price.
Let’s take a look at why we need to reinvent the economy to make it future-proof, and what the most promising solutions are.
Our hybrid conference in Munich, co-hosted by BMW Group, brought together international speakers from business, arts and science to provide fresh perspectives on the circular economy. Among them were composer Hans Zimmer, pioneering designer Es Devlin, award-winning architect Francis Kéré, Chloé Creative Director Gabriela Hearst, and many more. You can revisit the conference by going to our DLD Circular page, which has video recordings of all sessions.
Time for a Turnaround
Every year, the world consumes some 100 billion tons of raw materials to produce anything from planes, trains and automobiles to furniture, smartphones and socks. “Of this massive amount, only 8.6% is cycled back into the economy”, the Dutch NGO Circle Economy notes in its Circularity Gap Report 2021.
At the same time, greenhouse gas emissions keep rising, pushing the level of CO2 in the atmosphere to record levels. The 412.5 parts per million measured in 2020 were the highest average ever, and “around 50% higher than when the industrial revolution began”, according to the International Energy Agency.
In many ways, preventing waste and fighting the climate crisis are connected. Take plastic pollution: Producing water bottles, plastic bags and packaging materials consumes enormous amounts of oil and energy – yet much of this material is quickly discarded. “Plastic pollution is not only an environmental tragedy”, the authors of a landmark report on plastic waste note, “it is also economically imprudent – billions of dollars of economic value are ‘thrown away’ after a single, short use.”
A world awash in plastic: In a business-as-usual scenario, plastic waste is projected to double by 2040 – most of it polluting the environment. (Source: Breaking the Plastic Wave report by Pew Charitable Trusts.)
This is true of many other products as well, of course. In the fashion industry, McKinsey observes, “as much as 12% of fibres are still discarded on the factory floor, 25% of garments remain unsold, and less than 1% of products are recycled into new garments.”
Across all sectors of the economy, the consultancy says, the “value of material in fast-moving consumer goods thrown away across the globe each year” adds up to a staggering $2.6 trillion.
Sot there’s a clear upside to managing our resources better – and consumers are pushing for change as well. In a recent Ipsos survey for the World Economic Forum, 85% of adults across 28 countries said that product labels should include information about the use of scarce natural resources. Almost three out of four respondents (71%) favor higher taxes on companies using scarce resources – even if that increases the price of products.
Roadmap to a Circular Economy
Think DISRUPT, with each letter providing a hint on what we can do better – a handy visual guide published in the Circularity Gap Report 2021.
Turning the linear, wasteful economy into a circular one is an enormous, global effort. But there are many roads to success. On an individual level, each of us can change habits and buy products that are more sustainable. More broadly, startups around the world are discovering circular business models as an enormous opportunity to reinvent the economy. And new technologies such as 3D printing promise to prevent waste altogether, because additive manufacturing only uses as much material as is absolutely necessary. Let’s look at a few examples.
How about handbags that suck CO2 out of the atmosphere? Eco-friendly packaging made of mushroom roots? Or window panes using upcycled crop waste that generate energy from sunlight? There’s an abundance of new solutions based on repurposing natural ingredients and clever R&D. This page by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation offers a good overview of “The circular economy in action”.
Hold on to your laptop
Our love of electronics leads to ever-growing mountains of electronic waste. Already at 7.3 kilograms per capita, the amount of discarded smartphones, laptops and other gear is predicted to almost double by 2030. Unless we do something about it. You could, for example, buy a smartphone that’s modular and easier to repair – such as the Fairphone or Shift phone. Or stick with what you have for a little longer. Producing a medium-sized laptop, for example, emits roughly 260 kilograms of greenhouse gases – the equivalent of a flight from London to Berlin. Extending the lifespan makes a huge difference, as the British Restart Project explains.
Recycling only works when it’s clear what materials the products are made of. In many cases, this crucial information is missing. Now, around the world, manufacturers and IT firms are working on new ways to give products a digital passport that identifies all ingredients. In fashion, the CircularID project has already won the support of brands like Target and H&M. In retail, the German R-Cycle initiative aims to develop a global tracing standard for plastic packaging. The European Brands Association pursues a similar goal with its Digital Watermarks Initiative HolyGrail 2.0, which is backed by more than 80 companies such as Bosch, Coca-Cola, Nestlé and Microsoft.
The most exciting opportunities for a more sustainable economy maybe be opening up at the intersection of biology, material science, and nanotechnology. The possibility to create products on a molecular level “has profound implications for business, but also for the health of the planet”, as the French NGO Hello Tomorrow explains in its report Nature Co-Design: A Revolution in the Making. “The market opportunity is in the trillion dollar range”, the authors conclude, predicting that “nature co-design is coming fast and will impact every industry, in every economy.”
When tech meets nature: This graphic, taken from Hello Tomorrow’s Nature Co-Design report, explains the key elements of the concept.
Circular – Like a Doughnut
There’s another way of looking at what the world needs, and how we can comfortably live within the planet’s boundaries: Think of a doughnut, where the outer edge defines the ecological limits of economic growth, and the inner rim defines the minimum needs of society – how much food, water, energy, housing almost 9 billion people require to create a “just space for humanity”.
“It becomes a balance between meeting the needs of all people within the means of the planet”, she explained in a DLD Sync session last year. To truly make a difference, she launched the Doughnut Economics Action Lab which has spawned dozens of projects and a worldwide community.
This illustrates a key aspect of the circular economy: Positive change requires a global approach and systemic change on every level.
Skeptics may doubt that such an enormous effort can be successful, but in many ways the transformation has already begun. Now, as in the early days of the digital revolution, the future is likely to reward those who embrace change – especially when it’s for the good of society and the planet. | <urn:uuid:40bcd346-686c-4471-a114-051f4d7a38d8> | CC-MAIN-2023-40 | https://dldnews.com/sustainability-circular-economy-is-the-future/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-40/segments/1695233506480.7/warc/CC-MAIN-20230923094750-20230923124750-00473.warc.gz | en | 0.929137 | 1,709 | 2.578125 | 3 |
Protect Your Knees
Originally published: 03.01.08 by Alan and Pamela Davis
Tips to prevent injury and warning signs that something is wrong.
We use our knee joints for nearly every activity. As with any moving part, the knee joint is subject to overuse and abuse. Compound the normal use with a profession that requires bending, kneeling and squatting and knee pain is surely going to be on your list of ailments. Knowing how to prevent injuries and heeding warning signs when something is wrong will enable you to continue selling and servicing hvacr systems for years to come.
Understanding the anatomy of the knee is crucial to preventing injury. The knee is basically a hinge joint. The upper leg bone (femur) articulates with the lower leg bone (tibia). There are two weightbearing surfaces of the knee, which are referred to as the medial (inside compartment) and the lateral (outside compartment) of the knee. In addition, there is a third compartment of the knee that consists of the knee cap (patella), which meshes with the femur and slides up or down as the knee straightens and bends respectively.
The knee joint also is supported by ligaments, which basically tie the bones together and provide stability to the knee. Joint movement is created through muscle contraction. The muscles are able to provide this movement through tendons — a structure that ties the muscle to the bone.
Employees who perform most of their work while standing can spontaneously begin to have pain related to the progression of osteoarthritis in the knee where the cartilage begins to deteriorate. As we get older our knee-supporting structures can become more brittle.
It is also important to realize that all knee pain may not be emanating from the knee joint itself. For instance, if someone has a hip ailment, it is quite possible that instead of having the classic groin pain, someone may have knee pain.
In addition, lowerback issues, especially a herniated disc causing a pinched nerve, also can result in more leg pain or even knee pain than back pain itself.Common Ailments Chondromalacia patella — The under surface of the knee cap (the cartilage layer) develops deterioration. Oftentimes this deterioration is caused by an abnormal alignment of the femur to the tibia or the ankle to the knee. However, it also can be caused by people who are kneeling or squatting excessively or performing climbing functions.
Symptoms progress gradually and are generally made worse with kneeling, squatting, climbing stairs or even just sitting with the knee in a bent or flexed position over a long period of time. Other symptoms may include swelling and clicking or popping, especially noticeable up and down stairs.
If this diagnosis is presumed, treatment includes anti-inflammatory medications, icing and attempts to avoid the exacerbating positions. Also, strengthening exercises for the quadriceps would be prescribed. The strengthening should be from a fully straight knee to just about a 30-degree bend and then retightening the quads all in an attempt to try to improve the tracking or the alignment of the knee cap.
Torn cartilage (meniscus) —Torn cartilage is equally common in the young athletic population from acute traumatic events as it is from chronic repetitive overuse in the middle age to older population — especially those who work in a squatting position with rotation of the knee over a long period of time.
Symptoms can come on gradually or may be caused by an acute traumatic event such as pivoting. Once the cartilage is torn, symptoms may be exacerbated by weight-bearing activities (especially squatting or pivoting), and running or climbing.
Swelling may be associated as well as locking or catching, which is essentially having the knee get stuck in a bent position. The patient may also complain that the knee “gives way.” However, it would be more related to pain or anticipated pain as opposed to true instability. If a variety of these symptoms are present and conservative management consisting of anti-inflammatory medications, rest and avoidance of exacerbating activities are not successful, a visit to your physician for X rays and possibly an MRI is warranted. The orthopedic surgeon may recommend arthroscopic surgery to resolve the problem.
Ligament injuries — These are usually caused by acute traumatic events. A fall from a height or a force striking the knee from one of many different angles can cause ligaments to tear. Generally speaking, when a significant amount of energy is applied to the knee and a tear is sustained, a “pop” or “snap” or actually feeling a tear would be noted. If this occurs, a visit to your doctor is required.
Torn collateral (medial and lateral) ligaments can generally be managed with bracing and physical therapy. A tear to the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in a patient with a demanding profession may require surgery. A posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) can generally be managed with physical therapy and bracing.
Dislocation of the knee cap — This can occur with a blunt trauma or during a bent-knee pivoting maneuver. One can generally tell when the knee cap has slid off to the outside or lateral part of the knee. Oftentimes this injury needs to be set in an emergency room.
Overuse — Overuse injuries are the most common knee ailments related to work. The knee is particularly vulnerable for hvacr workers because the profession requires workers to climb ladders and stairs and work in tight quarters with the knee in the flexed position.
Patellar tendonitis — This can begin in the area just below the tip of the knee cap extending all the way to the small bump on the shin bone about three inches away from the tip of the knee. Pain is gradual and is almost always associated with some weakness due to a significant amount of squatting and rising. Tenderness is located along the course of the patellar tendon.
Treatment is rest and avoidance of all exacerbated activities, ice and gentle stretching. If that doesn’t resolve the pain, a visit to the physician’s office and utilization of a knee immobilizer is required. The scenario is much the same for quadriceps tendonitis except for the location of the pain is above the knee cap as opposed to below.
Osteoarthritis — A gradual onset of pain and knee stiffness in the morning are warning signs of osteoarthritis. The patient also may experience the knee locking or catching and sometimes even the feeling of “giving way.” The patient also may realize a changing of alignment in the knee either from front to back or side to side, which is due to loss of cartilage space that can cause an increased misalignment and symptoms.
The patient also may complain of swelling or warmth above the knee and have difficulties with activities. Tenderness can be localized to the joint line and there can be a variable amount of loss of range of motion, strength and alignment. Following evaluation, if the diagnosis of osteoarthritis is made it is very important to begin a protocol of strengthening rangeof- motion exercises, endurance exercises, and flexibility exercises.
Increase cardiovascular fitness with low-impact exercises like bicycling or swimming. One should try to obtain as close to ideal body weight as possible. Oftentimes it is best to work with first a physical therapist then a personal trainer only allowing progression of endurance or resistance of the exercises as one improves.
Medication—Medications can vary from over-the-counter nutritional supplements like glucosamine and chondroitin to Advil or Aleve and non-steroidal medications that also can be over the counter. Tylenol and acetaminophen can be administered to relieve pain, but do not reduce inflammation. As with all medication, read the bottle for appropriate doses.
Doctor-prescribed therapies include SYNVISC injections or HYALGAN injections, which are placed directly into the knee and help coat the joints surfaces. This therapy is ideal for mild to moderate arthritic patients. Oftentimes physicians will administer steroids into the joint to help alleviate inflammation.The newest evolution of anti-inflammatory medications are Cox-2 inhibitors.
The only one still on the market is Celebrex. These inhibitors have been somewhat controversial with regard to cardiac patients and those with certain allergies. If conservative treatment doesn’t work, surgery may be required. In addition, surgery may be necessary for broken bones or ruptured tendons depending on their location and alignment. It is also very common to administer arthroscopic surgery for torn cartilage or ligaments in the knee.An ounce of prevention regarding knee ailments is essential in the workplace.
Pay special attention to knee alignment, job mechanics and ergonomics and condition properly for the job at hand. Having significant muscular strength, flexibility and endurance to meet the job requirements is essential. Workers should not stay in a kneeling position for long periods of time and should always wear appropriate levels of knee pads. Additionally, sufficient quadriceps strength will enable you to meet the demands of getting up and down from a squatting position multiple times a day.
Alan is an orthopedic surgeon and sports medicine physician affiliated with The Cleveland Clinic Foundation. He is a member of the National Board of Medical Examiners, American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, and the American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society.
Pamela is a practicing dermatologist at MetroHealth Medical Center in Cleveland, Ohio, and is an assistant professor at Case Western Reserve University. She is a member of the American Board of Internal Medicine as well as the American Board of Dermatology and is a member of the American College of Sports Medicine.
Articles by Alan and Pamela Davis
Toxins In The Workplace
In the hvacr industry, workers can potentially be exposed to several toxins. Awareness of these chemicals and antimicrobials is important for overall job safety and health.
Intimacy, Eyesight, and Prevention
Lower Back Pain
Lower back pain is one of the most common health complaints we hear about today. Pain can be due to ordinary overuse, trauma, or a serious condition. Anti-inflammatory medications, in concert with therapeutic exercises can provide relief.
Protect Your Knees | <urn:uuid:ccd1dbb2-9f4b-41f0-966d-b89b70aa00c4> | CC-MAIN-2014-23 | http://hvacrbusiness.com/prevent-knee-injuries.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2014-23/segments/1406510271654.40/warc/CC-MAIN-20140728011751-00462-ip-10-146-231-18.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.939742 | 2,129 | 2.671875 | 3 |
Just an hour south of Salt Lake City on Interstate 15 there is a section of the state called Utah Valley. Although the Ute Indians anciently inhabited this area, today the valley is home to Provo, Utah's second largest city. To the west of Provo lies Utah Lake, and to the east of the city stand a towering range of mountains called the Wasatch Front. The history of Provo is an interesting page in the history of the Beehive State. Visitors who come to Provo will find several historic sites. These historic sites are cultural resources worthy of preservation as landmarks of the community.
Utah Valley was the traditional home of the Ute Indians. This people were known also as the Yuta Indians, or the Uta Indians. Looking at the names of the native people of the state, it becomes obvious from whence Utah got its name. These Indians called Utah Valley home because Utah Lake was full of fish that kept the tribe fed and they were protected from bellicose groups of Indians that lived to the Northeast. The Wasatch Front acted as a natural barrier to the enemies of the Ute Indians.
Two Spanish Franciscan priests named Escalante and Dominguez led a group of what is believed to be the first white visitors to come into Utah Valley. They kept an excellent written record of their journey and the places that they visited. This group came from Santa Fe, New Mexico along a route that was called The Old Spanish Trail. They came to this area to meet with the Ute Indians. They had been doing business with the Utes for some time. In their written record, the Franciscan monks recorded that they were so impressed with the beautiful, green valley that they made plans to set up a settlement in Utah Valley as soon as possible. However, there was a retrenchment in Spanish new-world colonization, this kept the Franciscans from setting up their settlement in Utah Valley. All that remains of their visits to the area are their written records.
Caucasian fur trappers were familiar with central Utah and specifically Utah Valley. They frequented the area through the nineteenth and early twentieth century. In fact, the city Provo was given its name in honor of an early trapper, Etienne Provost. Provost was a well-known fur trader and explorer from Quebec. In historical documents his name is recorded in different ways. He is mentioned under the name Provost, Proveau, and Provot. All three are variations of the same name. Provost was a well-known and respected mountain man. Many records have him recorded as the first white man to go far enough north to see the Great Salt Lake. He established a trading post on the shores of Utah Lake. The Provo River and the city of Provo were both named after this man.
Provo was settle by Mormons (members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints) in 1849. It was the first Mormon colony in Utah outside of the Salt Lake Valley. The Mormon settlers had problems with the Indians that lived in the area. The Ute Indians were very aggressive toward groups of people who tried to move in and take over their land. The new settlers built the town into a defensive fort called Fort Utah. It was built as a stockade with exterior walls that were fourteen feet high. They had to live in a manner that was close to a state of war from the time that the settlers first came to Provo. Peace came slowly between the Mormons and the Ute Indians, but after the first year, the settlers had to set up homes outside of Fort Utah and make Provo a more comfortable city in which they could live.
Provo was built up quickly as many members of the Mormon Church moved there from different parts of the world. They set up farms and industrial centers. Provo soon became known as the "Garden City" because of its extensive fruit orchards, trees, and gardens. In the late 1860s, industrialization began with the creation of The Provo Woolen Mills. In the 1920s, the Ironton Steel Mill was established, and later the much larger Geneva Steel Plant was built in the city. These industries were a success. Provo quickly became the second largest city in Utah.
Today, visitors of Provo can see several sites that have a great historic significance. These locations are landmarks of the community.
The Brigham Young Academy was founded in Provo in 1875. This school grew into what is now Brigham Young University (BYU). It is the largest church-affiliated university in the United States. BYU's students quickly outgrew the Brigham Young Academy Building, and the campus moved to its present location. The Academy today stands restored in its original location, but now as a beautiful public city library.
In 1919 the citizens of Utah County and of Provo City voted bonds for the erection of a new joint building. The cornerstone was laid December 14, 1920. On December 15, 1926, the building was dedicated with prayer, speeches and music. Although most Utah buildings carry very little sculpture of any kind, the Utah County Building pediment is decorated with sculpture designed by the architect and sculpted by Joseph Conradi. The Utah County Building, formerly known as the Provo City and County Building, is located in the center of town at the intersection of University Avenue and Center Street.
The Provo Tabernacle is another of Provo's historic landmarks. It was originally constructed from 1883 to 1898 at a cost of $100,000. The building has octagonal towers at each of its four corners. When it was first constructed, it had a central tower rising 147 feet into the air from the roof. Unfortunately, the roof was not able to support the weight of the central tower; the building was partly condemned in 1918 because the roof was under such great stress. The Tabernacle was renovated at this time, but the tower was allowed to stay until 1949 when the building was again condemned for the same problem. The weight of the tower was causing the roof to sag. At that time, a local carpenter and contractor named Charles Miller designed a method to remove the central tower. He was hired and completed the project in 1950. The renovated tabernacle is located on University Avenue between Center Street and First South. It is used for church meetings and cultural events, such as staging Handel's Messiah each year at Christmas Time.
Provo is worth a visit for anyone interested in the state of Utah. While there, visitors should see the historic sites that the city has to offer, including Brigham Young University, the Provo Tabernacle and the Utah County Building.
|Back to top||Print this page||E-mail this page| | <urn:uuid:30bb4a49-defc-4312-afd4-59fd7317c3e5> | CC-MAIN-2014-10 | http://utah.com/culture/provo.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2014-10/segments/1393999652862/warc/CC-MAIN-20140305060732-00035-ip-10-183-142-35.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.987608 | 1,377 | 3.625 | 4 |
http://www.cnn.com/2003/WORLD/americas/07/02/chile.science.reut/index.html Chilean scientists were baffled on Tuesday by a huge, gelatinous sea creature found washed up on the southern Pacific coast and were seeking international help identifying the mystery specimen. The dead creature was mistaken for a beached whale when first reported about a week ago, but experts who went to see it said the 40-foot-long (12-meter) mass of decomposing lumpy grey flesh apparently was an invertebrate. "We'd never before seen such a strange specimen, We don't know if it might be a giant squid that is missing some of its parts or maybe it's a new species," said Elsa Cabrera, director of the Center for Cetacean Conservation in Santiago. Photographs showed a round leathery substance like a mammoth jelly fish, about as long as a school bus. Giant squid live at a depth of 9,500 feet (3,000 meters) and only rise to the surface when they die. Specimens have been known to be as long as 60 feet (18 meters). There was speculation that the mass might be a whale skin, but Cabrera said it was too big and did not have the right texture or smell. Cabrera said she was contacting Chilean and international organizations in the hope that they could help shed some light on the find. The Chilean Navy first spotted the mystery specimen along with another large mass, but the other dead animal turned out to be a dead humpback whale. They also state in a caption the weight is apx 13 tons. | <urn:uuid:fcf3d30f-e5d8-4c4d-986d-b8b45e5bc379> | CC-MAIN-2017-26 | https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/giant-sea-creature-baffles-chilean-scientists.31169/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-26/segments/1498128319265.41/warc/CC-MAIN-20170622114718-20170622134718-00616.warc.gz | en | 0.97382 | 330 | 3.21875 | 3 |
A pancreas transplant can improve cardiac function in people with type 1 diabetes, according to Italian researchers.
Thirteen individuals with type 1 who had each received a pancreas transplant were compared with 11 matched type 1 control subjects who did not receive transplants. (The transplant procedure involved only the pancreas; it was not a simultaneous pancreas-kidney transplant.)
Glucose levels, cholesterol levels and several cardiac-related factors were assessed before the transplant and up to six months afterward.
After the transplants, the 13 transplant subjects no longer required insulin injections. Their blood pressure values significantly improved, and their cholesterol levels were lowered.
-Transplantation, September 27, 2003 | <urn:uuid:1b6ca201-7140-4d3c-8e03-c95cec9da3ab> | CC-MAIN-2017-34 | https://www.diabeteshealth.com/pancreas-transplant-improves-cardiac-function/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-34/segments/1502886102309.55/warc/CC-MAIN-20170816170516-20170816190516-00081.warc.gz | en | 0.956859 | 143 | 2.515625 | 3 |
Behavioural flexibility of the chemical defence in the parasitoid wasp Leptopilina heterotoma
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Many insects use chemical defence mechanisms to defend themselves against predators. However, defensive secretions are costly to produce and should thus only be used in cases of real danger. This would require that insects are able to discriminate between predators to adjust their chemical defence. Here, we show that females of the parasitoid wasp Leptopilina heterotoma adjust the intensity of their chemical defence to differently sized predators. If attacked by Myrmica ants, the females always released their defensive secretion, which consists mainly of (−)-iridomyrmecin. However, if attacked by smaller Cardiocondyla ants, most females did not release any defensive spray, irrespective of the duration of the ant’s aggression. When in contact with non-aggressive Nasonia wasps, the females of L. heterotoma did not release any defensive secretion. Our data show that females of L. heterotoma are able to discriminate between two predators and suggest that a predator of a certain size or strength is necessary to trigger the chemical defence mechanism of L. heterotoma.
KeywordsIridomyrmecin Allomone Parasitoid wasp Ant Figitidae
We thank Michael Brummer for rearing the wasps, and Alexandra Schrempf and Balint Marko for providing the colonies of C. obscurior and M. scabrinodis, respectively. This study was funded by a grant of the German Research Council (DFG, STO 966/1-1).
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- Blum MS (1981) Chemical defenses of arthropods. Academic Press, New YorkGoogle Scholar
- Laurent P, Braekman J, Daloze D (2005) Insect chemical defense. In: Schulz S (ed) The chemistry of pheromones and other semiochemicals II. Springer, New York, pp 167–229Google Scholar
- Whitman DW, Blum MS, Alsop DW (1990) Allomones: chemicals for defense. In: Evans DL, Schmidt JO (eds) Insect defenses. Adaptive mechanisms and strategies of prey and predators. State University of New York Press, Albany, pp 289–351Google Scholar | <urn:uuid:b88f3a66-6ec4-4621-bec9-a5cb7ea8fb49> | CC-MAIN-2020-05 | https://rd.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs00114-015-1317-0 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-05/segments/1579250603761.28/warc/CC-MAIN-20200121103642-20200121132642-00381.warc.gz | en | 0.861252 | 494 | 2.625 | 3 |
The “Economic Miracle State” of North Dakota pumped another record amount of oil during the month of June at a rate of more than 660,000 barrels per day, which was an increase of 3.2% compared to oil production in May (see chart above). North Dakota’s record-setting oil output in June was noteworthy for several reasons:
1) The year-over-year increase in oil production of 71.1% in June followed annual increases of 75.5% in May and 73.5% in April, and those are the three largest increases in North Dakota history.
2) North Dakota produced almost 34% more oil than Alaska in June, marking the fourth consecutive month that North Dakota out-produced Alaska. The Peace Garden State surpassed Alaska’s oil production for the first time in March to become the country’s new No. 2 oil state, behind only Texas.
3) The number of producing oil wells in the state surpassed 7,000 for the first time ever, setting a new record high of 7,130 wells in June. Over the last year, an average of 5 new oil wells have been put into production each day, and each new well is the equivalent of adding a new $8-10 million business to the state’s economy, see recent CD post for more details.
4) The amount of oil produced per oil well in the state increased to a new record high of 93 barrels per day, an increase of 29% compared to a year ago, and a sign that the efficiency of shale oil production is increasing significantly. Both the increasing number of wells and the increasing output per well is contributing to record high production levels. Over just the last two years since June 2010, daily oil production in North Dakota has more than doubled.
As a result of the ongoing oil boom in the Bakken area, North Dakota continues to lead the nation with the lowest state unemployment rate at a four-year low of 2.9% in June, and more than five percentage points below the national average of 8.2%. There were nine North Dakota counties with jobless rates at or below 2.0% in June, and Williams County, which is at the center of the Bakken oil boom, continues to boast the lowest county jobless rate in the country at just 0.9%. The exponential growth in North Dakota oil production has fueled exponential growth in the state’s “Natural Resources and Mining” employment, which has tripled in less than three years, and reached almost 22,000 in June. Overall, North Dakota state employment has increased by 6.5%, almost five times the 1.3% increase in jobs nationally.
Bottom Line: The ongoing record-setting oil production in North Dakota continues to make it the most economically successful state in the country, with record levels of employment and income growth, a labor shortage, increasing tax revenues, the lowest foreclosure rate in the country, a strong housing and construction market, and jobless rates in nine counties of the Bakken region at or below 2.0%. Call it the “Dakota Model” of job creation and economic prosperity that is based on developing America’s vast energy resources, which is an economic model that could easily be replicated elsewhere if more domestic energy resources were opened up to exploration and drilling. Under a Romney-Ryan administration, North Dakota’s job-creating, energy-based economic prosperity will likely spread to new parts of the country in 2013. | <urn:uuid:dcc6c5e4-42ea-4167-bb6c-acbb6c040ac2> | CC-MAIN-2014-35 | http://www.aei-ideas.org/2012/08/americas-new-no-2-oil-state-north-dakota-sets-more-eye-popping-oil-production-records-in-june/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2014-35/segments/1408500825567.38/warc/CC-MAIN-20140820021345-00061-ip-10-180-136-8.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.963083 | 716 | 2.65625 | 3 |
In addition to St Catherine of Siena, today (April 29) is the memorial of St Peter the Martyr, O.P. (+1252), who received his habit from St Dominic Guzman himself. St Peter was a Dominican inquisitor and wonderworker who preached against the Albigensians and Cathars and is traditionally held to be the first Dominican martyr, hence THE martyr.
St Peter has the honor(?) of being consistently portrayed with the instrument of his death firmly lodged in his skull,—even when not actually depicting his martyrdom!—and usually a blade piercing his shoulder as well, such as in the painting below where he is honoring our Lady with the Child Jesus and John the Baptist.
And as if that weren’t intense enough, it is told that he wrote Credo in Deum, “I believe in (one) God,” in the ground in his blood and forgave his attackers in the words of the Protomartyr, St Stephen, as he died at the hand of Cathars at the age of 47. | <urn:uuid:c5f9fb72-8e0b-4f89-8d25-bc9c7a46485d> | CC-MAIN-2020-24 | https://ashevilleccm.com/2020/04/29/april-29-peter-the-martyr/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-24/segments/1590348492427.71/warc/CC-MAIN-20200605014501-20200605044501-00042.warc.gz | en | 0.991553 | 221 | 2.90625 | 3 |
Geneva Barbier May 6, 2020 Worksheets
Writing worksheet is a new way for creation of a document by the teachers to promote the development of the writing skills amongst children. These worksheets are used primarily by teachers and parents. It is an effectual tool for assisting children to know the basic tactics to write.
Homeschool worksheets have pros and cons that depend on the type of material the worksheet deals with. One advantage is that worksheets are very handy if you want to give your child something to do. Some types of worksheets are very easy to grade and can be completed without much input from you. Worksheets can also give you a good idea of how much your child was able to understand of the subject matter.
The most important thing about these math worksheets is that they are used for tutoring and not for the main course studies. That is why they are used by tutors to offer remedial tuition and by parents at home so that they can offer their kids extra tuition to sharpen their skills. Math is known to be difficult and is often a headache for the young and so the math worksheets come in handy in helping resolve this problem. Thanks to the sites over the internet that offer free printable math worksheets, you do not need to worry about the cost of purchasing one, maybe only the ink cost. So don’t go making excuses for not being able to access a math work sheet.
There are many good workbooks available for kindergarten children. However with a regular workbook, a child can do each activity or worksheet only once. A good option is to use printable kindergarten worksheets. These are basically digital versions (like ebooks) of worksheets that can be bought and downloaded to your computer from the internet or from CDs and then printed out. The advantage is that you can print out whichever sheet you wish. If you need to re-inforce a certain concept more you can usually print out that sheet again. Of course you will therefore need to have a computer and a printer.
The math worksheet is not only for the young children in kindergarten and early primary school; they are also used for tutoring high school and university students to keep the students’ math skills sharp. The sites that offer these worksheets have helped a lot and this resource is now a common thing to use for all kinds and levels of educators. The formats for the worksheets differ according to the level and content of the worksheets. For the young kids it is preferable to have the worksheet in large print, while the older students commonly use the small print ones that are simple and uncluttered.
There are numerous online resources that offer online worksheets that you can download and use for your children`s homeschooling for free. They cover practically all subjects under the sun. Different homeschool worksheets are available that are suitable for all types of curriculums, and they can help enhance what you are teaching.
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Germanium dioxide is well-known as a glass-forming material; it has the ability to form tetrahedral units (similar to those formed by silicon dioxide). Since the cation-to-anion ratio of GeO2 is in the right range, many GeO2 based compositions form glasses on melting and cooling.
The different forms of GeO2 (vitreous, hexagonal, tetragonal) lead to different corresponding infra-red spectra, but all are optically transparent over a wide spectral range between 280 nm and 5000 nm.
In addition, GeO2 based glasses have a higher coefficient of thermal expansion than silica- or boron-based glasses, and thus provide for a much better performance when vacuum seals (to brass or copper) are required.
Pure germanium is used for lenses and windows in IR systems that operate at even higher wavelengths (from 2 to 12 microns).
Gallium and gallium oxide can be used to increase the refractive index of glass and are used in the manufacture of lenses and optical mirrors. Optical mirrors made from gallium have high reflectivity and are stable at high temperatures.
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Indium Corporation Blog Posts
Folks, Let's check in on Patty....... Patty was intensely preparing a lecture on Bayes' Theorem. She always felt that this theorem was the most profound in probability and statistics. She remembered a real application, when her best friend took the Tine test for tuberculosis before…
SMT Optimization for Success Part 3: Flux Chemistry In our continued discussion on optimizing the stencil printing process (see Part 1, Part 2), the type of flux chemistry, specifically water-soluble vs. no-clean, also plays a significant role. Solder pastes are sensitive to the environment to which…
(See Part 1) When discussing success in solder paste stencil printing for SMT assembly, one of the most important tools in an engineer‘s “belt” is his solder paste inspection (SPI) equipment. This is especially important for smaller stencil apertures/paste deposits that are difficult…
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Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress (USA)
Frustrated in their efforts to acquire a fleet of strategic bombers for service with the Army Air Corps, US Army planners – who were devotees of the theories expounded by Brigadier General William “Billy” Mitchell – inserted the thin end of an important wedge when they ordered a small number of YB-17 prototypes in January 1936, ostensibly for the nation’s defence. Originating as the Boeing Model 299, the prototype was built as a private venture, Boeing gambling heavily on producing a winner that would bring a large military contract. It must have seemed to Boeing that their gamble had failed when, almost at the end of military trials, the Model 299 crashed on take-off. Fortunately investigation proved that the aircraft had been flown with the flying controls locked and safety of the basic design was not suspect.
It was not until 1938 that the USAAC was able to place an order for 39 B-17Bs, the last of this batch entering service in March 1940. These were the first B-17 production aircraft to be equipped with turbo-charged engines, providing a higher maximum speed and much increased service ceiling. Of the B-17Cs that followed, a batch of 20 were supplied to the RAF (designated Fortress I) and used operationally in Europe for evaluation, leading to improved B-17D and B-17E aircraft with self-sealing fuel tanks and revised armament.
The B-17E was truly a Flying Fortress, armed with one 0.30 inch and twelve 0.50-inch machine guns for defence and capable to carry a maximum 17,600 pounds (7,983 kilograms) of bombs. Most extensively built variant was the B-17G (8680), built by Douglas and Lockheed Vega and the Boeing plant at Seattle. Pratt and Whitney R-1820-97 radial engines and improved turbochargers enabled the B-17G to operate at an altitude of up to 35,000 feet (10,670 metres); and the addition of a chin turret below the nose (containing two 0.50 inch machine guns) provided better air defence against head-on attacks being launched by Luftwaffe fighter pilots in their attempts to reduce the number of Fortresses striking daily at strategic targets deep in German territory.
Special variants included the B-40 with up to 30 machine guns/cannons, which was intended as a B-17 escort, but proved to an operational failure; BQ-7 pilotless aircraft packed with explosives to be deployed against German targets by radio control, which failed due to unreliable control equipment; CB-17 equipped to serve as an Air Sea Rescue aircraft and able to deploy a lifeboat carried beneath the fuselage.
In Britain, more than anywhere else in the world, the B-17 evokes vivid memories of courageous aircraft who day after day – despite sometimes horrific losses – continued to attack targets in Europe until victory was won. For Boeing, their private-venture gamble paid off: a total of 12,731 Flying Fortresses were built by the Boeing, Douglas and Lockheed team.
Avro 683 Lancaster (UK)
The most famous of all Avro military aircraft and without doubt the most successful heavy night bomber to be deployed over Europe during World War II. The Avro 683 evolved almost accidentally as a result of recurrent failure of the insufficiently developed Rolls Royce Vulture engines installed in the twin-engined Manchester. Owing to delays in the full development of the Vulture engine, the decision was taken in mid-1940 to design a new version of the Manchester with four Rolls Royce Merlin engines. The first conversion made use of about 75% of the Manchester’s parts to and assemblies, the principal change being the provision of a new centre-section of the wing with mountings for Merlin engines. This aeroplane became the first prototype of the Lancaster. A second prototype fitted with Merlin engines and significantly modified in detail was designed, built and flown in just eight months. The first production Lancaster I flew just over five months later, its power plant comprising similar 1280 hp (954 kW) Rolls Royce Merlin XX in-line liquid cooled engines, each driving a three blade constant speed and fully feathering propeller. Because of the possibility of some interruption in Merlin production, the Lancaster II was built with 1650 hp (1229.5 kW) Bristol Hercules VI radial engines. These fears did not materialise, with the result that only 300 Lancaster II were built.
First operational RAF Squadron to be equipped with Lancaster 1s was # 44 Squadron which used them operationally for the first time on 3 March 1942- laying mines in the Heligoland Bight. Defended by ten machine guns and carrying a maximum bomb load of 14000 lb (6350 kg), the Lancaster was – and soon proved itself to be – a formidable weapon in the hands of the RAF, which had by mid-1942 learned a great deal about night bombing operations over Europe. By comparison with contemporary four-engined bombers it was statistically the most effective, dropping 132 tons of bombs for each aircraft lost on operations; the corresponding figures for Halifax and Stirling were 56 and 41 tons respectively. The Lancaster was so right from the beginning that there were few changes in airframe design during its wartime service.
Improved power plants, however, provided steadily improving performance: the Lancaster VII for example with 1620 hp (1207 kW) Merlin 24 engines had a maximum take off weight of 68,000 lb (30844 kg) by comparison with the 50,000 (22680 kg) of the early Is. Bomb load changed considerably; the cavernous bomb bay being designed originally to carry bombs up to 4000 lb with a total bomb load of 14000 lb (6350 kg); it was modified progressively to carry the 22000 lb Grand Slam bomb.
The Lancaster will be remembered for its part in two spectacular operations: the breaching of the Mohne and Eder dams on the night of 16-17 May 1943 by 617 Squadron (led by Wing Commander Guy Gibson); and the sinking of the German battleship, Tirpitz. Its contribution to victory in World War is best measured, however, by the total of 608,612 tons of bombs delivered, which represented two-thirds of the total bomb load dropped by the RAF from the time of its entry into service. A total of 7366 Lancasters were built (including Mk Xs in Canada) and the type remained in front line service with the RAF until 1954. Canada had some photo-reconnaissance Lancasters in service in 1964.
Courtesy of: Jane’s Encyclopedia of Aviation Compiled and Edited by Michael J.H. Taylor; Crescent Books New Books New York 1980 | <urn:uuid:c3dc2feb-c977-4f3e-aacd-28e0f68efe12> | CC-MAIN-2020-16 | https://smhusain1.com/2019/08/29/world-war-ii-heavy-bombers-allies/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-16/segments/1585371803248.90/warc/CC-MAIN-20200407152449-20200407182949-00338.warc.gz | en | 0.967022 | 1,383 | 3.59375 | 4 |
The Venezuelan revolutionary Simón Bolívar, also known as El Libertador, sought to lead Latin America to independence from the Spanish in the early nineteenth century. Ever since he has been held as a model for subsequent Latin American radicals; Hugo Chávez, President of Venezuela, has dubbed his own programmes of social reform the Bolívarian Revolution . In his introduction to this collection of Bolívar s writings, Chávez explains why Bolívar continues to inspire.
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Reading the digits from behind is the same as reflecting them in a vertical line of symmetry. This means $0$ and $8$ are read as themselves, and $2$ and $5$ are swapped. Note that the digits are read in the opposite order
Since the time is before $10:00$, the first hour digit must be a $0$. When read from behind, this means the last digit must also be a $0$. Since the time is between $3:00$ and $10:00$ and the second hour digit must be one that reads backwards as another digit, it must be either $5$ or $8$.
Since $08:80$ is not a valid time, the time must be $05:20$.
This problem is taken from the UKMT Mathematical Challenges. | <urn:uuid:1fc4537e-47fc-4265-8606-4414dd70e2b2> | CC-MAIN-2017-26 | http://nrich.maths.org/7175/solution | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-26/segments/1498128321497.77/warc/CC-MAIN-20170627170831-20170627190831-00285.warc.gz | en | 0.956065 | 168 | 2.6875 | 3 |
Here is your chance to see the movies:
Enjoy . . .
Here is your chance to see the movies:
Enjoy . . .
By Evangelos Vallianatos
Just before Easter 1900, Greek sponge-fishers were on their way to the waters of Tunisia when a violent storm threw their boats to Antikythera, a tiny island located just north of Crete in the Aegean.
After the storm, the sponge-fishers explored the waters of Antikythera for sponges. One of the divers, Elias Stadiatis, discovered the remnants of an ancient ship full of statues – horses, men, women, and vases.
Of several treasures, the most precious was a very small piece of metal with gears, which the archaeologists of the National Museum in Athens originally dubbed astrolabe, which in Greek means, “star catcher”. Astrolabes helped figure out the position of the sun and the stars in the sky.
Astrolabes were not complicated devices. However, the machine of Antikythera was complex and, eventually, Greek archaeologists renamed it the Antikythera Mechanism dated from 150 to 100 BC.
The shipwreck probably happened in the middle of the first century BC. The doomed Roman ship was sailing from Rhodes to Rome. It carried looted Greek treasure: more than 100 bronze and marble statues, amphorae, and coins.
One statue, the Antikythera Youth, is a bronze masterpiece of a naked young man from the fourth century BC.
Museum officials left the fragments of the Antikythera Mechanism alone until one of them, the archaeologist Spyridon Stais, saw an inscription in ancient Greek on one of the dials. Others noticed perfectly cut triangular gear teeth. It was May 1902.
In 1905, Konstantinos Rados, a naval historian, said the Antikythera device was too complex to be an astrolabe.
In 1907, the German philologist Albert Rehm sided with Rados. Rehm correctly suggested the Antikythera clockwork resembled the Sphere of Archimedes that Cicero saw and described in the first century BC.
Archimedes, a mathematical genius and engineer of the third century BC, was the greatest scientist who ever lived. He is the father of mathematical physics and mechanics that made the Antikythera computer possible.
Cicero said the planetarium of Archimedes reproduced the movements of the sun and the moon, including those of the planets one could follow with naked eye: Venus, Mercury, Mars, Saturn and Jupiter. The moon, Cicero said, “was always as many revolutions behind the sun on the bronze contrivance as would agree with the number of days it was behind it in the sky. Thus the same eclipse of the sun happened on the globe as would actually happen [in the sky].”
The next important phase in the decipherment of the Antikythera Mechanism starts with Derek de Solla Price, a British physicist and historian of science teaching at Yale University. In 1974, he left us a scientific record of his assessment. This was Gears from the Greeks, a masterful account of how he decoded the Greek computer.
Price took 16 years studying the intricacies of the Greek device. He reported that the Antikythera Mechanism was “one of the most important pieces of evidence for the understanding of ancient Greek science and technology”.
He explained why: The complex gearing of the Antikythera Mechanism shows a more precise picture of the level of Greco-Roman “mechanical proficiency” than that coming out of the surviving textual evidence: this “singular artifact,” he said of the Antikythera Mechanism, “the oldest existing relic of scientific technology, and the only complicated mechanical device we have from antiquity quite changes our ideas about the Greeks and makes visible a more continuous historical evolution of one of the most important main lines that lead to our civilization”.
Yes, science from the Greeks is a straightforward highway to us. It materialises in technology like the one found in the lump of metal with gears. And that device, housed in a wooden case the size of a shoebox or dictionary, after a tortuous path, became Western technological culture.
Price described the differential gear of the Antikythera Mechanism as the landmark of the computer’s high tech nature. This was the gear that enabled the Antikythera Mechanism to show the movements of the sun and the moon in “perfect consistency” with the phases of the moon. “It must surely rank,” Price said of the differential gear, “as one of the greatest basic mechanical inventions of all time”.
In fact, after the Antikythera Mechanism-like devices almost vanished in late antiquity, the differential gear did its own disappearance for more than a millennium and a half. It reappeared in 1575 in a clock made by Eberhart Baldewin in Kassel, Germany.
It was this gear from the Greeks, and the clockwork culture that moved it along, that advanced the technology of cotton manufacture in the 18th century. Eventually, the differential gear ended up in cars in late 19th century.
Price complained that the West judges the Greeks from scraps of building stones, statues, coins, ceramics, and a few selected written sources. Yet, when it comes to the heart of their lives and culture, how they did their work in agriculture, how they built the perfect Parthenon, what kind of mechanical devices they had for doing things in peace and war, how they used metals, and, in general, what the Greeks did in several fields of technology, we have practically nothing from the Greek past.
“Wheels from carriages and carts survive from deep antiquity,” he said, “but there is absolutely nothing but the Antikythera fragments that looks anything like a fine gear wheel or small piece of mechanism. Indeed the evidence for scientific instruments and fine mechanical objects is so scant that it is often thought that the Greeks had none.”
Price died in 1983.
In 2005, a British mathematician and filmmaker, Tony Freeth, put together a group of international scientists to get to the bottom of the ancient Greek computer.
Freeth convinced two companies to volunteer their high tech imaging technologies for the Antikythera Mechanism: X-Tek from England and Hewlett-Packard from the US.
The scientists and engineers who decoded the Antikythera computer concluded that it was the most sophisticated technology in the Mediterranean for more than a millennium. They published their reports in the November 30, 2006 and July 31, 2008 issues of Nature. (These articles and other relevant data can be found on the site of the Antikythera Mechanism Research Project.) According to the 2006 report, the Antikythera Mechanism “stands as a witness to the extraordinary technological potential of ancient Greece, apparently lost within the Roman Empire”.
The story, however, is more complicated. It was the Christianised Roman Empire that devoured Greece. In all likelihood, the fires of the mint and the blazes of the smelters ate Antikythera Mechanism-like devices, which in the Christian society of Rome lost all utility and meaning.
The celestial Antikythera device provided the names of the Panhellenic games like the Olympics.
The scientists who studied it were right that this “artifact of ancient gearwork” was more than a device of pure astronomy: “exhibiting longitudes of heavenly bodies on the front dial, eclipse predictions on the lower back display, and a calendrical cycle believed to be strictly in the use of astronomers on the upper back display.”
The first inscription on the back of the Antikythera Mechanism reads: “the spiral [ΕΛΙΚΙ] divided into 235 sections.” This meant that one of the back dials was a spiral representing the 19-year Metonic moon and sun calendar of 235 months. Other back dials predicted the eclipses of the sun and the moon. The front dials, on the other hand, were about the months of the year, the zodiac run clockwise around them. The inscriptions on these dials explained which constellations rose and set at any specific time.
Moreover, the front dials showed the movement and position of the sun, moon and the planets in the zodiac. They also revealed the date and phase of the moon.
The ideas of Hipparchos, the greatest Greek astronomer, found expression in the Antikythera computer.
From about 140 to 120 BC he had his laboratory in Rhodes. More than other Greek astronomers, he made use of the data of Babylonian astronomers. But like the rest of the Greek astronomers, he employed geometry in the study and understanding of astronomical phenomena. He invented plane trigonometry and made astronomy the predictive mathematical science it is today. In addition, he discovered the “precession of the equinoxes”.
This meant he proved the fixed stars are not really fixed stars but very slow movers that appear to be stationary. He left a list with all his astronomical observations, including the observations he borrowed from the Babylonian and Greek astronomers.
The connection of Hipparchos to the Antikythera Mechanism is in the front bronze plate of the device where pointers displayed the positions and speed of the sun and the moon in the Zodiac.
Hipparchos knew the moon moved around the earth at different speeds. When the moon is close to the earth, it moves faster than when it is farther from the earth when it slows down. This is because the moon’s orbit is elliptical, not the perfect circular movement the Greeks associated with the stars. Hipparchos resolved this difficulty with his epicyclic lunar theory, which superimposed one circular motion of the moon onto another, the second movement having a different centre.
The Antikythera Mechanism modeled the ideas of Hipparchos with one gearwheel sitting on top of another, but located on a different axis. A pin-and-slot mechanism then takes under consideration the non-circular or elliptical orbit of the moon. A pin originating from the bottom wheel enters the slot of the wheel above it. When the bottom wheel turns, it also drives around the top gearwheel. However, the wheels have different centers and, therefore, the pin slides back and forth in the slot, which enables the speed of the top wheel to vary while that of the bottom wheel remains constant.
Geminos was another astronomer who influenced the development of the Antikythera Mechanism. Geminos flourished in Rhodes in the first century BC. His book, Introduction to the Phenomena, includes ideas that resemble the inscriptions in the Antikythera Mechanism on the names of the months; which years had 13 months, which month would be repeated in those years, and which months had 30 and which had 29 days.
The scientists who studied the Antikythera Mechanism, reading its inscriptions, saw the hand of Geminos in the Antikythera device.
Geminos worked from a legacy of astronomical and scientific thought that mirrored the Greeks’ knowledge of the heavens.
The Greeks also developed mathematical astronomy from their observations of the sky. This and the clear insight of trigonometry in its applications to the problems of the heavens established the data for measuring the phenomena of the stars. Hipparchos in Rhodes and other scientists in different centres of scientific studies set up the infrastructure for building and using Antikythera Mechanism-like machines.
