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In reality the goedendag is nothing else but a sturdy, chest length wooden staff, slightly thicker at the top, on which an iron
pin is fastened, fixed with an iron ring. This weapon is shown on the Chest of Courtrai and can be seen on the reproductions of the now disappeared frescos
of the Leugemeete in Ghent. Also some archaeological finds of the weapon give us an insight in its construction. The wood on these has perished ages ago,
except for some traces on the bottom one.
The goedendag is a simple and therefore cheap weapon. It was much used during the late 13th and early 14th century in
Flanders and proved to be a most effective weapon. The goedendag was used as a club in the first place. Afterwards it was possible to thrust with it.
So it had kind of a double feature.
Most probable reconstruction drawing of a goedendag. Total length about 1 meter 35.
After the Battle of the Golden Spurs it was said that a Fleming with his goedendag would dare to fight against two knights
on horse. Before this battle a knight was considered to be able to fight ten soldiers on foot. | <urn:uuid:2c185e0c-7d87-440d-955e-f25c39cc107b> | CC-MAIN-2016-07 | http://www.liebaart.org/goeden_e.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-07/segments/1454701169261.41/warc/CC-MAIN-20160205193929-00197-ip-10-236-182-209.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.957635 | 253 | 2.84375 | 3 |
Domestic violence refers to crimes of assault, battery and sexual abuse that go on within the home, between married couples, families, and people who live together. Domestic violence may include physical abuse (child abuse, spousal abuse), verbal abuse (threats), sexual abuse (rape, child molestation), and emotional abuse.
Any person who is the victim of a violent act or has reason to believe he/she is in imminent danger of becoming a victim of a violent act at the hands of someone he/she is involved in a domestic relationship with may be eligible to have a Domestic Violence Injunction granted.
A violent act can be one of the following: assault, aggravated assault, battery, aggravated battery, sexual assault, sexual battery, stalking, aggravated stalking, kidnapping, false imprisonment, or any other criminal offense resulting in physical injury or death.
As domestic relationship is defined as one in which the victim and assailant are married, formerly married, related by blood or marriage, have a child in common, are members of the same household or were formerly members of the same household at which time the parties were living as a family.
When determining whether or not an individual has reason to believe he/she is in imminent danger of becoming a victim of domestic violence, the court must consider the following:
- The history between the parties, including threats, harassment, stalking, and physical abuse.
- Whether the alleged assailant has attempted to harm the complaining party or family members or individuals closely associated with the complaining party.
- Whether the alleged assailant has threatened to conceal, kidnap, or harm the complaining party’s child or children.
- Whether the alleged assailant has intentionally injured or killed a family pet.
- Whether the alleged assailant has used, or has threatened to use, against the complaining party any weapons such as guns or knives.
- Whether the alleged assailant has physically restrained the complaining party from leaving the home or calling law enforcement.
- Whether the alleged assailant has a criminal history involving violence or the threat of violence.
- The existence of a verifiable order of protection issued previously or from another jurisdiction.
- Whether the alleged assailant has destroyed personal property, including, but not limited to, telephones or other communications equipment, clothing, or other items belonging to the complaining party.
- Whether the alleged assailant engaged in any other behavior or conduct that leads the complaining party to have reasonable cause to believe that he or she is in imminent danger of becoming a victim of domestic violence. | <urn:uuid:2a04a507-2bb2-4618-bf3b-53a9fc03034a> | CC-MAIN-2023-23 | https://klmlawoffice.com/practice_areas/domestic-violence/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-23/segments/1685224655143.72/warc/CC-MAIN-20230608204017-20230608234017-00024.warc.gz | en | 0.954776 | 516 | 3.015625 | 3 |
The learning of information and skills presented in class lectures or discussions should be viewed as a process: preparation to take in the new information, the act of taking in the new information, and then reviewing the information so that it is later accessible (recalled from memory) to use for a project, paper, or test.
The activities suggested for “Before Class” in Table 5-2 help students develop a mental framework into which this new information can be “filed” or organized which aids information recall (Bower, Clark, Lesgold, & Winzenz, 1969). It also makes note taking easier because you are familiar with the material and feel less panicked about getting everything noted in full detail.
Attending class and taking the notes is important primarily because the professor may be presenting information that is not presented in the text. It should also be seen as a structured opportunity to engage with the material that will further aid recall when needed. Oftentimes, students can also get clues as to what a professor perceives as important material from attending class that will aid in test preparation.
|Before Class||During Class||After Class|
|Complete assigned readings to prepare for class. Take notes or mark your text for easy reference.||Take notes. Active engagement with the material (like writing down what you are hearing) helps improve memory and concentration and material to later review. Have a positive mindset about taking notes you are writing down answers to questions on the test.”||Review your notes and handouts within 24 hours of taking them. Fill in details that you remember but did not have time to write down. Write questions for the notes that you can use for self-testing later. Write a summary of the day’s notes.|
|Prepare questions that you may have about the reading.||Put a date on your note paper. It helps to also include the text chapter or general topic that might be related to these notes as well.||Compare your notes with a reliable classmate who may help give you ideas on what you missed that might be important or how to better organize the information. Discuss the notes to add another-layer of processing.|
|Review notes from the previous class period to get a sense of where you may have left off.||Use active listening techniques. Refer to the informational box called “Ten Tips for Active Listening” for more information.||Follow up on questions that you have written down with your professor, the teaching assistant, or another reliable classmate.|
|Be sure you have your materials ready for class: text, three-ring notebook with paper, writing utensils, highlighters, charged laptop, etc.||Have your textbook accessible in case your faculty member refers to specific information. Write down that reference in your notes as it is probably important information.||Integrate your class notes with your text notes or markings. If you highlighted in your book, add some of that information to your notes for the “whole” picture.|
|>Get a good night’s sleep. It is easier to concentrate on the lecture when you are alert.||Write down the main points a speaker is making along with any supple-mental details like examples or experiments. Do not expect to be able to write down every word the speaker says.||Develop tools that swill serve to help you review the material now, as well as later. Create visual diagrams* of concepts, develop ram cards* of concepts, reorganize your notes, etc. *Refer to informational boxes on “Visualize Your Information” and “Cram Cards for Long-Term Review.”|
|Make it a habit to attend every class. Put your classes on your schedule and treat them as a limited opportunity to engage with your professor and this material.||Use abbreviations for commonly used words to increase your speed in note taking. Create some abbreviations of your own.||Self-test your comprehension of the information on an ongoing basis. Do not just “look over” or read what you have written. Use the questions you have created. Cover up the “answer” and see if you can explain what is in the notes. Use the cram cards or visual diagrams to test yourself.|
|If you cannot attend class due to illness or an-other extraordinary reason, contact a classmate to arrange for notes. It is always a good idea to send an e-mail or call your professor as well.||Develop a system of organization for your notes that works for you. Common methods include the Cornell, Outlining, Mapping, Text-Class, and Sentence Methods. Refer to informational box called “Note Taking Methods: What Is Right for You?”|
|Leave space between main points so that you can add in new information that you may have missed or from the text.|
|If the professor writes it down or puts it on a PowerPoint slide, it is probably important, so write it down.|
|If the professor repeats it, it is important, so write it down.|
|Listen for cues like “very important,” “in summary,” or sequence words like “first,” “second,” etc. This information provides cues for what is important and possible note organization.|
|Ask questions you may have. If you are not comfortable talking in class, write them down and talk with your professor later.|
Ten Tips for Active Listening
Effective note taking in class requires the use of active listening techniques for optimal results.
- Accept responsibility as a listener.
- Adopt a positive attitude toward listening. Listening is a choice.
- Sit somewhere in the classroom that will minimize distractions and allow you to focus on the professor.
- Maintain eye contact with your professor.
- Focus on the content being presented rather than the delivery.
- Ask questions in class.
- Ask mental questions and search for the answer in the lecture or discussion.
- Avoid emotional involvement that may impair your ability to concentrate or filter important information.
- Clue in on non-verbal communication, such as exaggerated movements, excitement, etc., as it may serve as a cue to important information.
- Monitor your concentration throughout the class period and continually refocus.
Adapted from Kline (2002) and Treuer (2006).
Note-Taking Methods: What Is Right for You?
Types of Note-Taking Methods
- Uses special paper
- Combines class notes and reading notes
- Draws a picture for visual learners
The Outline Method provides a running list of statements that capture the main ideas and supporting ideas for the main points. The highest level of main idea is justified on the left, followed by the next level of supporting ideas that are right indented, followed by the next level of supporting ideas that are further indented, etc. The statements you write down at each level could be key phrases or could utilize the Sentence Method of note taking (see below). It is key for students who utilize the Outline Method to avoid getting so immersed in the “proper” number method for outlining that they lose sight of the information; use a simple numbering or bulleted method. This method is ideal for note taking while reading or listening to a lecturer with a highly structured presentation style.
Cornell Method (sometimes called Split Page Method)
The Cornell Method is a well-known note-taking method that not only encourages documentation of information but also builds in critical thinking and self-testing methods for future review of the material.
The Cornell Method requires that students set aside a “cue column” on the left side of the paper that is about 2 1⁄2 inches of the left side of the paper. Notes are taken on the right side of the paper using whatever methods students choose to utilize. After class, a summary of the lecture is written to ensure a review of the material and main points to be considered and expressed. In the cue column, students are encouraged to develop questions regarding the adjacent notes. Consider Bloom’s Taxonomy as you develop questions to ensure that you are not only developing Knowledge and Comprehension questions, but also including higher-level questions that you might anticipate on an exam. Later, this format can be used for self-testing. Cover up the answer on the right side of the page, and then ask yourself to answer the question on the left side. Check your answer and determine where you have holes in your knowledge to help focus further review. If you search Google for Cornell Note Taking, you can find Web sites that will generate the Cornell paper format for you to print, though drawing a line on notebook paper works perfectly fine.
Text-Class Integration Method (sometimes also called Split Page Method)
For this method, students split their notebook paper in half with a line in the middle. On the left side, students take notes from their course reading, and on the right side, they take notes in class for the corresponding text material. This method allows for easy integration of material from both sources.
The Mapping Method represents the lecture in a visual or graphic format. It helps to utilize 11 ̋ 17 ̋ inch paper or 8 1⁄2 ̋ 11 ̋ inch paper in landscape profile. Students should start with documenting the main idea and placing that in the center of the paper. Then additional ideas feed off of that center point in a hierarchical manner. It allows students to see quickly the main point and relationships to follow. Typically, it is better if students stick with brief statements—one or two words—that capture the ideas. Mapping Methods are also useful to summarize notes taken in another method.
Sentence Method (sometimes also called the Paragraph Method)
This is a simple method in which students write down a main point, fact, or topic, each on separate lines, numbering as they go. It is a useful technique when a lecture is somewhat organized and material is presented at a fast pace. However, relationships may be lost without reorganization of notes at a later time.
You may start with a particular method described above. However, as you become more skilled in your note taking abilities, you may begin combining methodologies to suit the type of information that is being presented. For instance, you may start off the session using the Sentence Method but then use the Mapping Method as you see a pattern emerge in a new concept that is conducive to mapping. You may opt to use the Outline Method in your Political Science course, because the faculty member presents a very organized lecture and use the Text-Class Integration Method in your Math class so that you can see parallel steps between examples from the textbook and the class. The key is to try out some of the different methods and use what works for you.
Adapted primarily from California Polytechnic State University (2007) and Bronx Community College (n.d.)
Oftentimes, students make the mistake of doing nothing special with hand- outs and notes taken from class until a night or two before an exam. Research indicates that students are able to learn and recall information more readily if they have repeated exposure to material over a longer period of time (Baddeley, 1982; Bahrick & Hall, 1991). In addition, actively reviewing material immediately after the information is presented aids recall tremendously. As you continually review information, keep in mind that it is not good enough to read over information passively. Students need to actively self-test themselves to avoid falling prey to the illusion of knowing (i.e., person thinks that they know something when in fact it is only familiar to them). Developing questions that range the levels of Bloom’s taxonomy will aid reviewing and preparation for exams.
Try using the Cornell Note-Taking Method in at least two of your courses for one week. Reflect on how the method worked for you. Are there adjustments that you might make to the system to make it work better for you? Does the system seem to work better in some subjects? With different types of presentation styles? | <urn:uuid:dd699b06-f907-4853-903a-2ba89a27c31e> | CC-MAIN-2019-51 | https://uta.pressbooks.pub/nolimits/chapter/5-2-active-learning-from-lectures/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2019-51/segments/1575540521378.25/warc/CC-MAIN-20191209173528-20191209201528-00269.warc.gz | en | 0.930006 | 2,489 | 4.375 | 4 |
The scientific name for a radish is Raphanus sativus. Radishes are root vegetables that grow at a rather quick rate, ready to eat in as little as three weeks. Most radishes have a red skin with a white middle. They are often described as having a peppery taste. Because radishes are so quick and easy to grow, they are a perfect vegetable to get children started with. Children and adults can plant the radish from seed.
Prepare a location in your vegetable garden that gets full sun. Radishes thrive with full sun and will grow slower if they are shaded for any part of the day.
Till the soil down to a depth of 8 inches. Radishes will grow in almost any soil, as long as the soil drains well.
Mix some compost in to your loose soil. Planet Natural recommends 10 lbs. of compost for every 100 square feet of soil.
Create a hole in the soil that is 1/2 inch deep. You can do this with your finger. Go systematically from top to bottom in a row, placing each hole 2 inches apart. If you are going to make more than one row, make sure the rows are 8 inches apart.
Add a seed to each hole you made, and cover it back up with soil.
Water the radish seeds until the soil is moist. Check on the soil each day to make sure that it is still moist, not soaked. Water as needed.
Check one of the radishes after 20 days to see if they are ready to be harvested. If not, wait three to four days and try another one. They should be ready by then. | <urn:uuid:b1b52773-3bb6-4b4b-868e-f86090fd29e7> | CC-MAIN-2015-18 | http://www.gardenguides.com/123579-plant-radish-seeds.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2015-18/segments/1429246651727.46/warc/CC-MAIN-20150417045731-00172-ip-10-235-10-82.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.955752 | 338 | 3.671875 | 4 |
the convention on the rights of the child comes of age
UNICEF hails major achievements and points to challenges ahead
Children and young people around the world are joining UNICEF and its partners on 20 November to celebrate the 18th anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC). The celebration highlights the important difference the CRC has made to the lives of millions of children and calls for a further commitment to create a world fit for all children.
“The lives of many of today’s children tell us a story of tremendous change brought about by the Convention,” said Philip O’Brien, UNICEF Regional Director for Europe during a round table discussion with children and young people at Geneva’s Palais des Nations. “During the last two decades, millions have gained access to education, and fewer are dying of preventable diseases. Let’s celebrate what has been achieved – and then renew our commitment to create a world, where all children have all their rights fulfilled.”
The CRC strengthened and galvanized an already existing drive for universal education. Special programmes for children orphaned by HIV/AIDS and other vulnerable children, as well as the abolition of school fees and other measures have opened the school gates for millions of children who were previously excluded. The Convention also led to a new understanding of the importance of education in situations of conflict and natural disasters. Due to this, education programmes have become a standard element of emergency operations, with UNICEF as the leading UN agency.
Child mortality has been reduced considerably over the past two decades. In 1990, around 13 million children died before their fifth birthday. By 2006, this number had dropped to 9.7 million – still an unacceptable figure, particularly since many deaths could be prevented, but nevertheless an important achievement.
Under the CRC tenure, the world has also seen positive developments in child protection, among them the legal measure to protect children in conflict zones. Much more attention has been given to other issues such as commercial sexual exploitation, abuse and trafficking or female genital mutilation/cutting with corresponding legislation to tackle them.
Around the world, UNICEF field offices and National Committees and other child rights advocates are celebrating the CRC’s anniversary through events and campaigns. Some are using the opportunity to convince their own governments to establish a Children’s Commissioner to monitor the implementation of the Convention, following the good example of other countries. Others are using the anniversary to further push for an integration of the principles of the Convention into national constitutions. Some TV broadcasters are dedicating programmes to children’s rights.
According to Marta Santos Pais, Director of UNICEF’s Innocenti Research Center, these activities show that the Convention led to a real child rights movement that consists of tens of thousands of initiatives all over the world, involving millions of people.
“The CRC is not about promises, it’s about obligations. Implementing the CRC is first and foremost a government’s obligation. But parents, teachers, social activists and children themselves have an important role to play as well. If supported by each and every one of us, this movement will radically change the world for all new generations,” Santos Pais said during the event at Geneva’s Palais des Nations.
Yet despite the progress achieved, a lot needs to be done to ensure that all children can enjoy their rights:About 27,000 children under the age of five are still dying every day, mainly from preventable causes; every 3.6 seconds one person dies of malnutrition – in most cases it is a child under the age of five; malaria kills a child somewhere in the world every 30 seconds; more than 15 million children have lost their mother or both parents to AIDS; more than two million children were living with HIV or AIDS in 2006, but only 15 percent of those who needed antiretroviral treatment, received it. UNICEF is appealing to all governments to put children’s rights high on the national agenda by further strengthening social systems and legal frameworks and by securing sufficient budgets for that. UNICEF is also appealing to societies at large to strive and further expand the child rights movement by continuously raising awareness about what still needs to be done. If strengthened and supported by all parts of society, this movement will radically change the world for all new generations to come.
“The CRC has ushered in a new social contract between governments, communities, schools, families and adults on the one side and children on the other,” said Jean Zermatten, Vice Chair of the Committee on the Rights of the Child. ”We need to remind ourselves how we, as adults, see children and how we act towards them. This is not easy and is certainly one of the Convention’s biggest challenges. “ | <urn:uuid:b5f71845-e45f-43f1-8e89-d4eb29e7ca0a> | CC-MAIN-2015-35 | http://www.albawaba.com/print/news/convention-rights-child-comes-age?quicktabs_accordion=0 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2015-35/segments/1440646313806.98/warc/CC-MAIN-20150827033153-00180-ip-10-171-96-226.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.956518 | 989 | 3.03125 | 3 |
When the Pacific War broke out in December 1941, thirty-three year old Harold Slingsby was employed as a pilot with Philippine Air Lines, working for the legendary Paul “Pappy” Gunn from the company’s hub at Nielson Field outside of Manila. Far Eastern Air Forces had no transport force in 1941, and in those dark December days, the huge hole that left in MacArthur’s air capabilities was keenly felt. With no way to move personnel or supplies around by air, General Louis Brereton drafted Philippine Air Lines’ pilots and aircraft into the USAAF. Slingsby became an instant captain.*
At the end of December, it was decided to move General Brereton’s headquarters to Australia. Key staff officers were ordered out of the Philippines to help establish the new HQ. Slingsby was one of the pilots who flew those officers to Northern Australia. Upon arrival, he was pulled into the nascent Air Transport Command as part of the 21st Troop Carrier Squadron (the only cargo squadron in theater at that point) and spent much of the rest of 1942 flying the PAL Beech 18’s, Lockheed Lodestars and C-47’s around from base to base before returning to the States in early 1943.
The 5th Air Force was just being set up, and things were pretty chaotic in Australia in early 1942, so these transport missions were often anything but routine. On February 23, 1942, he was tasked with flying to Brisbane to haul back to Batchelor FIeld the intact wing of a Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress. Pappy Gunn, who commanded the 21st, was probably on this flight with “Buzz” Slingsby and took photos of this remarkable salvage job. They arrived at Brisbane and somehow shoehorned the wing under the fuselage of their transport. Exactly what aircraft Slingsby was flying is unknown, but it was probably an ancient B-17D the ATC pilots had been using since it had been flown out of the Philippines. The B-17 wing was lashed to the underside of the fuselage, and they took off the following night to get it back up to Northern Australia where ground crews were waiting to pair the salvaged wing with another damaged Fort so it could be returned to service.
In times of great peril, the men of the 5th Air Force rose to the occasion and figured out a way to stay in the fight without adequate supplies, spare parts or aircraft. If Buzz and Pappy had been flying the old 19th Bomb Group B-17D’s that day, and nothing else in theater could have handled such a load, they were piloting an aircraft whose engines were so worn out and unreliable that the 19th had cast it off as uncombat worthy at a time when they were desperate for flyable bombers. Every minute in the air must have been a gut-check for them, but Slingsby made three landings and take-offs with the heavy, awkward load and got the vital wing up to the Darwin area.
For this incredible feet of ingenuity, Pappy put Slingsby in for a DFC. Here is his award citation:
*Kenney’s book, The Saga of Pappy Gunn states that Slingsby was a Consolidated employee ferrying PBY Catalina flying boats to the Dutch East Indies when the war broke out, but other sources state he was an employee of PAL in December 1941. | <urn:uuid:d5f06025-2610-4d24-9edd-0b85be3777bf> | CC-MAIN-2018-47 | https://theamericanwarrior.com/2015/02/13/most-unusual-distinguished-flying-cross-ever/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2018-47/segments/1542039745762.76/warc/CC-MAIN-20181119130208-20181119152208-00235.warc.gz | en | 0.984609 | 712 | 2.609375 | 3 |
Every year more than 2 million girls and women are forced to undergo female genital mutilation (FGM.) Although the specific rationale behind the practice varies from country to country and culture to culture, the general reason remains the same – to deny women the ability to have pleasurable sexual intercourse and in so doing cause them to reserve their sexuality for their husbands. It may also be a religious rite of initiation into womanhood, a way to cleanse an ugly body part, required by god, or simply a way to increase male pleasure. FGM, also known as genital cutting or female circumcision, is practiced in more than 30 countries, mostly in a belt stretching across Africa north of the equator.
Although evidence suggests that FGM does not necessarily increase a woman’s risk for sexually transmitted diseases, it is certainly not protective. In most countries where FGM is practiced, women who have undergone mutilation have similar rates of sexually transmitted diseases to those whose bodies remain intact. Female genital mutilation does, however, put women at increased risk of HIV and AIDS when unhygienic surgical methods are used in the procedure.
Female genital mutilation is not a uniform practice. It ranges from a symbolic cutting of the genitals to complete removal of the clitoris and the external genitalia with stitching of the two sides of the open wound together with just enough of an opening to allow the escape of menstrual blood and urine. The World Health Organization has actually developed a classification system for FGM that divides it into categories as follows: Type I: Excision of the prepuce (clitoral hood) and part or all of the clitoris; Type II: Excision of the prepuce and clitoris together with partial or total excision of the labia minora; Type III: Infibulation. Excision of part or all of the external genitalia and stitching of the two cut sides together to varying degrees; and Type IV: Pricking, piercing, incision, stretching, scraping, or other harmful procedures performed on the clitoris, labia, or both. The actual experience of FGM does not always fall into one of these categories. The extent of surgery varies between local practitioners as well as between cultural groups, and their practices may include aspects of one or more types of mutilation.
It is extremely generous to refer to FGM as a surgical procedure. These mutilations are most frequently performed by traditional practitioners without anesthesia using whatever instruments they can find – from sharpened sticks and rocks to scissors and penknives – and devices are not generally sterilized between women. In cases of infibulation a girl’s legs may be left tied together for 2-6 weeks in order to promote healing of the wound. Once it heals she is left with an un-breached layer of scarred skin between her legs, with only a small opening at the bottom for release of urine and menstrual fluid. This opening is sometimes so small that a man may be unable to penetrate her successfully, at which point it can be enlarged with a knife or other instrument at hand. Where infibulation is a common practice, if the opening becomes too large after vaginal delivery or other circumstances, a woman may actually be reinfibulated to restore the small size of the original opening.
Genital mutilation is most commonly performed when women are between 4 and 10 years of age, although it can occur as early as infancy and as late as during a first pregnancy. Depending on the extent of the mutilation it can have serious psychological and physical side effects. Unintended physical effects of FGM include uncontrolled bleeding, damage to the urethra and bladder, urinary infection and retention, broken bones in the pelvis and legs from where women were restrained while struggling, systemic infection, infertility, and even death. Psychologically, women can show symptoms of post traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, depression, and – as intended – a fear of sexual intercourse.
As world travel becomes more straightforward and migration patterns change, FGM has changed from a primarily African problem to one that affects countries worldwide. Western nations, in general, have two types of legal experience with FGM – refugees who are seeking asylum to escape it and migrants who are seeking legal protection to perform it. Although most countries do their best to respect the cultural and religious beliefs of immigrants, there is a growing consensus that FGM is an unacceptable violation of human rights. Countries are increasingly deciding that respecting this type of cultural rite… is wrong. The United States outlawed the practice in 1997, and several European nations have prosecuted medical professionals for performing FGM, which has led to an interesting debate. If parents are going to find a way for their daughters to be mutilated anyway, possibly sending them on a holiday to their home countries to have the procedure done, would it be better to allow the practice to occur in the safety of a modern medical facility which would at least reduce the risk of unintended complications and infection?
Some physicians have found that a symbolic pricking of the clitoris, or small cut upon the genitals, is an acceptable substitute for more extensive FGM in certain communities. Where bloodletting is the only requirement, a procedure performed by a physician can be done under anesthesia and repaired immediately without lasting physical or psychological damage to the child. However, most Western medical societies forbid their practitioners to engage in any such an unnecessary procedure on the genitals. Although the reasons for such regulations are clear, some people have argued that in this case Western morals and ethics actually get in the way of the well-being of the child… particularly since the symbolic procedures are far less extensive than male circumcision. | <urn:uuid:45f32708-6203-40a9-b007-4afd245ea909> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://std.about.com/od/stdsinthemedia/a/fgmarticle.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702652631/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516111052-00079-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.957321 | 1,140 | 3.265625 | 3 |
Comparative Perspectives on Past Colonisation, Maritime Interaction and Cultural Integration
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Üye Girişi yapın, sizi bu ürün stoklarımıza girdiğinde bilgilendirelim.
Temin süremiz 65 - 45 iş günü
Yayıncı Equinox ( 06 / 2016 ) ISBN 9781781790489 | Ciltli | İngilizce | 256 Sayfa | Türler Arkeoloji
This volume explores processes of colonisation and cultural integration from the end of the last Ice Age to the present from a cross-cultural and interdisciplinary perspective.All kinds of human mobility, short-distance as well as long-distance movements, short-term and long-term interactions are potential triggers for change and also cultural integration. The colonisation of an area most clearly brings into focus what kind of social fabric encompassed the actual historical processes. Recent perspectives on the social and cultural embeddedness of exchange, and how objects facilitate constructions of identities and political legitimacy, serve to frame and explicate the role of material culture in such processes.The contributions to this volume shed light on various social aspects of movement, migration and colonisation among hunter-gatherers and Neolithic groups as well as in chiefdoms and state societies. Geographically, an area spanning from the Mediterranean to Central Europe and the North Sea Region, Greenland and Siberia is covered. Three social and historical processes - the social aspects of colonisation, cultural integration and maritime interaction - are particularly discussed as interrelated phenomena. | <urn:uuid:e6e07d08-9794-4dce-aaa8-a33439424bb7> | CC-MAIN-2016-44 | http://www.pandora.com.tr/urun/comparative-perspectives-on-past-colonisation-maritime-interaction-and-cultural-integration/493262 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-44/segments/1476988719041.14/warc/CC-MAIN-20161020183839-00464-ip-10-171-6-4.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.797864 | 365 | 2.59375 | 3 |
A back-channel (also reverse channel or return channel) is typically a low-speed, or less-than-optimal, transmission channel in the opposite direction to the main channel.
See: Return channel
A back channel
in the language of diplomacy
is an unofficial channel of communication
or other political entities, used to supplement official channels, often for the purposes of discussing highly sensitive policy issues. See also Track II diplomacy
is the practice of giving positive comments, such as "uh-huh" or "yes" to the other speaker, to encourage further talk or to confirm that one is listening. In Chinese
and particularly Japanese
, back-channeling is very common, to the extent that non-native speakers may perceive it to be excessive or distracting. In American Sign Language
, back-channeling is a major part of communication.
is an organizational practice that involves bypassing recognized or official communication processes, usually by sharing information anonymously up the reporting structure at least two levels, in order to create vulnerability at the level(s) skipped. It is a means by which lower-level members can manipulate perceived power differentials with a superior through a more senior accommodating manager in the organization.
is much the same as in the business application which involves "inappropriate organizational practice" as it comprises the disparate exchange of data on a patient in utilizing their medical records. The Veterans Administration
may do less back-channeling than other medical systems because they openly admit to "flagging" problem patients in their computer system, and they strive to give disclosure
for medical mistakes. On the whole, any back-channeling efforts in medicine are usually done as the result of risk management
In public speaking
In public speaking
is the practice of electronically passing notes among some or all of the audience/students during the lecture. When sanctioned, this practice is particularly useful for speakers who are attempting to dynamically modify their presentations based on immediate feedback from the audience. When unsanctioned, this practice is often very distracting for the presenter. Meebo and Twitter are common back channeling devices, although any chat room style device works well. | <urn:uuid:e92b8036-89fa-4d55-8d4d-1033bf639d06> | CC-MAIN-2015-14 | http://www.reference.com/browse/back+channel | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2015-14/segments/1427132518903.47/warc/CC-MAIN-20150323174158-00283-ip-10-168-14-71.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.944102 | 438 | 2.828125 | 3 |
The world of chemistry is complex yet incredibly fascinating. There is a significant and often chemical reason behind the way things are, from everyday items to those found only in a laboratory.
1. Firework Colors
Firework colors are a result of mixing various salts and metals. Lithium salts produce red firecrackers, iron produces yellow, and magnesium produces white ones.
2. Asparagus Smell
Only 25% of people can smell asparagus in their urine. The digestive system separates mercaptan from the asparagus, causing that distinct smell.
3. Water Density
Water is 10% denser than ice, which explains why ice floats in water.
Lead can theoretically be transformed into gold by changing its atomic number, an achievement that would require a profound understanding of physics.
5. Wasp and Bee Venom
Enzymes in the venom of wasps and bees break down our cells, which explains why their stings are so painful.
6. Diamond Burning
Diamonds can only be burned at 1,000 degrees Celsius or higher, as they do not evaporate at atmospheric temperatures but can oxidize and vaporize at very high temperatures.
7. Atomic Void Space
An atom is almost 100% pure void space, with 99% of it being empty, indicating that matter is also mostly empty.
8. Water Atoms and Sand Grains
There are 4000 times more water atoms in a bucket full of water than there are grains of sand in the world.
9. Chess Moves vs. Atoms in the Universe
In a single game of chess, there are more possible moves than there are atoms in the universe.
10. Talc Softness
Talc is the softest material found on the planet, as it is a mineral of hydrated magnesium silicate.
11. Metallic Smell
The metallic smell of coins and many other metals is caused by the production of Oct-1-en-3-one when certain metals are in contact with skin oil, which then disintegrates.
Image Source: Linaimages / Shutterstock | <urn:uuid:b309e04a-13c9-4876-a531-7d8da61ed77b> | CC-MAIN-2024-10 | https://www.buzznificent.com/some-amazing-chemistry-facts-that-will-leave-you-amazed/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2024-10/segments/1707947474688.78/warc/CC-MAIN-20240227220707-20240228010707-00306.warc.gz | en | 0.911553 | 428 | 3.1875 | 3 |
Also known as a spider, robot or bot. A software program that visits websites and indexes the html pages and their meta tags, collecting word frequency data for a search engine. The crawler literally crawls the first page and then recursively checks every page linked until all pages have been analysed. Some search engines eg Fast Search crawl through every page (or so they claim) on the web, most others like Google or Altavista crawl pages linked from ones in their database or in response to URL submission by people trying to promote the pages. Crawlers have to follow rules of politeness and these are mostly laid down in the Robots Exclusion Standard. Crawlers will look for a file called robots.txt which tells them about the site and which pages not to index. | <urn:uuid:18226d80-220b-44fa-bffe-8f8b3e4f54ee> | CC-MAIN-2020-16 | https://everything2.com/title/crawler | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-16/segments/1585371609067.62/warc/CC-MAIN-20200405181743-20200405212243-00272.warc.gz | en | 0.936497 | 156 | 3.25 | 3 |
The Present Perfect tense is a grammatical combination of the present tense and the perfect aspect that is used to express a past event that has present consequences.
The forms are present because they use the present tense of the auxiliary verb “have”, and perfect because they use that auxiliary in combination with the past participle of the main verb.
Forming the Present Perfect Tense
The Present Perfect Tense is formed using the following structure:
- Affirmative: Subject + Have / Has + Past Participle
- Negative: Subject + Haven’t / Hasn’t + Past Participle
- Question: Have / Has + Subject + Past Participle
When Do We Use the Present Perfect Tense
To Show the Result of an Action
To Talk about Actions that Started in the Past and Continue to the Present
Events that Have Occurred Up to Now (Yet)
Events that Occurred before You Expected (Already)
Events that Recently Occurred (Just)
Express Frequency (Once/Twice/…)
Talking about General Experiences (Ever, Never)
Events that Began in the Past and Haven’t Changed (For, Since)
The Differences between “For” and “Since”
“For” talks about a period or duration of time. It doesn’t have to be an exact number, but it needs to refer to a period of time.
- For the weekend: We’re going to New York for the weekend.
- For ages: I’ve known you for ages.
- For a long time: I have been studying English for a long time.
“Since” refers to a specific point in time
- I have lived here since 2010.
- It has been raining since 8 a.m
- I have been walking since 5 p.m.
The Differences between Past Simple & Present Perfect | <urn:uuid:eea8e26b-58f0-4c26-ae65-c07a884031f9> | CC-MAIN-2021-43 | https://www.eslbuzz.com/using-the-present-perfect-tense-in-english/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2021-43/segments/1634323585449.31/warc/CC-MAIN-20211021230549-20211022020549-00496.warc.gz | en | 0.925209 | 404 | 3.703125 | 4 |
English I 2019
Research Station and Observing Network
Research on the waters surrounding Korea has significant meaning to the national territory in addition to data collection and research support. Korea has installed its own Ocean Observing Network (KOON) consisting of tidal stations, ocean stations, ocean buoys, surface currents stations, and ocean research stations. All these stations collect, analyze, and transmit various data related to the tides, water temperatures, waves, ocean currents, and ocean weather. This information has been used for the protection of the coastal environment and maritime safety management.
As a symbol of the Korean people’s interest in the Ieodo area, the Ieodo Ocean Research Station was established by the Korea Ocean Research & Development Institute to provide real-time maritime and meteorological information, forecast typhoons, and discover characteristics of climate change and oceanic environments in the Northwest Pacific. Construction was started in 1995 with an investment of 21.2 billion KRW (Korean Won) and was completed on June 11, 2003.
Built on top of a submerged rock 40 m deep, the gross floor area of the station is 1,320 m²; its altitude is 36 m above sea level, and its full height from its underwater base is 76 m. The Ieodo station (32˚ 07' 22.63'' N, 125˚ 10' 56.81'' E) is located 149 km southwest of Marado, Jeju, Korea, 276 km west of Japan’s Tori-Shima (鳥島), and 287 km northeast of China’s Sheshan Dao (余山島). The purpose of the station is to observe the constantly varying conditions of the ocean, the weather, and its surrounding environment. Since more than 60% of the typhoons that land on the Korean Peninsula pass over the Ieodo Ocean Research Station, the station serves a crucial role in the observation, data collection, research, and forecasting of typhoons. Additionally, it functions as a lighthouse that secures the safe passage of vessels, and as a frontier base for search and rescue efforts for marine accidents. Staff members of the Korea Ocean R&D Institute conduct observation device check-ups at the station. The station is equipped with 13 types of high-end meteorological observation equipment, 20 types of ocean observation equipment, six types of environmental observation equipment, and four types of structural safety measurement equipment. It is an unmanned oceanic research station. The observed data is transmitted to the Korea Ocean R&D Institute and the Korea Meteorological Administration in real-time using the Mugunghwa satellite.
The Gageocho Ocean Research Station was completed on October 13, 2009. Built on top of a submerged rock 25 m deep, the gross floor area of the station is 286 m²; its altitude is 31 m above sea level, and its full height from its underwater base is 46 m. The Gageocho station (33˚ 56' 30.96'' N, 124˚ 35' 34.23'' E) is located 47 km west of Korea’s Gageocho Island. The Gageocho Station plays a role supporting a diverse range of research and data collection activities with observations on the atmosphere and oceanic conditions. It supports relevant oceanic industries such as fisheries, marine transportation, and marine leisure by disseminating real-time oceanic and meteorological data via the Internet. It also play a role in curbing damage incurred by natural disasters by improving the accuracy in oceanic and meteorological forecasts.
