text:
"We have for years referred to them as mini-counselors. They are the ones getting to see the freshmen and the transfer sophomore students the most in the beginning, and are the most tuned-in to how they are doing in their transition," Assistant Principal of Guidance Casey Pedrick said.
Even so, the guidance office has decided to play a larger role in Stuyvesant's Big Sib program in the hope of improving its organization and effectiveness. In the past, the Big Sib program was completely student-run, from the application process and selection to homeroom management and Big Sib accountability.
Applications were not standardized and were based heavily on the Big Sib Chairs' personal judgments, while attendance records were rarely kept for homerooms. As a result, the program seemed to be more oriented toward the privilege of being a Big Sib, rather than offering support systems to incoming students.
Of the Little Sibs surveyed, 48.9 percent reported knowing all of their Big Sibs' names. This is certainly a mark of success, but it also means a slight majority of Little Sibs did not know their Big Sibs' names. Five upperclassmen are entrusted with the responsibility to mentor 30 freshmen through Stuyvesant, and it does not require a large impression to be made in order to remember so few names. What it does require is initiative on the part of Big Sibs to introduce themselves and make legitimate connections.
At its core, these problems stem from an issue with the highly subjective selection of Big Sibs. "There are some people who either should not be Big Sibs or just don't do their jobs as Big Sibs," Big Sib Chair Kevin Li said. Also surrounding the program is the stigma of nepotism.
To alleviate these problems, the guidance office has revamped the selection process by adding an anonymous first stage with a rubric. "In the beginning, [the Big Sib Chairs] are giving points to things in different areas [based on] the rubric. None of that was ever done before. It was just them reviewing it on paper, taking their little notes, having the interviews. At least now you have an anonymous review with a rubric you are following," Pedrick said.
A concern with a rubric-based application, however, is that it focuses too much on academic performance. It is important to have students with a variety of perspectives and achievement levels in the program.
In some instances, the rubric appears to be almost an afterthought—interviews, for instance, began before an interview rubric was finalized. This system was created in order to provide students with a concrete idea of why they may not have been accepted into the program, yet it should not exist simply to cover that base.
It is important to strike a balance between transparency and avoiding robotic selections. One important step that has been taken is lowering the grade requirement for Big Sib applicants from an 88 to an 85 and being more strict about maintaining this baseline; the new cut-off will allow more students to be eligible while also standardizing the process.
Many upperclassmen, once selected for the program, also find that there is no incentive to be an active participant; even with homeroom leaders, some freshmen homerooms are devoid of Big Sibs. "We'll hear from teachers that no Big Sibs came to homeroom today or only three come consistently," Pedrick said.
Under the restructured program, Big Sib Chairs will no longer be assigned to a specific homeroom. Instead, they will each oversee a batch of homerooms and provide direct guidance to homeroom leaders. Additionally, homeroom teachers may be asked to report any Big Sib absences to the guidance office.
Both the guidance office and the Big Sib Chairs recognize that Little Sibs often face issues that are beyond the scope of another student. In these instances it is important that the Big Sibs have a close connection with their Little Sibs' guidance counselors so that they can pass on any larger issues. To promote this, most Little Sib homerooms will have at least one Big Sib who shares their guidance counselor.
To ensure that freshmen foster a relationship with their guidance counselor, instead of giving a generic introduction to their entire homeroom during Camp Stuy, counselors will hold smaller meetings in the hallway. "We want the guidance counselors to not only […] go to each homeroom and talk [at Camp Stuy,] but to talk to specific kids in homeroom. For example, pull out two or three [students] at a time to really introduce themselves and make themselves approachable," Li said.
Camp Stuy, along with the Big Sib Little Sib Dance, is part of the frenzy of activity that the Big Sib Program opens up with each year. But by the end of the first marking period, apathy seeps into the program. To combat this, the new Big Sib Chairs are planning to hold events outside of school throughout the year.
"Homeroom is only once every two weeks generally for 15 minutes. We're going to try to maximize the opportunities we have face to face with our Little Sibs. I know some homerooms [already] have little bubble tea meetups and things like that. [Now,] not only one homeroom is doing it, but all homerooms are doing it," Big Sib Chair Charlotte Ruhl said.
However, a more effective way for Big Sibs and Little Sibs to bond would be through weekly, rather than sporadic, homerooms, which both would be required to attend. Homerooms should not only be a time to hand out forms, but a place for students to interact. In the past, Big Sib Chairs have spoken with faculty about having more frequent homerooms, but they have not been cooperative in helping underclassmen assimilate.
The guidance office's involvement in restructuring the program has obvious benefits, but historically the Big Sib program has been entirely student-run. This autonomy is part of what makes Stuyvesant a unique school, and student-based leadership makes Big Sibs truly welcoming and inspiring. We hope the Big Sib Chairs continue to be the driving force behind the program.


text:
Best Adult Dating Sites - Dating Psychology
We have more members than any other dating site online and we guarantee you will hook up! Free porn pics of Algerian teen haing sex in back shop in hot video amateur 1. Elizabeth Del Mar is new to the whole thing Chicks Who Drink Dicks 4 Elizabeth Del Mar. Online dating service - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Our Sleep sex movies are so absorbing that you will not want to leave our website!
Sex dating site for adult dating, get your sex partner, casual sex is easy with our adult dating service. Instead, this dating website caters to people looking to have casual sex with no strings attached. How To Pick Up Women On Adult Dating Sites (SECRET SYSTEM).
Tan Lines Amateur Photos Page 2 from the Hall of Fame - The Free Voyeurweb. There One of the best place to find local singles in the UK for casual dating and sex!
Online Enter the Bad Tow Truck Contest to WIN a Lifetime Membership to Reality Kings! With many professionals too busy for traditional dating they are turning to adult dating websites to find sex.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
this is the classiest natural wooden bookshelf I've ever seen - I'm in love with the tree design.
A furnished version of the fireplace back porch. I have to say it looks very nice! I The fan, the windows, the fireplace, the furnishing, the colors of the room, and the ceiling all look very very nice. The only thing I don't like about this whole set up is that it looks like the fireplace is fake...it would be so much better if this was a real one.
Bathroom design
Love It or List It Vancouver: Lisa & Chris's new powder room, complete with the most amazing claw food tub!
Topps tiles subway
Ombré hair sur base brune : la couleur qui cartonne en 2016 - 54 photos - Tendance coiffure
Winter nails
10 Unexpected Signs You Don't Get Enough Protein
OMG! I so agree. I also say my puppy! I found this from #Doberman Pinscher Fan Club. Forever Friends Fine Stationery & Favors http://foreverfriendsfinestationeryandfavors.com


text:
DARLINGTON, SC - When it is assumed that the majority of drag racers are anxious to end the off-season, one would be wise to accept this assessment as the gospel truth. Thus was the case as seven Pro Modified teams and one Pro Stocker showed up a...
DARLINGTON, SC - When it is assumed that the majority of drag racers are anxious to end the off-season, one would be wise to accept this assessment as the gospel truth. Thus was the case as seven Pro Modified teams and one Pro Stocker showed up a day early for what promises to be the largest full-bodied, professional test session in drag racing, the CompetitionPlus.Com Groundhog Warm-up presented by Majesty Homes in Darlington, SC. It took a few runs for the racers to get the feel of the track, but once they did, the big numbers followed.
Of the seven Pro Modifieds on hand, it was seven-time IHRA World Champion Rickie Smith that led the fray. The veteran drag racer from King, NC., pushed his nitrous-oxide injected 1963 Corvette to the quickest lap of the day, a 6.321/220.64. The late afternoon run stood as quickest and fastest of the group.
His tremendous lap overtook the previous leader, which was Mitch Stott. The Radiac Abrasives-sponsored driver hammered out a 6.338/219.99.
Chris Holbrook pushed the Stu Evans owned, BASF-sponsored entry to a best lap of 6.645/208.42.
There was some serious carnage within the Pro Modified ranks as Troy Critchley, piloting the Johnny Rocca-owned Ironhorse suffered serious engine damage on both of their runs. The current Pro Modified record holding team is expected to dip into the 6-teens. Another serious incident was a nitrous explosion encountered by the LeeBoy-sponsored entry of Quain Stott.
The official start for the event is tomorrow with five professional divisions contested at the CompetitionPlus.Com Groundhog Warm-Up presented by Majesty Homes. The classes contested will be Pro Modified, Pro Stock, 500-inch Pro Stock and Nitro Harley. The defending champions are Ronnie Hood (Pro Modified), Chris Holbrook (Pro Stock), Jim Yates (500-inch Pro Stock) and Steve Moore (Nitro Harley). The Pro Stock Trucks are welcome to test as well. The aforementioned categories are the only ones allowed participation.
The format is simple for this event. Darlington Dragway will provide free testing for any racer that competes in the aforementioned divisions on February 18 - 20, provided that they adhere to the following conditions. The racer must participate in a "Chicago Style" format on Saturday in which there will be three set sessions for runs. The first two attempts will determine the final round contestants, as the two quickest runs will qualify for the final round to determine the winner. The final round will be run during the third session. To qualify for the free testing, the racer must participate in all three days of the event.
Gates will open for the Saturday show beginning at 10 am with the first blast off at 11 and admission only $10.