The Korinthos/Syracuse case for this development has the advantage of evidence etched right on the back of the Antikythera Mechanism. The names of the months inscribed in the computer are names of months one finds in the calendar of Korinthos and its colonies, including Syracuse, home of Archimedes. Seven of those names are identical to the names of the months in the calendar of Tauromenion in Sicily founded by Greeks from Syracuse in the fourth century BC.
All the cycles in heavens, especially those of the sun and the moon, were captured in the Antikythera Mechanism. The Greeks used their mathematics, especially geometry, to simulate astronomical phenomena, creating an accurate universe with gears.
Could it be that Hipparchos who explained why the moon changes speed while zooming around the earth, created the first astronomical computer, something like the Antikythera Mechanism? It’s quite possible he did, but Archimedes is a more reliable candidate because he built a planetarium and, more than that, he, like Aristoteles, was crucial in the making of the Greek golden age of science. He measured curved surfaces and applied mathematics for the study and understanding of nature. He deciphered the book of the cosmos and became the model for Galileo Galilei and Isaac Newton. If Archimedes did not build the prototype astronomical computer, its designer was clearly indebted to him.
The Greek physicist Antonis Pinotsis studied the coins of Rhodes and he noticed an interesting evolution in the ray-crowned head of the god Sun/Helios on the Rhodian coins that harmonised with the advances in the astronomical knowledge in the island. That is a great insight. However, even if that observation is accurate, and in all likelihood it is, science and advanced technology in the Alexandrian era became Panhellenic, spreading fast from polis to polis, possibly from Syracuse to Rhodes or from Rhodes to Korinthos.
Thus, the Antikythera computer predicted lunar and solar eclipses and tracked down the movement of the moon and the sun and the other planets. In addition, it was a calendar for the most important agricultural and religious events in the Greek world. That calendar, for example, helped the Greeks to offer the same sacrifices to the gods at the same times of the year.
The scientists who studied the computer concluded that it was “a microcosm illustrating the temporal harmonisation of human and divine order”.
The roots of the Antikythera Mechanism are deep in Greek culture.
Platon, one of the fountainheads of Greek thought, loved more than theory. He admired the mathematical nature of craftsmanship. Indeed, he was a mathematician. Without counting, measuring and weighing, Platon said, arts and crafts would be pretty much worthless. Men would have to resort to conjecture and guesses in dealing with each other and in doing things.
Aristoteles, who shaped the nature of science, also admired craftsmen and inventors for their useful devices and wisdom. In fact, of all the social classes in a polis, he considered the class of mechanics the most essential. No polis could exist without the mechanics practicing their arts and crafts. Of those arts and crafts, Aristoteles said, some are “absolutely necessary” while others contribute to luxury or enrich life.
Philon of Byzantium, writing in late third century BC about mechanics, is emphatic that advancements in technology rely on theory and trial and error.
As late as the fourth century of our era, the Greek mathematician Pappos of Alexandria praised mechanics as “a science and an art”, useful “for many important practical undertakings” as much as being prized by philosophers and mathematicians.
Crafts and mechanics among the Greeks, including the technology of the Antikythera Mechanism, were scientific and fundamental to their culture and life.
Francois Charette, professor of the history of natural sciences at the Ludwig-Maximilian University in Munich, Germany, studied the Antikythera computer and concluded that “mind-boggling technological sophistication” must have been available to those who made it.
Evangelos Vallianatos is a Greek writer living in the US and writing on Greek history and ecopolitical issues. He is the author of “This Land is Their Land” and “The Passion of the Greeks”.
A stunning medieval castle and a tale of ghosts . . .
Frangokastello looks very much today as it did when it was built in 1371. In this area of south western Crete live a race of people called the Sphakiots. They are strong and brave and fear no man. They can be a severe problem to people who come to conquer them, as did the Venetians. So the castle was built here by the sea on a small plain under the White Mountains of Sphakia. Then . . . well, nothing happened. The Venetian soldiers stayed in and around the castle and the Sphakiots stayed clear of them.
But let us get on to the ghosts that still appear here, it is said. They are called the Drosoulites, the men of the dew, in English. The legend tells us that they appear on just one day a year at early dawn. A day in late May when it is damp and windless, they walk in single file through the castle and down into the sea. I have spoken to people who say that they have seen them, but they have never been photographed.
Some say that they are the hallowed ghosts of the men of Hadzi Michalis Dalianis who stood here in the castle with his 600 men in 1878 against the Turks. Eight thousand turkish soldiers were sent to deal with them.
Others say that the ghosts are simply a mirage of Libyan soldiers from across the Mediterannean, but nobody really knows. However Frangokastello keeps on being one of the most perfect 600 year old castles you will ever find.
Here is a video by Yannis Sakellarakis, an archaeologist, of a new Minoan site in Crete.
I hope that you enjoy it.
By Owen Jarus
A team of archaeologists have discovered a fortification system at the Minoan town of Gournia, a discovery which rebukes the popular myth that the Minoans were a peaceful society with no need for defensive structures.
The team’s efforts were led by Professor Vance Watrous and Matt Buell of the University at Buffalo. Located on the north coast, Gournia was in use during the neo-palatial period (ca. 1700-1450 BC), when Minoan civilization was at its height. The town sits atop a low ridge with four promontories on its coastline. Two of these promontories end in high vertical cliffs that give the town a defensive advantage, and it is here that the fortification system was discovered.
The team weren’t able to excavate the area, and so relied on photography, drawing and surveying to identify the fortifications. The eastern-most promontory had a heavy wall that was about 27 meters long. Beside it the team found a semi-circular platform of stone, almost nine meters in diameter, which they believe is the remains of a tower or bastion. The other fortified promontory had a two meter thick wall, running east-west, “as if to close off access from the sea,” said Buell.
The other two promontories slope gently down to the shore, and would have provided easy access to the town. “It was on these two promontories”, said Professor Watrous, “that the Minoans built structures.”
The town consists of around 60 tightly-packed houses, a ship shed, and a small palace in the centre, and archaeologists have discovered evidence of wine making, bronze-working and stone-working at the site. “Gournia gives you, the visitor, a real feeling of what an Aegean town was actually like. Walking up the streets, past the houses, you feel like you’ve been transported into the past,” said Buell.
In addition to the beach fortifications, it also appears that the Minoans built a second line of defence further inland. Heading back from the beach, there were two walls, together running about 180 meters east to west. Backed by a tower, or bastion, the walls would have posed a formidable challenge to any invader trying to march into the town.
Defenders manning this system of fortification would have rained projectiles down on attackers, by using bows and slings. The walls had stone foundations and were made of mud brick, making them sturdy enough to stand on.
It’s an open question as to whether the people guarding the fortifications were part of a militia or something more organized. There was “definitely a body of men who would have had that duty but we don’t know exactly what they were like,” said Professor Watrous.
Tombs uncovered by Hawes and other excavators have shown people buried with swords. Watrous said that there was one particular tomb that produced an entire collection of daggers, swords and other items.
However, Gournia’s fortifications did not prevent the town’s demise. The town fell around 1450 BC, along with other Minoan settlements. A new group called the Mycenaean appeared on Crete at this time, taking over the island.
Watrous said that Mycenaeans probably avoided attacking the town by sea. “Many other settlements were destroyed at the same time. My guess is that they just came along the land; they didn’t have to come up from the sea”.
He cannot say for sure if the town defences were ever actually put to their intended use. Any evidence of a battle near these fortifications, such as weapons or bodies, would be underground, and excavation would have to be carried out to see if they exist.
One thing that excavators can say is that the people of Gournia had something worth fighting for. Many of the goods they made – such as the wine and the bronze implements – were for export, suggesting that the people had some level of wealth.
Ralph Stockbridge, who has died aged 92, was awarded two MCs for the notable part that he played in the Cretan Resistance to the German occupation; he spent the remainder of his career working for MI6.
When Crete fell to an airborne invasion in May 1941, Stockbridge, then a signals sergeant in the Field Security Corps, was evacuated to Egypt with the remnants of the Allied forces on the island. He promptly asked to return, and was put in touch with the Inter Services Liaison Department (a cover name at GHQ for MI6).
Stockbridge and Captain Jack Smith-Hughes, an SOE officer, were infiltrated into Crete in October 1941 aboard the submarine Thunderbolt. They later learned that this vessel was originally Thetis, which had sunk on its trials in Liverpool Bay in 1939 with the loss of many lives. The boat sank for the second and final time, with the loss of all hands, in 1943.
They were the first British mission to return to Crete, and were charged with developing its resistance movement. Stockbridge had never discovered what the duties of Field Security were, but he had become fluent in Cretan Greek while stationed there, and had made many contacts in the Heraklion area. This knowledge was now put to good use.
Despite being constantly on the run, he managed to keep transmitting valuable information to Cairo. Sometimes he operated from a cave high in the mountains. Drinking water was collected from stalactites. Meals in “safe houses” consisting of seed potatoes washed down with mugs of orange peel tea were recalled with nostalgia when their food later ran out and he and his comrades had to subsist on grass soup, wild herbs and snails.
When Stockbridge organised a parachute drop, little fell within the dropping zone. Sacks of flour could be seen bursting on distant rocks, while other supplies slid down steep precipices and could not be retrieved.
Clean-shaven, wearing shoes rather than boots, an overcoat and horn-rimmed spectacles, his appearance and stumbling gait matched his “cover” story: that he was a village schoolmaster. He used the name Michalaki, and later, Siphi.
Sometimes he had to go into towns and pass checkpoints manned by German security police. “They must have been blind not to see me trembling,” he said afterwards.
If the Cretans were caught helping the British, they could expect savage reprisals. Despite the hazards, as Stockbridge said afterwards: “Everything depended throughout on their magnificent loyalty. Without their help with guides, informants and suppliers of food, not a single one of us would have lasted 24 hours.”
On one occasion, he and a comrade were being pursued by a large patrol of Germans and Italians. Forced to hide their equipment and make a stand, they killed six of their pursuers.
On another, he was going through a checkpoint with Levtheri Kalitsounakis, who acted as his assistant. Stockbridge passed the inspection, but Kalitsounakis – who had reddish hair and green eyes – was suspected of not looking like a Cretan and was stopped and closely questioned.
Stockbridge was so distracted that he bumped into a German soldier. “Gosh! Sorry!” he said in English.
Then, realising what he had done, he had to fight the temptation to take to his heels, and instead stroll casually away.
In April 1942, three months after being commissioned, he found himself in even greater danger, after being betrayed. Evacuated to Egypt in May and awarded an MC, he volunteered to go back again.
In early 1943 he and his wireless operator, John Stanley, were re-infiltrated aboard a Greek submarine. They rowed ashore in a rubber dinghy and landed on the north coast of the island. As they came in, they gave the password to some Cretans who arrived in a small boat. These men, who had been fishing illegally, feared that they had been discovered by the Germans; they panicked and disappeared.
On going ashore, Stockbridge and his companion found themselves in a minefield. They extricated themselves and moved further down the coast, where their first contact was Paddy Leigh Fermor. While Stockbridge, the senior MI6 officer on the island, based himself at Rethymno and gathered intelligence in the central and eastern parts of the island, Leigh Fermor concentrated on his work for SOE.
After the German surrender, Stockbridge’s service of three years in Crete, two and a half of them during enemy occupation, was recognised by a Bar to his MC. He was also made an honorary citizen of Rethymno.
Ralph Hedley Stockbridge was born at Bournemouth on April 18 1917 and educated at the Perse School, Cambridge. It had been decided that he should have a classical education, a decision with which he complied without enthusiasm.
He set a precedent by resigning from the Officers Training Corps because he disliked the excessively militaristic member of the staff who ran it and he considered the wearing of puttees a tiresome relic of the Boer War. On the sports field, he captained the 1st XV and the athletics team and, in the one year he boxed, he won the Under Nine Stone title.
In 1935 he broke his leg playing rugby. The enforced absence from school and the encouragement of the senior classics master resulted in Ralph taking the Cambridge examination on crutches and winning a scholarship to Peterhouse. He spent the next three years in pleasant indolence and took an upper second.
After the war he joined MI6 – where he was known as Mike – on a permanent basis. As vice-consul in the Salonika consulate-general from 1946 to 1950 he reported on the intelligence aspects of the Greek civil war.
He was vice-consul in Alexandria from 1952 to 1954, and over the next few years spent time in Beirut, Tehran, Baghdad and Syria. He was at the British embassy in Athens from 1959 to 1966.
In 1961 Henry Leach (later Admiral of the Fleet Sir Henry Leach) paid an official visit to Heraklion. The British ambassador asked Stockbridge, then the First Secretary, to accompany him. At the reception on board, many of the guests were Stockbridge’s former wartime comrades.
Leach wrote in his memoirs: “They were marvellous people with walnut-like faces from constant exposure to the elements. Few wore collars or ties. Such was their personality that their complete inability to speak a word of English seemed not to detract at all from the conviviality of the occasion.
“They were drawn to Ralph Stockbridge as to a magnet and treated him as if he were a much loved God… It was one of the most remarkable and moving reunions I have ever been privileged to attend.”
Stockbridge returned to England in 1966 and served with MI6 in London until 1972. On his retirement he spent six happy years as bursar of St Faith’s preparatory school in Cambridge. Settled in a village in Cambridgeshire, he had more time to enjoy his books, his large stamp collection and corresponding with his many friends, most of them Greek or French.
Ralph Stockbridge died on March 10. He married first (dissolved), in 1948, Margaret Elizabeth Garrett. He married secondly, in 1963, Katharine Price. They survive him with a son and a daughter from his first marriage and two daughters from his second.
By Bruce Bower
Human ancestors that left Africa hundreds of thousands of years ago to see the rest of the world were no landlubbers. Stone hand axes unearthed on the Mediterranean island of Crete indicate that an ancient Homo species — perhaps Homo erectus — had used rafts or other seagoing vessels to cross from northern Africa to Europe via at least some of the larger islands in between, says archaeologist Thomas Strasser of Providence College in Rhode Island.
Several hundred double-edged cutting implements discovered at nine sites in southwestern Crete date to at least 130,000 years ago and probably much earlier, Strasser reported January 7 at the annual meeting of the American Institute of Archaeology. Many of these finds closely resemble hand axes fashioned in Africa about 800,000 years ago by H. erectus, he says. H. erectus had spread from Africa to parts of Asia and Europe by at least that time.
Until now, the oldest known human settlements on Crete dated to around 9,000 years ago. Traditional theories hold that early farming groups in southern Europe and the Middle East first navigated vessels to Crete and other Mediterranean islands at that time.
“We’re just going to have to accept that, as soon as hominids left Africa, they were long-distance seafarers and rapidly spread all over the place,” Strasser says. The traditional view has been that hominids (specifically, H. erectus) left Africa via land routes that ran from the Middle East to Europe and Asia. Other researchers have controversially suggested that H. erectus navigated rafts across short stretches of sea in Indonesia around 800,000 years ago and that Neandertals crossed the Strait of Gibraltar perhaps 60,000 years ago.
Questions remain about whether African hominids used Crete as a stepping stone to reach Europe or, in a Stone Age Gilligan’s Island scenario, accidentally ended up on Crete from time to time when close-to-shore rafts were blown out to sea, remarks archaeologist Robert Tykot of the University of South Florida in Tampa. Only in the past decade have researchers established that people reached Crete before 6,000 years ago, Tykot says.
Strasser’s team cannot yet say precisely when or for what reason hominids traveled to Crete. Large sets of hand axes found on the island suggest a fairly substantial population size, downplaying the possibility of a Gilligan Island’s scenario, in Strasser’s view.
In excavations conducted near Crete’s southwestern coast during 2008 and 2009, Strasser’s team unearthed hand axes at caves and rock shelters. Most of these sites were situated in an area called Preveli Gorge, where a river has gouged through many layers of rocky sediment.
At Preveli Gorge, Stone Age artifacts were excavated from four terraces along a rocky outcrop that overlooks the Mediterranean Sea. Tectonic activity has pushed older sediment above younger sediment on Crete, so 130,000-year-old artifacts emerged from the uppermost terrace. Other terraces received age estimates of 110,000 years, 80,000 years and 45,000 years.
These minimum age estimates relied on comparisons of artifact-bearing sediment to sediment from sea cores with known ages. Geologists are now assessing whether absolute dating techniques can be applied to Crete’s Stone Age sites, Strasser says.
Intriguingly, he notes, hand axes found on Crete were made from local quartz but display a style typical of ancient African artifacts.
“Hominids adapted to whatever material was available on the island for tool making,” Strasser proposes. “There could be tools made from different types of stone in other parts of Crete.”
Strasser has conducted excavations on Crete for the past 20 years. He had been searching for relatively small implements that would have been made from chunks of chert no more than 11,000 years ago. But a current team member, archaeologist Curtis Runnels of Boston University, pointed out that Stone Age folk would likely have favored quartz for their larger implements. “Once we started looking for quartz tools, everything changed,” Strasser says.
What I have to show you here is a rare film posted by John Sooklaris on Youtube. Now John has posted several films on the web that you can see here on this site. This film, from 1961 is special. It shows a trip calling in at St George, Selinari; a celebration at Agios Nicholaos – including a diver – and loads of people. Then the bus trip goes on to the Lassiti Plateau and actually shows all the spinning windmills that were so famous there and that I mentioned here on this site a while ago.
So here is the video, I hope that you enjoy it.
Then extraordinarily, someone posted a tribute to John Sooklaris by videoing St Georges in the year 2009. Here it is:
The Right Reverend Stephen Verney, who died on November 9 aged 90, was an unconventional Bishop of Repton, in the diocese of Derby, from 1977 to 1985, and during the 1960s played an important part in the development of the vibrant church life that sprang from the consecration of the rebuilt Coventry Cathedral.
A deeply spiritual man and a courageous thinker, Verney was essentially a romantic for whom a life of high ideals was also one of high adventure. And he found ample scope for the expression of this during the Second World War, the final years of which he spent as a member of the Political Warfare Executive (PWE), a sister organisation of the Special Operations Executive (SOE), working underground with Greek guerrillas on German-occupied Crete.
When the war started Verney had not long left Harrow and was reading Greats at Balliol College, Oxford. At that time he was an ardent pacifist and, having been registered as a conscientious objector, had enlisted in a Friends’ Ambulance Unit. But as the war intensified and the Nazi campaign became demonstrably more evil, he changed his mind and joined the Army, beginning as a private in the Royal Army Service Corps.
This took him to Egypt, and it was while attending a party in Cairo that he happened to meet his former Harrow headmaster, Paul Vellacott, who was by then director of political warfare Middle East. Aware that Verney was a classicist who could easily master modern Greek, and that – despite his aristocratic family background – his shortness of stature and often scruffy appearance might enable him to pass for a Greek peasant, Vellacott persuaded him to join the PWE.
After initial involvement in black propaganda from Cairo, he was commissioned, and in August 1944 – disguised and accompanied by a German Jewish interpreter – he was dispatched by night to Crete in a small boat.
His primary task was to sow seeds of disaffection in the German occupying army. On landing he was met by a Cretan “guardian angel”, who recruited a few others to form a cell under Verney’s leadership. They targeted German soldiers who rejected the Nazi regime, others who had fallen in love with Cretan girls, as well as Austrians, Poles and other nationals who had been unwillingly dragooned into the German army.
Verney and his team operated from an informal base outside Canea – home to the headquarters of the German commander in Crete. A printing press was set up in a cave and run by a Cretan journalist who published a propaganda news-sheet in German and Greek. This conveyed the false impression that the resistance movement was very large and that the occupation forces were cracking under the strain. Verney wrote frequently to the German commander, General Benthag, to point out that his situation was now hopeless and that “Kapitulation” was the only sensible choice.
A graffiti campaign using the letter K was launched, with the aid of local boys who painted it on walls, bridges and sentry boxes. Acid was used to etch it on the windows of military vehicles.
On his own initiative Verney was responsible for the mass desertion of Italians who had been fighting with the German army. Having made a number of indirect contacts with their colonel, he crept, disguised, into the camp hospital. The meeting was conducted with Verney stretched out on an operating table, the colonel hunched by him as if hearing his confession, while another officer played the part of a surgeon.
On May 8 1945 General Benthag formally, but secretly, surrendered to one of Verney’s fellow-officers; and that evening the small group of British officers in the area invited the German officers who had been hunting them to a party in a café. A jazz band from the German garrison was pressed into service, and during the festivities Verney and the others disclosed their code names and true identities to their astonished guests, among whom were some of the most detested men in the occupying army. All were immediately taken prisoner. Verney’s exploits in Crete were recognised with a military MBE.
He returned to Oxford in 1946 to complete his degree, and, having been drawn by his wartime experience to seek Holy Orders, went for training to Westcott House, Cambridge. He was ordained in Southwell Minster in 1950 and after a two-year curacy at Gedling, near Nottingham, embarked on a ministry that was rarely conventional and ended with his becoming a bishop of an unusual sort.
Stephen Edmund Verney was born in Anglesey on April 17 1919. His father, Sir Harry Verney, 4th Bt, held a number of junior ministerial posts in the Edwardian era and won a DSO in the First World War.
On completion of his Gedling curacy, where he had found traditional church life deeply frustrating, Stephen Verney was appointed priest-in-charge of the new housing area of Clifton, outside Nottingham. When he arrived in 1952 it was inhabited by 2,000 people, mainly living in council estates. By the time he left, six years later, their number had risen to 20,000.
It was a soulless place, poorly planned, with no playgrounds for children or community buildings. Verney described it as “a social desert” and gathered a small congregation together for Sunday worship in a builders’ canteen, where rats ate the heart out of a harmonium. Meetings were also held for lonely mothers; there were clubs for young people and those over 60; and he convened a regular meeting of professional social workers to deal with some of the problems.
In his own planning of a new church building, the strong romantic side of Verney’s nature took over. Greatly inspired by the example of St Francis of Assisi, who had built a church with his own hands, he felt moved to have the church in Clifton erected by the labour of himself, members of the congregation and anyone else, including undergraduates on vacation, who would lend a hand.
A willing, if somewhat sceptical, architect produced a simple design and, amid some excitement and much publicity, work began. The digging of foundations proved to be no problem, but as the building progressed the absence of essential skills became more apparent. Drains and other elements in the building had to be corrected and the project began to absorb an inordinate amount of Verney’s time.
The final stage of the building was completed by professionals, and the church was dedicated in 1952 in honour of St Francis, with Verney as its first vicar. The experience of the next six years had a formative influence on him, but it took a toll on his health, and in 1958 he moved to Coventry to become diocesan missioner and vicar of the small country parish of Leamington Hastings.
This was no rest cure. Basil Spence’s new cathedral was rising, phoenix-like, from the ashes of the old, which had been almost completely destroyed by wartime bombing.
An enthusiastic new bishop, Cuthbert Bardsley, was assembling a team of gifted clergy to develop a vibrant Christian life both within and without the soon-to-be completed building.
The slogan: “A consecrated building requires a consecrated people” was adopted to describe a three-year period of preparation for the great day of the cathedral’s reopening, and Verney was entrusted with the project in the diocese. He was ideally suited to this assignment, combining an organising vision with deep spirituality to enthuse his flock.
Throughout Warwickshire there were meetings and missions in every parish, prayer cells were formed, a clergy conference was held at Balliol, and 10 days of mission services addressed by the bishop in Leamington parish church. A cross, formed of nails taken from timber rescued from the ruined cathedral, was passed from parish to parish and made the focus of prayer vigils.
By the time the new cathedral was ready for consecration on May 26 1962, the diocese was in a state of high expectancy and, although the preparatory campaign had been a team effort, Verney’s leadership was a vital factor.
In 1964 one of the residentiary canonries of the cathedral fell vacant, and Verney was appointed to it, with another project in sight. The 50th anniversary of the foundation of the diocese was due for celebration in 1968, and it was decided that, instead of repeating the kind of festivities that had surrounded the consecration of the cathedral, there would be an international conference on “People and Cities”.
This would celebrate the benefits of urban life, but also confront the huge problems of depersonalisation caused by the scale of modern cities. The Coventry conference was opened by the Duke of Edinburgh, attended by 150 specially-invited participants from all parts of the world, and addressed by planners, philosophers and theologians. Then-current assumptions were challenged, and some of the conference’s proposals eventually led to new approaches to urban planning.
In his book on the event, People and Cities (1969), which was partly descriptive and partly made up of the papers given by the speakers, Verney argued that the future of the Church’s work in cities lay in the formation of small groups, what he called “companies of forgiveness”.
Having spent 12 years in Coventry, mainly on two major projects, it was felt that Verney should be given the opportunity to share what he had learned with the rest of the Church. He was therefore appointed to a canonry of St George’s Chapel, Windsor, in 1970.
Since the duties of this office were less than arduous, Verney was free to pursue his many other interests, but he had overlooked the degree and extent to which St George’s Chapel is controlled by tradition and protocol – to both of which he was decidedly opposed. He argued instead for the introduction of contemporary worship with modern music.
But the Dean, Bishop Launcelot Fleming, himself a moderate reformer, found himself trapped between Verney and another recently-recruited canon on the one hand, and, on the other, two dyed-in-the-wool colleagues who had been at Windsor for many years and were resolutely opposed to any suggestion of change. This, together with a sharp clash of personalities, did not make for a happy capitular body.
Relief came in 1977 with Verney’s appointment to the suffragan bishopric of Repton in Derby diocese. As anticipated, he proved to be an unusual bishop – never short of a new idea and seizing every opportunity to encourage the formation of small, informal church groups.
His strong pastoral gifts were used to the full and, as director of post-ordination training, he enjoyed a close, supportive relationship with younger generations of clergy, often surprising them by his impatience with the institutional life of the Church and his radical proposals for its reform.
His ideas found expression in three more small books – Into the New Age (1976), Water into Wine (1985) and The Dance of Love (1989) – all of them a combination of romanticism, vision and insight.
His retirement was spent at Blewbury in Oxfordshire, and he was an honorary assistant bishop in Oxford diocese. His first wife, Priscilla, died in 1974, and in 1987 he married Sandra Bailey, who survives him with a son and three daughters of his first marriage. A son of his second marriage predeceased him.
By Péter Zilahy
My mother couldn’t forgive the Soviet army for burning down the house she was born in, frying up the swans on the lake and driving off the three French nannies who had educated her as a child. She took it personally. If you have lived on the wrong side of the Iron Curtain, you tend to have an unorthodox take on Russian cultural icons. Swan Lake, for Mum, would never be inhabited by fluffy, flying ballerinas, but by bellowing, hammer-headed troops auditioning for a surrealist version of The Last Supper. My mother could never get over her loss and was secretly plotting to bring down the system from within. Being a clever woman, she disguised it as classical education.
Growing up in a communist dictatorship, I was constantly fed Soviet propaganda tales like “The Dog and The Wolf”, where the dog was the good comrade, trustworthy, hardworking and obedient, while the wolf was a decadent, unreliable, lazy drop-out, even opportunistic at times, which is remarkably versatile for a beast. My mother told me not to bother with the school curriculum. Instead, she encouraged me to read Greek mythology – tales of fights, orgies, rape, revenge and sacrifice. Stimulating stuff for a seven-year-old.
I started seeing parallels with everything that was happening around me and slowly gathered that mythology provides not only a great escape, but also offers solutions to my everyday struggle. In the myths, whenever there’s a problem or some scheme goes wrong, they always try to solve it with human sacrifice. If that doesn’t work, they actually do something about it, but first they always go for sacrifice. The subway doesn’t come on time, let’s sacrifice the daughter of the king. The polls are running low, let’s attack some obscure little country on the other side of the sea. The Greek heroes seemed to have all the fun while we just kept building friendship between nations.
One of the myths I came across in my reading was the story of Europa. A beautiful princess, she went down to the beach one sunny day and was kidnapped by Zeus. Countless artworks elaborate on how Zeus appeared as a bull and carried her off to the island of Crete, where he turned into an eagle and made love to her. She must have been confused. The highlight of all guided tours on Crete is a tree revealed to tourists as the very one under which Zeus “landed” on Europe. The Soviet tales transformed humans into animals, while the Greek tales turned animals into gods. My beautiful mother was on to something.
Living in a communist dictatorship is a drag. You’re locked up in time like a beetle in amber. Which is delicate terminology. You are a stinking, yawning, underinformed sloth stuck in a giant block of radioactive glue. Nothing ever happens, but you don’t even notice because there’s only one channel on television, where the same stuff gets repeated again and again. You either start drinking or you pick yourself a myth – or you do both if you’re creative enough.
As I was coming of age, puberty and mythology created an explosive mix. The Greek stories were a thousand times sexier than Soviet lip service. Naturally, I rooted for the wolf not the dog.
When it dawned on me that there wasn’t enough alcohol to keep me in the country, I got myself kicked out of school and headed for the Greek islands. I had been captain of the school soccer team, a model student and an expert on Greek gods. I was going to combine all my talents and see what they were worth. For a moment it seemed that there was even a reason why I had had to wait so long behind the Iron Curtain. The sloth stepped out of the glue, blinking. An alluring new world was on the horizon, I was going to leave animal farm and be like the gods.
The melancholic Hungarians, thanks to their revolutionary history and a passion for Molotov cocktails, were kept on a long leash and could travel to the west every three years. When my time came, I took my red passport, then the train, then the boat, and there I was on the island where the story began. All the other kids went to Amsterdam to smoke pot or hitched a ride to Rostock to check out the nudist beach. I went to Crete to meet the gods. Guess who got higher.
On Crete, the infant Zeus had been hidden because his father wanted to eat him alive. I could picture their hide-and-seek. “Where’s little Zeeeeeus? Come out, my boy, daddy’s not gonna hurt you!”
It’s not easy to be a god. Or at least that’s how I felt when I arrived in Crete on a searing summer day. I got myself a Honda 500, not one of those tiny scooters tourists go sightseeing with. Having read the Greeks, you know it’s all about wind. Odysseus could not get home for 10 years because of stormy weather. When you live in mythology, it comes as no surprise that the logos of Honda are a wing and an H, which can also stand for Hermes, the herald of the gods whose symbol is a winged sandal.
I cruise around the island, checking out the beaches before I turn my bike towards the mountain where Zeus was raised. It’s a beautiful day. I am doing a hundred, a hundred and twenty, which is clearly not what the road was made for. If it ever was made rather than created. Coming out of a curve I face a hole the size of a swimming pool. Time flies, they say, and so do I, a spread eagle looking for Zeus on the mountain of Ida. As happens with accidents, your memory rewinds and your life passes in front of you, which in my case didn’t take very long. But you also see everything in slow motion – so you actually have time. I’m flying in the air and taking a good look around. As I said, it’s a beautiful day, I see far. The sea, the mountains, the clouds – right above me a particularly gorgeous little cloud in the shape of a bull’s head. I see the hole below gently closing in on me with millions of little cracks opening into canyons, and billions of even smaller cracks growing sideways. I land, I skid, I burn, filling all the little cracks with my skin.
I’m alive – I know because I see the bike half in the air on the edge of the abyss, the wheels spinning in opposite directions, and I couldn’t make that up. I’m black from the asphalt that has burned into my skin and there’s a substantial amount of blood to give it some colour. No one wore helmets in those days. It is, of course, Zeus who has saved me. I get my bike, it’s broken here and there, but the wheels look okay, so I begin walking it along. I’m kind of limping, but doing all right and soon the road starts to go downhill. The bike gains momentum and it’s getting hard to keep up with it. Anyway, it’s kind of humiliating limping next to a Honda 500, so I think to myself “what the heck” and I mount the bike again. I start the engine, and it works! Zeus, who else?
I’m driving along, not going fast, max 80, boring. I’m taking the curves real easy, it’s mid-afternoon when I arrive at the foot of the mountain, and start my ascent. The trail is steep, it’s scorching hot, I’m bleeding, I’m badly burned, but I can’t help putting on a little smile that I survived and will be seeing Zeus in a moment. With every step I’m getting faster, I’m climbing rocks, jumping creeks, going through bushes and cacti, leaving drops of blood all along the way. It’s going to be easy to find my way back. All I have to do is follow the blood. I’m looking into every cave, every hole, trying to find tracks and traces, but not a soul, no one there, neither human, nor divine. Not a vulture circling above my head.
I’m getting sour. I came all the way for nothing. Blood pudding peeling off my skin. Feels like being part of this wasteland. I’m naturally eroding with the hillside. Just then, from the distance, I hear the faint but clear sound of a bell ringing.
Thank God! I’m saved again! I see a bunch of wild goats sliding down a hillside – very professionally, as if they have been doing it all their lives, which in fact they have. They are semi-wild goats, occasionally milked by the locals and otherwise left to wander. Their leader has a little bell and nicely trimmed whiskers – a touch of class. Needless to say, it all comes down to me as a message from high above and finally everything falls into place. I understand why I had to come all the way to Crete – I have a revelation. In this crystallised and perfect moment, which can never be repeated, I finally grasp that I’m here to sacrifice a goat to Zeus.
The true nature of my mission in view, I regain control over my failing limbs. I feel fresh blood oozing down my neck, but I can’t stop. I’m chasing the goat. I’m driven like a maniac, trying to fulfil my duty to Zeus. But these goats are very good, they can climb trees. They even jump from tree to tree. And they have the home-team advantage. At one point, I nearly catch the goat with the bell, but I fall short, and a clump of hair remains in my hand. Holding the clump, breathing heavily on the edge of a boulder overlooking the Libyan Sea, I realise the absurdity of my situation. I have neither a weapon, nor the instinct to kill. I’m not the murderous type. What am I going to do if I catch it? Tickle it to death?
At that moment, a second revelation hits. As I wipe the blood off my neck, I realise that my moneybag is missing. The moneybag that was hanging around my neck, under my T-shirt. The moneybag that has all my money in Swiss francs and Greek drachmas and my ID. Apparently, Zeus did not want a sacrifice in blood, but in cash.
I’m bleeding, burned, broken and broke. I smell of goat, but it’s the smell of mortality more than anything else that I sense in the air. I am about to faint from blood loss, but I can’t help noticing a group of Greek gods bursting into eternal laughter from behind a cloud. I join in, and wind up laughing all the way home, laughing for the next three years, during which I pull myself together. I turned my attention from mythology to more earthly matters. I found my Europa and she found me, too.
I had nearly forgotten all about Zeus, when, three years later, I received a letter from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Although we had just passed from dictatorship to democracy and had held our first free election, Hungary was still a dodgy place.
I received a magnetic card at the door and had to wait in a glass room until they called my name. When I entered the room, an official threw my moneybag on the table. The moneybag I lost on Crete trying to sacrifice a goat to Zeus.
The complete staff have gathered to watch my agonising flashback. Is this yours? I keep staring. Check out what’s in it, says the civil servant, so I take a look and there is all my stuff, my money in Swiss francs and Greek drachmas and my ID, all intact. Apparently a Greek shepherd found it on the mountain and handed it over to the local authorities. But how it had travelled all the way – first to Heraklion, then to Athens, then to the Hungarian embassy and on to Budapest, all in the course of three years in the midst of major political change, is a mystery. I am sorry, but this could be explained only in mythological terms. Somehow my sacrifice had been accepted.
Even if I had delivered it in a clumsy way, all I was trying to say was that I wasn’t going to be part of a system where only a dog can have a career. I wanted to reach out to a higher value. Holding my moneybag, I suddenly felt at home. I figured it doesn’t matter which side of the Iron Curtain you’re standing on, if the gods are with you. I took some of the Swiss francs and changed them for forints. Then I went to a bookshop and bought a gigantic, heavily illustrated, rare volume of Greek mythology as a present for my mum.
Péter Zilahy is author of ‘The Last Window Giraffe’. He performed a version of this story for ‘The Moth on Broadway’ at Symphony Space in New York. He is presently an Albert Einstein Fellow in Berlin | <urn:uuid:ec51fd12-5e1f-4b3e-ba30-3c8af1aac0af> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://crete.wordpress.com/category/history/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708789647/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125309-00085-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.975689 | 12,484 | 3.890625 | 4 |
Green Catbird Ailuroedus crassirostris
Category A; Uncommon localised resident.
|Threat status||Brisbane status|
|IUCN Least Concern||eBird records 549|
|National Not listed||Atlas squares 18|
|Queensland Not listed||Reporting rate 1%|
Jeremy Hegge - Royal National Park, New South Wales, Australia Marc Anderson - Watagan National Park, New South Wales, Australia
Best known for its cat-like wailing call, the Green Catbird is a medium-sized bowerbird of rainforest and wet sclerophyll forests, found from central Queensland down to southern New South Wales. Typically found in small groups, counts of up to 20 have been recorded in Brisbane. Green Catbirds are very localised, being almost exclusively found in the elevated rainforests of the Camel’s Head, although there is some evidence for them moving around, and they may be more widely distributed within the area than current data suggest.
Plumaged in brilliant-green and armed with a piercing wailing call, Green Catbirds are almost always heard before they are seen. Distributed across the subtropical rainforests of south east Australia, they occur patchily across nearly all of their range (in part owing to the fragmentation of their habitat post European settlement), especially within the Brisbane region. It occurs exclusively within rainforest and wet sclerophyll habitats, typically above 400m although occasional birds are recorded at lower altitudes. It has never been reported in large numbers in Brisbane, with a high count of 20 birds (Turnbull 2014) being a significant outlier. Counts of over 5 birds are quite rare, with most records being of between 1-3 individuals.
Green Catbirds are present in Brisbane year-round, but are yet to be recorded breeding in the area. This is likely due to the difficulty of nest location and the relative secrecy with which they conduct themselves during the breeding season compared to their relatives in the Bowerbird family (Catbirds do not build bowers). Furthermore, they are reported least frequently in the last few months of the year, coinciding with the start of the breeding season, so it is possible birds either move to less birded areas (or outside the Brisbane border) to breed, or that they are simply less conspicuous when they breed and therefore are reported less.
As a species very much dependent on large areas of undisturbed subtropical rainforest or wet sclerophyll, this species is somewhat at threat from habitat modification and loss. Consequently, care is needed to ensure suitably large and well-connected areas of habitat remain for this species to live and breed in - of particular importance are the sites within Brisbane where this species is most commonly found; Mount Glorious and Mount Nebo.
Distribution and Habitat
Green Catbirds are very much a range-restricted species within Brisbane, being found mostly in the elevated subtropical rainforest found across the Camel’s Head and Back. They have only been recorded from 13 Atlas Squares, although given that many unsurveyed squares in the Camel’s Head contain suitable habitat for them they are likely more widely distributed and more common than the data currently suggest. Birds occasionally wander, with the odd record from the lowland rainforests around Brookfield and Gold Creek Reservoir, but stay within the confines of rainforest and wet sclerophyll habitats. Even in rainforest, where they are most abundant, the reporting rate is only a touch over 20%, indicating that this is an uncommonly-encountered species within Brisbane.
The distribution of Green Catbirds does not show any clear seasonal variation, although there is some evidence to suggest that birds move down into lower altitudes over winter (see graph), but this needs more data from a wide set of locations to be verified. Such movements are common in other rainforest species though, so this would not be a surprising result. This could also be a result of wandering juvenile and immature birds, who would have left the nest at the end of summer and would be searching for areas to set up their territories over winter. Once again, this needs more data to be verified.
Seasonality and Breeding
There are no confirmed reports of Green Catbirds breeding within Brisbane. This disappointing result is likely due to the difficulty of locating a nest within dense rainforest and the relatively inconspicuous nature of the Catbird’s breeding activities - especially when compared to its Bowerbird relatives. Consequently, breeding data is needed for this species to determine whether its breeding behaviour is similar to that reported in the literature. Catbirds have been found to call more during the breeding season (Woodall 1997), so locating birds and nests during this period should be achievable, albeit difficult.
The reporting rate for Green Catbirds has been quite variable over the Atlas period, with some years having no reports at all while other years having quite a high reporting rate - over 2% in 2011. This is likely explained by small sample size variation and changes in eBird observer behaviours, as many of the best sites for this species (such as Lawton Road) have only been “discovered” recently. There is some evidence for a minor increase in abundance since 2013, although once again this is likely explained by more birders visiting the areas this species inhabits, rather than an actual increase in the population size.
This species is not of any significant conservation concern in the sense that Brisbane’s population only makes up a relatively small proportion of the wider distribution of this species within subtropical Australia, and it appears to be relatively stable over time. However, many subtropical species are threatened by climate change (Leach et al. 2018) and Brisbane’s Catbirds are likely to suffer somewhat as a result of this, but this needs further investigation. Additionally, population declines as a result of habitat loss, modification or fragmentation are likely to occur if this species’ habitat is not protected properly. Fortunately, within Brisbane much of their range lies in the D’Aguilar National Park and as such is unlikely to be cleared.
- Collect as much breeding data as possible
- Survey the Camel’s Head and surrounds to fill in distribution / knowledge gaps for this species
- Understand whether individuals move around the city over the year
- Determine the impact of environmental and climate change on this species
Key Conservation Needs
- Protect this species habitat from being destroyed or fragmented
Contributors to Species Account
Turnbull J (2014) eBird Checklist: http://ebird.org/view/checklist/S20528376.
Woodall PF (1997) Seasonal and Diurnal Variation in the Calls of the Noisy Pitta Pitta versicolor, Eastern Whipbird Psophodes olivaceus and Green Catbird Ailuroedus crassirostris in Brisbane Forest Park, Queensland. Emu, 97, 121–125.
Leach EC, Burwell CJ, Jones DN & Kitching RL (2018) Modelling the responses of Australian subtropical rainforest birds to changes in environmental conditions along elevational gradients. Austral Ecology, 43, 490–501. | <urn:uuid:eab5f1b9-0811-4fd2-89fb-6b4609d433c6> | CC-MAIN-2023-23 | http://brisbanebirds.com/green-catbird-ailuroedus-crassirostris.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-23/segments/1685224646181.29/warc/CC-MAIN-20230530230622-20230531020622-00425.warc.gz | en | 0.943974 | 1,505 | 3.234375 | 3 |
Cream of Tartar or Food Science 101.
Cream of tartar has come up all week at the store. So I guess it is high time that we talk about it, what it is, and where it comes from. Potassium bitartrate crystallizes in wine barrels during the fermentation of grape juice into wine. In wines bottled before they are fully ripe, the solid cream of tartar will come out of the wine on the side of the bottle in a sort of crust, thus forming what is called “crusted wine”. Cream of tartar occurs when tartaric acid is partly neutralized with potassium hydroxide, transforming it into a salt. Grapes are the most significant natural source of tartaric acid, and cream of tartar is obtained from sediment produced in the process of making wine. It is an acid salt that has a number of uses in cooking. Don’t freak out about the thought of cooking with acid, since lettuce, brown sugar, steak, plums, and just about every other food we eat is acidic. In fact, egg whites, baking soda, and milk are some of the few non-acidic (alkaline) foods we eat.
Cream of tartar is best known for helping stabilize and give more volume to beaten egg whites. It is the acidic ingredient in some brands of baking powder. It is also used to produce a creamier texture in sugary desserts such as candy and frosting. It is used commercially in some soft drinks, candies, bakery products, and gelatin desserts. Cream of tartar can also be used to clean brass and copper cookware.
If you are beating egg whites and don’t have cream of tartar, substituting white vinegar can work (in the same ratio as cream of tartar, generally 1/8 teaspoon per egg white). It is a little more difficult to substitute for cream of tartar in baking. White vinegar or lemon juice, (3 times the amount of cream of tartar called for, will provide the right amount of acid for most recipes). But that amount of liquid will most likely cause other problems in the recipe. Bakers have found that cakes made with vinegar or lemon juice have a more coarse grain and are more prone to shrinking. In the kitchen, cream of tartar is used to stabilize egg whites, increase their heat tolerance and volume, prevent sugar syrups from crystallizing, and reduce discoloration of boiled vegetables. It is frequently combined with baking soda (which needs an acid ingredient to activate it) in creating baking powder. Cream of tartar is commonly used in combination with potassium chloride in sodium-free salt substitutes.
To make your own home made baking powder, mix 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar and 1/4 teaspoon each baking soda and cornstarch. | <urn:uuid:3538e211-57d4-4195-8294-405347b8a554> | CC-MAIN-2020-24 | https://colonelde.com/cream-of-tartar/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-24/segments/1590347419639.53/warc/CC-MAIN-20200601211310-20200602001310-00041.warc.gz | en | 0.948868 | 580 | 3 | 3 |
During this course you’ll be introduced into the vibrant world of printmaking. You’ll be encouraged to think like a printmaker during taught workshops. You’ll learn a variety of techniques to transform drawn marks into print. You will produce a series of prints, exploring a wide range of effects that can be achieved.
Print techniques included; Relief print, basic etching and lino.
This course will provide each student with plenty of technical support from our experienced print tutor. Materials included. | <urn:uuid:2156f6ce-43ff-42e6-a9c3-33aef0dbe5be> | CC-MAIN-2017-47 | https://www.theartworks.org.uk/courses-workshops-1/2017/5/3/summer-printmaking-evening-course | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-47/segments/1510934805894.15/warc/CC-MAIN-20171120013853-20171120033853-00048.warc.gz | en | 0.928555 | 104 | 2.625 | 3 |
The human body is an amazingly complex biochemical machine. This becomes particularly apparent when something starts to not work right.
For example, maybe you have been feeling more stress and anxiety lately. This stress and anxiety has started to affect how well you sleep. The less sleep you get, the more stressed out and anxious you feel. What could be causing this?
Sometimes the last place you might think to look is actually the right place to look! Many people do not know that magnesium deficiency can be linked to higher stress and anxiety and poor sleep quality.
In this article, learn more about what magnesium is, what it does, and how magnesium for sleep can help ease stress and anxiety and give you a better rest at night.
What Is Magnesium?
Magnesium is a trace mineral that is naturally-occurring both on the planet and in the human body. Magnesium is one of the most important trace minerals to safeguard your body’s healthy function.
According to the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, adult females need 310 to 320 mg of magnesium per day and adult males need 400 to 420 mg per day.
However, you should always talk with your healthcare practitioner to find out exactly how much magnesium you should be taking in per day for your age, status (pregnant or not pregnant), gender and overall health. This is especially true if you are taking any medications or recovering from any health conditions that can impact your body’s natural magnesium levels.
What Does Magnesium Do for the Body?
More than 300 critical enzymes found in the body rely on magnesium to do their jobs well!
Some of the jobs these magnesium-dependent enzymes do include contracting your muscles, producing energy and protein and helping you de-stress and sleep.
According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), magnesium also plays a role in blood pressure, protein production, nerve function and control over blood glucose levels.
Magnesium contributes to the formation of healthy bones and muscles and even helps to regulate your heartbeat! Suffice it to say that if you are not taking in sufficient daily quantities of magnesium, nearly every system in your body can eventually begin to malfunction.
How Does Magnesium Deficiency Affect You?
Magnesium deficiency can cause a range of worrisome health symptoms.
Healthline outlines some of the most common symptoms of a developing magnesium deficiency: fatigue, muscle weakness, muscle twitches and cramps, apathy, depression, anxiety, the onset of bone weakness associated with osteoporosis, high blood pressure, asthma, and irregular heartbeat.
Loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, numbness, coronary spasms, personality changes and the onset of certain serious health conditions such as type 2 diabetes and migraine headaches are cited by the NIH as additional symptoms of magnesium deficiency.
Healthline suggests that up to three-quarters of the American population is routinely deficient in magnesium intake. Your doctor can do a blood test to evaluate the level of your magnesium deficiency.
How Can Magnesium Be Important For Your Sleep?
As Psychology Today points out, magnesium is one of the 24 most important nutrients for your body! It is also one of the top seven macro-nutrients your body needs to function optimally.
There are several ways that magnesium deficiency can impact the quality of your nightly rest.
Stress and anxiety
One of the most problematic issues for getting high-quality sleep is high levels of stress and anxiety. In other words, it is hard to fall asleep if you feel very anxious or stressed out!
Magnesium plays a part in regulating GABA, a neurotransmitter that is made in the brain. Low levels of GABA have been linked to chronic pain, depression, anxiety and even epilepsy. GABA imbalance has also been implicated in panic disorder and sleep disturbances, according to health expert Dr. Josh Axe.