Structures for Ongjin Socheongcho Ocean Research Station were manufactured and installed by the Korea Institute of Ocean Science & Technology (KIOST) from 2011 to 2014. With the pilot operation conducted from 2014 through 2015, the entire facility was transferred to Ongjin Socheongcho Ocean Research Center on January 1st, 2016. The floor area of the station is 2,700 m², and the full height from its underwater base is 90 m. The Socheongcho station is located 37 km south of Korea’s Socheong-do Island and is located at 37.25˚ N, 124.44˚ E.
The Korea Ocean Observing Network (KOON) combines instruments and infrastructure to effectively manage and monitor oceanic conditions within Korea’s sovereign marine areas. It consists of tidal stations, ocean stations, ocean buoys, surface currents stations, and ocean research stations. Oceanic data collected through the network include tidal height, water temperature, salinity, wind speed, wind direction, current direction, current speed, and wave height. The collection and analysis of ocean data have enhanced the understanding of Korea’s sovereign sea areas and have improved the national capability for marine utilization, development, preservation, and climate change and disaster mitigation efforts. The construction and operation of the KOON also have been associated with the building of the ocean surveillance infrastructure for increasing the capability of the maritime defense force. These datasets are disseminated through the Korea Ocean Observing and Forecasting System (KOOFS) website. The results of scientific analyses based on the data are compiled into newsletters, yearly white papers, and abnormality reports, which are then released to 200 relevant authorities.
There have been illuminating, ongoing studies in the area of space and geodetic survey. For the purpose of navigation, measurement, and geodetic surveys, a total of 165 GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) observatories are operated by eight governmental institutions, including the National Geographic Information Institute, the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, the Korea Meteorological Administration, the LX, the Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute, and the Korea Institute of Geoscience and Mineral Resources. The system provides information on location, altitude, and the speed of objects on Earth using satellites. VLBI (Very Long Baseline Interferometry) technology has been used to measure precise locations of control points and the movement of the Earth from space. There are two kinds of VLBI stations: one type for research (in Seoul, Ulsan, and Jeju) and the other for the geodetic survey (Sejong Metropolitan Autonomous City).
Since the 1990s there have been extensive research efforts concerning space in Korea. To date, seven science and technology satellites, four multi-purpose satellites, and one geostationary satellite have been launched. Eleven satellites, including five satellites that are currently under development, will be launched by 2020. Three scientific rockets have been launched to gain launch capability. A space center was constructed on Narodo in Goheung-gun, Jeollanam-do in 2009. A KSLV-1 (Naro) rocket equipped with a 100 kg-class satellite was successfully launched in 2013. An engine test for the development of the second KSLV was successfully conducted in 2018. Launch of a vehicle that can carry a 1,500 kg-class satellite, KSLV-2 (Nuri) is planned for 2021. | <urn:uuid:aa6643d7-3a40-47c4-85b4-89f508d893d1> | CC-MAIN-2023-14 | http://nationalatlas.ngii.go.kr/pages/page_1948.php | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-14/segments/1679296946584.94/warc/CC-MAIN-20230326235016-20230327025016-00074.warc.gz | en | 0.93378 | 1,445 | 3.046875 | 3 |
In the seasonal transition, unpredictable weather gives favorable condition for disease outbreaks especially respiratory and contagious diseases amongst kids and senior people.
The heat and the humidity in the air triggered spread of diseases such as dengue fever, hand-foot-mouth, fever caused by virus, chicken pox, measles, flu, diarrhea, and typhoid
The Ho Chi Minh City-based Tropical Disease Hospital’s Contagion Ward receives tens of patients a day who have respiratory diseases, hand-foot-mouth and diseases caused by virus. Mrs. Le Ngoc Ha in Tan Phu District who has completed paperwork for treatment of her son, said that her son was diagnosed to have hand-foot-mouth.
Not only kids but also adults were treated hand-foot-mouth in the hospital. The city Preventive Medicine Center said that since early March, more patients with flu, sore throat, allergic rhinitis went to the center. Lately, an outbreak of communicable chicken pox in a company district 7 infected 43 people and three outbreaks of mumps in three schools in District Hoc Mon infected 21 students.
Head of the center’s Contagious Disease Control Ward Dr. Le Hong Nga said that these above-mentioned diseases rose more than normal. Parents should keep their children warm in the morning and in the evening to prevent diseases.
The Department of Health in HCMC convened an urgent meeting on disease prevention task in 2017. As per a report of the Preventive Medicine Center, as of the time, 20 district had case of dengue and the rate of infection cases soared without cease. Before the center recorded two dengue deaths in district 12 and 5.
Head of the center Dr. Nguyen Tri Dung right after being informed deaths of dengue, the center staffs have conducted a survey which showed that many people in residential block where the two victims live had dengue for weeks. Additionally, the quarter has water containers where mosquitoes lay eggs into. Hiep Thanh ward has three cases of dengue since October, 2016 to February, 2017 weekly excluding those who arrived at private clinics for treatment without report.
Deputy director of the Department of Health Dr. Nguyen Huu Hung said that dengue is dangerous without specific drug yet residents’ awareness of the disease is low so they are neglected it. preventive medicine centers in districts are assigned to increase information of the disease’s danger to locals as well as preventive measures and how to kill mosquitoes’ larva, said Dr. Hung
Whooping cough increased drastically in the North
In the North, whooping cough are widely spread and the disease haunted parents with neonates. By the Department of Preventive Medicine’s statistics, since the beginning of the year, the northern provinces recorded 82 whooping cough and five neonates in Nam Dinh, Hanoi, Cao Bang, and the central province of Nghe An succumbed to the disease. Worse, 80 percent of neonates having whooping cough have not yet vaccinated.
Lately, the health ministry’s Medical Examination and Treatment Department sent its document to directors of hospitals and departments of health nationwide asking them to detect neonates with whooping cough to prepare medication, equipment and materials for treatment. | <urn:uuid:a446d526-4aa6-436a-8b1a-c0a2ed05da13> | CC-MAIN-2017-47 | http://sggpnews.org.vn/health/unpredictable-weather-triggers-seasonal-diseases-amongst-kids-senior-people-63562.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-47/segments/1510934805708.41/warc/CC-MAIN-20171119172232-20171119192232-00652.warc.gz | en | 0.959544 | 668 | 2.890625 | 3 |
Inverted intervals are simply intervals which have been turned upside down. To invert an interval just take the bottom note, and put it on the top!
Inverting perfect intervals
As you can see below by taking the C at the bottom of the interval and moving it above the G, the initial interval of a 5th turns into a 4th when turned upside down. A perfect interval always stays perfect when inverted.
As you can see in the example below, when inverted, a major interval becomes a minor interval, and a minor interval becomes a major interval.
The example below show the inversion of an augmented interval.When an augmented interval is inverted it becomes diminished and when a diminished interval is inverted it becomes augmented.
Many students are initially confused by the fact both intervals add up to 9. An octave has 8 notes, and there is an octave between the bottom note of the first and the top note of the inversion of the interval…so why does it add up to 9? The answer is that the note in the middle is counted twice. Remember we count both notes when calculating an interval, so the G has effectively been counted twice.
Learning how to invert intervals is very useful if you are confronted with working out an interval for which you do not know the scale. E.g. in the question below you would need to know the notes of the scale of D♯ major to work out the interval.
But, using inversion you can work out the interval in the key of G major (after inversion) and find the interval is an Augmented 5th.
All you need to know now is that Augmented becomes Diminished, and that a
5th must become a 4th because the intervals need to add up to 9! So therefore the answer is Augmented 4th, without even having to think about the D♯ major scale! And not having to work out the D♯ major scale is always a good thing!
When inverting an interval:Major becomes Minor and Minor becomes Major
Perfect stays Perfect
Augmented becomes Diminished and Diminished becomes AugmentedAnd remember the original and inverted interval should always add up to 9.
A unison becomes an octave and vice versa
A 2nd becomes a 7th and vice versa
A 3rd becomes a 6thand vice versa
A 4th becomes a 5thand vice versa
For more help check out my new theory book Essential Music Theory: Learn To Read And Appreciate Music Vol. 1 available for iPad and Mac OS. The beauty of this book is that it doesn't just contain enless written examples. It contains audio and video files that support the theory, so you can actually hear musical examples that help you understand the concepts. Volume 1 is for complete beginners and teaches you to read music from scratch through ABRSM Grade 1 and Grade 2 theory. Volumes 2 and 3 coming soon! Click here for more information.
Or get it on the iBooks Store!
You need to read my other book!
Make more progress, whatever your instrument, whatever your style. | <urn:uuid:cc261988-325f-418c-a089-6abacb2c4690> | CC-MAIN-2016-07 | http://www.essential-music-theory.com/inverted-intervals.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-07/segments/1454701167599.48/warc/CC-MAIN-20160205193927-00009-ip-10-236-182-209.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.942887 | 637 | 3.828125 | 4 |
The UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Expert Group Meeting on Methods and Tools and on Data and Observations under the Nairobi Work Programme on Impacts, Vulnerability and Adaptation to Climate Change (NWP) was held from 4-7 March 2008 in Mexico City, Mexico. Approximately 102 participants were in attendance, representing governments, UN agencies and constituted bodies, academia, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and those contributing as experts. The meeting aimed to identify specific practical actions and recommendations on methods and tools, and data and observations for addressing impacts, vulnerability and adaptation to climate change.
The workshop concluded with a number of recommendations for: assisting in the use and application, advancing dissemination and sharing experiences, and promoting development and improvement of methods and tools; and promoting implementation and improvements, improving capacity for collection of, management and use of, and exchange and access to data and observations.
The report of the workshop will be forwarded to the next session of the Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice (SBSTA), scheduled to convene in June 2008. SBSTA 28 is expected to consider further activities, as well as appropriate timing and modalities for their inclusion in the next phase of the NWP based on the results of initial activities, information presented in the IPCC Fourth Assessment Report, and other new scientific information, as well as relevant activities carried out by international and regional institutions. A review and a report on the programme of work are expected at COP 16 in December 2010.
A BRIEF HISTORY OF ADAPTATION TO CLIMATE CHANGE UNDER THE UNFCCC
Climate change is considered to be one of the most serious threats to current and future sustainable development, with adverse impacts already observed on the environment, human health, food security, economic activity, natural resources and physical infrastructure. The international political response to climate change began with the adoption of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in 1992, which focused on controlling and responding to changes in the climate. Thus, the UNFCCC sets out a framework for action aimed at stabilizing atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases to avoid “dangerous anthropogenic interference” with the climate system. Along with mitigation of greenhouse gases, the UNFCCC also supports countries’ efforts to adapt to the impacts of climate change, through capacity building, technology transfer and funding to support adaptation assessments and projects. The UNFCCC entered into force on 21 March 1994, and now has 192 parties.
MITIGATION: In December 1997, delegates to the third meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP 3) in Kyoto, Japan, adopted the Kyoto Protocol, which commits developed countries and countries making the transition to a market economy to achieve quantified reduction targets for their greenhouse gas emissions. These countries, known under the UNFCCC as Annex I parties, agreed to reduce their overall emissions of six greenhouse gases by an average of 5.2% below 1990 levels between 2008-2012 (the first commitment period), with specific targets varying from country to country. The Protocol also establishes three flexible mechanisms to assist Annex I parties in meeting their national targets: an emissions trading system; joint implementation of emissions-reduction projects between Annex I parties; and the Clean Development Mechanism, which allows for projects to be implemented in non-Annex I parties. To date, there are 177 parties to the Kyoto Protocol, including 38 Annex I parties. The Protocol entered into force on 16 February 2005.
ADAPTATION: Unlike mitigation of greenhouse gases, adaptation to the impacts of climate change is a cross-cutting theme under the UNFCCC. In particular, Convention Article 4.1 states that parties shall “formulate, implement, publish and regularly update national and, where appropriate, regional programmes containing measures to…facilitate adequate adaptation to climate change,” and “cooperate in preparing for adaptation to the impacts of climate change.” Convention Article 4.4 states that developed country parties shall “assist the developing country parties that are particularly vulnerable to the adverse effects of climate change in meeting the costs of adaptation to those adverse effects.” One of the most significant articles for adaptation is Convention Article 4.8, which says that “parties shall give full consideration to what actions are necessary under the Convention...to meet the specific needs and concerns of developing country parties arising from the adverse effects of climate change.” Negotiations under this article laid the groundwork for discussions on adaptation under the UNFCCC. While COP 1 in 1995 addressed funding for adaptation (decision 11/CP.1), it was not until the adoption of the Marrakesh Accords in 2001 that adaptation became a prominent area for action, as set out in decision 5/CP.7 (adverse effects of climate change).
Following consideration of the Third Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), parties initiated a discussion on adaptation at COP 9 in December 2003. At that time, the COP requested the SBSTA to work on scientific, technical and socioeconomic aspects of, and vulnerability and adaptation to, climate change (decision 10/CP.9).
Parties reached a milestone in 2004 at COP 10 with decision 1/CP.10, known as the Buenos Aires Programme of Work on Adaptation and Response Measures. The programme of work was later elaborated on at a workshop in Bonn in October 2005. COP 10 set up two complementary tracks for adaptation: the development of a structured five-year programme of work on the scientific, technical and socioeconomic aspects of vulnerability and adaptation to climate change under SBSTA, which was adopted at COP 11 (decision 2/CP.11); and the improvement of information and methodologies, implementation of concrete adaptation activities, technology transfer and capacity building under the Subsidiary Body for Implementation (SBI). As part of the latter, at the request of the COP, three regional workshops and one expert meeting for small island developing states (SIDS) were held to facilitate information exchange and integrated assessments to assist in identifying specific adaptation needs and concerns.
NAIROBI WORK PROGRAMME: In November 2006, COP 12 renamed the SBSTA five-year work programme the Nairobi Work Programme on Impacts, Vulnerability and Adaptation to Climate Change (NWP). The work programme aims to assist countries, in particular developing countries, including the least developed countries and SIDS, to improve their understanding and assessment of impacts, vulnerability and adaptation, and in making informed decisions on practical adaptation actions and measures to respond to climate change on a sound, scientific, technical and socioeconomic basis, taking into account current and future climate change and variability. To achieve these aims, the NWP has nine areas of work: methods and tools; data and observations; climate modeling, scenarios and downscaling; climate-related risks and extreme events; socioeconomic information; adaptation planning and practices; research; technologies for adaptation; and economic diversification.
The expected outcomes of the NWP are:
- enhanced capacity at the international, regional, national, sectoral and local levels to further identify and understand impacts, vulnerability, and adaptation responses, and to select and implement practical, effective and high-priority adaptation actions;
- improved information and advice to the COP and its subsidiary bodies on the scientific, technical and socioeconomic aspects of impacts, vulnerability and adaptation;
- enhanced development, dissemination and use of knowledge from practical adaptation activities;
- enhanced cooperation among all actors, aimed at enhancing their ability to manage climate change risks; and
- enhanced integration of adaptation to climate change with sustainable development efforts.
A workshop on climate-related risks and extreme events was held from 18-20 June 2007, in Cairo, Egypt. A workshop on adaptation planning and practices was the second event of the nine focus areas of the NWP and was held from 10-12 September 2007, in Rome, Italy.
On Tuesday morning, SBSTA Chair Helen Plume, New Zealand, welcomed participants and thanked the Government of Mexico, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and the UNFCCC Secretariat for organizing the meeting. She stressed that advancing methods and tools and data and observations was important for advancing the Nairobi Work Programme on Impacts, Vulnerability and Adaptation to Climate Change. Plume stated that the aim of the meeting was to identify specific practical actions and recommendations that can be taken by parties in the climate change negotiation process.
Amir Delju, WMO, highlighted that mitigation alone will not address climate challenges, that greater attention must be given to adaptation and that expert meetings encourage collaborative partnerships. Outlining WMO’s two key messages, he said it is essential that decision makers formulate policies based on the latest unbiased data, information and projections, and that awareness raising is most effective through enhanced partnerships.
Roberto Acosta, UNFCCC, explained that one of the NWP objectives is to increase the knowledge of assessment of vulnerability so that developing countries can take informed decisions on how to cope with climate change. In developing their recommendations, he urged participants to draw on their experiences and scientific knowledge, and to also consider the way in which recommendations could reach the people that need them.
Rodolfo Godínez, Ministry of Foreign Relations, Mexico, noted the importance of this meeting for decision makers, stating that any scientific input is valuable to the climate negotiating process.
Adrian Fernández Bramauntz, Institute of National Ecology, Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources, Mexico, stressed the need to improve observation systems and analysis, and planning scenarios, and said that even with existing uncertainties, actions must be undertaken. He also: stressed the need to strengthen national and regional capabilities; said adaptation measures must meet sustainable development objectives and goals, including poverty reduction and access to basic services; and urged timely development of information systems for forecasts and applying disaster prevention plans so communities can protect themselves.
The meeting addressed the issues of methods and tools on Tuesday and Wednesday and data and observations on Thursday and Friday. During the meeting, participants heard presentations and then convened in breakout groups to discuss recommendations. On Friday afternoon, participants reconvened in plenary to hear and discuss recommendations from each breakout group. This report is arranged according to the agenda of the meeting.
INTRODUCTION, SCOPE AND ORIENTATION
Chair Helen Plume introduced the first session on introduction, scope and orientation on Tuesday morning.
ADAPTATION – CURRENT AND FUTURE, WITHIN THE BROADER CONTEXT OF THE UNFCCC: Roberto Acosta identified the various adaptation activities and sources of funding under the UNFCCC. He stated that adaptation is growing in importance in the Convention process and is one of the four building blocks of the Bali Action Plan. Acosta elaborated the way forward for adaptation, stating that it is a process under which there are several concurrent activities, and emphasized that the various activities under the SBSTA, the Subsidiary Body for Implementation (SBI), and the Ad-hoc Working Groups on Further Commitments for Annex I Parties under the Kyoto Protocol and on Long-term Cooperative Action should complement one another for the benefit of all.
INTRODUCTION TO THE NWP AND OBJECTIVES AND EXPECTED OUTCOMES OF THE MEETING: Olga Pilifosova, UNFCCC, introduced the NWP, stating that its role is to provide the information basis for work on adaptation, and its main objective is to catalyze action on adaptation taking place “on the ground”. She identified the major goals of this meeting as promoting the application, development and dissemination of methods and tools for impact, vulnerability and adaptation assessments, and identifying specific actions to achieve these goals, which build upon previous actions under the Convention.
Rocio Lichte, UNFCCC, stated that the expected outcomes on data and observations include: promotion of implementation and improvements of systematic observations; improved collection, management and use of data; and improved data exchange of and access to, observational data. Lichte noted the objectives for the meeting are to facilitate the sharing of information, identify ways to enhance activities, catalyze new actions, and identify barriers, gaps and priority needs.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION: María Gutiérrez, UNFCCC, introduced the content of the Baseline Paper intended to provide background information and facilitate discussions during the meeting. Gutiérrez also introduced a questionnaire for participants, to be used to focus implementation of the recommendations from the meeting.
INTRODUCTION OF THE AGENDA AND DISCUSSION: Chair Plume then introduced the meeting agenda. In the ensuing discussion, participants discussed working modalities and potential overlaps, and complements to other initiatives on impacts, vulnerability and adaptation. Participants said the meeting was an opportunity to learn, in order to ensure they were better informed for the NWP meeting to be held in Bangkok at the beginning of April. Roberto Acosta explained that the Bali Action Plan includes the NWP issues and that there are complementarities, as opposed to overlap, between the two initiatives.
METHODS AND TOOLS FOR IMPACT, VULNERABILITY AND ADAPTATION ASSESSMENT AND IMPROVEMENT OF ADAPTATION PLANNING, MEASURES AND ACTIONS
A. APPLICATION AND APPLICABILITY OF METHODS AND TOOLS
Framing presentation: Overview of different frameworks, methods and tools and their use: Joel Smith, Stratus Consulting, provided an overview of the use of frameworks, methods and tools. He stated that the analysis of vulnerability and adaptation must be appropriate for the questions being asked, such as whether a system, region or village is vulnerable to climate change, as well as how vulnerabilities can be reduced through adaptation. He highlighted differences between vulnerability and adaptation analyses, and discussed the importance of understanding what information is needed, and the necessary degree of accuracy. He discussed the pros and cons of top-down and bottom-up approaches and stressed that there is no right or wrong method. Smith concluded that while methods provide insight, they do not provide all the answers, but can effectively inform the process.
Experiences in application of different methods and tools and their adequate use: Balisi Gopolang, Botswana, discussed methods and tools used in Botswana. He said that in carrying out analyses, findings included that Botswana’s average temperature will increase by 1-3ºC by 2050, and that rainfall would decrease. He noted that vulnerability assessments were carried out in various sectors including water, crops, health and forests, and gaps encountered included the need for technology transfer, and downscaling due to coarse resolution, as well as failure to represent some vegetation types. He said the UNFCCC should assist institutions of excellence, create fellowships for model developers, and maintain a database of experts.
Ahmad Shaaban, Malaysia, discussed his country’s experience in fine resolution regional climate projection for vulnerability assessment and adaptation in the wake of climate change. He discussed use of the Canadian Global Climate Model and stressed the downscaling of modeling to ensure finer resolution. He said Malaysia was working to further integrate climate change issues and impacts into national and local strategic and development plans. He illustrated results in validating and simulating precipitation with observed precipitation and provided examples in other areas as well, and demonstrated how users can access data and obtain future projections in specific areas, such as precipitation, evapotranspiration, soil water storage, surface temperature and stream flow.
Habiba Gitay, World Bank, presented the “Resources for Managing Adaptation to Climate Change”, a system being developed by the World Bank to incorporate adaptation into development projects. The system, she explained, has six elements: country and regional data; location-specific information; a tool to screen projects for climate change sensitivity and identify levels of climate risk; a guide to web and literature resources; guidance notes to help project developers access relevant information quickly; and quick access to relevant projects within the Bank.
Plenary discussion: In the ensuing discussion, Cuba stressed that they do not have access to Google Earth or the World Bank’s tool. Gitay responded that that World Bank Institute is aware of this and the tools being developed are on CD-ROM and will be distributed. The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) highlighted the need to address discussions on uncertainty, as this drives the choice of adaptation methods. Gitay agreed, but said as there is some certainty, decisions must be taken based on what is known, in order to determine appropriate actions.
Smith urged participants to interpret information carefully, consider how much precision is necessary to take decisions, and take these decisions in a risk management paradigm. Highlighting that new scenarios are being developed, Gitay cautioned participants against investing significantly in existing scenario development. Shaaban noted the resource intensity of modeling, explaining that one year of future climate change takes one month to simulate. The Russian Federation noted the need to use various models concurrently and said his organization used a set of 16 models.
One participant also noted that vulnerability is an often forgotten component of the climate change equation. Another participant suggested working with stakeholders and decision makers to establish thresholds as an alternative method to address uncertainty. Austria highlighted the benefits of understanding the limitations of each approach, but noted that decisions on how and what to spend money on are inherently political.
The Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI) said both researchers and user communities should come together to ensure a learning-by-doing approach, and emphasized tools should inform rather than define choices. The Iberoamerican Network of Climate Change Offices (RIOCC) reiterated that no one single model would provide all the answers and that the model best suited for the specific context and country should be used. Gitay said scenarios have not been addressed and, noting that adaptation is closely linked to development, said that current thinking should include narratives for 20-year development plans. Smith said there will always be uncertainty and that sometimes decisions cannot be postponed. The UK emphasized that even when the models and scenarios are right, uncertainty for decision makers will still exist. The Global Climate Observing System (GCOS) said decisions made in the face of uncertainty may be inconsequential if problems associated with extreme events are dealt with.
The World Federation of Engineering Organizations (WFEO) emphasized the need to look beyond the climate perspective and develop tools that communities and governments can use. Argentina stressed that a participatory approach is key in applying an adaptation framework in order to gain social acceptance.
System Analysis Research and Training (START) highlighted existing gaps between the scientific and policy communities, particularly in developing countries, and urged identifying gaps especially in dissemination activities.
B. DEVELOPMENT OF METHODS AND TOOLS
Framing presentation: The need for further development and improvement of existing and emerging methods and tools: Daniel Murdiyarso, START, proposed a new approach for the development of methods and tools, describing it as a combination of top-down and bottom-up approaches: exploring a top-down approach while gathering information in a bottom-up fashion. Murdiyarso explained that this would involve more ecosystem-wide vulnerability assessments, resulting in assessments at all levels; and a focus on the most vulnerable groups, particularly the poor, through livelihood diversification resulting in increased resilience to climate change.
Experiences, gaps and solutions in the development and improvement of methods and tools: Iñigo Losada, Instituto de Hidraulica Ambiental, described a methodology for impact, vulnerability and adaptation assessment in coastal zones, developed for the climate change office in the Spanish Ministry of Environment. He stated that an accurate adaptation strategy is only possible if it is based on comprehensive vulnerability information, including: high resolution information about pressures, such as waves and storm surges at a local scale; new integrated indices beyond sea-level rise, such as flooding and sediment transport; and high resolution vulnerability information. Losada described the approaches of the methodology as an historical analysis of long-term trends and a projection to the 21st century, and provided examples of its use in different Spanish harbors and beaches to determine structure stability and identify adaptation needs.
Yvan Biot, UK, described the United Kingdom’s experience of screening bilateral development programmes for climate change risk. He outlined the UK’s “ORCHID” approach involving: initial screening; detailed climate risk assessment; selection of adaptation options; multi-criteria analysis; and cost-benefit analysis. Biot concluded that the UK found that portfolio risk screening, though useful, is an insufficient guide for adaptation planning, assisting at the operations level, or assisting partner countries. In light of the long-term uncertainty and limited short-term signal, Biot stressed the need to concentrate on: vulnerability to the current climate; the need to build capacity of partners to monitor, forecast and interpret; defining the adaptation roadmap; and starting with “no regret” options.
Plenary discussion: In the ensuing discussion, responding to Biot’s presentation and citing different circumstances for different activities, Austria underscored the need to develop methods and tools in a sector specific context. Biot acknowledged the danger of drawing conclusions from limited samples and stressed that if in doubt, agencies should deal with disaster reduction.
United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) stressed that when addressing vulnerability, the overall trend in projections must be consistent with observed variability, with the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Mexico (UNAM) adding that it was important to look at trends of vulnerability and adaptation. Japan said that in bridging the gap between policy and science, the costs of climate change must be taken into account, including costs of taking adaptation measures. The Russian Federation discussed climate resources and quantifying their potential, and using this information for adaptation categories. The International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (ISDR) highlighted the need to address the management of droughts and other hazards and Stratus Consulting suggested that the UNFCCC focus on appropriate applications of tools for climate change. RIOCC said climate change impacts should be considered in the initial phases of project development. Jamaica hoped that developing countries, including small island developing states, would become more involved in developing tools.
The UK called attention to a Dutch/British study, coordinated by the World Bank, to provide adaptation practitioners with a guide on, inter alia, how to carry out cost-benefit analyses of adaptation measures.
Losada said human activities in coastal zones have increased vulnerability to climate change. The World Bank urged that information and work done at previous workshops not be lost in these discussions. Austria said there was a need for a more sectoral debate when it comes to methods and tools, and that cost-benefit analysis was not the only criterion for decision making. The Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR) advocated using an ecosystem approach for adaptation and pointing out linkages between the two meetings. The UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said good methods and tools cannot be developed without good data and observations.
C. DISSEMINATION OF METHODS AND SHARING EXPERIENCES
Chair Plume introduced discussion on this topic on Wednesday morning.
Framing presentation: existing practices in dissemination of methods and tools and sharing experiences: Xianfu Lu, UNDP, outlined some of the means used by organizations to disseminate methods and tools, which include: compendia and guide books, such as by the UNFCCC and United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP); online resource centers, such as the Adaptation Learning Mechanism; and practitioners’ guides, such as those produced by the UK Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. She concluded by identifying gaps and priority needs, including the need: for more information on strengths, limitations and intended purposes of available methods and tools; to promote the use and standardization of common methods and tools; and for increased documentation and dissemination of good practices and lessons learned in the application of methods and tools.
Existing dissemination practices, sharing experiences and promotion of good practices on methods and tools used by the climate change community, as well as by different sectoral communities and the disaster risk reduction community: José Ramón Picatoste Ruggeroni, RIOCC, introduced RIOCC’s work on adaptation, carried out through the Iberoamerican Plan for Adaptation to Climate Change (PIACC), created to strengthen the assessment of impacts, vulnerability and adaptation, and the development and implementation of adaptation strategies in Iberoamerica. He explained that the PIACC is implemented through: sharing information on national adaptation strategies, plans and projects; identifying capacity needs and priorities, and strengthening capacities; identifying and financing the elaboration and implementation of adaptation projects; and enhancing synergies with the various institutions in the region that work on adaptation. He concluded with examples of PIACC’s achievements, including the development of training courses, with the next to be held in Bogóta, Colombia, in late March 2008, the production of outreach materials, and the ongoing development of a dedicated website.
Donyelle Numa, Cook Islands, described the practices of dissemination and experience sharing in the Cook Islands and explained that information is translated into Cook Islands Maori. She explained that traditional knowledge, such as noting the number of birds in the sky and the orientation of banana leaves, is used extensively as a tool to foresee tropical disturbances in many communities. Numa underscored that the government aimed to provide insight to communities, but not answers. In describing gaps and barriers, Numa cited the lack of baseline data as a barrier and said scenario-based approaches do not work for SIDS. She highlighted some success in increasing resilience to climate change impacts, achieved through working with disaster management agencies, taking a holistic approach to disaster management and using visual representations, including geographic information systems (GIS).
Plenary discussion: In the ensuing discussion, in response to questions on the documentation of traditional knowledge, Numa explained it is seldom documented due to lack of funds. Indonesia stressed the role of religious leaders in disseminating adaptation methods, and Numa highlighted the role of the tribal system in disseminating information at the community level.
Responding to queries, Lu explained that UNDP has developed platforms for community feedback, including online forums, but acknowledged that the agency also needs to be more creative in developing new ways for people to provide feedback. Ramón explained RIOCC’s financial resources are provided by a network of training centers and explained that they are also applying to multilateral programmes.
Pakistan asked about similar networks to RIOCC in other regions, and suggested that the UNFCCC promote the establishment of such networks. RIOCC asked what the Cook Islands learned after the 2005 cyclone and Numa responded it seemed little was learned as in some cases people rebuilt in the same places. She pointed to restrictions on land use and lack of capacity as barriers to change.
START asked about scaling down the science-policy dialogue and Lu responded that UNDP is working closely with its regional coordinating units, country offices and field staff on this issue.
Regarding local, regional and international approaches presented, the UK advocated identifying strengths, roles and responsibilities of each approach. He also proposed developing centers of excellence. Stratus Consulting suggested convening an annual conference where adaptation practitioners could share experiences. Responding to the World Bank’s query about involvement of the private sector, community organizations and NGOs in RIOCC, Ramón said other sectors do participate in the network. The United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) called attention to its Climate Change Capacity Development (C3D) Programme, an initiative to enhance capacity of regional centers. The World Bank discussed an adaptation marketplace, building on the idea of the Development Marketplace. Although recognizing the critical role they play, Numa noted government “fatigue” with international and regional organizations due to the time required for meeting representatives at the country level. She said donors should avoid duplication between programmes and also lamented a loss of human capacity through migration of people to regional organizations.
Kazakhstan emphasized the need to have not only compendia of methods but for these compendia to contain evaluations of different methods to enable users to take informed decisions on their application. Mexico shared its approach of supporting the development and implementation of methods and tools at the local level. Other participants commented on: the need to transfer global climate modeling technology to developing countries and to train developing country staff on its use; the rapid increase in the number of climate change adaptation practitioners at all levels and across sectors and the need for increased experience and knowledge sharing among practitioners; and the need in Central Asia for additional work to develop networks to help users share experiences.
ISDR highlighted the Hyogo Framework for Action and the need to analyze not only meteorological data, but the hazard itself. Japan stated that it is looking to develop partnerships with Latin American countries and to fund work under the NWP. Cuba reflected on its experience of using two different climate change scenarios in two sectors and cautioned against following this approach. Highlighting the dangers associated with taking decisions without consulting stakeholders, the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) said his organization was ready to work in partnership with governments.
D. GAPS, OPPORTUNITIES, RECOMMENDATIONS
On Wednesday afternoon, participants convened in three breakout groups on: assisting in the use and application of methods and tools; advancing dissemination and sharing experiences; and promoting development and improvement.
Group 1: Assisting in the use and application of methods and tools: Habiba Gitay, World Bank, facilitated the group and invited participants to reflect on the discussions and identify ways to assist parties in the use and application of methods and tools. Participants identified the following examples of methods and tools: trend analysis; participatory process; aggregating existing data; determining specific impacts; training local governments on identifying, understanding and reacting to climate risks; differentiating between climate change impacts and natural weather variability, including guidance to the mass media on how to best communicate this to the public; planning and information; and remote sensing.
Cuba shared their experience collaborating with the Hadley Centre for Climate Prediction and Research in the Caribbean region, and discussed the training workshop system developed as part of this collaboration, dedicated to training people on use of impact models identified as the most advanced and useful for assessment in the agriculture, human health and water resources sectors.
Participants broke into three smaller groups and discussed challenges, tools or methods that could be used to address these potential activities and actors, gaps and expected outcomes. The groups identified the following challenges and potential means of addressing them:
- a lack of understanding of specific issues relating to climate change and suggested training target groups;
- a general lack of knowledge in non-Annex I countries of sophisticated impact tools for agricultural assessment, such as crop models, and identified actions that must be taken to address this problem, including training on the use of these models; and
- a lack of proper communication across sectors, and proposed a pooling of knowledge among the sectors, the development of common indices to address common problems and an internet based clearinghouse on tools.
Group 2: Advancing dissemination and sharing experiences: Carlos Fuller, Caribbean Community Climate Change Centre (CCCCC), chaired the discussion group. Noting the need to review and build upon, as opposed to replicate, the recommendations from the Rome and Cairo NWP workshops, he opened discussion on improving dissemination and sharing experiences on methods and tools. The UK suggested considering how the Rome and Cairo recommendations could be implemented, and underscored the need for a strong and ongoing feedback mechanism for tools and methods. Supporting a dialogue between providers and users, Coastal Zone Management (CZM) stressed the need for feedback to be independent and focused on user experiences.
Jamaica explained there was no “one size fits all” methodology, but that it would be useful to refine one or two methodologies and suggested holding a technical workshop on specific tools and methods. Some participants suggested the UNFCCC could provide a clearinghouse facility. The UNFCCC explained they have a compendium of tools and several participants suggested this be further developed to include evaluation of usefulness of methods and tools in different situations. RIOCC suggested a chart of comparisons of key areas would be useful for decision makers and Jamaica and CZM underscored the need for better communication between method and tool users and developers or experts.
The International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) explained the development of the Community-based Risk Screening Tool – Adaptation and Livelihoods (CRiSTAL), which aims to integrate climate change risk into decisions on project activities. She noted keys to its successful development included the iterative process that incorporated feedback into the tool, as well as the identification of champions.
CZM stressed that two-way dissemination is necessary to ensure information reaches the grassroots level and that practitioners provide feedback to policy makers. The UK noted the challenge of providing information and expertise on climate change adaptation to people without internet access or telephones. Ethiopia explained that in his country, once people receive training, they often obtain find more gainful employment abroad.
Group 3: Promoting development and improvement: This breakout group, facilitated by Cecilia Conde, UNAM, began with an icebreaking activity called the “cobweb game”, where a ball of yarn was thrown around the room to each participant who then introduced themselves and conveyed their expectations for the session.
Participants then identified which methods and tools they use, how these can be better developed and improved, and existing gaps. Participants raised issues related to:
- making workplaces greener;
- demand driven development of methods and tools;
- improving guidelines to better understand impacts, vulnerabilities and adaptation through better dialogue between scientists and policy makers;
- the need for intersectoral integrated assessments; offering a broad range of approaches, from simple to complex; bridging gaps between the scientific and policy communities;
- more communication between users and developers, and capturing and accommodating diverse interests so users feel a sense of ownership;
- learning from history to help avoid similar problems in the future;
- the importance of integrating climatic with non-climatic stressors in assessing vulnerability;
- standardized description of methods and tools;
- the possibility of misusing regional models; and
- communicating uncertainties to decision makers.
Austria advocated: investigating ways to change behavior, including through raising awareness, receiving information on what to do, having the means to do it, and receiving feedback; and criteria to assess adaptation options, and developing a matrix to identify the pros and cons of adaptation options. He also highlighted difficulties in preparing cost-benefit analyses for adaptation. Participants also suggested the UNFCCC improve national communications guidelines. The Russian Federation emphasized the important role the mass media plays in shaping behavior.