text: Self-enclosed city within the Lake District of Marshall City. Headquarters of the Haven Network and its armed forces. Retrieved from "http://unsettlingcity.wikia.com/wiki/Whitehaven?oldid=143" Ad blocker interference detected! Wikia is a free-to-use site that makes money from advertising. We have a modified experience for viewers using ad blockers Wikia is not accessible if you've made further modifications. Remove the custom ad blocker rule(s) and the page will load as expected. Categories: Add category Cancel Save


text:
In one class of kindergartners that I teach, we use a phonics series called "Morphun" that is specifically designed to be used with large plastic blocks (like Lego, but not). The children actually build models of the words that we learn in class, like alligators, penguins, or cars. We hold the class in the kindergarten's gym, so there is lots of space to spread out and have a good time. The end of class, though, could sometimes prove a challenge because children being children, they didn't want to stop doing something they thought was really fun in order to do something that to them would likely be less fun.
So I followed Devon Thagard's example after reading his blog entry titled "Why should songs be used MORE in the Young Learners classroom" at the OUP ELT Global Blog and started playing the "Clean Up!" song at the end of class. This is track 7 of Super Songs 1 by Super Simple Learning. Click on the song page to hear the song for yourself and read the lyrics. There are teaching tips on the site as well.
Here you can see Devon (and others) with some children cleaning up:
Back to the story, the children still weren't exactly pleased about class being over, but they accepted that it must be so since the catchy song being played on the CD player was telling them so. Soon afterwards the children began recognizing the "Clean Up!" song upon hearing the first few notes and the look of shock ("Uh-oh, time's up) on their faces is still priceless. This did not make for a glum atmosphere, though, because the focus of the children soon went to the song, which they would merrily sing all the way back to their classroom.
Money well spent.
Related articles:
- Super Simple Songs: I like Something Blue
- Super Simple Songs: The ABC Chant
- Super Simple Songs: Make A Circle
- Super Simple Songs: The Wheels on the Bus


text:
I am delighted to be able to share with you the prologue from The Place That Never Existed by Jim Ody as part of the blog tour. Other stops on the tour today are The Great British Book Off and Bibliomaniac UK. Make sure to stop by.
The Official Book Blurb
For Paul and Debbie it was meant to be the happiest time of their lives – a small village wedding in front of their family and friends, followed by a quiet honeymoon in Devon. Not everyone was happy to see them together. Someone from the past was intent on ending their marriage before it had really started.
Now, supposedly away from it all in a picturesque log cabin, Paul and Debbie find themselves in the midst of mysterious happenings. Unexplained disappearances with people turning up dead, and all of it centred on the site of an horrific murder.
A place the locals wish was a place that never existed. Continue reading "Blog Tour: The Place That Never Existed by Jim Ody (@Jim_Ody_Author; @emmamitchellfpr)"


text:
Sign In
Shop Ink
Search Millions of Items...
Sign In
Shop Ink
Pickup today,
Out of stock online
Available online only
Out of stock online
Available in-store only
Free Shipping
Quality is just as good as traditional tree-based paper and it's great for the environment.
The product was not found. Please verify the sku and try again.


text:
Whats is the Grey lead with 'L' shaped audio plug lead at one end amd a straight audio lead at the other?
1 Answer from the Community
The straight one plugs into your headphones. The L one plugs into your device.
- Answered by Eric S from Mentor
- Flag as inappropriate Answer 1
Related Questions
Will this adaptor work with a charging lead?
- Asked by Bethany H
- Feb 23, 2014
- Flag as inappropriate (Will this adaptor work with a charging lead?)
- Asked about: Lightning to 30-pin Adapter
Is there a lead I can plug my dictaphone to my ipad
- Asked by Kevin W
- Oct 28, 2012
- Flag as inappropriate (Is there a lead I can plug my dictaphone to my ipad)
- Asked about: Lightning Digital AV Adapter


text:
Sauvignon Blanc might be the most popular grape variety in the UK but its potential as a fine wine and 'noble' credentials need to be reasserted suggests wine writer Jamie Goode.
The Australian wine industry should be putting far greater emphasis on its old-vine heritage, a panel of leading wine experts has concluded.
Hamish Anderson takes a look at some of the best Madeira wines while David Williams recommends some "premier league" Italian wines from some of the country's lesser known regions.
The organisers of the 9th International Cool Climate Wine Symposium have announced they will hold an "in-depth" one hour briefing session at this year's London Wine Fair.
Cookie Policy | Please drink responsibly | Log in
© 2017 Union Press Ltd | Wigglesworth House, Fourth Floor, 69 Southwark Bridge Road, London, SE1 9HH, UK | Registered in England and Wales No. 03606414 | Tel: +44 (0)20 7803 2420


text:
Green Programs
At Four Seasons Hotel Boston, we're dedicated to doing our part to reduce our carbon footprint, providing a safe, clean and sustainable environment for our guests and staff. As active members of the Boston Green Tourism Lodging Committee, we pride ourselves at being a leader in the industry. Below is a brief glimpse at some of our exciting green practices.
Single Stream Recycling: This program allows for increased volume and capture ratio of goods.
Green Roof: The hotel boasts its very own green roof, a green ecosystem within an urban area that helps to reduce urban heat load. The Green Roof features an Urban Garden, in which Executive Chef Brooke Vosika and the culinary team grows a variety of fruits, vegetables and herbs, a reflection of their dedication to serving the freshest local and sustainable fare. The Green Roof also features Italian Honey Lover Beehives which cross pollinate the roof and also produce honey that is used in recipes at The Bristol Lounge.
Food Waste: Our organic waste decomposition machine allows disposal of food waste at the point of generation, therefore eliminating all traditional steps associated with waste removal and disposal.
Green Housekeeping Program: Guests are presented with the option to have beds remade with the current linens. The Housekeeping team also uses vinyl trash bags to collect all recyclable guest room waste. Additionally, outdated magazines from guest rooms are provided to employees for their reading pleasure.


text:
Vibrators come in all shapes, sizes and style. They can play a essential role in sexual gratification both with or without a partner. Vibrators come in many shapes, sizes, colors and range from single speed to multi-function.
We-Vibe Sync20% Off with Code SEXY20
Body & Soul Captivation
Rotating Silicone Clitoral Vibrator20% Off with Code SEXY20
Power Bullet With Remote
Waterproof 3" Wireless Bullet Vibrator20% Off with Code SEXY20
Surenda My Secret Lover
3.25" Waterproof Silicone Discreet Vibrator in Purple20% Off with Code SEXY20
Embrace Body Wand
Rechargeable 8" Silicone Vibrating Wand Massager20% Off with Code SEXY20
Jesse's Waterproof Lover's Kit
6" Pink Vibrator, Jelly Sleeve, Anal Beads, and Cock Rings20% Off with Code SEXY20
Official Fifty Shades of Grey Charlie Tango Classic Vibrator
7.25" Classic Silicone Vibrator20% Off with Code SEXY20
Sex in the Shower Vibrating Mesh Sponge
Loofah with Discreet Waterproof Bullet Vibrator20% Off with Code SEXY20
Total Ecstasy Triple Stimulator
10.5" Jelly Rabbit Vibrator in Pink20% Off with Code SEXY20
TRYST Couples Vibrator
Rechargeable 5.5" Waterproof Silicone G-Spot Vibrator20% Off with Code SEXY20
Royal Rabbit Kit
Purple Jelly 7-Piece Vibrator Kit
Compact WaterPro Travel Massager
4" Waterproof Discreet Vibrator in White
The Original Magic Wand
12.25" Vibrating Massager in White
Thrusting Jack Rabbit
$94.99 $74.99


text:
Lately my friend with benefits has been holding my hand & kissing/hugging me goodbye. He does not normally do this & I do not want to read too much into it. I want to get a general idea of what the "rules" are in these situations. Please help
Most Helpful Guy
We can't establish rules for such relationships, as they attempt to skew the natural order of relationships between men and women. Men and women are naturally hard-wired for eros love which comes as an entire package. When we try and separate, or pick and choose, facets of such a relationship, it can easily go beyond our attempts to modify or tinker. If your relationship includes sexual intimacy, one may expect kissing/hugging might follow along. This is the obverse order of things in a normal situation, but it only shows the futility of the effort. All the best.10|10|0
First off, this is a very well written answer. Thank you. I am starting to see FWB relationships don't really even exsist. In order to be in a relationship we must be our partner's friend first. Which means that you are emotionally supportive of the other. Then you add in the "benefit". I guess in a way it sounds like 2 people in denial about the fact that they are in a relationship. I did expect some affection, but not at the times he is showing it.
Like yourself, many people are having to come to terms with the fact that FWB relationships are contrary to our capabilites. Yet so many continue on in denial, wondering what is wrong. It's like forcing the proverbial square peg into the round hole. It can never be forced into place. You are very wise, and of good character, to catch on, as so many others won't admit to it out of pride I suspect. Be well.