Digestion and gut health
Magnesium deficiency is associated with digestive disturbance and gut function. Interestingly, research shows that magnesium deficiency can change the gut flora to a degree that you may begin to experience symptoms of depression.
Depression and mood
Magnesium deficiency can be a contributing factor to depression. Supplementing with magnesium has been shown to improve depression symptoms within one to two weeks according to recent research.
Muscle cramps, aches, and pains
Modern medicine has established the link between muscle cramps, spasms, twitches and weakness and magnesium deficiency. Research also shows a link between magnesium deficiency and chronic “mystery” health conditions like restless leg syndrome, which can cause ongoing insomnia in patients.
Each of these magnesium deficiency-associated health conditions is enough on its own to cause sleep disturbances. When taken together, it is much easier to understand how magnesium deficiency may contribute to chronic restless sleep or insomnia!
What is The Dosage of Magnesium for Sleep?
Before taking any type of magnesium supplement for sleep, it is always a smart choice to talk with your doctor! This is especially true if you are currently taking any medication which may interact with magnesium or for which magnesium supplements may be contraindicated. A quick check with your doctor can help you decide if now is the right time to take magnesium supplements to help you enjoy better sleep.
With your doctor’s agreement, the typical recommended starting dose for adults is anywhere from 100 to 350 mg of magnesium daily. Your doctor may also want to do a blood test to give you more individual recommendations for how much magnesium to take daily.
It can be a good idea to start out with the lowest recommended daily dosage and see how your body reacts before increasing the dosage. This will also give your body time to absorb and acclimate to increased magnesium gradually.
How to Take Magnesium for Sleep?
There are several different ways to take in additional magnesium to help promote better sleep. You don’t have to pick just one type of supplement – you can experiment to see what works best for you.
You can take in magnesium from different foods. For example, did you know that a square of dark chocolate can give you 24 percent of the daily value of magnesium?
Other magnesium-rich foods you can add to your diet include avocado, swiss chard, spinach, almonds, yogurt, kefir, bananas, black beans, figs and pumpkin seeds. Other magnesium-rich foods include potatoes, broccoli, cashews, mung beans, and brussels sprouts.
It isn’t always possible to take in as much magnesium as your body needs for better sleep through your diet. In this case, there are a number of supplements that can boost your daily magnesium intake to provide you with a more restful sleep.
Magnesium oil is actually a mixture of magnesium chloride and water. Magnesium oil has been shown to improve sleep and general calm and relaxation. You can use it in spray form, as a bath soak, topically for massage or skin care or even as a deodorant!
Transdermal magnesium, which is another form of topical magnesium supplement, is also being studied as another way to apply topical magnesium chloride to boost your magnesium levels.
There are also numerous magnesium supplements, including tablets and capsules, that you can add to your daily health-care routine. Magnesium as a supplement is offered in several forms, including magnesium chelate, magnesium chloride, magnesium citrate, magnesium glycinate, magnesium orotate, and magnesium threonate.
The type of magnesium supplement you choose may be a personal preference – for example, athletes often prefer magnesium chloride, while those with digestive issues may opt for magnesium citrate. When in doubt, talk with your doctor about the best form to choose.
Are There Any Side Effects from Magnesium?
Taking magnesium for sleep is generally considered safe so long as you do not take more than the recommended daily dosage. For this, you can take guidance from the supplement manufacturer’s dosing recommendations or talk with your doctor for specific directions.
At daily doses above 600 mg per day, some people report experiencing a laxative effect. Otherwise, your body will naturally excrete out any excess magnesium through your urine and it will not affect you.
What the Research Says About Magnesium for Sleep
If you are on the fence about whether to take magnesium supplements to improve the quality of your sleep, it can be helpful to read more about what research shows in testing magnesium’s impact on sleep.
The Journal of Research in Medical Sciences reported that magnesium in supplement form was able to make “statistically significant” increases in sleep time for elderly research study participants. Since 50 percent of older adults are estimated to have trouble sleeping, this study shows promise for use of magnesium to improve sleep later in life.
The Oxford Academic Journal Sleep reported that magnesium supplementation was found to be effective in helping patients with restless leg syndrome combat night time insomnia. Magnesium supplements were able to reduce the number of RLS incidents per night, contributing to better quality of sleep overall.
A comprehensive MIT report on the interaction between magnesium supplementation and fibromyalgia showed study results that indicate magnesium can reduce the chronic body pain and discomfort often associated with insomnia in fibromyalgia patients.
Vitamins and Minerals reported that magnesium supplementation provided better overall cognitive well-being, including improvements in mood and sleep and lower stress levels.
The Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine studied how magnesium intake and depression are linked for affected adults. Younger adults in particular benefitted from taking magnesium supplements to improve depressive symptoms.
The National Sleep Foundation (NSF) reported that calcium and magnesium are both essential trace minerals to support high quality sleep in adults. The studies also suggested that taking magnesium supplements may be safer than the alternative, which for many is taking sleeping pills. Sleeping pills, the study reported, can cause cumulative side effects when taken over a longer time period, whereas magnesium is generally safe to take over a longer time period.
Should You Take Magnesium for Sleep?
The decision about whether to take magnesium for sleep quality is a very personal one! In general, it is important to know that anywhere from half to three-quarters of all adults are likely deficient in magnesium.
This also coincides with reports from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) that state as many as one in three adults worldwide do not get enough or good enough sleep.
The National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute’s ongoing research shows that sleep is vital for everything from healthy brain function to emotional wellbeing, physical good health to safety on the job and on the road. Individuals who do not get consistent, sufficient, good quality sleep can experience a number of safety risks, from emotional disturbance to car crashes.
All of this data points to one fact: sleep is vital for your wellbeing! If you have been suffering from chronic sleep disturbance and other remedies you have tried have not helped you improve your quality and quantity of sleep, you may want to consider taking magnesium to help improve your sleep.
You have many options for increasing your magnesium intake daily, from changing your diet to topical preparations to supplements so you can find the right option that works best for your schedule and needs. | <urn:uuid:3270d2df-f3e6-4a2b-98f9-d57c11c9bad8> | CC-MAIN-2020-29 | https://vitagene.com/blog/magnesium-for-sleep/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-29/segments/1593655906934.51/warc/CC-MAIN-20200710082212-20200710112212-00503.warc.gz | en | 0.930996 | 2,261 | 2.953125 | 3 |
Wolves in Poland have recovered remarkably over the past decade, with around 1500 of them now inhabiting the country.
Only a few years ago wolves inhabited only the remote eastern forests and southern mountains. They can now be found all over Poland, even in woodlands adjacent to dense urban areas.
Wolf populations in Poland
Wolves in Poland are actually divided between three or four transboundary populations. Transboundary simply means that these Poland shares these populations with its neighbours across national borders. Some of these populations overlap with the lynx and bear populations.
The Baltic and Carpathian populations are the largest and most stable populations in Poland. These recovered first after wolves became strictly protected in 1998. This is partly because wolves were never wiped out from these parts of Poland. The Central European population on the other hand had until recently been extinct for decades. But amazingly, from being extinct 10 years ago, it has now recolonised almost the entirety of western Poland. Young wolves from this population are now migrating in search of greener pastures to Germany, Czechia and even Denmark and the Netherlands.
Finally, the Roztocze population – this is an interesting one. It was only recently identified through genetic analysis, and it may actually be a subpopulation of the Baltic population. The Polish part of its range is healthy. But most of the population lives in Ukraine, and we know little about how it fares over there.
The table below shows the four different populations of wolves in Poland and their associated details. Some of these may be underestimates, as official government figures suggest there’s now a total of 1400-1500 wolves in Poland, between all the populations.
|Population||2011 Transboundary Population size||2016 Population Size within Poland||EU Countries % share||Trend||Red List class|
|Baltic||~900-1400 (5000 with BY & RU)||400-450||EE (20%), LV (20%), PL (30%), LT (30%)||Stable||Least concern|
|Carpathian||~3500||300-400||RO (70%), SK (13%), PL (10%, CZ (0.1%)||Stable||Least concern|
|Central European Lowland||~300||180-200||DE (40%), PL (60%)||Increase||Endangered|
Management Across National Borders
Ideally countries should share management of their wolf populations across national borders. And in fact, the Habitats Directive legally obliges EU member states work towards ‘transboundary management plans’. Though as of yet, no such plans are in place. This is perhaps unsurprising considering the logistics involved: some countries struggle to manage even a handful of wolves.
Moreover, with Poland’s eastern neighbours being outside the EU, Belarus, Ukraine and Russia have no incentive to cooperate. And in fact these countries routinely hunt or even exterminate their wolf populations. This unfortunately means that many young Polish wolves migrating across our eastern borders simply dissapear.
Sadly, Belarus has an extermination programme in place for eliminating 60% of its 1000 wolves. And Ukraine currently has more important issues than wolves and wildlife on its mind.
The countries to the north and south are somewhat in between. The Baltic states, which share the Baltic population, and Slovakia, which shares a portion of the Carpathian population, all cull many of their wolves each year.
Our western neighbours on the other hand are a safe haven. Czechia and Germany strictly protect their wolves – this makes them vast open lands to which our wolves can safely migrate.
Fun fact: Wolves in Poland only cost €100 a year each in compensation to farmers. For a little bit of wildness in our countryside, seems a bargain if you ask me! | <urn:uuid:9d8169da-57d3-425a-adf0-e4e165cf17b0> | CC-MAIN-2020-16 | http://www.tomdiserens.com/wolves-in-poland/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-16/segments/1585370493684.2/warc/CC-MAIN-20200329015008-20200329045008-00023.warc.gz | en | 0.946622 | 775 | 3.3125 | 3 |
Brazilian company Sintecsys hosted an Omdena challenge to scale their wildfires detection solution with AI. Within the challenge duration of two months 38 Omdena collaborators built a deployable AI model to save lives and reduce infrastructure costs.
Leveraging AI to fight wildfires
Wildfires have cost thousands of lives and are responsible for one-third of global CO2 emissions! Deforestation and agriculture damages contribute 17 percent to climate change.
It’s the job of Sintecsys, a commercial agriculture technology company in Brazil, to monitor 8.7M acres of forest and agricultural land across four biomes, including the Amazon forest. Their system processes images from 360-degree cameras mounted on towers and alerts staff if there appears to be a fire. In 3 years, they’ve dramatically reduced fire detection time from an average of 40 minutes to under 5.
The solution: AI and deep learning to detect wildfires
For this eight-week machine learning project, Omdena pulled together a diverse team of 47 data scientists from 22 countries to join Sintecsys’ small internal AI group.Leonardo Sanchez, a data scientist in Brazil, was eager to join the Omdena challenge and address a problem of such significance for his country and the world. You can read about his perspective, and the image processing approaches behind the Omdena solution, in his article “How to Stop Wildfires with Artificial Intelligence”.
With a focus on daytime images, the system is accurate in identifying smoke and flames more than 95% of the time, dramatically reducing false positives and the time until firefighters are called onto the scene. Bambini is thrilled with the results of the two-month project: “Outstanding! The Omdena challenge provided the Sintecsys team an intense and accurate deep dive into AI with amazing results.” By early March 2020, the AI system will be fully deployed.
Sintecsys and Omdena are exploring a second project which will tackle the detection of smoke and fire outbreak in nighttime images, using similar techniques. And we’ll get a more complete view of what’s happening on the ground by pulling in satellite images to supplement those from the cameras.
Speed, accuracy, and power sum up my perception of Omdena”, says Osmar Bambini, Sintecsys Head of Innovation. “For Sintecsys, from now on Omdena is the official AI partner.”
We are thanking all community collaborators for the amazing work done! | <urn:uuid:e3e452e7-f065-49c2-a5a8-3ec14ff31511> | CC-MAIN-2020-29 | https://omdena.com/projects/ai-wildfires/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-29/segments/1593657131734.89/warc/CC-MAIN-20200712051058-20200712081058-00286.warc.gz | en | 0.931854 | 525 | 2.9375 | 3 |
BY JIM OMEL, MD
Proteasome inhibitors are a staple in multiple myeloma therapy. Why do new versions of this important drug class continue to be developed, even in the age of immunotherapies? It's simple: they still work to kill myeloma cells.
Every cell’s life is started by protein messages. The cell begins with instructions from DNA that are communicated through messenger RNA and is then governed by chemical signals derived from proteins for as long as it lives. Protein messages from DNA master blue-prints are constantly passing within cells. Messenger RNA makes protein activation happen (switches turned on) and can instantly change to protein de-activation (switches turned off). This activation might happen once per lifetime (telling cells to develop into what type of tissue) or can happen as often as several times per second! This signaling can come from biochemical changes (acetylation, de-acetylation, hydroxylation, de-hydroxylation) or from structural changes (folding or unfolding of protein structures so that they fit or do not fit in activation targets). In short, the creation of proteins are complicated!!
Proteasomes are tiny, barrel shaped structures found in all cells. Their job is to rid the cell of mis-folded, “used”, and non-functional proteins like a garbage disposal. Once these proteins are broken up, the cell can then use them to make new proteins that it might need. The discovery of the proteasome was made through key research of Dr. Alfred Goldberg, PhD of Harvard Medical School in the early 1990s.
Although normal cells make proteins, so do cancerous plasma cells - but they make much larger amounts of useless, ineffective protein. When a proteasome inhibitor stops this protein "recycling," it allows the protein to build up until it blows the cell up. The cell dies of built-up bad, accumulated waste.
According to Dr. Ken Anderson, MD of the Dana Farber Cancer Institute, myeloma plasma cells have a tendency to be quite smart. They end up changing their metabolism to get rid of the protein waste by an alternate method. Instead of ubiquination and metabolism through the proteasome pathway, those smart cells get rid of protein waste by an aggresome pathway. They bypass the proteasome altogether (thus becoming resistant to proteasome inhibitor drugs). What can myeloma drugs do at that point? Block the aggresome pathway too! Use Panobinostat or Vorinostat which effectively block that escape pathway. By themselves HDAC blockers are not very effective, but when combined with PI’s, are a one-two effective punch to kill cells desperately in need of getting rid of their own protein waste material.
Bortezomib (or Velcade) has now been used since 2003 for over half a million patients. Carfilzomib and ixazomib were approved for use for relapsed/refractory myeloma patients in 2016 and new proteasome inhibitors are continuing to be developed.Myeloma cell graphic courtesy of Takeda Oncology
Reversible or Irreversible
Bortezomib, ixazomib, carfilzomib, oprozomib and marizomib are not the same type of proteasome inhibitor. According to Dr. Robert Z. Orlowski, MD, PhD of the MD Anderson Cancer Center, one type is reversible and the other is irreversible.
Reversible inhibitors (like bortezomib and ixazomib) bind to their target on the proteasome and form one covalent bond, but at some point the bond between the drug and the target breaks (like a wet band-aid falling off). This frees up the proteasome to return to its normal function of digesting proteins in the cell. Thus, return of proteasome function in this setting is a combination of the drug releasing the proteasomes that are already formed, and production by the cell of new proteasomes that are functional after bortezomib is out of the system.
Irreversible inhibitors (like carfilzomib, oprozomib, and marizomib) bind to their target on the proteasome and form two covalent bonds, and because of that this is a stronger attachment (like a waterproof band-aid). This makes it much harder to free up the proteasome to return to its normal function of digesting proteins in the cell, and the inhibition is therefore much longer lasting. Thus, return of proteasome function in this setting is due only to production by the cell of new proteasomes that are functional after carfilzomib is out of the system. Because there is only this one mechanism for proteasome recovery to occur instead of two, it takes longer for proteasome function to return.
Reducing Neuropathy and Other Side Effects
Patients love the myeloma cell-killing effects, but this class of drugs can be associated with peripheral neuropathy, or tingling, burning or loss of feeling in the hands or feet. This can be particularly bad for patients who already have neuropathy due to their myeloma or other diseases like diabetes. In a recent interview on Myeloma Crowd Radio, Dr. Laubach explains how using the subQ version or the new oral proteasome inhibitor ixazomib can help reduce neuropathy:
The subcutaneous formulation of bortezomib or administration of bortezomib I should say is definitely associated with less neuropathy than intravenous bortezomib, but the rates of neuropathy appear to be significantly lower still further with ixazomib as compared to subcutaneous bortezomib. Currently ixazomib is FDA approved as you know for relapsed multiple myeloma on the basis of the Tourmaline Clinical trial which was just published in the past few weeks in the New England Journal of Medicine. It’s quite possible that in the coming years, its approval will also be applied in newly diagnosed disease.
The new proteasome inhibitor carfizomib is also highly effective at lower doses and has lower incidence of neuropathy but can be associated with vascular or cardiac issues in a very small number of patients, so check with your doctor to see what is right for you.
Infusion, SubQ or Oral?
These drugs can be administered in three ways - as an infusion (bortezomib and carfilzomib), as a shot usually given in the abdominal area (bortezomib) and as an oral pill (ixazomib). If you're on Velcade, should you switch to the new, oral version? For now, Dr. Laubach's answer today is, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it" but it's important to have that conversation with your doctor as you explore the possibility of greater convenience.
If you are currently responding to a given therapy and tolerating it well, it’s generally advisable to stick with that particular agent or regimen of agents. The old saying that one in the hand is better than two in the bush definitely applies to a myeloma therapy. If you are responding to something well, tolerating it well, stick with it and wait until it is either no longer working or is producing side effects that are intolerable, to make a change in your therapy.
MORE MYELOMA CROWD NEWS | <urn:uuid:181c5b75-482d-4f93-9335-66fe7b4d90ad> | CC-MAIN-2020-10 | https://www.myelomacrowd.org/myeloma-101-proteasome-inhibitors-work/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-10/segments/1581875143646.38/warc/CC-MAIN-20200218085715-20200218115715-00403.warc.gz | en | 0.945804 | 1,565 | 2.765625 | 3 |
As more and more businesses move their operations online, the need for robust cybersecurity measures drastically increased to match. We often stress the urgency and value of being familiar with cybersecurity terms concepts in the office setting along with private. Here are some commonly encountered terms in IT security, that are sure to bring benefit one way or another. By understanding these terms, you will be better equipped to protect your business from cyberattacks.
For far too long, the phrase “computer virus” has been misused to refer to any type of attack that harmed computers and networks. The more appropriate term for these harmful programs and files is “malicious software,” or “malware.” Whereas a virus is a specific type of malware designed to replicate itself, any software created for the purpose of destroying or accessing networks and data with the intent to steal, corrupt, or encrypt these should be referred to as malware. Malware can be thought of as an umbrella term that encompasses various facets of specific forms of cyber threats.
You'll notice and encounter an array of subcategories of malware that include the suffix "-ware". Currently, one of the most notorious of these is ransomware, which is malware that encrypts valuable data until a ransom is paid for the decryption key. In a ransomware attack, the victim organization may feel compelled to pay the ransom to regain access to their data.
Intrusion prevention system (IPS)
There are several ways to safeguard your network from malware and a single device alone will not provide complete security, but an IPS should be considered a non-negotiable staple to the infrastructure. An IPS sits behind your company’s firewall and monitors for suspicious and malicious activity that can be halted before it can exploit or take advantage of a known vulnerability.
Not all malware rely solely on complex computer programming. In fact, experts agree that the majority of attacks require some form of social engineering to succeed. Social engineering is the act of tricking people, rather than computers, into revealing sensitive or protected information. For some cybercriminals, it’s less tedious to convince a potential victim to give them the data they need than to create and deploy complicated software to obtain the same information.
Phishing is 1 of the many forms of social engineering. The scheme involves defrauding people using an app or a website that impersonates a trustworthy or often well-known business in an attempt to obtain confidential information. Just because you received an email that says it’s from the IRS doesn’t mean that it is. Don’t take such emails at face value — always verify the source, especially if the emails are requesting your sensitive data.
Antivirus software is often misunderstood as a way to comprehensively secure your computers and workstations. These applications are just one piece of the cybersecurity puzzle and can only scan the drives on which they are installed for signs of well-known malware variants. Another example of a critical piece to the infrastructure that alone does not provide all necessary functionality to prevent/counter an attack.
When a vulnerability is found within a piece of software, vendors will release an update to fix the gap in security. However, attackers can release a piece of malware that exploits the security vulnerability before software developers can address it. This is known as a zero-day attack. Essentially, this is when an attacker discovers a vulnerability the vendor was unaware of or has not already addressed.
When software developers discover a security vulnerability in their programming, they usually release a small file to update and “patch” this gap. Patches are essential to keeping your network secure from the vultures lurking on the internet. By checking for and installing patches as soon as these become available, you keep your software protected from the latest malware. These are familiar to users in the form of "updates".
When antivirus software, patches, and intrusion prevention fail to keep your information secure, there’s only one thing that will: quarantined off-site storage. Duplicating your data offline and storing it somewhere other than your business’s workspace ensures that even if your systems get infected with malware, you’re equipped with redundant data elsewhere to restore your systems. These are known as backups, which are another essential piece to keep your business running.
Contact Beringer Today!
Our cybersecurity professionals are always available to impart more in-depth knowledge. Get in touch with the team and coordinate your infrastructure security review today!
Beringer Technology Group, a leading Microsoft Gold Certified Partner specializing in Microsoft Dynamics 365 and CRM for Distribution also provides expert Managed IT Services, Backup and Disaster Recovery, Cloud Based Computing, Email Security Implementation and Training, Unified Communication Solutions, and Cybersecurity Risk Assessment. | <urn:uuid:92dbe5e1-bad7-464a-bfbd-47204cb4e115> | CC-MAIN-2023-23 | https://www.beringer.net/beringerblog/key-cybersecurity-terms-you-should-know/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-23/segments/1685224650620.66/warc/CC-MAIN-20230605021141-20230605051141-00404.warc.gz | en | 0.939515 | 996 | 2.890625 | 3 |
Data is stored in a user-defined hierarchical structure: This allows logical associations within a complex data set to be reflected in the structure of the archive - thus the data derives some of its meaning from its context. The result is that the data can be more easily interpreted and has an extended useful life. A casual user can often find the data they are interested in by browsing through the archive. The hierarchical architecture also allows generic applications to be written which are keyed to structure and context. When additional data items are added, these applications can treat them exactly like other items which occur at the same place in the hierarchy. The hierarchical structure along with support for a wide variety of data types allows users to put all related data into the same structure.
Data on a particular MDSplus server is divided into distinctly named TREES, each of which contains a number (perhaps a very large number) of NODES arranged in a hierarchical structure. Individual trees exist under the server's operating system as a collection of three files one of which defines the structure, a second contains the data, and the third contains node CHARACTERISTICS - metadata, which describes the type and size of each data item along with the time of storage, ownership, etc. The trees themselves may have hierarchical relationships or may be independent. For each tree, many SHOTS typically exist. These correspond to particular runs of an experiment or of a code.
All data is available through the same interface: The MDSplus API (applications programming interface) consists of a small number of simple calls. (These are described in the beginners guide and in more detail in the users manual.) A user issues commands to specify the server and tree, and then evaluates an EXPRESSION which in most cases will simply be the name of a node in the data hierarchy. Nodes are specified by their full path in the hierarchy, by a path relative to a current "default" location or by a TAG NAME - a hierarchy-independent alias for a particular data element. Node characteristics are obtained by evaluating expressions which specify the node name and the name of the desired characteristic.
A built-in expression evaluator extends the capabilities of MDSplus: In fact, all interfaces to MDSplus data are based on the evaluation of an expression. These expressions are written in a language called TDI (tree data interface) which supports a large number of functions and commands. The simplest expressions are just node names and the evaluation returns the data in that node. Simple mathematical and logical operations are supported, along with string manipulation, simple programming instructions and commands to analyze or create specific MDSplus constructs. External routines written in other programming languages can be invoked, providing almost limitless flexibility. This capability has been widely used to provide access to legacy data through the MDSplus API.
TDI expressions can be stored as the "data" in a node of an MDSplus tree. When these nodes are referenced, the expressions are evaluated returning the results of the TDI commands. This feature can be used to give users transparent access to data which is processed as the commands are issued rather than calculated ahead of time and stored. For example raw data can be corrected for offsets and calibrations (all of which are stored in the trees) providing users with calibrated data without storing essentially redundant information. Further, if the calibrations were to be corrected, they would apply automatically whenever the data were accessed.
The MDSplus data structure is self descriptive: In addition to the data itself, a substantial amount of information is available for every node in each tree. This metadata can include: the data type, array dimensions, data length, units, independent axes, the place of the node in the overall hierarchy, tag names, the date when the data was stored, the name of the user who wrote data, and so forth. The data structure can be TRAVERSED independent of reading any particular data item. The hierarchy provides further self-documentation through the structural relations and naming choices which have been defined explicitly by users. For example, every data node in a particular branch of the tree may have child nodes with comments, labels, etc.
MDSplus data is available remotely via the client/server model: A user with appropriate permissions, can access data from an MDSplus server anywhere on the internet. Access is "service" rather than file oriented. Data on remote servers is read directly from within applications, no file transfers are used. (The underlying technology is the TCP/IP sockets API.) Since MDSplus trees are dynamic rather than static data structures, this approach obviates problems of data consistency that arise when data is shared through file replication. For a user, there is no difference between the commands used to access data on a remote vs a local server aside from the initial specification of that server.
MDSplus supports a rich set of primitive and composite data types: The simple data types include signed and unsigned integers (1, 2, 4, 8, and 16 Bytes), single and double precision real numbers, single and double precision complex numbers, and character data. Arrays of these data types with up to 7 dimensions can be represented. The most important composite types include: SIGNALS, which contain data plus associated independent axes (e.g. temperature vs space and time); and DEVICES, which are used to associate setup parameters, actions (task descriptions), and data for data acquisition or automated analysis. MDSplus devices provide a well structured mechanism for implementing data driven applications.
Data Acquisition and Automated Analysis
MDSplus provides a set of tools for performing data acquisition and analysis for pulsed experiments: The entire data acquisition and analysis process is driven by an experimental MODEL. (The MDS acronym stands for Model Driven System.) The models, which contain all of the structure and setup data for an experiment, serve as templates for SHOTS which contain the setup information plus all the data stored and processed after the experimental pulse. The tasks which make up the data acquisition cycle are managed by a DISPATCHER which collects ACTIONS and oversees their execution by SERVER processes. In the tree, each action defines what is to be done, when, and by which server. Actions can be dispatched sequentially, asynchronously, or conditionally and can issue a named EVENT when they complete. A typical data acquisition cycle might involve: | <urn:uuid:dd38f655-6033-45e4-931d-1009cdb09855> | CC-MAIN-2023-40 | https://www.mdsplus.org/index.php?title=Introduction:Capability&open=1725995549990487851039&page=Introduction%2FCapabilities+and+Concepts | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-40/segments/1695233511220.71/warc/CC-MAIN-20231003192425-20231003222425-00171.warc.gz | en | 0.919959 | 1,306 | 2.953125 | 3 |
Calls on Mayor to attend climate events
Local students of Louisville and people from across the globe came together in unison to spread awareness of the seriousness of climate change. These youth range from 15 years-old to 17 years-old and explained how they feel helpless when they are at school and are not able to make a difference in relation to the climate crisis. Not only students attended the march, but also various politicians, teachers, and other advocates from around the world, including countries like Sweden, France, and Turkey. Students missed out on class that day to convince Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer to attend various climate events around the world.
Our ClimateWise team has been working closely with the Louisville Metro Government's Office of Advanced Planning and Sustainability to develop a climate adaptation plan for the region. Our process has involved government officials, department and agency staff, local non profits, other key stakeholders, and the general public. Working together with Climate Access, a leading organization in the field of climate change communications, our process has included significant public engagement and one on one interviews with leaders around the Louisville Metro area.
Throughout this process we have heard so many participants talk about their children or grandchildren as motivations for doing this work. It's common for us to hear reference to the next generation and leaving the world a safe and healthy place to live for younger people. All of this is true and important work, and it's just as important to make sure youth are actively included in the planning processes directly. There's nothing quite like the hope and passion and optimism of youth to get a group of adults thinking more creatively!
We're proud to have been on part of Louisville's journey and even more proud of the youth in the community who are demanding action, taking a stand, and getting involved. Now it's up to us to make sure they have a place to sit when they show up to the table.
Building Resiliency in Missoula County
Missoula County, the City of Missoula and Climate Smart Missoula, a local climate focused non-profit have worked together over the past 18 months on a climate resilience planning process they christened Climate Ready Missoula.
The process was “inspired by, and generally followed, the guidelines of the Geos Institute's Climate Ready Communities program.” This is one of the first county level climate resilience plans that has been completed using the Climate Ready Communities Practical Guide to Building Climate Resilience, which was released in 2018. The plan and prior documents (Climate and Community Primer, Vulnerability Assessment) created by the Missoula team showcase many of the core approaches suggested in the Guide; within the Guide’s framework, the team shaped the process and documents as needed for local requirements and added innovations such as the 12 Guiding Principles “to guide the process of prioritizing and implementing the climate adaptation goals and actions”.
The plan has been approved by the Missoula Consolidated Planning Board as of March 3 and will be reviewed in a county and city joint public hearing of City Council and the Board of County Commissioners on April 6. Assuming it’s approved there, an implementation team will then be formed to begin tackling the plan’s priority strategies and actions.
Access the plan here, and the Climate Ready Missoula website here, where you can find links to the other documents as well.
Geos Institute led a working group with the American Society of Adaptation Professionals to develop official comments to the House Select Committee on the Climate Crisis regarding where investments should be made to strengthen climate resilience. The Committee put out the call for suggestions for actions it can take now and in the future to move federal climate policy forward at the national level.
Read the official comments
After a year of advocacy from climate change organizations across the country, the federal government released Volume II of the Fourth National Climate Assessment late last year.
The National Climate Assessment is made up of two volumes. The first is a science report - very dry and nearly incomprehensible for local governments. For them, the important part is the second report, which assesses the impacts of climate change on resources and populations around the country.
In late 2017 a strategy session was held in Washington DC by organizations working to protect the National Climate Assessment from the climate deniers in the Trump Administration.
Yes!! And actually we MUST have fun from time to time. It's psychology - our brains are hardwired to help us avoid long-term pain and suffering and to instead seek pleasure and enjoyment. If we want to stay in the fight against climate change, we have to figure out how to enjoy doing it.
Unfortunately, many climate events are depressing. It's the nature of the topic. Those of us who stare down the impacts of climate change on a daily basis know that we are facing a grim future if massive collective action is not taken very soon. But most people are not staring down climate change on a daily basis - and these are the people we need to help take action.
Our team is seeing an increasing number of Requests for Proposals (RFPs) coming from local governments across the nation seeking help building climate resilience. It’s great to see this forward motion for community-based climate resilience!
At the same time, we recognize that in many cases these community leaders and government staff need guidance if they are to include the critical components of adaptation planning and implementation in their Requests for Proposals (RFPs). As a field we are not at the point where there is a credential system and the process of climate resilience planning is still new for local government professionals.
The Climate Ready Communities program provides an assisted do-it-yourself option for small-medium sized communities that don’t have the resources to hire a consultant or the technical capacity to do the planning entirely by themselves.
November 30 marks the completion of the Climate Ready Communities pilot program. We are glad to report that during these first 6 months of operation, our pilot communities have begun their resilience planning processes by utilizing our Annual Support services, website, and other resources alongside the Practical Guide to Building Climate Resilience.
Many of us approached November 6 with bated breath knowing that our ability to address climate change would be affected radically by the results of elections not only for Congress, but also state governorships and legislatures.
It was a good night.
California leads the nation in both requiring climate change adaptation action by local communities as well as supporting local leaders so they can be effective in taking that action. Our team headed to Sacramento for the three day conference hoping to not only share our Climate Ready Communities program, but also to hear what new innovations are being developed in California that could be used elsewhere.
The fires and mudslides in California are confirming what we have known for several years in the adaptation field – people who are already struggling due to low-income, systemic racism, disability, and language barriers are hit the hardest by climate disruption and have a harder time recovering. This fact is putting a fine point on the need to integrate these under-resourced communities into the adaptation planning process so that their needs can be fully met through community action.
Our ClimateWise team recently worked with the United Nations Environment Program North America and the Mississippi River Cities and Towns Initiative to coordinate a roundtable discussion between mayors along the river and the insurance industry.
This meeting took place between 23 Mississippi River mayors and leaders from the global and North American insurance industry. Other key stakeholders from federal agencies, foundations, and resilience organizations joined with them to discuss how to reduce vulnerability and build resilience to natural disasters within the Mississippi River corridor. | <urn:uuid:b7bbe840-13e3-4c10-9258-e365e12a83f9> | CC-MAIN-2020-16 | https://www.climatewise.org/news | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-16/segments/1585371826355.84/warc/CC-MAIN-20200408233313-20200409023813-00186.warc.gz | en | 0.955145 | 1,556 | 2.5625 | 3 |
Cranberries (Vaccinium macrocarpon)
Cranberries (Vaccinium macrocarpon )
Vaccinium is the Latin name for the blue berry family. Vacca means cow, and cows are attracted to this plant. Macrocarpon relates to large fruits or seed pods.
The cranberry is a small evergreen shrub native to bogs and swamps across America. The berries are green when they first appear and turn red as they ripen.
We buy our dried cranberries from USA.
Cranberries contain benzoic acid, which acts as a natural preservative. They also contain tannic acid (proanthocyanidins) and oxalic acids.
Fresh cranberries are used for sauces, jellies and are juiced.
Dried cranberries can be used like raisins.
Internally, cranberries and cranberry juice have been used in folk medicine to treat infections of the urinary tract.
We use dried cranberries in our Sultana of soap, for mild exfoliation, and decoration. | <urn:uuid:ed681d83-f485-4007-92a1-348ad3ea17eb> | CC-MAIN-2014-15 | http://www.lushusa.com/on/demandware.store/Sites-Lush-Site/en_US/Lushopedia-Start?iid=10268 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2014-15/segments/1397609533957.14/warc/CC-MAIN-20140416005213-00112-ip-10-147-4-33.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.924458 | 231 | 3 | 3 |
Ulysses S. Grant, Jr. was born on July 22, 1852 in Bethel, Ohio. “Buck” was the second son of Julia Boggs Dent Grant and Ulysses S. Grant. During the Civil War, he frequently stayed with his grandparents, Hannah Simpson Grant and Jesse Root Grant.
“Buck” Grant studied at the Emerson Institute and prepared for college at Phillips Exeter Academy. He graduated from Harvard University in 1874 and Columbia University Law School. He joined a New York City law firm and became a wealthy attorney.
In 1880, Grant married Fannie Josephine Chaffee (1857-1909), the daughter of Colorado Senator Jerome B. Chaffee. Their union was blessed with five children.
Grant made the acquaintance of Ferdinand De Wilton Ward, Jr. in New York City. They traveled in the same social circles, were married to women from prominent families and desired to increase their wealth. When Ward offered Grant a financial opportunity that seemed ethical and profitable, Grant invested $100,000. In 1884, Former President Grant invested the same amount. Ward’s entire, fraudulent scheme collapsed, and the Grants lost everything.
“Buck” Grant practiced law and regained his fortune. President Grant wrote his memoirs and regained his wealth before his death of throat cancer in 1885.
Grant moved to San Diego, California with his family in 1893. He helped to build San Diego and became one of its leading citizens. He owned and operated the U. S. Grant Hotel in San Diego. His wife Fanny died in San Diego in 1909. In 1913, Grant married America Workman Will (1878-1942).
On September 25, 1929, Ulysses S. Grant, Jr. passed away at the Sandberg Lodge on Ridge Road, just north of Los Angeles. He was laid to rest in Greenwood Cemetery in San Diego.
Enlighten your life with history.
Use this link to become an Examiner, http://exm.nr/NDivQU . | <urn:uuid:17941e7d-879b-4aa3-8703-8f51f824220f> | CC-MAIN-2014-23 | http://www.examiner.com/article/ulysses-s-grant-jr?cid=rss | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2014-23/segments/1406510267075.55/warc/CC-MAIN-20140728011747-00436-ip-10-146-231-18.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.974875 | 425 | 2.921875 | 3 |
Many of the 22 million Americans who have asthma limit their activities and miss work or school. The disease also can kill. Almost 4,000 people die from asthma each year and most of these deaths are preventable. Uncontrolled asthma and asthma deaths happen when the disease is not treated correctly or sometimes because people do not know they have asthma.
Effective asthma control begins with the right diagnosis early in the disease. Delays can lead to permanent lung damage.
Your doctor first decides how to treat your asthma by looking at what your symptoms are now and what they have been in the past. The doctor also will try to determine your risk for future attacks. This information will help you and your doctor develop guidelines to manage your disease and keep your asthma under control.
If you just started treatment or have frequent symptoms, your doctor may want to see you every two to six weeks. Once treatment is under way, doctor visits may be every one to six months to check asthma control, even when you have no symptoms.
During your visits, the doctor will review your symptoms, activities and medicines. Between visits, it is important for you to monitor your asthma by keeping an asthma diary to track your symptoms or using a peak flow meter to measure the air flow from your lungs. With either method, you also should keep track of your medication use. This information will help you and your doctor decide if any changes in your treatment plan are needed.
Why does physical exertion sometimes cause an asthma attack?
During exercise, rapid breathing occurs through the mouth. As a result, the air that reaches the bronchial tubes has not been warmed and humidified by passing through the nose. This cold, dry air can trigger asthma symptoms. It usually takes six to eight minutes of sustained aerobic exercise to bring out asthma symptoms, which may then occur for several minutes after the exercise has been completed.
If asthma symptoms begin after fewer than six to eight minutes of hard exercise or during or after very mild exercise, a person’s asthma may be out of control and these symptoms should be discussed with a physician. More than 70 percent of all people with asthma suffer some degree of exercise-induced asthma, which is usually preventable.
Should persons with asthma avoid sports and exercise?
By taking preventive measures, people with asthma should be able to compete in sports. However, not all sports are tolerated equally well. In general, exercise and most sports that involve prolonged periods of running are more likely to provoke asthma attacks than nonaerobic ones.
Swimming is one of the best-tolerated sports. In most instances, pre-exercise medications and warm-up exercises enable participation. Many Olympic athletes, including several gold medal winners, have had asthma. | <urn:uuid:ca73f08b-84b7-4728-a2b0-2fa4d7a6d9d0> | CC-MAIN-2014-15 | http://www.acaai.org/allergist/asthma/asthma-treatment/management/pages/default.aspx | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2014-15/segments/1398223202548.14/warc/CC-MAIN-20140423032002-00577-ip-10-147-4-33.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.962733 | 554 | 3.671875 | 4 |
1- Is there order in chaos?
Physicists can’t exactly solve the set of equations that describes the behavior of fluids, from water to air to all other liquids and gases. In fact, it isn’t known whether a general solution of the so-called Navier-Stokes equations even exists, or, if there is a solution, whether it describes fluids everywhere, or contains inherently unknowable points called singularities. As a consequence, the nature of chaos is not well understood. Physicists and mathematicians wonder, is the weather merely difficult to predict, or inherently unpredictable? Does turbulence transcend mathematical description, or does it all make sense when you tackle it with the right math?
2- Is string theory correct?
When physicists assume all the elementary particles are actually one-dimensional loops, or “strings,” each of which vibrates at a different frequency, physics gets much easier. String theory allows physicists to reconcile the laws governing particles, called quantum mechanics, with the laws governing space-time, called general relativity, and to unify the four fundamental forces of nature into a single framework. But the problem is, string theory can only work in a universe with 10 or 11 dimensions: three large spatial ones, six or seven compacted spatial ones, and a time dimension. The compacted spatial dimensions — as well as the vibrating strings themselves — are about a billionth of a trillionth of the size of an atomic nucleus. There’s no conceivable way to detect anything that small, and so there’s no known way to experimentally validate or invalidate string theory.
3- How do measurements collapse quantum wavefunctions?
In the strange realm of electrons, photons and the other fundamental particles, quantum mechanics is law. Particles don’t behave like tiny balls, but rather like waves that are spread over a large area. Each particle is described by a “wavefunction,” or probability distribution, which tells what its location, velocity, and other properties are more likely to be, but not what those properties are. The particle actually has a range of values for all the properties, until you experimentally measure one of them — its location, for example — at which point the particle’s wavefunction “collapses” and it adopts just one location.
But how and why does measuring a particle make its wavefunction collapse, producing the concrete reality that we perceive to exist? The issue, known as the measurement problem, may seem esoteric, but our understanding of what reality is, or if it exists at all, hinges upon the answer.
4- What is the fate of the universe?
The fate of the universe strongly depends on a factor of unknown value: Ω, a measure of the density of matter and energy throughout the cosmos. If Ω is greater than 1, then space-time would be “closed” like the surface of an enormous sphere. If there is no dark energy, such a universe would eventually stop expanding and would instead start contracting, eventually collapsing in on itself in an event dubbed the “Big Crunch.” If the universe is closed but there is dark energy, the spherical universe would expand forever.
Alternatively, if Ω is less than 1, then the geometry of space would be “open” like the surface of a saddle. In this case, its ultimate fate is the “Big Freeze” followed by the “Big Rip”: first, the universe’s outward acceleration would tear galaxies and stars apart, leaving all matter frigid and alone. Next, the acceleration would grow so strong that it would overwhelm the effects of the forces that hold atoms together, and everything would be wrenched apart.
If Ω = 1, the universe would be flat, extending like an infinite plane in all directions. If there is no dark energy, such a planar universe would expand forever but at a continually decelerating rate, approaching a standstill. If there is dark energy, the flat universe ultimately would experience runaway expansion leading to the Big Rip.
5- Why is there more matter than antimatter?
The question of why there is so much more matter than its oppositely-charged and oppositely-spinning twin, antimatter, is actually a question of why anything exists at all. One assumes the universe would treat matter and antimatter symmetrically, and thus that, at the moment of the Big Bang, equal amounts of matter and antimatter should have been produced. But if that had happened, there would have been a total annihilation of both: Protons would have canceled with antiprotons, electrons with anti-electrons (positrons), neutrons with antineutrons, and so on, leaving behind a dull sea of photons in a matterless expanse. For some reason, there was excess matter that didn’t get annihilated, and here we are. For this, there is no accepted explanation.
6- Are there parallel universes?
Astrophysical data suggests space-time might be “flat,” rather than curved, and thus that it goes on forever. If so, then the region we can see (which we think of as “the universe”) is just one patch in an infinitely large “quilted multiverse.” At the same time, the laws of quantum mechanics dictate that there are only a finite number of possible particle configurations within each cosmic patch (10^10^122 distinct possibilities). So, with an infinite number of cosmic patches, the particle arrangements within them are forced to repeat — infinitely many times over. This means there are infinitely many parallel universes: cosmic patches exactly the same as ours (containing someone exactly like you), as well as patches that differ by just one particle’s position, patches that differ by two particles’ positions, and so on down to patches that are totally different from ours.
Is there something wrong with that logic, or is its bizarre outcome true? And if it is true, how might we ever detect the presence of parallel universes?
7- Why is there an arrow of time?
Time moves forward because a property of the universe called “entropy,” roughly defined as the level of disorder, only increases, and so there is no way to reverse a rise in entropy after it has occurred. The fact that entropy increases is a matter of logic: There are more disordered arrangements of particles than there are ordered arrangements, and so as things change, they tend to fall into disarray. But the underlying question here is, why was entropy so low in the past? Put differently, why was the universe so ordered at its beginning, when a huge amount of energy was crammed together in a small amount of space?
8- What is dark matter?
Evidently, about 84 percent of the matter in the universe does not absorb or emit light. “Dark matter,” as it is called, cannot be seen directly, and it hasn’t yet been detected by indirect means, either. Instead, dark matter’s existence and properties are inferred from its gravitational effects on visible matter, radiation and the structure of the universe. This shadowy substance is thought to pervade the outskirts of galaxies, and may be composed of “weakly interacting massive particles,” or WIMPs. Worldwide, there are several detectors on the lookout for WIMPs, but so far, not one has been found.
9- What is dark energy?
No matter how astrophysicists crunch the numbers, the universe simply doesn’t add up. Even though gravity is pulling inward on space-time — the “fabric” of the cosmos — it keeps expanding outward faster and faster. To account for this, astrophysicists have proposed an invisible agent that counteracts gravity by pushing space-time apart. They call it dark energy. In the most widely accepted model of dark energy, it is a “cosmological constant”: an inherent property of space itself, which has “negative pressure” driving space apart. As space expands, more space is created, and with it, more dark energy. Based on the observed rate of expansion, scientists know that the sum of all the dark energy must make up more than 70 percent of the total contents of the universe. But no one knows how to look for it.
More details at http://www.livescience.com/34052-unsolved-mysteries-physics.html | <urn:uuid:54416bfa-95ad-494e-8d05-d601f94a3f5c> | CC-MAIN-2017-26 | https://inquestformeaning.wordpress.com/2013/10/14/9-biggest-unsolved-mysteries-in-physics/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-26/segments/1498128320685.63/warc/CC-MAIN-20170626064746-20170626084746-00126.warc.gz | en | 0.947425 | 1,763 | 3.875 | 4 |
Trinidad and Tobago is a twin–island state and the southernmost territory of the West Indies, located off the north coast of Venezuela. Total land mass is 5,128 km2; the island of Trinidad occupies 4,828 km2 and is home to some 96% of the population, and Tobago spans across 300 km2. The capital city of Port of Spain is located in northwestern Trinidad, on the Gulf of Paria. The climate is tropical, with distinct dry and rainy seasons.
The population reported by the 2000 census was 1,262,366, a 4% increase over the previous decade, and the mid–year population estimate for 2010 was 1,317,714, with a male–to–female ratio of 1:1 (1, 2). Figure 1 shows the population structure by age group and sex for 1990 and 2010. In 2008, 86.8% of the population lived in rural areas. Population density in 2000 stood at 246 persons/km2 and the estimate for 2010 was 257 persons/ km2. The population is ethnically diverse, with 40% of East Indian descent, 37.5% of African descent, 20.5% of mixed race, and 2% of other racial and ethnic groups (Chinese, European, and Middle Eastern).
The country gained independence from the United Kingdom in 1962 and became a democratic republic within the Commonwealth of Nations in 1976. It has a parliamentary form of government, with a President appointed as head of State. The country's first female Prime Minister was elected in 2010. Four of the appointed Ministers in 2010 were women, compared to 10 in the previous administration. Legislative power resides with the Parliament, which has an elected House of Representative and an appointed Senate. The local government system has 14 municipal corporations, and 9 regional corporations that have responsibility for, among other things, public health and sanitation services and development planning. Tobago has its own local government structure which is administered by the Tobago House of Assembly.
Over the past decade the demographic profile of the country has undergone a transition marked by a declining fertility rate (1.74 in 2006 to 1.72 in 2010), a decrease in the under–15 population, and an increase (doubling) of the over–60 age group (3). The crude birth rate increased from 12.9 in 2006 to 14.37 in 2010, and the crude death rate fell from 10.57 in 2006 to 8.21 in 2010. With the changing age structure of the population, human capacity in terms of labor supply to maintain the aging and non–working population declines, resulting in the need for increased government expenditure in support of the elderly. A number of measures have been initiated to address issues of the elderly, including the development of a national Policy on Aging and the establishment of a Division of Aging in the Ministry of Social Development (4). In 2000, overall life expectancy was 68.9 years (72.8 years for females and 65.2 years for males), and by 2009 life expectancy had increased to 70.3 years (74.5 years for females and 66.2 years for males) (5).
The country is also experiencing an epidemiological transition, with a decline in communicable diseases accompanied by an increase in chronic, non–communicable diseases. However, there have been positive changes in some of the health indicators, in particular, declining infant and child mortality and decreased incidence of communicable diseases.
Trinidad and Tobago has maintained a high Human Development Index (0.758), and was ranked 59th out of 169 of the world's countries in the 2010 Human Development Report (6).
Health Determinants and Inequalities
Trinidad and Tobago has held on to a reasonably stable economic environment, but the country has been affected by the global economic crisis. There was significant economic growth from 2000 to 2007 (slightly over 8%), followed by declines in 2007 and 2008, −3.5% growth in 2009, and just over 2% growth noted in 2010 (7, 8). Protracted rises in the core inflation rate peaked in 2007 at 7.9%, but by August 2010 the rate was down to 4.1% (9).