Participants also raised issues related to:
- combining top-down and bottom-up approaches and the need for methods to bridge these two approaches;
- addressing adaptation in the context of sustainable development;
- limits or thresholds of interventions;
- the need for participatory approaches;
- complexity of vulnerability and lack of agreement on its definition and criteria;
- improving resilience of systems against climate change impacts;
- the usefulness of an ecosystem approach to address indirect impacts;
- the challenges in exchanging information efficiently, due to large amount of information; and
- the need to cooperate with information experts who know how to manage diverse information and make it available in a user friendly way.
Plenary discussion on the work of breakout groups: Participants heard reports from the breakout groups and Roberto Acosta noted that all three breakout groups mentioned the need for guidance on how to select the most appropriate methods and tools among the large number of existing ones, suggested a small group convene to suggest a process aimed at elaborating on this guidance and develop a structured proposal.
DATA AND OBSERVATIONS RELEVANT TO IMPACTS AND VULNERABILITY ASSESSMENTS
On Thursday morning, Chair Plume opened the session and noted the agenda was arranged according to the objectives for data and observations under the NWP.
A. PROMOTING IMPLEMENTATION AND IMPROVEMENTS OF OBSERVATIONS, INCLUDING THE MONITORING OF CLIMATE VARIABILITY
Overview presentation: Current activities and main achievements on systematic observations for climate change: William Westermeyer, GCOS, stated GCOS aims to ensure that climate data required to meet the needs of users is obtained and made available. Explaining that GCOS should be considered a system of systems, Westermeyer said GCOS was responsive to the needs of the UNFCCC in developing the GCOS Implementation Plan. He outlined the GCOS regional workshop programme aimed to identify gaps and deficiencies in developing countries and to assist regions, through regional action plans. Westermeyer also described the Climate Development in Africa Programme that is being developed and GCOS implementation in Central America, Mexico and the Caribbean.
Work that contributes to improved understanding of current and historical climate variability and its impacts: Amir Delju, WMO, described the history, activities and involvement of the WMO in the UN system’s work on climate change and said his organization’s emphasis is on improving science-based decision making. Noting that accurate climate prediction is an ongoing challenge, he underscored the importance of historic climate data and said this was an important input to Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) reports. Delju explained that the climate system is a continuous process and that the knowledge of the past and current climate can lead to more accurate predictions about the future. Highlighting the risk of data loss, he said meteorological services required funding to digitize data and should be considered an integral part of the adaptation community.
Joseph Intsiful, Hadley Centre, provided an overview of the PRECIS modeling system. He emphasized that regional climate models simulate extreme events better and at a higher resolution than global climate models and, noting high costs of generating high resolution data, said the Hadley Centre was assisting developing countries with regional climate models. Intsiful said current outputs from PRECIS include: comprehensive data for atmosphere and land surface; detailed climate scenarios that can be used in all regions; estimates and quantifications of uncertainties and future projections; advice on using scenarios in impact assessments; and capacity building and technology transfer to enable climate change mitigation and adaptation activities worldwide. He said the Hadley Centre had trained 200 scientists and users from over 60 countries, established projects, regional focal points, and links with international agencies, and developed training materials that assist users of the PRECIS system.
Plenary discussion: Cuba called for strengthening the WMO’s ability to maintain data quality and expressed concern about the scarcity of global solar radiation data, which has historically been neglected. Delju responded that one of WMO’s objectives is capacity building, and said solar radiation data is not only relevant to agriculture and meteorology, but is a major external forcing source. Responding to Austria’s query regarding difficulties in closing gaps in data and observations and uncertainties, Westermeyer said that gaps would be filled and funding enables improvements and continuing operations. The CCCCC suggested that the WMO-sponsored Third World Climate Conference (WCC 3), to be held in 2009, agree to convene an annual adaptation practitioners meeting. He also emphasized that PRECIS and other models should feed into the policy making process to inform decision making. Delju said adaptation would be a major component of WCC 3’s science segment.
Responding to a query on the availability of new funding, Westermeyer said while there would be new funding, funding was not the issue, and stressed the importance of leadership for undertaking implementation activities. Westermeyer said GCOS hoped to contribute to the NWP in collaboration with the Hadley Centre. Pakistan requested GCOS convene regional workshops, and asked about future programmes and processes to improve and select climate stations. Westermeyer explained the selection process for stations and said GCOS is just beginning to grapple with observations at the regional level.
Pakistan said boundary conditions under PRECIS may constrain capacity building of researchers, to which Intsiful responded that often models are used incorrectly. Intsiful said introducing more advanced ways of representing climate processes would help reduce uncertainties, and emphasized the importance of acquiring inexpensive new skills, as well as retraining, and partnering with universities, particularly with physicists and computer scientists.
Responding to France’s question about making information available to climate decision makers, Delju said WMO has prepared several documents, including the position paper “The WMO’s Contribution to Improved Decision Making for Climate Adaptation.” Noting the large number of action plans, including for Central Asia, the Russian Federation asked Westermeyer about progress in implementing these plans, and WMO asked about developing such plans for South America. In response, Westermeyer said there has been some progress with implementation, but that GCOS’s role is to facilitate development, not implementation of the plans. He said that GCOS had tried to work with South America to develop similar plans, but had not identified much regional interest. When asked about the awareness and use of the PRECIS model in Africa, Intsiful responded that the model has been extensively applied in the region. Responding to UNAM about tools for measuring and analyzing thresholds of extreme events, Intsiful responded that these tools are available in the PRECIS package, and WMO added they have an expert team that develops tools for calculating climate extremes and changes.
B. COLLECTION, MANAGEMENT AND USE OF OBSERVATIONAL DATA
Overview presentation: Ongoing activities and key issues for improvement: Constanta Boroneant, Romania, presented ongoing data collection and observation in Romania. She explained Romania uses both automated and classic weather stations, highlighted the differences in results of the two types of stations, and said this was due to a combination of human and technical issues. Boroneant highlighted the need for quality control and said Romania homogenized monthly seasonal and annual data. She also provided an overview of methods and tools used in Romania, including dynamic and statistical downscaling and impact studies on crop yields.
National perspective: Mamadou Diallo, Mali, explained that Mali has 20 primary and 50 secondary meteorological stations and said there were fewer located in the north of Mali. He described a pilot programme to assess the changing climate characteristics in Mali to help farmers with drought resistance and increasing agricultural production. Diallo said the objective was to help farmers manage activities using meteorological data. He concluded that: the development of meteorological services in Mali is due to successful cooperation with partners like the WMO; continued cooperation is essential; and climate data should be used more effectively for development planning.
Abel Afouda, University of Abomey-Calavi, Benin, discussed initiatives on data collection management and use, highlighting the African Monsoon Multidisciplinary Analysis, which aims to improve understanding of the African monsoon, so as to provide guidance on methodologies, tools and approaches for adaptation. Regarding the current state of data collection at the national level, he lamented, inter alia, a decline in size and quality of hydrological services, poor dissemination of data, and repetition of data acquisition. He called for, among other things, strengthening and consolidating the capacity of conventional hydrological data collection systems, and integrating adaptation to climate change into primary and secondary school curricula.
Plenary discussion: Regarding rehabilitation of meteorological stations, Afouda said funds are often lacking, and when funds are available, technological advice is often needed. Diallo noted new stations are being constructed every year in Mali.
Several participants said adaptation is used as one rationale for governments to fund stations. Austria advocated a robust governance structure to obtain data, particularly concerning transboundary resources, and suggested independent bodies collect the data. Boroneant said operating with meteorological service specialists would ensure quality control of data. Afouda recommended the WMO assist in strengthening links between hydrological and meteorological services.
Access to data and associated difficulties were discussed at length, with Ethiopia stating that data is provided free of charge, except for the purposes of commercial research. Pakistan explained that national meteorological services provide data to the WMO, and that access to data is free of charge to researchers and NGOs, except in cases where data is not yet computerized. Indonesia said meteorological offices should focus on increasing data quality to improve predictions, and said the WMO should give guidance relating to adaptation to avoid overlap. The WMO cited resolutions that mandate free exchange and access of essential data, but that a country may charge for some additional value-added data such as quality control or WMO standardized data. The International Oceanographic Commission (IOC) highlighted the need to collect regional and sectoral-based data, and suggested identifying what can be done through the NWP to collect this data.
C. EXCHANGE AND ACCESS TO OBSERVATIONAL DATA AND INFORMATION
Overview presentation: Ongoing activities and key issues for improvements: Francis Zwiers, Canada, stated that for adaptation, past and current climate data is required, and emphasized daily data enables the assessment of frequency of climate extremes and determination of future extremes. He said data increases in value with use and should therefore be openly disseminated and probed, tested and validated. Zwiers also discussed data collection approaches, including the GCOS Surface Network (GSN) and an alternative approach, a joint expert team on climate detection and indices.
National level and national hydro-met services perspective: Ambassador Qamar-Uz-Zaman Chaudhry, WMO and Pakistan, outlined Pakistan’s weather and climate observational systems. He said there were over 100 weather stations, of which 26 are climate change GCOS stations, satellites for data acquisition and national and regional drought and environment monitoring and early warning centers. Chaudhry stated Pakistan is installing 300 automatic weather stations, to be gradually increased to 500. He gave examples of successful forecasts, including flood warnings issued by the Flood Forecasting Division in Lahore in 1997, which through early warning prevented significant financial loss. Chaudhry highlighted some shortfalls and said needs included: capacity building; new tools and technologies for quick utilization and processing of data; outreach to end users; and effective dissemination and maintaining of data quality.
Cecilia Conde, presenting on behalf of the IPCC Task Group on Data and Scenario Support for Impact and Climate Analysis, said the mandate of the group was to facilitate availability of climate change data and information across the three IPCC Working Groups. She explained the Data Distribution Center provides datasets on observations, model projections and socioeconomic variables, as well as climate scenarios, data on monthly means and on 20- and 30-year averages. Conde drew attention to forthcoming guidance, which includes sea level scenarios and application of socioeconomic scenarios.
Plenary discussion: Cuba questioned if monthly or daily data was more useful and Zwiers and Conde explained usefulness was dependent on the climatic event being analyzed, providing the example that for analyzing frosts, daily data was needed, but for droughts, monthly data would be more suitable. The ITUC asked if farmers can access climate data and Chaudhry explained that data on rainfall expectations was provided through the media including radio and television. RIOCC suggested that the Data Distribution Center could be expanded to focus on regional needs, UNDP explained that regional scenarios, compatible with the IPCC Fourth Assessment Report, were under development, and Zwiers underscored the challenge of obtaining information on performance of regional climate models.
D. GAPS AND DEFICIENCIES IN DATA AND OBSERVATIONS, OPPORTUNITIES AND RECOMMENDATIONS
Data, capacity and user needs for impacts and vulnerability assessment in support of adaptation, especially at the regional and national levels: Carlos Fuller, CCCCC, described the Mainstreaming Adaptation to Climate Change Project, as a second stage adaptation project with observing components. He explained downscaling was undertaken using the PRECIS model and Japan’s Earth Simulator. Fuller cited challenges including the need to enhance national capacities and to get national meteorological service staff involved. He said pilot vulnerability assessments were undertaken and consultancy services provided to Guyana after serious flooding. Fuller described the outstanding needs in the region as data rescue, recovery and management. He highlighted current opportunities for donors, including the opportunity to assist in the establishment of a regional climate center.
Manola Brunet, University Rovira i Virgili, Spain, emphasized the need for the development of high quality and high resolution climate data sets to improve knowledge of historical climate variability and change, reduce uncertainties, and ensure more robust and reliable climate scenarios. She said data needs to be long term and homogenous, as well as available at national, subregional and regional levels to enable adoption of the best adaptation strategies. She outlined several WMO initiatives for recovering and developing homogenous data and making it available, including the WMO/Mediterranean Data Rescue Climate Initiative (MEDARE), which aims to develop high quality, long-term data sets for the greater Mediterranean region.
Lyudmila Skripnikova, Uzbekistan, discussed gaps and needs in vulnerability and adaptation assessments of climatic systems and water resources in Uzbekistan, including the lack of monitoring of transboundary water resources, out of date equipment at some meteorological and hydrological stations, uncertainty in water use estimation, and lack of reliable non-climatic data for vulnerability assessments. She stressed the importance of developing insurance systems for extreme weather events, and the creation of regional web based databases on specific data for vulnerability assessments. She said assistance from international processes and the NWP is needed to gain experience in collection and use of specific climatic and non-climatic data.
Roger Rivero, Cuba, presented Cuba’s vulnerability and adaptation assessment needs in the agriculture sector, and identified tools used for assessments in agriculture and water resources, including climatic and bioclimatic indices and process-based crop models. Regarding crop models, he identified the following data needs: maximum and minimum temperature; precipitation; wind speed; global solar radiation; CO2 atmospheric concentration; and mean sea level. On training, Rivero described a joint Caribbean initiative to organize sectoral hands-on training workshops, addressing identified constraints and providing recommended tools, workbooks and follow-up activities by the trainers.
Plenary discussion: In the ensuing discussion, the UK asked Fuller about CCCCC’s funding and the development of links with governments. Fuller responded that CCCCC has worked with countries such as Guyana, Dominica, Saint Lucia and Saint Vincent, and explained that for funding CCCCC relies on execution fees for implemented projects, and has also established a trust fund. Austria commented on the need to show decision makers the impact of using poor datasets; Westermeyer commented that GCOS requires regional champions to implement GCOS regional action plans; and UNDP noted the importance of considering non-climatic drivers of variability modeling. Responding to RIOCC’s question on the length of historical datasets needed to conduct vulnerability and adaptation assessments, Brunet said as long as possible, as these lead to better assessments, and Skripnikova specified a minimum of 50 years of datasets, but said 100 years would be preferable.
DISCUSSION IN BREAKOUT GROUPS: On Friday morning participants convened in three breakout groups on: promoting implementation and improvements in data and observations; improving capacity for collection, management and use of observational data; and exchange and access to observational data and information, including stakeholder needs.
Promoting implementation and improvements in data and observations: Wim Monna, the Netherlands, and Julia Martínez, Mexico, chaired the group. Monna opened the discussion by explaining the group’s task was to convert the views expressed during the discussions on data and observations into specific, action-oriented recommendations. GCOS stressed the need to produce recommendations that influence or enable parties to take action on data and observations, relating to adaptation. Participants discussed the need to improve national and regional level data, which contributes to global networks; the Russian Federation stressed the importance of homogeneity so that data is comparable among countries; and Ethiopia highlighted the need for high quality data. Noting the move toward automation of observation stations and the varied quality of these systems, Pakistan said quality needs to be assured and equipment regularly calibrated. Other participants mentioned the need to increase the number of monitoring stations. RIOCC stressed that decisions on adaptation activities are made nationally and that each country should improve quantity and quality of data.
ITUC highlighted that decisions made by the COP are used by NGOs to put pressure on governments for action and GCOS underscored the need to make governments aware that improving national level networks is beneficial for their own development.
GCOS cited an outcome from the IPCC Fourth Assessment Report on the need to identify an authoritative set of information needs for adaptation policies and, supported by Pakistan and Canada, suggested the group build on this in its recommendation. RIOCC suggested using cost-benefit analysis to inform decisions on increasing the number of stations.
Improving capacity for collection, management and use of observational data: Balisi Gopolang, Botswana, and Francis Zwiers, Canada, chaired the group and discussions focused on improving data collection, management and observation. FAO, supported by CIFOR and Japan, emphasized the need to consider not just climatic, but also non-climatic data, with CIFOR adding that documentation of local knowledge and non-climatic data should be encouraged and facilitated. Romania disagreed, stating the focus should be on climate data, and that non-climatic data is widely available. Pakistan identified the need to define minimum datasets required. Most participants noted the need to translate scientific data into user-friendly formats easily understood by decision makers, in order to convince them of the need to take action on adaptation. Zwiers expressed reluctance in identifying this as a recommendation, stating it meant countries must have active adaptation research activity, which is a long-term goal and not a “low-hanging fruit”.
Romania advocated setting up expert interdisciplinary teams at the national level to facilitate collection of both climatic and non-climatic data. Cuba identified lack of funding to build data collection facilities, stating neither the WMO nor most national governments are willing to provide this funding. Argentina said in his country, the private sector now invests in data collection facilities to collect local data for their own use, but do not make it available to others. Cuba, Botswana, Japan and Argentina said more training is needed, and Romania emphasized the importance of infrastructure. France highlighted the need for data collection and management to be determined by intended use and users; and participants identified potential users such as modelers, scientists, decision makers and economists. FAO said information should also be tailored toward answering questions decision and policy makers have. Several participants noted difficulty with communicating uncertainty in data to non-scientists, and the World Health Organization (WHO) said uncertainty should not prevent immediate action. Zwiers stated that decision makers and the private sector need to be aware of uncertainty when making decisions.
Exchange and access to observational data and information, including stakeholder needs: Albert Fischer, IOC, and Clifford Mahlung, Jamaica, co-chaired this group. Fischer asked participants to provide their perspective on the issue of exchange and access to data, problems encountered and a vision for the short and long term.
WFEO highlighted gaps between NWP activities and input from the engineering community, and said an understanding of where engineering data fits in, particularly related to infrastructure issues, is important, as well as further exploring communications between engineers and policy makers.
Pakistan pointed out bureaucratic difficulties in obtaining data from meteorological services, and said the use of satellite data was needed, particularly in monitoring glaciers. The CCCCC suggested partnerships with meteorological services to facilitate access to high quality data, and, calling attention to the recent collaboration by UN agencies on climate change, emphasized the importance of also working from the international to the local level.
The SEI discussed public/private partnerships to fund the downscaling process and recover costs of developing data so it can be provided free of charge. She emphasized difficulties in translating data into a usable format, and the need for a knowledge platform to freely exchange experiences with different datasets.
The WMO differentiated between essential data and data that have been refined, processed and passed through quality control, for which there is often a cost, and said governments should share essential data free of charge. He also underscored that meteorological services not only observe and produce data, but are also responsible for saving lives and protecting property.
Participants also discussed issues relating to:
- the importance of data and information, which usually have a monetary value attached;
- possible national communications on vulnerability, as is done for emissions;
- the need for standards for measuring, processing and archiving data;
- the necessity of regional data;
- the role of data in assessing success of adaptation measures;
- varying sectoral and regional data needs;
- enforcing links between users and providers;
- establishment of a water knowledge hub for climate change in the Asia-Pacific region;
- encouraging a data collection culture within countries as historical data is often not available;
- encouraging regional centers based on models used in the Caribbean;
- lack of mandate to provide historical data;
- grassroots organizations working on impacts and adaptation;
- lack of mandate of some agencies to release data; and
- necessity of communicating data needs to meteorological offices.
Participants then discussed three general problems identified by the group and elaborated impediments and recommendations for each one: identification of data and information, and sustained observations for impacts, vulnerability and adaptation work; data and information exchange; and awareness of available data.
CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
Chair Plume introduced this session on Friday afternoon. During the session participants heard presentations on the results and recommendations developed by the breakout groups on methods and tools and on data and observations. They also heard a presentation from the informal group on recommendations regarding guidance on how to select the most appropriate methods and tools and interventions from organizations elaborating on their work and action pledges to support the NWP.
PRESENTATION OF RESULTS AND RECOMMENDATIONS ON METHODS AND TOOLS
Assisting in the use and application of methods and tools: Batu Krishna Uprety, Nepal, reported on recommendations of the breakout group. He said assistance was required to apply the tools for: participatory processes; trend analysis; aggregating existing data, including climate and ecosystem data; historical analysis of climatic extremes and responses; prediction; targeting specific stakeholders; determining options or responses; understanding risk and risk perception; identifying the problem and target audience to communicate climate change risks; and prioritization.
Uprety said further development of methods and tools was required for: remote sensing and GIS to help with monitoring changes in critical areas; using results of impact assessments to convince decision makers to take action; planning responses to impacts such as water management and urban planning; and awareness raising.
To address the challenges and needs identified, the group recommended the following actions:
- build partnerships for structured and coordinated assistance in using, modifying and/or further developing methods and tools, for example with NWP partner organizations;
- develop guidance, possibly in the form of an internet-based clearinghouse, to provide users with an interactive way to share information;
- determine what methods and tools exist and highlight those that can be modified for climate change adaptation, such as strategic environmental assessment and environmental impact assessment;
- provide guidance on when to use specific tools or models;
- emphasize usefulness of application, for different areas and questions or tasks;
- organize events such as conferences and workshops at national, regional and international levels, to raise awareness of climate change and its impacts;
- increase dialogue between climate change, sectoral and disaster risk reduction communities to bring in potential tools and methods for developing climate change adaptation responses; and
- provide guidance for the media, including television weather presenters, on linkages between climate change and weather events.
Advancing dissemination of methods and tools: Kunihiko Shimada, Japan, presented the group’s specific recommendations that:
- developers should: better publicize their tools, and explain how and when they should be used; submit tools to the UNFCCC Secretariat for inclusion in the compendium; and respond to the needs of their users through user networks;
- UN agencies should disseminate information of importance of the NWP through their constituencies at the regional and national level, taking into account the experiences and expertise accumulated outside of the climate change communities;
- the UNFCCC process should encourage, support and strengthen networks;
- the UNFCCC should regularly update the compendium; and
- centers of excellence and regional centers should disseminate and conduct surveys to obtain tools and provide feedback to support updating of the UNFCCC compendium.
He also elaborated on the group’s general recommendations to:
- establish user networks to share expertise and experiences in the application of tools and methods;
- establish mechanisms to enable inter-comparison of methods and tools;
- undertake surveys on the usage of tools by parties and their constituencies;
- convene regular international workshops on tools and methods, in particular on the usage of the tools, including an in-session SBSTA workshop;
- use different formats and modes for dissemination, including: web-based seminar (Webner) and video-conferencing; webportal and web-based training; CD-ROMs; a search engine function to map tools required in regions; radio and other forms of media; printed materials such as guidebooks; and workshops; and
- integrate methods and tools into early planning stages at the national level, such as through the environmental impact assessment process.
Promoting development and improvement: Cecilia Conde highlighted the recommendations the group had agreed on, including the need for:
- vulnerability and adaptive capacity assessments;
- demand and stakeholder driven development of methods and tools;
- more communication between users and developers;
- more demand-driven approaches that can increase ownership;
- research on the history of adaptation (and maladaptation) and vulnerability; and
- clarifying the concept of vulnerability and operationalizing and quantifying vulnerability, if possible.
She also highlighted the need for more guidance on the proper use of methods and tools, including:
- limitations, potential users, examples of case studies, lessons learned and failures;
- a tiered approach, from simple to sophisticated approaches;
- a standardized description to avoid misinterpretation; and
- guidance on thresholds.
Regarding approaches, she emphasized:
- the importance of integrating climate and non-climate stressors on vulnerability and adaptation assessments;
- the usefulness of an ecosystem approach in addressing direct and indirect impacts; and
- inter-sectoral integrated assessments, and sharing experiences on criteria and decision making in different sectors.
PRESENTATION OF RESULTS AND RECOMMENDATIONS ON DATA AND OBSERVATIONS
Promoting implementation and improvements in data and observations: Wim Monna, the Netherlands, presented the following recommendations:
- reinforce the IPCC Fourth Assessment Report workshop recommendation to define an authoritative set of data and information needs for adaptation;
- encourage governments to commit to the adoption of a minimum network, specifically for adaptation;
- ensure that climate system data and observation is linked with socioeconomic information;
- involve stakeholders at municipal and state levels, and across sectors, including the private sector, to ensure ownership at the local levels;
- incorporate local and indigenous knowledge, and knowledge from local forecasters;
- raise awareness among policy makers of the benefits of strengthening data and observations;
- include in national communications to the UNFCCC a national inventory of meteorological services activities and needs for adaptation;
- encourage the use of the Open Source Initiative for access to free software and cost-effective equipment;
- encourage recovery of data;
- encourage regions/parties with regional action plans to implement them and the GCOS Implementation Plan;
- develop regionally-agreed proposals that can be used to increase chances of accessing funding for supporting individual developing countries; and
- emphasize that better observations have been requested by the UNFCCC.
Improving capacity for collection, management and the use of observational data: Francis Zwiers, Canada, said the group identified that to facilitate adaptation, high quality climatic and non-climatic data was required, and recommended that countries should:
- catalogue and evaluate their climatic and non-climatic data holdings, to assess: the adequacy of networks; the practicality of collecting, organizing and documenting local and traditional knowledge; the efficacy of data collection, quality control and documentation systems; the accessibility of data to users; and the extent to which datasets “talk” to each other (that is, the ease with which multidisciplinary teams using this data can access and interlink various types of data needed for adaptation);
- use their assessments to develop integrated management and collection systems that can provide the information needed for adaptation;
- train multidisciplinary teams of experts in the data and observations needed for adaptation and on interpreting and communicating this data to policy and decision makers, and other users;
- ensure a continuing dialogue between the scientific adaptation research and development community and the policy and decision makers;
- ensure that their data and information systems include assessment and documentation of uncertainties; and
- when communicating information obtained from observations, communicate information that is deemed essentially free of uncertainty, which can then be used to inform adaptation decisions.
Exchange and access to observational data and information, including stakeholder needs: Albert Fischer, Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission, presented the group’s recommendations.
Regarding data and information exchange, which is necessary at all levels, he identified, as impediments, the fact that mandates of institutions that hold data are not necessarily aligned with the needs of users, and that some data is privately held. He said the group recommends providing high-level political impetus to improve exchange through:
- development of a legal framework for exchanging data and information, as current national regulations often act as barriers to exchange;
- using regional centers to overcome barriers;
- using partner organizations to leverage accessibility to data;
- providing free access to data needed under the Convention and, under the NWP, identifying essential data needs and barriers to dissemination;
- identifying agencies to take the lead in addressing these barriers;
- ensuring stakeholders’ needs are identified;
- identifying costs of “free exchange”; and
- ensuring data is user friendly and accessible to non-experts.
Regarding promoting partnerships between data users and providers, he stressed: partnerships with meteorological services and other data holders, and among agencies that hold data; and highlighting, under the NWP, countries with best practices.
Regarding identification of data and information and sustained observations needed for impacts/vulnerability and adaptation work, he stressed: the need to identify data and observations valuable to the objectives of the NWP; the need for a strong link with the methods and tools used, in order to build an adaptation framework; close consultations with users of data; and the fact that needs are often sectoral and regional, which acts as an impediment to sustained and coordinated observations.
He said recommendations regarding identification of data included:
- defining the essential variables (climate, ecosystems, economic and social), specifically for impacts, vulnerability and adaptation, through: a process of consultation with providers and users of data; possibly an adequacy report; and a compendium of data providers, linked to the compendium on methods and tools;
- a regular process to monitor flow of data/information and identify impediments;
- improving communications between providers and users; and
- establishing standards for observations and data exchange.
Regarding awareness of available data, the group recommended highlighting data, information and tools for access that are already available, and establishing a forum to share user experiences to promote learning about data and information, how it is used and applied, and possibly providing data electronically or through knowledge markets.
Informal group on guidance: Maria Fernanda Zermoglio, SEI, reported on conclusions of the informal group on improving the knowledge of available methods and tools for informed decision making. She noted consensus that selecting the most appropriate methods and tools for a given context is a formidable and recurrent challenge, that more guidance on the proper use of methods and tools is needed, and sharing experiences on methods and tools is useful. In addressing the challenge and gaps, she described the following recommendations to: develop and carry out a survey to find out who users are, what tools are they using, and why and how and in what context they are being used; and establish a collaborative space to organize, share and disseminate user feedback.
She said the results of the output survey could help organize user feedback, and suggested a database for online dissemination be housed at the UNFCCC Secretariat in either an interactive or wiki format. She said expected contributions included: a survey of tools being used; dissemination of user experiences on the application of these tools as a means to better identify gaps and needs of the user community; and facilitating development of tools and process of tool selection. She concluded that the two specific responses build on knowledge, experience and availability of low-cost approaches.
DISCUSSION ON METHODS AND TOOLS AND DATA AND OBSERVATIONS AND CROSS-CUTTING ISSUES: Chair Plume then invited general comments on the recommendations. The CCCCC drew attention to the recommendation on rescuing data and, clarifying that data storage continually evolves, said the cost is not always a one-off. Austria, supported by the Netherlands, reminded participants of the need to integrate actions with the Global Earth Observation System initiative. Malaysia emphasized the need to extend assistance to developing countries for dynamic downscaling to country and river basin levels. The Cook Islands commented on the need to deal with adaptation and methods and tools without looking at infrastructure, which is most relevant to Pacific island states, and said ways should be explored to deal with this, possibly as a future agenda item, to which Chair Plume replied that this could be addressed when looking at future NWP activities.
PANEL OF ORGANIZATIONS ON POSSIBLE ACTIONS TO ADDRESS RECOMMENDATIONS: Chair Plume invited representatives of international organizations to present short interventions on actions to address the recommendations.
UNDP outlined the two broad ways in which it supports the NWP objectives: through the Adaptation Learning Mechanism, an online, open platform, and through provision of technical and policy support to parties at the national level. She explained this work includes: supporting countries in formulating their National Adaptation Plan of Action and national communications; development of guidance documents to support the use of methods and tools; and developing country-level climate profiles in partnership with the UK Department for International Development (DFID).
UNEP/GRID-Arendal elaborated a recommendation to hold a workshop on integrating indigenous knowledge in climate change adaptation and suggested this could examine work undertaken in the Arctic. He highlighted two of his organization’s activities, including the Many Strong Voices Programme and a project providing Arctic hunters with real-time data on ice conditions, using a combination of traditional knowledge and science.
WFEO noted his organization is a member of the methods and tools users community and said WFEO would, for the first time, hold a side event during the June 2008 SBSTA meeting.
RIOCC explained his organization was drafting an action pledge structured according to the nine areas of work under the NWP and detailing RIOCC’s actions in each area.
WMO said the organization would continue to streamline and disseminate data and report back to, and follow up with, the Secretariat regularly.
GCOS introduced a proposal based on the recognition that reliable and detailed regional climate information is essential in the design of effective strategies. He said GCOS was proposing three linked workshops, with the objective of ensuring attention is given by countries to data and observation needs, and to demonstrate the use and value of regional models. He said that GCOS had received funding from the World Bank to test the idea, and that the pilot project would be undertaken in Africa.
The FAO Global Terrestrial Observing System reaffirmed support to the UNFCCC and mentioned his organization’s activities to support the NWP which include supporting terrestrial networks, undertaking assessments of standards, methods and protocols, and developing a terrestrial framework mechanism.
IOC/UNESCO noted IOC’s work on adaptation to climate change in West Africa through developing methods and tools to prevent coastal erosion. He said UNESCO was developing grassroots observation for impacts of climate change and adaptation for indigenous knowledge based on the Small Island Voices Initiative.
UNITAR highlighted its three-year programme for regional centers based in developing countries, noting the number of centers would increase to five this coming summer. Highlighting the importance of field work, she also discussed 19 pilot actions for implementation, developed hand-in-hand with local teams, which provide the opportunity to test methods and tools and listen to views of the target populations. She said they would keep the UNFCCC Secretariat well informed, reflect on the best way to disseminate results, and are expanding their online newsletter.
The WHO said climate change is on the agenda of the upcoming World Health Assembly and that health was at the center of the climate change discussions. She said that 2008 World Health Day, to be held on 7 April 2008, would focus on “Protecting Health from Climate Change.”
OVERALL CONCLUSIONS: In her concluding remarks, Chair Plume commended the constructive and enthusiastic discussions, which she said had identified valuable recommendations, goals and specific actions. She said the results of the workshop would be presented to SBSTA 28, and would contribute to the summary report reviewing the first two years of implementation of the NWP. She expressed confidence that recommendations and analyses would contribute to the NWP’s objectives, and said the workshop had provided a forum for exchange of information and good practices from a wide array of backgrounds, and enhanced cooperation between different agencies and institutions within countries. She said this type of workshop provided an appropriate environment to exchange ideas, which were healthy for the overall process, and could be drawn on in the negotiations. She thanked the Mexican government for hosting the conference and closed the meeting at 4:20 pm.
UNFCCC EXPERT MEETING ON SOCIOECONOMIC INFORMATION UNDER THE NAIROBI WORK PROGRAMME: This meeting will convene from 10-12 March 2008, in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago. This event will focus on the socioeconomic aspects of the NWP. For more information, contact: UNFCCC Secretariat; tel: +49-228-815-1000; fax: +49-228-815-1999; e-mail: [email protected]; internet: http://unfccc.int/adaptation/sbsta_agenda_item_adaptation/items/4265.php
TRAINING COURSE ON DOWNSCALING TECHNIQUES FOR GENERATION OF REGIONAL CLIMATE CHANGE SCENARIOS: This course will convene from 30 March - 3 April 2008, in Bogotá, Colombia. This course is organized under the Iberoamerican Conference of Directors of National Meteorological and Hydrological Services in collaboration with the Iberoamerican Network of Climate Change Offices. This training course is aimed at training relevant stakeholders within the Iberoamerican region on downscaling techniques for generating regional climate change scenarios. For more information, contact: José Ramón Picatoste Ruggeroni; tel: +34-91-436-1496; fax: +34-91-436-1501.
FIRST SESSION OF THE AD HOC WORKING GROUP ON LONG-TERM COOPERATIVE ACTION UNDER THE UNFCCC AND THE FIFTH SESSION OF THE AWG UNDER THE KYOTO PROTOCOL: These meetings will convene from 31 March - 4 April 2008, in Bangkok, Thailand. For more information, contact: UNFCCC Secretariat; tel: +49-228-815-1000; fax: +49-228-815-1999; e-mail: [email protected]; internet: http://unfccc.int/meetings/intersessional/awg-lca_1_and_awg-kp_5/items/4288.php
WORLD HEALTH DAY 2008: PROTECTING HEALTH FROM CLIMATE CHANGE: World Health Day will be held on 7 April 2008. The aims of World Health Day are to raise awareness, advocate for partnerships on health and climate change, demonstrate the role of the health community in climate change and to spark commitment and action. For more information, contact: WHO Secretariat; tel: +41-22-791-5526; fax: +41-22-791-4127; e-mail: [email protected]; internet: http://www.who.int/world-health-day/en
UNFCCC INFORMAL MEETING OF REPRESENTATIVES FROM PARTIES ON THE OUTCOMES OF COMPLETED ACTIVITIES UNDER THE NWP: This meeting will convene from 7-9 April 2008, in Bangkok, Thailand. It will bring together representatives of parties alongside experts and representatives of relevant organizations to consider the outcomes of the activities of the NWP completed prior to the meeting. For more information, contact: UNFCCC Secretariat; tel: +49-228-815-1000; fax: +49-228-815-1999; e-mail: [email protected]; internet: http://unfccc.int/adaptation/sbsta_agenda_item_adaptation/items/4290.php
INTERNATIONAL GEF WORKSHOP ON EVALUATING CLIMATE CHANGE AND DEVELOPMENT: RESULTS, METHODS AND CAPACITIES: This meeting will convene from 10-13 May 2008, in Alexandria, Egypt. The GEF Evaluation Office is organizing this workshop, which will permit sharing of experiences in evaluating projects and programmes aimed at the nexus between climate change and development. Special attention will be paid to the results reported and whether there is convergence in findings throughout agencies. The workshop aims to realize the potential of evaluations to contribute to climate change mitigation and adaptation. For more information, contact the Secretariat: tel: +1-202-458-8537; fax: +1-202-522-1691; e-mail: [email protected]; internet: http://www.esdevaluation.org
28TH SESSIONS OF THE UNFCCC SUBSIDIARY BODIES: The 28th sessions of the Subsidiary Bodies of the UNFCCC – the SBI and the SBSTA – are scheduled to take place from 2-13 June 2008, in Bonn, Germany. In addition, the second meeting of the Ad Hoc Working Group on Long-Term Cooperative Action and the resumed fifth session of the Ad Hoc Working Group on Further Commitments for Annex I Parties under the Kyoto Protocol are also scheduled to be held. For more information, contact: UNFCCC Secretariat; tel: +49-228-815-1000; fax: +49-228-815-1999; e-mail: [email protected]; internet: http://unfccc.int
THIRD SESSION OF THE AD HOC WORKING GROUP ON LONG-TERM COOPERATIVE ACTION UNDER THE UNFCCC AND SIXTH SESSION OF THE AWG UNDER THE KYOTO PROTOCOL: The third meeting of the Ad Hoc Working Group on Long-Term Cooperative Action is expected to take place in August/September 2008, at a location and date to be determined. The sixth session of the AWG on Further Commitments for Annex I Parties under the Protocol will also take place at the same time. For more information, contact: UNFCCC Secretariat; tel: +49-228-815-1000; fax: +49-228-815-1999; e-mail: [email protected]; internet: http://unfccc.int
INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE: ADAPTATION OF FORESTS AND FOREST MANAGEMENT TO CHANGING CLIMATE WITH EMPHASIS ON FOREST HEALTH: A REVIEW OF SCIENCE, POLICIES, AND PRACTICES: This meeting will convene from 25-28 August 2008, in Umeå, Sweden. The meeting will be co-hosted by the FAO, the International Union of Forest Research Organizations (IUFRO) and the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences and will focus on the current state of knowledge of ongoing changes in climatic conditions in different regions of the world, and the implications of these changes for forest health, forest management and conservation. For more information, contact: Alexander Buck, IUFRO; tel: +43-1-877015113; e-mail: [email protected]; internet: http://www.forestadaptation2008.net/home/en/
FOURTEENTH CONFERENCE OF THE PARTIES TO THE UNFCCC AND FOURTH MEETING OF THE PARTIES TO THE KYOTO PROTOCOL: UNFCCC COP 14 and Kyoto Protocol COP/MOP 4 are scheduled to take place from 1-12 December 2008 in Poznan, Poland. These meetings will coincide with the 29th meetings of the UNFCCC’s subsidiary bodies. For more information, contact: UNFCCC Secretariat; tel: +49-228-815-1000; fax: +49-228-815-1999; e-mail: [email protected]; internet: http://unfccc.int/ | <urn:uuid:03210f24-f290-411b-985a-34e186f1f263> | CC-MAIN-2016-44 | http://www.iisd.ca/vol12/enb12355e.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-44/segments/1476988719908.93/warc/CC-MAIN-20161020183839-00016-ip-10-171-6-4.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.929446 | 16,927 | 2.78125 | 3 |
The brutal killings of our black brothers and sisters have been overwhelming. Every day we are expected to turn a blind eye and put on our “professional” faces when we are breaking inside. We are tired and angry. We are upset that people are more outraged at protests than the killing of unarmed black people. Now is not the time that we remain silent. We did not go to law school to be silent; we went to be heard. Charles Hamilton Houston a renowned black lawyer who helped to dismantle Jim Crow, said it best, “A lawyer is either a social engineer — or a parasite on society.” We are demanding change within the criminal justice system and in our surrounding counties to combat the racial disparities faced by our people.