text:
Delete Win 10 Partition In Dual Boot With Win 7
Would you like to answer one of these unanswered questions instead? more stack exchange communities company blog Stack Exchange Inbox Reputation and Badges sign up log in tour help Tour Start here for a quick overview of the site Help Center Detailed Adding elements in subsets of components of lists Unknown suspects hijacking our WiFi. I am still able to log into windows 10 but it is kind of disturbing. his comment is here
Wird verarbeitet... How can K (kaon) and Σ (sigma particle) be created quickly via the strong interaction and decay slowly via the weak interaction? Flag Permalink Reply This was helpful (0) Collapse - But why bother, by Oldartq / August 4, 2015 10:43 PM PDT In reply to: This Will Be My Last Resort If Are people of Nordic Nations "happier, healthier" with "a higher standard of living overall than Americans"?
Remove Windows 7 From Windows 10 Dual Boot
Wagner wants to remove Windows 7 from a dual-boot PC, and keep Windows 10. Next right click on the Free-Space partition (swap space) and delete it again, it should become part of the unaccounted space. But when I deleted the partitions, it showed-up as free space (not unallocated).
- In my opinion, how to do so is out of the scope of this website. –thomasrutter Aug 11 '16 at 23:28 add a comment| 14 Answers 14 active oldest votes up
- Here you will find a step by step guide to uninstall Windows 10 and get your previous operating system back without losing any data in your system.
- If you had rEFIt installed on your system, you can leave it there—it isn't going to hurt anything—but you can also remove it just by deleting a few files.
- Right click on your Windows partition now, and click extend the volume.
- It's magic.
- Once reported, our moderators will be notified and the post will be reviewed.
- share|improve this answer answered Mar 7 '12 at 2:40 pestilence 985810 Thanks.
- To remove GRUB: Grab a Windows recovery media or installation CD and boot from it.
- Type the following command: bootrec.exe /fixmbr This will remove Linux's bootloader and replace it with Windows'.Reboot your computer and you should find that it boots directly into Windows, with no Linux
- share|improve this answer answered Feb 17 '14 at 10:39 community wiki minerz029 Great answer!
To use boot repair: Boot from a Ubuntu live CD or USB Type these lines in the terminal one line at a time. sudo add-apt-repository ppa:yannubuntu/boot-repair sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get install boot-repair Search for Boot-Repair in the Dash and launch it. You're done. Remove Os From Boot Menu Windows 10 How should I completely remove the dual boot screen and log into win10 directly?
It works for any combination (Windows 7, 8.1, 10). Remove Dual Boot Windows 7 I'll quickly add that I've never just deleted a bootable partition because I'm not that much of a risk taker. Restart. Download HereThe free personal use version is all you need.- Select Edit Boot Menu- Highlight the Windows 7 entry in the right pane and select Delete- Make sure Windows 10 is
share|improve this answer answered May 15 '12 at 13:43 hardianto 14339 I don't understand why you think the person asking the question has Windows installed. How To Remove One Os From Dual Boot Windows 8 Since the user probably already has the live disk he used to install Ubuntu, he doesn't have to look for a windows disk. Right-click that Free space and select Delete Partition. And you should see this on an installation media CD.
Remove Dual Boot Windows 7
In the System window's left pane, select Advanced system settings.In the resulting System Properties dialog box's Advanced tab, click the Settings button in the Startup and Recovery section (the third and Murphy loves folks who get in a hurry! Remove Windows 7 From Windows 10 Dual Boot Was this the only example of a Starfleet issued hat? Remove Dual Boot Ubuntu Learn more You're viewing YouTube in German.
I mean, whether you have upgraded your currently running Windows OS to Windows 10, or you have installed Windows 10 on other hard disk partition - i.e created dual boot Windows this content Saved settings.4. So please take some time to share it along to your friends and connect with us on Facebook , twitter, and YouTube. Flag Permalink Reply This was helpful (0) Collapse - Answer No doubt Bob's solution is safest, but most labor intensive. Remove Dual Boot Windows 10 Ubuntu
Paragon is also good. Note: If you don't have a Windows Installation or Recovery CD available, you can download the Windows 7 ISO file (contact Digital River customer support as said in Microsoft help page). Disruptive posting: Flaming or offending other usersIllegal activities: Promote cracked software, or other illegal contentOffensive: Sexually explicit or offensive languageSpam: Advertisements or commercial links Submit report Cancel report Track this discussion weblink How to remove XP dual boot option solved 2 Windows 8 boot options - How can i remove the faulty one?
Browse other questions tagged windows uninstall or ask your own question. How To Remove Dual Boot Kali Linux It has a lot of interesting options. Did you not like Windows 10?
The instructions for installing the Recovery Console are here: http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=314058 However, since you don't have the CD you'll need to try installing it from what you have already.
Please try the request again. Find your Windows partition in Gparted's menu—it'll be listed as an NTFS drive.Right-click on that Windows partition and choose "Delete" from the menu. Reply to PsyKhiqZero Best answer rcxtraOct 1, 2015, 6:59 AM Use EasyBCD to remove the unwanted entry in the bootloader... How To Remove Dual Boot Option In Windows 7 Please try again now or at a later time.
This is the trick where you need to delete the Windows 10 boot loader file and set the another OS (Windows 7 or 8/8.1) boot loader file as default. Check that, you choose the bootloader install device as /dev/sda (if you are installing on the local hard disk). else, if you have installed windows 10 on another hard disk partition using dual boot method, follow the guide below to remove or uninstall Windows 10 from dual boot. http://docsintime.com/dual-boot/how-do-i-revert-back-to-sigle-boot-from-dual-boot.html That will make the partition available for reformatting and use in another OS.


text:
Total: £0.00Proceed to checkout Your shopping bag is empty.
Comfortable jersey design with delicate horizontal stripes and stylish, contrasting piped edges. This flattering and semi-fitted blazer made of summerweight fabric impresses with its sophisticated detailing. The dotted lining is revealed when the sleeves are turned back. Exquisitely finished design, with lapel collar, piped buttoned flap pockets, sleeve slits and horn-effect buttons.
Made with 60% cotton, 40% polyester. Lining made from 100% polyester.
Obermaterial: 60% Baumwolle, 40% Polyester. Futter: 100% Polyester.
We charge a one-off £4.95 charge for posting & packaging for delivery inside the UK.
Length approx. 56 cm, above hip length.
Delivery to your country is not possible from this website.


text:
Clear Tube Lights, 18 Feet, Plug In
$19.99 $18.99
WARNING: Choking Hazard-small parts. Not for children under 3 years.
There's almost no end to the uses of the 8" Glow Sticks! The slim eight inch glow stick can be used as a glow bracelet or glowing anklet by using the supplied connector or try putting two or three together for a great looking necklace! The 8" glow bracelets can be used as replacement light sticks for other products such as the glowing bunny ears, glowing eyeglasses and, of course, glowing stir sticks.


text:
The Moat of Tai-tastigon is between the inner and outer Curtain Walls, and is dry. It could be flooded by the River Trevoil if needed.[1][2][3]
- ↑ God Stalk, "Maps"
- ↑ God Stalk, Book I: Tatters of Dusk, "Chapter 1: Out of the Haunted Lands" — "The gateway rose dark and vacant before her. […] Inside, the land again dropped sharply away, this time into a broad, dry moat"
- ↑ God Stalk, Book II: Crown of Nights, "Chapter 6: Water Flow, Fire Leap" — "Inside, a rope walk stretched across the dry moat to a minor gate set in the inner wall."
|Tai-tastigon's fortifications


text:
If you don't hear the sounds, please try another server or use Desktop browsers to watch.
If you got error message, please press Ctrl + F5 or clear your browser cache and try again.
2,661 views
While making a phone call from a phone booth in Worli, Mumbai, Bachubhai alias Tony Khosla, a businessman, who lives with his wife, Lakshmi, and a young daughter, is interrupted by a male. He manages to shove him out, but is interrupted again by another male, and when he shoves him out, this male pulls out a gun but is shot dead by a third unknown male. This third male phones Tony and tells him that he was the one that saved his life, and Tony cannot hang-up the phone, and if he does so, he will be shot dead. With crowds, police, and the media descending on the scene, a hapless Tony will be held hostage, his personal life, including his affair with another woman, will be exposed, while the unrelenting sniper takes his time to clarify why he has decided to hold Tony in this situation.. On 1movies.tv - Watch knock out 2010 online free on 1movies.tv - Best website for watch knock out 2010 free online in high quality (1080p, HD 720p).
Actor: Sanjay Dutt, Irrfan Khan, Kangana Ranaut, Gulshan Grover
Director: Mani Shankar
Writer: Shiraz Ahmed (dialogue), Vishal Dadlani (lyrics), Panchhi Jalonvi (lyrics), Mani Shankar (story), Shellee (lyrics)
Country: India


text:
Free Ground Shipping
Balenciaga's biker jacket is a timeless investment you'll treasure forever. Cut for a close fit, this piece is crafted from supple textured-leather and has an asymmetric zip fastening and silver hardware. Wear it over everything from party dresses to sweaters.
Free Ground Shipping
Balenciaga's Creative Director Demna Gvasalia is known for his street style aesthetic and playful take on proportion. Made from the finest black leather, this biker jacket is deftly designed to be worn off the shoulders and is finished with polished silver hardware. We particularly like it layered over a hooded top - try yours with the label's jade style.
Free Ground Shipping
Balenciaga reinvents the biker jacket each season - for Pre-Fall '17 it has neckerchief-inspired ties at the collar. Cut from butter-soft leather in a boxy silhouette, this satin-lined piece has epaulettes and polished silver hardware. Adjust the belt to define your waist.
Free Shipping
Black leather jacket by Balenciaga
Extra 20% Off: REAL
Brown Balenciaga leather moto jacket with dual zip pockets at sides, dual zip vents at long sleeves, epaulets at shoulders and exposed silver-tone asymmetrical zip closure at front.
Extra 20% Off: REAL
Black Balenciaga leather moto jacket with epaulets at shoulders, zip accents at sleeves, dual zip pockets at waist and exposed zip closure at front.
Free Ground Shipping
Balenciaga's jacket is inspired by classic biker styles but is designed to be worn as though it's falling off the shoulder - Creative Director Demna Gvasalia's signature silhouette. Crafted from butter-soft black leather, it has a slightly loose fit and silver hardware. The quilted satin lining ensures it slips on easily over everything.
Free Shipping & Returns
Balenciaga's black supple leather "New" Classic moto jacket has two zip-front pockets. Notch lapels. Off-center zip placket. Snap tab waist bottom. Topstitching at elbows. Gusseted zip cuffs. Gusseted shoulder. 19.5" center back length (approximately). Zip-front closure. Lined with silky twill. Available in Black. 100% leather. Lining: 51% viscose, 49 % polyester. Specialty care. Imported. Our model is 5'10"/178cm and wearing a size 36 FR.
Extra 20% Off: REAL
Black Balenciaga leather bomber jacket with crew neck, long sleeves, rib knit trim throughout and exposed silver-tone zip closure at center front.
This black lamb fur and calf leather aviator style jacket from Balenciaga is beautifully constructed with a large boxy silhouette. Featuring elongated sleeves, an oversized fit, a front zip fastening, an oversized shearling with new logo detail, shearling trims on the cuffs and hem and a supple calf leather body.


text:
Zephyr For Jira
Zephyr is the #1 Testing Add-On for JIRA!
In addition to Zephyr Enterprise Edition's full-fledged features for test management, Zephyr offers seamless integration with JIRA. This means that your don't need multiple tools or servers to plan, build, test and launch software inside JIRA.
Just imagine the improvements in your testing processes and the time and costs saved by using Zephry with JIRA! Testing is now integrated into the project cycle, allowing you to:
- Track software quality
- Create and modify tests
- Monitor quality
In addition, your team won't need to learn how to use another tool, since all these features have the JIRA look and feel.
Click on the image to the right to download FREE information on Zephyr for JIRA. You'll discover why Zephyr is the #1 JIRA testing add-on.