The economy continues to be heavily dependent on the energy sector (oil and natural gas), but there are initiatives to diversify the economy by increasing the role of other important sectors, such as agriculture, manufacturing, and tourism. In 2007 it was estimated that the services sector employed 62.9% of the workforce; the construction and utilities sector employed 20.4%; the manufacturing, mining, and quarrying sector employed 12.8%; and the agriculture sector employed 3.8% (8). During the period under review, oil and gas contributed 40% to the gross domestic product (GDP), representing 80% of country exports and 5% of employment (6). GDP per capita fell from US$ 22,000 in 2008 to US$ 21,200 in 2009.1The exchange rate in the first quarter of 2011 was TT$ 6.4 to US $1. The unemployment rate for 2009 was 5.3%, with the figures for males and females at 4.6% and 6.3%, respectively (9).
Despite Trinidad and Tobago's relatively stable economy, there are pockets of poverty. The 2005 Survey of Living Conditions reported that 16.7% of the population was poor and 1.2% was indigent (10). This survey found that there was a tendency for poorer households to be headed by women. Poor women were more likely to have more children and to have started childbearing at an earlier age than women of higher income. Generally, educational attainment in Trinidad and Tobago parallels socio–economic status (lower educational level equates with lower socioeconomic status).
The Government provides free education at the primary, secondary, and tertiary levels. Access and enrollment have been high, with levels above 97% reported for the primary level, and levels above 75% for the secondary level. The female–to–male ratio was 0.95 at the primary level and 1.06 at the secondary level in 2009 (9, 11). At the university level, females outnumber males. The 2009 literacy rate for adults was 99% (11, 12).
In 2011, Trinidad and Tobago ranked 53 out of 146 countries on the Gender–related Development Index, with a Gender Inequality Index of 0.331; in 2008, the country ranked 48 with an index value of 0.47 (6). This index reflects the disadvantages for women in three dimensions-reproductive health, empowerment, and the labor market-to expose differences in the distribution of achievements between males and females. These inequities persist despite increased female participation in government and greater educational advancement in the country. Males have lower participation in the education system, participate more in high–risk behaviors (e.g., early sexual activity, use of drugs and alcohol), and are more likely to be affected by violence and accidents (13).
According to the 2005 Survey of Living Conditions, 78% of households lived in owner–occupied homes and 14% rented accommodations (10). In 2009, 92% of households had electricity (94% urban, 87% rural); 55% had landline telephones (59% urban, 45% rural); 97% had electric or gas stoves (98% urban, 96% rural); 84% had refrigerators (87% urban, 76% rural); and 87% had televisions (89% urban, 81% rural).
The Environment and Human Security
Trinidad and Tobago is party to a number of international agreements on the environment, including the Convention on Biological Diversity, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (including the Kyoto Protocol), the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, the Convention on Fishing and Conservation of Living Resources of the High Seas, the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer, and the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships.
ACCESS TO CLEAN WATER AND SANITATION
In 2006, the population with access to improved water supply was estimated at 96.4%, with 75.4% having a water tap in their residence, 7.1% with water piped to their yard, 5.9% with access through a community tap, and 1.9% dependent on delivery from water trucks. Piped water supply is unreliable for most areas so over 50% of households have their own water storage tanks. Improved sanitation facilities are available to 98.7% of the population (6).
SOLID WASTE AND OTHER ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES
Environmental health services are provided through the public health inspectorate of the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Local Government. At present there are two government agencies with responsibility for enhancing and securing the environment: the Environmental Management Authority (14) and the Solid Waste Management Company Limited (15).
Current environmental concerns include water pollution caused by agricultural chemicals, industrial and hazardous waste, and raw sewage; oil pollution of beaches; deforestation; and soil erosion. Pollution and watershed destruction have contributed to an unreliable water service. Rapid industrialization and urbanization, in addition to changes in the patterns and levels of personal and household consumption, have generated a significant increase in the quantity of solid waste. Of particular concern for the health sector is the absence of a national solid waste management policy or program to deal with the growing volume of waste, including biomedical and other hazardous wastes. The country produces high levels of greenhouse gases due to its energy industries but the impact this has at the national level is not clear, and there are neither data nor studies regarding possible health effects.
THE WORK ENVIRONMENT AND WORKERS' HEALTH
In 2004 the Occupational Safety and Health Act was passed, followed in 2007 by the establishment of the Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Authority and Agency. The OSH Authority is responsible for policy formulation and the OSH Agency is responsible for the implementation and execution of policies, with a focus on compliance rather than sanctions or prosecution. Completion of a workers' health surveillance system is considered critical in reducing workplace deaths and injuries.
Multiple strategies are in place to address road safety concerns in the country. National legislation covers speed limits, drunk driving (as of 2009), protective wear, and mobile phone use (as of 2010).
The number of road traffic deaths declined in the late 1990s but has increased steadily since then. There were 214 road traffic fatalities reported for 2007 (77% males and 23% females) and 2,718 non–fatal road traffic injuries. Deaths by road user category were: pedestrians, 32%; drivers of 4–wheel vehicles, 34%; passengers in 4–wheel vehicles, 28%; cyclists, 4%; and riders on motorized vehicles, 2% (16).
Violence in all areas, criminal and domestic, is a growing social problem. Crime has had a significant impact on mortality, morbidity, and hospital admissions. There was a 5% increase in reported serious crimes from 2006 (19,565) to 2008 (20,566). There was a 47% increase in murders and 35% increase in larceny over the same two–year period. Wounding and assaults have maintained a consistently high level (an estimated 24% of all crimes), and have contributed to increased hospital admissions, surgical interventions, and lengthy inpatient stays. The only reduction seen in serious crime was in forgery and crimes against currency (17).
Cases of domestic violence reported through the country's domestic violence hotline have fluctuated over time, but steady increases were noted for all age groups and both genders for the period 2006 to 2008. The total numbers of reported cases of domestic violence for 2006 and 2008 were 1,949 and 2,565, respectively (18).
Trinidad and Tobago's natural disaster hazards are primarily flooding, earthquakes, and hurricanes. Major earthquakes, measuring 5.0 to 5.8, were recorded during 2006 and 2010, with minor damage to property and no reported deaths or injury. Hurricane activity in the region did not have a significant impact on the islands during this reporting period. With climate change, there have been more adverse weather events resulting in increased frequency of flooding across the country.
The Food Safety Committee, overseen jointly by the Ministries of Health and Agriculture, has responsibility for food safety in the country and recognizes its importance both for nationals and tourists. Programs for training food workers and licensing food outlets, including issues surrounding the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point approach to food safety, are organized jointly through the Ministries of Health and Local Government.
At the regional level, the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) has designated the Caribbean Agricultural Health and Food Safety Agency (CAHFSA) to coordinate, implement, and monitor national programs.
Health Conditions and Trends
Trinidad and Tobago has prioritized and made significant progress in improving the health of its population. The major challenges facing specific population groups and the major causes of mortality and morbidity are described in the following sections.
Maternal and Reproductive Health
Although over 95% of women attend antenatal clinics at least once during their pregnancy and are attended by skilled health professionals at delivery, there are avoidable deaths due to pre–eclampsia, diabetes, premature labor, and infections. The provisional maternal mortality rate for 2009 was 16.1 per 100,000 live births (Table 1) (19), a significant reduction from previous years.
The accuracy of maternal mortality rates is a matter of concern, and it is been acknowledged that variations relate to the methodologies used. A national study on maternal mortality was set to begin in 2011. Attempts are underway to standardize the approach used for establishing these and other rates.
Family planning services are offered across the country through the public health care service, the Family Planning Association (a local nongovernmental organization [NGO] affiliated with the International Planned Parenthood Federation), and private practitioners. The Ministry of Health programs for family planning are implemented through the maternal and child health programs in health centers, postnatal wards, and hospital clinics. There was a decline in the rate of teenage pregnancies from 15% in 2000 to 11% in 2005.
Children (under 5 years old)
Infectious diseases and acute respiratory infections are the leading causes of morbidity in children under 1 year old. Infant mortality rates have shown a relative decline over the period 2005–2009 with a rate of 13.2 per 1,000 live births in 2009 (see Table 2). As with maternal mortality rates, concerns have been expressed on the consistency of the methodologies used to calculate infant mortality rates.
Stillbirths accounted for 19% of infant deaths in 2009 and in that year low birthweight was recorded for 19% of all births. According to UNICEF data for 2011, less than 20% of infants are breastfed exclusively for at least six months, despite a rate of 41% for early initiation of breast–feeding. This indicates that the practice is not sustained at home after discharge. There is a national breast–feeding policy which should be operational at all public institutions, but it is not having the desired impact. UNICEF data also indicate that over 40% of infants are introduced to solid, semi–solid, or soft foods between 6 and 8 months of age (12).
Children and Adolescents (5–17 years old)
The under–5 mortality rate for the last two decades (1990–2009) has consistently exceeded 30 deaths per 1,000 live births. As with infants, the leading causes of morbidity for children in the under–5 age group are infectious diseases and acute respiratory infections. In contrast, for 5–14–year–olds, injuries are the leading cause of morbidity.
The country has an excellent Expanded Program of Immunization (EPI), tied to entry to free primary school education, and starting from birth, there is a free "extended" immunization program, organized through the Ministry of Health. In 2009, coverage rates for 1–year–olds were 90% for polio; 94% for diphtheria, pertussis, and tetanus; and 88%–90% for measles, mumps, and rubella.
In 2009, approximately 6% of children under age 5 were underweight. There has also been a trend toward overweight in children. The Diabetes Education Research and Prevention Institute's (DERPI) 2009 cross–sectional survey of schoolchildren (20, 21) estimates that 10 in every 100,000 children aged 5–17 have type 2 diabetes, and 19 per 100,000 are pre–diabetic. Given the dearth of published material in this area, additional research will be beneficial.
The leading cause of morbidity among adolescents is injuries. Data from the Global School–based Health Survey (GSHS), which were collected for 2,969 secondary school students (13–15 years) at 32 schools in 2007, show that violence and unintentional injuries are common among secondary school students. It was also shown that students initiated sexual activity early, around the age of puberty, and male students were reported as more sexually active than female students (13). Associated with these behaviors are increased risk for HIV and other sexually–transmitted infections and unplanned teenage pregnancy.
Adults (18–60 years old)
Injuries are the leading cause of morbidity for younger adults (18–40 years old) while in older adults (41–60 years old) heart disease is the leading cause. Younger adults continue to suffer from an increasing incidence of HIV, with higher rates among females.
The Elderly (older than 60 years)
In 2010, 12% of the population was over the age of 60. The leading causes of morbidity in this group are chronic, noncommunicable diseases. Studies over the past two decades point to arthritis, eye problems, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and heart disease as the major health issues faced by the elderly (22, 23). Loneliness, reflected in low levels of interaction, is an area of concern, although only 16% of the elderly live alone. Another issue affecting the elderly is the need for primary health care programs that promote their health and well–being.
The latest Survey of Living Conditions conducted in 2005 reported the average household size at 3.7 persons, with 30% headed by females; more than half of the households headed by females were single–parent households.
Data were not routinely collected on work–related injuries and deaths.
The five leading causes of death for both sexes in the period 1997–2007 were cardiovascular diseases, malignant neoplasms, diabetes mellitus, cerebrovascular disease, and external causes of injuries.
The Ministry of Health indicates that 60% of all deaths are due to chronic, noncommunicable diseases (24). These conditions are responsible for significant suffering, as they cause dysfunction and reduce quality of life over extended periods of time. Deaths from external causes of injuries are significantly more prevalent in young males, contributing significantly to morbidity and hospital admissions. The leading causes of death by gender are listed in Table 3.
The five leading health conditions causing morbidity requiring care at the nation's hospitals and other health institutions are, in order of prevalence: external causes of injury and poisoning, diseases of the genitourinary system, diseases of the heart, ill–defined or unknown causes, and diseases of the digestive system.
Dengue has been endemic in Trinidad and Tobago since the 1980s, with all four serotypes circulating in the population. Incidence fluctuates from year to year, and has become cyclical, with confirmed outbreaks in 2002, 2005, and 2008. Suspected cases for the period were: 477 cases in 2006, 885 in 2007, 3,617 in 2008, 2,313 in 2009, and 4,735 in 2010. In 2009 the Ministry of Health initiated an integrated management approach to deal with dengue. The Ministry's Insect Vector Control Division uses a combination of source reduction, insecticides, and public education to control the mosquito population.
Trinidad and Tobago was declared malaria–free in 1965, but residual cases (mostly imported) were reported up to 2004. No malaria cases were reported between 2004 and 2008 and one imported case was reported in 2010.
The yellow fever vaccine was introduced in the immunization schedule in 1979, and there have been no reported cases of yellow fever in humans. Epizootic yellow fever was identified in monkeys in 2008 and 2009.
Trinidad and Tobago has a well–organized and successful immunization program, with rates of coverage exceeding 90%. There have been no cases of poliomyelitis or measles in the reporting period, but 13 cases of mumps were reported in 2006. There have been a significant number of cases and outbreaks of chickenpox (varicella), which is not included in the national immunization schedule. Between 2006 and 2008 vaccination coverage for measles increased from 89% to 94%, DPT vaccination coverage fell from 92% to 90%, and polio had a marginal increase from 89% to 90%.
There was an increase in the number of reported cases of leptospirosis from 30 in 2005 to 124 in 2008. This is of concern given the large number of households utilizing stored water, and the need for increased rodent control measures.
HIV/AIDS and Other Sexually–transmitted Infections
The HIV/AIDS epidemic is generalized in the country, with HIV/AIDS falling within the top 10 leading causes of death during 1997–2007. The national HIV seroprevalence rate was estimated at 1.5% for 2008/2009. Records from the beginning of the epidemic in 1983 to December 2008 put the cumulative total of HIV cases for the country at 20,176. For the same 25–year period there were 6,042 cases of AIDS and 3,717 AIDS–related deaths. The male–to–female ratio for HIV is 1.1:1, but there appears to be a disproportional increase in newly reported cases in females. In 2006 there were 80 reported cases of AIDS in males, and 57 cases in females; in 2008, there were 71 cases of AIDS reported in males and 33 cases in females. In 2008, the largest increase in newly reported HIV cases occurred in the 20–49–year age group, followed by adolescents (15–19 years).
Progress in managing the epidemic has been made through the multidimensional National HIV/AIDS Prevention and Control Program which includes youth empowerment programs, voluntary counseling and testing, prevention of mother–to–child transmission of HIV (PMTCT), and free antiretroviral treatment.
There were 258 newly diagnosed cases of syphilis in 2007, 194 in 2008, and 131 in 2009. New cases of gonorrhea increased from 370 in 2007 to 578 in 2008, and 605 in 2009. Trichomoniasis decreased from 83 cases in 2007 to 46 in 2008 but rose to 121 cases in 2009.
The incidence of tuberculosis increased between 1997 and 2007 and was estimated to stand at 24.1 per 100,000 in 2008. Comorbidity with HIV/AIDS has increased and all persons with TB are tested for HIV. Multi–drug resistance has been rare. The directly observed treatments, short–course (DOTS) approach for treating TB has not yet been fully implemented in the country, but the Ministry of Health has established two pilot areas for implementing DOTS. Efforts are being made to strengthen the management of the tuberculosis program, with a national strategic plan developed for the 2006–2009 period and a mechanism for national interagency coordination established in 2008.
There have been no reported cases of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) or avian influenza in the country. Surveillance systems have been strengthened to support the early identification of emerging diseases. These systems were tested when the country hosted two major international conferences in 2009 (the Summit of the Americas and the meeting of the Commonwealth Heads of Government), which took place at the height of the H1N1 pandemic. There were 817 suspected cases of H1N1 in 2009; 270 were laboratory confirmed and there were 6 deaths.
Trinidad and Tobago is working toward full compliance with requirements of the International Health Regulations (2005), which require countries to prevent and control the international spread of disease. An assessment of the country's readiness for implementation was conducted. At the end of 2010 the country was at level 1 or 2 in most of the domains (except the radionuclear domain).2Level 1 means that the country has the "inputs and processes" to maintain International Health Regulations core capacities. Level 2 means that there is a "strong" technical capacity and a high level of performance with defined public health outputs and outcomes.
Chronic, Noncommunicable Diseases
Chronic, noncommunicable diseases are collectively the leading cause of death, and contribute to significant morbidity and health sector expenditures. In 2006, a national symposium was held, and it was followed by the 2007 CARICOM summit, where Heads of Government expressed their commitment to reduce the burden of chronic, noncommunicable diseases in the Caribbean region through comprehensive and integrated preventive and control strategies. In 2008, a multisectoral technical advisory committee was established to advise on issues related to prevention and control of chronic, noncommunicable diseases in the Region (25, 26).
Free medications and other pharmaceutical items for chronic conditions are provided for citizens under the Chronic Disease Assistance Programme. A number of studies have been initiated locally to address early detection, and it is hoped that these will be integrated into comprehensive primary health care programs.
Heart disease is the highest ranking cause of death in Trinidad and Tobago, accounting for 25% of all deaths annually. High prevalence rates of diabetes mellitus and hypertension (each accounting for approximately 12% of deaths) are contributing factors, along with overweight/obesity and lack of regular exercise. Heart disease, cancer, diabetes, and cerebrovascular disease account for 60% of all deaths.
Table 4 shows the leading sites of cancer reported for the population between 1997 and 2006. Data from the National Cancer Registry (27) indicate that for males the most prevalent site is the prostate; for females, the most common sites are the breast, cervix, ovary, and uterus. The National Oncology Programme (NOP) is a major component of the Government's commitment to address this public health challenge.
Undernutrition and micronutrient deficiencies are not commonplace. The major micronutrient deficiency of concern in the past, iron deficiency anemia, has been addressed through the Ministry of Health's anemia control strategy, supported by the Caribbean Food and Nutrition Institute (28). The nutritional disease of greatest concern across the population is that of obesity. A number of surveys have shown a trend of increasing levels of obesity in primary and secondary school children. Obesity and weight reduction are addressed in all of the Ministry's population–based programs aimed at addressing chronic, noncommunicable diseases.
Accidents and Violence
Accidents and injuries have ranked among the top five causes of death since the 1990s. These include motor vehicle accidents, violence, poisoning, and suicides. In addition to fatalities, accidents and injuries (including poisoning) have consistently contributed to hospital admissions, and were listed as the first cause of hospital discharges in 2006 and 2007.
Flooding, hurricanes, and earthquakes are the major natural hazards that pose a risk to Trinidad and Tobago. Also, the energy and other industries pose increased risk of industrial disasters. The Office of Disaster Preparedness and Management (ODPM) (29) is moving toward a more proactive and comprehensive approach, addressing preparedness, prevention, and mitigation activities along with recovery and rehabilitation after disasters. The Ministry of Health launched an Emergency Services and Disaster Preparedness Unit, and has completed the safety assessment of four main hospitals under the Safe Hospitals Initiative (SHI).
In addition to inpatient services at one major psychiatric facility and acute care at the other major hospitals, community–based mental health services are provided through the Regional Health Authorities (RHAs). Mental illness accounts for approximately 5% of discharges from public hospitals. Although the data on mental illness are not comprehensive, the country's main mental health issues have been identified as schizophrenia, mood/affective disorders (e.g., depression), mental and behavioral disorders (e.g., suicides), and substance abuse. High rates of depression have been reported in studies on adolescents and some communities (30, 31). The 2007 Global School–based Health Survey study showed that female students were more likely than males to be affected by mental health issues, with 21.5% of females and 14.1% of males reporting that they seriously considered committing suicide during the 12 months before the survey.
When the WHO Assessment Instrument for Mental Health Systems (WHO–AIMS) was applied in 2008 in Trinidad and Tobago, it was reported that the ratio of mental hospital beds was high when compared with the low rate of community–based inpatient units. Thus far, Tobago's Regional Health Authority is the only one that is working on the development of a comprehensive mental health service that is integrated into primary health care services (31).
Other Health Problems
The Ministry of Health has a vertical program to provide oral health care for children up to the age of 18, and emergency and palliative care to the adult population. Most of the population's oral health care is financed from private sources paid through private insurance and out–of–pocket payments, and as a result, persons who lack resources have limited access to oral health services. The lack of data on oral health makes strategic planning for improvements in the population's oral health difficult. However, a National Oral Health Policy and Plan was developed in 2010 and the Ministry is in the process of implementing this plan.
Risk and Protection Factors
Trinidad and Tobago has the highest population of smokers in the English–speaking Caribbean (27%), with second–hand smoke posing a threat to public health. The 2007 Global School–based Health Survey of 2,969 students (10–18 years old) at 32 secondary schools in Trinidad and Tobago revealed that 9.9% of students (11.2% of males and 8.5% of females) had smoked cigarettes on one or more days during the previous 30 days. Of students who smoked, 80.9% had tried their first cigarette at age 13 years or younger. The rate in the 16– to 18–year age group was 17.9% (22.5% males and 13.4% females).
Trinidad and Tobago is a signatory to the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control and has taken a number of steps to implement its recommendations, including the establishment of a multisectoral Tobacco Prevention and Control Committee. The comprehensive Tobacco Control Act was passed in both Houses of Parliament in 2009 with the aims of preventing tobacco use by children, increasing public awareness of the hazards of tobacco use, protecting individuals from exposure to tobacco smoke, and regulating tobacco use. The Tobacco Control Act's ban on smoking in public places has been in effect since 2009.
The most recent figures on alcohol consumption by the adult population (over age 15) showed an increase in consumption over the period 2001 to 2005. Female deaths from cirrhosis of the liver increased from 3.9 per 100,000 in 2000 to 7.5 per 100,000 in 2005 and for men from 12.8 to 19.5 over the same period. The 2007 Global School–based Health Survey reported that 40.9% of the 10–18–year–old students surveyed consumed alcohol. The prevalence of alcohol use was higher in male students than female students (42.8% for males and 39.2% for females) (13).
The abuse of both illicit and legal substances has a direct and indirect impact on the health of the population as it is associated with motor vehicle accidents, violence, and stress (32). The 2007 Global School–based Health Survey showed the prevalence of lifetime drug use (reported use of marijuana or cocaine one or more times during the life of the survey respondents) was 13.6%. Male students more often reported having used illicit drugs in their lifetime than female students (17.4% of males and 9.7% of females) (13).
The 2007 Global School–based Health Survey reported that 74.3% of the students surveyed did not engage in physical activity in their leisure time. Girls (81.6%) were significantly more inactive than boys (66.7%) (13).
Health Policies, The Health System, and Social Protection
The initial health sector reform program recognized the need for an integrated health management information system as the basis for effective and evidence–based planning and decision making in the sector.
The National Surveillance Unit (NSU) in the Ministry of Health is responsible for health surveillance. In addition to monitoring, reporting, alerting, and investigating trends and outbreaks of disease, the Unit is responsible for disease prevention and coordination of responses to outbreaks (and potential outbreaks) of communicable disease in the national community.
THE HEALTH SYSTEM'S LEADERSHIP ROLE
The Ministry of Health has oversight of the entire health system in Trinidad and Tobago. The Ministry's main roles are policy formulation, planning, standards setting, legislation, regulation, financing, and monitoring and evaluation.
Legislation enacted in recent years includes the Tobacco Control Act, RHA Regulations, and the National Ambulance and Medical Personnel Act.
The Occupational Health and Safety Act is in place to address issues of worker vulnerability and health and the National Insurance Board processes claims related to workplace accidents and death.
HEALTH EXPENDITURES AND FINANCING
The Government of Trinidad and Tobago increased its expenditure on health during 2006–2010. Based on available data, the percentage of government expenditure on health increased from 6.3% in 2006 to 8.1% in 2009. Over this period, total public–sector expenditure on health also increased from TT$ 2.35 billion to TT$ 3.56 billion, an overall increase of 51.0%. Table 5 shows that the expenditure by the Ministry of Health alone was TT$ 3.8 billion, which is TT $286 million more than the total health expenditure for 2009. Additionally, for the period 2006 to 2010 the Ministry of Health expenditure increased by 80%, moving from TT$ 2.1 billion in 2006 to TT$ 3.8 billion in 2010.
In the review period, public–sector health expenditure and private–sector health expenditure each contributed approximately 50% to total health expenditure.
HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT POLICIES
The Ministry of Health has identified the need to strengthen planning for the effective management of the sector's human resources. Two major projects in this area were initiated in 2010: the development of a human resource strategic plan and the development of an Observatory of Human Resources for Health.
Legislation is in place for the regulation of professionals in the health sector.
THE HEALTH SERVICES
There are five Regional Health Authorities with responsibility for the provision of health services to the population. However, a number of vertical programs are still managed by the Ministry, including the Chemistry, Food, and Drugs Division; veterinary public health; oral health; and the National Blood Transfusion Service.
Under the RHA structure, health services continue to be free to the general public at the point of use. Strategies to improve health care delivery include partnering with the private sector and arrangements with international professionals and organizations.
The country has a comprehensive and integrated network of health facilities. Each RHA has at least one hospital with a number of polyclinics or District Health Facilities (DHF) and health centers; a referral system operates between the levels. The private health sector provides a range of services and facilities, from primary care to tertiary care.
Medicines are free at all public health facilities. Additionally, in effect since 2005, the Chronic Disease Assistance Programme (CDAP) provides citizens with free prescription drugs and other pharmaceutical items for treatment of the following chronic conditions: diabetes, asthma, cardiac diseases, arthritis, glaucoma, mental depression, high blood pressure, benign prostatic hyperplasia, epilepsy, Parkinson's disease, and thyroid diseases. These drugs, presently numbering 47, are dispensed through over 250 pharmacies (public and private) across the country. Free blood glucose testing supplies (meters and strips) are available at no charge to insulin–dependent diabetics.
Knowledge, Technology, Information, and Human Resource Management
Trinidad and Tobago continued to face a shortage of qualified health care professionals during the reporting period. In terms of the overall distribution of workers in the public health sector, the main occupational categories in 2009 were nursing (44.0%), ancillary (20.0%), clerical (15.0%), senior supervisory staff (12.0%), and physicians (7.0%).
HEALTH PERSONNEL TRAINING
Local training of health care professionals was conducted at the University of the West Indies (UWI); the University of Trinidad and Tobago (UTT); the College of Science, Technology and Applied Arts of Trinidad and Tobago (COSTAATT); the National Institute of Higher Education, Research, Science and Technology (NIHERST); the University of the Southern Caribbean (USC); and the Ministry of Health School of Nursing and Dental Nurses Training School. The annual student intake in the pharmacy program increased from 39 in 2005 to 54 by 2008. USC started a BSc in nursing program during this period, doubling its student intake to 50 students by 2009. COSTAATT increased its graduate output from 96 in 2005 to 175 by 2008, an increase of 82%. Despite decreasing numbers of annual enrollees into its basic and post–basic nursing programs during the period 2006–2009, the Ministry of Health's School of Nursing expanded its post–basic training into several specialty areas. The UWI School of Advanced Nursing Education (SANE) also saw a decrease in its annual enrollees during this period, from 72 in 2005 down to 12 by 2008. This decrease had implications for the stock of aging district nurses throughout the country, with dwindling supplies of upcoming nurses to replace them on retirement.
LABOR MARKET FOR HEALTH PROFESSIONALS
In 2009, the human resources in health were inadequate to meet the needs of the population. There were approximately 3,000 medical and allied health vacancies throughout the public health sector, with nurses accounting for 80.0% and doctors accounting for 13.0% of those vacancies. However, an examination of specific categories of staff showed vacancy rates of 39.0%, 52.0%, and 56.0% for pharmacists, laboratory technicians, and medical social workers, respectively. The high vacancy rate was expected to increase, given the aging of the nurse population, the high levels of emigration of medical personnel, and the internal migration of health personnel from the public sector to the private clinical and allied health institutions. The majority of health care workers were employed in the public sector; therefore, this movement of health care professionals affected the operations of the Ministry of Health and the Regional Health Authorities.
Health and International Cooperation
International funding has been associated primarily with HIV/AIDS programs and projects and the health sector reform program. PAHO/WHO's work in the country has focused on the following areas: chronic, noncommunicable disease prevention and control; promotion of healthy lifestyles, quality of care, and family and community health; strengthening health systems, communicable disease prevention and control, and disease surveillance; and evidence–based decision making; and developing the health information system.
An area of assistance in the health sector is the United Nations Volunteer program, administered by UNDP. UNDP has supported the establishment of a national development information database and assists the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Management with institutional strengthening in disaster management.
Other multilateral agencies supporting work in the health sector include the International Labour Organization (ILO), the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), the Joint United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (UNECLAC), the Inter–American Development Bank (IDB), the World Bank, and the European Union (EU).
Bilateral development agencies which have contributed to the health sector over this period include the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), Netherlands Development Agency (SNV), and French Development Agency (AFD). The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), CIDA, and France provided funding through the Caribbean Epidemiology Centre (CAREC) for HIV/AIDS programs.
The Ministry of Health has made the proper coordination and management of international collaboration a priority and created an International Cooperation Desk for this purpose. The Desk acts as a liaison with different stakeholders (ministries, foreign governments, NGOs, funding agencies, etc.) on international policy issues that impact the management of the health sector.
Synthesis and Prospects
The foregoing review reveals significant improvements in the health profile of the Trinidad and Tobago population, reflected in favorable trends in many of the health indicators, in particular infant and child mortality and communicable diseases. The country is experiencing an epidemiological transition with a decline in communicable diseases accompanied by increasing morbidity and mortality from chronic, noncommunicable diseases. The country is also in demographic transition, characterized by declining fertility rates and slow population growth.
Trinidad and Tobago's health system faces several challenges. More than 15 years after the health sector reforms began, for example, the Ministry of Health has yet to fully assume its leadership role, and the RHAs have not been able to deliver the health services the population needs. Moreover, planning for the health workforce is not in place yet to ensure that there will be adequate numbers of competent health workers in the future. Progress is being made, however, in bolstering the Ministry's capacity to develop its policy, planning, and regulatory mandates.
The country's main health challenges relate to the high incidence and prevalence of chronic, noncommunicable diseases and their risk factors. Regional and local strategies have been developed to effectively address their prevention and to promote healthy lifestyles. However, proper data collection and analysis is needed to assess the impact of these interventions and to establish appropriate strategies and forge strong partnerships into the future. The country needs to build on its strengths in minimizing the risks associated with emerging communicable diseases and enhance the management of tuberculosis and the HIV epidemic.
Trinidad and Tobago, in collaboration with PAHO, continued to address the following key health and development challenges: organization and management of health sector systems and services; enhanced performance of the health care delivery system; prevention of priority diseases and assisting populations impacted by these diseases; and improved socioeconomic and environmental determinants of health.
|Last Updated on Friday, 03 May 2013 14:03| | <urn:uuid:b322c202-2557-4910-b41d-8a7c04506880> | CC-MAIN-2014-10 | http://www.paho.org/saludenlasamericas/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=66&Itemid=60&lang=en | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2014-10/segments/1393999657010/warc/CC-MAIN-20140305060737-00002-ip-10-183-142-35.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.95142 | 8,794 | 3.1875 | 3 |
You can go anywhere you want in Minecraft with various places that you may visit. However, you will need a compass that can help you to give a proper direction. However, people still confuse about how to make a compass in Minecraft.
Once you want to create a compass in Minecraft means you need to pay attention with the requirement and steps. The lists below will help you to have a proper way to create compass.
Table of Contents
Find the Material Requirement
Before you find the best step to create a compass, you need to make sure about the material that is needed. To create a compass, you will need to have 4 iron ingots and 1 redstone dust in your inventory.
However, there is still people who do not know where to find this material. You can have both of the material when you are exploring the forest and start to pick or collect them to your inventory.
Steps to Create a Compass
If you still confuse about how to make a compass in Minecraft you should know that crafting menu is a place to build something.
You need to open the menu to make sure if it is already open and you can add the item inside. It would have a size 3×3 crafting grid for you to start.
2. Start to add an item
Since you already know the required material to create a compass you need to put all of them into the crafting grid.
You can make sure if all of the materials are located in the right box. For this method you will need to fill the first row with 1 iron ingot which located in the middle of the box.
See Also : How to Make a Bed in Minecraft
You can start to fill the second row with the first row filled with 1 iron ingot and the second box with 1 redstone. For the last row which is the third row will be the middle box that is filled by 1 iron ingot.
It is the best and effective recipe while creating a compass in Minecraft. You may see the compass appear in the box if you can do it right and finish with the crafting process.
3. Try to move the compass to your inventory
After you finish with the crafting process moving your compass to the inventory would be important. You need to make sure if the compass is appeared to your inventory until you can finally use it.
4. Use the compass
You can easily to get lost in Minecraft and wander where you are. Since you may look for villages, gathering materials, and other activity that will let you go far away.
See Also : How to Make a Paper in Minecraft
However, when you get lost you can find the way back with the compass. It is one of the useful tools that you can have on your game. With compass, you can have a spawn points which would be set on the game.
With the compass in your hand everything will be easier to do. Including to find the way back to your place before.
Since you already know how to make a compass means that you only need to follow the instruction until you succeed to create one.
Official Site : Minecraft | <urn:uuid:9abfaba5-ef48-49bb-8126-e80d01b887ba> | CC-MAIN-2020-05 | https://esmepatterson.com/how-to-make-a-compass-in-minecraft/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-05/segments/1579250616186.38/warc/CC-MAIN-20200124070934-20200124095934-00203.warc.gz | en | 0.954214 | 633 | 3.15625 | 3 |
The Drum is a member of the percussion group, technically classified as a membranophone. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a shell and struck, either directly with parts of a player's body, or with some sort of implement such as a drumstick, to produce sound. Other techniques have been used to cause drums to make sound, such as the "Thumb roll". Drums are the world's oldest and most ubiquitous musical instruments, and the basic design has remained virtually unchanged for thousands of years. Most drums are considered "un-tuned instruments", however many modern musicians are beginning to tune drums to songs; Terry Bozzio has constructed a kit using diatonic and chromatically tuned drums. A few such as timpani are always tuned to a certain pitch. Often, several drums are arranged together to create a drum kit that can be played by one musician with all four limbs. For an in depth history of the instrument see history link at bottom of page.Drums
(standard and electronic)
Alesis - Ddrum - Mapex - Pearl - Remo - Roland
Tama - Yamaha - Ludwig - Gretsch - Sonor - Slingerland
Alesis - Established in 1980, Alesis was founded on innovative semi-conductor chip technology and award winning industrial designs that allowed entry level musicians and recording artists to afford professional studio recording products that were never affordable before. Products range from keyboards, synthesizers, hard disk recorders, iPod recording and playback devices, electronic drums, drum machines, mixers, signal processors, effects units, amplifiers and speakers.
Roland - Roland is one of the world's leading manufacturers of electronic musical instruments and music gear. From synthesizers and digital recording products to guitar effects, electronic percussion, digital pianos, and home keyboards. Roland started in 1972 and by the mid 1980 the name became synonymous with analogue synths and effects. Roland ensured their success by moving into the digital market by the end of that decade.
Ddrum - Manufacturing acoustic and electronic drum products since 1983, including custom made.
Mapex - Mapex Drums is a drum brand manufactured by KHS Musical Instrument Company of Taiwan. Mapex Drums company is a branch of KHS Musical Instruments. KHS was founded in 1930 and has grown to be one of the largest musical instrument producers in the world today
Pearl - Pearl is based in Japan and manufactures a wide range of products, predominately percussion instruments and flutes. Pearl drums is one of the pioneering manufacturers of drum kits and drum hardware. Pearl originated in 1946, founded by Katsumi Yanagisawa, who started by making music stands and other non drum related items. Eventually, he started making drum and percussion hardware, and soon became one of the top percussion instrument manufacturers. .
Remo - Remo is an American drumhead company which made it's appearance in the late 1940's. Since then they have been responsible for many of the innovations in drum head material design. In addition to drumheads, Remo also produces drum-sets and ethnic percussion instruments.
Tama - Tama produces a full line of drums from hand-made limited edition models to mass-produced models for beginning or budget-minded drummers, in a wide range of sizes, materials, and finishes. Tama was originally called Star drums and changed their name in 1974 to Tama in the desire to forge a new identity for the drums that would be produced under the new name. Tama was the innovator for many of the drum features taken for granted today, improvements such as memory locks, boom stands, cymbals mates, offset tilters and multi clamps for the drums.
Yamaha - Yamaha Drums is a subsidiary of the Yamaha Corporation. Although Yamaha has been around for over 100 years, they have only been making drum sets since 1964, and builds their drums by hand in Japan. The company currently manufactures acoustic and electronic drum kits, as well as other percussion instruments, marching band equipment, and drum hardware.
Ludwig - The company was formed in 1910 as Ludwig & Ludwig by brothers William F. and Theo Ludwig. Ludwig's first product was a bass drum pedal capable of playing faster beats than pedals currently available at the time. Throughout its history Ludwig has introduced innovations in drum construction, particularly in the use of materials and finishes. The popularity of Ludwig's drums has risen steadily in recent years. Before they created Ludwig& Ludwig Co., they both worked as percussionists and manufacturers for Leedy Drums
Gretsch - Gretsch was founded in 1883 by Friedrich Gretsch. His shop in Brooklyn, N. Y. manufactured banjos, tambourines, and drums. In 1895, at the age of 39, Gretsch died, and the company was taken over by his son Fred. By 1916, Fred had moved the company into a larger building in the Williamsburg district, becoming one of the most prominent American musical instrument makers.
Sonor - Sonor is a German percussion manufacturer. From early in the 20th century, Sonor drum sets and hardware have been noted for their durability and painstaking craftsmanship. They have a reputation for being very expensive but are the instrument of choice for many professional musicians. For decades Sonor has supported the constant improvement of percussion instruments on a scientific level. The close cooperation with research institutes, renowned musicologists and leading artists builds the basis for these efforts. In 1875 Johannes Link, a trained wood turner and tanner, started a small workshop for simple military drums and drum heads, and From these modest beginnings developed a flourishing business.
Slingerland - The Slingerland Drum Company is a historic drum company which is linked to the rich history of jazz drumming. The company was founded by H.H. Slingerland in 1912. The company believe it or not started out manufacturing ukuleles, banjos, and guitars, but entered the drum manufacturing business in answer to the entry of the Ludwig & Ludwig Drum Company into the banjo market. The first Slingerland drum kits came out in 1928.
UFIP - UFIP is an Italian cymbal manufacturer, producing mainly high-quality bell bronze cymbals using rotocasting. They are the only major cymbal manufacturer to use "rotocasting" (spin-casting).The hand-made and "Ear-Created" Ufip cymbals are the Class, Natural, Bionic, Brilliant, Rough, Extatic and Experience series, this last consisting of a range of prototypes from the other series and limited/custom production cymbals.
Paiste - Paiste, a Swiss manufacturer and designer, is one of the world's largest manufacturers of cymbals, gongs, and metal percussion. The first Paiste cymbals were produced in 1906 by Toomas Paiste in his instrument repair shop in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Despite several relocations, to Estonia in 1917, then Poland in 1940, to Germany in 1945, and finally Switzerland in 1957, the business expanded and flourished. Paistehas grown to be one of the world's largest manufacturers of cymbals, gongs, and metal percussion. Paiste is an Estonian/Finnish word which means "shine".
Sabian - Sabian is a Canadian cymbal designer and manufacturer. It is one of the largest in the world, along with Zildjian, Paiste and Meinl. The company was founded in 1980 in Meductic, New Brunswick, Canada by Robert Zildjian, son of Avedis Zildjian III, the head of the Avedis Zildjian Company. Sabian is the second largest cymbal company in the world. Sabian Cymbals was formerly known as AZCO, but had to change its name for legal reasons. The name Sabian was derived when Robert Zildjian took the first two letters of each of his three children’s names: Sally, Billy, and Andy.
Saluda - Saluda cymbals are a relatively new manufacturer of high-quality percussion instruments, particularly drum sets and hand crafted cymbals. Their operations are run at 2651 Shop Road, Columbia, South Carolina. Saluda was formed in May, 1999 but their cymbal venture began in 1997 with the idea of producing purely hand crafted cymbal lines, with a little modernization added to them.
Wuhan - Wuhan is a brand of cymbal, specializing in mid-range B20 cymbals and china type cymbals of all alloys and types .Their headquarters and manufacturing facilities are in Wuhan, China.
Zildjian - The Avedis Zildjian Company is a cymbal and gong manufacturer founded in Istanbul, Turkey. It is the world's largest manufacturers of cymbals.At nearly 400 years old, Zildjian is the oldest family-run business in America and one of the 300 oldest companies in the world. Avedis Zildjian I was an Armenian alchemist in the city of Constantinople in the seventeenth century. His attempts to create gold by combining base metals led instead to an alloy of copper, tin and traces of silver with unique sound qualities. Avedis used this discovery to create cymbals of spectacular clarity and power. The sound of the instruments was extraordinary, and as his reputation grew he was given the name “Zildjian”, an Armenian word meaning “son of cymbal maker.”
Fruity Loops - FL Studio is a Digital Audio Workstation (DAW) for Windows PCs (or Intel Mac/ Bootcamp). This software began as a simple drum loop creator but has developed into a complete song creation tool.
PC Drummer - Use PC Drummer to quickly and easily create great sounding drum music at a fraction of the cost of a physical drum machine. The built-in sounds are sampled from actual instruments so your tracks will sound real, not synthesized. With PC Drummer you can add your own instrument samples and export drum tracks in midi or wav formats to programs like Pro Tools, Cakewalk, Acid Pro, Cubase, Traction or Adobe Audition.
iDrum - Adds the missing ingredient to your computer-based recording studio—a fully programmable drum machine. It’s just as easy to use as hardware drum machines, and offers all the flexibility of a software-based virtual instrument. iDrum integrates seamlessly with Pro Tools, GarageBand, Logic, Ableton Live, Sonar, Cubase and other digital audio workstations—or you can run it as a standalone application. Create drum patterns in iDrum right alongside your existing tracks, perfectly in time, all the time. Or use iDrum as the backbeat when you’re laying down new tracks. Use the hundreds of included pre-programmed patterns and rhythms or roll your own. http://www.m-audio.com/
Superior Drummer 2.0 - is a complete overhaul of the original dfh Superior engine and has been redeveloped for optimized use with e-drums and more effective use of sample layers and improved loading times. It includes custom MIDI, played by Nir Z, and, accessed through the all new customized MIDI engine and arranger EZplayer pro which is included in the package. It also features stand-alone capacity through Toontrack solo.
Pro Tools - Pro Tools is a fully integrated computer-based recording and mixing system that enables you to make professional recordings with a computer. Pro Tools is comprised of various hardware and software components that work together seamlessly, empowering you to accomplish everything from composing music and recording audio to making the most detailed post-production edits — all within a single environment.
Beat Creator - Create bass and snare mono samples at 44.1 khz. It can also create great Drum 'n' Bass style bass samples.Shareware.
Drumsite - This software drum machine uses CD quality sampled sounds. It exports WAV songs limited to 32,768 bars maximum length. Time signature changes are supported as are user definable drum sets with an unlimited number of instruments.Shareware.
Mixcraft 4 - Affordable multi-track audio and MIDI recording studio that enables you to compose original music, record your band, create a podcast, or remix a song. Use it as a multi-track recorder or as a music loop remix program.
Drumstation DT-010 - An easy to use software computer for creating techno-dance loops. Eight drum channels, exports WAV files, effects, and automatic loop stretching. http://www.d-lusion.com/News.html
HammerHead Rhythm Station - Here's a simple TR-909 like drum computer program that's perfect for Techno loops, Jungle patterns or House beats. Includes six separate channels, 29 built-in drum sounds, six complete breakbeats and you can import six samples of your own. Plus it's Freeware!
leafDrums - You can easily put together a drum pattern using sounds from standard .wav or .ogg audio files (a basic set of drum sounds is included). Audio effects like distortion allow you to customize the sounds. http://www.leafdigital.com/software/leafdrums/
For Drums & Percussion - zZounds
Site Map Comments or Questions Submissions
AcesandEighths.com - All Respective Copyrights © Apply | <urn:uuid:97cab83b-4552-484a-8c9a-899461587641> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.acesandeighths.com/compdrum.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701638778/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105358-00019-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.952838 | 2,800 | 2.796875 | 3 |
Curriculum & Instruction
The Curriculum and Instruction program is designed for educators who wish to strengthen their classroom instructional skill and knowledge. Educators in a variety of school settings, kindergarten through grade twelve, as well as those in business-training environments find this program of study to be attractive. Reasons include its emphasis on contemporary educational issues in curriculum and instruction and its flexibility for candidates to tailor the program to fit their individual needs.
Students may also choose to add an Endorsement to their curriculum/program of study in order to fulfill their elective credit hours. Students may choose to add the following Endorsements to their master's coursework:
How does this help my career?
Teachers who decide to pursue their master's in curriculum and instruction have the option to be more involved in the administrative side of education and potentially have input on developing curriculum for students. Not only will teachers strengthen their skills in the classroom, but they will also gain the knowledge on how and why curricula is developed and selected so that they may be able to better implement it in their classrooms.
Teachers will also be able to assist students who may be struggling with the curriculum on a more individualized basis due to the training and education they have received through the program. Their better understanding of curriculum, acquired through learning methods on how to research, analyze, and apply it to the classroom, allows teachers to be more effective in how they utilize the curriculum in the classroom as a whole and on a student-by-student basis. | <urn:uuid:6add4599-83cd-4288-95f6-7122491c724b> | CC-MAIN-2017-47 | https://www.malone.edu/academics/graduate/programs/education/curriculum-instruction/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-47/segments/1510934805023.14/warc/CC-MAIN-20171118190229-20171118210229-00219.warc.gz | en | 0.973955 | 307 | 2.8125 | 3 |
Antique Map of Russian Lithuania After The First Partition
Interesting regional map of Russian Lithuania, showing remarkable detail along the upper Dniepr and Dwina River regions, from Liefland to Mscislaw and Woiwodschaft.
This 1775 map depicts lands lost by the Grand Duchy of Lithuania to the Empire of Russia as a result of the First, 1772, Partition of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.
Large decorative armorial cartouche.
Homann Heirs was a German publishing firm that enjoyed a major place in the European map market throughout the eighteenth century. Founded in 1702 by Johann Baptist Homann, the business passed to his son, Christoph, upon Johann’s death in 1724. Christoph died in 1730, aged only 27, and the firm was inherited by subsequent Homann heirs. This altered the name of the company, which was known as Homann Erben, or Homann heirs. The firm continued in business until 1848. | <urn:uuid:e118a625-25ab-4792-8d35-a0a2824cee14> | CC-MAIN-2020-29 | https://www.raremaps.com/gallery/detail/60871/charte-von-russisch-litauen-welche-die-von-polen-an-russlan-homann-heirs?q=0 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-29/segments/1593655929376.49/warc/CC-MAIN-20200711095334-20200711125334-00442.warc.gz | en | 0.954322 | 212 | 2.765625 | 3 |
Currently there is a concern about the survival of endangered orange-bellied parrot (Neophema chrystogaster) which , according to reports, is limited to only about fifty pairs of birds. It is known to breed in southwest Tasmania and migrates along the west coast of Tasmania crossing western Bass Strait to coastal Victoria and south-eastern South Australia.
The orange-bellied parrot is listed as a critically endangered species under the Australian Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999. Several factors such as disease, loss of genetic variation, storms during migration, and destruction of nest sites, eggs and chicks by fire are important influences on the species' long-term survival, and conservation efforts are taking all these factors in account.