The pursuit of our common ideal, as expressed in the Constitution of the United States of America, has been defined by the struggles of and movements led by Black people, a fact not only in the American consciousness, but in the eyes of the World. Black lives unquestionably matter, as progenitors, crafters and builders of a yet unrealized American dream of equality, freedom and the unfettered pursuit of individual and community happiness.
What would the American historical and future narrative around freedom be were it not for slavery? What is equality in the context of white supremacy? How has the path to the pursuit of happiness been cut by redlining, Jim Crow, divestment, over-policing, over-incarceration, and voter suppression.
And today, how will this generation’s resistance to police brutality develop into expressions of equity and safety for every American life. Their actions are necessary, good trouble. People denounce the protests of black people and allies only to support and uphold armed marches by supremacists at government buildings.
What are black people to do in this time when others are calling right wrong and wrong right? We have been raised and taught to watch and pray. That’s all we could lawfully do for centuries. However, our people also united, strategized, and defied unjust laws to survive. As a Black people, we see a need to do the same again, now. Unite. Strategize. Defy. Black people who protest injustice don’t hate America.
Characterizing Black Lives Matter protests as roving lawless mobs and coupling that with an underlying denial of our humanity, is not just wrong, it is dangerous. The constant refrain that protestors are a threat and must be feared, easily gives way to vigilantism, and state-sanctioned violence, again and again. That mantra feeds a belief that reinforces subjugation and violence. As countless stories in history have already demonstrated, together, people of all colors, are coming together not only for ourselves but also for our children.
The Charles W. Williamson Bar Foundation Inc. (www.cwbfinc.org) is an association of African-American attorneys or judges practicing, retired or residing within of the 11th prosecutorial district of Vance, Warren, Person, Granville, and Franklin counties. We were founded to support practicing and aspiring attorneys. We are named after Charles W. Williamson, to whom we show our gratitude, as the first African-American attorney to practice in this district when he opened an office in Vance County in October 1933. He went on to practice in this area for over 50 years.
Beginning with this publication the CWBF will begin a series of opinion pieces related to issues in our communities, particularly the intersection of race and law. Our purpose is not to lecture or blame but to educate and hopefully stimulate conversation toward progress.
Early voting is Thursday, Oct. 15-Oct. 31.
North Carolina eligible voters can go to the Department of Motor Vehicles online website to either register to vote for the first time, change party affiliation or update their address. ALL ONLINE! If you need to change your name, you will need to submit a paper application and mail the application to your local Board of Elections. The paper application can also be printed from the DMV website as well.
To register to vote or update your information please visit: https://payments.ncdot.gov/.
Voters are not required to show photo ID until further order of the courts.
The deadline to request a ballot by mail or absentee ballot is (received by) Tuesday, Oct. 27, by 5 p.m.
To request an absentee ballot and for additional details, visit: https://www.ncsbe.gov/Voting-Options/Absentee-Voting.
You may also request an absentee ballot online here: https://votebymail.ncsbe.gov/app/home. | <urn:uuid:059deebc-57cd-4cf3-8b1b-6f68043f7cbd> | CC-MAIN-2020-45 | https://www.hendersondispatch.com/archives/black-lives-matter/article_b62858ff-45e7-55b4-b386-410e3e8c6d7c.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-45/segments/1603107891203.69/warc/CC-MAIN-20201026090458-20201026120458-00119.warc.gz | en | 0.957269 | 956 | 2.5625 | 3 |
Little Cloud by Eric Carle
Summary of the Story
A little cloud drifts off from the other clouds and becomes a sheep, an airplane, a shark, trees, a rabbit, and a clown. He then joins the other clouds, and they turn into one big cloud and rain.
Introducing the Story
- Read the title of the book on the cover, while pointing to each word. Say the title together as you point to each word. Ask: Where do you see clouds? (We can see them outside in the sky.)
- Trace Little Cloud's eyes, nose, and mouth on the cover with your finger. Make sure the child sees the face on the cloud.
Reading the Story
- Read the words to the story on each page, moving your finger under the words as you read.
- As you go through the book, point to each shape Little Cloud turns into.
Reading the Book Again and Again
- Each time you read Little Cloud, leave more of the "reading" or retelling to the child. Give open-ended prompts on each page. For example, ask: What is happening here? What has Little Cloud turned into?
- Give prompts about objects or activities in the pictures. For example, ask: What is this animal called? (It is a sheep.) Use your finger to point to what you are asking about. Evaluate the child's response. Expand it by giving more information. Ask the child to repeat the answer. If he or she needs help in answering a question, ask that question again the next time you read the book. Good words to ask about are listed in the vocabulary section below. Be sure to talk about objects and actions the child brings up, too.
- You may wish to discuss the prompts shown below.
- Talk with your child about clouds. Look for clouds out the window or on a walk. Talk about the shapes clouds take.
More on: Reading Difficulties | <urn:uuid:71abcb4c-56ea-466e-a0b6-2d4307524e9b> | CC-MAIN-2014-41 | http://school.familyeducation.com/reading/activity/30296.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2014-41/segments/1410657133033.29/warc/CC-MAIN-20140914011213-00300-ip-10-196-40-205.us-west-1.compute.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.933761 | 402 | 3.5625 | 4 |
Access to safe and legal abortion is a human rights issue, and its availability is the best way to protect autonomy and reduce maternal mortality and morbidity.
Is abortion a human rights issue?
Access to safe, legal abortion is a human rights issue. The official interpretation of international human rights law establishes that denying abortion to women, girls and other pregnant people is a form of discrimination and endangers a range of human rights. UN human rights treaty bodies regularly call on governments to criminalize abortion in all cases and to ensure access to safe, legal abortion, at least in certain circumstances.
What are the human rights consequences of restricting or restricting abortion access?
Countries have an obligation to respect, protect and fulfill human rights, including rights related to sexual and reproductive health and autonomy. In situations where safe and legal abortion services are unreasonably restricted or not fully available, many other internationally protected human rights, including the right to non-discrimination and equality, may be at risk; for life, health and information; for freedom from torture and cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment; for confidentiality and bodily autonomy and integrity; Determining the number and distance of children; for freedom; to enjoy the benefits of scientific progress; And for freedom of conscience and religion.
These rights are set forth in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and are protected in several international treaties, including the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR), the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), the Convention against Torture. (CAT), the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), and the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), as well as regional-level treaties in Africa, the Americas, and Europe.
For nearly two decades, Human Rights Watch has documented human rights harms of restricted or restricted access to abortion in countries around the world, including the US, Ecuador, Argentina, Brazil, the Dominican Republic and Ireland.
What is Human Rights Watch’s position on abortion?
Human Rights Watch believes that reproductive rights are human rights, including the right to access abortion. States have an obligation to provide safe and legal abortion access to women, girls and other pregnant people as part of their basic human rights obligations.
As Human Rights Watch called in an amicus curiae brief to high courts in countries around the world – from Brazil and Colombia to South Korea and most recently in the United States with partner organizations – international human rights law and relevant jurisprudence came to this conclusion. Support that the decision as to abortion without interference or unreasonable restriction by the State or third party belongs to the pregnant person alone.
Is the right to life at risk when access to abortion is restricted or restricted?
Yes. Legal restrictions on abortion often result in more illegal abortions, which can also be unsafe and lead to higher maternal mortality and morbidity. As a result, the lack of access to safe and legal abortion puts the lives of pregnant people at risk.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), complications of pregnancy and childbirth are the leading cause of death for girls and young women aged 15 to 19, and children aged 10 to 14 have more health complications and complications from pregnancy than adults. The risk of death is higher. , WHO has also found that lifting the ban on abortion reduces maternal mortality.
The United Nations Human Rights Committee (HRC), which monitors states’ compliance with the ICCPR, has noted links between restrictive abortion laws and threats to the lives of women and girls. It has clearly clarified that States Parties cannot in any way regulate access to abortion that requires pregnant people to resort to unsafe abortions, and States Parties to prevent risks to the life and health of pregnant people. to provide safe, legal and effective access to abortion. , and to ensure that they are not subjected to substantial pain or suffering, especially in cases where the pregnancy is the result of rape or incest, or the pregnancy is not viable.
Do restrictive abortion policies reduce abortion rates?
The abortion ban does not prevent abortion. Research has shown that when abortion is banned or banned, the number of abortions does not decrease. Abortions just go underground. This increases the risk of both unsafe procedures and people being reported to the police or prosecuted for suspected abortion.
The rate of unsafe abortion in countries with highly restrictive abortion laws is about 45 times higher than in countries where abortion is legal and unrestricted.
Restrictive abortion policies push pregnant women seeking abortions, especially those living in poverty or rural areas, into unsafe, unregulated environments. The WHO also states that the lack of access to safe, affordable, timely, and respectable abortion care, as well as the promotion of stigma associated with abortion, pose risks to the life-long physical and mental well-being of abortion seekers.
Who will be hurt most by restrictions on access to abortion?
Not all pregnant people are likely to experience the human rights and health harms of restricting abortion equally. Young people and marginalized groups, including Black, Indigenous and other people of color, those living in economic poverty, and sexual and gender minorities, are more likely to be harmed. The UN Human Rights Committee has recognized that the lack of availability of reproductive health information and services, including abortion, undermines women’s right to non-discrimination.
The United Nations Committee on Human Rights, like the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women, has also noted that a ban on abortion results in a disproportionate practice of illegal, unsafe abortion by poor and rural women or women where abortion occurs. Is. Restricted. The United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child has also said that punitive abortion laws violate children’s right to freedom from discrimination.
Even where abortion is technically legal, heavy restrictions can make it inaccessible to marginalized people. It forces pregnant people, especially from marginalized groups, to seek unsafe and covert abortion opportunities and risk criminal or civil penalties, even when their circumstances fall within what is legally permissible.
In addition, the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights has stated, “[a] wide range of laws, policies and practices undermine the right to autonomy and equality in the full enjoyment of the right to sexual and reproductive health, and to non-discrimination , for example criminalizing abortion or restrictive abortion laws.” It has also noted that restrictions on abortion particularly affect women living in poverty and with no or little formal education. Similarly, six UN experts stressed in a 2015 joint news release that in El Salvador, “a complete ban on abortion disproportionately affects women who are poor.”
What has the United Nations said about the lack of access and criminalization of abortion?
The United Nations human rights treaty body, which monitors countries’ compliance with relevant treaties and reports or advises on human rights relating to specific subjects or countries, has consistently advocated for the non-criminalization of abortion and the full realization of sexual and reproductive rights. Invited with secure access. Legal abortion.
Examples of statements from these systems regarding abortion include the following:
The CEDAW Committee, which oversees CEDAW compliance, stated that:
Unsafe abortion is a major cause of maternal mortality and morbidity. Thus, States Parties should at least legalize abortion in cases of rape, incest, threat to the life and/or health of the mother, or serious fetal harm, as well as provide women with access to quality post-abortion care. especially in cases of complications resulting from unsafe abortion. State parties should also remove punitive measures for women who have abortions.
The committee, reviewing compliance with the treaty, has made similar recommendations to several governments. These recommendations generally call on governments to outlaw abortion in all cases, to legalize abortion under the circumstances outlined above, and to guarantee access.
The Human Rights Committee, which oversees states’ compliance with the ICCPR, has noted the relationship between restrictive abortion laws and threats to the lives of women and girls, and the obligations of states parties to protect their right to life. The scope is clarified. In particular, “restrictions on the ability of women or girls to have an abortion should not, inter alia, endanger their lives.” The committee has frequently expressed concern about the criminalization of abortion and called for expanded access.
Like the CEDAW Committee, the Committee on Human Rights, the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (which oversees ICESCR), and the Committee against Torture (which oversees the CAT) have called for the removal of penalties for abortion and its implementation. Said. Measures to ensure safe, legal access to abortion. Where safe abortion is not available, it can pose risks to mental health, including severe suffering and the risk of suicide. The link between restrictions in access to mental health and reproductive health is so clear that the United Nations Committee against Torture has expressed concern at the severe physical and mental suffering and distress experienced by women and girls due to abortion restrictions, and concluded concluded that criminalization and accessibility of abortion, torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment may be inconsistent with the government’s duty to uphold the right.
Similarly, the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child urged states to “criminalize abortion to ensure that girls have access to safe abortion and post-abortion services, in the best interests of pregnant adolescents.” Review the law to guarantee and ensure that their views are always heard and respected in their abortion-related decisions.” In several individual states’ reviews of compliance with the treaty, called termination observations, the committee explicitly called for decriminalizing abortion “under all circumstances.”
The UN Special Envoy on the Right to Health has said that criminal laws punishing and prohibiting induced abortion “are permissible barriers to the realization of women’s right to health and must be abolished.” | <urn:uuid:efc8326d-be3d-4337-8803-8353b0920383> | CC-MAIN-2023-06 | https://rightsnewstime.com/access-to-abortion-is-a-human-right/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-06/segments/1674764500837.65/warc/CC-MAIN-20230208155417-20230208185417-00043.warc.gz | en | 0.943412 | 1,998 | 3.09375 | 3 |
Facts About the Hoover Dam that You Didn’t Know
If you’ve ever been kayaking or dream of kayaking near the Hoover Dam, you know what an awe-inspiring structure this engineering marvel is. Full of mystery and intrigue, the dam attracts approximately a million visitors every year. Aside from being the world’s largest source of hydroelectric power, consider these Hoover Dam facts that you may not know.
Construction of the dam started in 1931 and lasted for five years.
It took a team of more than 10,000 people to construct the dam. Miles of streets were paved and buildings were constructed to accommodate these workers and their families. Thus, the community of Boulder City was born and is still standing today.
The great arch of the dam contains 3.25 million cubic yards of concrete and the power plant and additional facilities contain 1.11 million cubic yards. This is enough concrete to build a full-sized highway from one end of the United States to the other.
The power generated by the dam supports Nevada, Arizona, and California. It produces approximately 4.2 billion kilowatt hours of electricity per year.
The Hoover Dam forms the Lake Mead reservoir, which is the largest reservoir by volume in the United States.
Hoover Dam stands an impressive 726-feet high and is 650-feet thick at the bottom and 45-feet thick at the top.
The dam was named after the wildly unpopular President Herbert Hoover during a publicity stunt. Secretary of the Interior Wilbur traveled to the area in 1930 to the official opening of the project and gave the structure its name. His successor changed the name to the Boulder Dam in 1933. In 1947, President Truman changed the name back to the Hoover Dam, stating Hoover was the one who brought the project to life.
Today, one of the most important of the Hoover dam facts is the dam helps minimize the risk of floods in the area, helps with irrigation of crops, provides water for nearby cities and towns and serves as a recreational area for boating, fishing, kayaking and other water sports.
Contact Blazin’ Paddles to schedule your next Hoover Dam kayaking adventure. | <urn:uuid:9b8ce2f4-fab9-4357-bc96-bf070f967e77> | CC-MAIN-2019-43 | https://www.blazinpaddles.com/facts-hoover-dam-didnt-know/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2019-43/segments/1570986718918.77/warc/CC-MAIN-20191020183709-20191020211209-00293.warc.gz | en | 0.967471 | 447 | 3.265625 | 3 |
Location of Bahu Fort
Bahu fort is situated only 5 kilometres from the central part of the Jammu city, it stands tall and powerful on the left bank of the Tawi River. The Bahu fort is located at a height of 325 metres opposite the old town of Jammu.
History Bahu Fort
The fort, according to the legends was built to highlight peaceful co-existence and mutual living among all the sections of people. It is believed that Raja Bahu Lochan and his brother both were peace loving and wanted that all should live mutually. The kings once found a tiger and a goat drinking water from the same river. This gave them the idea to construct a fort in the area which shall signify the same feelings for human beings as well. This brought the legendary Bahu fort which is equally known for its architecture and topography along with its well maintained layout. All this attract a large number of tourists who visit the area for worshiping the deity while at the same time enjoys the scenic beauty of the fort. The earliest historical recorded connection to the fort is that of Raja Jambu Lochan and his brother Bahu Lochan. Bahu Lochan is ascribed with building the fort. The present fort was rebuilt, by Autar Dev, the grandson of King Kapoor Dev in 1585. They first established temples for their deities; the image of Mahakali deity in the temple located inside fort was brought from Ayodhya.
Architecture of Bahu Fort
The forest area that surrounds the Bahu fort has been developed in similar style that resembles the Mughal gardens of Kashmir. The gardenof Bahu fort is enlisted as one of the most well maintained gardens of Jammu and Kashmir. The fortified structure has thick walls made up of sandstones built with lime and brick mortar. It has eight octagonal towers which are connected with the thick wall. Besides the usual structures which are commonly found in all the forts, there is a sacred tank which shall allow the pilgrims to take bath in this tank.
The fort has a broad gateway which is fit for the entry of the elephants. The fort also includes an underground imprisonment which is one of the most attractive parts of the fort. With these exclusive structures the fort has turned to be one of the most exciting tourist spots of Jammu city. The temple of Goddess Kali is made up of white marble which is equally attractive in structure. It is a renowned Shakti temple built within the fort during the 8th century. It is a small temple which can put up only a few worshippers at a time at the Mandapa, outside the chamber sanctorum.
Festivals of Bahu Fort
A popular Hindu festival known as "Bahu Mela" is held in the Navaratras in the fort area, twice a year. This attracts a very large number of pilgrims to the fort. Tuesday and Sunday are special days of worship at the temple. During the main festival time, special stalls are opened near the fort area selling sweets, flowers, coconuts and red cloth to make special offerings to the deity in the temple.
Bahu fort stands as another important historical structure which attracts a large number of tourists from all corners of India. Its kali temple is considered to be one of the most sacred shrines of Jammu along with other well known shrines of Jammu and Kashmir.
|More Articles in Tourism in Jammu and Kashmir (22)| | <urn:uuid:2375c6db-6492-40ad-82a8-1847a86b4215> | CC-MAIN-2021-04 | https://www.indianetzone.com/53/bahu_fort.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2021-04/segments/1610703509104.12/warc/CC-MAIN-20210117020341-20210117050341-00547.warc.gz | en | 0.976358 | 702 | 2.65625 | 3 |
Chorionic Villus Sampling (CVS)
Chorionic villus sampling (CVS) is a prenatal test that involves taking a sample of tissue from the placenta to test for chromosomal abnormalities and certain other genetic problems.
The placenta is a structure in the uterus that provides blood and nutrients from the mother to the fetus. The chorionic villi are tiny projections of placental tissue that look like fingers and contain the same genetic material as the fetus. Testing may be available for other genetic defects and disorders depending on the family history and availability of lab testing at the time of the procedure.
CVS is usually done between the 10th and 12th weeks of pregnancy. Unlike amniocentesis (another type of prenatal test), CVS does not provide information on neural tube defects, such as spina bifida. For this reason, women who undergo CVS also need a follow-up blood test between 16 to 18 weeks of their pregnancy to screen for neural tube defects.
There are two types of CVS procedures:
- Transcervical. In this procedure, a catheter is inserted through the cervix into the placenta to obtain the tissue sample
- Transabdominal. In this procedure, a needle is inserted through the abdomen and uterus into the placenta to obtain the tissue sample
Another related procedure that may be used to diagnose genetic and chromosomal defects is amniocentesis.
Reasons for a Chorionic Villus Sampling
Chorionic villus sampling may be used for genetic and chromosome testing in the first trimester of pregnancy.
Here are some reasons that a woman might elect to undergo CVS:
- Previously affected child or a family history of a genetic disease, chromosomal abnormalities, or metabolic disorder
- Maternal age over 35 years by the pregnancy due date
- Risk of a sex-linked genetic disease
- Previous ultrasound with questionable or abnormal findings
- Abnormal cell-free DNA test
There may be other reasons for your doctor to recommend a chorionic villus sampling.
Risks of a Chorionic Villus Sampling
As with any invasive procedure, complications may occur. Some possible complications may include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Cramping, bleeding, or leaking of amniotic fluid (water breaking)
- Preterm labor
- Limb defects in infants, especially in CVS procedures done before 9 weeks (rare)
- People who are allergic to or sensitive to medications or latex should notify their doctor.
- Women with twins or other multiples will need sampling from each placenta in order to study each baby.
There may be other risks depending upon your specific medical condition. Be sure to discuss any concerns with your doctor prior to the procedure.
If you have questions or concerns with the CVS procedure, call (314) 996-5433 or email us to speak with a doctor.
Certain factors or conditions may interfere with CVS. These factors include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Pregnancy earlier than seven weeks or later than 13 weeks
- Position of the baby, placenta, amount of amniotic fluid, or mother's anatomy
- Vaginal or cervical infection
- Samples that are inadequate for testing, or that may contain maternal tissue
Before the Chorionic Villus Sampling Procedure
Prior to the procedure, your doctor will explain the procedure to you and offer you the opportunity to ask any questions you may have about the procedure. You will be asked to sign a consent form that gives your permission to do the procedure. Read carefully and ask any questions if something is not clear. Generally, there is no special restriction on diet or activity prior to chorionic villus sampling.
You should notify your doctor if:
- You are sensitive to or are allergic to any medications, latex, tape, and anesthetic agents (local and general).
- You are taking medications, both prescription and over-the-counter, as well as any herbal supplements.
- You have a history of bleeding disorders or if you are taking any anticoagulant (blood-thinning) medications, aspirin, or other medications that affect blood clotting, tell your doctor. It may be necessary for you to stop these medications prior to the procedure.
- You are Rh negative. During the CVS procedure, blood cells from the mother and fetus can mix. This may lead to Rh sensitization and breaking down of fetal red blood cells. In most cases, prenatal blood tests will have determined whether you are Rh negative. You may be asked to provide these lab results before the procedure.
You may or may not be asked to empty your bladder right before the procedure. In early pregnancy, a full bladder helps move the uterus into a better position for the procedure. In later pregnancy, your bladder should be empty to minimize the risk of puncture with the amniocentesis needle.
Based upon your medical condition, your doctor may request other specific preparation.
If you need to notify your doctor of any of these items prior to the procedure, call (314) 996-5433 or email us to speak with a doctor.
During the Chorionic Villus Sampling Procedure
A CVS procedure may be done on an outpatient basis, or as part of your stay in a hospital. Procedures may vary depending on your condition and your doctor’s practices.
Generally, a CVS procedure follows this process:
1. You will be asked to undress completely, or from the waist down, and put on a hospital gown.
2. You will be asked to lie down on an exam table and place your hands behind your head.
3. Your vital signs (blood pressure, heart rate, and breathing rate) will be checked.
4. An ultrasound will be performed to check the fetal heart rate, and the position of the placenta, fetus, and umbilical cord.
5. Based on the location of the placenta, the CVS procedure will be performed through your cervix (transcervical) or through your abdominal wall (transabdominal).
For a transcervical CVS procedure, your doctor will perform the following steps:
1. The doctor will insert an instrument called a speculum into your vagina so that he or she can see your cervix.
2. Your vagina and cervix will be cleansed with an antiseptic solution.
3. Using ultrasound guidance, a thin tube will be guided through the cervix to the chorionic villi.
4. Cells will be gently suctioned through the tube into a syringe. You may feel a twinge or slight cramping. More than one sample may be needed to obtain enough tissue for testing.
5. The tube will then be removed.
For a transabdominal CVS procedure, your doctor will perform the following steps:
1. For an abdominal CVS, your abdomen will be cleansed with an antiseptic. You will be instructed not to touch the sterile area on your abdomen during the procedure.
2. The doctor may inject a local anesthetic to numb the skin. If a local anesthetic is used, you will feel a needle stick when the anesthetic is injected. This may cause a brief stinging sensation.
3. Ultrasound will be used to help guide a long, thin, hollow needle through your abdomen and into the uterus and placenta. This may be slightly painful, and you may feel a cramp as the needle enters the uterus.
4. Cells will be gently suctioned into a syringe. More than one sample may be needed to obtain enough tissue for testing.
5. The needle will then be removed. An adhesive bandage will be placed over the abdominal needle insertion site.
If you have questions regarding the types of prenatal tests and procedures and would like to discuss with a doctor, call (314) 996-5433 or email us.
After the Chorionic Villus Sampling Procedure
You and your fetus will be monitored for a time after the procedure. Your vital signs and the fetal heart rate will be checked periodically for an hour or longer.
The CVS tissue will be sent to a specialty genetics lab for analysis. Counseling with a genetics specialist may be recommended depending on the test results.
The following are recommended post-procedure to ensure recovery:
- You should rest at home and avoid strenuous activities for at least 24 hours, or as directed by your doctor.
- You may experience some slight cramping and light spotting for a few hours after CVS.
- You should rest at home and avoid strenuous activities for at least 24 hours. You should not douche or have sexual intercourse for 2 weeks, or until directed by your doctor.
Notify your doctor to report any of the following:
- Any bleeding or leaking of amniotic fluid from the needle puncture site or the vagina
- Fever and/or chills
- Severe abdominal pain and/or cramping
- If a transabdominal procedure was performed, check the bandaged needle site on your abdomen for any bleeding or drainage of fluid.
Your doctor may give you additional or alternate instructions after the procedure, depending on your particular situation.
If you are experiencing any of the above symptoms after your chronic villus sampling procedure or have questions or concerns, call (314) 996-5433 or email us to speak with a doctor. | <urn:uuid:ddb66d23-407d-456c-87c3-3ae51c26e05f> | CC-MAIN-2021-04 | https://www.mobapbaby.org/Pregnancy-Guide/Pregnancy-Tests-Procedures/Chorionic-Villus-Sampling-CVS | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2021-04/segments/1610703561996.72/warc/CC-MAIN-20210124235054-20210125025054-00622.warc.gz | en | 0.904926 | 1,976 | 3.09375 | 3 |
CAPE CANAVERAL — Physically handicapped people confined by wheelchairs and braces in Earth's gravity may find freedom and a new purpose for their lives in the weightlessness of space.
But after facing staircases, narrow doors and other obstacles on Earth, the handicapped still have many more barriers to overcome before they can fly on the space shuttle to demonstrate the possibilities.
A measure now in Congress would require NASA to study how the handicapped would fare in space, and to fly a handicapped person into orbit.
The proposal already has faced serious opposition but so far remains alive. ''Vast numbers of people who are regarded as handicapped on Earth will lose much of that handicap in weightlessness and will be able to realize full productivity,'' said Rep. Bob Walker, a Pennsylvania Republican who proposed the idea.
Amputees or paraplegics with lifeless legs could float from place to place with a speed and ease unheard of on Earth. Blind people could become intimately familiar with the small world of a shuttle or space station, increasing their performance, Walker believes.
''Space is not limited to the few. Space is for everyone,'' said Walker, an advocate in Congress for the rights of the handicapped.
When people realize what is possible in weightlessness, he said, it will stimulate new ideas and further the expanding realm of space commercialization -- another of Walker's strong interests.
The space barriers for the handicapped can be broken, he argues. Others aren't so sure.
In an emergency evacuation, the blind or disabled could pose a danger to themselves and other crew members or possibly jeopardize the mission, said Dr. Paul Buchanan, head of the Kennedy Space Center biomedical office.
While in orbit, the blind could become disoriented and damage equipment or hurt themselves without vision to know their position in weightlessness, Buchanan said.
Paraplegics unable to move their lower extremities may not be able to push themselves around the shuttle in zero gravity or use their legs for ballast to balance themselves as non-disabled astronauts do.
Some handicapped people could be more productive in space than on Earth, he said, but it would be ''absurd'' to think they could be more productive than non-handicapped people in orbit.
In the quest for space, ''We're still in the exploratory and the pioneer stage. That is a real test of the survival of the fittest,'' Buchanan said. ''We still need people who are exquisitely prepared for this.''
In a decade or two, when the United States has a permanent space station or moon base, the space program probably will be ready to accommodate handicapped researchers or other workers, he said.
Walker's proposal maintains the time is now.
He included it as an amendment to the House version of NASA's budget authorization bill, which has been approved at the committee level. The issue will be addressed again in the next few weeks when the House and Senate try to agree on a single version of the bill in conference.
If it remains intact there, it faces full congressional approval.
The plan calls for NASA to study what would be required to fly a handicapped person safely aboard a shuttle and what that person could do in space. Once the plan was ready, a flight would be scheduled promptly.
''My intent is not to have NASA study this thing to death,'' Walker said.
Rep. Don Fuqua, D-Altha, blasted the proposal during a House committee hearing earlier this year, saying that Congress should not single out types of people and order NASA to fly them into space.
That same feeling may be expressed by senators, who could water down the proposal into something more general that would encourage NASA to fly a variety of people into space, said a Senate committee staff member who asked not to be named. | <urn:uuid:79963fef-7609-4bf0-8a7e-1dcb34f90ea9> | CC-MAIN-2016-40 | http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/1985-09-30/news/0330250087_1_weightlessness-shuttle-or-space-space-commercialization | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-40/segments/1474738659833.43/warc/CC-MAIN-20160924173739-00301-ip-10-143-35-109.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.955193 | 783 | 3.375 | 3 |
Despite the high level of success with vaccines designed to prevent it, measles is seeing a recurrence in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
As of April 18, 129 people have been diagnosed with measles in outbreaks in 13 states this year. The majority of these people were not vaccinated, the CDC says.
Although these outbreaks start outside the country, measles infection spreads rapidly among unvaccinated people, CDC director Dr. Tom Frieden said during an early afternoon press briefing.
“Measles is still far too common in many parts of the world,” he said. “Globally, an estimated 20 million people get measles and 122,000 die from the disease each year.”
The report was published in the April 25 issue of the CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
Dr. Anne Schuchat, director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, who also spoke at the news conference, said, “Measles has gotten off to an early and active start this year.” | <urn:uuid:3a0b40d2-34b1-44f6-85e7-aeac1a3393cf> | CC-MAIN-2019-35 | https://myhoustonmajic.com/3138562/why-are-measles-outbreaks-getting-worse/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2019-35/segments/1566027313436.2/warc/CC-MAIN-20190817164742-20190817190742-00497.warc.gz | en | 0.967676 | 229 | 3.09375 | 3 |
History of Auto Glass Repair
The history of windshield repair is filled with entrepreneurs and individuals that overcame great many hurdles to become successful. While this history mainly deals with the companies that manufacture the tools required to produce a repair, it is not meant to downgrade the activities of service technicians who actually did the repairs. Without the great efforts of individual pioneering retailers the industry would not have prospered and grown. People like Lucille Massey (Houston), Bill Batley (Seattle), Bruce Quande (Missoula) and Cindy Rowe Taylor (Harrisburg) were responsible for talking to consumers and doing repairs. Also, this brief history deals only with work that was started in the United States. Many of these companies later spread around the world, forming other companies and associations. Without the efforts of all these people windshield repair would not be where it is today.
Automobile glass repair or what is generally called windshield repair is a recent innovation when compared to the history of the automobile. The technology needed to repair glass relates to the introduction of multiple layers of glass (laminated safety glass) in windshields. Laminated glass allows the windshield to remain basically intact, and for a repair to be done by removing the air in the damaged area and replacing it with a resin. Although laminated glass in automobiles dates back to the 1930’s, real improvements came in the 1960’s with the improved plastic inner layer of Poly Vinyl Butyral (PVB). Prior to the early 1970’s when the first windshield repair process was invented, the only improvement that could be done was purely cosmetic. Typically, an oil-based fluid was poured into the area to fill the damage and to "hide" the break. It has been said that some used car dealers did this to try to sell a vehicle without installing a new windshield. It should go without saying that this was not a permanent repair.
The first company to produce a repair system was Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing (3M) Company in St. Paul, Minnesota. The 3M Company first introduced a system they called "Scotch Weld" in 1971. This system employed ultra sound vibrations to clean the break and a syringe to inject a resin, or adhesive into the damage. The equipment successfully repaired "bullseye" type damage, but unfortunately was very large (filling the bed of a pick-up truck) and was very expensive to build and thus to lease to others. It is said that 3M did a good job of introducing the concept of windshield repair to insurance companies, but decided to pursue other products when the repair equipment failed to attain the volume that they required.
In 1972, Origin Inc., a Research Company founded by Dr. Frank Warner in Jackson Hole, Wyoming developed a process for repairing stone damaged windshields. Dr. Warner had personally experienced stones breaking his windshield, and had directed work on a solution to repair the glass, rather than replace the entire windshield. A key member of Dr. Warner’s company, was Bill Wiele, a chemical engineer who developed adhesive resins that would be clear and optically match the windshield glass. Dr. Warner decided to license his invention to a former associate, Gerry Keinath. Keinath had recently started a small company, Novus Inc. to market innovative products. Novus was responsible for much of the early pioneering work with insurance companies and fleet operators to convince them of the merits of repairing windshields. During the early days of Novus, the efforts were concentrated towards selling equipment to glass replacement shops and automotive dealers. While a significant amount of equipment was sold, not many repairs were being done. At the same time, Keinath noticed that there was a small and growing group of individuals who were offering the service of windshield repair using the Novus equipment. He decided to concentrate on working with "repair only" specialists. He began by licensing the process to these individuals, and later in the mid 1980’s moved into full-fledged franchising of the business.
In the mid 1970’s, as Novus was establishing its "repair only" specialists, another company began by selling a "vacuum" windshield repair system within the glass replacement market. Mort Gallub in suburban Philadelphia founded Glass Medic. Gallub owned one of the largest auto reconditioning operations on the East Coast and found that replacing windshields meant his profit margins on used vehicles became very slim. He had heard of the early progress of repair, and experimented with various systems. Mort hired a research engineer to improve on the system and eventually developed a "vacuum pump" process that he used within his reconditioning business. Gallub hired, Bill Matles, a young glass replacement specialist to market the product. In the 1980’s Glass Medic became the largest selling product within the glass replacement industry.
As the 1970’s came to a close, the word of windshield repair began to spread, a number of other companies began operations. Many began by first doing repairs, and then by producing their own equipment. Tony and Gerry Jacino started Clear Star in New York, Hap Alexander founded Glas-Weld Systems in Oregon and John Surdich started Kemxert in Pennsylvania.
In the early 1980’s two companies that were very big in auto glass replacement produced and sold repair equipment. Harmon Glass in Minneapolis manufactured a system they called the "Harmonizer", and Auto Glass Specialist under Bob Birkhauser formed a division called AEGIS which produced and sold their equipment. In 1984, Walt and Darlene Deines formed Delta Kits in Oregon. Their son Brent Deines now runs Delta Kits.