text:
Breast/formula feeding
Fish oil accelerates immune system maturation in infants
COPENHAGEN, DENMARK. Infants are born with an immature immune system. Important characteristics of the immature immune system are an inadequate ability to produce certain cytokines (hormones that activate the immune system), notably gamma-interferon and interleukin-2 (IL-2) and a preponderance of Th2 helper T-cells over Th1 helper cells. Th1 helper T-cells enhance the ability of the immune system to respond to virus, bacteria, fungi and parasites, while Th2 helper T-cells are involved in allergic reactions and, if overactive, can cause inflammation such as seen in rheumatoid arthritis. Th2 cells release interleukin-6 (IL-6), excessive amounts of which are associated with allergic reactions and autoimmune disorders such as wheezing and asthma.
Healthy maturation of the infant's immune system would thus involve increased production of gamma-interferon and/or IL-2 and an increase in Th1 cells to improve the ratio of Th1 to Th2 cells. Researchers at Copenhagen University report that supplementation with fish oil at age 9 months helps accelerate maturation.
Their study involved 64 healthy Danish infants who were fed either formula or cows' milk for a 3-month period following cessation of breast-feeding. Half the children were also given a teaspoon (5 mL) of fish oil daily providing 571 mg/day of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and 381 mg/day of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). The infants had blood samples drawn at the beginning and end of the trial. Analyses of red blood cells showed a 450% increase in EPA and a 40% increase in DHA among infants who had supplemented with fish oil; these increases were accompanied by decreases in linoleic acid and arachidonic acid of 15%.
Whole blood samples were cultured and stimulated with various agents to provoke an immune response. The researchers noted a substantial increase in the production of gamma-interferon and a reduced production of interleukin-10 (IL-10) in the infants supplemented with fish oils. A reduced IL-10 production would indicate a dampened Th2 response to immune system provocation. Fish oil supplementation did not affect other markers of innate immunity or general inflammation (C-reactive protein and immunoglobulin E). The researchers conclude that daily fish oil supplementation between the ages of 9 and 12 months accelerates the maturation of infants' immune systems and may be helpful in avoiding the development of allergic disorders.
Damsgaard, CT, et al. Fish oil supplementation modulates immune function in healthy infants. Journal of Nutrition, Vol. 137, April 2007, pp. 1031-36
DHA transfer during breast-feeding
COPENHAGEN, DENMARK. Long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids, specifically arachidonic acid and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), a major component of fish oil, are accumulated in the brain of the fetus and infant during the last trimester of pregnancy and the first year of life. DHA, in particular, has been found to be important for the development of the infant's central nervous system and visual acuity. Although infants can, to a limited extent, convert alpha-linolenic acid to eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and DHA, by far the majority of the infant's need for DHA must be met through mother's milk or fortified infant formula. Danish researchers suggest that the transfer of DHA from mother to infant via breast milk may significantly deplete the DHA status of the mother.
Their study involved 12 mother/infant pairs who were enrolled within 30 days of birth. The study participants (both mothers and infants) provided blood samples 1, 2, and 4 months after delivery and mothers also provided samples of breast milk. The researchers found that the DHA content of the mothers' red blood cells decreased significantly over the 4-month period, while that of the infants increased. It is not clear whether this is due to preferential transfer of DHA, or to differences in the metabolism and utilization of polyunsaturated fatty acids.
Jorgensen, MH, et al. The composition of polyunsaturated fatty acids in erythrocytes of lactating mothers and their infants. Maternal and Child Nutrition, Vol. 2, 2006, pp. 29-39
DHA declines during breast-feeding
MAASTRICHT, THE NETHERLANDS. Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), a main component of fish oil, is an extremely important nutrient in the development of the brain of the fetus and infant. It is therefore not surprising that nature has ordained that blood plasma and red blood cell (erythrocyte) levels of DHA increase during pregnancy, possibly due to an enhanced conversion of docosapentaenoic acid to DHA. What is not known is how long it takes for DHA concentrations to return to pre-pregnancy levels, and whether the change is different in breast-feeding women than in those who feed their infants formula. Researchers at Maastricht University now provide an answer to these questions.
Their study involved 57 healthy women (average age of 30 years) who were recruited into the study after 36-37 weeks of pregnancy. The women gave birth after an average 40 week of pregnancy and were than followed for 64 weeks post-partum. Twenty-two of the women exclusively bottle-fed their infants, while the remaining 35 breast-fed. The fatty acid composition of plasma and erythrocytes was analyzed at entry to the study and then at regular intervals post-partum. Dietary intakes of fatty acids were assessed 4 and 32 weeks post-partum via validated food frequency questionnaires.
The researchers found that the total fatty acid content of plasma and erythrocytes decreased significantly post-partum, while the percentages of omega-3 fatty acids increased with the exception of DHA. DHA decreased steadily post-partum in both lactating and non-lactating women, but the decrease was substantially greater in breast-feeding mothers. The average daily intake of DHA at 32 weeks post-partum was 55 mg/day in non-lactating women and 81 mg/day in lactating women. However, it is estimated that the daily transfer of DHA in breast milk is about 51 mg, thus leaving only 30 mg/day for the breast-feeding women, likely not enough to cover their basic needs for this important fatty acid.
Otto, SJ, et al. Comparison of the peripartum and postpartum phospholipid polyunsaturated fatty acid profiles of lactating and nonlactating women. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Vol. 73, June 2001, pp. 1074-79
Maternal milk and DHA supplementation
MUNICH, GERMANY. Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) is vital for the proper development of an infant's brain and retina. DHA must be supplied through mother's milk or infant formula as the infant itself is unable to synthesize it from other dietary sources such as flax oil. The DHA content of human milk varies from 0.05% in vegetarian women to 1.40% in Inuit women. An average level in omnivorous women is about 0.3% by weight. It is assumed that a mother's diet affects the composition of her breast milk, but no specific studies of the transfer of DHA to breast milk has been made so far.
Researchers at the Ludwig-Maximilian-Universitat now report that an increased dietary intake of DHA by a lactating woman results in a proportional increase in her breast milk. Their study involved 10 lactating women who between week 4 and 6 postpartum supplemented with either 200 mg of DHA per day or 200 mg of a corn/soy oil mixture (placebo oil). At the end of the 2 weeks the DHA content of the milk from the DHA-supplemented mothers had increased by 28% while the DHA content in the milk from the mothers in the placebo group had decreased by 25%. In other words, after 2 weeks the DHA content in the milk from DHA-supplemented mothers was almost twice as high as in the milk from the mothers in the placebo group. There were no significant differences in the amount of milk produced per day by the 2 groups. Editor's note: Supplementation with DHA would be particularly important for lactating mothers who are vegetarian.
Fidler, Natasa, et al. Docosahexaenoic acid transfer into human milk after dietary supplementation: a randomized clinical trial. Journal of Lipid Research, Vol. 41, September 2000, pp. 1376-83
Formula-fed infants need DHA
TORONTO, CANADA. A team of researchers from Canada, Britain, and the USA emphasize the importance of ensuring that newborn infants get sufficient docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) in order to ensure optimal neural and visual development during the first 6 months of life. They point out that there is still controversy as to whether the required DHA can be synthesized by the infants themselves (from alpha- linolenic acid) or must be supplied by the diet – be it breast milk or infant formula.
The researchers reviewed numerous studies comparing the DHA status of breast-fed infants with that of formula-fed ones. They found that over the first 6 months of life DHA accumulates in the body of breast- fed infants at a rate of 10 mg/day with 48% of this accumulation occurring in the brain. They estimate that an intake of 20 mg/day of DHA is required to achieve this accumulation and point out that breast feeding supplies about 60 mg/day. They believe the seeming over-abundance of DHA in breast milk may be needed in order to provide for potentially increased losses during disease, infection, surgery, and other conditions adversely affecting the infants' metabolism.
On the other hand, formula-fed infants would seem to develop a serious deficiency of DHA if they are fed a formula which has not been fortified with DHA (usually in combination with arachidonic acid). Standard infant formulas contribute about 390 mg/day of alpha-linolenic acid so about 5.2% of this would have to be converted to DHA in order to produce the needed 20 mg/day. The researchers point out that there is no evidence at all that infants are able to achieve this conversion rate and speculate that the rate may be as much as 20 times lower than required. This conclusion is amply supported by the fact that formula-fed infants actually lose 993 mg of DHA over the first 6 months of life while breast-fed babies gain an average of 1882 mg. The accumulation of DHA in the brain of formula-fed infants is only half of that observed in breast-fed infants and while the liver in breast-fed infants gains 24 mg of DHA during the first 6 months the liver in formula-fed ones actually loses 136 mg.
The researchers conclude that feeding infants with a non-fortified formula will not provide the DHA provided by breast milk. They urge further work to determine whether a formula containing at least 0.2% DHA (providing 60 mg/day of DHA) will provide equivalent DHA accumulation to that of breast-fed infants.
Cunnane, Stephen C., et al. Breast-fed infants achieve a higher rate of brain and whole body docosahexaenoate accumulation than formula-fed infants not consuming dietary docosahexaenoate. Lipids, Vol. 35, January 2000, pp. 105-11
Docosahexaenoic acid fortifies breast milk
HOUSTON, TEXAS. Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) is an important component of brain cell membranes; a deficiency during infancy has been linked to poorer brain development and a decline in visual acuity. DHA occurs naturally in breast milk, but is absent in most infant formulas. Surveys have shown that the DHA content in breast milk from American women tends to be lower than that in milk from women in most other countries. Researchers at the Baylor College of Medicine now report that the DHA content of breast milk can be increased by supplementing with DHA and that this higher DHA content is transferred to breast-fed infants. The study involved 26 pregnant women who planned to breast feed exclusively for at least eight weeks after giving birth. The women were randomly assigned to one of four groups and given a daily DHA supplement or placebo from two weeks after giving birth to eight weeks after giving birth. Group 1 received an algae-produced triacylglycerol with a high DHA content (providing less than 230 mg/day of DHA); group 2 consumed two high DHA content eggs (providing 170 mg/day of DHA); group 3 took a low EPA, high DHA fish oil (providing 260 mg/day of DHA); and group 4 (the control group) consumed two regular eggs daily (providing less than 35 mg/day of DHA).
All three forms of DHA supplements produced significant increases in the DHA content of the women's blood plasma (phospholipid phase) and breast milk. Consumption of two eggs per day over a six-week period was well tolerated by all participants and had no adverse effects on cholesterol or triglyceride levels. The DHA level in the blood plasma (phospholipid phase) of the breast-fed infants also increased significantly over the six-week supplementation period with the infants in groups 1 and 3 having the largest increases. NOTE: This study was supported by a grant from the Mead-Johnson Nutritional Group. [61 references]
Jensen, Craig L., et al. Effect of docosahexaenoic acid supplementation of lactating women on the fatty acid composition of breast milk lipids and maternal and infant plasma phospholipids. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Vol. 71 (suppl), January 2000, pp. 292S-99S
Infants need long-chain omega-3 fatty acids
KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI. It is well-established that human infants require an adequate supply of omega-3 and omega-6 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids for optimal growth and neural development. There is evidence that the need for omega-3 acids, particularly docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), is especially pronounced among pre-term infants. It has been suggested that these infants lack the ability to synthesize DHA from alpha-linolenic acid in sufficient amounts to ensure an adequate supply to the brain and retina. Several studies have shown that pre-term infants fed a formula with added DHA developed better visual acuity and retinal response to light and scored higher when evaluated for mental development. In term infants some studies, but not all, have found higher visual acuity and better problem-solving ability in infants fed a DHA-containing formula.
Dr. S.E. Carlson of the University of Missouri supports the idea of adding DHA to infant formulas, but cautions that his fortification should be balanced with an appropriate addition of long-chain omega-6 acids (arachidonic acid) in order to more closely approximate the composition of mother's milk.
Carlson, S.E. Long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids and development of human infants. Acta Paediatr Suppl, No. 430, 1999, pp. 72-7
Your brain needs DHA
NEW YORK, NY. Dr. Barbara Levine, Professor of Nutrition in Medicine at Cornell University, sounds the alarm concerning a totally inadequate intake of DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) by most Americans. DHA is the building block of human brain tissue and is particularly abundant in the grey matter of the brain and the retina. Low levels of DHA have recently been associated with depression, memory loss, dementia, and visual problems. DHA is particularly important for fetuses and infants; the DHA content of the infant's brain triples during the first three months of life. Optimal levels of DHA are therefore crucial for pregnant and lactating mothers. Unfortunately, the average DHA content of breast milk in the United States is the lowest in the world, most likely because Americans eat comparatively little fish. Making matters worse is the fact that the United States is the only country in the world where infant formulas are not fortified with DHA. This despite a 1995 recommendation by the World Health Organization that all baby formulas should provide 40 mg of DHA per kilogram of infant body weight. Dr. Levine believes that postpartum depression, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and low IQs are all linked to the dismally low DHA intake common in the United States. Dr. Levine also points out that low DHA levels have been linked to low brain serotonin levels which again are connected to an increased tendency to depression, suicide, and violence. DHA is abundant in marine phytoplankton and cold-water fish and nutritionists now recommend that people consume two to three servings of fish every week to maintain DHA levels. If this is not possible, Dr. Levine suggests supplementing with 100 mg/day of DHA.
Levine, Barbara S. Most frequently asked questions about DHA. Nutrition Today, Vol. 32, November/December 1997, pp. 248-49
Docosahexaenoic acid helps brain development
MILAN, ITALY. Researchers at the University of Milan report that infants whose formula contains long- chain polyunsaturated fatty acids [especially Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA)] have better brain development than children who do not receive DHA in their formula. The observation supports earlier findings that there is a direct correlation between the DHA concentration in the red blood cells of infants and their visual acuity. The researchers recommend that infants who are not breastfed be fed on a DHA- enriched formula. Breast milk already contains the fatty acids necessary for good brain development.
Agostoni, Carlo, et al. Docosahexaenoic acid status and developmental quotient of healthy term infants. The Lancet, Vol. 346, September 2, 1995, p. 638
Maternal fish oil supplementation
Maternal DHA supplementation helps infant's problem solving
BATON ROUGE, LOUISIANA. Maternal intake of DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) in the US and Canada is generally far below the currently recommend amount of 300 mg/day. This could have serious implications for the neurologic development of infants. Researchers at the Louisiana State University completed a study to determine if regular consumption by pregnant women of a cereal bar fortified with DHA would improve the problem-solving ability of their infants.
The double-blind, placebo-controlled trial included 29 women who were randomized to receive 5 DHA-fortified cereal bars a week (providing 214 mg/day of DHA and 27 mg/day of EPA) or placebo bars (containing corn oil) from week 24 of gestation to delivery. The women in the DHA group tended to give birth 1 week later than those in the placebo group and there was also a trend for their infants to be slightly taller.
At 9 months of age the infants participating in the trial were exposed to a problem-solving test involving finding and retrieving a toy. The infants born to mothers who had supplemented with DHA scored significantly higher on this test than did infants born to mothers who had not supplemented. A recognition memory test was also administered, but no differences in results were observed between the two groups. The researchers conclude that DHA supplementation during pregnancy has a beneficial effect on the infant's problem-solving skills at 9 months of age.
Judge, MP, et al. Maternal consumption of a docosahexaenoic acid-containing functional food during pregnancy. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Vol. 85, 2007, pp. 1572-77
Maternal fish oil supplementation benefits children
PERTH, AUSTRALIA. Normal neuronal and visual development of infants depends on the availability of large amounts of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and arachidonic acid (ARA). Several studies have shown that maternal supplementation with relatively low doses of fish oils improves attention and mental processing in young children. There is also evidence that term infants fed on DHA-enriched formula develop better visual acuity.
Supplementing with fish oils (DHA) is known to cause a reduction in the availability of arachidonic acid and, since ARA is also required for brain development, there is some concern that supplementation with large doses of fish oil may reduce ARA availability to such an extent as to be detrimental.
Researchers at the University of Western Australia addressed this concern in a clinical trial involving 83 pregnant women. The women were randomized to receive placebo (olive oil) or fish oil (providing 1.1 gram/day of EPA and 2.2 grams/day of DHA) from 20 weeks' gestation until birth. An analysis of phospholipid fatty acids from erythrocytes (red blood cells) in cord blood of newborns found that infants born to fish oil supplemented mother had a 225% higher EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) content in their blood than did those born to control mothers. DHA content was 39% higher and ARA content 15% lower.
The effects on infants' growth and brain development were evaluated at age 2.5 years. No significant differences were found in height, weight, and head circumference between children born to mothers who had supplemented with fish oil and those born to mothers in the placebo group. There was, however, a difference in eye and hand coordination between the two groups with children born to supplemented mothers performing significantly better when measured using the Griffiths Mental Development Scale. The researchers also noted a significantly higher level of EPA and DHA (and a lower level of ARA) in the cord blood of children with superior eye and hand coordination. The researchers conclude that maternal fish oil supplementation during pregnancy is safe for the fetus and infant, and may have potentially beneficial effects on the child's eye and hand coordination.
Dunstan, JA, et al. Cognitive assessment of children at age 2½ years after maternal fish oil supplementation in pregnancy. Archives of Disease in Childhood. Fetal and Neonatal Edition. 2006 December 21 [Epub ahead of print]
Fish oil supplementation during pregnancy is safe
ADELAIDE, AUSTRALIA. There is still considerable controversy regarding the role of long chain omega- 3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) in infant development and little attention has been paid to the requirements of mothers for these nutrients. Two researchers at the University of Adelaide have just released a review of existing research findings concerning these subjects. One clinical trial found that women who supplemented with fish oil (1.5 grams eicosapentaenoic acid [EPA] and 1 gram docosahexaenoic acid [DHA] daily) from their 30th week of pregnancy extended the pregnancy by 4 days and gave birth to infants weighing an average of 100 grams more that infants born to mothers supplementing with placebos (olive oil). Other studies have failed to confirm these effects. A recent study found that DHA levels decrease rapidly in women after giving birth independent of whether they are breastfeeding or not. There is speculation that this relative DHA deficiency could be a major factor in postpartum depression, but clinical trials are needed to confirm this. The deficiency can be completely eliminated by supplementing with 200 to 400 mg/day of DHA. The evidence concerning the benefits of maternal DHA supplementation on infant development is inconclusive. One study found that infants with an adequate DHA status at 3 months of age scored better on a mental development test at age 1 year, but not at 2 years of age. The researchers conclude that there is no evidence that maternal DHA supplementation is harmful and that it may have subtle benefits to both mother and infant. However, further clinical trials are needed to verify this.
Makrides, Maria and Gibson, Robert A. Long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acid requirements during pregnancy and lactation. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Vol. 71 (suppl), 2000, pp. 307S- 11S
Infant Development
Fish consumption during pregnancy
BETHESDA, MARYLAND. In 2004 the U.S. government issued guidelines regarding fish consumption for pregnant women. The advice was to limit the consumption of seafood to 340 g per week, the objective being to limit the intake of neurotoxins that might adversely affect the fetus. But optimum fetal neurodevelopment depends on specific nutrients derived from dietary sources and the essential omega-3 fatty acid docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) is not only one of the most critical, but seafood is the major source. A study has just appeared in the journal Lancet, which examines an important question, i.e. is the limitation of seafood intake to less than 340 g/week during pregnancy potentially detrimental to fetal neurodevelopment? In this study, Hibbein et al report on the results of follow-up study based in Bristol, UK. Over 14,500 pregnancies were involved and 13,988 children survived for at least 12 months. Questionnaires were used during pregnancy and the children were followed for 6 months to 8 years. The object was to assess developmental, behavioral and cognitive outcomes as they related to the level of seafood consumption during pregnancy. About 85% of the eligible expectant mothers participated. Questionnaires were used periodically to determine development and behavioral characteristics; the intelligence quotient (IQ) at age 8 was determined for 5449 children.
After adjustments for confounding, maternal seafood intake during pregnancy of less that 340 g/week was associated with increased risk of the children in question being in the lowest fifth for verbal IQ and in addition there was a significant trend to greater risk as the seafood consumption declined to zero. Low maternal seafood intake was also associated with increased risk of suboptimal outcomes for development in the areas of social behavior, as well as motor, communication and social development, and for each outcome the lower the fish intake the higher the risk for suboptimal development. The authors conclude that maternal seafood consumption of less than 340 g/week did not protect children from adverse neural development, and that in fact intake exceeding 340 g/week (12 oz or 3/4 lb) resulted in beneficial effects on child development. Thus the authors conclude that following the guidelines could actually be detrimental, and that the results suggest that the benefits from eating more than 340 g of seafood per week outweighed the risk of harm from exposure to trace contaminants.
Hibbein, J. R. et al. Maternal Seafood Consumption in Pregnancy and Neurodevelopmental Outcomes in Childhood (ALSPAS study): An Observational Cohort Study. Lancet, 2007, Vol. 369, Feb 17, pp. 579-84.
Fish oils improve IQ in children
OSLO, NORWAY. The human brain develops rapidly during the last trimester (13 weeks) of pregnancy and the first months following birth. This brain growth depends on an adequate supply of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and arachidonic acid. Norwegian researchers recently completed a study of the effect of maternal fish oil supplementation on IQ (intelligence quotient) in the child at 4 years of age.
A total of 341 pregnant women took part in the study. They were randomized to receive 2 teaspoons (10 ml) per day of cod liver oil or the same amount of corn oil from the 18th week of pregnancy to 3 months after delivery. To be accepted into the study, the women also had to declare their intention of breastfeeding their infant. The fish oil (cod liver oil) provided 1200 mg/day of DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) and 800 mg/day of EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid). The breast milk of mothers receiving the fish oil supplement contained almost 3 times as much DHA as did the breast milk of mothers receiving corn oil.
At 4 years of age, 84 children had their IQ tested using the Kaufman Assessment Battery for Children (K-ABC). The children whose mothers had supplemented with fish oil and who had been breastfeed for at least 3 months after birth scored an average of 4 points higher on the K-ABC scale. The researchers point out that this increase is highly significant in overall terms and would be difficult to attain through normal teaching procedures.
Helland, Ingrid B., et al. Maternal supplementation with very-long-chain n-3 fatty acids during pregnancy and lactation augments children's IQ at 4 years of age. Pediatrics, Vol. 111, January 2003, pp. 39-44
Fish consumption and pregnancy outcome
COPENHAGEN, DENMARK. Danish researchers report that women who consume fish or seafood once a week during the first 16 weeks of pregnancy have a 3.6 times lower risk of giving birth to a low birth weight (less than 2500 grams) or premature (born before 259 days) baby than do women who never consume fish or seafood. The study involved almost 9000 women who completed a food frequency questionnaire. The researchers found that women whose daily intake of fish was less than 15 grams, corresponding to a fish oil intake of 150 mg/day, were significantly more likely to give birth to a preterm or underweight baby than were women with higher intakes. They suggest that small amounts of fish oil may confer protection against preterm delivery and low birth weight.
Olsen, Sjurour Frooi and Secher, Niels Jorgen. Low consumption of seafood in early pregnancy as a risk factor for preterm delivery: prospective cohort study. British Medical Journal, Vol. 324, February 23, 2002, pp. 1-5
Mothers' fish oil supplementation benefits infants
PORTLAND, OREGON. Animal experiments have shown that monkeys born by mothers with low blood levels of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) develop impaired vision. There is also evidence that premature human infants fed standard infant formulas (very low in DHA) have impaired visual function which can be improved significantly by adding fish oils to their formulas. All this adds to the growing evidence that DHA is essential for the proper development of the brain and retina in the fetus and infant.
Researchers at the Oregon Health Sciences University recently set out to answer the question "Do high intakes of DHA by pregnant women increase the DHA level in their newborn infants?" Their clinical trial involved 31 healthy, pregnant women 15 of whom were assigned to receive 2.6 grams/day of omega-3 fatty acid from fish (1.01 grams DHA/day) from their 26th to their 35th week of pregnancy. The remaining women served as controls. The fish oil supplement was taken as a combination of tinned sardines and fish oil capsules; either 1 half tin of sardines plus 7 fish oil capsules per day, 1 tin of sardines (3 3/4 oz) plus 3 fish oil capsules per day or 10 fish oil capsules (10 grams) per day. Blood samples were collected from mothers at entry to the study, monthly after entry and at delivery, and from the infants at delivery. The level of DHA in the red blood cells of supplemented mothers rose from 4.69% (of total fatty acids) at entry to 7.15% at the end of week 34 and then declined (as expected) to 5.97% at delivery. DHA increases in the blood plasma paralleled the increase in the red blood cells, but at a lower level. DHA levels in newborn infants differed greatly depending on whether the mothers had supplemented or not. Red blood cell levels in infants born by supplementing mothers were 35.2% higher than in the control infants and blood plasma levels were 45.5% higher (5.05% vs. 3.47%).
The researchers believe that supplementing pregnant mothers with fish oil may benefit brain and retinal development in their offspring particularly if born prematurely. They point out that supplementing from mid-pregnancy to the 34th week is perfectly safe and may reduce the incidence of preeclampsia (pregnancy-related high blood pressure) as well.
Connor, William E., et al. Increased docosahexaenoic acid levels in human newborn infants by administration of sardines and fish oil during pregnancy. Lipids, Vol. 31 (suppl), 1996, pp. S183- S87
Post-partum Depression
Pilot trial of fish oil for post-partum depression
TUCSON, ARIZONA. Post-partum depression (PPD) affects about 10-15% of mothers in the USA, usually within the first month following delivery. Children of affected mothers may experience impaired attachment and PPD may adversely affect their behavioral and cognitive development. Several studies have shown that mothers with PPD tend to be deficient in long-chain omega-3 fatty acids, specifically EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) and DHA (docosahexaenoic acid). Other studies have found that women with an adequate intake of DHA (from seafood or supplements) tend to be less likely to develop PPD. Based on these observations researchers at the University of Arizona Medical School decided to evaluate if fish oil supplementation would diminish depression in women diagnosed with PPD.
Their 8-week pilot study involved 16 women with PPD. The extent of depression was evaluated using the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) and the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HRSD). The EPDS scores ranged from 15.3 to 19.0 at the start of the study (a score equal to or greater than 9.0 indicates depression). The HRSD scores ranged from 18 to 20.3 with a score equal to or greater than 15 signifying depression.
The study participants were randomized to receive placebo capsules (corn oil + 1% fish oil) or 0.5, 1.4 or 2.8 grams/day of a fish oil having an EPA:DHA ratio of 1.5:1 (EPAX 5500, Pronova, Lysker, Norway) for 8 weeks. The participants were followed up and checked for depression scores at weeks 1, 2, 4, 6, and 8. At week 8 the average EPDS score had decreased to 9.3 (a 51.5% reduction) and the HRSD score had fallen by 48.8% to an average of 10 in the fish oil groups. Improvement was most noticeable in the group receiving 1.4 grams/day of EPA + DHA and no advantage was seen by taking 2.8 grams/day. However, just 0.5 gram/day also was successful in reducing both EPDS scores and HRSD scores to normal (non-depressed) levels. The researchers conclude that fish oil supplementation in women with PPD is well tolerated and effective in reducing symptoms of depression.
Freeman, MP, et al. Randomized dose-ranging pilot trial of omega-3 fatty acids for postpartum depression. Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica, Vol. 113, January 2006, pp. 31-35
Fatty acid status and post-partum depression
MAASTRICHT, THE NETHERLANDS. There is substantial evidence that major depression is associated with changes in the fatty acid composition of serum lipids. Researchers have noted that the ratio of omega-6 fatty acids (linoleic acid, arachidonic acid) to omega-3 fatty acids (linolenic acid, eicosapentaenoic acid, docosahexaenoic acid) is substantially higher in depressed patients than in normal controls. There is also evidence that omega-3 fatty acid levels and, more specifically, DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) levels are substantially lower in depressed patients. Researchers at Maastricht University have now extended these findings to include post-partum depression (PPD).
Their study included 48 healthy, pregnant women who had blood samples taken shortly after delivery. These blood samples were analyzed to determine the fatty acid profile in serum phospholipids (PL) and cholesteryl esters (CE). The women were also interviewed within 6 to 10 months after delivery to ascertain whether they suffered from PPD. Ten of the women (21%) had indeed developed PPD with most reporting depressive symptoms immediately following delivery. Analyses of the blood samples showed that DHA concentration and total omega-3 level were significantly lower in both the PL and CE fractions of blood serum taken from women who developed PPD.
The Dutch researchers speculate that the milder form of PPD, post-partum blues, also is related to a fatty acid imbalance and is currently investigating this in a separate study involving 98 women. They conclude that pregnant women at risk for developing PPD may benefit from preventive supplementation with DHA, perhaps in combination with its precursor docosapentaenoic acid.
De Vriese, SR, et al. Lowered serum n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) levels predict the occurrence of postpartum depression: further evidence that lowered n-PUFAs are related to major depression. Life Sciences, Vol. 73, 2003, pp. 3181-87
Post-partum depression and functional DHA status
MAASTRICHT, THE NETHERLANDS. About 20% of Dutch women develop post-partum depression shortly after giving birth with the peak incidence reached about 32 weeks post-partum. There is growing evidence of an association between low blood levels of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), a major component of fish oil, and post-partum depression (PPD). Dutch researchers report that it may not be DHA level per se that is the important factor, but rather the increase in DHA availability, or DHA functional status following birth. Availability is expressed as the ratio of DHA to DPA (docosapentaenoic acid). DPA is the intermediary step in the conversion of EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) to DHA. DHA availability is reduced during pregnancy and normalizes following delivery; however, it this normalization is slow depression may result.
The Dutch study involved 112 pregnant women who had blood samples collected at week 36 of pregnancy, immediately following delivery, and 32 weeks post-partum. At week 32 post-delivery the women were assessed for the presence of PPD using the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) questionnaire. Twenty-four of the women (21%) were found to suffer from depression (EPDS score equal to or greater than 10). Seventy-five percent of the depressed women rated themselves as "not healthy" in the months following delivery as compared to only 6% in the non-depressed group (EPDS score less than 10).
The researchers did not observe any statistically significant relationship between post-partum depression and DHA level as such; however, they did find a significant correlation between PPD and the increase in DHA:DPA ratio between delivery and 32 weeks post-partum. Women with a slower increase in this ratio had a 10% higher risk of PPD. There was no indication that breast-feeding increased the risk of PPD. The researchers recommend further studies, but suggest that women who have recently given birth increase their intake of DHA.
Otto, SJ, et al. Increased risk of postpartum depressive symptoms is associated with slower normalization after pregnancy of the functional docosahexaenoic acid status. Prostaglandins, Leukotrienes and Essential Fatty Acids, Vol. 69, 2003, pp. 237-43
Post-partum depression linked to DHA deficiency
ROCKVILLE, MARYLAND. Mothers selectively transfer docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) to their fetus during pregnancy to support optimal neurological development. If the dietary intake of DHA is insufficient to meet the needs of both mother and fetus, then the needs of the fetus are met first. This may result in the mother becoming deficient and the subsequent development of major depression and other affective disorders. Dr. Joseph Hibbeln of the US National Institutes of Health report that the incidence of post-partum depression (PPD) is clearly linked to DHA status and seafood consumption.
Dr. Hibbeln evaluated the results of 41 relevant studies involving over 14,000 women located in 23 different countries. He compared the incidence of post-partum depression in new mothers in each country with the average seafood consumption and average DHA concentration in the mothers' milk in the country. The results were remarkable. Dr. Hibbeln found a clear correlation between the incidence of PPD and seafood consumption. The highest incidence of PPD (24.5%) was found in South Africa, which also reported the lowest seafood intake at 8.6 lb/person/year. In comparison, Japan reported a PPD incidence of only 2% and an average seafood consumption of 147.7 lb/person/year. In the United States average seafood intake amounted to 48.1 lb/person/year with a corresponding PPD incidence of 11.5%. Numbers for Canada were similar at 50.7 lb/person/year seafood consumption and 12.7% PPD.
Analyses of fatty acid content of mothers' milk were available for 16 countries. While there was no correlation between PPD and the content of arachidonic acid and eicosapentaenoic acid, there was a clear correlation between PPD and low DHA level. South Africa reported the lowest DHA content (0.15% of total fats in mothers' milk) and the highest PPD incidence at 24.5%. The average DHA level in mothers' milk in Japan was 0.81% versus a PPD incidence of 2%. Average DHA level in the USA was 0.17% (PPD incidence of 11.5%).
Although there are clearly other factors predisposing to post-partum depression, Dr. Hibbeln found that the effects of low socioeconomic status, young maternal age, no partner, and poor education were minor when compared to the effect of seafood consumption and low DHA status. He points out that numerous studies have shown that DHA status can be safely and effectively improved by supplementation with fish oil. Specifically, studies have found that supplementation with 1.1 gram/day of DHA will increase breast milk concentration to 0.8% without any adverse effects. A level of 0.8% is equivalent to the average level observed in Japan and is associated with a low 2.0% risk of PPD.
Hibbeln, J. Seafood consumption, the DHA content of mothers' milk and prevalence rates of postpartum depression: a cross-national, ecological analysis. Journal of Affective Disorders, Vol. 69, 2002, pp. 15-29
Conclusion: Supplementation with DHA appears necessary for optimal development of the brain and eyes of formula-fed infants.
Conclusion: There was no improvement in growth or visual function in healthy term infants feed formula supplemented with DHA for 12 months.
Conclusion: DHA-supplemented formula increases information processing speed in preterm infants.
Conclusion: Preterm babies fed DHA-enriched formula had more rapid information processing.
Conclusion: Breast-fed infants have higher DHA levels in their cortex than do formula-fed infants.
Conclusion: Fish oil-fortified formula improves visual acuity in preterm infants.
Conclusion: Fish oil-fortified formula improves visual and cortical function in preterm infants.
Conclusion: Formula for preterm infants should be supplemented with omega-3 fatty acids including fish oils.
Conclusion: Fish oil-fortified formula improves visual acuity in preterm infants.