A controversy has emerged weather setting up a boat harbour will affect the survival of the bird in the project region, which reports point out have not witnessed the parrot for the last twenty five years. Earlier the parrot is known to have gained high profile concern when it prompted Howard government to veto a proposed Victorian wind farm. | <urn:uuid:22b844b6-003c-4e31-b266-296c14b0fdd2> | CC-MAIN-2017-30 | https://biodiversitynet.blogspot.com/2012/02/concern-over-survival-of-orange-belly.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-30/segments/1500549424770.15/warc/CC-MAIN-20170724082331-20170724102331-00514.warc.gz | en | 0.962054 | 216 | 3.1875 | 3 |
Have Mobile Base System, Will Travel
A year ago Canadarm2 was the star of the show when Canadian Astronaut Chris Hadfield and his crewmates, in a series of spacewalks, installed it on the International Space Station (ISS) during shuttle flight STS-100.
Now the robot arm's supporting cast is about to be launched. The Mobile Base System (MBS), a 1450-kilogram aluminum work platform that will move Canadarm2 and other equipment around the Station, will be installed during STS-111, scheduled to lift off from the Kennedy Space Center on May 30, 2002.
During this mission Canadarm2 will place the Mobile Base System atop another platform—the U.S.-built Mobile Transporter (MT)—that can run along tracks on the trusses that span the Station. The arm will then step off the U.S. laboratory module, for the first time since its installation, and onto the Mobile Base System, a move that will greatly extend its reach.
"The intent is to cover the great length of the Space Station," said Alan Robins, the Canadian Space Agency's (CSA) chief systems engineer for the Mobile Servicing System (MSS). The Mobile Servicing System is the collection of technologies that Canada has contributed to the Station. He compared the Mobile Base System/MT system to a utility truck cruising down the highway, carrying construction materials and equipment and a robot arm for lifting things on and off the truck. "It drives from the depot to your house and it's got everything it needs."
The MSS was built by MD Robotics Inc., the Brampton, Ontario, company that also built Canadarm2 and the shuttle's Canadarm. Along with other MSS components, it is essential to the construction of the Space Station, which is being built by an international partnership involving Canada, the United States, Europe, Russia and Japan. The final MSS element—a smaller advanced robot called the Special Purpose Dexterous Manipulator (SPDM)—is scheduled for launch later in the Station assembly, to perform maintenance activities that would require astronaut spacewalks. The mobility provided by the Mobile Base System is critical, despite the fact that Canadarm2 can "walk" around on its own. Canadarm2's jointed design gives it the unique ability to move around the Station end-over-end by grasping connection devices known as Power Data Grapple Fixtures (PDGFs) located on exterior surfaces. These connection devices, the PDGFs, provide electricity to the arm and transfer computer commands and video signals between the arm and two robotic workstations inside the Station.
"If the Mobile Base System was not available, you'd have to be extremely careful about placing the PDGFs so Canadarm2 could independently walk along," said John Dunlop, assistant program manager for MSS Systems with MD Robotics. "The MBS gives a lot more freedom of range to Canadarm2—it will allow the arm to access considerably more of the Station than it's currently able to when it's anchored on the lab." The Mobile Base System is important for another reason: walking end-over-end occupies both ends of the arm, leaving none to carry other objects needed for construction or repair jobs. There is no point in walking Canadarm2 to a work site "if you can't do the job at the other end without the other bits and pieces," Robins said. "By putting it on the MBS, you've got one end free to manipulate and carry elements."
The arm can attach itself to any one of four Power Data Grapple Fixtures (PDGF) located at each corner of the Mobile Base System; in fact, when not in use, it might be stowed with both arms grasping PDGFs to protect its "hands"—known as Latching End Effectors or LEEs. In the year it has been attached to the U.S. lab, one of its hands has often been left free, exposed to the space environment. This creates the risk of damage due to space debris or to movements caused when the Station's orbit is periodically reboosted.
"If it's double-grappled, it's in a safer configuration," said Adam Mizera, the CSA's operations flight lead for the mission on which the Mobile Base System will be installed. He said that during the mission, Canadarm2 will be placed in several double-grappled positions to test the PDGFs on the Mobile Base System.
Eventually the Special Purpose Dexterous Manipulator (SPDM) will also ride on the Mobile Base System attached to a PDGF. Designed to perform delicate repair and maintenance tasks, it will work directly from the Mobile Base System or be plucked up by Canadarm2 and delivered to a work site.
"We anticipate the Special Purpose Dexterous Manipulator will spend the majority of its life held by Canadarm2 to give it the reach to get to works sites," said Dunlop. "But when Canadarm2 has its own assembly operations or the SPDM has to do a maintenance function on Canadarm2 itself, it will sit on one of the MBS Power Data Grapple Fixtures."
The Mobile Base System has another device known as a Payload and Orbit Replaceable Unit Accommodation (POA). It functions just like the Canadarm's Latching End Effector but does not have the "sense of touch" of Canadarm2. The POA is able to provide electrical power and exchange data while grappling very large and heavy payloads or Orbit Replaceable Units (ORUs). ORUs are self-contained packages that can be swapped for new units when they wear out or fail on the Station.
Payloads with grapple fixtures can be parked on the Mobile Base System when attached to the POA by either the Shuttle's Canadarm or the Station's Canadarm2 and then carried to wherever they're needed on the Station.
"A payload may require power to keep it alive for a period of time," said Dunlop. Instead of occupying the manipulator as a source of power, "you can sit the payload out of the way and keep it happy with power and data for hours or days until you're ready to put it where it belongs."
The POA will be used to carry large structural elements such as trusses, said Mizera. In an upcoming mission, Canadarm2, riding on the Mobile Base System, will lift a 15.4-tonne truss from a temporary location on the Station and stow it on the POA; the Mobile Base System will then carry this truss about 36 metres to the end of another truss, allowing Canadarm2 to assemble the two components together.
"The Mobile Base System will be involved in building the whole truss structure of the Station," said Mizera. "During the next few missions, there will be a lot of truss assembly, so it has a pretty crucial role."
The Mobile Base System also has another device allowing it to carry payloads that do not have a PDGF. It is known as MBS Common Attach System (MCAS). The MCAS consists of three payload alignment V-guides with ready-to-latch indicators, a powered claw to grip a special capture bar on payloads, a camera target for payload berthing and an Umbilical Mating Assembly (UMA), which provides power and data exchange to payloads such as scientific experiments. A number of experiments will be positioned on the external structure of the Station, each payload held in devices similar to the MCAS.
In total, the Mobile Base System can transport 20,900 kilograms of payloads, the 1800 kilogram Canadarm2, and the 1700 kilogram SPDM – all on an aluminum structure that itself only weighs 1450 kilograms. It's not a speed demon, however; it will trundle along the tracks at a maximum rate of about 90 metres per hour.
Finally, the Mobile Base System will serve as a work platform not only for Canadarm2 maintenance, but also for astronauts and cosmonauts during spacewalks or Extravehicular Activities (EVAs). It's equipped with foot restraints and hand-rails, as well as room for any special tools and equipment needed during an EVA.
Canadian Astronaut Steve MacLean, who was recently assigned to fly on STS-115 in April 2003, will participate in two spacewalks to expand the Station's truss structure.
"Being the first Canadian to operate Canadarm2 and its Mobile Base will certainly be an emotional moment for me," he said.
Canadarm2 will install the Mobile Base System
The Mobile Base System is scheduled to be installed five days after STS-111 is launched and the second day after the shuttle docks with the Station. Reaching into the shuttle's cargo bay, Canadarm2 will grapple the Mobile Base System, providing power needed to operate a Mobile Base System camera, as well as a capture claw that will be used to mate it to the MT (installed on a previous mission, STS-110 in April 2002.) Once assured that the Mobile Base System is receiving power and is warmed up, the astronauts will then remove the thermal blankets used to protect it from the extreme temperatures of space. The blankets are no longer required once the Mobile Base System is powered. This will be the first time Canadarm2 handles a powered payload.
Canadarm2 will then lift the Mobile Base System out of the cargo bay and, after a checkout to make sure everything is working properly, will position it close to the MT where it will be left overnight to allow the temperatures of the two elements to equalize.
The next day, flight day 6, astronauts inside the Station will command Canadarm2 to mate the Mobile Base System to the MT, using visual images from a Mobile Base System camera to guide them.
"That's going to be a critical part of the mission," said Robins. "The Mobile Base System is a major piece of structure that weighs well over a tonne. Manoeuvring it into position to within five centimetres and a degree is going to be a key element in the deployment."
On flight day 7, EVA astronauts will connect cables between the Mobile Base System and the MT that will allow power and data to flow to the Mobile Base System through the MT rather than through Canadarm2. This reversal of the power distribution system will become the status quo; under normal operating conditions, Canadarm2 will receive its power through the Mobile Base System when riding on it, not the other way around.
During STS-111, "we'll be going through a series of tests to ensure the system is operational in that configuration," said Robins.
The MT's own cable provides enough power to move the Mobile Base System, but not enough to operate it, so the MT will have to "plug in" at one of ten work sites around the Station to draw enough power for the Mobile Base System, Canadarm2 or the SPDM to perform their tasks.
"As the Mobile Transporter is travelling, no power is being provided to the Mobile Base System, so if it ever gets stuck between worksites, it's a problem because a lot of MBS components are sensitive to cold," said Mizera.
There are two ways of dealing with this. One is to position the Station to keep the Mobile Base System in direct sunlight and the other is to send astronauts out to plug in the Mobile Base System with what is essentially an extension cord.
During the EVA on flight day 7, the astronauts will adjust the position of the POA, which had to be launched folded in on itself, so the Mobile Base System could fit in the shuttle's cargo bay. They will also move the camera that was used for the mating task to its final position on a mast rising up from the Mobile Base System. This camera will be very useful to help position payloads on either the MCAS or POA as well as view specific work sites and Canadarm2 or SPDM. Throughout the installation procedures, Canadarm2 will remain attached to both the Mobile Base System and the lab, still able to provide power in case there are any problems with the power link between the MT and the Mobile Base System. Later, the arm will be commanded to "step off" the lab for the first time. This will allow engineers to run tests on the end effector that has been attached to the lab for the past year, Mizera said.
The Mobile Base System/MT system will not be moved during the STS-111 mission, but tests are planned sometime before the next assembly flight, STS-112, scheduled for August. It's anticipated the Mobile Base System will be used for a truss assembly task, but it can do the work without being moved, Mizera said. For the following flight, STS-113 in September, the work site is on the other side of the truss and the Mobile Base System will have to be moved.
"Other pieces of the truss will be added over the next two years until the Station is complete," said Dunlop. "When it's finally complete, it will be the length of a Canadian football field. The big thing is extending the reach of Canadarm2 along that entire length."
Unlike Canadarm2, the Mobile Base System won't have a Canadian astronaut in space supervising its installation, but the two MSS operators, cosmonaut Valeri Korzun and astronaut Peggy Whitson, part of the fifth ISS crew, have been trained and certified at CSA headquarters in Saint-Hubert, Quebec.
Canada also provides a group of qualified Flight Controllers and other support crew on the ground. The CSA, which is responsible for Canadarm2, has a Space Operations Support Centre and an Engineering Support Centre in Saint-Hubert, Quebec, that have direct data and voice links with NASA's Mission Control during flights in which the arm is used.
Computer data sent down from the Station will enable them to closely monitor the entire installation process "to ensure the Mobile Base System, as well as the rest of the system, is doing exactly what the operation calls for," Robins said.
There will also be Canadians in Mission Control. Astronaut Steven MacLean will be lead Capcom on STS-111, a job that involves acting as the primary conduit of information between the shuttle crew and Mission Control. Astronaut Bob Thirsk will be the lead Capcom talking to the Space Station crew during the mission.
- Date modified: | <urn:uuid:5e161fd5-9ffb-45fd-84a8-7247b17f999d> | CC-MAIN-2014-35 | http://www.asc-csa.gc.ca/eng/iss/mobile-base/history.asp | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2014-35/segments/1409535922871.14/warc/CC-MAIN-20140901014522-00158-ip-10-180-136-8.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.94866 | 3,010 | 2.71875 | 3 |
United Kingdom - Passport & Nationality - British Citizenship by Double Descent (SA Stateless Child)
Listen to our RECENT WEBINAR where our two British nationality experts - Philip Gamble and Mishal Patel - discuss the ways in which children under 18 can have rights to British nationality.
A child born outside of South Africa to South African parents during the period up to 7 December 2010 had to be registered as a South African in order to become a South African citizen. In other words, the child did not automatically become South African at birth. What this meant is that, if their country of birth did not confer citizenship on the child at birth, the child would have been born stateless - that is, without a nationality.
Where one of the parents was a British citizen, then it is possible to register the child as a British citizen as long as this happens before they turn 18. It does not matter that child subsequently acquired a nationality - for example, if the parents subsequently registered the child as a South African. | <urn:uuid:3e125621-d730-4e72-994f-e9c28cc7b29c> | CC-MAIN-2023-40 | https://www.whatpassport.com/countries/United-Kingdom/Passport_and_Nationality/British_Citizenship_by_Double_Descent_%28SA_Stateless_Child%29 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-40/segments/1695233510781.66/warc/CC-MAIN-20231001041719-20231001071719-00493.warc.gz | en | 0.974149 | 208 | 2.609375 | 3 |
Disgust gets a bad rap. We often forget it is an emotion and natural to our bodies. It isn't disrespectful or even rude.
It's designed to help us move away from material and people that might be rotten.
Help your kids learn to trust and listen to the creepy feeling they get when someone touches them or stands too close to them etc.
You can still teach kids how to communicate their disgust feelings respectfully without shutting them down.
Our disgust can be the difference between safety and trauma if we see it as a trustworthy warning and not simply something to stuff away.
The myth that comforting your child will "spoil" them is not only emotionally harmful but also creates an altered brain state that leads to higher levels of stress and mental illness in adulthood, giving them compassion and comfort will only help them develop a healthier brain function.
In this video, you'll learn how to guide children when they have hurt someone, by connecting with them about their feelings, modeling empathy for the person impacted, and collaborating with them to make repairs, as empathy is learned through receiving empathy and being surrounded by empathetic models.
In this video, learn why telling your child to "use their words" during an emotional moment may not be effective and how to communicate non-verbally to support them in regulating their emotions. | <urn:uuid:06263141-3bb0-4c04-8008-988255f80e2f> | CC-MAIN-2023-14 | https://attachmentnerd.com/videos/why-it-is-a-good-thing-when-your-kids-feel-disgust | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-14/segments/1679296945376.29/warc/CC-MAIN-20230325222822-20230326012822-00585.warc.gz | en | 0.96674 | 269 | 3.75 | 4 |
The story of 200 years
Bunshudo and Meikodo
The Kumadas and The Takahashis
200 years of two norens and two families
President of Bunshudo Inc.
The Edo Period
About 350 years ago, a lot of samurai in Mizusawa-ward, Oshu, Iwate were making writing brushes on the side. Sokichi Kumada, the founder of Bunshudo started writing brush making in 1817. This is mentioned in the research data of Bunshudo by Tokyo Shoko Research, the credit survey company of Japan. There were also many samurai making writing brushes in the neighboring Esashi-ward. Chokichi Takahashi of Meikodo was one of them in the last years of the Edo period.There is no document that shows whether the father or the grand father of Chokichi was already in the business.
The Meiji Era
In early years of the Meiji era, there were 57 writing brush craftsmen and about ten brush production and wholesaling companies which employed the craftsmen in Oshu City. With the end of Edo period, the old class system was abolished and Chokichi was no longer samurai. Writing brush production and wholesaling became his main business and he employed four craftsmen in 1888 .During the Edo period, he was selling brushes only at Oshu City and nearby area, but the business expanded to the entire Tohoku (Northern part of Japan) district and Hokkaido (The island at the North of Japan) in the Meiji era. The company was in its heyday.As pen and pencils became more common, the sales of writing brush decreased. While other craftsmen and companies close their business, Meikodo of Takahashi merged with Bunshudo of Kumada and started joint operation in the name of Bunshudo
The Taisho Era
In the Taisho era, the number of writing brush manufacturers decreased even further and there were only 12 craftsmen and 2 production and wholesaling companies left in Mizusawa-ward. Yutaka Kumada, the forth president of Bunshudo, got retired and Baikichi Takahashi became the fifth generation owner. Bunshudo started the sales of another local specialty, Nanbu-ironware, in addition to writing brushes.
The Showa Era
In the middle of the Showa era, Bunshudo made a product planning of “Hidehira-nuri” (lacquer ware) and manufactured the products under its own brand name. Hidehira-nuri became another leading product of Bunshudo together with Nanbu-ironware.
Bunshudo was now the only writing brush production and wholesaling company in the area. On the other hand, the demand for writing brushes and abacus, which used to be the main product, decreased furthermore, and office and stationery supplies and electronic calculator took its place. Then, the sales and maintenance of MFP printers and sales of office furniture became the main business. The sales of writing brushes and ironware used to be in the same craft sales department in earlier years, but now it was divided into the office equipment sales department and the craft sales department.
The Heisei Era
Now, the craft sales department also sells equipment for business such as wooden furniture, tableware and bedding besides traditional crafts. While continuing the sales of office furniture and supplies, the main business of the office equipment sales department became the distribution and maintenance of OA appliances of major manufacturers such as Canon and Konica Minolta. Bunshudo has now three retail stores. The craft shop in Kichikoji which sells traditional craft products and gift items, the stationery shop which sells office and stationery supplies at Kichikoji, and the Z-plaza shop which sells souvenirs mainly.
2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami
The Earthquake occurred at 2:46 in the afternoon of March 11 in 2011 , the year Bunshudo marked the 195th year in business. The office building was damaged by the earthquake, and the tsunami and the nuclear power plant accident had a large impact on our main business area, the Sanriku Coastal Area and Fukushima Prefecture. About 50 of our customers had their office swept away, and eight of them lost their members. Everything stopped.We could hardly collect receivables. The risk of bankruptcy continued since the earthquake. The one of the reason why Bunshudo could avoid the bankruptcy was the world heritage registration of Hiraizumi area.
Bunshudo's 200th year in business
During these 200 years, Bunshudo went through several times of crisis. At the beginning of the Meiji era, when the Tokugawa Shogunate fell, and samurai class was abolished, in the Taisho era, when the most of the writing brush suppliers went bankruptcy and closed their business, right after the World War II, when our house and company building were burnt down, when the bubble economy collapsed in early 1990s, and the Great East Japan Earthquake. But each time, we did survive.
In Takahashi family, there is a saying “Sell commodities of inside outside and commodities of outside inside.” With this being our principle, we sell local crafts of Iwate Prefecture, Nanbu-ironware and Hidehira-nuri (lacquer ware) at outside of Iwate or outside Japan, and we sell office equipment and OA appliances manufactured at out side of Iwate or abroad at Iwate. And now Bunshudo marks its 200th years in business.
But the crisis we had last is not the last one. Hard times will come again. But we will get over the next crisis and our business continues to another 100th year, to the next generation. | <urn:uuid:634eff51-9f52-4b30-8f60-8577a2741904> | CC-MAIN-2017-47 | https://bunshudo.jimdo.com/english/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-47/segments/1510934806760.43/warc/CC-MAIN-20171123070158-20171123090158-00752.warc.gz | en | 0.966258 | 1,200 | 2.609375 | 3 |
Sir Alfred Chester Beatty, mining engineer, philanthropist, art collector, and the first honorary citizen of Ireland (1957), is born in New York, New York, United States on February 7, 1875 on the site of what is now Rockefeller Center. He plays an important role in the development of copper deposits in Central Africa.
Beatty is the youngest of three sons born to Hetty and John Beatty, a banker and stockbroker. After studying engineering at the Columbia School of Mines and Princeton University, he helps to develop porphyry copper ores in the United States, first as a consulting engineer and later as a director on the boards of several copper-mining firms. In 1913 he relinquishes his mining interests in the United States and settles in Great Britain, becoming a naturalized British subject in 1933. In 1921 he forms a prospecting company that initiates the development of the Copperbelt region of Northern Rhodesia (now Zambia). For this, he becomes known as the “King of Copper.”
An early family anecdote recalls that, as a young boy, Beatty catches the collection bug, bidding at auction for mining samples. In 1931 an announcement in London‘s The Times casts him as a great collector. Between 1939 and 1949 he acquires over 140 nineteenth-century paintings to display in the Picture Gallery of his London home. These are now part of the collection of the National Gallery of Ireland.
Beatty supports the war effort, contributing a large amount of raw materials to the Allies. He receives a belated knighthood by Queen Elizabeth II in the 1954 Birthday Honours list for his contribution to the wartime effort. By the late 1940s, however, he has become disillusioned with Britain. Political deviations from his free-market values, coupled with increased foreign exchange restrictions impacted both his personal and collecting interests in Britain.
In 1950, at the age of 75, Beattys over the reins of Selection Trust to his son Chester Jr. and relocates to Dublin. He purchases a large townhouse for himself on Ailesbury Road, in the Ballsbridge area of Dublin and a site on Shrewsbury Road for the construction of the Chester Beatty Library, which houses the collection, opening on August 8, 1953. The library is moved to its current location at Dublin Castle in 2000.
Beatty spends the remainder of his life between Dublin and the south of France. He is made a Freeman of the City of Dublin in 1954 and is the first person granted honorary citizenship of Ireland in 1957. He continues to collect in the 1950s and 1960s, acquiring important Ethiopian manuscripts and Japanese printed material during that period.
Beatty dies in Monte Carlo in Monaco on January 19, 1968. His Irish estate is valued at £7 million. He is accorded a state funeral by the Irish government, the first private citizen in Irish history to receive such an honour. He is buried in Glasnevin Cemetery in Dublin. | <urn:uuid:776825d7-cb7f-4c6c-8224-09576a940454> | CC-MAIN-2023-23 | https://seamusdubhghaill.com/2021/02/07/birth-of-sir-alfred-chester-beatty-first-honorary-citizen-of-ireland/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-23/segments/1685224644309.7/warc/CC-MAIN-20230528150639-20230528180639-00415.warc.gz | en | 0.967653 | 607 | 2.71875 | 3 |
Researchers at the University of Birmingham’s School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences have developed the science behind a piece of equipment that can detect water pollution in seconds.
In partnership with scientific instrumentation company, STS Ltd, the team has created a device that takes the ‘lab to the river bank’. Using fluorescence, a natural phenomena whereby certain substances absorb and emit light, organic water pollutants such as sewage, landfill and farm effluents can be detected and their origins identified.
Dr Andy Baker, lead investigator from the University of Birmingham’s School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences, says, ‘Originally I was studying the fluorescence of ground water in caves, and I found that a different type of fluorescence is present in river water. We then developed a fluorescence fingerprint for substances found in river water, so that we could identify pollutants.
‘Traditionally tests are lab-based and take up to five days. It is crucial that water samples don’t degrade in the time that it takes to transport them from the river to the lab, so we wanted to develop a device that can be taken to the river bank so that water samples can be examined immediately – we can now take a sample, measure the fluorescence and identify the pollutants. We are effectively taking the lab to the river.
Dr Baker continues, ‘Now I would like to see the device in use in a disaster relief scenario where there is a large number of people and a limited water supply. It is hoped that the device will help to save lives.’
The device will be useful to environmental organisations and businesses who need to self-certify their effluent discharges or detect and quickly identify the source and extent of any water pollution.
Notes to Editors
1. The water pollution detection device has been developed in conjunction with VIN technology services, the gateway to the wide range of technology and expertise that the University of Birmingham can offer as one of the UK’s leading centres of industrial technology research. It will be on display at the VIN stand at ET2006 at the NEC in May.
2. Safe Training Systems Ltd (STS Ltd) is based in Berkshire and specialises in the design and manufacture of instruments for detecting contamination.
3. Research TV - Note to Broadcast Media: Moving footage/interviews are available free of charge as a package to broadcast media via Research TV, due for streaming via APTN on Tuesday 7 March from 12.15-12.30 GMT. Contact http://www.Research-TV.com for details / to request footage.
For further information
Kate Chapple, Press Office, University of Birmingham, tel 0121 414 2772 or 07789 921164, email: [email protected] | <urn:uuid:019398db-4c52-46c8-b913-75a2a37a3659> | CC-MAIN-2023-50 | https://www.birmingham.ac.uk/news-archive/2006/taking-the-lab-to-the-river-birminghams-water-pollution-detection-device | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-50/segments/1700679100972.58/warc/CC-MAIN-20231209202131-20231209232131-00651.warc.gz | en | 0.930677 | 581 | 3.5 | 4 |
In this example design the telemetry encoder and telecommand decoder are implemented in an Actel FPGA. The encoder is implemented in hardware, whereas the lower layers of the decoder are implemented in hardware with the higher layers externally in software. Support is provided for additional hardware decoded command outputs and pulses.
The telemetry encoder and telecommand decoder can be used in systems where CCSDS and ECSS compatible communication services are required. The software implementation of the higher layers of the telecommand decoder allows for implementation flexibility and accommodation of future standard enhancements. The hardware decoded command outputs and pulses do not require software and can therefore be used for critical operations. The telemetry encoder does not require any software.
Devices and packaging | <urn:uuid:d283d2ac-ab42-487d-9937-0df41a751a1d> | CC-MAIN-2017-34 | http://gaisler.com/index.php/products/components/gr-tmtc-0001 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-34/segments/1502886104634.14/warc/CC-MAIN-20170818102246-20170818122246-00221.warc.gz | en | 0.855972 | 155 | 2.640625 | 3 |
Walden Pond is a sacred place in American literature, a symbol of one man's effort to savor and preserve the natural world. Now, on the 150th anniversary of the publication of Henry David Thoreau's Walden comes a fitting tribute to the man, the book and the location that inspired this seminal experiment in simple living.
In Walden Pond: A History, author W. Barksdale Maynard not only offers a wonderfully detailed portrait of the place itself but also explains the cultural context for Thoreau's decision to build a home in the woods. A professor of architecture at Johns Hopkins University and a consultant for the Walden Woods Project, Maynard weaves together a history of the land, the Transcendental movement and the all-important relationship between Thoreau and his mentor, Ralph Waldo Emerson.
It was Emerson, the father of Transcendentalism, who owned the land on the shores of Walden Pond where Thoreau and a group of his friends raised a 10- by 15-foot house in 1845. Emerson supported Thoreau's endeavor but wasn't interested in year-round rustic living himself, preferring "a comfortable study in town."Using old photographs, maps and illustrations, Maynard creates a vivid picture of the house and its environs that will enrich any reader's appreciation of Walden. Also included is a comprehensive look at Thoreau's influence on figures from Yeats to Kerouac and a description of recent efforts to save Walden Pond from environmental threats that would undoubtedly trouble the man who made it famous. | <urn:uuid:479de6ee-114d-4507-b44d-33f114806948> | CC-MAIN-2014-35 | http://bookpage.com/review/walden-pond%3A-a-history/home-of-a-different-drummer%0B | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2014-35/segments/1408500800168.29/warc/CC-MAIN-20140820021320-00263-ip-10-180-136-8.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.932711 | 324 | 3.15625 | 3 |
What is the significance of Newton's equation E= MC square?
Not to be picky, but your subject (Einstein) does not agree with
the subject of your question (Newton) - E = m c^2 (squared) is
indeed due to Einstein (early years of this century) and not
Newton (who lived over 300 years ago).
This equation is often taken to symbolize Einstein's relativity
in the popular press, but in fact it is not really a consequence
but more a separate fact of nature that fits very well into the
initial assumptions of relativity (that the speed of light is
a universal constant, independent of reference frame).
The E refers to energy. Throughout the 18th and 19th centuries discoveries
were made about energy - that various forms of energy were really
interchangeable, for example mechanical energy (produced by applying
a force to an object over a distance) could be converted into
thermal energy (associated with heating an object) or electrical
energy, and that there was also chemical energy in various reactions
that could be measured. The units of energy are mass * acceleration *
distance (using the force definition) or mass * velocity^2 (using
the thermal definition) - in metric that is kg * m^2/s^2.
The m refers to mass. The famous equation (E = m c^2) says that an
object with a mass m has an associated total energy E that is proportional
to that mass, and the ratio of proportionality (which has to be a velocity
squared because of units) is the maximum velocity possible - speed of light.
This relation between mass and energy was made most obvious
in the case of radioactivity, when one element changes into
another - the masses tend to be different, and the energy released
can be very large. The same applies to the nuclear fission and
fusion reactions, where the energy released can be determined directly
from the mass difference of the reactants. Now, this is actually
not really much different from the way in which the chemical energy
of molecules changes when molecules join and break up - there would
be an associated mass change as well. But the mass change for chemical
energy changes is so tiny that nobody had ever observed it, while
it is relatively easy to measure in the nuclear case.
So the consequence of E = mc^2 is that two quantities that were
previously thought to be quite different (energy and mass) were
shown to be very closely related and interchangeable, just as
in previous centuries the various forms of energy itself had
been shown to be really the same kind of quantity.
Click here to return to the Physics Archives
Update: June 2012 | <urn:uuid:e33f70e3-a1dd-4e67-b78c-654e99873f3e> | CC-MAIN-2014-10 | http://newton.dep.anl.gov/askasci/phy99/phy99223.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2014-10/segments/1393999677352/warc/CC-MAIN-20140305060757-00026-ip-10-183-142-35.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.947367 | 573 | 3.390625 | 3 |
On the 16th may 1619 two ships, the Unicorn and the Lamprey, set sail from Copenhagen searching for the fabled North West Passage. On board there were 65 men, led by their captain, the Danish explorer Jens Munk. A year and a half later, the Lamprey limped back into Bergen (Norway) with just 3 men, including Munk, on board.
The story of this terrible voyage, their sailing round Iceland, Greenland, Baffin Bay and into Hudson Bay is outlined in this wonderful atmospheric podcast from DR.
The UK has similarly many tales of Arctic and Antarctic suffering, listening to the podcast I was put in mind of Coleridge’s famous “Rime of the Ancient Mariner”, but we rarely hear of the similar stories from other nations, a clear benefit of learning other languages is being able to access these archives and stories*.
The podcast contains a wonderful description by a Greenland pilot of the sea ice and how tricky navigating it can be along with interviews and inputs from many others. If you are at all familiar with Danish – I really recommend the series.
However, the description by a nutritionist of the terrible effects of scurvy had me wondering. I learn (via Dutch family and confirmed by the OED) that the name of the disease, caused of course by a lack of vitamin C in the diet, is probably from the Dutch Scheurbuik – rip belly – an eloquent description of one of the notable later stages of the disease.
Rip here is less a description of enhanced musculature and much more a description of what it feels like when your internal organs start to bleed and your muscles and bones are weak from lack of nutrition.
Upon looking it up (Thankyou Wikipedia), I learn that the causes of scurvy had been repeatedly identified, forgotten and mistaken since at least the middle Ages. There is an estimate that around 2 million sailors died as a result of scurvy between 1500 and 1800.
2 Million almost entirely preventable deaths and 2 million men who died in appalling agony.
And this happened in spite of what appears to be the first recorded medical trial by James Lind in the 1750s, it still took the Royal Navy 40 years to start giving out fresh citrus fruits as a standard on their ships. Vitamin C itself was only finally recognised and extracted in 1932.
This story is an outrage in many ways, but a clear example also of how science and medicine, properly conducted, can help to improve and save lives. It is also a clear warning to conduct thoughtful experiments with care and to listen to those warnings when they have been issued.
It might also be a recommendation that learning foreign languages is not only fun and useful but can be it’s own reward.
UPDATE: The Arctic Sea ice Outlook I mention in the post below has just been published for 2016. We will follow this up in September when the final results will be known, but here are the 30 entries using a rage of different techniques including sophisticated computer models, statistical estimates and what is kindly called “Heuristics” but which may be characterised as an educated guess by people who have been studying this field for a while…
Professor Wadhams has not contributed an estimate this year but it can easily be seen that none of the estimates reach as low as the putative 1 million square kilometres. Nonetheless the view of 27 expert climate scientists put forward by Kay, Bailey and Holland (pdf), not to mention the very sophisticated RASM model (one of the most sophisticated in this area, run by the US Naval Postgraduate school), put the September extent at a very low 3-4 million km2, in the same range as the record low of 2012.
It will be interesting to see how low it does go. The latest results from the polar portal show that Arctic sea ice is currently still on the record low 2012 line but a careful look shows also that the 2012 and 2013 curves diverge around mid to late June. The year 2013 is pretty representative of a “new normal” over the last 4 years or so, it is therefore difficult to tell based on simply extrapolating along the curves which path 2016 is likely to follow.
I trained as a glaciologist originally, but even then I came across sea ice and was first of all unnerved by it, crossing on scooters to visit glaciers in Svalbard, and then fascinated by it. Recently I have been working pretty closely with my colleagues in DMI who are sea ice scientists and I have learnt quite a lot. We even published a paper together in the journal Polarforschung earlier this year. Not only that, I am now part of a big ERC Synergy project known as ice2ice with scientists at four institutions in Bergen and Copenhagen working on the complex connections between sea ice, ocean, atmosphere and ice sheet in the Arctic. More on that another time, but suffice to say it’s fascinating work and I know a hell of a lot more about sea ice than I did even three years ago.
So when this news story crossed my email this evening courtesy a BBC researcher and journalist I knew pretty well straight away what it was about. Basically the scientist Professor Peter Wadhams had made some statements about the extent of Arctic sea ice which might be considered somewhat eyecatching.
Professor Wadhams is a well-known scientist who did some incredibly valuable and indeed ground-breaking early work on sea ice. More recently he has also done some very valuable work reconstructing thickness based on submarine observations during the Cold War (see below on why this is important). I well remember seeing him talk about this as a young graduate student, he is an excellent speaker and gave a very interesting and compelling talk. In the last few years he has made several statements that have been widely reported and perhaps misinterpreted, with regard to the future fortunes of the Arctic sea ice.
Now, I need and want to be clear about this. Most of the global climate models we use are not very good at reproducing the observed historical sea ice extent. They have improved significantly in the last few years but still struggle to reproduce the actual observed decline in sea ice area from satellites. And there are actually very good reasons why this should be. There are some very good stand alone sea ice models which have done a very good job and the key difference between these models is our clue. Sea ice models are generally partly forced with actual observations, or climate reanalyses which assimilate observations, so the atmosphere and the ocean are close to reality. Basically sea ice responds to weather, and if you have a more accurate weather driving your sea ice model you will get a better fit to the observations.
So, is Professor Wadhams correct? Will the sea ice “disappear” this year.
Well, it is pretty clear that given the changes we have already observed in the Arctic, as well as what we know about Arctic amplification and the general direction that anthropogenic emissions are heading in, that unless something changes pretty soon, we will likely see an end to a significant cover of sea ice in the Arctic at some point in the next few decades. But was does that actually mean?
Reading his actual comments in the article he appears to define 1 million km2 as “no sea ice” and that partly reflects how we define sea ice extent. Since most of the data sets use a cut-off figure (typically 15%) to define when a grid square or pixel is or is not a sea ice point. This is known as sea ice concentration and is really something of a hangover from the days when sea ice was observed from ships and an attempt was made to estimate how much sea ice in the area was around the vessel.
There are however lots of things that can affect sea ice extent, including winds and currents and melt ponds. The latter also affects how different algorithms assess the area that is or is not covered by sea ice. As there are a number of different sensors in use and a number of different algorithms processing that data, it is not entirely surprising that there actually a number of different estimates (I will use OSISAF) for how much of the Arctic is covered in sea ice. And this number will vary in years with more winds for example, or stronger ocean currents, sea ice will disperse faster. It is quite likely that much of the variability in sea ice area in recent years is at least partly attributable to different winds, as well as, for example in 2012, big storms that have arrived at just the right moment (or wrong one depending on how you look at it), to break up the sea ice into smaller, more easily transportable pieces.
As an aside, a better measure for how much Arctic sea ice there is actually present is sea ice volume. Unfortunately this is very difficult to measure, especially outside the winter freeze up season, though a research group at the UCL, centre for Polar Observation and Monitoring have developed a way to do so. Here for example is the most recent plot, which as you can see has not been updated since May 2016 due to the presence of melt ponds on the surface of the sea ice which the Cryosat radar cannot penetrate.
So 1 million km2 is probably a reasonable cut off for assuming an “ice-free” Arctic in the sense that it indicates that there will still be some sea ice drifting around (it always forms surprisingly quickly when the winter begins) in summer, even if it is dispersed.
Over the last 40 or so years (we have good observations going back to 1979, it gets patchy after that), in September, when the area covered by sea ice is at it’s lowest, that extent has been between about 7 and 9 million km2, more recently that has dropped and 2012, the lowest on record had an extent of about 4 million km2, which you can see on the latest polarportal sea ice chart below.
I well remember 2012, we had a large melt event over Greenland that year also, but it was still quite a long way from the 1 million km2 quoted by Professor Wadhams. Again, let me be clear, we are pretty sure that at some point on a time scale of a few years to a few decades, the Arctic will become “ice-free” in the summer time. We can predict this, even if we don’t know exactly when, since, as I hope is clear now, sea ice conditions are very dependent on the weather. The weather this year so far, at least this Spring has been very warm and congenial to sea ice melt. The big dive shown on the graph above is no mystery when considering some of the temperature anomalies in the Arctic, as shown also on the Polar Portal.
Nevertheless, the recent plots seem to show that the 2 metre air temperature in the Arctic is returning to close to normal and there is little reason to suppose that will change significantly anytime soon.
Having said that, weather forecasting has improved massively in the last few decades, a true quiet revolution, but we still do not know how the weather will pan out over the whole of this melt season. I am sure that at some point Professor Wadhams will be proved correct, but we do not know when and it is even possible or rather likely that we will have a few years where we switch back and forth between ice free and not ice free conditions. So, the answer to the question I pose above is probably no. But don’t bet on it remaining so for too long.
UPDATE: I recalled this morning on my way in to work that I had somehow failed to mention the Sea Ice Prediction network. This group of people under the auspices of ARCUS, gather predictions on y´the end-of-season sea ice extent ever year. The call for predictions for the 2016 season is now open. Many different research groups as well as one or two enthusiastic amateurs will post their predictions over the next few weeks. It is an interesting exercise, as you can see based on last year’s report (see also figure below), it is not the first time that Profgessor Wadhams has predicted a 1 million km2 extent in September, and his is the lowest (and least accurate) in the rankings.
Endnote: There has been quite an absence of posts from this blog recently. I have been too busy with work, family, travel and more recently the EU Referendum (for which I have been threatening a post for quite some time and may yet get around to before polling day). However, a question about Arctic sea ice has been flickering on the edges of my consciousness for a while now so this was a quick (EDIT: not so quick!) blogpost to try and address it when I should actually be writing something else…
“The Arctic is one of the last great pristine ecosystems, a safe haven for endangered species and home to Indigenous Peoples whose lifestyle has survived in harmony with nature for thousands of years.”
This quote in the wake of COP21, extracted from a celebrity I’ve never heard of (sorry, I’m just not that interested in actors) raised my hackles as it repeated yet again the idea that the Arctic is “pristine”.
Even without contemplating climate change, it is most certainly not, as the polar portal season report I was vaguely involved in compiling this year made clear.
There is a whole literature in the humanities on Orientalism and “othering”, about how we define other people and places partly to define what we are not. I’m not sure if there is a term for this narrative of a “pristine wilderness”, let us call it “pristinism ” for want of a better term. But before I list the ways in which the Arctic is not pristine, let me make very clear, I am well aware I also suffer from pristinism, to some extent. What my boss teasingly refers to as “the white disease”, the fascination with snow and ice that makes me want to leave the comforts of house and home and go and live somewhere deeply uncomfortable, and indeed dangerous in order to plumb the mysteries. I have been visiting the Arctic for well over 12 years now, though as most of my work is on computer, I don’t get the option so often anymore. Maybe that’s a good thing, perhaps the last thing the Arctic needs is more people flying to it.
Fish stocks have at least been largely preserved in Iceland (sensible given how important fishing is to the economy), but there have been several notorious crashes in different fish species in the North Atlantic and around Greenland. Although, to be fair these latter seem to be at least partly caused by changing ocean temperatures rather than purely overfishing. Then there are the invasive species, largely limited so far to the (admittedly delicious) King crab , an omnivore that will eat everything in it’s path much to the fear of some local ecologists around the Arctic coast of Norway.
And then there are the birds. Different bird species face declining populations due both to loss of habitat outside the Arctic as well as hunting in the Arctic region. I was somewhat surprised, though in retrospect I should not have been, at the very few bird numbers that I saw while on a kayaking trip within an easy boat ride of Nuuk.
I would have seen many more in the Scottish islands, but if a subsistence species is within easy reach of a large town (which in themselves would have been impossible prior to colonisation), it is an inevitable tragedy of the commons waiting to happen. Similarly, seals are incredibly wary and remain as far from people as possible in Greenland, a big contrast to the rather trusting and curious creatures I have been able to paddle very close to around the British Isles. And Heaven help any polar bear that strays too close to any Greenlandic settlements, legal protection or not…
Part of the problem are the difficulties birds have in reproducing. This is at least partly down to the toxic mix of chemicals stored in their fat, which comes out in a rush when these animals and birds have to live on their body fat supplies – as they do each summer when incubating eggs. These eggs also appear to contain high levels of mercury, cadmium, PCBs, organochlorines, dieldrin to mention just a few, with an effect on the developing bird embryos inside and of course anything that eats either bird or eggs.
And this of course is because that “pristine” Arctic has an extremely high concentration of industrial chemicals, heavy metals and other by-products of our manufacturing society. Albeit a long way from most sources of production. I was once fascinated to discover that all sorts of historic events such as the Greek and Roman production of silver (and it’s leaden by-product) could be identified in the Greenland ice cores, as could the introduction of leaded petrol and it’s later phasing out. The atmosphere acts as a kind of distillation column, concentrating these poisons at the top (and bottom) of the world, not to mention the local sources. There are coal mines in Svalbard, aluminium smelters in Iceland and Greenland, the oil + gas fields of Alaska, Newfoundland, Norway and Russia. Not to mention god only knows what hazardous (radioactive?) waste is leaching away from forgotten islands in the Russian sector of the Arctic.
In the food chain, the little animals get eaten by the bigger ones, which get eaten by the bigger ones, concentrating and accumulating toxic chemicals all the way to the top of the food chain.
Because humans are, in the Arctic at least, the top predator.
There is a reason poor old Ursus maritimus has become the poster children of climate change. Perhaps it’s all the bright white snow and ice, even if the Arctic Report card shows us the browning of the Arctic as snow lies for ever shorter periods at the same time as sea ice cover at the end of summer is similarly declining…
I am optimistic but cautious about the Paris agreement at COP21. I hope it will come in time to preserve some remnant of the Arctic wilderness, but even if it does we still have some big challenges to face. Sweeping these under the carpet for the sake of a convenient narrative about a pristine wilderness is not helpful. I have a great affection for the Arctic, the people and the wildlife that lives there. I started this post originally some time ago but failed to finish it as it made me rather depressed to think about, but then I was put in mind of this poem from Seamus Heaney and decided it was worth finishing after all with this piece.
Clearly, the myth of “The North” and “the Arctic” has been with us for some time, but surely we owe it to the Arctic and the peoples who live there to try and see through the “pristinism” and start to fix some of these challenges?
It’s been a while since I lasted posted anything, not for want of ideas but mainly lack of time. I shall try to catch up over the next few weeks. For now I was inspired to write an ultra-quick post about a very trivial question that came up at work today. I think it really captures how observational meteorology works (or should work).
Today, a colleague, John Cappelen, (also known as Mr. Greenland observational data), happened to mention in passing that on the 15th July this year, the weather station at Summit on the Greenland ice sheet had transmitted back to us in Copenhagen, a temperature observation of 2.5°C. This was during one of the highest melt periods this summer.
Bearing in mind that Summit Camp is at roughly 3,216m, this is a pretty high measured temperature. In fact it would be rather noteworthy, especially as it occurred on one of the highest melt days of the summer. Temperatures above 0°C at Summit are not unknown and the record, during the famous summer of 2012 when around 95% of the ice sheet surface experienced melt, the water sweeping away a bridge on the Watson River near Kangerlussuaq, was 3.6°C.
Now, my colleague is a very experienced and careful scientist. He had checked the observations and the temperatures before and after this measurement were well below zero, so, my colleague asked, was there any reason to believe this measurement or can we assume an instrument failure of some kind?
My office mate in the Arctic and Climate Research section and I obligingly had a quick look at our Polar Portal Greenland ice sheet surface plots (see below) and at the melt extent plots that are updated daily on the DMI website. We had to conclude there was no evidence of melt that high on the ice sheet and there was also no reason to believe that a sudden sharp warming had occurred at Summit on this day based on DMI’s own weather forecast. We then turned to check the weather plots, also on the polar portal and based on data from the European Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecasting (the ECMWF – probably the best weather forecast modellers in the world).
Again, the anomaly plots showed rather cold conditions prevailing over the ice sheet during this period, though at the same time very high melt and low surface mass balance from the ice sheet due to the clear skies.
Fortunately, due to the American Summit Camp we have access to a back-up dataset very close to this location and after a quick web search John Cappelen was able to confirm that indeed this measurement was an error as the nearby station has not seen anything like that during the period in question (see right).
This kind of thing happens all the time and is therefore not at all newsworthy or interesting enough to write a publication about. However, when a recent record high temperature in the UK can lead to 2 critical articles in the Daily Telegraph and a particularly vigorous exchange on twitter for Met Office scientist Mark McCarthy, as well as this corrective piece on the Carbon Brief blog, perhaps we should be more vocal about just how careful and critical we as scientists are about observations, including the ones we decide to discard as well as the ones we keep.
Addendum: I was alerted by this tweet from Gareth Jones, also a Met Office scientist, to some slightly strange cherry picking in the blogosphere of climate records from a couple of DMI stations in Greenland.These have apparently been used to claim no climatic warming trend in Greenland over the 20th Century (I’m not going to link to it).
Anyone who is really interested in the observational data could try checking these reports by Mr Greenland observations himself instead, here is a quick summary:
As an impressionable seven year old I learnt what a crevasse was; namely a large split in a glacier of great hazard to glacier travellers. This knowledge was imparted by a venture scout in my parents group who, on a climbing trip to the Alps, managed to end up in one, breaking several bones in the process. Years later this did not discourage me from my own forays into alpine mountaineering, so it was probably inevitable that I would have my own brush with mortality in a crevasse while researching them as part of my PhD work (see photo).
The research was interesting and made more so by being carried out in such a spectacular environment. Breiðamerkurjökull is a southern outlet glacier of the Vatnajökull ice cap in Iceland. It’s actually one of the more popular tourist destinations in Iceland thanks to the boats that run on the lagoon in front of the glacier, getting people up close and personal with icebergs. The icebergs are one of the reasons we chose to work there, as the rationale of my Phd project was can a crevasse depth relation be used as a parameterisation for calving in ice sheet models?
Crevasses are extremely beautiful features to observe and they are interesting scientifically since they indicate all sorts of information about what is going on in a glacier. As they are aligned more or less with the principal stresses in a particular location we can see where a glacier is accelerating or decelerating, that is stretching or compressing respectively, based on the shape and alignment. They can also be used as a feature to track glacier velocity between two successive images taken from aircraft or satellites. Crevasses are also significant in other ways, since they are a plane of weakness that can be exploited by meltwater, channelling it away from the surface of the glacier to the bed changing the velocity of the glacier. And as proved in the case of my Phd work, when they extend deep enough in the right place, they cause large chunks of ice, namely icebergs, to fall off the front of glaciers.
Given all these interesting habits it is probably surprising to learn that the large computer models of ice sheets and glaciers don’t usually include crevasses in them, though there are some more recent honourable exceptions, mostly working with single outlets or small glaciers such as Sue Cook’s work with the Elmer model. This is because an individual crevasse is not only too small for the resolution of a model, it’s also a discontinuity, and the approximations of the physics of ice sheets do not easily allow discontinuities. To put it another way, when we model glaciers we usually assume they are really large and thick fluid bodies, and as everyone knows, fluids don’t crack. This is just another bizarre property of water, and if I get chance I’ll discuss that again in further detail in another entry. But back to crevasses.
Now I mostly work with a climate model, HIRHAM5, using it to calculate surface mass balance, that is accumulation of snow and the melt and run-off from the surface of glaciers and ice sheet. However, I am finally (loosely) involved in a project that sets out to finish in some way the work I started as a young PhD student.