In 1981, Gene Curwick started doing windshield repair in Minneapolis and in 1985, he started marketing his own resins and tools. In the mid to late 1980’s more companies started producing equipment. Dan Wanstrath produced equipment that was automated and formed Glass Technology in Colorado. Tom Sloan, Steve Ameter, and Steve Beck formed Liquid Resins International in Illinois with specialization as an independent supply house with multiple resins. Joyce Newsome started Tri Glass in Washington State. Ken Einiger, concentrating on sales to people wanting to start their own businesses, founded Glass Mechanix in Florida. Rich Campfield started Ultra Bond in California by specializing in equipment to repair long cracks. Rich later moved his company to Colorado.
In the 1990’s windshield repair continued to grow with more companies entering the business, and some changing ownership. While we can't list all of the new companies and changes, here are a few of the more prominent ones. Keith Surdich left Kemxert and formed his own company Poly-Lite W/R Supplies in Pennsylvania. Dave Casey founded Super Glass Windshield Repair with Bill Costello and became one of two companies offering windshield repair as a franchised product and Bill Penrod formed US Windshield Repair in Orange, CA. In the very early 90’s Glass Medic was sold to its largest international customer, Belron International, the largest glass replacement retailer in the world. The North American rights were sold to Dave Schuh, a former manager of Novus. Dave operated the company until the late 1990’s when Belron purchased it back. It is now operating as Glass Medic America under the leadership of Paul Syfko. Also in the 90’s, the Keinath family sold Novus to Trans Canada Glass International (TCGI).
By the year 2000, significant changes occurred in the repair versus replacement marketing. Although repair had been done by independent replacement dealers, and to a limited amount by some of the larger US retailers, many replacement dealers, and most large retailers did not devote a major effort towards repair. While repair was being done by leading replacement companies in Europe, such as Belron’s Carglass and Autoglass divisions, it was not done to the same extent in the U.S. In 1998 the marketing of windshield repair changed dramatically when Safelite Auto Glass, the largest glass replacement retailer in the US, decided to embrace windshield repair by forming a unit specializing in repair. Safelite’s Repair Medic program was developed under the leadership of Paul Gross. The Repair Medic operation spread to major markets in the United States offering repair directly from Safelite. In early 2002 another of the large US auto glass replacement dealers, Harmon Auto Glass, founded its own repair only division under the name RepairOne to concentrate on windshield repair.
While companies concentrating on "repairs only service" continue to do the largest number of repairs, windshield repair has also proven itself as a viable alternative product offered by most retail service companies in auto glass. And the predictions are that repair will continue to grow as insurance companies and consumers understand the cost and product benefits. Today windshield repair is an accepted product, not only in the United States, but also within almost every country around the world.
Now Pay a Lower Car Insurance Premium if You Are MarriedFactors like profession, gender and marital status, among many others, are now being used by insurers to determine the premium. Preeti Kulkarni shows how you can bring down your auto insurance premiums.Are you a doctor? Do you have a covered parking lot? Do you use your car sparingly?If your answers to these questions are ‘Yes’, you may get a discount on the insurance premium on your car at the time of renewal. Faced with huge losses in their motor portfolio, general insurers are exploring various options to reduce the losses. Differential pricing is one of the options considered, which means premiums will go up if the insurer believes the incidence of claim is going to be higher or vice versa.“Traditionally, car premiums were decided upon the basic factors i.e. engine capacity, age of the car and geographical zones. Over the last four years, insurers in India have started using several other asset-based parameters such as the type of fuel used in the car, effective anti-theft devices etc. Further, few insurers now are trying with demographic parameters as well these include the occupation of the insured, the age of the driver/insured etc.”, says Sanjay Datta, Chief, Underwriting & Claims, ICICI Lombard.In fact, industry-watchers say your marital status and gender, too, could affect the premium figures.“In terms of demographic parameters, we have started taking into account the insured’s age, gender, occupation and driving experience. Even marital status plays a role in influencing the premiums. For instance, married individuals in the age group of 32-60 are entitled to discounts as they are perceived to be more responsible drivers and we are thinking of using this as a rating parameter. They can also be counted upon to take good care of their vehicles. Discounts on the basis of such personal information can go up to 20%. Likewise, the loading on premium, too, can be as high as 20%”, says Madhukar Sinha, National Head, Personal Lines, Tata-AIG General.However, the possibility of discount in one category being cancelled out due to loading in another cannot be ruled out. For instance, higher premium due to the fuel type may nullify the discount earned on account of occupation or age.PROVIDE MORE INFORMATION IN THE PROPOSAL FORMSimply put, the information you provide can swing the premium for you. For instance, Berkshire Insurance, which sells Bajaj Allianz’s motor policies, offers a 5% discount to policyholders if they share personal information.“We have started offering discounts in premiums to certain professions (like doctors, software professionals, those with desk jobs) and also on the basis of income brackets and gender. The discounts will be in the range of 5-7 % on policies bought online”, says Vijay Kumar, Head, Motor Insurance, at Bajaj Allianz.You are also likely to score high on insurers’ preference meter if you sparingly use your vehicle, as that would translate into fewer chances of making claims. This apart, you could be charged lower premiums if you park the car in a covered space. Again, the reason is lower possibility of claims. On the other hand, a car parked in the open is always at the risk of getting damaged.BUY POLICIES ONLINEIf you are buying your policies through an intermediary, it is unlikely that s/he will encourage you to provide such details in the proposal form. Besides, going online has direct benefits too. “One can save money on car insurance premiums by buying the insurance policy online. Some companies offer better rates for customers coming directly onto the company’s website”, says Datta.PROTECT YOUR NO-CLAIM BONUSPolicyholders who have not made any claims in the previous year receive rewards in the form of No-Claim Bonus (NCB). On renewal, the cover could increase by up to 50%. Therefore, you need to make efforts to earn this NCB. At a broader level, you can do so by following driving rules and taking adequate care of your car. Moreover, you can also retain the NCB by forgoing smaller claims. If the claim amount is not significant, it is better not to make a claim.“You should look at getting the vehicle repaired at a garage that charges reasonable rates. You can negotiate hard to bring down the costs. If you avoid smaller claims, you stand to gain 20% in the first year and up to 50% in the subsequent years as NCB”, says Kumar.Simply put, if the amount is lower than the NCB you are likely to accumulate, you’d be better off forgoing the claim. Also, remember, since the NCB is linked not to the vehicle or the policy but to the policyholder, it will be transferred to your new car too. You should ensure that when you sell your old car and buy a new car in the same segment, you can claim NCB on the premium for the new car also. The savings in such a scenario can be significant as the premium for a new car is always high.ASK FOR HIGHER DEDUCTIBLESIf you are confident of your driving abilities or are unlikely to use your car extensively during the year, you can explore this option. Here, the customer agrees to bear a part of the expenses before the company steps in to foot the rest of the bill.“If the customer is confident of his/her driving skills and feels that s/he is not going to make a claim during the year, this is a good option. The deductible ranges from Rs. 2,500 to Rs. 7,500 and the savings in premium can be as high as 30%”, says Kumar.CHOOSE YOUR FUEL TYPE WISELYWhile diesel cars have gained popularity due to lower cost of the fuel, the effect on premiums is just the opposite. Petrol cars attract lower premiums compared to diesel or CNG-run vehicles. Therefore, you need to bear this point in mind while deciding on the right vehicle.INSTALL ANTI-THEFT DEVICESFurther discounts can be availed by installing Automobile Research Association of India (ARAI) approved anti-theft devices in your car. “This is another form of reward to the owner of the car for showing responsibility by installing such a device”, says Datta. It is estimated that installations of such devices have brought down claims by up to 80%. “At the time of buying a car, ensure that it is fitted with a manufacturer-fitted anti-theft device. Devices procured later may not help much as the insurer will have to assess whether it is certified, which could result in hassles during policy issuance”, adds Kumar. | <urn:uuid:0aa8c247-868f-4aa3-abb0-ea308ee03c04> | CC-MAIN-2018-47 | https://www.windshieldexperts.com/downloads | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2018-47/segments/1542039746926.93/warc/CC-MAIN-20181121011923-20181121033923-00416.warc.gz | en | 0.963809 | 3,240 | 2.859375 | 3 |
Although text is ubiquitous on the Web, extracting information from web pages can prove to be difficult, and an important problem remains as to the most efficient way to gather language data. Metadata extraction is part of data mining and knowledge extraction techniques. Dates are critical components since they are relevant both from a philological standpoint and in the context of information technology.
In most cases, immediately accessible data on retrieved webpages do not carry substantial or accurate information: neither the URL nor the server response provide a reliable way to date a web document, i.e. to find when it was written or modified. In that case it is necessary to fully parse the document or apply robust scraping patterns on it.
State of the art
Diverse extraction and scraping techniques are routinely used on web document collections by companies and research institutions alike. Content extraction mostly draws on Document Object Model (DOM) examination, that is on considering a given HTML document as a tree structure whose nodes represent parts of the document to be operated on. Less thorough and not necessarily faster alternatives use superficial search patterns such as regular expressions in order to capture desirable excerpts.
The current benchmark focuses on Python, reportedly the most popular programming language in academia and one of the most popular overall. The purpose of this evaluation is to test currently available alternatives with respect to particular needs for coverage and speed: the chosen solution should ideally be precise, robust and fast.
The following open-source date extraction packages can be compared in a straightforward way:
- articleDateExtractor detects, extracts and normalizes the publication date of an online article or blog post,
- date_guesser extracts publication dates from a web pages along with an accuracy measure which is not tested here,
- goose3 can extract information for embedded content,
- htmldate is the software package I wrote to extract original and updated publication dates of web pages,
- newspaper is mostly geared towards newspaper texts,
- news-please is a news crawler that extracts structured information.
Two alternative packages are not tested here but could be used in addition:
- datefinder features pattern-based date extraction for texts written in English,
- if dates are nowhere to be found using CarbonDate can be an option, however this is computationally expensive.
Test set: The experiments below are run on a collection of documents which are either typical for Internet articles (news outlets, blogs, including smaller ones) or non-standard and thus harder to process. They were selected from large collections of web pages in German. For the sake of completeness a few documents in other languages were added (English, European languages, Chinese and Arabic).
Evaluation: The evaluation script is available on the project repository:
tests/comparison.py. The tests can be reproduced by cloning the repository, installing all necessary packages and running the evaluation script with the data provided in the
tests directory. Only documents with dates that are clearly to be determined are considered for this benchmark. A given day is taken as unit of reference, meaning that results are converted to
%Y-%m-%d format if necessary in order to make them comparable.
Time: The execution time (best of 3 tests) cannot be easily compared in all cases as some solutions perform a whole series of operations which are irrelevant to this task.
goose3‘s output is not always meaningful and/or in a standardized format, these cases were discarded. news-please seems to have trouble with some encodings (e.g. in Chinese), in which case it leads to an exception.
The following results are available on the project repository documentation.
They show that date extraction is not a completely solved task but one for which extractors have to resort to heuristics and guesses. The figures documenting recall and accuracy capture the real-world performance of the tools as the absence of a date output impacts the result.
Precision describes if the dates given as output are correct:
goose3 fare well precision-wise but they fail to extract dates in a large majority of cases (poor recall). The difference in accuracy between
newspaper is consistent with tests described on the website of the former.
It turns out that
htmldate performs better than the other solutions overall. It is also noticeably faster than the strictly comparable packages (
date_guesser). Despite being measured on a sample, the higher accuracy and faster processing time are highly significant. Especially for smaller news outlets, websites and blogs, as well as pages written in languages other than English (in this case mostly but not exclusively German),
htmldate greatly extends date extraction coverage without sacrificing precision.
Note on the different versions:
htmldate[all]means that additional components are added for performance and coverage. They can be installed with
pip/pip3/pipenv htmldate[all]and result in differences with respect to accuracy (due to further linguistic analysis) and potentially speed (faster date parsing).
fastmode does not output as many dates (lower recall) but its guesses are more often correct (better precision).
- Barbaresi, A. “Generic Web Content Extraction with Open-Source Software“, Proceedings of KONVENS 2019, Kaleidoscope Abstracts, 2019.
- Barbaresi, A. “Efficient construction of metadata-enhanced web corpora“, Proceedings of the 10th Web as Corpus Workshop (WAC-X), 2016. | <urn:uuid:835ba2db-3262-40af-8d7c-e5f475bcc756> | CC-MAIN-2020-24 | http://adrien.barbaresi.eu/blog/evaluation-date-extraction-python.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-24/segments/1590347445880.79/warc/CC-MAIN-20200604161214-20200604191214-00344.warc.gz | en | 0.922572 | 1,129 | 2.75 | 3 |
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$1 billion. The move came just months after Roche’s neighbor Novartis axed its alliance with Alnylam.
Fetzer believes those disappointments signal an urgent call to work out RNAi’s delivery challenges. “I would argue that if no one figures it out in the next two years it’s really going to get the field stuck,” he says.
Cerulean originally designed its nanoparticles to exploit a unique characteristic of tumor tissue. There are pores in tumors that are much larger than pores found in normal tissue, Fetzer explains. Cerulean’s nanoparticles travel through those pores, get absorbed into the cancer cells, and release the drug from inside the cells. But the nano-drug doesn’t travel anywhere else in the body, which helps minimize side effects, Fetzer says.
The ability of Cerulean’s nanoparticles to zero in on tumors explains the safety signals the company has seen in Phase 2 trials of its CRLX101, Fetzer says. The active ingredient is camptothecin, a potent anti-cancer chemical discovered years ago but never developed because it was too toxic to be given as a therapy. So far, Fetzer says, none of the patients in the Cerulean trials have had to reduce their doses or take the drug less frequently because of side effects. They don’t lose their hair, or complain of fatigue, Fetzer says. “These patients have already been exposed to a lot of toxic drugs, so they’re pretty beaten up,” he says. “But they comment to us, ‘I’m feeling great. What are you giving me?’ Ironic that it’s camptothecin—the compound that was once too toxic to be given alone.”
Now Cerulean is branching out into RNAi. Cerulean’s nanoparticles are polymer chains linked to drug molecules. Once the particles have arrived in a cell, naturally occurring enzymes clip the links, releasing the drug. What’s left of the nano-machinery gets flushed out of the body naturally. Cerulean is testing a second nanoparticle platform to see if it can be a carrier for what’s known as “small interfering RNA,” or siRNA, which can bind to other RNAs to either increase or decrease their activity. In mouse studies, says Fetzer, “We can put siRNA on our particles, we can get it into cancer tissue, we can release it, and we can knock down a protein.” [Paragraph revised to clarify that Cerulean is developing a separate nanoparticle technology for RNAi use.]
Alnylam is also developing its nanoparticles as siRNA delivery vehicles. Alnylam CEO John Maraganore (who is also one of our Xconomists) said in an e-mail that Alnylam’s nanoparticles employ different materials than those used by Cerulean and other companies. The Alnylam technology, called “core-shell,” may allow scientists to tweak the size of the nanoparticles to accommodate different siRNA therapies, according to a paper the company published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Cerulean’s Fetzer says that rather than developing RNAi therapies in-house, the company plans to license out its technology. Cerulean raised $24 million in a Series C in November, bringing its total funding to $56 million—plenty to continue the development of CRLX101, while simultaneously building more of a case that the RNAi platform works, Fetzer says. “We want to make sure we have really robust data before we start talking to people” about licensing the nanoparticle technology for RNAi therapeutics, Fetzer says. “Because of the fact that there are so many companies that haven’t succeeded in RNAi, the bar is pretty high out there.” | <urn:uuid:d3176274-c1c2-426c-8e17-5147e17d51e5> | CC-MAIN-2016-07 | http://www.xconomy.com/boston/2011/07/27/cerulean-shows-progress-in-cancer-tests-nano-drug-platform-in-rnai/2/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-07/segments/1454701145578.23/warc/CC-MAIN-20160205193905-00111-ip-10-236-182-209.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.949398 | 840 | 2.546875 | 3 |
The Clausius–Clapeyron relation, named after Rudolf Clausius and Benoît Paul Émile Clapeyron, is a way of characterizing a discontinuous phase transition between two phases of matter of a single constituent. On a pressure–temperature (P–T) diagram, the line separating the two phases is known as the coexistence curve. The Clausius–Clapeyron relation gives the slope of the tangents to this curve. Mathematically,
where is the slope of the tangent to the coexistence curve at any point, is the specific latent heat, is the temperature, is the specific volume change of the phase transition and is the entropy change of the phase transition.
Derivation from state postulate
where is the pressure. Since pressure and temperature are constant, by definition the derivative of pressure with respect to temperature does not change.:57, 62 & 671 Therefore the partial derivative of specific entropy may be changed into a total derivative
where and are respectively the change in specific entropy and specific volume. Given that a phase change is an internally reversible process, and that our system is closed, the first law of thermodynamics holds
Given constant pressure and temperature (during a phase change), we obtain:508
Substituting the definition of specific latent heat gives
This result (also known as the Clapeyron equation) equates the slope of the tangent to the coexistence curve , at any given point on the curve, to the function of the specific latent heat , the temperature , and the change in specific volume .
Derivation from Gibbs–Duhem relation
Suppose two phases, and , are in contact and at equilibrium with each other. Their chemical potentials are related by
Furthermore, along the coexistence curve,
One may therefore use the Gibbs–Duhem relation
from which the derivation of the Clapeyron equation continues as in the previous section.
Ideal gas approximation at low temperatures
When the phase transition of a substance is between a gas phase and a condensed phase (liquid or solid), and occurs at temperatures much lower than the critical temperature of that substance, the specific volume of the gas phase greatly exceeds that of the condensed phase . Therefore one may approximate
where is the pressure, is the specific gas constant, and is the temperature. Substituting into the Clapeyron equation
we can obtain the Clausius–Clapeyron equation:509
Let and be any two points along the coexistence curve between two phases and . In general, varies between any two such points, as a function of temperature. But if is constant,
Chemistry and chemical engineering
For transitions between a gas and a condensed phase with the approximations described above, the expression may be rewritten as
where is a constant. For a liquid-gas transition, is the specific latent heat (or specific enthalpy) of vaporization; for a solid-gas transition, is the specific latent heat of sublimation. If the latent heat is known, then knowledge of one point on the coexistence curve determines the rest of the curve. Conversely, the relationship between and is linear, and so linear regression is used to estimate the latent heat.
Meteorology and climatology
Atmospheric water vapor drives many important meteorologic phenomena (notably precipitation), motivating interest in its dynamics. The Clausius–Clapeyron equation for water vapor under typical atmospheric conditions (near standard temperature and pressure) is
- is saturation vapor pressure
- is temperature
- is the specific latent heat of evaporation of water
- is the gas constant of water vapor
The temperature dependence of the latent heat , and therefore of the saturation vapor pressure , cannot be neglected in this application. Fortunately, the August-Roche-Magnus formula provides a very good approximation, using pressure in hPa and temperature in Celsius:
(This is also sometimes called the Magnus or Magnus-Tetens approximation, though this attribution is historically inaccurate.)
Under typical atmospheric conditions, the denominator of the exponent depends weakly on (for which the unit is Celsius). Therefore, the August-Roche-Magnus equation implies that saturation water vapor pressure changes approximately exponentially with temperature under typical atmospheric conditions, and hence the water-holding capacity of the atmosphere increases by about 7% for every 1 °C rise in temperature.
One of the uses of this equation is to determine if a phase transition will occur in a given situation. Consider the question of how much pressure is needed to melt ice at a temperature below 0 °C. Note that water is unusual in that its change in volume upon melting is negative. We can assume
and substituting in
- = 3.34×105 J/kg (latent heat of fusion for water),
- = 273 K (absolute temperature), and
- = −9.05×10−5 m³/kg (change in specific volume from solid to liquid),
- = −13.5 MPa/K.
To provide a rough example of how much pressure this is, to melt ice at −7 °C (the temperature many ice skating rinks are set at) would require balancing a small car (mass = 1000 kg) on a thimble (area = 1 cm²).
While the Clausius–Clapeyron relation gives the slope of the coexistence curve, it does not provide any information about its curvature or second derivative. The second derivative of the coexistence curve of phases 1 and 2 is given by
- Clausius, R. (1850). "Ueber die bewegende Kraft der Wärme und die Gesetze, welche sich daraus für die Wärmelehre selbst ableiten lassen" [On the motive power of heat and the laws which can be deduced therefrom regarding the theory of heat]. Annalen der Physik (in German) 155: 500–524. Bibcode:1850AnP...155..500C. doi:10.1002/andp.18501550403.
- Clapeyron, M. C. (1834). "Mémoire sur la puissance motrice de la chaleur". Journal de l'École polytechnique (in French) 23: 153–190. ark:/12148/bpt6k4336791/f157.
- Wark, Kenneth (1988) . "Generalized Thermodynamic Relationships". Thermodynamics (5th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill, Inc. ISBN 0-07-068286-0.
- Çengel, Yunus A.; Boles, Michael A. (1998) . Thermodynamics – An Engineering Approach. McGraw-Hill Series in Mechanical Engineering (3rd ed.). Boston, MA.: McGraw-Hill. ISBN 0-07-011927-9.
- Salzman, William R. (2001-08-21). "Clapeyron and Clausius–Clapeyron Equations". Chemical Thermodynamics. University of Arizona. Archived from the original on 2007-07-07. Retrieved 2007-10-11.
- Alduchov, Oleg; Eskridge, Robert (1997-11-01), "Improved Magnus' Form Approximation of Saturation Vapor Pressure", NOAA Missing or empty
|title=(help) - Equation 25 provides these coefficients
- Alduchov, Oleg; Eskridge, Robert (April 1996), "Improved Magnus' Form Approximation of Saturation Vapor Pressure", Journal of Applied Meteorology Missing or empty
|title=(help) - Equation 21 provides these coefficients
- M. G. Lawrence, "The relationship between relative humidity and the dew point temperature in moist air: A simple conversion and applications", Bull. Am. Meteorol. Soc., 86, 225-233, 2005
- IPCC, Climate Change 2007: Working Group I: The Physical Science Basis, "FAQ 3.2 How is Precipitation Changing ?", URL http://www.ipcc.ch/publications_and_data/ar4/wg1/en/faq-3-2.html
- Zorina, Yana (2000). "Mass of a Car". The Physics Factbook.
- Krafcik, Matthew; Sánchez Velasco, Eduardo (2014). "Beyond Clausius–Clapeyron: Determining the second derivative of a first-order phase transition line". American Journal of Physics 82: 301–305. Bibcode:2014AmJPh..82..301K. doi:10.1119/1.4858403.
- M.K. Yau and R.R. Rogers, Short Course in Cloud Physics, Third Edition, published by Butterworth–Heinemann, January 1, 1989, 304 pages. EAN 9780750632157 ISBN 0-7506-3215-1
- J.V. Iribarne and W.L. Godson, Atmospheric Thermodynamics, published by D. Reidel Publishing Company, Dordrecht, Holland, 1973, 222 pages
- H.B. Callen, Thermodynamics and an Introduction to Thermostatistics, published by Wiley, 1985. ISBN 0-471-86256-8 | <urn:uuid:dcf79ba6-17e6-4934-9af2-5a735105647d> | CC-MAIN-2015-22 | http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clausius%E2%80%93Clapeyron_relation | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2015-22/segments/1432207924799.9/warc/CC-MAIN-20150521113204-00001-ip-10-180-206-219.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.789594 | 1,962 | 3.796875 | 4 |
Spreadable OLED Displays and Solar Cells, a Possibility
- May 16, 2008 8:21 PM EST
- [num] Comments
No, really. If you think Samsung's claim of a transparent OLED display is outrageous, then this would definitely sound so alien. Both Mitsubishi Chemical and Sumitomo Chemical are reportedly working on liquid, spreadable OLED and solar cell molecules. Seriously. Think of it like this: you're shopping for a new TV, but instead of coming home with a big box with full-fledged TV in it, you come home with a can, the contents of which you spread on a glass, plastic, or directly onto your wall. Crazy, right? The research facilities are calling the liquid molecular make up of OLED displays as "molecular soup." The idea is to be able to spread it onto a surface and then let it dry to attain a residue that's 100nm thick.
But what about the wires, you ask? Well, the "residue" that's the result of the spreadable molecular soup is self-sustaining. Meaning it generates its own electricity through solar energy. That's why the principle could be applied to solar cells as well. According to Tokitaro Hoshijima from Mitsubishi Chemical, he "want(s) to create is a world that does not need power sockets." In cell phones, for example, the liquid solar cell spread on the device is enough to power it. The same goes for other portable electronics. Hardly believable when you think about it now, but who knows? We'll see within a couple years' time if the technology is really viable when both companies aim to present prototypes.
*pictured is Sony's OLED TV. The spreadable molecular soup would be so much thinner than that. | <urn:uuid:4e1bf552-1e98-4299-9616-2d40d94e5ac3> | CC-MAIN-2014-42 | http://goodcleantech.pcmag.com/solar-energy/280709-spreadable-oled-displays-and-solar-cells-a-possibility | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2014-42/segments/1414637904760.56/warc/CC-MAIN-20141030025824-00123-ip-10-16-133-185.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.944224 | 369 | 2.65625 | 3 |
Can solar arrays catch fire? You bet they can. Judicious design of their inverter circuits can help minimize the need for a call to the fire department.
Consider what happened when a solar panel installed in a San Diego house caused a fire a couple years ago. According to newspaper reports, the problem began with smoke coming out of the inverter box. The homeowner flipped the cutoff switch to disconnect the power but while she was on the phone with an electrician, the converter box caught fire. The fire continued to burn even after a fire extinguisher was emptied on it. The San Diego Fire-Rescue Dept. eventually arrived, but all firefighters could do was keep the fire down to a smolder. Finally an electrician was able to cut the wires from the panels, extinguishing the source of energy, and the fire went out.
Home alternative energy systems based on solar and wind power are becoming popular, but safety is becoming more of an issue. As incidents like the one in San Diego show, system designers need to build in protections against short circuits and other failures. The power inverter and its control system are the place to focus.
A home alternative energy system typically has several major components that must work together. The defining component, naturally, is the power source. When solar panels are the power source, they are often equipped with a maximum power point (MPP) controller to boost efficiency. Residential wind generators, although less common, are also used both alone and to supplement solar panels as primary power sources.
Many alternative energy installations include battery banks to buffer the variable output of solar and wind generators as well as to store surplus energy for later use. These systems usually also include a battery charge controller as a core system element. Besides directing current flow into or out of the battery, the charge controller continually monitors both user power demand and the power generated.
Each of the power sources incorporates a dc-dc converter and feeds a common high-voltage dc bus known as the dc link. This dc link is what feeds power to the inverter that produces the system ac output. The dc link typically runs in the 600 to 1,200 V range to maximize the inverter efficiency at converting dc power to ac. Inverters for home power systems can range in capacity from 1 to 30 kW and operate by rapidly connecting the dc link voltage to the ac power mains. High-voltage insulated-gate bipolar transistors (IGBTs) typically serve as the switches, operating in pairs to provide both positive and negative output voltages.
The switching inside the inverter, typically at 50 kHz, provides an ON interval just long enough to charge the load capacitance on each main line to the instantaneous voltage that will properly mimic a one or three-phase, 60 Hz ac supply. Synthesis of the complex timing needed to realize this mimicry under all load conditions is the job of the system controller. The controller also monitors the power that drives the battery charge controller and manages the user interface the system offers. In addition, it watches for line faults and directs the system to give safe response if they happen.
The fact that the controller has a central role in both system operation and the user interface makes it important that the controller be isolated from the high voltages in the power pathways. The isolation prevents the possibility of the high-dc-link voltage arcing into the control lines, which could damage the controller electronics and possibly injure the user. All sensor lines into and signal lines out of the controller need such isolation, especially those driving the inverter IGBT power switches.
The inverter’s central role in the power circuits means it must be highly reliable if it is to provide the15-to-20 year life that consumers demand of alternative energy systems to justify their cost. The inverter should also be relatively immune to accidental damage because, at a cost of $2,000 to $4,000, it takes nearly 10% of the initial system investment to replace it.
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To provide that reliability and protection, the inverter design must include circuitry to mitigate several known failure mechanisms in the IGBT switches. These failure mechanisms include switching transients that can arise during normal operation; low gate voltages that can happen when batteries are depleted; and short-circuits on the mains caused by faults or user error. Ideally, the IGBT drive electronics would provide both this fault protection and the controller isolation the system needs.
Designers can use several different technologies to build electrical isolation into a home energy system. Some magnetic isolation devices, for instance, couple signals across a thin insulating barrier through magnetic induction. This approach may not be fail-safe, however. In a high-voltage electric fault situation, breakdown of this thin insulation barrier may cause a short circuit that can potentially be hazardous to someone touching the controls. Even in normal operation, magnetic isolation has a drawback: It is susceptible to electromagnetic interference (EMI) that could confound controller operation.
Capacitive coupling is another means of providing isolation. Here the insulation barrier is also a thin dielectric within the capacitor. Like magnetic coupling, capacitor-based isolation is susceptible to EMI, readily passing high-frequency noise to the controller.
Optical isolation is a third alternative and offers several advantages. Magnetic and capacitive coupling necessitate keeping high and low-voltage lines in close proximity. In contrast, optical isolation can be configured to keep low-voltage and high-voltage lines far away from each other. This significant distance virtually guarantees that no shorts can occur.
Moreover, the LED/photodiode combination in an optocoupler is known to be immune from EMI because of its optical coupling path. Tests show optocouplers can withstand much higher electromagnetic fields than all other isolators currently available.
One example of optocouplers suitable for use in alternative energy inverters are those from Avago, which are approved and recognized by component-level safety standards. These standards include UL1577, CSA and IEC 60747-5-5. IEC 60747-5-5 is the official release of the International Safety Standard for optocouplers for reinforced insulation since 2007. Although this standard pertains to optical isolators only, other isolation technologies such as magnetic or capacitive have also obtained the certifications to the optocoupler safety standard. However, their recognition is limited to the obsolete IEC 60747-5-2 standard and to basic insulation only.
Basic insulation only provides minimal protection against electrical shock. It cannot be considered “fail-safe.” Therefore, devices offering only basic insulation should not be accessible to users. Reinforced insulation not only protects against electric shock, it is also a “failsafe” design that permits user accessibility to a device.
For high reliability in the inverter section of the home energy system, the IGBT transistor drivers must incorporate circuits to prevent or mitigate common failure modes that can damage the IGBT. Normally, the IGBT is operating in the transistor saturation region, which lets it conduct high currents with a low voltage drop (VCE) across the transistor. To enter this state, the IGBT needs at least 12 V on its control gate.
There are several ways a home energy system can fail to meet that gate drive requirement. One is to experience an excessive load or a direct short on the ac mains connection to the inverter, which would result in abnormal current draw through the IGBTs. This excess current forces the IGBTs out of saturation, which causes the voltage drop across the transistor to rise. This voltage rise causes the transistor to begin heating, which can quickly lead to device failure.
The IGBT can also leave its saturation region if the gate control voltage drops below the minimum level. Conditions that cause this drop can include a decline in the logic supply voltage due to deep battery discharge, as might happen if there has been too little sunlight for a sustained period. As with excessive current draw conditions, the low gate voltage causes a low VCE and heating that can lead to device failure.
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There are also failure modes that arise from the inevitable parasitic inductance and capacitance in switching circuits. Parasitic inductance can cause voltage spikes to arise if the IGBT shuts its output down too quickly, and these spikes can be large enough to damage the device. The energy stored in a parasitic capacitance (called Miller Capacitance) at the IGBT’s control gate can keep one switch of the pair closed too long, resulting in a short circuit across the dc link.
Fortunately, protective circuits integrated into the Avago ACPL-332 gate drive optocoupler can be designed into an inverter to prevent or mitigate all these failure modes as well as signal the system controller about the occurrence of a fault. An under-voltage lockout circuit, for instance, can clamp the gate voltage to ground (keeping the IGBT turned off) in the event the supply voltage is too low to properly drive the gate. Such a circuit should include hysteresis, however, to avoid oscillation when the supply voltage is at the lockout threshold.
Another useful protective circuit is a desaturation detector. This circuit monitors the VCE voltage across the IGBT. If this voltage rises above about 7 V, the IGBT is out of saturation and in danger of damage from excessive heating. The detector circuit shuts down the IGBT gate driver during desaturation, eliminating the danger.
Careful circuit design and board layout can reduce the parasitic inductance in the inverter, hence reducing the magnitude of transient voltages when the IGBT switches off. But design practices alone cannot guarantee to eliminate the danger. Designing the IGBT driver for a soft turn-off, however, can ensure that transient voltages never become dangerous.
Parasitic Miller capacitance cannot be eliminated through board design, but a clamping circuit can eliminate its effect in keeping an IGBT turned on too long. An active Miller clamp can monitor the gate voltage when turning off the IGBT, stepping in to short out the parasitic capacitance when the gate voltage drops below a threshold, guaranteeing shut-down timing.
The protection against fault conditions that these circuits provide, as well as the protection against short-circuits that isolation provides, are both essential for the safety and reliability home energy systems demand. Optocouplers provide the kind of superior isolation needed to ensure user safety and prevent component damage despite the high voltages present in the dc link. Protective circuits in the IGBT gate drivers help extend inverter lifetime by preventing the most common failure modes. Together, these functions can help alternative energy systems provide the reliability that consumers demand. EE&T | <urn:uuid:2039e6c2-fd79-4244-aff5-347b4f943c06> | CC-MAIN-2015-18 | http://powerelectronics.com/power-electronics-systems/safe-and-reliable-alternative-energy | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2015-18/segments/1429246658061.59/warc/CC-MAIN-20150417045738-00200-ip-10-235-10-82.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.933913 | 2,199 | 3.4375 | 3 |
Researchers at the University of Southampton have forecast a global shift towards smaller birds and mammals over the next century.
According to the research team, small, fast-lived, highly fertile, and insect-eating animals, which can thrive in all sorts of habitats, will predominate in the future. Rodents and songbirds are examples of the so-called ‘winners.’ Less adaptable, slow-lived species, requiring specialist habitats, will be more likely to face extinction. Among the so-called ‘losers’ are the black rhino and the tawny eagle.
The researchers focused on more than 15,000 living mammals and birds and considered the following five characteristics: body mass, breadth of habitat, diet, litter or clutch size, and length of time between generations. Using this data and data from the IUCN’s Red List of Threatened Species, the researchers used modern statistical tools to project and evaluate the loss of biodiversity.
The study, which was recently published in the journal Nature Communications, predicts that the average body mass of mammals will collectively decline by 25% over just the next 100 years. Over the past 130,000 years, the average body size of mammals only declined 14%.
This substantial downsizing of animals is forecasted to occur due to the effects of ecological change. But, according to the study’s lead author, the loss of these species, which perform unique functions within the global ecosystem, may ironically wind up being a driver of change as well.
The researchers hope future studies will further explore the long-term effects of species extinction on habitats and ecosystems.
Photo, posted April 6, 2013, courtesy of Nic Trott via Flickr. | <urn:uuid:bcd8b69f-a75e-4a5f-b982-052b546daf11> | CC-MAIN-2019-43 | https://earthwiseradio.org/podcast/the-future-of-animals/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2019-43/segments/1570987795403.76/warc/CC-MAIN-20191022004128-20191022031628-00263.warc.gz | en | 0.900618 | 351 | 4.03125 | 4 |
As ridiculously huge balls of burning hydrogen tend to do from time-to-time, the Sun occasionally throws off huge bursts of radiation and charged particles in a coronal mass ejection (CME).
And sometimes those CMEs are thrown towards Earth.
In fact these happen all the time - and usually cause few problems on Earth except some communications interference - despite the possibility that one day they might pose a bigger problem to infrastructure.
One of the most recent occurred on 17 March, when an M1-class solar flare erupted from sunspot AR1692, which larger than our planet, and hurtled towards the Earth.
In an amazing clip Göran Strand from Östersund, Sweden, managed to show what happened next
His amazing time-lapse film captures 2464 views of the sky during the resulting aurora. It's an inspiring reminder of how small we are compared to the universe. | <urn:uuid:22fb4ca1-8a11-4c25-9da7-8c500eac12f7> | CC-MAIN-2015-48 | http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2013/03/26/what-happens-when-a-coronal-mass-ejection-hits-earth_n_2954337.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2015-48/segments/1448398450762.4/warc/CC-MAIN-20151124205410-00147-ip-10-71-132-137.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.93093 | 186 | 3.09375 | 3 |
Can sharks, algae help win the war against superbugs?
Can sharks, algae help win the war against superbugs?
There is mounting evidence that the ability of germs to resist antibiotic treatment is growing in the U.S., with certain "nightmare bacteria" on the rise. But two antibiotic strategies from nature that have been explored by a few companies may offer alternate approaches to the problem.