text:
Sanjeev Kumar
| Shimla
(Photo: Getty Images)
Conserving or developing new or unique crop varieties would not only bring laurels to the farmers but it can also earn them cash rewards to the tune of Rs.10 lakh.
Such crops would be patented under the Protection of Plant Variety and Farmers Right Act to recognise and protect the rights of the farmers at Chaudhary Sarwan Kumar Himachal Pradesh Agricultural University, Palampur in Kangra district.
It would also highlight their contribution in conserving, improving and making available plant genetic resources for the development of the new plant varieties.
An official at the Agriculture University said that the protection of farmers in developing or conserving traditional crop varieties would facilitate the growth of the seed industry. This would lead to the availability of high quality seeds and planting material to the farmers and the main objective of the scheme is to protect and conserve traditional crops and farming in the country.
"A branch of office of Protection of Plant Variety and Farmers Right Act has been opened in the varsity where farmers can register their crops," Dr Hirday Paul Singh, Joint Director at Directorate of Extension Education told The Statesman.
Under the scheme, farmers of any particular area, who are growing a particular crop for long time, can apply for registration or patent the crop after listing out its values and useful properties.
After this, the officials of Agriculture University would verify the claims of the farmers as to since when the crop is being grown or what are unique qualities which makes it different from other crops.
And if the claims of farmers are found to be correct the particular crop would patented in the name of farmers or a village where it is being grown. "The farmers would be issued certificate and such farmers would be awarded with cash prize of Rs.5 lakh to Rs.10 lakh," Agriculture University officials said.
So far, the crops of three farmers of Chamba district have been patented at Protection of Plant Variety and Farmers Right Authority, New Delhi.
The officials said the farmers of HP, Punjab, Jammu and Kashmir, Uttarakhand and Chandigarh can apply for patent of their crop at the branch office setup in Palampur Agriculture University.
Now the Agriculture University would conduct awareness campaign for farmers through camps and farmers fairs. It is worthwhile to mention here that Palampur Agriculture University has got third centre under Protection of Plant Variety and Farmers Right, out of the five such branches that would be opened in the country.
Copyright © 2016 The Statesman Limited. All Rights Reserved.