At DMI we run the PISM ice sheet model, fully coupled with a global climate model EC-Earth as I wrote about in this post. We will also soon be running HIRHAM5 coupled to PISM in order to study feedbacks between ice sheet dynamics and surface climate forcing (mainly in terms of how topography and elevation of the ice sheet affects the surface mass balance). We also intend to participate in the ISMIP6 model comparison project which will compare the results of several different global climate models that also include ice sheets in a realistic fashion.
One of the key challenges in getting these running is how to deal with the ocean interface with the ice sheet, both in terms of submarine melt of outlet glaciers (likely a far more important process than earlier recognised) and in terms of calving icebergs. One of our main (and in my opinion most interesting) projects right now, ice2ice has allowed us to employ a PhD student to work on this specific issue. She will be using a similar idea to Faezeh Nick’s model of outlet glacier calving, which in turn was based on a long ago work (pdf) I was part of as a lowly PhD student.
By comparing the measured crevasse depths with numerical models I was able to show that simple models can be used as approximations of crevasse depth. That study is still one of the very very few where actual empirical measurements of crevasse depth, strain rate, spacing and other variables were made and compared with model output.
In my current incarnation as modeller I will be keeping very carefully away from all sharp fractures in the ice and concentrating instead on the model part. Expect updates here…
The climate of Greenland has been changing over the last 20 or so years, especially in the south. In this paper we showed that the amount of melt and liquid water run off from the ice sheet in the south west has increased at the same time as the equilibrium line (roughly analogous to the snow line at the end of summer on the ice sheet) has started to move up the ice sheet. Unlike previous periods when we infer the same thing happened this can be attributed to warmer summers rather than drier winters.
We focused on the area close to Nuuk, the capital of Greenland, as we had access to a rather useful but unusual (in Greenland) dataset gathered by Asiaq the Greenland survey. They have been measuring the run off from a lake near the margin of the ice sheet for some years and made this available to us in order to test the model predictions. This kind of measurement is particularly useful as it integrates melt and run-off from a wider area than the usual point measurements. As our model is run at 5.5 km resolution, one grid cell has to approximate all the properties of a 5.5 km grid cell. Imagine your house and how much land varies in type, shape and use in a 5.5 km square centred on your house and you begin to appreciate the problems of using a single point observation to assess what is essentially an area simulation! This is even more difficult in mountainous areas close to the sea, like the fjords of Norway or err, around south west Greenland (see below).
The HIRHAM5 model is one of very few regional climate models that are run at sufficiently high resolution to start to clearly see the climate influences of mountains, fjords etc in Greenland, which meant we didn’t need to do additional statistical downscaling to see results that matched quite closely the measured discharge from the lake.
We were pretty happy to see that HIRHAM5 manages to reproduce this record well. There’s tons of other interesting stuff in the paper including a nice comparison of the first decade of the simulation with the last decade of the simulation, showing that the two look quite different with much more melt, and a lower surface mass balance (the amount of snowfall minus the amount of melt and run – off) per year in recent years.
Now, as we work at DMI, we have access to lots of climate records for Greenland. (Actually everyone does, the data is open access and can be downloaded). This means we can compare the measurements in the nearest location, Nuuk, for a bit more than a century. Statistically we can see the last few years have been particularly warm, maybe even warmer than the well known warm spell in the 1920s – 1940s in Greenland.
There is lots more to be said about this paper, we confirm for example the role of increasing incoming solar radiation (largely a consequence of large scale atmospheric flow leading to clearer skies) and we show some nice results which show how the model is able to reproduce observations at the surface, so I urge you to read it (pdf here) but hopefully this summary has given a decent overview of our model simulations and what we can use them for.
Regional Climate Model Data from HIRHAM5 for Greenland
In this post I am linking to a dataset I have made available for the climate of Greenland. In my day job I run a Regional Climate Model (RCM) over Greenland called HIRHAM5 . I will write a simple post soon to explain what that means in less technical terms but for now I just wanted to post a link to a dataset I have prepared based on output from an earlier simulation.
This tar file gives the annual means for selected variables at 0.05degrees (5.5km) resolution over the Greenland/Iceland domain.
I am currently running a newly updated version of the model but the old run gave us pretty reasonable and could be used for lots of different purposes. I am very happy for other scientists to use it as they see fit, though do please acknowledge us, and we especially like co-authorships (we also have to justify our existence to funding agencies and governments!).
This is just a sample dataset we have lots of other variables and they are available at 3 hourly, daily, monthly, annual, decadal timescales so send me an email (rum [at] dmi [dot] dk) if you would like more/a subset/different/help with analysis of data. This one is for the period 1989 – 2012. I have now updated it to cover up to the end of 2014. The new run starts in 1979 and will continue to the present and has a significantly updated surface scheme plus different SST/sea ice forcing and a better ice mask.
I have also done some simulations of future climate change in Greenland at the same high resolution of 5km using the EC-Earth GCM at the boundaries for RCP4.5 and RCP8.5 scenarios which could be fun to play with if you are interested in climate change impacts in Greenland, Iceland and Arctic Canada. | <urn:uuid:4dd206cf-86d0-4d82-875f-a0a8ab8147f9> | CC-MAIN-2020-10 | https://sternaparadisaea.net/category/science-2/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-10/segments/1581875145713.39/warc/CC-MAIN-20200222180557-20200222210557-00007.warc.gz | en | 0.969025 | 6,779 | 3.1875 | 3 |
They Poured Green Liquid On The Floor. Can You Guess What They’re Making?
Many don't know this, but the world's oldest soap is the soap of Aleppo, hailing all the way from Northern Syria. It's completely natural without any synthetic chemicals or additives, and it's made almost entirely from olive oil: 82% oil, 12% laurel oil, and a bit of soda.
Now that the country is at war, many of the Aleppo factories have shut down. Luckily, there are still a few of the soap factories open in the country, and a photographer was able to capture these images of the ancient practice of Aleppo soap making. See the process below.
Here, the soap is being poured in liquid form across the floor to be spread evenly, hardened, and cut.
Here's the unconventional way that they make scores in the soapy floor, after the substance is hardened.
The wait of the boy creates the perfect amount of pressure to cut through the soap.
The soap is then stacked an organized in preparation for shipment.
Soap of Aleppo was once only popular in this part of the world, but over the years has become well known in Japan, the United States, and Europe. | <urn:uuid:429e7ccc-21d5-40e2-9dfa-c393bb11e00d> | CC-MAIN-2017-39 | http://www.lifebuzz.com/olive-soap/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-39/segments/1505818696653.69/warc/CC-MAIN-20170926160416-20170926180416-00717.warc.gz | en | 0.973749 | 252 | 2.640625 | 3 |
Triclosan No Better Than Plain Soap
Pesticide in Soap, Toothpaste and Breast Milk - Is It Kid-Safe?: Triclosan No Better Than Plain Soap
The American Medical Association, Food and Drug Administration, and at least 40 researchers from 13 universities and public institutions worldwide have concluded that antimicrobial soap does not work any better than plain soap and water at preventing the spread of infections or reducing bacteria on the skin, according to our survey of the scientific literature and published agency positions. Findings from each of these sources are provided below.
American Medical Association, 2002
"Despite the recent substantial increase in the use of antimicrobial ingredients in consumer products, the effects of this practice have not been studied extensively. No data support the efficacy or necessity of antimicrobial agents in such products, and a growing number of studies suggest increasing acquired bacterial resistance to them. Studies also suggest that acquired resistance to the antimicrobial agents used in consumer products may predispose bacteria to resistance against therapeutic antibiotics, but further research is needed. Considering available data and the critical nature of the antibiotic-resistance problem, it is prudent to avoid the use of antimicrobial agents in consumer products."
Tan L, Nielsen NH, Young DC, Trizna Z. 2002. Council on Scientific Affairs, American Medical Association. Use of antimicrobial agents in consumer products. Arch Dermatol. 138(8):1082-6.
Food and Drug Administration Nonprescription Drugs Advisory Committee, 2005
"The data we saw said handwashing was pretty effective, plain handwashing, and there was no data that I saw that was very convincing that antiseptic handwashing was substantially more effective."
Alastair Wood, M.D. (Committee Chair), FDA Non-Prescription Drugs Advisory Committee. October 20, 2005 meeting transcript p. 354-355. Available from
University of Minnesota, 2008
“The two antimicrobial soaps tested showed minimal virus reduction ... which is similar to that obtained by washing hands without any soap ... These results indicate that triclosan-containing antimicrobial soaps … may be inadequate for preventing norovirus transmission.”
Lages SL, Ramakrishnan MA, Goyal SM. 2008. In-vivo efficacy of hand sanitisers against feline calicivirus: a surrogate for norovirus. J Hosp Infect. 68(2):159-63.
University of Michigan, Columbia University, and Tufts University School of Medicine, 2007
“Soaps containing triclosan within the range of concentrations commonly used in the community setting (0.1%-0.45% wt/vol) were no more effective than plain soap at preventing infectious illness symptoms and reducing bacterial levels on the hands.”
Aiello AE, Larson EL, Levy SB. 2007. Consumer antibacterial soaps: effective or just risky? Clin Infect Dis. 45 Suppl 2:S137-47.
Swiss Tropical Institute, Basel, Switzerland, 2007
“The benefit achieved by the addition of Triclosan was not statistically significant.”
“The results strongly argue for regular soap use against common dermatomycoses as a low-cost and effective treatment.”
Dinkela A, Ferié J, Mbata M, Schmid-Grendelmeier M, Hatz C. 2007. Efficacy of triclosan soap against superficial dermatomycoses: a double-blind clinical trial in 224 primary school-children in Kilombero District, Morogoro Region, Tanzania. Int J Dermatol. 46 Suppl 2:23-8.
Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Public Health, 2006
“By washing one's hands, about 99% of the viruses can be removed, compared with simply rinsing one's hands in running water. Washing one's hands with alcohol, chlorhexidine, quaternary ammonium, or 3 other kinds of hand soaps (containing povidone-iodine, triclosan, and isopropylmethyl phenol, respectively), was also effective for removing viruses. These results suggest that washing one's hands may be an effective method of preventing viral gastroenteritis.”
Mori K, Hayashi Y, Noguchi Y, Kai A, Ohe K, Sakai S, Hara M, Morozumi S. 2006. [Effects of handwashing on Feline Calicivirus removal as Norovirus surrogate]. Kansenshogaku Zasshi. 80(5):496-500. [Article in Japanese]
University of Michigan, Tufts University School of Medicine, and Columbia University, 2005
“Currently, no evidence suggests that use of antibacterial soap containing 0.2% triclosan provides a benefit over plain soap in reducing bacterial counts and rate of infectious symptoms in generally healthy persons in the household setting.”
Aiello AE, Marshall B, Levy SB, Della-Latta P, Lin SX, Larson E. 2005. Antibacterial cleaning products and drug resistance. Emerg Infect Dis. 11(10): 1565-1570. Available from http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/EID/vol11no10/04-1276.htm.
University of North Carolina Health Care System, University of Maryland, and Duke University, 2005
“Effective hand hygiene for high levels of viral contamination with a nonenveloped virus was best achieved by physical removal with a nonantimicrobial soap or tap water alone.”
Sickbert-Bennett EE, Weber DJ, Gergen-Teague MF, Sobsey MD, Samsa GP, Rutala WA. 2005. Comparative efficacy of hand hygiene agents in the reduction of bacteria and viruses. Am J Infect Control. 33(2):67-77.
Columbia University, University of Michigan, New York Presbyterian Hospital, and Tufts University School of Medicine, 2003
“Overall, there were no significant differences in pre-to-post handwashing counts at baseline (p = 0.41), but by the end of one year, post-wash counts were significantly lower than pre-wash (p = 0.000) for those using either antimicrobial or plain soap. There were no significant differences in mean log counts either before or after handwashing between those using the antimicrobial or plain soap at baseline or after a year of use (all p values > 0.28)... A single handwash had minimal effect on quantity of hand flora, but there were significant effects over time, regardless of whether antimicrobial or plain soap was used. In the absence of more definitive evidence, the risk-benefit ratio argues in favor of targeted rather than ubiquitous, general household use of antimicrobial soap.”
Larson E, Aiello A, Lee LV, Della-Latta P, Gomez-Duarte C, Lin S. 2003. Short- and long-term effects of handwashing with antimicrobial or plain soap in the community. J Community Health. 28(2):139-50.
Kansai Medical University, Osaka, Japan
“[Triclosan] was much less effective than hand soap against hand surface bacteria.”
Namura S, Nishijima S, McGinley KJ, Leyden JJ. 1993. A study of the efficacy of antimicrobial detergents for hand washing: using the full-hand touch plates method. J Dermatol. 20(2):88-93.
John Hopkins University School of Nursing and Columbia University, 1989
“There were no significant differences between products in mean log10 colony-forming units after the initial wash (p = 0.61), nor were there significant differences in products after 5 days among subjects washing six times per day.”
Larson E, Mayur K, Laughon BA. 1989. Influence of two handwashing frequencies on reduction in colonizing flora with three handwashing products used by health care personnel. Am J Infect Control. 17(2):83-8.
Researchers from Hospital Infection Research Laborabory, Birmingham England, 1988
“Alcoholic preparations, particularly n-propanol and isopropanol were the most effective showing LRs of 3.1-3.8. Chlorhexidine (LR 2.9) and povidone-iodine detergent preparations were significantly more effective than non-medicated soap (LR 2.1), but triclosan products were not.”
Ayliffe GA, Babb JR, Davies JG, Lilly HA. 1988. Hand disinfection: a comparison of various agents in laboratory and ward studies. J Hosp Infect. 11(3):226-43. | <urn:uuid:03432773-a553-4e71-8ef4-e1255a0d1e6d> | CC-MAIN-2014-15 | http://www.ewg.org/research/pesticide-soap-toothpaste-and-breast-milk-it-kid-safe/triclosan-no-better-plain-soap | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2014-15/segments/1398223202774.3/warc/CC-MAIN-20140423032002-00147-ip-10-147-4-33.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.899782 | 1,827 | 2.796875 | 3 |
By Tom Sanchez, Captain, Hollywood Police Department, Florida
|Courtesy Hollywood Police Department|
aw enforcement, social services agencies, community-based organizations, and schools all can play a role in helping a young person to develop and keep from entering the juvenile justice systems. Prevention and intervention programs can address risk factors for troubled youths or provide services that give young people choices other than criminal activity.
To ensure that the school systems and police department personnel are familiar with the array of services that can assist at-risk kids in their own community, police leadership needs to develop and put in place an appropriate referral system providing adequate assistance to the at-risk youth. Law enforcements' contact with troubled youth puts officers in a position to make a difference in a child's life. The availability of law enforcement to respond around-the-clock makes police agencies very attractive to call for just about every problem and create the opportunities for the police to take proactive steps to make referrals to available services. When the officer coming into contact with troubled youth has firsthand knowledge of the youth, his or her surroundings, and the programs available to help, this knowledge plays a crucial role that extends beyond that of an enforcer. But this prevention and intervention does not happen by magic, it requires planning, communicating, and organizing a referral system and most importantly leadership in using the system.
Leading a police department into a proactive referral system for troubled youth requires conducting a needs assessment in the community, inventorying available programs, developing needed programs, continuously evaluating to ensure the programs work, preparing a formal referral system, and training personnel in the using these systems.
In establishing a referral system, the first step is to determine how many at-risk kids the department will be referring. The information obtained can be used as a guide as to whom, when, where and how the services are needed. When conducting the needs assessment, consider these elements:
- How many juveniles live in the jurisdiction?
- How many juvenile arrests?
- What is the most common age of the arrestees?
- What types of criminal charges are most common?
- Are there any geographical trends?
- Are there higher incident rates from youth that attend a particular school?
- Are there any social, racial, gender, or economical similarities?
- How often do officers come into contact with an at-risk youth outside of arrest situations?
- Are there jurisdictional issues (students living outside the jurisdiction or county but attends the local school)?
This information can be used as a baseline for determining the needs in a particular area. For instance, if there were a large number of at-risk Hispanic youth, then an intervention program tailored to Hispanics would have the greatest impact. Gang influence has spread from major cities to smaller towns; where there is a gang presence, gang intervention programs are most beneficial.
Troubled youth who live outside the jurisdiction but frequently have contact with officers present a special challenge. School boundaries and jurisdictional boundaries are rarely the same. The magnet schools concept is an example of drawing in youth that live outside of jurisdictional boundaries but may still require intervention. The two major issues in this situation are qualifying for the service and transportation to receive the service. Often the financial assistance provided for the service limits treatment to residents of the taxable jurisdictional area. Also, since most of these services are provided after school hours, transportation home can become another problem to overcome. When conducting the needs assessment, these unusual factors need to be considered.
The second step in providing a referral system is to identify services that are already available to youth. If a juvenile commits a crime and enters the juvenile justice system, he or she might be handled either with a judicial program or nonjudicial program. Figure 1 charts the different levels of possible actions. The decision about placement of the youth in the juvenile justice continuum must take into account the type of crime, the background of the juvenile, and the available resources at the time.
Usually, prevention and intervention services are divided into three subcategories: (1) school services, (2) county social services, and (3) community-based organizations. Resources need to be gathered from all three categories to develop an appropriate referral system.
Juvenile intervention facilities conduct evaluation, assessment, counseling, and referrals of juveniles that have been arrested to programs that address their needs. When developing a list of possible referrals, this is an ideal place to get acquainted with a number of different types of programs for at-risk kids. The counselors and caseworkers can provide insight into the effectiveness of the programs. However, this listing is not exhaustive, since many of the troubled youth will need services less intense than those provided to the juveniles already arrested. When developing this referral list, look to the community-based service organizations as well as official government agencies.
National organizations that deal with juveniles can furnish a list of referral programs that they use. These organizations also fund numerous other programs that may be available in the community. The grant-funded programs will have information on past programs and reports on their success rate. The local United Way can provide information also. For example, United Way of Broward County, Florida, distributes a brochure called Agency Listing that contains public assisting agencies. Other examples of organizations to seek out are the state office of juvenile justice and delinquency prevention, the children services board, the federal prosecutor's office, the school board, the YMCA, and the Boys' and Girls' Club. Contact the local prosecutor's office (state attorneys) for programs that are used as part of sentencing.
From these resources a comprehensive list of organizations and services will be developed. Once this is accomplished, there is the likelihood that some gaps will appear in the needs assessment and programs available evaluation. Police leadership is needed to resolve this discrepancy.
Working with local organizations there is a possibility that some of these programs will be developed with local resources. Once the local organization resources are exhausted, it may be necessary to apply to the state for additional resources. The state will have an office of juvenile justice and delinquency prevention to develop and fund local programs.
Beyond the state office is the U.S. Department of Justice's Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP). OJJDP has a state relations and assistance division with funding for targeted community action planning and community prevention grants program along with several funding programs, including the formula grants program supporting state and local delinquency prevention and intervention efforts.1 Attending local grant meetings can prove resourceful for funding opportunities. For example, the Edward Byrne Memorial State and Local Law Enforcement Assistance Program grants can be used.2 These awards are for use by state and local government to improve the criminal justice system, with emphasis on violent crime and serious offenders. It provides for drug counseling and a variety of juvenile grant opportunities, including new initiatives.
Becoming familiar with what the granting agencies are seeking in the proposals and what areas are being funded can mean the difference between receiving funds and not. In addition attending these meetings can provide information on programs being funded locally. These programs are a resource to agencies dealing with youth. Depending on the funding source, some of these funded programs would be obligated to accept youth referrals within its county at no cost. Typically, federal and state funded programs do not turn away youth, as doing so would hurt their grant statistics.
In Hollywood's experience, the best types of programs are coordinated efforts between police, courts, schools, and juvenile-serving agencies. The Hollywood Police Department incorporates the following elements in its program:
- Community intervention
- Bullying prevention
- Conflict resolution
- Violence reduction
- Classroom management
- After-school recreation
Some programs will be better suited to the local needs than others and many are specifically tailored to a particular part of the juvenile justice continuum. In this identification process, the programs without the experience or the ability to meet expectations should not be included in the department's referral program.
The third step in developing the referral process is to select from the inventory of available programs the ones that meet the local needs to be included as official departmental referral programs. An evaluation of efficiency and effectiveness of the programs needs to be established before they are selected as referral sites. Among the factors that need to be considered are the following:
- Does the program require a fee for the provided service?
- If a fee is required, how is it paid? Is it per youth or a flat rate per year?
- Where will the service be provided?
- If counseling sessions are involved, how many sessions will they provide for the youth or his or her family?
- Does the program conduct home visits? If not, how far away is the facility from the areas with the majority of the referrals?
- Does program involve the parents or legal guardian?
- How soon after receiving the referral does the program contact the youth?
- Will the program furnish the department with monthly or quarterly statistical reports and progress reports?
As part of this selecting process, solicit input from police officers, courts, family services, and others. At some point in time, each has come into contact with these service providers.
Once a program is selected it must be continuously evaluated. Periodical site visits are recommended to monitor the program. Each program should provide monthly reports to the police department. These reports should include the number of students treated, how many sessions, and dates of service. The type of questions to be reviewed in evaluating the programs include the following:
- Are there many repeat referrals?
- How is the program handling repeat referrals?
- Is the agency receiving feedback on referrals?
- What is the feedback from the treated juvenile?
- Have any complaints on the program been received?
- Are financial fees billed correctly?
- Is there input from the juvenile's school resource officer?
The continuous evaluation of the programs ensures that the referral programs are providing the services needed in the community.
The Referral List
An important part of intervention is to ensure that process starts early. The only way an early start is possible is through communication about the various available programs to everyone coming into contact with troubled youth. Many organizations that deal with juveniles are unaware of all the programs that are available and can fail to find the best fit for each juvenile.
Compile a list of intervention and prevention programs available in the community. The list should contain the program name, description of services provided, acceptance requirements and contact information. The author has found that there is a growing list of organizations and grants available. Every department member should have printed referral lists to hand out when needed. Most programs expire when the grants that fund them end. Therefore, the list needs to be maintained and updated at least yearly.
Most important, every officer on the department should trained in making referrals and should have copies of the referral list. When officers make contact troubled youths, they can give the list to the parents or guardians. It is also a resource for official referrals by the police department to programs.
This type of list should be distributed to help inform the community, parents, social service organizations, and schools about available resources. It is highly recommended that every department compose its own list to make available for distribution. Departments that have such lists have received praise from their communities and school administrators. The list becomes a great public service. It may reduce police calls and provide an alternative for parents to help their children without police intervention.
Hollywood's Referral System
The Hollywood, Florida, Police Department refers 45-50 youth per month from its population of 30,000 youth. After encountering a youth who needs assistance, the officer fills out a youth referral form. This referral is delivered to the Youth Services Section. Here, police employees decide which program would benefit the youth. The referral is then faxed to the appropriate program. Contact is made with the family within 72 hours, usually 48 hours. The Hollywood police department has teamed with more than 30 programs offered by government agencies, businesses, and citizen groups to build their referral options. Examples of partnerships include the following:
- The police department funds some programs. For example, the Hollywood Police Referral Outreach Program is given funding yearly to counsel youth referred by the department. There is no cost to the family.
- The largest hospital in the city, Hollywood Memorial Regional Hospital, has a grant that allows it to administer a youth evaluation system. It provides assistance to children ages seven to 17 who may be facing behavior, social, academic, or family difficulties.
- A former police officer started the Adapt (Adolescent Drug Abuse Prevention and Treatment) program through Nova Southeastern University.
- The Aspira organization, based out of New York, has branches in Miami and Fort Lauderdale. They provide counseling and mentoring to Hispanics and others. It is primarily a youth leadership program.
This is only a partial list of the programs available in Hollywood, but it does illustrate the diversity of services available in the community for troubled youth.
Westminster Referral Process
The Westminster, California, Police Department in 1996 initiated the Strategic Home Intervention and Early Leadership Development (Shield) program. In this program law enforcement officers identify at-risk youth and refer them to the appropriate community service. The Shield program asks officers to refer all at-risk youth they come into contact with, when the youth has witnessed a domestic violence incident or a search warrant executed in their home, even if they are not the focus of an investigation.
Police are required to file a referral when they learn of family violence of any type, neglect or abandonment, gang activity, drug sales or usage, arrests made associated with alcohol abuse, or any other call for service where the welfare of a youth is at risk due to the behavior of anybody living in or frequenting the home.
The report is then forwarded through departmental channels to the Shield resource officer (SRO). This position title should not be confused with the same abbreviation commonly used for school resource officers. In this case Shield resource officers did formerly serve as a school resource officers. The SRO then sends the student referral report to the Youth and Family Resource Team, a multidisciplinary unit that includes administrators from the local school district, nurses, drug abuse prevention specialists, social workers, counselors from a community service provider, a recreation supervisor, the SRO, and a second officer with DARE experience. Experience has illustrated that this sharing of information leads to more appropriate treatment recommendations than any single agency could provide alone.
Overview of Programs
Although it is understandable that each jurisdiction has different populations, demographics, socioeconomic levels, and their own particular problems, the following examples show how referral programs are working across the United States. In compiling this list the National Association of School Resource officers (NASRO) instructors provided the following data from their particular jurisdiction.
Jefferson County, Alabama, Sheriff's Department: This sheriff's department refers 45-50 youth a month to 10 different programs. The most used program is Teen Court. Officers have a referral list to hand out.
Avondale, Arizona, Police Department: This agency refers 15-20 juveniles monthly to five different programs. The one most used is the Avondale City Court Juvenile Intervention program. They have a departmental referral form for officers to use in making referrals.
Redwood, California, Police Department: Redwood refers 200-250 youth yearly. The main goal of their program is to divert at least 50 percent of first-time offenders from the juvenile justice system. They use in-house services, school programs, and other community agencies. The youth served are continually evaluated through direct contact and follow-up with other agencies.
Sarasota County, Florida, Sheriff's Department: This sheriff's department refers an average of 50-60 youth per month. The agency has approximately 30 programs. Child Development Center, a community assessment and intervention center, family counseling center, Jewish Children and Family Counseling Services, Coastal Recovery and Behavioral Healthcare, Hippy/Healthy Start, and their own Camp X-ray are just a few. The most used program by the Sarasota Sheriff's Department is YMCA Family Management. This national program provides counseling, family management, and a youth runaway shelter.
Park Forest, Illinois, Police Department: Park Forest officers refer 3-4 juveniles monthly to two main programs from a population of 25,000. The one most used is the Aunt Martha's Youth Service, which is funded by the United Way and other grants. For substance abuse they refer to the South Suburb Council.
Clinton, Iowa, Police Department: This department refers youth to 10 different programs that are state-, county-, and private nonprofit-operated. The police department tracks each referral. The one most used is a substance abuse program that is grant funded.
Golden Valley, Minnesota, Police Department: Golden Valley officers refer 15 juveniles per month to three different city programs. The truancy prevention program is the one most used. Periodic checks are performed to evaluate the programs' effectiveness.
Seattle Police Department: The Seattle police refer approximately 40 youth monthly to three different programs. Representative from the programs will periodically provide information about their services along with handouts at roll calls. The program most used is the Spruce Street Crisis Center, which provides drug and alcohol and family counseling.
Determining the Future
It is well established in criminal studies that the best predictor of future behavior is past behavior. Youth referred to the courts before the age of 13 are far more likely to become chronic offenders than youth whose initial contact occurs at a later age. Research suggests that juvenile offenders start committing crimes as early as age seven, which is much earlier than their first court contact. Therefore, the need for early intervention is crucial.
Prevention programs offer the best chances for success. Preventive interventions that focus on juvenile delinquency will benefit communities the most. The first step toward obtaining effective treatment is to provide families with access to juvenile programs and other services. A system should be established using graduated sanctions that hold each juvenile offender accountable, protects public safety, and provides programs and services that meet the needs of the community.
Using the contacts between officers and juveniles to refer at-risk youths to appropriate intervention program is a step forward in preventing delinquency. The more juvenile-serving agencies police can identify, the better the chances of finding a program that can help each juvenile. This, coupled with a well structured and well advertised referral process, is essential for every community to maximize the opportunity to save at-risk youth. ■
1For more information the U.S. Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, visit http://www.ojjdp.gov.
2For more information about the Edward Byrne Memorial State and Local Law Enforcement Assistance Program, visit (www.ncjrs.org/html/bja/edbyrne). | <urn:uuid:954d163d-82cd-4fce-9d99-9470a48d34bd> | CC-MAIN-2013-48 | http://www.policechiefmagazine.org/magazine/index.cfm?fuseaction=display_arch&article_id=409&issue_id=92004 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-48/segments/1386163054352/warc/CC-MAIN-20131204131734-00058-ip-10-33-133-15.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.94649 | 3,831 | 2.765625 | 3 |
The current Arkansas Foreign Language frameworks were created in 2013. K-8 Foreign Language Experiences is designed for most elementary and middle schools; these standards can be tied into the social studies curriculum by any classroom teacher. K-8 Foreign Language Acquisition is for elementary and middle schools that have designated foreign language teachers. Modern Languages I-IV replaced the previous Chinese, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Russian, and Spanish frameworks. American Sign Language (ASL) is now recognized in Arkansas for foreign language credit, and its framework document is based on the Modern Language framework. Spanish for Heritage and Native Speakers is an option for schools that wish to tailor a class to students who speak Spanish at home or with their families. Latin I-II is for schools that offer Latin. As of July 1, 2014, these documents replace and supersede all previous foreign language framework documents.
During the summer of 2018, the new Arkansas World Languages Standards were created by a committee of teachers from around the state. These new standards were approved by the State Board of Education on May 9, 2019. They are available for voluntary implementation for the 2019-2020 school year, and will be fully implemented by all districts for the 2020-2021 school year, completely replacing the 2013 frameworks. Each new standards document and a brief description can be found below.
This document is intended for use with World Languages I-IV (i.e., Spanish I-IV, French I-IV, etc.), Heritage and Native Speakers I-III, and Early Childhood and Elementary programs. The previous framework documents for Heritage and Native Speakers I-III, American Sign Language I-IV, and K-8 Foreign Language Acquisition have been consolidated with Modern Languages I-IV to create the new Arkansas K-12 World Language Acquisition Standards; therefore, these standards are applicable for all grade and proficiency levels.
These courses help students gain linguistic and cultural skills necessary in a specific career field (e.g., Spanish for Law Enforcement, Chinese for Business, etc.). These courses may be taught by anyone licensed to teach that specific language, with no additional licensure requirements. Likewise, course approval is not required to offer these courses. See the Course Code Management System for an updated list of available course codes.
These standards are to be used for Latin courses, and provide an introduction to the language, history, and culture of ancient civilizations. Basic instruction in grammar, vocabulary, and syntax prepares the student for reading and discussing selected works by ancient authors. Classical Languages II continues the introduction to classical languages with additional instruction in vocabulary, grammar, and more complex syntax. Reading and translating selections from ancient works builds comprehension ability. The Classical Languages II course includes advanced discussions of ancient life and culture. Division of Elementary and Secondary Education approval is not required. Courses in classical languages other than Latin would require course approval from the DESE.
Learn more about the standards that define the knowledge and skills Arkansas students should have in order to be ready for college and careers.Learn More
Find critical information about renewing Arkansas educator licenses, adding areas of licensure, licensing by reciprocity from other states, background checks and more.Learn More | <urn:uuid:b254cc49-5e84-40b5-809f-b4157e865504> | CC-MAIN-2020-29 | http://dese.ade.arkansas.gov/divisions/learning-services/curriculum-support/humanities/world-languages/world-languages-standards-and-courses | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-29/segments/1593655896905.46/warc/CC-MAIN-20200708062424-20200708092424-00515.warc.gz | en | 0.92682 | 640 | 3.234375 | 3 |
The term painterly applies to both the approach and technique that the artist uses when painting. Paint is applied in a loose, spontaneous manner.
A painterly approach puts less of an emphasis on realism and more on creating appealing colour combinations and composition.
The viewer may see visible brushstrokes in the finished painting with colours that meld together. In a ‘painterly’ painting, details may not be distinguishable, but tonal graduations and texture are used elegantly to create the illusion of detail. The term ‘loose’ is used interchangeably with ‘painterly’ to describe the style of the painting.
Many famous artists have used this approach, including Lucian Freud, Singer Sargent, Francis Bacon, Matisse, Cezanne, Van Gogh and Monet. Abstract artists, expressionists and impressionists could all be described as having a painterly style.
This technique and approach is perfect for beginners. To create striking painterly effects, it’s useful to have a grasp of some basic painting techniques and colour theory.
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Supplies needed to create a painterly effect
A painterly style can be achieved with any kind of painting medium. You can even create a loose style with oil pastels.
There are a few tools you can get which can make the process feel smoother.
- Paint: oil, acrylic, watercolour, oil pastel
- Consider using a limited palette
- Surface: canvas, paper, wooden panel
- Large brushes, stiff brushes, flat shaped brushes, palette knives
- Thickening mediums: for oil, for acrylic (optional)
Techniques you can use to create a ‘loose’ painting style
The impasto technique involves thick applications of paint that retain visible brush strokes and texture on the canvas. Apply paint with a stiff brush or a palette knife. Wonderfully dynamic effects can be created by using this technique.
Van Gogh often painted in short, impasto, loose brush strokes, varying in colour. When you get up-close to his work, you can appreciate the textured effect.
Read more about this technique in our impasto guide.
Alla prima (wet-on-wet) technique
To paint alla prima (wet-on-wet), build layers of wet paint on your surface. The aim of painting alla prima is to finish the piece, or the section of your painting, before the first application of paint dries.
This technique suits oil and watercolour painting perfectly. If you want to use this technique with acrylic, you will have to get a slow drying medium.
Oil paint takes around 2-3 days to dry, so as long as you paint fairly quickly, it’s achievable to finish the painting before it starts drying. However, if you want to paint more slowly, get a slow drying medium to delay the drying process of oil.
Painting wet-on-wet is a fast and spontaneous way of working. Some brilliant painterly effects can be achieved from working in this way. Colours meld and swirl together.
Singer Sargent favoured this technique, as you can see in his painting ‘Simplon Pass’ above.
To use this technique, I’d recommend getting some stiff brushes for acrylic and oil.
Another thing to keep in mind is the way in which colours are layered in the painting. Start with fast drying, transparent colours like earth pigments such as burnt umber, that you might use in darker areas of the painting. Titanium white is slow drying, so it makes sense to apply this later in the painting process, use it in mixes to create highlights.
Tips for painting more loosely
Thicken your paint
A distinctive element of many paintings painted in a loose style, is that the texture of the brushstrokes are often visible on the canvas. Of course, this is only possible with viscous mediums such as oil or acrylic. To create thick textures, paint impasto. Mix a medium such as Liquin Impasto, or cold wax into oil paint. Choose a thickening gel if you are working with acrylic. Mediums can help add body to the paint and speed up drying time.
By using a medium, you can extend the paint mixture, creating a much larger volume of colour. This can allow for thicker applications as you won’t have to worry about using as much of the paint itself (which can be expensive to buy).
Use texture to create areas of interest, express the salience of objects and subjects and establish perspective (make objects appear closer by painting with thicker texture). All these elements will come together to add another dimension to your artwork and make it stand out to the viewer.
Stand up at an easel
Again, this tip doesn’t apply to watercolour painters as much, but more to those working with acrylic, oil or pastel.
Standing up at an easel gives you the freedom to move around and encourages you to be much more gestural with your paint applications. It is something that helps to loosen your painting technique. By standing, you will be encouraged to stand back more often and look at your painting to see the whole picture. You’ll be much less likely to lean in and focus on tiny details whilst ignoring the composition of the piece, which painters tend to do more when they’re sitting down. Focussing on the composition rather than the details really is the objective of the ‘loose’ painting style.
The type of easel you choose will depend upon the amount of space you have and your budget. If you like to paint large, a H frame easel is the most durable option that can hold the largest canvas sizes.
With a hand held palette, you can move around with your colours, making it feel easier to stand up at the easel.
Get brushes with long handles
Supplies: long handle brushes
For oil and acrylic painting, long handle brushes balance in your hand when you’re standing up to paint, giving you better control.
You can choose where to hold them in your hand. Hold the brush nearer the bristles for precision, or nearer the end of the handle to make large sweeping strokes.
Paint with large brushes
One rule that people are often taught in art school is to paint with a brush as large as they can manage for the subject they are painting. Square shaped brushes are great for painting large areas, they also simplify the painting, preventing you from agonising over detail.
With a few strokes of the brush, you can create a representation of your subject. Opt to use a palette knife instead for a choppier look, or use it to remove paint.
Plan your colour palette
Be as expressive as you like with your colour mixing. The aim isn’t always to copy the colours you see in real life. There can always be an element of artistic interpretation when it comes to mixing your colours. If you want to evoke a feeling from your painting, you could opt to choose a colour scheme before getting started.
In this oil painting by Monet, only greens and blues were used, with a small pop of yellow. This limited, cool palette creates a feeling of harmony, peace and calm.
Read up on limited colour palettes if you’re not sure which colours to select to start mixing.
Another tip is to mix all your colours before you start rather than as you go along. As stopping to mix colours can disrupt the flow of painting.
Plan composition first
One tip that might suit your painting practice is to plan how all the elements fit together on your canvas before laying paint down. By preparing certain elements like mixing colours and having the composition established prior to painting, it saves you from having to consider composition as you go along. So you can just focus on the process of applying colour and on your brushwork.
When I plan composition, I’ll have several reference photos that I will use as inspiration, then draw thumbnail sketches in my sketchbook until I find a composition that I think will work. Then I sketch out my composition on canvas. Sometimes I will spend time creating an accurate drawing, other times I’ll sketch very roughly—especially if I can’t wait to get started.
Having a good foundation, by mixing colours that harmonise with one another and by creating an aesthetically pleasing composition, you will have more time and space to get into the flow of painting, create wonderfully interesting brushstrokes and perfect your brushwork and technique.
Be decisive when applying paint
To achieve that painterly effect, be decisive, intentional and confident about applying paint. This is about knowing which colour to apply to the right section on your canvas.
The aim is to analyse the reference closely before actually putting any colour down on the surface, then applying the paint in the right spot to create the desired effect. It takes practice to achieve this, however. The best way to practice is by spending time looking at a reference, soaking in the light and colour and details you want to include before deciding how to translate this to canvas.
Many artists, such as John Singer Sargent using a loose painterly style are reported to have painted in this way.
Be selective about which details you want to include
Although a loose painting style is characterised by a lack of detail, that doesn’t mean you have to omit all detail from your painting. Study your reference and consider if there are any details that make the scene appear unique, or could add interest to your painting.
The key to spontaneity is letting go of the fear of making mistakes and your vision of perfect results. Have fun with the process of applying paint to the canvas, experimenting with different effects and taking risks. If you do make a mistake, you can always scrape thick paint away with a palette knife.
Create transitional shades
One technique you likely won’t be using much of if you’re trying to create a painterly effect is blending. So, to create realistic tonal transitions and the appearance of gradients, mix transitional shades between colours to apply in impasto-like strokes. The more transitional shades you mix, the more realistic your colours will appear in your painting. Transitional shades between colours also work to create harmony in a painting.
feature image: Cuno Amiet: Blumengarten
Loose painting style: Pin it!
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Hi! It’s konkaz (@konkazuk) here.
With this blog post, we are going to have a look at the basics of “negative sentences”.
It’s very important to be able to say “No” to what you don’t want to accept, isn’t it?
When it comes to negation, I’ve got this story which is about what happened in the very beginning of my London life; the time I could hardly speak or understand English.
I was reading a book whose title was something like… “Japanese people cannot say No”, and having been encouraged by the book, I successfully turned the engineers who had come all the way to fix our washing machine away at the door three days in a row by just saying “No!”.
It goes without saying that my flat mates gave me a very cold look.
The act of negating is very important! W
Well, that’s enough of my appalling story and let me take things seriously from here.
The aim of my blog post is to improve our English-speaking skill, so I encourage you to read example sentences aloud without fail even if you find them easy.
Anyway, let’s get started!
- Basic negative sentences with “not”
- Expressing negation without using “not”
- Negative sentences that begin with “It’s not”
- “too … to 〜” structure
Basic negative sentences with “not”
Since there are several ways to express negation, let’s just begin with some basic ones that are frequently used in our everyday life.
As I stated earlier, the theme of this blog site is to improve our speaking skill by applying “self-talking” method, hence most of the example sentences here will be starting with “I”
Placing don’t (do + not) before general verb
“don’t” is the most commonly used one, isn’t it?
Let’s just deal with example sentences straight away.
Read them with a strong feeling of turning things down! w
I don’t like it!
I don’t have it!
I don’t want it!
I don’t want to do that!
I don’t know about it!
When you pronounce “don’t”, it’s fine that the letter “t” goes silent but let it still have a space for the letter “t” just like having a vacant chair rather than cutting “t” off the word.
Or it can be just like “a staccato note” with music.
Some of those who are often experiencing stressful occasions where you can’t really say “no” to your seniors at work might have felt better after reading all these examples aloud. Let’s practice several times so that you will be able to say “no” in real life.
You can also apply don’t (do + not) when the subject of the sentence is “You” or “They”, but when the sentence starts with “He”, “She” and “It”, you use doesn’t (does + not)
Placing didn’t (did + not) before general verb
Let’s go through the same examples with the past form.
I didn’t like it!
I did’t have it!
I didn’t want it!
I didn’t want to do that!
I didn’t know about it!
I guess you have read them aloud with a slightly calmer vibe, because it’s about the past… or maybe not. It probably depends on its situation. w
By the way, you can apply didn’t (did + not) for any sentences with past tense irrespective of their subject.
Furthermore, when you turn things down categorically, the word “not” is emphasised and is used separately like “do not” or “did not”.
I do not like it!
I do not have it!
I did not want it!
I did not want to do that!
I am + not 〜
You can simply apply your situation to “ 〜 ” to make your sentence.
Although there are exceptions, “adjectives” or “nouns” are normally used.
And… shortened form “I’m” is often used instead of “I am”.
I’m not happy with (about) this.
I’m not hungry, yet.
I’m not good at playing tennis.
I’m not interested in what you are offering me.
I’m not completely disappointed with the result.
I’m not you!
I’m not a machine!
I’m not there, yet.
It actually does sound stronger when not is individually pronounced, doesn’t it?
You can also apply aren’t (are + not) when the subject of the sentence is “You” or “They”, and use isn’t (is + not) with “He”, “She” and “It”.
By the way, are you reading the sentences aloud?
Past form / I wasn’t (was + not) 〜
This time around, “not” is combined with “was” and they will become “wasn’t”.
I wasn’t happy with (about) that!
I wasn’t hungry, yet.
I wasn’t good at playing tennis.
I wasn’t interested in what you were offering me.
I wasn’t completely disappointed with the result.
With the past form, when the subject of the sentence is “You” or “They”, you apply weren’t (were + not) and with “He”, “She” and “It”, you use wasn’t (was + not)
By the way, the reason why the word “was” sounds more like “woz” when it is pronounced by native speaker is because when they pronounce the letter “w”, they pucker up their mouth much more than we do!
So, keeping this in mind might help you pronounce it better.
I can’t 〜 / I cannot 〜
I presume we use the sentences that begin with “I can’t 〜 / I cannot 〜” very often.
I’m sure we go like… “Gurrrrrr, I can’t open this lid!!!!” when we try to open the jar of “Gohan-desuyo”, don’t we? w
I can’t open this!
I can’t do this!
I can’t call her now!
I can’t fix it!
I can’t sleep!
I can’t wait!
When you go emotional, the sentence that comes out of your mouth tends to be shorter than usual, I reckon…
Generally, those sentences are followed by “(It’s) Because ~“ to give some reason for why you can’t do it.
If you think you can come up with any reasons for each example sentence, then please add them to it and read them aloud!
Also, when it comes to pronunciation, “can’t” is a good example to hear the difference between British Accent and American accent.
I have found an interesting article that comes with YouTube video about it, so if you would like to have a look, here is the link.
…And one more thing.
As for the difference between “can’t” and “cannot”, it is said that “can’t” is casually used while “cannot” is preferrable for formal writing.
Negative sentences with continuous form
am + not + present participle (〜ing)
I presume that a negative sentence with continuous form can be typically used when somebody asks you a question like “Are you 〜ing, now?” and you reply… “No, I’m not 〜ing.”.
So, the chances to apply this form for self-talking practice might be slim… but anyway, let’s have a look!
I’m not doing very well.
I’m not taking it seriously.
I’m not thinking about what he said at all.
I’m not listening to her.
I’m not looking after myself.
was + not + present participle (〜ing)
The past form can possibly be used often when you look back at your past with regrettable feeling?
I wasn’t doing very well.
I wasn’t taking it seriously.
I wasn’t thinking about what he had said at all.
I wasn’t listening to her. I wasn’t looking after myself.
When you express something that is certainly going to be happening in the near future, the form of “be + doing” is often used, so let’s try negative version “am + not + present participle (〜ing)” of it…
I’m not playing tonight’s game.
I’m not seeing her this evening, because something urgent has happened.
I’m not picking him up this afternoon, because he is popping in his friend’s house.
And… you can also use the same form to give someone a flat refusal for what is happening in the future.
I’m not doing it (no matter what you tell me)!
I’m not leaving this place, because this is my house!
I’m not sharing the information with you!
Negative sentences with present perfect form
A negative sentences with present perfect tense is expressed with the form of “have + not + past participle”.
“have + not” is normally shortened as “haven’t” in a sentence and the word “yet” is often added to it.
I haven’t emailed him back, yet.
I haven’t had my breakfast, yet.
I haven’t done it, yet.
I haven’t heard from my sister, yet.
I haven’t told my dad about the news.
With the present perfect form, when the subject of the sentence is “You” or “They”, you apply haven’t (have + not)and with “He”, “She” and “It”, you use hasn’t (has + not)
Why not create your own sentences and speak them aloud?
Negative sentences with future form
There are two types of form you can apply to express negation for what is happening in the future.
One is “will + not (won’t)”; expressed by using an auxiliary verb “will” and the other one can be formed by placing “not” before present participle in the shape of “be + going to 〜”.
Let’s begin with the form of “will + not (won’t)”.
Keep this in mind that “will” is basically used when you are certain about what is coming in the near future.
And it also sounds stronger and slightly more formal than “I’m not going to 〜”.
I won’t have time to enjoy this cake.
I won’t be back home till tomorrow morning.
I won’t quit my job.
I won’t remember what I have learnt today because there’re too much of terminologies.
I won’t tell you the secret.
Since “will” is an auxiliary verb, “won’t” can be applied to the sentences with any subjects.
And as for the form of “I’m not going to 〜”, it is used when you mention something that has been planned previously.
I’m not going to help her unless she changes her attitude.
I’m not going to play outside even if the weather is fine.
I’m not going to eat this, because there are some tomatoes in it.
I’m not going to join the army.
I’m not going to see her.
Expressing negation without using “not”
There are several ways to express negation without using “not”, and some basic ones were selected and have been featured here.
Negative sentences with “no”
Since “no” is placed before noun, the sentence that includes “no” is created by using the verb “have” that expresses possession or with the form of “There is (are) 〜”.
Let’s have a look at the sentences with “have”…
I have no clue (idea)!
I haveno regrets.
I have no siblings.
…and with the past tense.
I had no money.
I had no time for you to talk about that matter.
Now, let’s try with the form of “There is (are) 〜”
There is no such a thing!
There is no way I can get out of here safely.
There are no bus stops on this side of the road.
There was no ketchup in the fridge.
There were no cashpoints in this shopping mall.
Negative sentences with “never”
“Never” is applied to express absolute negation meaning “not in any circumstances at all”.
So, let’s read these example sentences aloud with a strong sense of denial.
I never knew that.
Never talk to strangers in this town！
I will never see her again.
I have never been to Africa.
Never say never!
nothing / no one・nobody / nowhere
“Nothing” means “not a single thing” or “not anything”, so the sentences with “nothing” are created by using the verb “have” that expresses possession or with the form of “There is (are) 〜” just like how we did with “no” earlier.
I have nothing for you to give.
There is nothing for you to give.
I have nothing to lose.