Of particular concern are the so-called gram-negative bacilli (GNB) bacteria, which include E. coli, salmonella and Shigella, as well as enterobacteriaceae bacteria. Enterobacteriaceae are a family of more than 70 bacteria including Klebsiella pneumoniae and E. coli that normally live in the digestive system. Over time, some of these bacteria have become resistant to a group of antibiotics known as carbapenems, often referred to as "last-resort" antibiotics.
In March, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warned against carbapenem-resistant enterobacteriaceae (CRE), which spread in healthcare facilities and kill up to half of patients who get bloodstream infections from them. They have the potential to kill perfectly healthy individuals and can transfer their resistance to other bacteria within their family.
Moreover, a subsequent report by the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA), published in the journal Clinical Infectious Disease, warned that the seven antibiotic drugs currently in development do not address the entire spectrum of resistance to GNBs. "We're losing ground because we are not developing new drugs in pace with superbugs' ability to develop resistance to them," said Dr. Helen Boucher, lead author of the policy paper and a member of IDSA's board of directors.
Despite the warnings, drug companies seem to be reducing their research efforts for the less profitable antibiotics in favor of cancer and cholesterol treatments. Only four pharmaceutical companies currently are involved in antibiotic research and development. One, Astra Zeneca, has announced it will reduce future investments in antibiotics; another, PolyMedix, recently announced a filing for bankruptcy.
Antibiotic drugs remain the cornerstone of the medical solution strategy, despite that technology appears to be losing the "arms race" against resistant bacteria. The number of approved antibiotics has dropped eightfold since the mid-1980s, and prospects for achieving IDSA's goal of 10 by 2020 are remote.
It should not be so surprising that we're losing this war of numbers with an organism that can spread and mutate over many quickly produced generations. A single bacterium can divide every 20 minutes, becoming 8 million cells in 24 hours The overuse and misuse of antibiotic drugs, particularly in the livestock and poultry industries, has created a vast landscape of artificial selection. The strong have survived the onslaught of our drugs and they have gone on to breed ever-stronger scions, each generation being winnowed for resistance to the drugs.
Two antibiotic strategies from nature might offer an alternate approach to this conundrum. Both come from the sea and prevent the colonization of a surface by many bacteria, but each solution is markedly different in its approach to the problem. The first is employed by the shark and the second by a common algae.
Taking a cue from a shark
Sharks are famous for their sandpaper skin. Its roughness is caused by thousands of microstructures called dermal denticles ("tiny skin teeth"). To call them bumps is to miss the elegance of their forms, for they are shaped like so many ribbed delta-wings and overlap in a precise and beautiful geometry. These denticles maintain a smooth flow of water by creating micro-vortices at each placoid scale. The micro-votices are a turbulence management system, if you will, and obviate the creation of large swirls of liquid against the shark's skin by creating many smaller swirls. Less turbulence means less drag, and therefore faster and quieter movement.
This efficiency of fluid flow appears to have an added benefit: algae and bacteria can't anchor on its skin. The micro-roughness of the surface that reduces drag also makes it inhospitable to attachment by single algae or colonies. The energy required to form a biofilm with other algae is apparently too great and they seek other, easier surfaces.
Anthony Brennan, a materials science and engineering professor at the University of Florida, was touring the Pearl Harbor shipyard when he was asked by the U.S. Office of Naval Research (ONR) to come up with a solution to the fouling of ships' hulls, a major maintenance and operational problem for the world's fleets. Brennan searched for a swimming organism that did not acquire the algae film and found the shark, specifically the Galapagos Shark. After taking a cast of the shark's skin and examining it in a scanning electron microscope, he reproduced the dimensions and proportions of the surface topography and manufactured a material that reduced green algae growth by 86 percent. ONR has funded his research since 1999.
Brennan realized that the same surface geometry could work against bacteria as well as algae and began development in 2002. In 2007, he founded the privately held company Sharklet Technologies, the first commercial antibiotic strategy based on surface structure.
The company makes films based on a microtopographical surface. It is testing the surface on urinary catheters with plans to expand into medical devices and OEM (original equipment manufacturer) of consumer products. The films are applied to high-touch surfaces such as counters, doorknobs and restroom surfaces. Sharklet claims to reduce bacterial colonization of MRSA by 86 percent, Enterococcus faecalis by 99 percent and Pseudomonas aeruginosa by 100 percent after one hour of air exposure. Each Sharklet diamond measures nearly 25 microns across (about 1/5th the thickness of a human hair) and nearly three microns deep. Each diamond contains seven ribs of varying length.
Pathogenic bacteria by Lukiyanova Natalia / frenta via Shutterstock.
Algae's biofilm defense
The common alga, Delsea pulchra, has a different approach to avoiding being covered by biofilm. It releases chemicals called furanomes that interfere with the communication between different bacteria. This communication is called "quorum signaling" because of its initiation of the grouping that eventually forms the biofilm.
Furanomes are molecules that bind to the protein-covered receptor sites on bacteria and block the reception of signaling molecules from the neighboring bacteria (N-acyl homoserine lactone).
Professors Staffan Kjelleberg and Peter Steinberg of the University of New South Wales in Sydney began research in this area in the early 1990s, and started making synthetic furamones for antifouling applications. They formed BioSignal Ltd. of Australia to also solve the boat hull antifouling challenge in 1999.
The company, between 2004 and 2010, switched to medical applications, developing treatment for contact lenses, other medical devices and the membranes on animate surfaces such as lungs. Like the Sharklet surface patterning, BioSignal's technology is a no-kill solution and avoids contributing to the artificial selection of new generations of ever more resistant germs.
The applications for the technology potentially are wide. Its products were intended as drug candidates for the treatment of lung infections, as well as oil and gas pipeline coatings, marine anti-fouling paints, water treatment, oral care products, cleaners and deodorants. BioSignal Ltd. was acquired by RGM Entertainment Pte. Ltd., in a reverse merger transaction in July 2010, after selling its biofilm intellectual property to Commonwealth Biotechnology Inc.
These two nature-based technologies demonstrate that novel solutions can be found for seemingly intractable problems like our unintentional breeding of superbugs. Both prevent the forming of biofilms, rather than the killing of the bacteria making them. One solves the problem with a precise, scale-appropriate form while the other interrupts the communication amongst the germs. To be sure, neither can substitute for effective drug development and treatment for infected patients, but it seems that bio-inspired solutions like these should be strongly considered as part of the arsenal against the coming crisis. | <urn:uuid:e1dca178-04a7-404c-894b-6160aee4d757> | CC-MAIN-2015-11 | http://www.greenbiz.com/blog/2013/05/07/can-sharks-algae-win-war-superbugs | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2015-11/segments/1424936463708.99/warc/CC-MAIN-20150226074103-00124-ip-10-28-5-156.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.956194 | 1,679 | 3 | 3 |
The least intrusive tools of all ease the process for players to create mental maps of the environments they traverse. If they can get a general idea of how a level is laid out and know their current position, they can make educated guesses about where a given path leads. If they have built an accurate mental map, they can move around with ease and use advanced tactics.
Build readable spaces
The key to allow mental mapping is to make it easy to abstract the layout in one’s mind, based on an overview or a compilation of multiple views of the area. A good starting point is to create spaces whose high-level layout is easy to grasp. Players don’t need to understand the full layout just by looking at a structure/area, but they can identify important details that help approximate its layout: rough size, amount of floors, overall shape, how it is placed in its surroundings, access points… Then whatever they see within that structure/area can be checked against the abstract overview to estimate where it is located, what it points to…
Those spaces usually feature:
- Simple/geometric high-level shapes – Triangles, squares, grids, circles, hexagons… are all good starting points because they are easy to recognize and remember. This can apply to any level of scale: on the global layout of the level (a residential neighborhood built on a grid), the layout of an area (a hexagon-shaped government building), or the shape of a single room (a circular boss arena with a triangular structure in the middle.)
- Symmetry – Many such spaces use symmetry and central figures to simplify the shape of the area and provide one or more clear reference points. However, geometric shapes can be too symmetric, which can have its drawbacks. Symmetry along two axis can make it harder to orient oneself if there are no clear ways to tell the different sides apart. It’s often better for orientation to limit a structure/area’s symmetry to one axis, and to keep it high-level, so the layout is easily readable and the low-level geometry provides guidance and differentiation.
- Recognizable features – It helps to provide a few elements that can be recognized from any angle and point of view (e.g. central structure, high reference point…) I’ll get back to that soon.
- Clear boundaries – The boundaries of an area are what help define its shape, so if those boundaries are fuzzy it also becomes harder to abstract.
Use familiarity as an advantage
The same concept also applies to environments that we’re fairly familiar with, or have a general understanding of. It doesn’t mean one couldn’t get lost within the twists and turn of a large conventional building, but some places come with a broad understanding of their layout or part of their layout, critical places or elements within them, etc. Stadiums, churches, coasts, malls, libraries, houses, theaters, swimming pools, hospitals… Not two variants of those locations have the same exact layout, but we are familiar enough with their purpose and components that we can grasp their layout much more easily than unknown or generic environments.
For instance, a beach environment has a set of characteristics that makes it easy to orient oneself: the ocean, then a layer of sand, then rocks and potentially cliffs, grass, and trees further on. Most houses contain the same types of rooms, and certain rooms always belong on a given floor. We know that the locomotive is located at the head of a moving train… You get the idea.
Reduce clutter, improve structure
Too many props, obstacles, vegetation, alcoves, characters, light sources, too much architectural noise, smoke, movement… create a scene that is harder to take in. For everything that gets put into an area, a level designer should consider what is its purpose, and what impact it may have on the readability of the path or layout (among other things.)
That doesn’t mean you can’t make detailed, complex scenes for your game; but usually the more you put in and the less structured it becomes, the more tools like UI markers or companion NPCs you’ll have to rely on to guide the player. Levels in Mirror’s Edge are supposed to be intuitive to traverse at high-speed, so architectural detail and props are stripped down to a minimum; but series like Hitman or Assassin’s Creed can get away with heavily crowded environments because they use UI markers, maps…
For example, it is often a good idea to group props and cover elements together, so they create patches of occlusion that are more readable than haphazardly placed objects. When placed on the sides of the path rather than in the center, they also blend better with the edges of the environment and affect less the complexity of the scene as a whole.
Limit the amount of interconnections
While it’s generally also a good idea to limit the amount of connection points between two areas, I’m referring here to limiting the amount of areas directly reachable from any given one. Too many ways to traverse between areas makes it hard to mentally connect them together, to remember where each path leads, how to get somewhere quick… For example, a set of areas all connected only to a central HUB will be much easier to deal with than if each area also connects to all of its neighbors and beyond.
Limit twists and turns
The more corners the player has to turn, the more he will lose track of how his current position relates to the last places he visited. If he has to go around five elbow-shaped corridors before reaching a room, chances are he has little idea how this room spatially relates to the one he was just in. Be careful to only create mazes by intention, not by accident.
Of course this only applies to cases where the player does not maintain an overview of an area: zigzagging around low walls, see-through fences, vegetation, catwalks… while keeping the exit in view most of the time wouldn’t have the same potential to get the player confused. That’s actually a common trick to make more extensive use of a single area.
Extreme examples of navigation conventions would be side-scrollers that ask of the player to keep moving towards the right side of the screen, or shmups that point him up and prevent him from going backwards.
If the genre your game belongs to has navigation conventions, using them can greatly simplify your job (although breaking/twisting them can help make your game unique.)
At every level of scale (world, level, area, floor, room…), clear themes help differentiate locations from one another and allow players to attribute unique memory slots to each. Ideally, players should be able to pinpoint their location by just narrowing down on the theme step by step: “This is the forest level, I’m in the lumberyard area, in the kitchen of the workers’ living quarters”, “I’m in the poor district, on the edge of the canal, in the black market.”
This is not often cheap in terms of unique art assets required, but themes do not necessarily have to rely on extra assets: if you have to be economical, they can be conveyed instead through mood, wear & tear, lighting, predominant colors, environmental storytelling…
Use unique connections/boundaries
Both connection points and barriers between areas benefit from being somewhat memorable.
Recognizable connection points act as mental breadcrumbs when planning a route to a destination, so a sequence of intentions can form in the player’s mind: “Ah yes, I must first go under the massive arches with ivy on them to get to the garden, and from there I cross the bridge over the canal to get to the manor.”
When used properly, the separators between two areas can also increase the player’s sense of orientation. Splitting two sides of a village with a small river in the middle can make it easier to map out, although you would still ideally differentiate the two sides (e.g. put a landmark on one side). Splits such as interior/exterior transitions, height variations, roads, walls… can all work depending on the context.
Differentiate playable areas from background
If you manage to make it fairly clear what is background and what belongs to the current playable area, players who get the distinction will intuitively not care about mapping the background and focus on what matters. It’s okay to have a super rich and complex background, as long as players understand they’re not supposed to take it all in here and now.
That’s commonly achieved by using such things as height variation (“It’s too high, I can’t get down there” or vice versa) and other blockers (“No way I can go through that acid pool, or those nasty-looking thorns”), narrative (“The mission is limited to this camp, no point trying to go beyond those tall fences”), lack of anything really luring the player to the background (“I could swim anywhere in the ocean, but there’s just nothing pulling me to.”), difference in scale between the playable area and the background (“There’s just no way I’d travel that far since I can’t drive vehicles or sprint very fast, it’d take hours to get to there”).
Peel layer after layer
Another way to make a complex environment easier to grasp is to reveal it bit by bit. For instance, limiting the playable area at first and expanding it as the player gets things done, or opening shortcuts between rooms of a linear level to make it more open and all areas inter-connected. Give a chance for the player to map out your environments progressively, by unlocking parts of it one by one, to make it a less daunting task.
For example, an environment filled with a hazard like lava, acid, gas, water… limits exploration to one floor, allowing players to understand its layout. Then something the player does to progress clears the hazards (lowers water, cools lava…) and opens up the other floors and paths. The environment might have been a mess to find one’s way around if everything had been presented openly from the start. The same applies to acquiring clearance to enter new areas, unlocking a mechanic that grants access to new parts of areas (e.g. Zelda)…
Communicate when a page is turned
It is a good idea to regularly let the player know that the mental map he is keeping track of can be shelved. Loading screens are a clear-cut example of this, but it can be achieved via back-gating (e.g. dropping from a high ledge, a bridge collapsing…) and works best when combined with a transition to a new area/theme.
For example, if the player has built a mental map of a castle, and he steps out into the courtyard and shouldn’t have to care about the castle anymore because the link between those two areas is cut, it would be ideal if it could be subtly communicated to him, via the narrative or an event that prevents immediate return (e.g. the massive doors are closed and barricaded by the defenders) so that this mental map can be shelved, and a new one begin.
Players have become used to doing this, and it happens somewhat automatically at critical points like boss-fights, travels to distant locations, transitional cut-scenes, fades to black… but also when the game consistently avoids any backtracking or branching and players figure they don’t have to put in the effort. Just be aware of how much the player is trying to keep in mind at once, and try to ease that burden if you want to get away with more secluded but more complex areas.
Establishing a visible physical connection between multiple paths and areas cuts down on the work for the player because he can grasp parts of the layout at a glance instead of through compiling the results of exploring each path. Those allow for “Ha! That’s how I can get up there!” moments, by just presenting connections between spaces, or clear paths through spaces.
Walkways, platforms, scaffolds or open stairs are elements that allow a complex layout to be understandable because they do not obstruct much of the view and let players trace a path through the environment. Vantage points also help map out the layout of an area before getting down into spaces relying more on abstraction, spatial awareness and memory. This is where removing clutter helps a lot, because with too much in the way or battling for attention, it becomes hard to see those connections and paths clearly.
Connecting areas visually but not physically is a great way to make a level feel large and complex but very simple to navigate, and a common way to do that is seeing future/past playable areas via see-through obstacles (unbreakable glass, fences/barricades) or beyond differences in height, deadly hazards, openings too narrow to go through… This can give a great sense of continuity to the journey; a game can feel much less linear when it doesn’t feel like the world is made of a series of corridors, but instead of twists and turns in a large and complex environment.
There is another side to this point though, which is to tie things together visually so they end up connected mentally too. For instance, the player finds himself blocked by a massive red door, and must explore the level to find a way around it. When he finally reaches the room on the other side, that red door acts as a link between the room he’s now in and the place he left a few minutes ago, connecting the dots in his mental model of the level.
When exploring an unfamiliar building, most of us naturally keep track of the amount of floors we have gone up and down to calculate which floor we are currently on (especially when there are no signs or points of reference available.) This is something that can be useful to consider in level design as well. For example, this means that it’s sometimes better to split up two flights of stairs (e.g. putting them at both ends of a hall) so it’s easier for players to remember how many floors they‘ve gone up, instead of letting them just climb a super long staircase and lose count.
This is even more critical when players already have a goal but don’t know exactly how to get to it, such as seeing someone call for help from the 3rd floor of a building and having to reach that room. In that particular example, it is also important that the exterior of the building match the interior, so floors counted on the outside reflect how many floors you have to climb.
Another way of establishing a mental connection is to share elements between multiple floors or areas. For instance, two rooms, one above the other, that have the same basic shape and massive recognizable pillars in the same spots indicate to the player that those two rooms are directly above one another, even though he may have failed to figure that out because the path from one room to the other is complex, full of twists and turns and ups and downs.
Persistent consequences to the player’s actions, such as decals, broken objects and debris, dead bodies, open doors, lit torches… are effective at reconciling what the player sees in the world with his mental map, by communicating that he’s been here already and reminding him of what he did.
This is mainly applicable to non-linear or bi-directional levels where backtracking happens regularly, but can also be used to limit the chance of the player getting lost by not realizing he’s going back where he came from. It can also help recognize visually-connected areas if he can spot traces of his passage beyond fences and other blockers.
4. Create a sense of geography
Vantage points & overviews
Part of the difficulty of orienting oneself in a complex environment comes from not having an overview of the layout. Providing those overviews goes a long way to connecting areas in the player’s mind and building chunks of the mental map for him. Vistas are great opportunities to communicate as much information as possible, and they are often placed at bottlenecks that you can really compose effectively.
High viewpoints also generally allow better depth perception and thus give a good sense of scale and distance between locations; a phenomenon that can be extended upon by cleverly placing scale references within a vista. It is important of course to make sure the view from those vantage points is readable so players can process it. Showing a landscape of identical rooftops or forest treetops does little to help the player map the place, and if the visual guides are too clustered or overlap, it’s the same deal.
No matter if you can eventually reach them or not, or if they’re part of the narrative or not, landmarks are very effective to let players build and update mental maps. They are especially powerful when combined with vistas, because they can act as links between what the player takes in at a vantage point and what he experiences afterward when he can no longer rely on that overview.
Even without vistas to highlight them, landmarks can still do most of the leading work for you, as long as you point the player at them one way or another (objective, narrative…) For indoor levels, landmarks observed through windows can be great tools to help, for instance, figuring out which side of the building the player currently is on.
Other reference points
Reference points do not have to be as massive and obvious as landmarks to work though, anything that helps players orient themselves is welcome. Breaking symmetry by introducing differences between the two sides of a room for instance helps give a sense of direction. A square room with two doors at opposing ends will give little to the player to work with; add a set of windows one one side with sunlight shining in, and players can use that as an orientation guide (“the windows were on my right when I entered, so that means this door is the way forward”.)
The trick with those reference points is that they have to stand out enough to be noticeable, but most of them should remain on the fringes of the player’s attention, so he can intuitively use them to find his way around without getting lured away from the main path or distracted. We’ll get to that in the next part, when bringing up contrast and composition.
Another kind of reference is related to the overall structure of the environment. For instance, if a village is built on a slope dipping towards the sea, it becomes intuitive for the player to know whether he’s getting closer to the sea (down the slope) or heading inland (up the slope). A flooded cave will be easier to mentally map if the water level is the same in every chamber, so it acts as a reference for how high/low the player has climbed.
Embed the map in the world
This refers to 2D or 3D maps that can be inspected in the game world, like an emergency-exit floor plan in an office building, a 3D hologram of the whole spaceship’s interior found in the bridge area, or the map of a public park carved on wooden boards along its paths.
Those maps can usually realistically only tell the players where he is, but not pinpoint destinations, so they can help to visualize and memorize the layout but rarely to plan a route to the destination. Don’t expect them to save a level’s navigation, but they can provide an extra tool for players to orient themselves, and can encourage the player to dig a bit into the world to find his answer rather than opening a map overlay. You can be clever with it though, and it works better when using clearly themed areas which are reflected on the map itself (e.g. labels that match places you visited or the description of your goal, dominant color of each area visible on the map, icons indicating the function of each building…)
Another way to put the map inside the environment is to use signs and labels. Like in the real-world, labels and signs can be useful to describe what an element or area’s purpose is, and where a given path leads. However, it’s not uncommon for games to have labels and signs in the environment that do not really have the purpose of guiding players, so unless the sign or label really stands out, it’s dangerous to rely too much on it. For instance, the arrow on a sign will often be more powerful than the text it features, because the arrow is intuitive and indicates a direction, whereas the text may be lost with all the graffiti, billboards, etc. littered around the environment. Also icons can communicate more efficiently the purpose of an element than text labels. | <urn:uuid:674e3f3b-f464-494c-a574-e5471db6d8d0> | CC-MAIN-2017-39 | http://www.clement-melendez.com/portfolio/articles/push-pull/mental-mapping/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-39/segments/1505818687833.62/warc/CC-MAIN-20170921153438-20170921173438-00200.warc.gz | en | 0.953642 | 4,338 | 3.234375 | 3 |
Grad Program: Information Technology
Information Technology is the term for the transmission of information by computers—something everyone does these days, from teenagers chatting online to huge corporations performing major business transactions. Computers are a vital part of our personal and professional lives, and specialists in the field of Information Technology grow more important every day.
Information Technology covers the entire spectrum of computer-based information, and if you undertake study in this field, you’ll learn about it all. First of all, you’ll learn about computer hardware and software. You’ll learn how to view and send information by computer, and how to adapt, control, and improve the experiences had by computer users. You’ll also learn how to create and modify the very systems that transmit the information—and how to best distribute that information to the target audience.
Though you’ll learn theories about information and information distribution, most of your work will be hands-on—getting practical experience with the computer systems that you may someday oversee or improve. Your studies will touch on many different computer-related fields such as programming, designing, and engineering. The internet—a main source of information—is constantly growing and changing, and you’ll learn about web-based computer applications, the fundamentals of e-commerce, and the importance of web security. Ethical issues will also be part of your studies. Finally, you’ll learn how Information Technology affects business and society, and how it can and should be best utilized.
A M.S. in Information Technology (I.T.) or Information Technology and Management (I.T.M.) is one option for students. The program generally takes about one year and prepares students for various careers in Information Technology. A M.S. in I.T. can also lead to a Ph.D. in another computer-related field, or to a Ph.D. with significant research possibilities in the field of Information Technology itself.
- What sort of research have the faculty been involved with?
- What about the graduate students? Do their projects interest me?
- Will my own research ideas fit with the general "theme" of the program, if there is one?
- What sorts of careers do graduates of the program pursue? Is the program known for graduating a lot of database administrators, for example?
- How helpful is the program in job-placement after graduation?
- How connected is the program to business and industry? Can I make good connections? | <urn:uuid:7099d0bb-9de7-4a54-8967-84ecffcdbfac> | CC-MAIN-2014-23 | http://www.princetonreview.com/GradPrograms.aspx?gpid=57&page=1 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2014-23/segments/1405997877693.48/warc/CC-MAIN-20140722025757-00052-ip-10-33-131-23.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.930562 | 513 | 2.609375 | 3 |
Saving Broken Hearts
Defibrillators are typically portable units that are used in Emergency Resuscitation. When a patient experiences sudden cardiac arrest (not moving), the unit will provide an electric shock to be transferred to their heart. Most units will run off an automatic programme. The electricity is carried via insulated cables from a safe distance, isolating it from contact. This verifies that the charge is only travelling to where the unit is connected to, and nowhere else.
The user will turn the device on, connect the shock pads, and listen to any vocal instructions issued by it. The prompts will involve providing compressions (and breaths), electric shocks, and waiting. The unit needs time to read the patient’s heart and charge the capacitor.
Feel free to contact us with any questions | <urn:uuid:99bc7b6b-98a3-4b18-8e08-f2a2a2684702> | CC-MAIN-2019-51 | http://ccshf.org.uk/defibrillators/4587743252 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2019-51/segments/1575540518882.71/warc/CC-MAIN-20191209121316-20191209145316-00447.warc.gz | en | 0.896495 | 162 | 2.53125 | 3 |
Mongolia has some wonderful museums that give an excellent insight in the country's history, peoples and traditions. In Ulaanbaatar the National Museum of Mongolia is superb, with exhibitions from the Stone Age via Genghis Khan, the Communist days to the Democratic Revolution of 1990, plus costumes of all of Mongolia's ethnic groups.
The Museum of Natural History has complete dinosaur skeletons and dinosaur eggs, found in Bayanzag, in the Southern Gobi. The "Memorial Museum for Victims of Political Repression" in the house of Peljidiin Genden, a Prime Minister who was executed in 1937 in Moscow by the KGB for refusing Stalin's orders to exterminate the Buddhist clergy, shows what it was like in those dreadful days.
The provincial capitals all have their "Aimag Museums" with exhibitions of items specific to the area. One of the most unique museums is the Ethnography Museum in Öndörkhaan, Khentii province, that is housed in the 18th century home of the Tsetsen Khaan, a Mongol prince who governed most of eastern Mongolia during the Manchu reign. On the grounds is a beautiful ceremonial ger with wonderful carved wood furnishings and displays celebrating the glory days of the Mongol Empire.
Erdene Zuu monastery in Kharkhorin, Övörkhangai province, was built adjacent to the site of Karakorum, the Mongol capital started in the time of Genghis Khan. All its temples, except three, were destroyed in the late 1930s; those three temples were turned into museums and display a wealth of Buddhist art, with vivid wall paintings, thangka's (silk paintings) and statues, of different incarnations of the Buddha, Dharmapala protecting deities and Öndör Gegeen Zanabazar, "High Saint Zanabazar"; 1635–1723) at Erdene Zuu Monastery. He was the first Jebtsundamba Khutuktu, the spiritual head of Tibetan Buddhism for the Khalkha in Outer Mongolia. | <urn:uuid:3b1dea38-9a15-4254-8548-20452c3d936a> | CC-MAIN-2017-22 | http://ozoutback.com.au/Mongolia/museums/index.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-22/segments/1495463608659.43/warc/CC-MAIN-20170526105726-20170526125726-00091.warc.gz | en | 0.938232 | 424 | 2.546875 | 3 |
In traditional classrooms, teachers hand out assignments and set deadlines. Students complete those assignments, meet (or not) those deadlines, and then live with whatever grade they receive.
If I had held to this routine last year, many of my students would have flunked, and I would have been in trouble.Why?
First, as the graphic above points out, in the real world, students have the opportunity to redo and revise their work. For example, when I took my ACT in the early 1990s, I did not like my first score, so I took the test two more times. On my second try, I lost track of time during the reading section, so the score in my best subject suffered. My overall score remained the same. I could not let this stand. My third try resulted in my highest score, one that I was happy with. I could have continued to take the test, if I had wanted to.
Second, about 20 percent of my students were on Individualized Education Plans (IEPs) which required that they be allowed to redo assignments for which they’d scored less than 70 percent. Some of those students process concepts at a slower speed than others, and some struggle with concentrating in a regular classroom. Had I not followed these students’ IEPs, I would have been in trouble. Additionally, I think the opportunity to revise their work not only benefited students on the IEPs, but also the rest of my students.
Why? This question leads me to others:
- What are we teaching our students if we say they can only make one attempt on an assignment?
- What are we telling the struggling student if we say he cannot redo the assignment that he didn’t understand?
- What are we teaching the struggling student who could not focus that day because of his home-life or some other crisis?
- What are we saying to the student who excels, but wants to recoup those one or two points she lost because she forgot to check her work?
My answers: We are telling students to get the assignment done, and then forget about it. We are telling students that it is okay to quit when the going gets rough. We are telling students that working hard at something will not change whether they are “smart” or not. We are denying them a growth mindset.
The expectations we establish and the kids internalize is that they cannot improve. If you did well, great; if you failed, well, what did you expect?
I see this mindset when I try to teach my students how to revise and edit their essays.
As soon as I ask students to begin the revision process, they start complaining:
“But I already did this!”
“I did the best I can. There is nothing else I can add/remove/reorganize!”
“I’m done. Can I play Cool Math?”
What if we taught our students that all assignments are a process?
Just like with the grown up standardized tests, we’d still give students specific assignments and deadlines. Once the assignment is completed, I would grade it and enter the score into my grade book as usual. But then, I would give each student the opportunity to reflect on their performance and revise any assignment (other than standardized tests or district-required benchmarks that we have no control over) of their choosing. Students who failed the assignment would be required to correct and return it.
That sounds like a lot of work, huh?
Looking back at the graphic above, one attribute of the aforementioned standardized tests is that students must pay a fee in order to take (or retake) them. Some tests, such as the LSAT lawyers take, can only be retaken three times in a two-year period. To compensate for the fact that my services are free to the students, there ought to be some limits. All would have one week to revise and resubmit the assignment. Students who just want to recoup a few points on an already passing score would have the opportunity to work with me during a study hall/after school tutoring session. Students who received a failing score would be required to attend a tutoring session at least once in that week before resubmitting the assignment.
Giving students the opportunity to revise their work will teach them that hard work pays off, that thinking critically about a problem will result in solutions, that getting good grades is about the effort you put into it, not just an innate and unattainable aptitude for the subject, and that their teacher cares enough about them to work a little harder to help them be successful.
What do you think?
I am a secondary English Language Arts teacher, a University of Oklahoma student working on my Master’s of Education in Instructional Leadership and Academic Curriculum with an concentration in English Education, and a NBPTS candidate. I am constantly seeking ways to amplify my students’ voices and choices. | <urn:uuid:262e2de5-a592-4a6e-9c36-c81ec7155cab> | CC-MAIN-2019-18 | https://www.rethinkela.com/2014/07/grading-policy-considering-a-revision/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2019-18/segments/1555578678807.71/warc/CC-MAIN-20190425014322-20190425040322-00294.warc.gz | en | 0.978043 | 1,031 | 3.125 | 3 |
Artificial Intelligence - Искусственный интеллект
Artificial intelligence (AI) is invading the world. In the 90s and early 21st century AI achieved its greatest success. There are more and more jobs which humans leave to robots such as exploring another planet, defusing bombs, exploring inside a volcano or just doing boring household chores like cleaning. Computers can perform a lot of functions: they can control cars and planes, give us the news, play chess and football or compose music. Many factory jobs are performed by industrial robots nowadays. It has led to cheaper production of various goods, including automobiles and electronics. Industrial robots have little resemblance to a human being.
Artificial intelligence has successfully been used in a wide range of fields including medical diagnosis, stock trading, robot control, law, scientific discovery and toys. Industrial robots are also used for packaging of manufactured goods, transporting goods around warehouses or hospitals or removing tiny electronic components with great accuracy, speed and reliability. Robots can move around, sense and manipulate their environment, predict the actions of others and exhibit intelligent behavior. Scientists are interested in designing robots that resemble a human.
Are robots our best friends or are they dangerous? It is still very difficult to answer this question. Some futurists believe that artificial intelligence will fundamentally transform society. Ray Kurzweil has calculated that desktop computers will have had the same processing power as human brains by the year 2029, and that by 2045 artificial intelligence will have reached a point where it is able to improve itself. Other futurists and science fiction writers have predicted that human beings and machines will merge into powerful cyborgs - humans with significant mechanical enhancements. Many people fear that highly intelligent robots may take over and destroy the human race. There are a lot of books and films about people losing control over clever machines which begin to kill their creators. But maybe it is early to worry as robots are still clumsy and not very intelligent.
But of course there are some reasons to worry about robots. The use of robots in industry leads to unemployment as many jobs are performed by machines. Besides industrial robots can be dangerous and cause harm to human workers. So much attention must be paid to security.
There are a number of competitions and prizes to promote research in artificial intelligence. Many large companies have created robots which can perform specific functions in the manner of a man. Here are some of them:
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- Hitachi created its second humanoid robot EMIEW2 in 2008. EMIEW2 weighs 13kg and can move on wheels as well as two legs. The robot is 80cm tall, a height for looking over desk tops. It has 14 microphones which enable it to recognize human voice and sounds. The robot can distinguish voices even when three people are speaking at the same time and it can recognize voices spoken as far as 2m away.
- ASIMO (Advanced Step in Innovative Mobility) is a humanoid robot created by Honda Motor Company. The robot is 130 cm tall and weighs 54 kilograms. It can walk or run on two feet at speeds up to 6 km/h. The robot can perform various functions. ASIMO can follow the move¬ments of people with its camera, follow a person, or greet a person when he or she approaches. ASIMO can also recognize when a person offers him a handshake and other people's movements. The robot can sense the environment and avoids hitting people and other objects. It can respond to its name, face people when being spoken to, and recognize sudden, unusual sounds. ASIMO is also able to respond to questions, either by a brief nod, a shake of the head or a verbal answer. The robot has the ability to recognize 10 different faces. By accessing information via the Internet, ASIMO can provide news and useful information.
- Wakamaru is a Japanese domestic robot made by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries. The robot has been created to provide companionship to elderly and disabled people and to make their life easier. The robot is yellow, lm tall, and weighs 30 kilograms. Wakamaru can connect to the Internet, and has limited speech and speech recognition abilities. It can say, 'Welcome back!', 'Let me search the Internet' and other simple phrases. The functions it can perform include reminding the user to take medicine on time, and calling for help if it suspects something is wrong. When its batteries run out, Wakamaru recharges itself.
- Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute of Korea has developed a robot with four human senses such as seeing, hearing, touching, and smelling. POMI (Penguin rObot for Multimodal Interaction) can move the eyebrow, eye lid, eye ball and lips. It also uses various colors to show face expressions. POMI has two kinds of built-in scent sprays to express happiness, sadness, and joy. It also has a heartbeat device which makes people feel like the robot's heart really beats up when they put the hands on the left chest of the robot. It also can talk to people through a built-in speaker. | <urn:uuid:7b6819cf-b6af-4f69-9548-2ae526dd82a9> | CC-MAIN-2017-39 | http://www.learnenglishbest.com/topic-artificial-intelligence.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-39/segments/1505818687837.85/warc/CC-MAIN-20170921191047-20170921211047-00409.warc.gz | en | 0.941319 | 1,208 | 2.828125 | 3 |
More than 180 non-native aquatic species such as plants, animals, fish and microorganisms have entered the Great Lakes to date, and the impact of many of these introduced species can be catastrophic for native ecosystems. When the spread of a non-native species risks damage to the environment, human economy or human health, they are called invasive.
Invasive species can alter the food web, affect the cycling of essential nutrients or even remove these nutrients from the food web altogether, dramatically altering or even destroying water quality. They can also change or destroy coastal habitat.
As a result, native flora and fauna can be decimated as the invasive species crowd out, displace and eventually replace the natural inhabitants and their position in the food web. Further, changes at one level of the food chain have a ripple effect on all the other creatures and organisms, as all levels are highly inter-dependent. This can permanently alter the biodiversity of coastal wetlands.
Invasive species are able to do this effectively because they travel to areas outside their natural environment. They typically can establish themselves quickly and reproduce even faster, often with extremely rapid expansion. With few natural predators in the new area, there is little natural control of their population and its spread. This is why invasive species are considered one of the largest threats to the health of the Great Lakes ecosystem. | <urn:uuid:61ee629d-97c3-4cb2-b201-77c4a104d317> | CC-MAIN-2019-09 | https://georgianbayforever.org/ecosystems/invasive-species/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2019-09/segments/1550247481612.36/warc/CC-MAIN-20190217031053-20190217053053-00379.warc.gz | en | 0.950459 | 269 | 4 | 4 |
ECG Axis Determination
Thomas E. O'Brien
AS CCT CRAT RMA
Upon completion of the accompanying narrative and practice the student will be able to:
- Recall which major coronary artery supports each region of the heart
- Associate the views of a 12-Lead ECG with specific surfaces of the heart
- Determine the presence of cardiac axis deviation
People may choose to analyze ECG’s in a number of different ways. The sequence doesn’t necessarily matter as long as you gather and report the proper information each time. I read from left to right as much as possible (in anatomic groupings).
If your protocols are different, always follow them.