text:
Our much-loved newsletter & articles.
Our newsletters contain interesting technology-related tips & news, often including ideas on how to run a successful website, or promote your business online.
It's a great way to keep up-to-date with what we offer, and find out what's happening in the tech world every few months.
Dec (oldest)
2010: Feb | Apr | Jun | Aug | Oct
2011: Feb | March special | May | Nov
2013: Dec
2016: May (latest)
Subscribe to our newsletter
- If you're into changing the world, check out some resources for innovators.
- the thumb mouse is something any laptop user will find useful.
- Future-proofed low-energy designs for mobile demand some technical forethought: μA/MHz is only the beginning.
Software development
- An endian solution for C: let the compiler take care of it.
- Slide with us into C++ for C programmers.
- Code generation with X-Macros in C.
- If you're tired of bloatware, how 'bout a blast from the demoscene past?
- Some of computing godfather Donald Knuth's dreams have made their way into modern programming in interesting ways.
- If you need to parse regular expressions in C or C++, here's some handy source utilities you should know about.
- Parsing INI files in C/C++ should be simple. And it is … with the right tools.
- If you think you need threads, be careful: they're full of caveats for the uninitiated. Even for experts they're often more complicated than they're worth. Protothreads (for C++) provide sensible people with an alternative.
Web development
- Need to know the country of people visiting your site? Use GeoIP in Python.
- Some thoughts on GET, POST, and pragmatism.