There is nothing to lose.
The boy had nothing to wear.
There was nothing for the boy to wear.
“no one” and “nobody” are applied to “people” with the same manner.
I had no one to talk to.
There was no one I could talk to.
I have nobody to play with tomorrow.
There is nobody I can play with tomorrow.
“no one” is slightly more formal than “nobody”, therefore it is often used to write some documents such as dissertation and essay.
…and “nowhere” is used for places.
I have nowhere to stay tonight.
There is nowhere I can stay tonight.
“nothing” is often placed at the beginning of the sentence with a passive form.
Nothing is permanent
Nothing was said.
Nothing was delivered.
Nothing can be achieved if you don’t act right now.
“none” is often followed by a preposition “of” + collective noun, and its meaning is not even one of the group (often more than 3) of people or things.
“none” can be treated either as “singular” or as “plural”, but the latter is often used with spoken language.
When uncountable nouns or singular pronouns come after preposition “of”, it is treated as “singular”.
None of them are mine.
None of these mushrooms are poisonous.
None of these paintings are original.
None of this has happened.
“neither” is applied when you want to say two things that are linked are each untrue.
In fact, it is absolutely fine to apply the word “neither” when more than two things are mentioned, however it is popularly used when two things are referred to.
“neither” can be a slightly tricky vocabulary, so let’s slow down a bit here.
(And don’t forget to read example sentences aloud! 💖)
The word “neither” modifies singular nouns, therefore singular form of the verb is used in the sentence.
Neither guitar was broken.
Neither towel is dry.
When two things are mentioned, it is tempting to use the verb with plural form, but it actually is wrong.
Then how about these sentences? (Well, the answer is included in the sentences, though. w)
Neither of them is currently available.
Neither of us cares about throwing the rubbish away.
Neither of us was happy about the new place.
You might get confused because you see preposition “of” is followed by plural forms “them” and “us”, however, if you think like… the word “neither” is modifying each of “them” or “us”, you can treat them as singular ones, hence it makes sense that singular forms of the verb are being applied here.
However, in reality, usage of plural form of the verb has penetrated society as a spoken language.
By the way, if there are more than 3 people within “them” or “us”, the word “none” is generally applied in the sentence.
A common mistake that is often made by beginning learners of English
When you agree with someone, it often goes like…
A: ”I love piano jazz music.”
B: “Really? Me, too!”
But when you disagree with someone…
A: ”I don’t like smokers, to be honest.”
B: “Me too!”
If you translate what has been said by person B here into Japanese, nothing seems to be wrong, but it is actually wrong in English.
When you agree to someone’s negative remark, “Me neither!” is the correct answer.
If the remark of person A is “I hate smokers, to be honest.”, as you can see that there is no negative form included within a sentence, hence you can use the phrase “Me too!”.
By the way, the phrase “Me neither!” is used not just for replying to the sentences of “liking/disliking”, but you use it whenever you agree to someone’s remark with negative form.
Let’s read a few more sentences aloud so that you get used to the pattern of it.
A: I didn’t understand what she was saying.
B: Me neither!
A: I didn’t know that he was an Italian.
B: Me neither!
A: I don’t think that picnic will be happening with this weather.
B: Me neither!
A: I don’t care about the colour of it.
B: Me neither!
A: I didn’t know that it was your birthday !
B: Me neither!(w)
How do you pronounce “neither”?
When it comes to the pronunciation of “neither”, I guess you realised the fact at some point of your listening process that there are two ways of pronouncing it, and you might be wondering which one of the two to choose…?
To be honest, you can simply pick whichever one is easy for you to pronounce, however…
🇬🇧 British accent [naɪ.ðər]
🇺🇸 American accent [niː.ðər]
As you can see, the difference derives from the accent of these two countries, so if you are particularly aiming at achieving one of these, then you probably better stick to the one！
Negative sentences that begin with “It’s not”
Starting negative sentences with “It’s not” is very common, so let’s master it here.
Even though the example sentences here are pieces of cake for you, please read them aloud so that they will come out of your mouth automatically.
“It’s not 〜 for …”
It’s not good for me.
It’s not enoughfor Steve.
You can use the form of “It’s not 〜” for the sentences with past tense, however “It wasn’t 〜” is preferable so that the difference between present and past can be seen.
It wasn’t acceptable for them.
It wasn’t attractive for women.
You can also add “to + verb” in order to create sentences more specific…
It’s not difficult for me to use chopsticks.
It’s not really easy for Jade to resist these sweets.
It wasn’t possible for him to open the lid.
It wasn’t loud enough for them to hear.
nouns are also applied instead of adjectives…
It’s not a problem for me.
It wasn’t a good timing for the cat to cross the road.
The position of “for person(s)/thing(s)” and “to+verb” can be swapped sometimes.
(It depends on the “flow” of the sentences.)
It’s not difficult to understand for him.
It’s not a straightforward issue to solve for the landlord.
It wasn’t a practical way to carry out for the team.
“too … to 〜” structure
“too … to 〜” is a structure that is popularly used in our daily life to form negative sentences.
As you have heard the phrase “too much!”, the nuance of negation within the structure is in the word “too”.
It’s too cold!
This is too tight!
That is too small!
and then you add “to+verb” to complete the structure.
👉 It’s too cold to hold!
👉 This is too tight to take out!
👉 That’s too small to wear!
“for person(s)/thing(s)” can be placed before “to+verb” if necessary.
Anyway, read them out many times so that the structure will come out of your mouth naturally.
I’m too tired to walk.
I’m too scared to move.
She was too worried to sleep.
It was too complicated for his level to solve.
It’s just too dark to see.
It was too sudden for me to react.
The ball was too fast to catch.
The girl was too young to understand the meaning of it.
I was too shy to sing in front of everyone.
Anyway, try to create your own sentences with whatever adjectives that might come up in your mind, and speak them aloud!
Anyway, thanks for reading all the way through despite its volume.
“Otsukare sama deshita!” | <urn:uuid:4783b31d-c0ec-43cd-a66b-f1ff238f7e47> | CC-MAIN-2023-40 | https://www.konkaz.com/eigo-jiru-026-english/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-40/segments/1695233510368.33/warc/CC-MAIN-20230928063033-20230928093033-00165.warc.gz | en | 0.953156 | 5,262 | 2.96875 | 3 |
One doesn’t commonly associate the slogan “make love not war” with the U.S. military. Indeed, the United States military is feared and formidable precisely because it has proven so effective at conceptualizing clever and innovative ways to search, find and destroy, often with the simple push of a button.
However, in a departure from these hostile traditions, in 1994 the Wright Laboratory, part of the U.S. Air Force, produced a three page proposal for a “gay bomb”.
Documentation obtained by the Sunshine Project, an anti-biological weapons non-governmental organization, found that the Ohio-based Wright Lab requested a 6 year, $7.5 million grant to create a variety of non-lethal weapons. The bluntly titled project, called “Harassing, Annoying and ‘Bad Guy’ Identifying Chemicals” reads like a bawdy proposal penned by a Bond Villian- Auric Goldfinger perhaps?
It proposed a bomb “that contained a chemical that would cause enemy soldiers to become gay, and to have their units break down because all their soldiers became irresistibly attractive to one another”. While the laboratory also came up with similarly questionable ideas, such as bad-breath bombs, flatulence bombs and bombs designed to attract swarms of stinging insects to enemy combatants, one has to admit that the gay bomb is certainly the most novel.
The Pentagon maintains that the love affair with the gay bomb idea was brief. However, the Sunshine Project thinks the Pentagon doth protest too much, finding that they “submitted the proposal to the highest scientific review body in the country for them to consider”. Indeed, the proposal’s information was submitted to the National Academy of Sciences in 2002.
The Pentagon certainly admits giving the project consideration, releasing a statement affirming: “The department of defence is committed to identifying, researching and developing non-lethal weapons that will support our men and women in uniform.”
Nonetheless, the project never made it off the ground. But the question remains: how did they even come up with such an idea? Perhaps the best clue lies in the political climate at the time. When newly elected President Bill Clinton attempted to lift the ban on homosexuals in the military, there was a din of saber rattling, pitchfork sharpening and moral hand-wringing from the military brass.
The general consensus among many leaders of the military was touted by the Department of Defence, “Homosexuality is incompatible with military service.” And that allowing gay people in the military would pose a security risk and disrupt the needed order for the military to be effective.The resulting Don’t Ask Don’t Tell (later fully called Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, Don’t Pursue, and Don’t Harass) compromise, which has since been struck down, was less than thrilling for the Pentagon at time.
In such a political climate, with rampant unfounded paranoia about gay people disrupting military discipline and morale, this project seems, notwithstanding its highly flawed premise, somewhat more understandable in terms of how they came up with the idea and why they believed it might be an effective weapon.
As to the science behind this military farce, while various companies, peddling scented sprays and rub-ons, find it expedient to claim that their product contains human pheromones which have an aphrodisiac effect, lab testing has lagged behind somewhat in actually confirming any of this. Admittedly, one section of the documents, entitled “New Discoveries Needed” acknowledges that, thus far, no such chemicals have been found to exist.
While the Gay Bomb project never became perhaps more than a pie in the sky dream of the Wright Lab, it has gained a second lease on life through news media, popular culture and even academia.
The news of this proposed weapon of mass de-lovin’ even spawned a musical, disappointingly entitled “Gay Bomb – The Musical”. Why they chose this title, as opposed to say “Brothers-in-Arms”, “Das Booty”, or “Saving Ryan’s Privates” is a mystery we may never solve…
For the attempt at making a gay bomb, the Wright Lab had the honor of winning the Ig Nobel Peace Prize in 2007. As the prize is organized by the Annals of Improbable Research, it seems to be an excellent home for the project, though perhaps a step down from the National Academy of Sciences.
Among other 2007 IG Nobel prize winners were Mayu Yamamoto (Chemistry), awarded for extracting vanilla flavour from cow dung, and Dan Meyer and Brian Witcombe, (Medicine) awarded for researching the side effects of swallowing swords. The levity of the event seemed lost on the gay bomb creators, however, who kept a straight face about the whole matter; they declined to attend the award ceremony to accept the prize personally. One hopes they were not insulted by this tongue-in-cheek gesture. After all, is all not fair in love and war?
- The U.S. Military’s Proposed “Gay” Bomb, Gay Star News, 11 October 2013, by O’rene Daille Ashley http://www.todayifoundout.com/index.php/2013/10/u-s-military-tried-create-gay-bomb/ | <urn:uuid:f72f92de-f11c-4b6b-bfe7-17ee81539b80> | CC-MAIN-2023-14 | https://timalderman.com/2019/08/20/gay-history-the-u-s-militarys-proposed-gay-bomb/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-14/segments/1679296945242.64/warc/CC-MAIN-20230324020038-20230324050038-00775.warc.gz | en | 0.961773 | 1,145 | 2.59375 | 3 |
Rafter systems are the main supporting structure and roof frame. Their design depends on many individual factors, among which were the rafters. Among the existing options the most popular were and remain rafters of uneven bars. They are eco-friendly, easy to install and fit.
Truss systems are built according to the shape of the most rigid figure - the triangle. The choice of construction is influenced by the type of roof, the length of the runs, the actual loads, the presence and location of the supports. Modern architectural delights often require sophisticated roof systems with complex trusses and multiple beams. But if we talk about basic concepts, then in construction there are two types of truss systems used:
Typical types of truss systems used.
Visual schemes help you understand the systems best. The choice in favor of a particular type is determined by the peculiarities of the future roofing.
Suspended rafters are installed if there is a wall between them or the supports are centrally located relative to the bearing walls of the building . The run between the supports should not exceed 6 m. The system allows the rafters to bend, as with beams, the design is very easy.
Hanging truss systems are used to block large spans where there are no buffer supports. The system works in bending and compression. It also gives a strong horizontal arching force, which is regulated by tightening (it connects the rafter legs with it).
Often, puffs are installed at the base of the rafters, so that the structure plays the role of a beam for the ceiling and allows you to make an attic. If this is not necessary, the tightening can be set higher. Keep in mind that with an increase in the installation level, the density of the puff itself increases (the higher it is set, the stronger it should be).
Truss systems can be alternated. Where there are supports, lay rafters slit, and where there is not - a hanging system is used. In most cases, the rafters are installed across the long side of the house, because of which the span is rarely more than 6 m. Otherwise, the system is supplemented with auxiliary elements. To clarify all the nuances, it is better to entrust the design and selection of the type of rafters to professionals.
Calculation of the truss system for a dual-pitch roof.
Any construction always begins with design and calculations. In this regard, the development of the system of rafters is a complex and time-consuming process, because the roof should not only provide protection from external factors and save heat, but also withstand a lot of loads, which is why calculations of building rafters cannot be done offhand.
All effective floor loads are divided into two categories. Permanent loads imply weight:
A: variable loads should be understood as the mass:
In the calculations, we take the maximum weight of all the elements that exert a load on one square meter of overlap. If this is not possible, then the mass of each individual element is taken into account.
Particular attention should be paid to the weight of wood and the type of rafters system; these two factors directly affect the specifics of the calculations.
Fixing units for the truss system.
Making a competent calculation of all the necessary data, taking into account the various nuances of a simple man in the street can be very difficult. Considering the above, it is better to entrust this matter to qualified design engineers.
If you decide to do everything yourself, you can apply a special formula to calculate the snow pressure on the roof:
S = Sg * µ,
where Sg is the mass of snow per m 2 of the horizontal surface, µ is the coefficient for calculating the pressure on the inclined surface.
The value of µ with a slope less than 25 ° = 1, up to 60 ° = 0.7. In cases where the angle is greater than 60 °, the effect of snow cover is not taken into account.
As in the case of snow, there is a formula for calculating the impact of wind:
Wm = Wo * K * C,
where Wo is the value of wind pressure, C is aerodynamic coefficient, K - factor accounting for changes in wind pressure relative to altitude.
rafters of a shed roof.
With a roof slope of less than 30 °, the wind tends to knock it down, and with a slope of more than 30 °, lift it.
The calculation of the mass of the roof depends on the characteristics of the building materials, and the calculation of the weight of the truss depends on the type of roof chosen.
The load on the linear meter of a rafter foot can be determined using the formula:
Qr = A * Q,
where A is the distance between the rafters, Q is the total pressure per m 2 overlap.
The calculation of the maximum length of the working section of the leg and the minimum cross-section of the beam has many nuances and is performed according to special tables, taking into account the inclination of the roof, the resistance and the type of materials used.
In view of the many nuances, it is better for specialists to entrust the calculation of wind loads. Professional calculation will help avoid operational problems, save your nerves and money.
The design of the roof system of a sloping roof.
Before the start of construction work, you need to purchase all the necessary materials. Their quality will determine how long the finished truss system will last. Take your choice responsibly. The rafters system consists of a mauerlat, main beam, shalevka and auxiliary materials.
The Mauerlat (harness) is the foundation upon which the rafter legs rest. The objective of this design is to evenly distribute the mass of the roof on the upper part of the walls of the building.
For a classic dual-slope roof, a timber-mauerlat may be 100x100 or 150x150. But the size of the section and the length of the main bars is selected individually, based on the characteristics of each individual design. So, there are no universal sizes, there is a minimum and a maximum, which are equal to 100x50 and 200x200, respectively. However, it is not recommended to use them when building a residential house. The most commonly used bars are 50x150 or 80x180. The choice in their favor is explained by the fact that these options are strong enough and can withstand serious loads. At the same time, they do not overload the house.
The purchase of materials is completed by the selection of edged boards (shalevki), which are nailed across the rafters to form the plane of the slope, and additional materials.
Scheme of rafters.
Raising systems, created by hand, require special attention to the materials used. Their humidity should be 18-22%, and the timber itself should be made of softwood (preferably pine or larch) without defects. In addition, we must not forget about the preliminary antiseptic, biological and fire-resistant processing, good drying of all wooden structural elements. It is on these factors that the duration of operation and the quality of the rafters depend. A system of poorly dried materials tends to warp.
Preparing the box will help create a single template and size for assembling the base of the roof. The goal is achieved by aligning the walls and eliminating all differences in their sizes. For alignment of walls of brick, block or stone houses screeds made of sand-cement mortar are suitable. In constructions made of wood used different lining.
The necessary equipment for work must be of high quality, but not necessarily professional. What is important here is not the brand, but the completeness, reliability and completeness of the set, which will ensure simple and quick installation.
Tools needed for work: Bulgarian, plumb, construction level, drill, handsaw, tape measure, pencil.
To assemble the rafters, you will need:
In addition to the "official" devices, home-made tools are often used, which greatly facilitate the process of assembling and installing the frame. For example, auxiliary templates are used to cut corners, control the distance between parts of a structure and collect sections of rafters.
The so-called barb will help facilitate vertical installation of the truss system. The fixture is made from a cut of a bar with a section of 6 to 6. On both sides of it, a corner of 40x40 is stuffed onto it. The ends of the corner are cut to get two sharp stops that prevent slipping and provide a safe lifting of the frame.
Insurance is also used to lift the structure. The unit is assembled from a cable, a lift and a hoist, it is used to adjust the length of the release, as well as to prevent the system from tipping over.
Key elements of hanging trusses.
Before assembling the rafters, you should be familiar with the type of mounting. It depends on the type of building. For wooden houses, use is made of a joint with upper crowns, of stone - with supporting bars. When installed on frame buildings, the system is fastened by means of a junction with a top trim.
There are only two options for assembling: assembling a roof truss on the ground and assembling directly on the roof.
The first option is suitable for lightweight frames and involves lifting the finished structure to the roof of the house. The second is used in order to assemble massive structures, which will be difficult to lift off the shelf without a crane.
A universal instruction that would fit under any construction project simply does not exist. Therefore, even if a complex rafter system is not intended, it is better to resort to the help of specialists. | <urn:uuid:f694f8be-3569-47f1-8a2a-9720c4697012> | CC-MAIN-2020-34 | https://frolleindanz.com/how-to-assemble-rafters-from-boards-with-your-own-hands | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-34/segments/1596439738777.54/warc/CC-MAIN-20200811115957-20200811145957-00151.warc.gz | en | 0.940613 | 2,022 | 3.140625 | 3 |
National Division Of Well being
In order to understand the phrase well being is wealth we must place some believed on the individual meaning and value of each words. What is well being? According to dictionary a word to word meaning of overall health is fitness of body or mind and freedom from illness or ailment. It can be physique fitness, mental fitness. According to Globe Well being Organisation (WHO), health is physical, mental and social well-getting and not only the absence of disease. I agree in my point of view, along with body and mind fitness an appropriate environmental fitness is also a vital portion of overall health. As u could have heard a lot of times that healthier environment is essential in every aspect of life. Just before prolonging the discussion on phrase wellness is wealth, I would like to shed light on the phrase wealth also.
Polk, 80, is a graduate of Harvard Healthcare College and received his surgical education at Washington University in St. Louis. He was a fellow at the Lister Institute of Preventive Medicine in London and the Pasteur Institute in Paris. He served as an endowed professor and chairman of the Division of Surgery at the University of Louisville from 1971 to 2005, exactly where he educated far more than 330 surgical residents and started a single of the world’s 1st hand-transplant applications. He remains a professor emeritus and in March referred to as for the resignation of U of L President James Ramsey.
Note: Avocados are fruit, but they include really higher amounts of oily fats and ought to be avoided unless you really feel incredibly fortunate or have been symptom-free of charge for more than six months. If you eat avocado, consume a extremely small quantity. revealed that a widespread definition was needed and desired. A … | <urn:uuid:39d47118-e3eb-4b69-8f47-c93878a8914a> | CC-MAIN-2023-14 | https://www.nt-nt.net/tag/division | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-14/segments/1679296948673.1/warc/CC-MAIN-20230327154814-20230327184814-00220.warc.gz | en | 0.972982 | 357 | 2.53125 | 3 |
The Gender Wage Gap: Why It’s Still an Issue in the 21st Century
In the modern era of supposed gender equality, one might think that the gender wage gap is a thing of the past. However, this is far from the truth. The gender wage gap refers to the difference in earnings between men and women for the same or comparable work. Despite progress in women’s rights and gender equality, the gender wage gap persists in the 21st century. In this article, we will explore the reasons why the gender wage gap is still an issue and potential solutions to address this problem.
Table of Contents
The Gender Wage Gap: What Does the Data Say?
Before delving into the reasons behind the gender wage gap, it’s important to understand the extent of the issue. According to data from the U.S. Census Bureau, women in the United States earn only 82 cents for every dollar earned by men. The gap is even wider for women of color, with African American women earning just 63 cents and Latina women earning only 55 cents for every dollar earned by white, non-Hispanic men. Furthermore, the gender wage gap persists across all levels of education and occupation.
Causes of the Gender Wage Gap
There are several reasons why the gender wage gap persists in the 21st century:
1. Discrimination and Bias
Discrimination and bias are major contributing factors to the gender wage gap. Even today, many employers hold outdated attitudes towards women in the workplace, which can lead to unequal treatment and pay. For example, studies have shown that women are less likely to be promoted to higher positions and are often given less challenging tasks than their male colleagues. Additionally, gender bias can lead to negotiation tactics that result in lower salaries for women.
2. Occupational Segregation
Another factor contributing to the gender wage gap is occupational segregation. Women tend to be overrepresented in lower-paying occupations such as teaching and nursing, while men dominate higher-paying fields like engineering and finance. This is partly due to gender stereotypes and societal expectations about what jobs are appropriate for men and women. This leads to a situation where women are concentrated in lower-paying occupations, while men dominate higher-paying fields.
3. Family Responsibilities
Family responsibilities, such as caring for children and elderly parents, often fall disproportionately on women. As a result, women are more likely to work part-time or take time off from their careers, which can result in lower earnings and fewer opportunities for advancement.
4. Lack of Transparency and Accountability
Another reason why the gender wage gap persists is due to a lack of transparency and accountability. Many employers do not disclose salary information, making it difficult for employees to know whether they are being paid fairly. Additionally, without a clear and consistent way to evaluate job performance and compensation, it’s easier for gender bias to creep into decision-making processes.
Consequences of the Gender Wage Gap
The gender wage gap has far-reaching consequences for individuals, families, and society as a whole:
1. Economic Inequality
The gender wage gap contributes to economic inequality, as women have less disposable income and fewer opportunities to build wealth. This can have long-term consequences, such as reduced retirement savings and increased poverty rates.
2. Career Advancement
The gender wage gap also affects career advancement opportunities for women. When women are paid less than men for the same work, it can be harder for them to justify asking for promotions or negotiating higher salaries. This can lead to a cycle of underpaid and undervalued work, making it difficult for women to advance in their careers.
3. Mental Health
The stress and anxiety associated with financial insecurity can also have negative impacts on mental health, particularly for women who are already more likely to experience mental health issues such as depression and anxiety. The gender wage gap can contribute to feelings of frustration, anger, and helplessness, which can have long-term consequences for mental health and well-being.
4. Societal Inequality
Finally, the gender wage gap contributes to societal inequality. It sends a message to women that their work is less valuable than that of their male counterparts, and perpetuates the notion that men are the primary breadwinners and decision-makers in society. This can have implications for gender roles, power dynamics, and social norms.
Addressing the Gender Wage Gap: Potential Solutions
While the gender wage gap is a complex issue with many underlying causes, there are several potential solutions that can help to close the gap:
1. Pay Transparency
One potential solution is to increase pay transparency. This involves disclosing salary information and providing clear criteria for evaluating job performance and compensation. By making pay information more readily available, employees are better equipped to negotiate for fair compensation and employers are held accountable for ensuring pay equity.
2. Equal Pay Laws
Another solution is to enact stronger equal pay laws and enforcement mechanisms. These laws would prohibit employers from paying employees differently based on their gender and provide legal recourse for victims of discrimination. Additionally, they can help to raise awareness about the issue of pay inequity and create a culture of accountability for employers.
3. Flexible Work Arrangements
Offering flexible work arrangements, such as remote work and flexible scheduling, can also help to address the gender wage gap. By allowing employees to balance work and family responsibilities, they are better able to maintain their careers and earning potential. This can help to prevent women from having to choose between their careers and their families.
4. Education and Training
Finally, education and training programs can help to address the gender wage gap by providing women with the skills and knowledge needed to succeed in higher-paying fields. This can help to break down occupational segregation and create more opportunities for women to advance in their careers.
Is the gender wage gap only an issue in the United States?
No, the gender wage gap is a global issue that affects women in countries around the world. While the extent of the gap may vary, the underlying causes and consequences are similar.
How much is the gender wage gap?
The gender wage gap varies depending on the country, industry, and occupation. In the United States, for example, women earn approximately 82 cents for every dollar earned by men. However, this varies significantly by race and ethnicity, with Black and Latina women experiencing wider pay gaps.
Is the gender wage gap illegal?
Paying employees differently based on their gender is illegal in many countries, including the United States. However, the gender wage gap persists due to a variety of factors, including discrimination, occupational segregation, and a lack of enforcement of equal pay laws.
How does the gender wage gap impact women of color?
Women of color experience wider pay gaps than white women, due to a combination of race and gender discrimination. For example, Black women in the United States earn approximately 63 cents for every dollar earned by white men. This has significant implications for economic stability and upward mobility.
How does the gender wage gap impact the economy?
The gender wage gap has significant economic implications, including reduced GDP and tax revenue. When women earn less than men, they have less disposable income to spend on goods and services, which can slow economic growth. Additionally, the gender wage gap can limit women’s opportunities for career advancement and entrepreneurship, which can hinder innovation and job creation.
Despite progress in gender equality, the gender wage gap remains a significant issue in the 21st century. It has far-reaching consequences for individuals, families, and society as a whole, and requires a multifaceted approach to address. By increasing pay transparency, enacting stronger equal pay laws, offering flexible work arrangements, and providing education and training programs, we can work towards closing the gender wage gap and creating a more equitable and just society.
Are you tired of being underpaid and not getting what you deserve in your career? Do you feel like you are constantly being passed over for promotions and raises, even though you are putting in the hard
Characteristics of a toxic boss often include partiality, disrespect for employee wellness, self-appraisal, enjoyment of gossip, and disregarding their staff, to name just a few. Although the descriptions
As women, we face unique challenges in the workforce. From pay disparities to gender bias, it can be difficult to break through the glass ceiling and achieve our career goals. But perhaps the biggest | <urn:uuid:2b038794-b834-4db8-878f-133484a4d25c> | CC-MAIN-2023-40 | https://www.realshepower.in/the-gender-wage-gap-why-its-still-an-issue/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-40/segments/1695233510326.82/warc/CC-MAIN-20230927203115-20230927233115-00317.warc.gz | en | 0.956476 | 1,720 | 3.671875 | 4 |
When Jesus entered Capernaum, a centurion came to him, asking for help (Matthew 8:5).
Into the Unknown … How do we find our way in the face of great uncertainty?
Uncertainty certainly feels uncomfortable, threatening, exhausting. Is seeking certainty the right response to uncertainty? Maybe not as much as we think.
Of our four Gospels, Matthew is the most Jewish in tone and theme. Matthew is the Good News written for a Jewish audience.
For the Jews of Jesus’ time, one thing that was certain was the clear dividing line between Jews and Gentiles. However much Jews would argue with one another, all agreed that Israel was God’s chosen people; the whole rest of the world (the Gentiles) were not.
Surprise: one of the earliest miracle stories in this most Jewish of Gospels focuses on a Gentile. A Roman centurion, no less, a representative of the power occupying the Holy Land.
The centurion has a valued servant who is extremely ill. He requests help from Jesus, who readily agrees. The centurion insists that Jesus doesn’t need to come all the way: soldiers understand authority, the centurion recognizes authority in Jesus, and so tells Jesus that all he needs to do is say the word and his servant will be well.
What will Jesus do? Just when we think we have things figured out, we have all the pieces well arranged, Jesus gets involved. And subverts our misplaced certainties.
This Gentile, Jesus says, has more faith than anyone in Israel! He goes on to upset the apple cart entirely: many “outsiders” will come from all over to the feast with Israel’s patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (this was a way of picturing “heaven”)—and the “subjects of the kingdom,” the supposed already-insiders, will be tossed out into the darkness (verses 11-12).
We thought we had God figured out. God blesses, protects and rewards the good, the moral, the faithful and obedient. Everyone else is under a completely justified curse. But Jesus blesses an outsider, a Gentile, an enemy, and uses it to illustrate God’s willingness to have mercy on whomever God wills. What is going on?
Understanding Jesus’ authority reshapes how we think about certainty and faith. Certainty has to do with thinking we have discovered the principles, laws, equations and rules by which reality operates—and once we have discovered them, we can now use them to control life. Even control God.
Faith operates differently. Faith operates along the lines of assurance, reliance and trust. The centurion does not come to Jesus because he has figured out how to command or manipulate Jesus. He comes because he has recognized in Jesus an authority that is good, healing, and life-giving. An authority that just might be willing to move in mercy towards a man who has no claims upon it, no rights to it.
More willing than anyone ever expected!
“… a centurion came, asking for help.” Where do you need God’s help today, this week? Have you asked … and have you taken some time to listen? God’s answer might come to you along unexpected lines, from an unexpected direction! | <urn:uuid:ed011bff-99a0-4303-a6e2-b33e7b35f75a> | CC-MAIN-2020-29 | https://www.chathamchurch.org/connect/post/certainty-overrated | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-29/segments/1593655897707.23/warc/CC-MAIN-20200708211828-20200709001828-00029.warc.gz | en | 0.956542 | 697 | 2.5625 | 3 |
R.E. and Christian Values
Summer 1 2020
Please find below resources to share with your children at home.
This half-term we will be focusing on Service as our Christian Value.
Resources for Summer 1 2020.
Parables were stories that Jesus told with a meaning. Jesus was an amazing storyteller and these stories were linked to the everyday lives of his listeners. These stories (parables) were about the Kingdom of God; they showed people how to behave, how to treat others and how to pray.
Parables - What stories did Jesus tell? Parables - home learning pack
- The Parable of the Two Builders
- The Good Samaritan
- The Parable of the Sower
- The Parable of the Lost Sheep
- The Parable of the Lost Son
Worship at home
In school we normally have worship everyday as a whole school or in-class worship. Lichfield Diocese have produced guidance to help you lead this at home. | <urn:uuid:69d307d0-ad89-46ca-abac-fcf344d1fe27> | CC-MAIN-2020-24 | https://www.hadnallcofeprimary.org.uk/Class-Zone/Class-Zone/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-24/segments/1590348509972.80/warc/CC-MAIN-20200606031557-20200606061557-00193.warc.gz | en | 0.970308 | 204 | 3.4375 | 3 |
From the NMSS:
Harvard researchers are figuring out whether the sex hormone testosterone
plays a role in getting MS or in how severe MS becomes.
Growing evidence of women during pregnancy and other studies suggest that sex hormones in women may influence MS activity.
In fact, estriol is being studied as a potential treatment for women with MS. But what about men? Several lines of evidence suggest an association between low levels of the sex hormone testosterone and MS in men.
Riley Bove, MD, of Harvard’s Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, just received a research grant from the Society and the American Brain Foundation to explore how blood levels of testosterone may influence whether a person gets MS and influence disease course. She’s comparing hormone levels between males with MS and healthy control subjects, not just in adulthood but also exploring prenatal levels and levels in children. The team is also examining whether testosterone interacts with vitamin D, a hormone that has anti-inflammatory functions and that may be protective in MS. They are also determining
whether higher testosterone levels might be protective against disability in MS. For this, they are linking hormone levels with physical and cognitive disability at two time points, two years apart.
This project could uncover aspects of sex hormones that could be manipulated to treat MS, and, if low testosterone is found to increase the risk of getting MS, this study could lead to strategies to help prevent the disease. | <urn:uuid:b5faf288-ea6d-4427-8060-247cebb42131> | CC-MAIN-2017-26 | https://70four70.wordpress.com/2013/06/27/do-sex-hormones-influence-ms-in-men-2/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-26/segments/1498128320679.64/warc/CC-MAIN-20170626050425-20170626070425-00057.warc.gz | en | 0.933844 | 292 | 2.578125 | 3 |
Buyer's Guide to Binoculars(A PDF version of this guide is available for your perusal.)
There are many considerations in choosing a binocular. Magnification and size are important, but quality and clarity are more important.
Unhappy with your current binoculars? You probably don't need more magnification, but rather greater brightness and/or better resolution from higher quality optical coatings. In other words, not all 8 power binoculars are created equally! Keep reading below.
Binoculars have numbers printed on them, for example 7x42, Field 7 degrees, 367 feet @ 1000 yards.
Size (Front Lens Diameter)
The diameter of the front (objective) lenses determines the overall size of the binocular. Compact binoculars have 20-28mm front lens diameters, medium size binoculars have 30-42mm front lens diameters, and full size binoculars have lens diameters of 42mm and greater.
The diameter of the lens determines the light gathering ability of the instrument. Larger lenses let more light into the binocular so you see in greater detail. Larger lenses are important when viewing in low light or in the woods. The absolute brightness of the binocular is a calculation called Exit Pupil (see below).
Power (magnification) is the degree to which the object being viewed is enlarged. Most binoculars magnify 7x, 8x, or 10x. A 7x binocular magnifies an image 7 times larger than it can be seen with the naked eye. The power affects the brightness and the field of view of the image. Generally, lower power is brighter and has a wider field of view than higher power.
Is higher power always better? No! Following moving targets such as birds in flight or footballs in play may be more difficult at higher (10x and more) powers because you have a narrower field of view. It may be difficult to keep the bird or ball in view.
10 power and higher may be hard to hold steady, therefore the images seem blurry or jumpy. The higher the power, the more the instrument magnifies our body movement from heartbeat, breathing or caffeine! More than half of our customers find a 10x binocular too difficult to hold steadily. Some manufacturers make binoculars higher than 10x and they can be very hard to hold still. Tripod adapters are usually available for these high power models.
Higher power binoculars may seem less clear if you are viewing on a hazy day. Heat waves, moisture, dust, or fog will be more visible when viewing through 10x binoculars rather than 7x or 8x models. Remember, binoculars (and telescopes) magnify not just your ultimate target but any particles in the air between you and that target!
Field of View
The size of the area that can be seen while looking through binoculars is referred to as the field of view. The angular field is indicated, in degrees, on the outside of the binocular. The linear field refers to the area that can be observed at 1,000 feet in front of you. A larger field of view means a wider or larger viewing area.
Field of view is related to magnification. Lower power has a wider field of view. Higher power has a narrower field of view. A wide field is desirable when viewing moving objects or when the binocular user may be moving (i.e. on a boat).
Multiply the angular field by 52.5' to determine the linear field. A 7-degree angular field has a 367' linear field at 1,000 yards in front of you.
Exit Pupil (Brightness)
Exit pupil is an important consideration. The diameter of the beam of light that leaves the eyepiece and hits your pupil is the exit pupil. The larger the exit pupil, the brighter the image. Large exit pupils are desirable for low light viewing such as dawn, dusk, in the woods, or for binocular astronomy.
The human eye pupil diameter is about 2mm in bright light, 3-5mm during normal daylight, 5-7mm at dawn or dusk and 7+mm in total darkness. You have good viewing when the binocular exit pupil is greater than or equal to the diameter of your eye pupils. If the exit pupil is insufficient for the lighting conditions, you will see less detail. It is much like walking into a dimly lighted room vs. a fully lighted room you see more detail in full light.
To calculate exit pupil, divide the size of the objective lens by the magnification of the binocular. The exit pupil of a 7x42 binocular is 42 divided by 7 = 6mm. The beam of light hitting each of your pupils is 6mm wide.
Consider the impact of magnification on exit pupil: 7x50 and 10x50 binoculars are both full size instruments. The exit pupil of a 7x50 is 7.1mm, whereas the exit pupil of the 10x50 is 5mm. The 7x50 will provide brighter images, yet less magnification.
Eye relief is the distance, in millimeters, that a binocular can be held from the eye and the full field of view can still be seen. This is important for eyeglass wearers because they cannot hold the binocular as closely to the eye as someone without glasses. Eye relief of 14mm or more is desirable for eyeglass wearers.
The coatings on a binocular are very important to the quality of the image you see. All optical glass absorbs and reflects light; light transmission through poorly coated glass can be as low as 50%! This means that up to half the available light is not hitting your eyes!
The optical elements of the binocular are therefore coated to reduce light loss and glare. This ensures even light transmission, brightness, greater clarity, sharpness and contrast. Lens coating levels range in quality as follows: coated, fully coated, multicoated, and fully multicoated. Fully multicoated lenses are the best with as much as 95% light transmission. Terminology may vary from one manufacturer to another; some multicoated lenses may in fact be fully multicoated. DiscountBinoculars.com can help you understand any noticeable differences.
There are two basic designs: roof or porro. By design, straight tube roof prisms are more compact, yet are more difficult to properly make. The incoming light is reflected five times in a roof prism prior to hitting your eye, meaning an inherent loss of light as compared to four times in a porro prism.
High quality roof prisms overcome this light loss with special reflective coatings to amplify the brightness. Inexpensive roof prisms will look dim compared to the same size porro prism model.
Porro prisms are designated either BK-7 or BAK-4. DiscountBinoculars.com would recommend that you do not buy a binocular with a BAK-7 prism system. BAK-4 prisms are denser and of better quality. To see t he type of porro prism, hold the binoculars at arm's length and look in to the oculars. If you see 2 perfectly round circles, these are BAK-4 porro prisms. If the two beams of light are more diamond-shaped, these are the less expensive BK-7 porro prisms.
Porro prism binoculars have a more traditional appearance than roof prism binoculars. Medium and full-size Porro prism models often have better depth of field than roof prism binoculars because the prisms are farther apart. Better depth of field means you will have more of the foreground and background in focus at the same time.
The distance between the binocular and the nearest object you can focus on, while maintaining a sharp focus is the near focus. Lower power generally has a closer focus than higher power instruments. There are some binoculars on the market with very close focusing ability, such as the Papilio series from Pentax with an 18-inch close focus! See butterflies with that model (or your shoe laces)!
The alignment of the optical elements of the binocular is the collimation. Good collimation prevents headaches and eyestrain. Very inexpensive binoculars usually have poor collimation. If you see a double image when viewing through a binocular, it may be "out of collimation".
If the binocular has been dropped, it may need to be collimated by the manufacturer. You cannot collimate a binocular yourself - quality manufacturers use laser collimation devices to ensure precise alignment.
When looking through a binocular, you need to adjust the two barrels around the center hinge(s) so that you see ONE image, not two images. That means the binocular oculars are properly centered on your pupils.
If you have close-set or wide-set eyes, not all binoculars will fit you. Roof prism designs have the closest possible interpupilary distance. Contact DiscountBinoculars.com for advice if you have eyes that are rather close together (or far apart).
Fit and Feel
There is a subjective aspect to choosing binoculars that cannot be denied! Some binoculars will feel better in your hands or fit your face better than others. Size and weight are factors, as are balance and quality. The staff at DiscountBinoculars.com has years of experience and will be happy to help you make your decision!
Waterproof vs. Water Resistant
There is a vast difference between waterproof and water-resistant (or weather resistant). Waterproof means the binocular has been purged of all moisture and air then filled with an inert gas and sealed with O-rings. Waterproof binoculars are fog proof and will suffer no internal condensation if immersed accidentally in water for brief periods of time.
"Water resistant" is typically a marketing expression that means the construction has very little protection against moisture. There are, however, some very good quality water-resistant models that will afford you good moisture protection because of their superior construction.
It is a common misconception that binoculars housed in rubber are waterproof. Rubber casing is for grip only and is not a determinant of waterproofing.
There are many zoom binoculars on the market with changeable magnification. A typical zoom will have powers of 7-20x. Beware of zoom binoculars! Most zooms are of bad optical quality and resolution. Most zooms feature magnifications too high for comfortable handholding (remember most of us find 10x to be the highest power we can hold without shaking too much). And, don't forget to calculate the exit pupil and field of view on zooms -most have dim, fuzzy images with very narrow fields of view.
There are some good quality zooms on the market and DiscountBinoculars.com sells them. The ones we don't sell - well, we highly recommend against buying them! They just don't provide acceptable image quality.
Fixed-Focus or Auto-Focus Binoculars
There are some binoculars sold which claim to have a fixed or automatic focus. These are units with the focus factory preset at infinity and will be somewhat in focus from about 40 feet (at 7x) or 80 feet (at 10x) to infinity. You cannot obtain a truly sharp focus and you cannot compensate for a left and right eye vision imbalance with the diopter control available on standard binoculars.
We do not recommend fixed or auto focus binoculars. They are a marketing gimmick and provide fuzzy images when compared to a focusing instrument. They feature low-grade prisms and coatings. A quality porro prism binocular has a wide depth of field that will require little focusing once set for your eyes.
Are $1,500 Binoculars 15 times better than $100 Binoculars?
Maybe! Top of the line binoculars can be clearer, sharper and brighter than comparably sized models at a lower price. But in recent years, medium-priced binoculars have improved considerably in quality and features.
Do you need the very best? DiscountBinoculars.com will help you find the right model for your budget. Many very fine binoculars are available in all price ranges; we specialize in binoculars, we know the market inside and out and we do not sell junk!
© discountBinoculars.com & Out of this World - All Rights Reserved | <urn:uuid:34baae9e-a3fb-4e1d-8bca-f1618427ffb7> | CC-MAIN-2014-35 | http://www.discountbinoculars.com/binocular_guide.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2014-35/segments/1408500813241.26/warc/CC-MAIN-20140820021333-00422-ip-10-180-136-8.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.931441 | 2,591 | 3.03125 | 3 |
Twenty-nine American states fail to require adequate health screenings for children entering school, according to a ground-breaking report authored by Children’s Health Fund. The report, entitled “Missed Opportunities,” examined school health screening laws in all 50 states (plus Washington D.C.) for 7 specific health conditions found to significantly impede a child’s ability to learn in school. The 7 conditions—known as Health Barriers to Learning (HBLs)—are vision problems, hearing difficulties, asthma, dental pain, hunger, lead exposure, and behavioral/ mental health issues.
Children’s Health Fund researchers assigned a letter grade to each state (plus Washington D.C.) based on the requirements and frequency of screenings written into State law for the 7 HBLs. Almost 60% of States earned either a “D” or an “F.” More than 41 million children live in these states.
For the states that earned “F’s” researchers were unable to find any HBL screening requirements upon school entry for vision, hearing, or dental pain. In the state of South Carolina, for example, researchers could not identify any requirements for students to receive basic screenings for these conditions even once throughout their K-12 academic careers.
Other low performing states required limited or infrequent HBL screenings upon school entry. For instance, the state of Utah only requires vision screening once in a student’s K-12 academic career, and does not require screening for any of the other HBLs, as far as researchers could identify.
Only Washington DC earned an “A,” as it requires annual screenings for 6 of the 7 HBLs while just six states earned “B’s.” 12 million children live in these highest-performing States/ territories.
See the original source or view the full report, which includes state grades. | <urn:uuid:a9a00a7c-706b-4b6b-ab94-9331737b6335> | CC-MAIN-2023-23 | https://www.magellandx.com/resources/missed-opportunities/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-23/segments/1685224656675.90/warc/CC-MAIN-20230609100535-20230609130535-00644.warc.gz | en | 0.950117 | 399 | 3.03125 | 3 |
|The Origins of the Special Agent Title|
By 1879, the Department of Justice title was changed to general agent, a supervisory role (this position was abolished in 1907). In 1894, a new special agent position was created under the general agent, investigating violations of the Indian Intercourse Act regulating trade with reservations. Secret Service personnel who were borrowed on a case-by-case basis handled the bulk of Justice Department investigations between 1879 and 1908.
In 1907, the year before the Bureau of Investigation (the FBI’s precursor) was created, there were three special agents in the Justice Department: one investigated antitrust matters, one handled investigations related to the government’s defense of suits before the Spanish Treaty Claims Commission, and one continued to handle Indian Intercourse Act violations.
In 1908 when Attorney General Charles Bonaparte reorganized the Department’s investigators into a “special agent force,” he hired nine Treasury investigators as special agents and put them together with 13 peonage investigators and 12 bank examiners. Whether all or some of the peonage investigators were called special agents is not known. The bank examiners were accountants and were originally called “special examiners.” A distinction immediately arose between special agents and special examiners. This distinction existed into the 1930s, when it was decided that all investigative agents—agents and accountants—were to be called special agents.
|Evolution of the FBI Badge|
The first badge of the Bureau of Investigation was issued in 1909, shortly after the organization was given its first name. By 1913, there were 219 agents carrying this badge.
Shortly after J. Edgar Hoover was named Director of the Bureau in 1924, discussions began on adopting a new special agent badge. Many designs were considered. The pattern ultimately selected featured a miniature shield crested by an eagle. This badge was issued in May 1927. These first shield badges were slightly smaller than the present-day badge and had a flat facial surface.
The Bureau’s name was changed to the Division of Investigation by the end of 1933, and momentum for a new badge design grew. At a national conference in Washington, D.C., special agents voted unanimously to retain the same style of badge but to have its size increased and to cast it with a slight curvature. The badges modeled in this fashion were first created in April 1934, but were in use for less than two years before changing a final time.
The design of today’s FBI badge was adopted in 1935, when the organization was renamed the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The new badges were first manufactured by the Robbins Company of Attleboro, Massachusetts and were numbered from one to 1,000. Some of these original numbered badges may still be in use today, as they have been returned by retiring agents and reissued to incoming agents. | <urn:uuid:3cf039f0-9024-4d8f-84b4-ee83eb130126> | CC-MAIN-2014-15 | http://www.fbi.gov/about-us/history/a-centennial-history/fbi_heritage | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2014-15/segments/1397609537864.21/warc/CC-MAIN-20140416005217-00100-ip-10-147-4-33.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.979102 | 583 | 3.625 | 4 |
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Lesson XII. The Intermediate State
|Title||Lesson XII. The Intermediate State|
|Publication Type||Magazine Article|
|Year of Publication||1913|
|Secondary Authors||Kimball, Mary Connelly|
|Magazine||The Young Woman's Journal|
|Date Published||December 1913|
|Keywords||Atonement; Resurrection; Spirit Paradise; Spirit Prison; Spirit World|
Introduction—The Savior and the malefactor—The problem—The world’s explanation—The plainness of Book of Mormon teachings—Alma to Corianton—An intermediate space—The times of resurrection—Spirits taken home—Home is paradise—The state of the righteous—The state of the wicked—Explanation of II Nephi 9:12, 13—Summary of doctrine—What Jesus did in paradise—The resurrection and the life.
Items in the BMC Archive are made publicly available for non-commercial, private use. Inclusion within the BMC Archive does not imply endorsement. Items do not represent the official views of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints or of Book of Mormon Central.
Get the latest updates on Book of Mormon topics and research for free | <urn:uuid:a285ab6e-8c3b-4b29-a8f8-caa634eb6bc7> | CC-MAIN-2023-14 | https://archive.bookofmormoncentral.org/content/lesson-xii-intermediate-state | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-14/segments/1679296949701.0/warc/CC-MAIN-20230401032604-20230401062604-00789.warc.gz | en | 0.74061 | 297 | 2.796875 | 3 |
Researchers slowed the approach of greedy gulls by an average of 21 seconds by staring at the birds versus looking elsewhere. Christopher Intagliata reports.
No trip to the beach would be complete without a swarm of hungry gulls. But don’t get distracted. Because one of those gulls may soon go after your food. “There’s a very small proportion of extremely bold individuals that seem to ruin the reputation of the whole species.”
Neeltje Boogert, an animal behavior researcher at the University of Exeter. She studied the food-snatching habits of gulls in seaside towns in the southern U.K. and found that very few—only the boldest—would actually take the bait. Or make that the bite.
The experiment went like this: A researcher crouched near a gull, then set out a plastic bag of french fries. For those brave gulls that then started to approach, the researcher either stared straight at the gull, as in “I see you, thief,” or the researcher simply looked away. And it turns out, staring down the gulls made them hesitate 21 seconds on average before approaching the fries.