The following slides will review the leads, surfaces, and associated coronary arteries which commonly supply that portion of the heart. | <urn:uuid:cfbc7bc6-39eb-4e36-820c-fd12c1b3a329> | CC-MAIN-2016-50 | http://ekg.academy/learn-ekg?courseid=322&seq=1 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-50/segments/1480698542112.77/warc/CC-MAIN-20161202170902-00033-ip-10-31-129-80.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.922751 | 168 | 2.890625 | 3 |
An Inventory of the Historical Monuments in Dorset, Volume 4, North. Originally published by Her Majesty's Stationery Office, London, 1972.
This free content was digitised by double rekeying and sponsored by English Heritage. All rights reserved.
6 COMPTON ABBAS (8616)
(O.S., 6 ins. ST 81 NE, ST 81 NW)
The parish, a narrow strip of some 1,450 acres, lies across the Chalk escarpment, about 2½ m. S. of Shaftesbury. The eastern extremity and the N. and S. sides of the central part of the parish lie on Chalk at altitudes approaching 800 ft. The centre of the parish is a deep valley bounded on N., E. and S. by scarps 300 ft. high; the valley floor, only 400 ft. above sea-level, is on Upper Greensand. In the W. part of the parish the land inclines gently downwards across Upper Greensand, Gault and Lower Greensand to the Twyford Brook, which crosses the parish near the 250 ft. contour; to the S. rises a Chalk outlyer, Elbury Hill. To the W. of the brook the land is Kimmeridge Clay, about 300 ft. in altitude. The twin villages of East and West Compton probably represent original settlements. Twyford and Crocker's Farm, in the less favoured Kimmeridge Clay area, appear to be secondary settlements, but nothing is known of their history. Crocker's Farm is dated 1660.
(1) The Parish Church of St. Mary, near the centre of West Compton, was built in 1866 and fittings from the former church in East Compton (see (2)) were transferred to it.
Fittings—Bells: five; 3rd by John Wallis, inscribed 'Searve God IW 1616'; 4th inscribed 'Maria' in black-letter, late 15th or early 16th century; 5th by John Danton, inscribed 'Remember God ID RT 1624'; others modern. Brass: reset in chancel, of Thomas Lawrence [d. 1640], plate, 12 ins. by 17 ins., with Latin inscription. Communion Table: of oak, with turned legs, plain stretchers and scrolled end rails, c. 1700. Font: with circular tub-shaped bowl with raised foliate scroll decoration, perhaps of 12th-century origin, but recut probably in 1866; shaft and pedestal, 1866. Monument: In S. aisle, of Edith Broughton, 1830, and John Broughton, 1827, marble tablet with pediment, by Willson, London. Plate: includes plain silver cup inscribed 'The parrish cupp of Cumpton Abbies 1665', and paten inscribed 'The plate of the Parish Church of Compton Abbas', undated, probably 18th century.
(2) The Church of St. Mary (87561880), ruined, stands in East Compton. Only the late 15th-century West Tower and the W. wall of the former nave remain.
Architectural Description—The West Tower, of rough ashlar, is of two stages, with a moulded plinth and the remains of a parapet (Plate 33); the stages are defined by a weathered string-course and the parapet has a hollow-chamfered and moulded string-course with gargoyles at the centre of each side and on the angles. At the S.E. corner is a polygonal vice turret, staged in correspondence with the tower and capped with weathered stonework. At the S.W. corner is a diagonal buttress of four weathered stages; the N.W. corner has no buttress; at the N.E. corner, the projecting W. wall of the former nave has a low diagonal buttress of one weathered stage. The two-centred tower arch is walled up and the mouldings are partly hidden; it appears to be of two orders, an ogee moulding outlined by a hollow chamfer. The vice doorway and the W. doorway have chamfered two-centred heads with continuous jambs. Above the W. doorway, the W. window is of two trefoil-headed lights with a tracery light, now gone, in a two-centred head with a moulded label. In the upper stage the S. side has a chamfered ogee-headed loop; above this, each side of the tower has a belfry window of two chamfered, trefoil-headed lights under a square label.
Fittings—Bell-cage: much decayed, with inscription 'T.P. 1742'. Cross: of stone, in churchyard, some 10 paces S.E. of tower, with square stepped base, lower step with hollow-chamfered capping, chamfered square pedestal, and lower part of octagonal shaft with pyramidal stops; probably 15th century. Doors: of tower vice, with iron studs and strap-hinges, late 15th century; of W. doorway, similar to foregoing, perhaps 16th century. Monuments: In churchyard, adjacent to cross, (1) of Robert Thomas, 1703, headstone with wreath border to inscription panel; 2 paces S.W. of tower, (2) of John Gould, 1716/7, headstone; 11 paces N.E. of tower, (3) of Elizabeth Bennett, adjacent to foregoing, (4) of Jenevorah of-arms of Bennett; adjacent to foregoing, (4) of Jenevorah Bennett, 1711, headstone. Miscellanea: Enclosing churchyard, rubble wall, perhaps partly mediaeval, with 18th-century coping.
(3) Crocker's Farm (84641968), house, of two storeys with attics and with ashlar walls and thatched roofs, dates from 1660. The original stone windows are of four, three and two square-headed lights under weathered labels with square stops. The plan is L-shaped, with the main range lying N.—S. and a gabled W. wing at the N. end. The main doorway is near the middle of the N. wall and a W. doorway opens near the re-entrant angle; the latter has a chamfered four-centred head and continuous jambs. Incised on ashlar blocks over the W. doorway and the adjacent window are 'TD 1660' in an ornamental margin, and 'ID 1660'. Inside, several rooms retain plank-and-muntin partitions. Fireplaces occur on the S. end wall of the range and on the W. wall of the wing. Adjacent to the farmhouse on the S.W. is a Granary on staddle stones, with timber and ashlar walls, and a thatched roof.
(4) House (87061845), with rubble walls and thatched and slated roofs, is of 18th-century origin. An early 19th-century extension on the S., originally a dairy, is now incorporated in the dwelling. The W. front is of one storey with dormer windows above; the E. front is two storeyed and has square-headed casement windows of two and of three lights; the S. extension has similar windows.
(5) House (86821840), of two storeys, with squared rubble walls and thatched roofs, is of the 18th century. Inside, one room has a large open fireplace and a stop-chamfered ceiling beam.
(6) Whitehall Cottage (86971913), of two storeys, with coursed rubble walls and a thatched roof, is of the first half of the 18th century. The rubble walls have ashlar quoins. At the centre of the plan is a large open fireplace with a timber bressummer.
(7) Manor Farm (87591885), house, of two storeys, with coursed rubble walls and a slate-covered roof, is of the late 18th century. The S.E. front is symmetrical and of three bays, with a central doorway in a small porch with a pediment, and with uniform sashed windows in both storeys. Inside, the plan is of class T. The S. room has a stone fireplace surround with egg-and-dart enrichment.
(8) Cottages (87571876), two adjacent, of one storey with attics, with squared rubble walls and thatched roofs, are of c. 1750. Each tenement has a class-S plan, the fireplaces being set back-to-back.
(9) House (87011836), of two storeys, with walls of ashlar and rubble, repaired in brickwork, and with slated roofs, is of late 18th-century origin, but it was extensively altered in the 19th century. Adjacent on the W. is a boundary wall of rusticated ashlar with gate-piers with pyramidal finials; a low doorway in this wall has an elliptical head and a shaped stone lintel.
(10) House (86981838), of two storeys with rubble walls and a thatched roof, is of the late 18th century. The S. front is symmetrical and of three bays. The plan is of class T.
Other late 18th and early 19th-century monuments are as follows. In East Compton: a two-storeyed Farmhouse (87541869) of c. 1840. In West Compton: a Cottage (87281859) of c. 1800; Tucker's Farm (87141857), house, formerly two adjacent cottages; a pair of Cottages (87081850); a Cottage (86941831). In Twyford: Prystock Farm (85501831), house, comprising two late 18th-century cottages; Twyford Farm (85351903), house, of the mid 19th century, with a symmetrical E. front of three bays.
Mediaeval and Later Earthworks
(11) Cultivation Remains. The date of enclosure of the open fields is unknown. A late 18th or early 19th-century map (D.C.R.O.) shows nine separate open fields, all apparently in the last stages of piecemeal enclosure; they existed substantially unaltered in 1844 (Tithe Map). Well preserved contour and cross-contour strip lynchets in four places in the parish represent some of these fields: those on the N. and N.E. slopes of Elbury Hill (863183) were in Hawkam Field; those on the W. of Melbury Hill (868192) were in Incombe Field; those on the S. and E. of Melbury Hill (871195) were in Forked Bridge Field; those on the N.W. slopes of Fontmell Down (877182) were in Culverland Field.
Roman and Prehistoric
(12) Cross-Dyke (87781979–87701953),running from N.N.E. to S.S.W. across a ridge which rises steeply westwards to the summit of Melbury Hill, lies at an altitude of over 600 ft. and extends across the parish boundary into Melbury Abbas. It is some 300 yds. in length and comprises a bank with a ditch on the uphill side. At each end the dyke runs out on the shoulder of the slope above a combe. A gap of 30 yds. occurs where the dyke crosses the parish boundary; it is probably an original entrance, but disturbance makes this difficult to prove. Some 57 yds. S. of the boundary the ditch suddenly deepens and here, where the earthwork is best preserved, the ditch is 16 ft. wide and 5 ft. deep; the bank is 20 ft. across, and 8 ft. high from below and 2 ft. high from above. Near the N. end the dyke is cut by a deep hollow-way coming from Compton Down.
(13) Bowl Barrow (88511894), over 700 ft. above sea-level, on the neck of the spur of Compton Down, lies in arable land. Diam. 45 ft., ht. 1½ ft.
'Celtic' Fields, see p. 120, Group (79). | <urn:uuid:13419125-a632-49c7-ae8d-1ae70eeefc49> | CC-MAIN-2016-40 | http://www.british-history.ac.uk/rchme/dorset/vol4/pp13-15 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-40/segments/1474738661155.56/warc/CC-MAIN-20160924173741-00032-ip-10-143-35-109.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.948142 | 2,659 | 2.5625 | 3 |
Experts don’t know where it came from, and aren’t quite sure what it does.But they do know this: a newly-uncovered cybersecurity threat wasn’t your typical credit-card stealing operation. It appears to be a government spying tool, and is “groundbreaking and almost peerless.”
Regin, as they’ve dubbed it, is malware that has been lurking in computers around the world for as long as six years, according to Symantec (, Tech30), the cybersecurity firm that produces Norton Antivirus.
“Its capabilities and the level of resources behind Regin indicate that it is one of the main cyberespionage tools used by a nation state,” Symantec said Sunday, explaining that “development took months, if not years, to complete.”
The researchers said little to answer several key questions: Who designed it? How widely has it spread? What has it scooped up? What are the risks?
Related: Russian website streams thousands of private webcams
They said Regin has been discovered in at least 10 countries and was most heavily concentrated in Russia and Saudi Arabia.
The United States was not among the countries listed by Symantec.
The malware was installed on the computers of companies around the world, but it wasn’t searching for business secrets. When a target was selected it searched airline computers to find out where the target was traveling. It scoured hotel computers to find his room number. And it tapped telecommunication computers to see who he was talking to.
“They were trying to gain intelligence, not intellectual property,” said Symantec analyst Vikram Thakur.
Symantec said the malware conceals itself well and has several levels of protection. It uses multiple types of encryption, for example, and can communicate with the hacker that deployed it in several different ways.
It also uses a “modular” structure that conceals deeper layers of the malware and makes it “very difficult to ascertain what it is doing,” researchers said.
In that respect, it is similar to the Stuxnet worm, which is widely believed to be a U.S.-designed weapon against the Iranian nuclear program. Iran is one of the 10 countries where Symantec says it found the Regin bug.
“Its low key nature means it can potentially be used in espionage campaigns lasting several years,” it wrote, and additional components likely “remain undiscovered | <urn:uuid:9c69c191-1bf9-41a7-b4e4-71d213d7aa21> | CC-MAIN-2018-51 | http://www.amiranews.com/technology/regin-malware-described-as-groundbreaking-and-almost-peerless/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2018-51/segments/1544376824601.32/warc/CC-MAIN-20181213080138-20181213101638-00337.warc.gz | en | 0.970637 | 524 | 2.53125 | 3 |
In the quick reference paper they say:
Shuffle your deck, then draw a hand of seven cards. The player who takes the first turn won’t draw a card that turn.
That means, both players will draw 7 cards, first player will start with 7, second player will draw a card, that is 8.
In the rules, they say :
402.2. Each player has a maximum hand size, which is normally seven cards. A player may have any number of cards in his or her hand, but as part of his or her cleanup step, the player must discard excess cards down to the maximum hand size.
So, if the first player plays one card, what is the number of cards in the hand, will he draw 1 card next turn to get to maximum hand size (7) or will he draw 2 cards, to get to maximum hand size (7) plus one?
Because second player began the game with maximum hand size cards (7) plus 1 (the card he drew on his first turn).
So, will the player who goes first always draw cards to have 7 cards in a hand, and the player who goes second will keep the advantage of having 8 cards in his draw step until the end of the game?
Or, will the maximum cards at the clean up step be 7 in the hand, but the number of cards in hand during the player's turn (except first turn for the player going first) is 8. That is to say both players have 7 cards at the start of their draw step and draw one card to have 8? It is little bit chaotic. | <urn:uuid:9b95aac9-b197-4bff-b56f-8506575832fc> | CC-MAIN-2023-50 | https://boardgames.stackexchange.com/questions/38200/magic-the-gathering-number-of-cards-in-a-hand | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-50/segments/1700679100739.50/warc/CC-MAIN-20231208081124-20231208111124-00341.warc.gz | en | 0.984125 | 333 | 2.71875 | 3 |
INTRODUCTION: When I originally wrote this essay, I succumbed to the temptation of so many writers in quoting the famous speech by Chief Seattle. It’s probably the most quoted speech of any noted aboriginal figure in Western history. There’s only one problem. We have no historical verification Chief Seattle ever said these words: “We are part of the earth and it is part of us. …The shining water that moves in the streams and rivers is not just water, but the blood of our ancestors. If we sell you our land, you must remember that it is sacred. Each ghostly reflection in the clear waters of the lakes tells of events and memories in the life of my people.” Even this poetic version of Chief Seattle’s words lacks any corroboration amongst either archival material or the popular versions of his speech. Perhaps it was a sense of white guilt that drove Dr. Henry Smith to claim that he had witnessed the speech. If so, Smith nails it when he uses the term ‘sacred.’ Perhaps Smith was responding to the zeitgeist of his age by drafting his own version of the Native American myth. Even the most careful ethnographers of aboriginal culture fell into this trap, though many of them from sincere, if misguided, motives.
But it’s understandable that First Nations people are unimpressed with our co-optation of this iconic figure for our own purposes, however noble. As US National Archives historian Jerry L. Clark wrote in 1985, “Does it really make any difference today whether the oration in question actually originated with Chief Seattle in 1855 or with Dr. Smith in 1887? Of course it matters, because this memorable statement loses its moral force and validity if it is the literary creation of a frontier physician rather than the thinking of an articulate and wise Indian leader. Noble thoughts based on a lie lose their nobility.” The fact that Chief Seattle’s speech has persisted in the popular consciousness 30 years after Clark wrote this corrective is itself testimony to the enduring power of myth.
- The Surpassing Power of Myth
“Mythology is not a lie, mythology is poetry; it is metaphorical. It has been well said the mythology is the penultimate truth—penultimate because the ultimate cannot be put into words.” —Joseph Campbell
Myth. It’s a term that’s been the victim of misuse in our culture. Too often it’s equated with something we can prove isn’t true, for example when we say, “Oh, that’s just an urban myth.” But this does an injustice to one of the great literary motherlodes. Humanity’s oldest extant work of literature—the ancient Sumerian Epic of Gilgamesh, c. 2,600 BC—has themes that continue to resound today in everything from literary poetry to the Marvel Comics superhero series. In fact, as the great psychologist Carl Jung wrote, a myth is a universal story—a story that can be found in various guises in all world cultures. It’s as fundamental to human consciousness as dreaming. As the great mythologist Joseph Campbell once said: “The myth is the public dream and the dream is the private myth.”
Thanks to the clarity brought to Campbell’s academic work by broadcast journalist Bill Moyers in the popular 1980s PBS TV series The Power of Myth, we now understand that mythology is no mere intellectual toy. Campbell coined the phrase “the hero’s journey” and it was his development of this concept that inspired filmmakers like George Lucas to create epic stories such as the Star Wars series. Neurological studies have shown that we are ‘hard-wired’ to respond to stories. Jung’s work showed that we respond most deeply to mythic themes that are universal, or ‘archetypal.’ Campbell went so far as to state: “Civilizations are grounded on myth.” When we lose touch with the rich subterranean vein of meaning contained in mythology, we live too close to the surface. We lose touch with society and even with the Earth itself. Yet it’s precisely at times of crisis that an understanding of the power of myth can come to our aid. The current mass popularity of films and TV series based on archetypal myth—Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, Game of Thrones, Once Upon a Time—testifies to this deep-seated human need.
What both Jung and Campbell made clear is that the great epics and myths aren’t just remote fantasies that have little to do with our lives. On the contrary, they are mythic templates that give us clues about how to overcome obstacles and fears in our own life journey. They are a door with the potential to lead us to wisdom and empowerment. In an evolutionary sense this probably served as a survival tactic among our prehistoric ancestors, with the tribe encoding acquired knowledge and experience in stories told around the campfire. “Mythology has a great deal to do with the stages of life, the initiation ceremonies as you move from childhood to adult responsibilities… All of those rituals are mythological rites.” Campbell makes the distinction between folk tales and myths—folk tales tend to be more specific to a culture, whereas myths typically share universal elements such as heroes, anti-heroes, threshold guardians, spirit guides, etc. But there’s more to it than a purely materialistic, evolutionary instinct. According to Campbell, “the folk tale is for entertainment. The myth is for spiritual instruction… Myths are clues to the spiritual potentialities of the human life.”
At a time when individuality has been elevated practically to godhood, with all the problems that implies, it’s important to understand that Campbell wasn’t trying to say self-realization is the only goal of the hero’s journey. The true hero—man or woman—is the one who through self-realization begins to attain selflessness—a sense of responsibility to their community. “The ultimate aim of the quest must be neither release nor ecstasy for oneself, but the wisdom and the power to serve others. One of the many distinctions between the celebrity and the hero…is that one lives only for self while the other acts to redeem society.” Sure, it’s hip to pour scorn on Hollywood celebrities like George Clooney, Susan Sarandon or Leonardo DeCaprio for their high-profile pursuit of various social and environmental causes. But that’s too easy. From a Jungian perspective, these are individuals at least trying to integrate selflessness into their consciousness. We should reserve our cynicism for the daily denials and evasions of climate change and social justice in mainstream media.
This is a critical distinction to understand in the era of global climate change and the social re-engineering of monopoly capitalism. Climate change is arguably the Cold War of the 21st century—a massive existential threat to all species. Many writers and sociologists are thus calling for a ‘new mythology,’ a new set of universal stories, to replace those that no longer serve us. Not the universal dogmas of religious fundamentalism, which can exercise a deeply negative effect on the psyche, especially when taken to the extremes of terrorism. As British folksinger Roy Harper once said, “We no longer have the luxury of dogma.”
But in fact, what we need is less a ‘new’ mythology and more of a return to the life-giving wellsprings of mythology. Our dumbed-down culture suffers from a misunderstanding of the true source of power contained in mythology. As I wrote in an essay titled The Myth of Invulnerability, a review of the Peter Jackson film trilogy for The Hobbit, current interpretations of the hero myth in superhero or fantasy films too often get it backwards. The hero’s journey tale is not about attaining superhuman strength or abilities, it’s about our fundamentally human vulnerability. It’s about teaching us our limitations, not just our potential. It’s not about the hero getting everything he or she wants through superhuman abilities. The goal of the hero’s journey is to learn the humility necessary to take up one’s role in the community. The Sumerian king Gilgamesh, hero of the eponymous tale, realizes at the end of a quest that has cost him the life of his dearest friend that he too must die just like everyone else.
Without a sense of limits, we succumb to the temptation of ego or greed to constantly push for more—to be bigger, stronger, smarter. This is what has largely led us into the environmental catastrophe we face today. And it’s what the myths of aboriginal cultures around the world have been trying to tell us all along. In the term ‘aboriginal cultures’ I include the origin myths of all cultures. Whether it’s the Epic of Gilgamesh, the Irish mythic cycle ‘The Book of Invasions,’ or Haida stories of Raven, all have something to teach us about limits and our place in what was once known as the ‘great chain of being.’ They tell us that we are merely one strand in the web of existence, and not the most important one. All the more reason, then, for us to seek the wisdom of mythology, so that we temper our power with proper respect and consideration for other creatures.
To me, where the rubber meets the road is not whether or not a myth can be proven ‘true’ or ‘untrue.’ What matters is its significance to us individually and as a culture. If a myth tale imparts in us a sense of the world as a sacred place, not to be treated brutally or without care for the future, then its work is done. A myth is thus a path to spiritual knowledge and awareness, not a tool for attaining wealth, power and influence. It attunes us to our surroundings, to the myriad life forms we share this planet with. For me, that’s enough, and it’s everything, especially where we are right now in the stream of history. The last word goes to Campbell: “The only myth that is going to be worth thinking about in the immediate future is one that is talking about the planet, not the city, not these people, but the planet, and everybody on it.”
Thus Spoke Chief Seattle: The Story of an Undocumented Speech, Jerry L. Clark, Prologue magazine, National Archives website: https://www.archives.gov/publications/prologue/1985/spring/chief-seattle.html
As quoted in The Power of Myth, Joseph Campbell with Bill Moyers, Anchor Books/Doubleday, 1988, p. 42.
The Power of Myth, Joseph Campbell with Bill Moyers, ibid., p. 206.
The Power of Myth, Joseph Campbell with Bill Moyers, ibid., p. 48
The Power of Myth, Joseph Campbell with Bill Moyers, ibid, p. 72
The Power of Myth, Joseph Campbell with Bill Moyers, ibid, p. 14.
The Power of Myth, Joseph Campbell with Bill Moyers, ibid, pp. 5, 71.
The Power of Myth, Joseph Campbell with Bill Moyers, ibid, p. xiv.
Known in Irish Gaelic as Lebor Gabála Érenn.
The Power of Myth, Joseph Campbell with Bill Moyers, ibid, p. 41. | <urn:uuid:2c0eb6f6-35ea-428c-ab97-e84381a5494a> | CC-MAIN-2017-17 | https://chameleonfire1.wordpress.com/2015/07/26/a-myth-is-not-a-falsehood-pt-1/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-17/segments/1492917123097.48/warc/CC-MAIN-20170423031203-00130-ip-10-145-167-34.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.939402 | 2,408 | 3.03125 | 3 |
3D printers give rise to 'desktop manufacturing'
Technology lets ordinary people design goods and upload to factories to mass produce
Customizable objects from plastic dollhouse furniture to medical prosthetics can now be designed and made by almost anyone at the press of a 3D print button, and this rise of "desktop manufacturing" is going to lead to an "explosion of new stuff," predicts Chris Anderson, author of Makers: The New Industrial Revolution.
"As easy as it is right now to publish a blog post, it is getting nearly that easy to make a physical thing. You don't need skills, you just need an idea," Anderson said during a recent keynote address at the Canada 3.0 digital media conference in Toronto.
In the past five years, digital technologies such as 3D modeling software and 3D printers have become cheaper and accessible enough for ordinary people to make prototypes of objects that, until recently, could only be made by those who owned factories or were skilled machinists.
Like YouTube, Wordpress
"Now, once they have that prototype, they don't need to buy a factory, they can just upload it to a factory in the same way that you upload your ideas to an information factory called YouTube or the Wordpress servers or just the internet," Anderson said.
Manufacturing, he added, is "turning into a button in your browser."
Anderson, a former editor-in-chief of Wired magazine, and the father of five children, described his own discovery of just how easy it is now to order custom-made objects online.
A few years ago, he had created a robot blimp kit with his kids, and people started asking if they could buy it. In order to make an affordable kit, Anderson needed to buy some cheap motors. Online, he stumbled upon a manufacturer that made custom motors.
"I was like, 'I know nothing about motors,'" he recalled. "And they were like 'It's super easy.'"
By clicking options in a checklist provided by the manufacturer, Anderson "designed" a motor and ordered 5,000 for "a really good deal."
"I realized in that act, that basically with 20 minutes of clicking on the web, I got robots in China to do the work for me and they took PayPal," he said. "I felt chills in the same way that I felt chills the first time I put a video on YouTube."
Since that experience, Anderson has founded two companies that manufacture drones and robotics respectively.
Artists, architects and surgeons
On the floor of a tradeshow a short walk from where Anderson was speaking, Doug Angus-Lee watched over a microwave-sized 3D printer alongside a display of intricate objects.
They ranged from a detailed model of a human skull to a complex piece of art that looks like metres and metres of transparent plastic ribbons looping and folding around each other into the shape of a giant egg.
Angus-Lee is the rapid prototype product manager at Oakville, Ont.-based Javelin Technologies.
The company has 80 employees across the country, and has been selling 3D-modelling software to industrial design clients such as auto manufacturers since 1997. It added 3D printing and 3D printer sales to its menu of services three years ago.
"It's really expanded our clientele into new areas," Angus-Lee said.
Architects now hire Javelin to print accurate 3D models of buildings in a fraction of the time and cost it would take to craft them by hand. Animators turn their characters into collectible figurines. Doctors use MRI and CT scan data to generate models of body parts that can be used to plan surgeries and test medical prosthetics and devices.
"They can actually print an exact copy of a person's skull from the MRI data, then they can test the shape and the fit of the device that they need to implant before have to actually implant it," Angus-Lee said.
He added that artists "are really embracing the 3D-printer technology because they can create really complex designs easily."
'A photocopier of things in your pocket'
What this means is that manufacturing is no longer just the realm of professionals.
Anderson told the story of how his daughters recently requested new furniture for their dollhouse. An online search revealed that retailers carried only a small selection, and not necessarily in the right size.
With his children beside him, Anderson logged into Thingiverse, a site where people share blueprints for 3D printed objects, and found a chair uploaded by a set designer on Broadway.
"We downloaded exactly the right chair and we printed it on the 3D printer and they painted it and they loved it," Anderson recalled.
For those who want to create their own designs, software has made it simple.
Anderson showed how a free program called Autodesk 123D Catch can create a 3D model from images recorded by rotating your smartphone around an object, such as a person's head.
"You've got a photocopier of things in your pocket," Anderson said, adding that the model could then be used to print a custom plastic pez dispenser using a 3D printer.
Given that kind of power, Anderson predicts, ordinary people will design and manufacture things that the manufacturers would never have thought to make, leading to an "explosion of new stuff, different stuff, better stuff, cheaper stuff." He believes this "democratization" of manufacturing will lead to industrial revolution of sorts.
"Today," he said, "we are all industrial designers." | <urn:uuid:7aaa6d59-1e0b-4aca-838f-5793340560ed> | CC-MAIN-2018-43 | https://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/3d-printers-give-rise-to-desktop-manufacturing-1.1394197 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2018-43/segments/1539583515041.68/warc/CC-MAIN-20181022113301-20181022134801-00378.warc.gz | en | 0.969291 | 1,145 | 2.75 | 3 |
Nutritionally sound food products people eat can supply fuel the human body will need. Those nourishing foods will assist individuals with a great weight loss plan when properly selected. For instance, whenever high octane gasoline happens to be put in the car then the car will run great. An identical scenario happens to be true concerning the body. If nutritionally sound food products happen to be consumed then the body runs properly. People eating unhealthy foods are not furnishing nourishing fuel which usually brings about obesity as well as other medical conditions.
Main supply of energy for a body happens to be carbohydrates. Easiest carbs to process are termed monosaccharide or simple carbs. These carbohydrates consist of sugars and starches. These carbohydrates can be changed to galactose, glucose or fructose. A body can make glucose from fat if a body will not receive enough carbs. Whenever a body gets additional carbohydrates then the system will store those carbohydrates as cellulite.
Correct diets ought to include sufficient amounts of carbohydrates for the body to operate without adding extra carbs. That particular situation is the area fat folks will have problems. These people eat many more carbohydrates than their body requires every day. Those excess carbohydrates will have no where to go, therefore those excess carbs become fat. Every day additional carbs are consumed, extra cellulite is created.
An excellent technique for a wonderful weight loss plan happens to be to slowly reduce the number of carbs eaten per day till balance is acquired. Nobody is recommending permanently using low carbohydrate diet systems. There will be a balance a dieter has to achieve to lose pounds as well as stay fit.
Eating healthy carbs is a lot more essential than eating the correct amount of carbs every day. As an example, an individual will rapidly put on pounds consuming donuts throughout the day. These foods consist of hydrogenated oils, white flour and refined sugar. A large amount of these items can bring about excessive weight plus increase the chance of cardiovascular disease. Unhealthy food products will not actually supply many antioxidants, minerals and vitamins which a human body will require.
Eating nutritionally sound carbs like fruits and veggies can provide vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. These kinds of food items provide fuel plus dietary fiber which happens to be necessary in order for a person’s digestive system to properly perform. These kinds of carbs will assist folks to feel full for more time throughout the day. Around 50 percent of peoples calorie intake should come from carbs including whole grains, vegetables and fruits. Incorporating an excellent weight loss plan along with those kinds of carbohydrates can help people to lose body weight.
You may also enjoy diet plan, weight loss and weight loss plan. | <urn:uuid:806c4cb4-c061-4515-ba6e-0fff02f67f67> | CC-MAIN-2018-26 | http://dietdailytips.com/2017/07/18/dieting-program-consists-of-healthy-carbohydrates/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2018-26/segments/1529267864139.22/warc/CC-MAIN-20180621094633-20180621114633-00324.warc.gz | en | 0.926731 | 539 | 2.875 | 3 |
From Dr. Harmit Malik's point of view, evolution is sometimes like a long-lived dispute between neighbors. Neighbor A plows his sunny backyard into a vegetable patch. Neighbor B, who longs for a shade garden, plants a tree that grows so tall that it casts darkness over his land and the sun-loving tomatoes next door. Neighbor A cuts down the tree.
Each individual's pursuit of his selfish interests spurs the other to respond in kind, which keeps the landscape in an endless state of redesign. If neither one moves or changes tastes, they will be resigned to a future of turmoil driven by their competing desires.
Analogous conflicts in nature drive evolutionary change when two competing biological interests come head to head. Predators and prey often influence the evolution of one another, and the same can happen among genes in the same cell that produce proteins of opposing function.
Malik, who joined the Basic Sciences Division last fall, believes that the human body is full of examples of conflict-driven changes that shape our own evolution. Although hidden from plain sight, about 10 percent of an organism's genes-the DNA blueprints for proteins-may be engaged in battle. His research seeks to find proteins that appear to be evolving rapidly, a clue that they are engaged in one of these genetic arms races. In most cases, the source of the conflict has yet to be discovered, but once identified could reveal previously unknown examples of adaptation in response to potential sources of infection or even deadly diseases like cancer.
Although evolution is a subject that preoccupies numerous scientists, Malik's deep knowledge of multiple fields of biology puts him in a unique position of strength to answer many important questions, said Dr. Mark Groudine, director of the Basic Sciences Division.
"Harmit is an extraordinary intellectual with broad interests and deep knowledge in many fields, and he has a uniquely creative and fearless approach to his research," he said. "This has enabled him to make unexpected discoveries, such as finding an example of rapid evolution in a protein involved in chromosome partitioning during cell division, a process that we would expect to be have evolved to a stable, optimum state. His ideas are having an enormous impact on the field," he said.
The aspects of evolution that interest Malik are different from changes driven by massive external pressures like climate. In those cases, optimal traits tend to become fixed in a population.
"Evolution loves to optimize," he said. "Once an optimal state is reached, there is little tendency to tinker with it. But the arms races we are finding suggest that there are ongoing competing interests that are driving change. Some call this coevolution, but it is really a constant state of conflict."
Conflicts such as those that result from incompatible survival strategies of a virus and the host it infects may sometimes leave one party with a less-than-optimal solution. Viruses often co-opt a protein on the surface of a cell to serve as a portal for entry. The viral coat will evolve to stick effectively to the cell-surface protein, which normally performs some useful function for the cell. In response, the protein might evolve to be a less-effective receptor for the virus. Yet if the protein is vital to the survival of the cell, its range of possible changes might be too limited to deter the virus in any significant way. The cell might have to compromise with a less-functional protein to deter infection, or to take its chances on infection to retain a protein that does its job properly.
Malik points to cancer as an extreme example of the negative consequences that could result from conflict that is driven by selfish survival interests.
"Humans are multicellular organisms in which the growth of cells must be precisely controlled," he said. "Tumors are a clutch of cells that ignore these controls. From an evolutionary perspective, it is an advantage for the cancer cells to grow at the expense of their healthy neighbors-but it's a short-lived benefit because evolutionary success depends on the whole organism."
Disease-host interactions are among the most predictable examples of biological arms races. Malik's lab has also discovered evolutionary struggles in unexpected places.
"Some of the examples of rapid evolution we have discovered are taking place in proteins required for cell survival that have been well studied but were not thought to be evolving," he said. "Because they perform critical functions and have counterparts in most organisms, we say they are highly conserved. They would not be expected to undergo any adaptive change."
As a postdoctoral fellow in Dr. Steven Henikoff's lab at the center, Malik made the surprising discovery of rapid evolution occurring in a fruit-fly protein called Cid. The protein is critical for the equivalent partitioning of chromosomes during cell division. Cid binds to parts of the chromosome called centromeres, which serve as attachment sites for the fibers that pull newly duplicated chromosomes apart.
"Nothing could be more important than centromeres," Malik said. "Yet they evolve quite rapidly."
More recently, Malik's lab has found that a protein responsible for duplicating chromosomes-one of life's most essential functions-may also be rapidly evolving.
"This is very mysterious," he said. "Proteins that are involved in DNA replication are among the most conserved proteins that we can imagine. It will be very interesting to find out what type of conflict is causing this adaptive evolution."
To hunt for rapidly evolving genes, Malik examines closely related species to identify equivalent genes from each organism. He looks for those whose DNA sequences differ in significant ways among species. Some DNA sequence differences result in changes to their respective proteins that noticeably affect protein function. This suggests that an arms race might be taking place because nature has not settled on an optimal form. Once candidates are identified, the researchers must hunt for the opponent or opponents in the conflict in order to develop hypotheses to explain why the adaptive evolution is taking place.
Most of his laboratory's work is carried out with fruit flies, which serve as a useful model system for understanding related phenomena in many other organisms. To identify human genes undergoing rapid evolution, he compares the human genome to that of its closest relative, the chimp.
Arms races examined
Several arms races are under investigation in Malik's lab. Dr. Danielle Vermaak, a research associate, studies a fruit fly protein important for organizing heterochromatin, parts of the genome that contain few genes that are often kept silent. The protein is undergoing adaptive evolution for reasons that are currently under investigation.
Dr. Sara Sawyer, a postdoctoral fellow, is investigating a host-virus interaction in animals where a particularly inventive defense strategy employed by host genomes is being counteracted by viruses like HIV-1 that destroy the host-encoded poison.
Research technician Monica Rodriguez is testing a hypothesis to explain why the Cid protein is undergoing rapid evolution. They speculate that the driving force is a competition between the chromosomes of an egg-producing cell, which will be partitioned into four cells, only one of which can survive to become the egg.
Malik's research interests evolved from diverse educational experiences. Born and raised in India, he earned an undergraduate degree in chemical engineering from the prestigious Indian Institute of Technology in Mumbai. As a graduate student at the University of Rochester, he began his studies of molecular evolution in the lab of Dr. Tom Eickbush. He joined Henikoff's Basic Sciences lab in 1999, where his exceptional research earned him a job offer from the division, which Groudine said has rarely hired from within.
Despite competing offers from universities that have top-ranked departments of zoology and evolution, Malik chose to study among faculty best known for their strengths in molecular and cell biology. He described the collegial atmosphere and the overall research excellence of Fred Hutchinson as the major draws, as well as the proximity to a strong zoology department at the University of Washington.
He doesn't have any worries that the differing interests of his laboratory neighbors will result in perpetual conflict. Rather, he expects the blending of research viewpoints will result in the productive evolution of his own career.
"Evolutionary biologists have made enormous insights into why genes and genomes have evolved the way they have." he said. "On the other hand, molecular biologists have been able to provide exquisite detail into how proteins function. My research hopes to draw from both disciplines, to simultaneously explain both the "why" and the "how" of the mystery of rapidly evolving genes." | <urn:uuid:d546cf1b-57ad-4188-940f-b51850bdcedb> | CC-MAIN-2015-35 | https://www.fredhutch.org/en/news/center-news/2004/02/evolution.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2015-35/segments/1440644066275.44/warc/CC-MAIN-20150827025426-00079-ip-10-171-96-226.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.962558 | 1,728 | 2.609375 | 3 |
Navy-Trained Dolphins Find Rare Torpedo Off San Diego Coast
Tuesday, May 21, 2013
Credit: U.S. Navy
Navy-trained dolphins have discovered a rare 19th-century torpedo off San Diego's coast.