text:
Two words to describe the recent Marie Claire Rising Stars dinner: utterly inspiring. The elegant and glamorous dinner held at the stunning La Rosa, The Strand in Sydney was the perfect combination of fashion and girl power! Sponsored by Swarovski, the tables were covered in glittering glass crystals, Marie Claire magazines, stunning Swarovski bracelets for all … Continue reading
Post in collaboration with and sponsored by Finder.com What a month May is for fashion. We've just had Vogue Online Shopping Night, Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Australia is in full swing and now we are blessed with Click Frenzy! The glorious team over at Finder.com have compiled all the brands participating and all the ah-mazing deals they're … Continue reading
L'INGÉNUE: Parisian chic
Sometimes a brand just speaks to you. It gets you. It's as if you're meant to find each other. For me L'Ingenue is that one. L'Ingenue is Australia's first online concept store to exclusively stock French designers. Each season they bring their loyal clientel a carefeully curated selection of the finest shoes designed in France, crafted … Continue reading
Vogue Online Shopping Night – Best of the best deals!
Post sponsored by Finder. Why am I as excited as a little kid on Christmas this morning? Vogue Online Shopping Night is upon us again! VOSN signals sales from some of my all time favourite brands including Manning Cartell, Misha Collection and a myriad of other amazing brands. To celebrate this incredible night of online shopping, the … Continue reading
DESIGNER SPOTLIGHT: Benjamin Ringuet
Beverly Hills is calling for one of Australia most talented designers, Benjamin Ringuet. After conquering the local fashion scene with his instantly recognisable aesthetic, Benjamin is spreading his wings far and wide, without ever forgetting his loyal customers and where it all began. As a longtime fan of the designer, I took the opportunity to spend a … Continue reading
Why oh why am I in Sydney when THIS is on in Brisbane this weekend?! As much as I truly love my new home in Balmain, Sydney and my fantastic new job at Ad Creators, there are some things that will always tug at my heart strings and a combined Talulah, Isla and Stevie May sample sale is … Continue reading
The ultimate princess experience
Pink for as far as the eye can see, the Cinderella movie playing in the background, gorgeous chandeliers, pink lemonade, sweet treats, mani's, pedi's, sparkly makeup…. need I go on? If your little girl is your little princess, I've found the ultimate princess experience for her. My little princess comes in the form of my … Continue reading


text:
Last week's event at the Australian Technology Park was a truly a huge success, with over 2000 delegates over 3 days, all day catering, VIP breakfast and 2 large cocktail parties we had a busy but exciting week. Below are a couple of pics we like to share taken with our phones, to give an idea of what happen but stay tuned, very soon the real (more professional) pictures will be released.
Suite 8002, 2 Locomotive Street, Eveleigh NSW 2015, Australia
Consider one of our venues
If you can see this text, your browser does not support iframes. Recaptcha is therefore not operational.
© 1991-2015 Copyright Laissez-faire Catering | Web CMS by Elcom