The results are in the journal Biology Letters. [Madeleine Goumas et al., Herring gulls respond to human gaze direction]
Gulls aren’t the only ones who behave better when being watched. A 2006 study found that people paid three times as much for their drinks at an unattended honor-system coffee bar when just an image of staring eyes was displayed nearby.
As for the gulls, Boogert points out that we need to learn to live with them—because the particular species she studied, the herring gull, is on the U.K.’s Red List of Birds of Conservation Concern.
“The thing is: people don’t want to have a seaside holiday without gulls. So it’s just trying to find ways to harmoniously live with one of the only wildlife species we still have around in these coastal areas.”
So don’t turn your back on the gulls, she says. Both figuratively for conserving the species and, of course, literally—for conserving your lunch.
[The above text is a transcript of this podcast.] | <urn:uuid:c4688c51-7d9d-45d0-b5e5-a548e9e41243> | CC-MAIN-2023-40 | https://www.scientificamerican.com/podcast/episode/stare-down-gulls-to-avoid-lunch-loss/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-40/segments/1695233506420.84/warc/CC-MAIN-20230922134342-20230922164342-00193.warc.gz | en | 0.942681 | 490 | 2.703125 | 3 |
Most people are aware that obesity is one of the biggest risk factors for the development of type 2 diabetes. Shedding pounds can dramatically lower the risk for this condition arising. What many people may not realize is that losing weight may also help those who have developed weight-related diabetes better manage their condition. For those who undergo gastric bypass surgery, the evidence is mounting that this action may not only assist in controlling blood sugar levels it could also send the disease into remission.
One of the latest studies into this possible link between gastric bypass surgery and improve insulin sensitivity produced very positive results. The study followed nearly 50 obese women before and at 2 and 5 years out from gastric bypass surgery. Researchers not only noted dramatic loss of excess weight, after two years the patients’ insulin sensitivity rose markedly, as well. The improvements were noted at the five-year mark.
The study is just one of many that have been performed in recent years to gauge the impacts bypass can have on type 2 diabetes. The large body of evidence continues to grow that shows this procedure is an effective treatment when employed within a few years of diagnosis. Remission reports are also brisk, but patients need to be aware that this does not occur in every case.
The gastric bypass is one of the most commonly performed types of weight loss surgery. It involves the surgical shrinking of the stomach’s holding capacity and a rerouting of the digestive system to lower calorie absorption. Generally reserved for those considered morbidly obese, the procedure is gaining ground as beneficial for those with slightly lower body mass indexes who have presented with obesity-related health conditions.
People who are obese are urged to talk to their doctors about all their weight loss options. Losing weight can lower risks for a long list of serious diseases, including type 2 diabetes.
For years people who have struggled with their weight have found the gastric bypass the most popular option for weight loss surgery. That’s not the case any longer. According to a recently released study from the Cleveland Clinic, sleeve gastrectomy procedures now account for nearly half of all weight loss procedures performed in the United States.
The clinic’s findings were based on a study of some 72,000 patients who underwent bariatric surgery between 2010 and 2013. Back in 2010, the sleeve procedure amounted to only about 9.3 percent of all those performed while the gastric bypass held the lion’s share at 58.4 percent. By 2013, however, the tables turned with sleeve procedures accounting for 49 percent and bypasses only about 43.8 percent. Gastric banding was also counted, but it accounted for only 6 percent of all procedures in 2013.
The rise in popularity of sleeve procedures is being attributed to a number of factors. Firstly, this procedure has come into its own as far as research related to its safety and effectiveness are concerned. Secondly, the procedure is considered slightly less invasive than a gastric bypass. While both procedures involve the surgical removal of a portion of the stomach, the sleeve procedure does not involve the same intensity as the gastric bypass, which reroutes the digestive system a bit to promote weight loss.
The sleeve procedure involves the removal of a portion of the stomach. The remaining piece of the organ is then shaped into a sleeve with a banana-like appearance. This permanent alteration of the stomach is meant to promote weight loss by lowering the holding capacity of the stomach.
Bariatric procedures, such as the sleeve gastrectomy, are generally reserved for people who are considered severely obese or who have weight-related health conditions, such as type 2 diabetes. To learn more about all the options, consult with a healthcare provider.
While many people who undergo bariatric surgery and follow post-operative instructions well tend to flourish as they race toward their weight-loss goals, some patients may develop a whole new set of problems. For some, eating disorders may complicate post-operative days leading to aew set of concerns for patients and their doctors.
The Johns Hopkins Eating Disorder Program reports that up to 10 percent of its patients are now post-surgical. Some patients suffered eating disorders, such as binge eating, prior to surgery. Others, however, develop anorexia or bulimia following their surgeries. These individuals tend to obsess over every bite of food taken and may sometimes turn post-surgical vomiting into a habit, doctors warn.
Although post-surgical eating disorders are relatively rare, the numbers are high enough for Johns Hopkins’ doctors to warn that potential weight-loss surgery patients should be carefully screened and those who undergo such procedures should have enhanced post-surgical follow-up. Support groups designed to extend care to patients after surgery can be especially helpful, as well.
People who are morbidly obese may find that weight-loss surgery provides them the assistance they need to shed pounds and keep them off. Patients, however, are urged to carefully explore the options and understand the potential pros and cons of such surgery. While research has shown bariatric surgery can lower the risks of such conditions as diabetes and heart disease, it is import for patients to understand surgical procedures are not magic bullets. Patients need to do their part to ensure a healthy recovery. Surgery isn’t a diet – it’s meant to help make diets more effective.
If you or a loved one is considering weight loss surgery, it’s recommended that advice from a qualified bariatric surgeon be sought out. Patients are generally screened closely to ensure they are good candidates for procedures. Reputable weight-loss surgeons also make sure their patients have access to the follow-up care and support required to successfully transition into post-surgical life. When patients go into this type of surgery with their eyes wide open, guided by a reputable medical team, the results can make a difference in health and patients’ lives.
Bariatric surgery is an excellent way to promote long-term weight loss. Having a procedure done, however, isn’t enough to ensure permanent losses. While it’s likely a smart routine will be followed during the recovery period, some patients fall back into poor routines in the years following surgery. This can result in the weight that was lost coming back while undoing the health benefits weight loss surgery can provide.
Here are a few tips that can help those in the post-surgical stage keep the weight off that they’ve lost:
• Get support – Weight loss surgery can be a grueling ordeal, especially as the body adjusts to its new self. To promote healthy choices in the weeks, months and years after surgery, enlist support. Whether it’s from support groups or family and friends, having a little help along the way can make a big difference.
• Put together a team – Work not only with a bariatric surgeon to promote weight loss, but also other medical professionals that can assist. Nutritionists, for example, can help with proper diet while family doctors might offer assistance with launching a healthy exercise routine.
• Rethink food –Work to develop healthier ideas about food and focus on breaking any dependencies that may be present.
• Create smart habits – Try working to break bad eating habits by substituting healthier choices into the mix. Before long, munching on fresh fruit instead of candy will become a habit when the sweet tooth strikes.
• Exercise – Getting physical once medical clearance is given is an excellent way to keep pounds away. Work with your physician for advice in establishing and sticking to a routine.
Bariatric surgery is only the first step on a journey to lose weight and keep it off. In order to ensure the pounds shed don’t return, it’s important to develop a post-surgical plan and stick with it.
Preparing for weight loss surgery is a big deal and something that shouldn’t be taken lightly. Anyone preparing for surgery of this kind has certainly done their homework with regard to all the details surrounding this procedure. We do our research to find the best doctor, learn everything we need to know about the weight loss surgery we have chosen, and start putting together a plan for our new after-surgery lifestyle. But there’s one big component that can make the biggest difference when it comes to preparing for surgery and that is talking to others who have been through the very same experience.
Reaching out to others who have undergone weight loss surgery can offer unique insight into what you can expect from the procedure. In fact, this is probably the best information you can get prior to having the surgery.
So how do you go about finding someone to talk to about your upcoming weight loss surgery?
Support groups are a big part of the weight loss surgery community. There is tremendous transformation that goes along with such a procedure – both physically and emotionally – and it’s important to surround yourself with people who understand what you’re going through and what you’re feeling. That’s why support groups play such an integral role in the process. Your weight loss surgery center should be able to recommend a local support group that can help you:
- Prepare for surgery. You certainly have plenty of questions about what is to come. It can be scary to sign up for surgery of any kind especially one as life changing as weight loss surgery. Starting a support group prior to surgery can provide you with a starting point to a new life and give you an outlet for asking the questions you want answered before you enter the operating room.
- Understand what to expect immediately following surgery. Right after surgery, things happen very fast. You’re following a doctor-prescribed diet, you’re likely sore from the surgery itself, and you’re probably overwhelmed by it all. A support group can help you navigate these new waters.
Provide you support in the longterm. Ongoing success means adopting a new lifestyle and remaining committed to that life. A support group can help hold you accountable and provide insight into what to expect weeks, months, and even years down the road from surgery.
Most of us understand how much pressure obesity puts on the body as a whole. This type of extra weight causes the body to work much harder than it was meant to just to perform simple functions. As a result, the organs of the body can suffer significant damage, including the liver.
The second largest organ in the body, the liver is also one of the most important, charged with processing everything we ingest so that it can be converted to the nutrients that our body uses for energy. The liver is also responsible for “cleaning” our blood, filtering any toxins from our system.
While a small amount of fat always exists in the liver, with increased weight comes increased fat accumulation in the liver. As fat accumulates to the point where 5% to 10% of the liver’s weight consists of fat, this is a condition known as fatty liver disease. Left untreated, fatty liver disease can cause the liver to swell and could result in a condition known as cirrhosis. Eventually this can lead to liver failure and even death.
Symptoms of fatty liver disease include abdominal pain, loss of appetite, nausea, fatigue, itching, jaundice or yellowing of the eyes and skin, and swelling of the abdomen or legs.
The good news is that fatty liver disease can be reversed if addressed in the early stages and it can be done through a reduction of weight, a healthy diet, and exercise.
As one of the conditions that often results from obesity, fatty liver disease may propel someone to consider weight loss surgery in an effort to take back control of their life. As weight loss happens and a healthy diet and exercise regime is followed, the fat in the liver decreases and balance is restored. There is no time to waste when it comes to protecting your liver – and, as a result, your life – so if you are struggling with obesity, it may be time to consider some serious measures including weight loss surgery.
Obesity, in and of itself, is a physical and emotional challenge. But what many people don’t remember is that obesity is also connected to an extensive range of conditions including high blood pressure, heart disease, arthritis, and diabetes, just to name a few. Those who make the decision to have weight loss surgery often do so – not just because of the weight itself – but because of a condition that they have developed because of the weight. When weighing the decision to undergo a surgery – not a small thing – against the risk of living with a potentially damaging and life-threatening condition, many people find that surgery is the right decision. Diabetes is a common condition associated with obesity and can leave sufferers with a host of problems. And as the epidemic of obesity continues to rise in this country, the cases of diabetes grows right beside it. In fact, out of the millions of people diagnosed with type II diabetes – the most common form of diabetes that is defined by high levels of glucose (sugar) in the blood – approximately 80% to 90% of those people are also considered obese.
Carrying extra weight puts stress on the body; stress that our bodies are not meant to manage. This includes regulating our blood glucose level. When our body becomes unable to do this, diabetes can develop. Weight loss takes this stress off the body and allows for blood sugar to settle into a normal range which may allow you to reduce and even eliminate medications under the supervision of your doctor.
Left unchecked, however, diabetes can affect eyesight and damage vital organs such as your heart and kidneys.
If you’re dealing with diabetes or any other weight-related condition, consider talking with your doctor about your candidacy for weight loss surgery. By taking the steps to lose weight and live a healthier lifestyle, you can potentially eliminate a variety of life-changing and even life-threatening conditions. | <urn:uuid:42e9045b-c082-4c91-81ff-dfd4095f189a> | CC-MAIN-2017-34 | https://nicholsonclinictx.wordpress.com/tag/weight-loss-surgery-options-dallas/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-34/segments/1502886123312.44/warc/CC-MAIN-20170823171414-20170823191414-00271.warc.gz | en | 0.964274 | 2,832 | 2.65625 | 3 |
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Please go to www.ahrq.gov for current information.
AHRQ News and Numbers
Release date: August 30, 2005
The number of Americans treated in hospitals for septicemia—potentially deadly bacterial infection of the blood stream also known as blood poisoning—increased from 666,000 cases in 1993 to over 1 million cases in 2003, according to the Federal Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.
- Another way of understanding the increase is through the number of hospital cases of septicemia per every 100,000 Americans, since the change in ratio takes into account the growth of the U.S. population during this time frame. This ratio rose from 258 cases per every 100,000 persons in 1993 to 355 cases per every 100,000 Americans in 2003.
- The number of cases includes patients who were admitted because of septicemia (principal diagnosis), as well as patients admitted for other reasons but who also had the infection (secondary diagnosis).
- More than 65 percent of all cases of septicemia occur in patients age 65 and older.
- Deaths among patients who were admitted for septicemia increased from 49,000 in 1993 to 66,000 in 2003—a nearly 12 percent increase in the death rate.
- Hospital charges for patients admitted for septicemia also rose—from $25,000 for the average hospital stay in 1993 to an average of $34,000 per stay in 2003. This translates into a 28 percent increase (controlling for inflation). | <urn:uuid:7a9376ce-f629-48e7-b176-3cce9b8a7355> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://archive.ahrq.gov/news/nn/nn083005.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701852492/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105732-00056-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.9388 | 387 | 2.703125 | 3 |
The Great Pyramid and the Flood of Noah
The Great Pyramid and the Flood of Noah
If your world view rests firmly upon the foundation of Bible accuracy matching the reality of history, sooner or later you’ll crash into the question of when the Great Pyramid was built.
Let’s see why…
2 Peter 3:5-6 Complete Jewish Bible (CJB)
5 But, wanting so much to be right about this, they overlook the fact that it was by God’s Word that long ago there were heavens, and there was land which arose out of water and existed between the waters, 6 and that by means of these things the world of that time was flooded with water and destroyed.
If the Pyramid survived the flood, there are 3 points to consider.
The surface of every continent was destroyed and new mountains formed. Thousands of feet of mud and sand were dumped on every continent, burying and fossilizing creatures and plants. Nothing manmade could survive such a catastrophe.
Geologists have found that the pyramid is built on the fossil-bearing rock layers from the Flood of Noah’s day. Clearly, the Flood had to predate a pyramid built on top of the Flood layers.
The Hebrew word translated “Egypt” is Mizraim. Mizraim was Noah’s grandson, born to Ham after the Flood. So Mizraim’s descendants could not have built the Great Pyramid of Egypt (Mizraim) until after the Flood, and for that matter, after the events at the Tower of Babel that caused Mizraim’s family to move to the region of the Nile River.
Physical evidence is presumptive of proof :in order to keep Noah’s flood in the realm of reality, the Great Pyramid must needs be constructed AFTERward.
The secular date for the Great Pyramid must be refuted as an error, and all the pyramids and ziggurats across the world today are necessarily post-Flood construction. It is an either / or proposition.(See Bodie Hodge, Answers in Genesis)
Breakthrough in accurate dating of the Great Pyramid
In 2000, At the University of Cambridge, a highly precise methodology for determining pyramid dates has convinced astronomers and Egyptologists, the only possible time for the kind of mind-blowing accuracy of construction used for the Great Pyramid would have depended on the alignment of 2 stars; one from the Big Dipper, the other, the Little Dipper.
4,500 years ago, each star was about 10 degrees from the celestial pole which lay directly between them. When one star was exactly above the other in the sky, Egyptian astronomers could find a line that pointed due north. On the Giza Plateau, Khufu's builders oriented his pyramid almost perfectly north. In fact, within .005 degrees accuracy.
But the alignment was only true for a few years around 2,500 BC. Before and after that time, the stars deviated from the north-south line and anyone using the stars to plot a direction would have made errors.
And it is these mistakes in alignment in pyramid construction before and after the Great Pyramid that a British Egyptologist now believes can be used to estimate very accurately when the pyramids were built.
Several Pyramids were built for the family of the Pharaoh.
Over a span of years, the alignment with true north varies less and less over time until the year of the Great Pyramid’s alignment. Subsequent pyramids built later show alignment becoming less and less accurate afterward. This variance is perfectly explained by the phenomena of 2 stars approaching alignment and passing the point toward less and less.
Had Egyptians used only one star, accuracy would have been constant.
Experts thought the ancient Egyptians might have watched a single star circle this imaginary point and aligned their pyramid with the circle’s centre.
Alternatively, they might have measured north by tracking the path of the Sun. Either way, the accuracy with which they mastered this should have been about the same during the entire pyramid-building period.
But the accuracy wasn’t constant, Kate Spence of Cambridge University points out. Instead, the alignment of successive pyramids first steadily improved up to the building of the Great Pyramid, then later deteriorated. This makes perfect sense, she says, if the architects were measuring the alignment using not one star, but two: Mizar in Ursa Major (the Big Dipper) and Kochab in Ursa Minor (the Little Dipper).
"We know that the ancient Egyptians were extremely interested in the night sky, particularly the circumpolar stars," she told the BBC.
"These circle around the North Pole, and as you can always see them, the Egyptians always referred to them as 'The Indestructibles'.
"As a result, they became closely associated with eternity and the king's afterlife. So that after death, the king would hope to join the circumpolar stars - and that's why the pyramids were laid out towards them." (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/1024779.stm)
Rewinding the astronomical clock using modern computers shows that the two stars rotated around the pole opposite each other in the Old Kingdom sky. In other words, an imaginary line joining the stars passed through the north pole. When the two stars lay vertically above each other, both would mark the position of true north for the pyramid builders.
However, due to precession, the line joining Mizar and Kochab only drifted into precise alignment with the north pole in 2467 BC, then wandered away. The orientation of successive pyramids faithfully tracks this drift, Spence says, explaining the rise and fall of north-south alignment precision.
An Egyptian astronomer would have held up a plumb line and waited for the night sky to slowly pivot around the unmarked pole as the Earth rotated.
When the plumb line exactly intersected both stars, one about 10 degrees above the invisible pole and the other 10 degrees below it, the sight line to the horizon would aim directly north.
However, the Earth's axis is unstable and wobbles like a gyroscope over a period of 26,000 years. Modern astronomers now know that the celestial north pole was exactly aligned between Kochab and Mizar only in the year 2,467 BC.
Either side of this date, the ancient astronomers trying to find true north would lose some accuracy.
Kate Spence shows that the orientation errors of earlier and later pyramids faithfully track the slow drift of Kochab and Mizar with respect to true north.
And because the error in the Kochab-Mizar alignment can be readily calculated for any date, the error in each pyramid's orientation corresponds to a period of several years.
it is now possible to use astronomical records to date the pyramids to the nearest five years. For example, construction of the Great Pyramid at Giza began between 2487 and 2467 BC.
Faculty of Oriental Studies, University of Cambridge, Sidgwick Avenue, Cambridge CB3 9DA, UK
Correspondence to: Kate Spence Correspondence should be addressed to K.S. (e-mail: Email: [email protected]).
NATURE 408, 16 Nov.2000 pp.297-8, Plotting the Pyramids, by Owen Gingerich.
NOAH’S FLOOD--WHEN DID IT “HAPPEN”?
Establishing a flood date is a matter of where you go and who you ask.
Here is a compilation of sources.
Archbishop James Ussher suggest 2349 as the flood date, the Samaritan Pentateuch has 2998, the Hebrew Bible has 2288, and the Septuagint lists 3246 has the date of the flood.
The Watchtower Society dates Noah's flood to 2370 B.C.E.
What conclusion can be drawn from the uncertainty of methodology by Christians and Jehovah’s Witnesses in particular in discussions of Noah, the Great Pyramid, and Bible chronology?
Is it likely the Great Pyramid was built BEFORE or AFTER Noah’s flood?
Intellectual dishonesty rears its ugly head again and again.
However, it should be noted that there are some who say that dinosaur bones and human bones are not found together because dinosaurs did not live in areas of human habitation.--"Awake!," 2/8/90, pp. 4-5.
FIND the DINOSAUR below:
Can you spot the drowning dinosaur?
Use of the Great Pyramid in Watchtower teachings was not without duplicity.
Chart of the Ages from Studies in the Scriptures - The Divine Plan
In a monumental display of deceit, when Russell revised his doctrine to focus more on 1914 than 1874, he updated his pyramid measurements in later editions of Thy Kingdom Come to suit his new interpretation. Russell originally used the size of a pyramid to prove that 1874 A.D. marked the beginning of the period of trouble, as shown below in the 1891 edition of Thy Kingdom Come. In the 1911 edition of Thy Kingdom Come, Russell changed the pyramid measurements by 41 inches, to show that 1914 would be the beginning of the time of trouble.
1874 was not removed entirely from Watchtower doctrine until 1943, when a change in how the 6000 years were calculated meant it could no longer be used as the end of the 6000 years. (see God's Kingdom on a Thousand Years Has Approached p.209)
The Watchtower’s excuse for the wrong date of 1874 was: The BIBLE used was inaccurate!
"According to an inaccurate chronology that had been worked out from the King James Authorized Version Bible, Russell calculated Christ's "presence" had begun in the year 1874 C.E., unseen to human eyes and seen only by the eye of faith." Man's Salvation Out Of World Distress At Hand (1975) p.287
Floods, Dinosaurs, Pyramids, False dates of prophecy, wonky Chronology all mark the history of
Intellectual achievement by Jehovah’s Witnesses and evangelical Christians eager to marry reality with mythos.
Great thread, this is one subject that just kills the Bible and taking it literally. According to the JWs timeline the pyramids at Giza had to be built before the flood. Even if they could some how argue this way there's one issue they can't. Mizraim, the patriarch of Egypt according to the Bible. But wait there literally a thousand years of Egyptian kings before this guy written in stone and on the Turin list as well as several temples in Egypt. These kings most have been confirmed by archaeologists. That's again one thousands years of Egyptian history and kings before the grandson of Noah came on the seen.
We also need to remember (if the JWs are correct) after they were all killed by the flood Noah's grandson moved to Egypt had kids and his offspring picked up right were the Egyptians left off , building the same way , worshiping the same gods, making the same kind of temples , dressing the same , and then built more pyramids, the same way.
Hey Terry, thanks for posting that picture from the My Book of Bible Stories publication. You know, when I first saw that illustration online with the dinosaur, I couldn't believe my eyes that I could have missed such an obvious goof when reading that book as a child. So I went back to my parents' home and located my childhood yellow book of horrors. But the dinosaur was not in the image (see below). I checked both the hardcover edition and the soft cover one, but no dinosaur. Can anyone verify the authenticity of the image that includes the dinosaur which @TerryWalstrom posted from JWSurvey.org? Thank you.
Standard JW response, whenever confronted with arguments such as this, is that "worldly" dating methods are always suspect, and when such "worldly" dating conflicts with "Bible chronology", the "worldly" dating is always wrong.
The fully-in JW mind will go into shutdown mode just after informing you of the unreliability of "worldly" dating systems. Further attempts to reason will be futile.
Defining terms, "worldly dating system" = "any system for determining a date that is not based on the JW perspective of the Bible."
I.e., it's a fine argument, but its effect on a true-believing JW will be utterly nil.
Wake Me Up:
Interesting comparison of two illustrations. For my part I notice that the text is in Arabic and that the illustration is a mirror image of the previous one ( I hesitate to say original). Since the scale of the image is larger, the tyrannosaurus is not only drowning but also cropped off the page. Consequently not a single scale (?) is visible.
Somehow the Owen Gingrich account makes a lot of sense. Previously readings about the Great Pyramid, I would encounter discussions about passages supposedly built to allow a particular star to light a chamber at a given angle... Then I'd get stuck. What the blazes are they talking about - and especially with precession of the polar axis in the celestial sphere? And what kind of illumination are you going to get anyway?
This Gingrich discussion, so to speak, turns the tables.
To put it another way, we are at this epoch blessed with having a pole star setting atop the North Pole. Or wherever you are located in the northern hemisphere, above the horizon there is a star that remains fixed in the sky all night and all the other constellations revolve around it: Polaris. If it's 45 degrees above the north horizon, you are at 45 north latitude - and so forth.
And the Egyptians of the third millenium BC did not have this. They had something else, evidently, a North-South notch of two stars.
So navigation must have deteriorated between intervals such as this. Yet Ptolemy did a heck of a lot to fix this problem with the Almagest compilation of celestial knowledge.
Another matter: the name of Egypt. In Arabic Egypt is known as Misra, but in coptic it is known as kimi. If you further back the transliterations are a little more obscure:
kmt, and upper and lower Egypt along the Nile as t3 šmʕw and t3 mḥw respectively.
I would conclude that the Arabic word might be derived from the Hebrew, but the Egyptians had a name for their home that had little or nothing to do with the origin of the Hebrew word.
But then it should be noted that Polaris will slip out of position as the North Pole Star to return again just as it did after a 25,000 year cycle. And that opens up a whole new can of worms about dating things based on a host of ad hoc and cultic arguments...
Awake '86 1/22 pp. 29-30 Watching the World ***
What was the air like 4,600 years ago? That is what scientists are hoping to discover when they penetrate an underground chamber on the southwest side of the Great Pyramid of Giza. The 96-foot-long (29 m) chamber, covered by 4- to 6-foot-thick (1.2 to 1.8 m) limestone slabs, is thought to house a second ancient funerary boat for the “soul” of Pharaoh Cheops. The first—only 12 feet (3.7 m) away from the current site—was discovered in 1954. That wooden vessel, 130 feet (40 m) in length and excellently preserved, is on display in a museum built for it. The two pits, some 30 feet (9 m) deep and covered with 10 feet (3 m) of rubble, escaped the ravages of time and tomb robbers. It is expected that the second will be like the first—hermetically sealed by gypsum cement, thus trapping the ancient air. Space-age technology will be used to penetrate the chamber without introducing outside air. This will enable the scientists to measure particularly the carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide in the interior air, compare them with present levels, and perhaps throw some light on the question of whether the earth is really warming up as is believed by some scientists.
@kepler, Ja it is mirrored but only because in Egyptian (my mother's tongue), the text is arranged "back to front". It's weird, but all books start from what we'd deem as the back cover. The beginning of the book is on the last page. You read from right to left in Arabic : ).
The pyramids of Egypt and the "Great Flood of Noah's Day" are some prime examples of what woke me up to the truth about the Truth and Bible based religions in general.
There are those who believe, based on their personal research, that the pyramids of Egypt predate the Egyptians. The Egyptian government will not let any scientist who subscribes to this theory anywhere near the pyramids. The bigger point is that this is just one of the many reasons why there never was a global flood as described in the Bible book of Genesis.
The dinosaur was in the early versions of My Book of Bible Stories and was omitted in later editions.
I can verify that I had a MBOBS with the dinosaur in.
I'm looking at that illustration of the great flood, with the cat on a wooden plank, holding on for dear life. What did the cat and elephant do, to deserve dying in agony?
What a stupid idea, I can't believe I once thought that was true. | <urn:uuid:3fe693bd-3ae6-4798-bfdc-3a40e1a32392> | CC-MAIN-2017-39 | https://www.jehovahs-witness.com/topic/5705689416597504/great-pyramid-flood-noah | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-39/segments/1505818693866.86/warc/CC-MAIN-20170925235144-20170926015144-00531.warc.gz | en | 0.952701 | 3,645 | 3.640625 | 4 |
An instrument on LRO, Cosmic Ray Telescope for the Effects of Radiation (CRaTER), gauged the radiation dose of cosmic rays after passing through a plastic material that simulates how space radiation interacts with human muscle tissue. CRaTER initially was designed to characterize the global lunar radiation environment and biological impacts. Recent findings from data collected by LRO also may help scientists validate their understanding of the radiation environment and help engineers develop shielding that may reduce health risks to astronauts as they travel to an asteroid and eventually to Mars.
"We are actively sampling the radiation environment throughout the solar system so that we're prepared to send humans to a variety of destinations far from Earth," said Michael Wargo, NASA's chief scientist in the agency's Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate. "The data provided by LRO is an example of how the agency's robotic activities are informing how we develop our thinking on ways to execute future human missions."
The findings by space scientists from the University of New Hampshire and the Southwest Research Institute were published in the American Geophysical Union's journal, Space Weather. They provide in-space data without the influence of Earth's magnetic field, indicating lightweight, hydrogen-bearing shielding materials could enhance radiation protection for future spacecraft during space missions, confirming what ground studies and studies in low-Earth orbit have previously suggested.
Before CRaTER and recent measurements by the Radiation Assessment Detector on NASA's Mars rover Curiosity, the effects of shielding cosmic rays have been simulated in computer models, in particle accelerators and with observational data from NASA's Voyager and spacecraft in low-Earth orbit that are within the influence of Earth's magnetic field, like the now retired space shuttle and the International Space Station. Comparisons between plastics and aluminum were made in earlier ground-based tests using beams of heavy particles to simulate cosmic rays.
Two forms of radiation pose potential health risks to astronauts in deep space. One is galactic cosmic rays (GCR), particles generated by supernova explosions and other high-energy events outside the solar system. The other is solar energetic particles (SEP) associated with solar flares and coronal mass ejections from the sun.
Current spacecraft shield much more effectively against SEPs than GCRs. To protect against the comparatively low energy of typical SEPs, astronauts might need to move into areas of their spacecraft with extra shielding or employ other countermeasures. GCRs tend to be highly energetic, highly penetrating particles that are not stopped by the modest shielding provided by a typical spacecraft.
"Since its launch in 2009, LRO has been the source of numerous discoveries, generating tremendous excitement in the planetary science community," said John Keller, LRO project scientist at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. "Data from the spacecraft is also providing useful evidence for those in the human space exploration community."
LRO is managed by Goddard. | <urn:uuid:8cb596d7-85f9-4ce6-b21c-26be10f57acf> | CC-MAIN-2013-48 | http://www.nasa.gov/exploration/features/20130611_lro_crater.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-48/segments/1386163054974/warc/CC-MAIN-20131204131734-00003-ip-10-33-133-15.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.941639 | 578 | 4.40625 | 4 |
The “A” Frame
The basic ‘A’ frame is very simple to produce and can provide hours of entertainment. It can be built using staves or full size spars, depending on what you plan to do with it and it only needs three lashings.
Walking the Giraffe
Make an ‘A’ frame out of staves or light spars and attach 2 ropes to the top and 2 to the bottom ends of the two side spars.
Stand the frame vertically and 4 Scouts, holding the ropes, can make the ‘A’ frame (or giraffe) walk along the length of the Hall. Points are deducted for dragging.
Make an ‘A’ frame but lash a couple of extra spars parallel to the base to form a seat.
Lay the frame flat on the floor and one member of the Patrol sits of the seat.
The rest of the Patrol lift the frame shoulder high and carry it around the hall.
The Indian Travois
Build an ‘A’ frame with slightly bigger spars and then string a couple of lashing lengths between the legs to provide a ‘load platform’ This can be quite useful for transporting tents, provided the ground is firm but not across the Warden’s lawn! The travois was quite a common sight in old cowboy films for transporting injured people and more dignified for them than being slung face down over a horse’s saddle.
The Scout Transporter
Build an ‘A’ frame using full size spars – the sides of the frame need to be 4m (12ft) spars.
Do the sheer lashing at the apex some 1m – 1.5m (3ft – 4’6″) from the top of the frame.
Tie two long ropes to the top of each spar.
Push the frame into the stream so that the butt ends of the legs are approximately in the centre, with the top of the frame resting on the bank.
One of the ropes tied to the top of the frame goes to each bank and a further spar is required on each bank.
To use the transporter, a Scout sits on the top of the frame between the spars, facing the opposite bank. The Patrol lifts the top of the frame with the bottom bearing on the bank of the stream. The loose spar is used to push the frame upright into a vertical position. The Scout sitting on the frame holds on for all he or she is worth! Once the frame is upright, it is controlled by hauling on the ropes. The Scout being transported holds tight until the frame is past the vertical and he or she can jump off onto the opposite bank.
Although not for the faint hearted, using a Scout Transporter builds a sense of trust between the members of the Patrol.
To download the complete plan and design document please Click Here | <urn:uuid:7044f784-504e-4ee2-ba68-fb99befadceb> | CC-MAIN-2023-50 | https://www.pioneeringmadeeasy.co.uk/miscellaneous/the-a-frame | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-50/segments/1700679100172.28/warc/CC-MAIN-20231130062948-20231130092948-00605.warc.gz | en | 0.910664 | 603 | 2.609375 | 3 |
Responses to Covid-19 may be based on ‘biased’ studies
Analysis finds quality of some studies to be poor and recommendations questionable
A man walks past the Regional Science Centre in Oldham, Lancashire. Photograph: Oli Scarff/AFP via Getty
The current approach to tackling coronavirus may be flawed and based on “overly optimistic” evidence from “biased and unreliable” studies, research published in the British Medical Journal has suggested.
European researchers examined multiple studies on the virus that causes Covid-19 and found some were poorly reported, had a high risk of being biased and included questionable recommendations.
The pandemic is considered to pose a significant and urgent threat to global health, with numbers of cases and deaths rising steadily in many countries.
The outbreak has put a strain on healthcare systems and focused the need for efficient early detection, diagnosis of patients suspected of the infection and prognosis for confirmed cases.
In light of this, a team of international experts appraised prediction models for diagnosis and prognosis of Covid-19 infection from published and pre-print reports.
These models aimed to predict the presence of existing infection, future complications and models to identify high-risk people.
The researchers examined 27 studies, with the vast majority (25) of studies containing data from China, one study using data from Italy and another study using international data from various countries. The data was gathered between December 8th, 2019, and March 15th, 2020.
The researchers rated all of the studies as having a high risk of bias, because they had a non-representative selection of control patients, they excluded patients who were still ill at the end of the study and they had poor statistical analysis.
The analysis also found that the quality of reporting in the studies “varied substantially”, and a description of the study population and intended use of the models was absent in almost all reports.
“Thus, their reported performance is likely optimistic and using them to support medical decision-making is not advised,” they said.
This raised concern that the “models may be flawed and perform poorly when applied in practice, such that their predictions may be unreliable”, the researchers stated.
They recommend immediate sharing of the individual participant data from Covid-19 studies in order to support efforts in building “more rigorously developed prediction models” and evaluating existing models.
“We also stress the need to follow methodological guidance when developing and validating prediction models, as unreliable predictions may cause more harm than benefit when used to guide clinical decisions,” they conclude. | <urn:uuid:603d0a3a-90f9-4696-a134-6e8eff8363bd> | CC-MAIN-2020-24 | https://www.irishtimes.com/news/science/responses-to-covid-19-may-be-based-on-biased-studies-1.4223026 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-24/segments/1590347396163.18/warc/CC-MAIN-20200527204212-20200527234212-00488.warc.gz | en | 0.958674 | 541 | 2.734375 | 3 |
The Effects of Public Social Infrastructure and Gender Equality on Output and Employment: The case of South Korea
According to the Global Gender Gap Index of the World Economic Forum (2018), South Korea is one of the lowest ranked countries in the world in terms of “Economic Participation and Opportunity” (124th out of 149 countries) as of 2018. The Global Gender Gap Index also shows that South Korea ranks 88th in terms of
Current Policies and Programs Addressing Childcare and Eldercare in South Korea
The major care policies that South Korea currently has in place are the Early Childhood Education and Care Policy, the Long-Term Care Insurance (LTCI) Program, the Maternity Protection Act, and welfare policies for the disabled. It is well-known idea that social provision can be divided in several types; power, cash, vouchers, time, services, and opportunity, by Gilbert and Neil in their book of Dimensions of Social Welfare Policy.
Research Teams Awarded Funding to Produce Theoretical Gender-Aware Macromodels
The Care Work and Economy project has awarded five research teams funding to produce theoretical gender-aware macromodels that incorporate care in the development context. Each team contributes to one of two broad macroeconomic themes in terms that also account for care work and gender inequality: 1) growth and employment, and 2) social reproduction and structural
ILO Releases New Report on Care Work and Care Jobs
In June the International Labour Organization released their new report Care Work and Care Jobs for the Future of Decent Work. The report analyses the ways in which unpaid care work is recognized and organized, the extent and quality of care jobs and their impact on the well-being of individuals and society. A key focus
The Progression of South Korea’s Childcare Model
South Korea’s childcare model began to develop when the Child Welfare Act (the Act) was first introduced in 1962. Prior to that, no solid policy for childcare existed, as it was a period of political and social turmoil in the country after Korean war (1950-1953). Thanks to the Act, several nursery facilities were built during this period with foreign assistance, yet with a narrow objective of relieving the poor and numerous orphans who lost their parents during the war (Kang, 2002). The Child Welfare Act of 1962 initiated a structured system-level approach to the childcare sector. The Act was still grounded in the notion that families are solely responsible for childrearing unless the children have special needs, in which case government support and protection is warranted. | <urn:uuid:c45f95df-9e75-4157-8008-a42a11e9fe39> | CC-MAIN-2020-16 | https://research.american.edu/careworkeconomy/policy-advocacy/policy-posts/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-16/segments/1585371637684.76/warc/CC-MAIN-20200406133533-20200406164033-00172.warc.gz | en | 0.94884 | 520 | 2.734375 | 3 |
When you adopt a rescue dog, it’s said that you’re rescuing the dog, but you may start to wonder who rescued whom. Dogs have many positive effects on humans, and a rescue dog, especially a traumatized dog, can change your life just as much as you’ve changed his.
For rescue dogs who were traumatized, neglected, or abused, being adopted gives them a chance at a second life. Some of these dogs don’t just go on to be pets, but rather become therapy dogs, helping humans in turn. Despite their own traumatic pasts, traumatized dogs who become therapy dogs are changing our lives for the better.
Traumatized Dogs Working as Therapy Dogs
Dogs who have been abused or neglected can often find new and brighter futures working as therapy dogs. For instance, the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office in Arizona has partnered with MASH, a local no-kill shelter. MASH brings in abused or neglected dogs to work with incarcerated veterans. The dogs spend time with the inmates each week, showing them compassion and helping them to learn to show empathy. Both dogs and humans experience positive interactions that help them move on from their negative pasts.
Rescue dogs can also help people to cope with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). In helping people experiencing PTSD, rescue dogs are tackling a widespread problem. According to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, 7 to 8 people in 100 will experience PTSD at some point during their lives. Resulting from a traumatic event, PTSD is often misunderstood and sometimes misdiagnosed, but therapy and counseling, medications, and exercise can help to treat it.
Specially trained therapy dogs can help people to cope with the hypervigilance and anxiety that come with PTSD. Dogs can also reassure people after they’ve had nightmares and can help them to feel less isolated.
Veterans aren’t the only ones who experience PTSD, but unfortunately, treatment and management options for non-veterans experiencing PTSD are severely lacking. In an ideal world, programs could pair people with PTSD up with shelter dogs who had received the necessary therapy training.
Emotional Support Dogs
To become a therapy dog, rescue dogs need to go through training, and some may not pass that training or may not have the right temperament for the job. However, these dogs could become emotional support dogs, since no training is required.
Emotional support dogs can reassure their owners just being by their side. People who are dealing with mental health issues like panic disorders, depression, and anxiety may feel reassured and comforted by having an emotional support dog by their side.
Emotional support dogs don’t enjoy the same public access that service dogs, which undergo extensive training, do. Public places like restaurants and malls don’t have to give emotional support dogs access, though individual businesses may choose to allow these dogs on their own. However, the Fair Housing Amendments Act does protect people with these dogs from housing discrimination. Under the Air Carrier Access Act, emotional support dogs can usually travel with their owners on planes, rather than having to ride in the cargo hold.
The Benefits of Adopting a Dog for Yourself
Not all dogs are cut out to be service dogs, and unless you have a specific condition that would benefit, you also won’t be able to have your dog qualify as an emotional support animal. But that doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy the benefits of adopting a dog, especially one who’s had a rough past.
Having a dog can help you cope with stress and anxiety. Dogs are great at providing comic relief, perfect for distracting you from the stress you’re feeling. Plus, because your dog will need regular exercise, you’ll enjoy regular exercise, too, which is one of the best ways to manage stress.
Dogs also provide many scientifically-backed benefits. They can help reduce depression, and, especially in seniors who tend to live alone, dogs provide comfort and social interaction. When you’re walking your dog, it’s much easier to strike up a conversation with a stranger on the street, so dogs can help facilitate these critical social moments. A study from the 1980s also revealed that petting or snuggling with a dog has essential positive physical effects on a human, including lowered blood pressure, slowed breathing, and relaxed muscle tension.
Rescuing a dog in need can be an emotionally rewarding experience, too. You may decide that you want to get involved in finding justice for animals and helping to ensure that future dogs don’t go through the negative experiences that yours encountered. From volunteering for a shelter to running fundraisers and advocating for stricter penalties for animal abusers, adopting a rescue dog can have a widespread effect.
Rescuing a dog certainly won’t just change your dog’s life. It will change yours, too. | <urn:uuid:5a138322-779e-458e-b5ae-bfc1bff70235> | CC-MAIN-2020-16 | https://dogsbestlife.com/dog-training/traumatized-dogs-become-therapy-dogs/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-16/segments/1585371700247.99/warc/CC-MAIN-20200407085717-20200407120217-00406.warc.gz | en | 0.965914 | 1,017 | 2.859375 | 3 |
Latin models of the Trinity begin from the existence of one God, and try to explain how one God can be three Persons. I offer an account of this based on an analogy with time-travel. A time-traveler returning to the same point in time repeatedly might have three successive events in his/her life occurring at that one location in public time. So too, God's life might be such that three distinct parts of His life are always occurring at once, though without any succession between them, and this might give God the triune structure Christian theology believes He has.
All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes
- Religious studies | <urn:uuid:b0086d6c-b551-4253-b524-68ba624ea642> | CC-MAIN-2023-40 | https://www.researchwithrutgers.com/en/publications/a-latin-trinity-2 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-40/segments/1695233510219.5/warc/CC-MAIN-20230926175325-20230926205325-00093.warc.gz | en | 0.942751 | 135 | 2.640625 | 3 |
A preventive program is a cooperative effort by the patient, dentist, and dental staff to preserve the natural dentition and supporting structures by preventing the onset, progress, and recurrence of dental diseases and conditions.
Preventing dental disease starts at home with good oral hygiene and a balanced diet. It is continued in the dental office by the efforts of your dentist and dental hygienist to promote, restore, and maintain your oral health.
Prevention also includes regular dental exams, cleanings, and x-rays. Sealants and fluoride are also great preventive treatments that help protect the teeth.
Prevention helps avoid serious and costly dental problems and is the key to having a healthy, confident, beautiful smile.
A comprehensive dental exam will be performed by your dentist at your initial dental visit. At regular check-up exams, your dentist and hygienist will include the following:
- Examination of diagnostic x-rays (radiographs): Essential for detection of decay, tumors, cysts, and bone loss. X-rays also help determine tooth and root positions.
- Oral cancer screening: Check the face, neck, lips, tongue, throat, tissues, and gums for any signs of oral cancer.
- Gum disease evaluation: Check the gums and bone around the teeth for any signs of periodontal disease.
- Examination of tooth decay: All tooth surfaces will be checked for decay with special dental instruments.
- Examination of existing restorations: Check current fillings, crowns, etc.
Dental radiographs (x-rays) are essential, preventative, diagnostic tools that provide valuable information not visible during a regular dental exam. Dentists and dental hygienists use this information to safely and accurately detect hidden dental abnormalities and complete an accurate treatment plan. Without x-rays, problem areas may go undetected.
Dental x-rays may reveal:
- Abscesses or cysts.
- Bone loss.
- Cancerous and non-cancerous tumors.
- Decay between the teeth.
- Developmental abnormalities.
- Poor tooth and root positions.
- Problems inside a tooth or below the gum line.
Detecting and treating dental problems at an early stage can save you time, money, unnecessary discomfort, and your teeth!
Are dental x-rays safe?
We are all exposed to natural radiation in our environment. The amount of radiation exposure from a full mouth series of x-rays is equal to the amount a person receives in a single day from natural sources.
Dental x-rays produce a low level of radiation and are considered safe. Dentists take necessary precautions to limit the patient’s exposure to radiation when taking dental x-rays. These precautions include using lead apron shields to protect the body and using modern, fast film that cuts down the exposure time of each x-ray. | <urn:uuid:51554aa2-278c-494e-ac11-0fa0c8fe117a> | CC-MAIN-2020-10 | https://valenciadentalcenter.com/dental-exam/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-10/segments/1581875146809.98/warc/CC-MAIN-20200227191150-20200227221150-00281.warc.gz | en | 0.904481 | 592 | 3.53125 | 4 |
Zero Emission Vehicle (Z.E.V.)
The Zero Emission Vehicle (Z.E.V.) project is led and contributed to by several Research Team Members listed below.
- Dr. Yanhai Du (faculty mentor)
- Angela Deibel (student lead), Marketing & Mechanical Engineering
- Dr. Nader Hedayat, Post-Doctoral Researcher
- Dr. Dhruba Panthi, Post-Doctoral Researcher
- Hai Feng, Graduate Student, Applied Engineering
- Tejas Dudhade, Graduate Student, Applied Engineering
- Theo Woodson, Graduate Student, Applied Engineering
- Hemant Naik, Graduate Student, Applied Engineering
- Sriram Matturi, Graduate Student, Digital Science
- Chaitran Chakilam, Graduate Student, Applied Engineering
- Zhaoxuan Wu, Undergraduate Student
- Xiaoqiu Ji, Undergraduate Student
- Collin Czehut, Undergraduate Student
The Zero Emission Vehicle, or ZEV, is the first golf cart to be powered by three sources: a fuel cell, a solar panel, and batteries. ZEV’s design includes additional features; we plan on impacting the student body in a loud way- with the help of an audio system that will allow us to stream portable music around campus.
There are 3 power sources in this cart, each with a different source of energy:
- Fuel Cell: A fuel cell is a device which converts chemical energy into electrical energy. The fuel cell that will be used to power the cart is a 1 Kilowatt PEM hydrogen fuel cell. Clean water is the only byproduct for a hydrogen-feed fuel cell, and it will not emit any greenhouse gases. This fuel cell can also be operated in an electrolyze mode to split water into hydrogen and oxygen.
- Solar Power: To extend the time between hydrogen refuelings, a photovoltaic panel will be used to charge the batteries when the cart is resting, or in motion.
- Battery: Batteries will be used to store renewable energy generated by the solar panel and fuel cell.
Electrolyzer Mode: When the fuel cell is not being used to generate electricity, it will function as an electrolyzer. This is when the fuel cell operates in reverse. Normally, hydrogen is inserted into the fuel cell, and is then oxidized, creating two things: electricity and water. In electrolyzer mode, electricity derived from the solar panel is used to split water atoms, creating hydrogen. This hydrogen is then stored and used later to power the cart.
Commercial hydrogen is not always produced without carbon dioxide, and therefore has hidden emissions. Note that some commercial hydrogen production processes emit carbon dioxide (CO2) or use electricity produced at CO2-emitting power plants, thus inserting greenhouse gas into the atmosphere. To claim Zero Emission, the hydrogen used in the Z.E.V. must also be produced without the emission of CO2.
ZEV is giving a voice to sustainability, using music, solar panels and fuel cells. By creating something that is tangible through the senses of sight, sound, and touch, sustainability becomes more interactive. Awareness is a key concern in sustainability, and educating the future generation is the best way to achieve sustainability. ZEV is a multifaceted invention, and can be put to many uses. As a university golf cart, it provides quick, reliable transportation for up to six people at a time. ZEV will provide tours for future students, as well as campus VIP and alumni transportation. As a portable music station, it can keep students plugged into the local Kent State Black Squirrel Radio, provide independent music for different crowds, create atmospheres for any occasion, and generate excitement among the student body about sustainability. | <urn:uuid:12eab3e7-cd5a-4c06-9601-dcf3d666c986> | CC-MAIN-2020-10 | https://www.kent.edu/cae/zero-emission-vehicle-zev | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-10/segments/1581875145747.6/warc/CC-MAIN-20200223062700-20200223092700-00321.warc.gz | en | 0.914221 | 777 | 3.109375 | 3 |
Subsets and Splits