text:
By: Anfranz Vázquez Bragan
Corruption is, indeed, an enemy of good governance and development. Because the people of Guatemala recognize this, they carried out weekly protests for five months in front of the National Palace, demanding their president's resignation… and they won. Otto Pérez Molina finally resigned hours before he was arrested on corruption accusations. On October 25th, Jimmy Morales, a conservative comedian and part of the National Convergence Front political party, won the Guatemalan presidency. His political campaign was based primarily on an anti-corruption platform. In fact, his political slogan was "neither corrupt nor thief,"[1] and his name did not show up on the election polls until after the corruption scandal was reported.[2] However, corruption is not the only enemy of development and good governance; Guatemala needs more than just an anti-corruption leadership.
Although the Guatemalan Civil War ended in 1996 with peace accords, the horrible human rights abuses that occurred during that 36-year period still haunt Guatemalan civil life. The discrimination against the indigenous people is still present, and indigenous identity itself is often denied due to constant fear of repression. While most attention is given to political corruption practices, we must not forget that daily exclusionary and discriminatory practices against the Guatemalan indigenous population have not been left in the past. Rather, they are still part of daily life, and (desperately) call for thoughtful consideration for they too are enemies of development, peace, and good governance.
Rigoberta Menchú, a Guatemalan indigenous woman who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1992, claims that "many people forget that in Guatemala we [the indigenous] are killed in two ways. One is direct repression . . . the other is hunger and poverty."[3] Although indigenous people are not killed like before (they are not explicitly repressed and massacred as they were in the late 1970s and 1980s), they are still repressed and killed because of poverty and malnutrition.
In Guatemala, a predominantly poor country, the descendants of Mayan Indians have been the particular victims of social exclusion, and have thus been disproportionately affected by the nation's struggles towards development. "Poverty is highly concentrated among indigenous communities, which comprise over 40% of the total population. In fact, government figures indicate that 7 out of every 10 people of indigenous descent live in poverty."[4] This is mainly because the indigenous communities have traditionally been excluded —socioeconomically and politically— and most live in the rural part of Guatemalan society —which is practically completely ignored. "Guatemala is Central America's largest country in terms of economy and population, and plays a pivotal role in regional trade and integration. The nation has one of the most skewed income distributions in the world, which heightens its characterization as a land of contrasts and a country of two faces."[5] Because of the structural inequalities present in Guatemala and the global economy at large, the benefits of economic growth have only reached the small Guatemalan (urban) elite. On the other hand, indigenous communities living in rural Guatemala have no say in political processes, continue to be socially and politically excluded, and live in deprived conditions.
Exclusionary processes establish a hindrance to a nation's development mainly because they further exacerbate inequalities and poverty. By not providing a proper place in society to specific groups of people, social participation and opportunity are practically denied. Consequently, poverty becomes an ingrained, almost irreversible, aspect of the social realm; that is, one in which the people are not only denied material means and services, but are also implicitly left without the potential and the courage to even try to change their current situation.
In 2011, 53.7% of Guatemalans lived in poverty.[6] The indigenous population, however, constitutes the majority. The indigenous and the non-indigenous population (as well as the urban versus the rural population) constitute the two different sectors of Guatemalan society. The "indigenous Mayan, Xinka, and Garífuna groups account for approximately 43% of the population . . . [and] most of Guatemala's poor are rural indigenous people of Mayan descent who live in the highland regions (74.8% live in poverty, more than twice the percentage of non-indigenous)."[7] Three-fourths of indigenous people thus live in poverty. In fact, according to the International Fund for Agricultural Development, in 2010, 5.1 million of its 7.3 million total rural population (which is approximately half of the total population) lived in poverty —that is 70% of its rural population living in deprived and miserable conditions.[8]
Yes, corruption is terrible for a country, for its people, for development, for peace; eradicating corrupt practices must be a national objective, like it was during the five-month protests in Guatemala. However, a corruption scandal cannot be the only excuse for Guatemalans to protest. Lack of peace, equality, inclusion, opportunity, and education are all reasons to protest and are all reasons to ask for more.
[1] "Ni corrupto, ni ladrón." (translation by author).
[2] José Elías, Jimmy Morales, el candidato sorpresa, El País, Oct. 22, 2015, http://internacional.elpais.com/internacional/2015/09/07/actualidad/1441605730_868386.html.
[3] James Painter, Guatemala: False Hope, False Freedom: The Rich, the Poor, and the Christian Democrats (1987).
[4] Rural Poverty in Guatemala, http://www.ruralpovertyportal.org/country/home/tags/guatemala (last visited Nov. 26, 2015).
[5] USAID, Guatemala Country Development Cooperation Strategy 2012-2016, (2012), http://www.usaid.gov/sites/default/files/documents/1862/GuatemalaCDCS.pdf.
[6] Economic Data of Guatemala, World Bank, http://data.worldbank.org/country/guatemala#cp_wdi (last visited Nov. 27, 2015).
[7] Guatemala County Development Cooperation Strategy, supra note 5.
[8] Rural Poverty in Guatemala, supra note 4.


text:
Update: you might want to read the follow up article either before or after this article. There are different approaches in FlashDevelop/Air to using/referencing Native Extensions, pick whichever you like best. The follow up article can be found here.
For a project I'm currently working on I needed to include an Adobe Air Native Twitter Extension in to my mobile air project, which I am developing using FlashDevelop. I settled on using the GoViral extension from MilkManGames, and using the documentation available from their extension and from this url, I put together a full description of what I had to do in order to make it work directly from FlashDevelop (with basic twitter support).
I'm assuming you already have a working air mobile project on flashdevelop, succesfully deployed to the iPad/iPhone. If not, take care of that first and come back later.
Step 1
First, update your application descriptor, add:
before </application>
Make sure you are using air 3.1 or higher and update your application descriptor, eg:
Step 2
Now that you've added this extension, running it through run.bat will tell you it cannot find the extension, we'll fix that in the next steps:
1) copy the com.milkmangames.extensions.GoViral.ane file to your lib folder
2) rename it to com.milkmangames.extensions.GoViral.zip
3) extract it back to com.milkmangames.extensions.GoViral.ane
4) delete the zip
5) update the desktop-run profile in the run.bat file, by adding -extdir lib/ :
adl -screensize %SCREEN_SIZE% "%APP_XML%" "%APP_DIR%" -extdir lib/
Now try running your app again (without referring any GoViral classes yet), tada!
Step 3
Add a print/log/trace statement somewhere using GoViral.isSupported().
You'll find it's not working. Add the GoViral.swc or a ane-renamed-swc com.milkmangames.extensions.GoViral.ane/swc to your library folder. And try again…
It will now print false as it should.
Step 4
Create an ext folder under your project, copy the com.milkmangames.extensions.GoViral.ane into this folder.
Update your packager.bat and add -extdir ext/ to this line:
call adt -package -target %TYPE%%TARGET% %OPTIONS% %SIGNING_OPTIONS% "%OUTPUT%" "%APP_XML%" %FILE_OR_DIR%
call adt -package -target %TYPE%%TARGET% %OPTIONS% %SIGNING_OPTIONS% "%OUTPUT%" "%APP_XML%" %FILE_OR_DIR% -extdir ext/
Add the following code (replace the StageHelper.print with your own code or include the StageHelper class below):
try {
StageHelper.print ("GoViral:" + GoViral.isSupported());
if (GoViral.isSupported ()) {
StageHelper.print ("Tweet sheet available:" + GoViral.goViral.isTweetSheetAvailable());
if (GoViral.goViral.isTweetSheetAvailable()) {
GoViral.goViral.showTweetSheet ("This is a sheet test.");
} else {
GoViral.goViral.showBasicTwitterPostDialog ("This is a basic test.");
} catch (e:Error) {
StageHelper.print ("GoViral error:" + e);
As you might have found, but running and packaging the app takes a lot more time when including the extension, so you might want to comment the extension in your application.xml during development. Notice however the difference here between externally linking or including the classes. Externally linking will result in a class reference error, while including them will nicely return false for GoViral.isSupported. For that reason I chose to include the GoViral swc classes. HOWEVER: before you package an adhoc or appstore build MAKE sure you exclude this swc!
For those that would like to use my easy StageHelper class:
import flash.display.Stage;
import flash.events.KeyboardEvent;
import flash.text.TextField;
import flash.text.TextFieldAutoSize;
import flash.text.TextFormat;
import flash.ui.Keyboard;/**
* Provide easy stage access for non display object classes.
* @author J.C. Wichman, Inner Drive Studios (www.innerdrivestudios.com / firstname.lastname@example.com),
final public class StageHelper
private static var _stage:Stage = null;
private static var _textfield:TextField = null;public static function setStage (pStage:Stage):void {
_stage = pStage;
public static function getStage ():Stage {
return _stage;
public static function print (pInfo:String, pNewLine:String = "\n"):void {
_textfield.visible = true;
_textfield.appendText (pInfo + pNewLine);
_textfield.scrollV = _textfield.maxScrollV;
if (_stage.getChildIndex (_textfield) < (_stage.numChildren – 1)) {
_stage.removeChild (_textfield);
_stage.addChild (_textfield);
public static function clear():void {
if (_textfield != null) {
_textfield.text = "";
_textfield.visible = false;
private static function _setupTextField():void {
if (_textfield != null) return;
if (_stage == null) trace ("Cannot print, stage is null in StageUtil, use setStage first");
_textfield = new TextField();
var tf:TextFormat = new TextFormat ("_sans");
_textfield.defaultTextFormat = tf;
_textfield.autoSize = TextFieldAutoSize.LEFT;
_textfield.multiline = true;
_textfield.wordWrap = true;
_textfield.width = _stage.stageWidth;
_textfield.height = 0;
_stage.addChild (_textfield);
_stage.addEventListener (KeyboardEvent.KEY_DOWN, StageHelper._onKeyDown);
public static function getTextfield():TextField {
return _textfield;
private static function _onKeyDown(pKeyEvent:KeyboardEvent):void {
if (pKeyEvent.keyCode == Keyboard.F1) {
_textfield.visible = !_textfield.visible;
if (pKeyEvent.keyCode == Keyboard.F2) {
_textfield.autoSize = TextFieldAutoSize.NONE;
_textfield.height = _stage.stageHeight / 4;
if (pKeyEvent.keyCode == Keyboard.F3) {
_textfield.autoSize = TextFieldAutoSize.LEFT;
if (pKeyEvent.keyCode == Keyboard.F4) {