The 130-year-old Howell Torpedo, one of the first self-propelled torpedoes developed and used by the U.S. Navy, was located off Coronado in early March during a mine-hunting exercise that the Space and Naval warfare Systems Center Pacific (SSC Pacific) was conducting with bottlenose dolphins.
During the training, one of the dolphins reported the presence of something in an area away from the training field, said Chris Harris, operations supervisor for Space and Navy Warfare Systems’ Marine Mammal Program.
"When there’s an object of interest discovered, the dolphin comes over and touches the side of the boat in a manner that indicates a positive contact or a negative contact," explained Harris. "In this case the dolphins came over and indicated to the handlers on the boat “we found something, this is interesting, you’re gonna want to check this out."
Harris said a second dolphin then reported an object in the same location.
"At that point the determination was made to give the dolphins the marking apparatus to show us the location of the object," said Harris, "and that was when the object was discovered."
Harris said the fact that the torpedo was buried speaks highly to the unique capabilities of the dolphins.
"Their superb biological sonar allows them to find objects that can't be found by any other means," he said.
Dolphins can determine the size and shape of underwater objects by sending out a series of clicks that bounce off their targets and boomerang back to them, called echolocation.
Harris said the recovery dive team brought the torpedo to the surface and everyone was very surprised.
That's because the Howell Torpedo was developed by the Navy in the late 1800s and used by battleships until 1898. Only 50 were manufactured and just one other has been recovered.
The dolphins that made the discovery, named Ten and Spetz, are veteran animals, said Harris.
"Training the dolphins for this task is life-long learning," he said. "There's a basic certification that they go through before they can become provided to the Navy as an asset. Even after that, the training continues and they become more and more sophisticated."
The torpedo is being kept in a tank of water to prevent erosion. It will likely be shipped to the Naval History and Heritage Command at the Washington Navy Yard.
To view PDF documents, Download Acrobat Reader. | <urn:uuid:2d9de17d-b42d-44eb-9849-a296ad8ac4d4> | CC-MAIN-2017-34 | http://www.kpbs.org/news/2013/may/21/spawar-dolphins-find-rare-torpedo-san-diego-coast/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-34/segments/1502886106990.33/warc/CC-MAIN-20170820204359-20170820224359-00703.warc.gz | en | 0.97373 | 554 | 3.09375 | 3 |
Wellness is defined as “the condition of good physical, mental and emotional health, especially when maintained by an appropriate diet, exercise, and other lifestyle modifications.”1 Many companies are turning to preventative programs to establish and encourage workplace wellness and reduce the amount of workplace musculoskeletal injuries.
Promoting health and wellness in the workplace leads to increased productivity, fewer injuries, reduced costs, emphasizes the importance of wellness education and improves employee morale and confidence in making informed decisions regarding employee health.
Musculoskeletal disorders (MSD) are defined as an injury or discomfort of the musculoskeletal system, includes joints, muscles, tendons, ligaments and nerves. MSDs can arise due to sudden exertions, repetitive motions, repeated exposure or acute traumatic events. MSDs have become increasingly prevalent in the workforce. Companies have begun to proactively combat the rising occurrence of the disorders and chronic disease with onsite trainer models.
Many chronic diseases such as diabetes (Type 2) and cardiovascular disease are directly influenced by lifestyle choices and habits. This alone should emphasize the importance of wellness. Education is crucial in making informed decisions regarding an individual’s health and wellbeing.
Type 2 diabetes can be controlled, reduced or eliminated through diet, exercise and maintaining healthy weight. According to the CDC, 90-95 percent of diabetes in the United States is vastly preventable. Each of these associated risks and conditions drastically affect workplace safety and increase the risk for injury. Diabetics are less likely to feel extreme temperatures, pain and experience decreased circulation resulting in delaying healing process. This places the individual at high risk for injury on the job and off.
Side effects and risks of diabetes include but are not limited to:
- Heart disease
- Increased risk of stroke
- Diabetic retinopathy (vision loss)
- Foot complications
- Impaired sensory
- Nervous system dysfunction
- Impaired circulation and skin disorders
A BMI (Body Mass Index) of 25 or greater places an individual in a high-risk population for pre-diabetes. Studies have shown that as little as 30 minutes of moderate exercise each day can boost metabolism, aiding in fat loss and promoting cardiovascular fitness to reduce the risk of diabetes.
Cardiovascular disease & serious medical complications
How can wellness programs influence safety in the workplace? Wellness programs are centered around promoting a health and safety culture within the workplace using ergonomic assessments, physical demand analysis, stretch programs and educational tools to identify potential risk factors and hazards. Ergonomic assessments and physical demand analysis provide insight to potential risks of the occupation and allow for recommendations and accommodations to equipment and tools used to increase safety and reduce risk of injury. Return-to-work programs are designed to ensure employees are physically capable of performing the required demands of their occupation.
The focus of these programs has shifted from treatment of injuries to a proactive approach of preventing and reducing injury occurrence. This “proactive, not reactive” approach, utilizing the onsite trainer model, allows employees to access a skilled and trained professional, athletic trainer or physical therapist assistant who specialize in prevention, assessment and management of injuries and identification of potential risks and hazards.
This model promotes keeping employees healthy, well and with less days away from the job due to injury. Employers benefit through decreasing health care costs and expenditures, reduced recordables and lost time, increased productivity, lowered employee turnover, improved employee morale and occupational satisfaction.
The model is designed to have a trained professional onsite to allow ease of access to employees. Individuals who participate in these programs have access to a vast array of information, treatments and tools to boost employee’s wellness on and off the job. The skilled professionals conduct orthopedic assessments, implement first aid care abiding by OSHA standards, perform ergonomic assessments, physical demand analysis, return-to-work training, as well as provide health and wellness education regarding nutrition and exercise.
Onsite clinicians create a positive impact on employee work environment by reducing the aches, discomforts and limiting the amount of injuries. Nutrition and exercise education can provide the necessary tools to combat declining health as result of poor diet and inadequate physical activity. The clinicians can provide insight on possible risk factors co-morbidities and the potential hazards if left unaddressed. In turn, employee morale is boosted as employees feel the employer is invested in their overall health and wellbeing. Onsite models are a great tool used to assess and expedite processes when an injury (recordable) has occurred. Trainers can identify the severity of the injury and request a referral to the appropriate healthcare professional for a timely intervention, preventing the injury from progressing to a more serious health complication.
Wellness programs are strategically designed to give employees tools, support, confidence and education to develop and maintain healthy lifestyles. Living a healthy and well lifestyle can boost positive moods and self-esteem, allowing for a more productive day. Preventative program methods combat the escalading chronic diseases, musculoskeletal dysfunctions and aid in stress management to improve employee’s wellbeing in both the workplace and home. After all, an informed healthy workforce is a safe workforce.
- The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary, Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company | <urn:uuid:b43b63ed-8926-4306-ba01-bd19002dbeaa> | CC-MAIN-2020-45 | https://www.ishn.com/articles/110222-good-health-boosts-fitness-morale-productivity | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-45/segments/1603107888402.81/warc/CC-MAIN-20201025070924-20201025100924-00578.warc.gz | en | 0.937546 | 1,093 | 3.265625 | 3 |
OJIBWAY CLAN SYSTEM
People of all nations in the world essentially have the same basic needs: food, protection, education, medicine and leadership. Traditionally, the Ojibway Clan System was created to provide leadership and to care for these needs. There were seven original clans and each clan was known by its animal emblem, or totem. The animal totem symbolized the strength and duties of the clan. The seven original clans were given a function to serve for their people.
The Crane and the Loon Clans were given the power of Chieftainship. By working together, these two clans gave the people a balanced government with each serving as a check on the other.
Between the two Chief Clans was the Fish Clan. The people of the Fish Clan were the teachers and scholars. They helped children develop skills and healthy spirits. They also drew on their knowledge to solve disputes between the leaders of the Crane and Loon Clans.
The Bear Clan members were the strong and steady police and legal guardians. Bear Clan members spent a lot of time patrolling the land surrounding the village, and in so doing, they learned which roots, bark, and plants could be used for medicines to treat the ailments of their people.
The people of the Hoof Clan were gentle, like the deer and moose or caribou for whom the clan is named. They cared for others by making sure the community had proper housing and recreation. The Hoof Clan people were the poets and pacifists avoiding all harsh words.
The people of the Martin Clan were hunters, food gathers and warriors of the Ojibway. Long ago, warriors fought to defend their village or hunting territory. They became known as master strategists in planning the defense of their people.
The Bird Clan represented the spiritual leaders of the people and gave the nation its vision of well-being and its highest development of the spirit. The people of the Bird Clan were said to possess the characteristics of the eagle, the head of their clan, in that they pursued the highest elevations of the mind just as the eagle pursues the highest elevations of the sky.
To meet all the needs of the nation, the clans worked together and cooperated to achieve their goals. The Clan System had built in equal justice, voice, law and order and it reinforced the teachings and principles of a sacred way of life. Today some people still follow their clan duties, but, for the most part, the original force and power of the Clan System has diminished to a degree of almost non-existence.
The Mishomis Book: The Voice of the OjibwayBenton, Banai,
|Previous Page||Customs and Beliefs||Next Page| | <urn:uuid:761ee3a0-45b9-4ded-9029-34c425db96a1> | CC-MAIN-2021-04 | http://en.copian.ca/library/learning/chikiken/page23.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2021-04/segments/1610703522150.18/warc/CC-MAIN-20210121004224-20210121034224-00076.warc.gz | en | 0.98299 | 557 | 3.515625 | 4 |
|I have planted tomatoes for many years and I have just started to plant more. Next year I want to plant about 200 tomatoes to sell. I dont now what I can do to have and early crop. Is there any way to plant the tomatoes in the ground and set somthing over them?|
Caution for Overanxious Gardeners: Planting and Protecting Warm Season Vegetables
Saturday, May 05, 2007
This past weekend at our Rutgers Ag Field Day in New Brunswick, NJ, I received many questions regarding the best time to plant vegetables. As the weather turns warmer and the days grow longer, gardeners are anxious to get their transplants into the garden soil. In our zeal to get started, it?s easy to forget that we are still in early May and that the danger of frost is still quite high.
Frost Free Dates for Warm Season Vegetables
For central NJ, it is wise to wait until mid-May to plant warm season vegetables in your garden. Plant timing for warm season vegetables should be delayed until the third week in May for northern NJ, and can be started the first week in May for southern NJ. These frost ?free dates can provide guidelines but we must be aware that cooler temperatures and frosts can sometimes occur after these dates and damage sensitive plants.
Warm Season Vegetables that Need Protection
Many warm season vegetables originated in warmer climates such as South America. Plant origin often dictates the range of temperatures tolerated by plants within the same family. For instance, warm season solenaceous plants such as tomatoes, peppers, eggplant and potatoes or cucurbits such as cucumbers, melons, squash, and gourds grow best in the warmer temperatures of late spring to summer.
There is some variation in plant sensitivity to temperature within families. For instance, tomatoes can tolerate slightly cooler temperatures than peppers or eggplant. The group referred to as tender vegetables can be injured by light frosts and will grow very poorly in cool temperatures. The tender vegetables include snap beans, tomato, sweet corn and sweet potato. There is also a group of very tender vegetables that are the most sensitive to cooler temperatures and require the warmer soil temperatures of late May to early June for proper growth. The very tender vegetable group includes eggplant, pepper, cucumber, watermelon, muskmelon, lima bean, squash and pumpkin. The seed of very tender vegetables will rot and die in cold, wet soils.
Protecting Warm Season Vegetables
If a frost is predicted or temperatures in the mid 30 to 40 degree range, it is wise to cover plants for protection. There are many ways to protect plants from cold damage.
Frost Caps - If the plants are relatively small and compact, frost caps, buckets or other containers can be placed directly over the plants to provide some insulation. The container should be removed the next day before temperatures get too warm inside the container and cook sensitive plants.
Clear Plastic Wraps - Clear plastic can be wrapped around plants in cages to protect them from frost damage. The clear plastic works well around early planted caged tomatoes. The plastic allows light to penetrate during daylight hours and maintain higher temperatures during cooler days and nights. It is important to remove plastic on hot days to prevent damage to plants. Temperatures can climb inside of these plastic tubes under intense sunlight.
Water walls- There are various clear plastic devices that have long tubes connected in a circle. Once the tubes are filled with water, they will stand up on their own and provide a great deal of frost protection for early tomatoes. The water filled tubes heat up during the day and retain heat during cold nights to protect plants. These thick water walls provide effective insulation to counter cool temperatures. The water walls need to be staked to prevent them from blowing over with strong winds. After frost dates have passed, these devices can be removed.
Row covers are also sold in garden centers and can provide a marginal level of protection. Avoid placing row covers directly on plants, use hoops or sticks to hold the row cover slightly above the plant.
Moveable pots ? Some gardeners plant tomatoes and peppers in medium to large pots and bring the plants inside during cold nights. I know of one gardener who places large pots on a home-made wood platform with rollers on the bottom and wheels his plants out during the day and back in his garage during cold nights. He moves his plants to maximize their exposure to sunlight and therefore maximize yields.
Warming Cold Soils
For those avid gardeners that demand early tomatoes, it is important to remember that even if we protect the top of the plant from freezing, the soils need to be warmed up to stimulate adequate plant growth. One way to warm cold spring soils is to use a dark colored mulch such as black plastic. Lay down black plastic mulch in the early spring to allow the daytime sun to warm soils. These warmer soils will jump start root growth on warm season vegetables crops to insure earlier harvests. For early tomatoes plant short season varieties that form smaller but mature tomatoes in less time. | <urn:uuid:c47d2674-cec4-4dd6-b366-5237c77b20cd> | CC-MAIN-2018-13 | https://garden.org/frogs/view/46002/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2018-13/segments/1521257647519.62/warc/CC-MAIN-20180320170119-20180320190119-00149.warc.gz | en | 0.941704 | 1,030 | 2.921875 | 3 |
For many of you, the answer is no.
Stomach acid or gastric juice is vital in digestion, particularly in breaking down proteins. An average adult produces 1.5 liters of stomach acid every day.
But, as we grow older, our body tends to produce less stomach acid.
Here are the results of several studies correlating age to decreased production of stomach acid:
- More than 30% of men and women over 60 secrete little to no stomach acid.
- 40% of postmenopausal women were not secreting stomach acid at all.
- Close to 40% of women over 80 were not producing hydrochloric acid during digestion.
- Researchers in Japan found that 60% of men and women over 50 were not producing stomach acid during digestion.
This is telling us that when we reach a certain age, our body stops producing stomach acid. This condition is called achlorhydria. But you can also suffer from low stomach acid, hypochlorhydria, at any age.
So what does this mean for you?
Even if you eat a healthy meal, your body won’t receive its benefits because you don’t have the gastric juice to properly digest it and absorb the nutrients, especially Vitamin B-12.
In addition to age, risk factors to hypochlorhydria include taking antacids, chronic stress, a diet that is poor in zinc, a bacterial infection called H. pylori, and having undergone stomach surgery.
If you are exposed to these risk factors or experience some of the symptoms below, you may have low stomach acid.
Symptoms of low stomach acid are far-reaching. At first they may start with indigestion and vitamin and mineral deficiencies. That creates havoc to your overall system as every organ of your body depends on these vitamins and minerals to function well. You may experience the following:
- Weak fingernails and thinning of hair
- Behavioral changes
- Vision loss
- Undigested food in stool
- Frequent burping
- Nausea while taking supplements
- Poor sleep
- Muscle cramps
- Blood sugar imbalance or diabetes
Prevention and Support
Understanding the causes and symptoms of hypochlorhydria is already half the battle. You can now create ways to support your gut for the prevention and improvement of hypochlorhydria. Your diet is a good start.
A diet that mostly consists of processed foods, sugar, and chemicals won’t do your gut any good, so avoid or limit these “foods”.
The following strategies will help your gut, but it is important to work with a practitioner so that it is individualized and appropriate for you:
- Taking 1 teaspoon-1 tablespoon of raw apple cider vinegar with water before meals improves digestion and stomach pH in the long run (be sure to have ruled out H. pylori, ulcers, etc. first as certain conditions can worsen with ACV!!).
- Taking probiotics may support your gut to heal. The increase in helpful gut bacteria aids the gut to function properly, producing the right amount of digestive enzymes and gastric juice. (If you have diarrhea or SIBO, speak with your practitioner to pick the right probiotic formula).
- Increasing fermented foods gives your gut a wide variety of probiotic strains that help your gut to run smoothly. Sauerkraut, kimchi, kefir, and kombucha are examples, and you can find more here.
- Eating slowly and making sure you’ve chewed your food thoroughly before swallowing allows your gut to produce/secrete the gastric juice and digestive enzymes as well as supports the entire digestive system.
Your gut is at the root of your overall health, and I’m here to help you learn how to take care of it.
It is my passion to work with people like you whose health symptoms are getting in the way of you living life fully and with a sense of freedom in your body. I can help you to regain your health, so you can feel great and free to enjoy life fully. I hope that today’s suggestions are helpful to you.
If you’re ready to discover where your best health has been hiding, I’d love to connect with you!
Apply for a complimentary Unstoppable Health Discovery Session. http://bit.ly/schedulinghealth (subject to availability).
Until next time, I’m wishing you unstoppable health! | <urn:uuid:fd921142-96c0-40fd-bd3e-0a4d0cad6561> | CC-MAIN-2021-10 | https://choosinghealthnow.com/do-you-know-the-symptoms-of-low-stomach-acid/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2021-10/segments/1614178361776.13/warc/CC-MAIN-20210228205741-20210228235741-00428.warc.gz | en | 0.932679 | 934 | 2.78125 | 3 |
Students with special and exceptional needs are placed in inclusive learning environments more frequently than in the past. For general educators with a limited special education background, this can often be anxiety provoking and stressful. Every teacher wants to provide the best instruction and education for her students. As a special education teacher for the past ten years, my job has been to support general education teachers when we share responsibility of students with special needs. I work with them to ensure that all students have the necessary resources in order to be successful, and that they themselves can grow and learn as an educator. Here are five strategies that have been successful for working with students in the inclusive classroom.
1. Get to know your students’ IEPs/504s
Upon receiving notice that a student with a specific plan is entering your class, it’s important to connect with that student’s case manager. For a student with a 504 plan, that is usually the school counselor; for a student with an IEP it’s either the Special Education Teacher or Resource Specialist. You should receive a brief synopsis of the IEP, often referred to as the “IEP at a Glance” form. This will detail the specific services and minutes each student receives, as well as any accommodations and modifications that are available for them.
One of the most common accommodations for students with special needs is preferential seating. This doesn’t always mean in the front row of the classroom right next to the teacher’s desk. There are many instances where seating a student in the front row can be catastrophic! Most of the rooms I see are grouped in clusters; I like to make sure that a student I am working with is next to peers they feel comfortable with, and can help explain a concept during collaborative time. Seats away from distractions such as windows or doors is quite helpful for students with attention issues.
Take Action: Check and make sure you have current documents for students in your class. Make a chart with what services each student receives and how frequently. Make note of their next IEP meeting date. If you haven’t started one yet, start a folder for student work samples-this will make the Special Educator’s job that much easier!
2. Implement Universal Design for Learning (UDL)
Universal Design is so much more than one of the hottest buzzwords circulating around education circles. It’s an approach to curriculum planning and mapping that makes learning engaging and accessible to a wider range of learners with different strengths and needs. UDL builds on Howard Gardner’s theories of multiple intelligences, in that it calls for teaching to utilize multiple modalities, and for students to respond to learning with a variety of assessment tools. Educators that recognize the importance of UDL realize that we all learn and express ourselves in different ways, and that in order to assess skills we need to be allowed to use our strengths, while practicing our areas of need at the same time.
A great introduction to the concepts behind UDL can be found at CAST’s website.
Take Action: View the video and reflect on your teaching practices. How are you engaging students? How do students show what they know? How are students presented with material?
3. Support Important Life Skills
As a seasoned educator, when I hear the term “life skills”, I often think of tasks that are performed by our more severely disabled students, many of whom are not in a general education environment. When I do this, I am shortchanging my students, many who lack very necessary skills they need in order to be a productive and contributing member of society. Many general education mainstream students cannot perform the following simple tasks:
- telling time from an analog clock
- writing a simple letter
- signing their name in cursive
- note taking and study skills
Many of the teachers that I work with have a “Study Skills Thursday”, where students clean out their backpacks, organize their binders and notebooks, and focus on developing and self-reflecting on both short and long-term goals. I also do locker checks with some of my students. The battle is half won if a student comes to school organized and prepared.
Take Action: Find or create a survey for your students to gauge what essential skills they have, and what they need (I use this Learning Skills and Work Habits Student Self-Assessment Checklist from Teachers Pay teachers). How can you incorporate instruction in these skills into your everyday schedule?
4. Engage in Collaborative Planning and Teaching
No classroom is an island, especially an inclusive classroom. Opening up your room to service providers, paraprofessionals, special education teachers, and parents gives you valuable opportunities to participate in collaborative teaching. Collaborative teaching looks differently depending on what school, level, and setting you are working. I am fortunate enough to work in a school where collaborative teaching is encouraged and celebrated. Teachers have common planning times, and professional development time is often set aside for teachers to plan together. This often spans grade levels and subject areas.
Take Action: Try to find a common time to sit and meet with your grade-level Special Education teacher. How can you work together to improve student learning? Draft a plan to hand to your administrator; perhaps you can receive a stipend for your planning time!
5. Develop a strong Behavior Management Plan
Having a successful inclusive classroom depends upon having control of your classroom. It is essential to have clearly communicated expectations and goals, that are accessible to all students. Your classroom environment should be tailored to better suit diverse students’ needs. With students’ and specialists’ input, create a checklist or action plan for students.
Some specific behavior management strategies that support effective instruction are:
- Posting daily schedules
- Displaying classroom rules and expectations
- Encouraging peer to peer instruction and leadership
- Using signals to quiet down, start working, and putting away materials.
- Giving students folders, labels and containers to organize supplies.
- Checking in with students while they work
- Utilizing proactive rather than reactive interventions as needed
- Speaking to students privately about any concerns
- Employing specific, targeted positive reinforcement when a student meets a behavioral or academic goal.
Take Action: Look through student IEPs to see if any student has a formal Behavior Intervention Plan (BIP). Consult with your Special Education teacher for resources on how to establish and strengthen behavior management in your classroom. If possible, have the SpEd teacher observe and give feedback.
There are many pieces to the puzzle for creating an effective inclusive classroom. Communication is key, and collaboration with other educators and professionals has a great benefit to all. | <urn:uuid:3594fedb-487d-4263-af0e-d81cdf408827> | CC-MAIN-2017-09 | http://ww2.kqed.org/learning/2016/01/04/5-effective-strategies-for-the-inclusive-classroom/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-09/segments/1487501171608.86/warc/CC-MAIN-20170219104611-00140-ip-10-171-10-108.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.958234 | 1,375 | 3.140625 | 3 |
LET’S not overreact here, say the most ardent defenders of nuclear power as workers in northeastern Japan try to stave off fire and meltdown in three reactors after a devastating earthquake and tsunami.
Indeed, let’s not. Overreaction is never prudent.
So let us instead recognize and then try to understand the massive object lesson playing out at the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant.
Post-Three Mile Island, and then, far more understandably, post-Chernobyl, the world began to reassess the safety of the nuclear plants that in the mid-20th century were sold to us as “safe, clean and too cheap to meter.” The radiation leaks in Pennsylvania, and the dangers to those who lived nearby, were ultimately rather small. In the Soviet Union, however, in the only “level 7” event ever recorded, a nuclear accident caused 50 deaths right away, a still-unknown number of radiation deaths over the years since and the resettlement of over 300,000 people.
That was in 1986. As the two-tiered high costs of so many other forms of energy have became clear in the decades since – both pocketbook costs and the future impact of global warming on our planet – nuclear in the last few years has been enjoying something of a renaissance. France gets over 70percent of its power from nuclear energy. Switzerland gets 40 percent. Italy is building its first plant. President Obama is the first Democratic leader in generations to cautiously tout new domestic investments in nuclear power as one of the tools against global warming.
And then this week, the world watches as one of the most technologically advanced nations admits that it has no clear idea how to safely prevent a nuclear meltdown or how to stop storage ponds loaded with spent uranium fuel rods from bursting into flames.
Japan and California are remarkably similar places, both geographically and in terms of our people: Pacific Rim economic behemoths, innovative technologically, in the dangerous Ring of Fire seismic zone.
We know that the backers of our state’s two nuclear plants, situated like Fukushima at the ocean’s edge, say that the situation is different here. Neither San Onofre nor Diablo Canyon could be affected in the same way by an offshore earthquake and tsunami because Southern California doesn’t have the same kind of underwater faults nearby. That’s comforting, in its way.
But we’re sure that the operators of the Japanese plant had no notion what a thousand-year quake with a 9.0 magnitude would do to their aging plant. We’re not quite sure what they could have done if they did know.
So we are not overreacting in the slightest when we say that there are just a whole lot of unknowns when it comes to nuclear power.
Even before the resurgence of interest in nuclear power, we have been troubled by the simple fact that there is still no safe way to store the high-level waste that is its by-product and will remain dangerously radioactive for thousands of years.
Now, with 50 technicians bravely trying to contain the radiation and prevent more explosions and fires at Fukushima as an entire island nation watches, terrified – now is the time to recognize that earthquake country and nuclear power plants are not a good mix.
New plants should not be built in California or anywhere along the West Coast.
And the rest of the nation would do well to remember that seismicity is sometimes their concern as well. The 18th-, 19th- and 20th-largest quakes ever in our country hit smack in the middle of the continent in New Madrid, Mo.
We need to calmly face those facts. | <urn:uuid:74d7b54c-731a-48da-adda-b893d449e01a> | CC-MAIN-2022-21 | https://www.sgvtribune.com/2011/03/15/our-view-build-no-more-nuke-plants-in-state/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-21/segments/1652662529658.48/warc/CC-MAIN-20220519172853-20220519202853-00489.warc.gz | en | 0.962423 | 750 | 2.78125 | 3 |
19 Mar Health Conditions Treated With Acupuncture
Acupuncture El Segundo can improve your health in a number of ways. According to the World Health Organization, acupuncture can help with the following conditions:
Mental and Emotion
Acupuncture therapy in El Segundo can improve your mental and emotional health. Depression, anxiety, insomnia and stress are some of the mental conditions that can be treated with acupuncture. Additionally, acupuncture helps promote restful sleep. If you get restful sleep, then you will have an easier time coping with your emotions. Proper sleep is also essential for your mental health.
Upper Respiratory Tract
Upper respiratory problems are extremely common. This includes things such as acute rhinitis, sinusitis, common cold and acute tonsillitis. Many people try treatment after treatment and do not get any relief. However, some people find acupuncture to be extremely helpful.
Acupuncture is good for your entire respiratory system. If you suffer from acute bronchitis or asthma, then you may be able to get relief by getting acupuncture.
Disorders of the Eye
Central retinitis and acute conjunctivitis are some of the eye disorders that can be treated with acupuncture. It can also be used to treat myopia in children. Additionally, if a person has mild cataracts, then acupuncture can be beneficial.
Acupuncture can treat gingivitis, toothaches and sore throat.
Most of us will have gastrointestinal disorders at some point. Fortunately, acupuncture can help. Diarrhea, constipation, acid reflux and gastritis are some of the conditions that can be treated with acupuncture.
Musculoskeletal Disorders and Neurological Disorders
Acupuncture for back pain can be extremely effective. It can also treat migraines, headaches, facial palsy, osteoarthritis and sciatica.
Other Things That Can Be Treated With Acupuncture:
- Breech position in pregnancy
- Blood pressure problems
- Rheumatoid arthritis
- Induction of labor
- Low libido
- Erectile dysfunction | <urn:uuid:1a4169c5-35af-4617-ad73-161766aba55d> | CC-MAIN-2023-40 | https://premierechiro.com/health-conditions-treated-with-acupuncture/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-40/segments/1695233510368.33/warc/CC-MAIN-20230928063033-20230928093033-00545.warc.gz | en | 0.875038 | 448 | 2.546875 | 3 |
Compressed natural gas (CNG) is a fossil fuel substitute for gasoline (petrol), diesel, or propane/LPG. Although its combustion does produce greenhouse gases, it is a more environmentally clean alternative to those fuels, and it is much safer than other fuels in the event of a spill (natural gas is lighter than air, and disperses quickly when released). CNG may also be mixed with biogas, produced from landfills or wastewater, which doesn't increase the concentration of carbon in the atmosphere.
CNG is made by compressing natural gas (which is mainly composed of methane [CH4]), to less than 1% of the volume it occupies at standard atmospheric pressure. It is stored and distributed in certified (tested) high pressure pressure cylinders or tanks at a pressure of 200–248 bar (2900–3600 psi), usually of a cylindrical or spherical shape.
CNG is used in traditional gasoline internal combustion engine cars that have been converted into bi-fuel vehicles (gasoline/CNG). Natural gas vehicles are increasingly used in the Asia-Pacific region, Latin America, Europe, and America due to rising gasoline prices. In response to high fuel prices and environmental concerns, CNG is starting to be used also in tuk-tuks and pickup trucks, transit and school buses, and trains.
- Main article: Natural gas vehicle
Worldwide, there were 12.6 million natural gas vehicles by 2010, up 11.6% over the previous year, led by Pakistan with 2.74 million, Iran (1.95 million), Argentina (1.9 million), Brazil (1.6 million), and India (1.1 million). with the Asia-Pacific region leading with 5.7 million NGVs, followed by Latin America with almost 4 million vehicles.
CNG cars available in Europe are bi-fuel vehicles burning one fuel at a time. Their engine is a standard gasoline internal combustion engine (ICE). This means that they can indifferently run on either gasoline from a gasoline tank or CNG from a separate cylinder in the trunk. The driver can select what fuel to burn by simply flipping a switch on the dashboard.
Several manufacturers (Fiat, Opel (General Motors), Peugeot, Volkswagen, Toyota, Honda and others) sell bi-fuel cars. In 2006, Fiat introduced the Siena Tetrafuel in the Brazilian market, equipped with a 1.4L FIRE engine that runs on E100, E25 (Standard Brazilian Gasoline), Gasoline and CNG.
Any existing gasoline vehicle can be converted to a bi-fuel (gasoline/CNG) vehicle. Authorised shops can do the retrofitting, this involves installing a CNG cylinder in the trunk, installing the plumbing, installing a CNG injection system and the electronics.
CNG locomotives are operated by several railroads. The Napa Valley Wine Train successfully retrofit a diesel locomotive to run on compressed natural gas before 2002. This converted locomotive was upgraded to utilize a computer controlled fuel injection system in May 2008, and is now the Napa Valley Wine Train's primary locomotive. Ferrocarril Central Andino in Peru, has run a CNG Locomotive on a freight line since 2005 CNG locomotives are usually diesel locomotives that have been converted to use compressed natural gas generators instead of diesel generators to generate the electricity that drives the motors of the train. Some CNG locomotives are able to fire their cylinders only when there is a demand for power, which, theoretically, gives them a higher fuel efficiency than conventional diesel engines. CNG is also cheaper than petrol or diesel.
1. Due to the absence of any lead or benzene content in CNG, the lead fouling of spark plugs is eliminated.
2. CNG-powered vehicles have lower maintenance costs when compared with other fuel-powered vehicles.
3. CNG fuel systems are sealed, which prevents any spill or evaporation losses.
4. Increased life of lubricating oils, as CNG does not contaminate and dilute the crankcase oil.
5. CNG mixes easily and evenly in air being a gaseous fuel.
6. CNG is less likely to auto-ignite on hot surfaces, since it has a high auto-ignition temperature (540 °C) and a narrow range (5%-15%) of flammability.
7. Less pollution and more efficiency: CNG emits significantly less pollutants such as carbon dioxide (CO2), unburned hydrocarbons (UHC), carbon monoxide (CO), nitrogen oxides (NOx), sulfur oxides (SOx) and particulate matter (PM), compared to petrol. For example, an engine running on petrol for 100 km emits 22,000 grams of CO2, while covering the same distance on CNG emits only 16,275 grams of CO2. CNG is essentially methane, i.e. CH4 with a calorific value of 900 kJ/mol. This burns with oxygen to produce 1 mol of CO2 and 2 mol of H2O. By comparison, petrol can be regarded as essentially benzene or similar, C6H6 with a calorific value of about 3,300 kJ/mol and this burns to produce 6 mol of CO2 and 3 mol of H2O. From this it can be seen that per mol of CO2 produced, CNG releases over 1.6 times as much energy as that released from petrol (or for the same amount of energy, CNG produces nearly 40% less CO2).] The corresponding figures are 78 and 25.8 grams respectively, for nitrogen oxides. Carbon monoxide emissions are reduced even further. Due to lower carbon dioxide and nitrogen oxides emissions, switching to CNG can help mitigate greenhouse gas emissions. The ability of CNG to reduce greenhouse gas emissions over the entire fuel lifecycle will depend on the source of the natural gas and the fuel it is replacing. The lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions for CNG compressed from California's pipeline natural gas is given a value of 67.70 grams of CO2-equivalent per megajoule (gCO2e/MJ) by the California Air Resources Board (CARB), approximately 28% lower than the average gasoline fuel in that market (95.86 gCO2e/MJ). CNG produced from landfill biogas was found by CARB to have the lowest greenhouse gas emissions of any fuel analyzed, with a value of 11.26 gCO2e/MJ (over 88% lower than conventional gasoline) in the low-carbon fuel standard that went into effect on January 12, 2010.
Compressed natural gas vehicles require a greater amount of space for fuel storage than conventional gasoline powered vehicles. Since it is a compressed gas, rather than a liquid like gasoline, CNG takes up more space for each gasoline gallon equivalent (GGE). Therefore, the tanks used to store the CNG usually take up additional space in the trunk of a car or bed of a pickup truck which runs on CNG. This problem is solved in factory-built CNG vehicles that install the tanks under the body of the vehicle, leaving the trunk free (e.g. Fiat Multipla, New Fiat Panda, Volkswagen Touran Ecofuel, Volkswagen Caddy Ecofuel, Chevy Taxi - which sold in countries such as Peru). Another option is installation on roof (typical on buses), requiring, however, solution of structural strength issues. CNG-powered vehicles are considered to be safer than gasoline-powered vehicles.
CNG compared to LNGEdit
CNG is often confused with liquefied natural gas (LNG). While both are stored forms of natural gas, the key difference is that CNG is gas that is stored (as a gas) at high pressure, while LNG is in uncompressed liquid form. CNG has a lower cost of production and storage compared to LNG as it does not require an expensive cooling process and cryogenic tanks. CNG requires a much larger volume to store the same mass of gasoline or petrol and the use of very high pressures (3000 to 4000 psi, or 205 to 275 bar). As a consequence of this, LNG is often used for transporting natural gas over large distances, in ships, trains or pipelines, and the gas is then converted into CNG before distribution to the end user.
CNG can be stored at lower pressure in a form known as an ANG (Adsorbed Natural Gas) tank, at 35 bar (500 psi, the pressure of gas in natural gas pipelines) in various sponge like materials, such as activated carbon and metal-organic frameworks (MOFs). The fuel is stored at similar or greater energy density than CNG. This means that vehicles can be refuelled from the natural gas network without extra gas compression, the fuel tanks can be slimmed down and made of lighter, less strong materials.
Pakistan currently has the highest number of vehicles running on CNG in the world followed by Iran, Argentina, Brazil. Pakistan also has the highest number of CNG stations in the world numbering more than 3600. Majority of private vehicles have converted to CNG because of cheaper price as compared to petrol. Only luxury cars and official vehicles now run on petrol. Recently, new CNG Buses had been introduced by CDGK in Karachi. Almost all car manufacturers in Pakistan (except Honda) now produce company fitted CNG kit versions. Recent hikes in CNG prices have downplayed the ambitious ventures of some of the stakeholders in this sector. It is expected that price of the CNG and Kits will come down as competition among manufacturers grows. LandiRenzo Pakistan is also exporting CNG kits to various countries including China, Brazil and Italy. Almost 2.5 million vehicles on the country's roads have dual fuel options with Suzuki having the highest in quantity.
CNG has grown into one of the major fuel sources used in car engines in Bangladesh as well. Many rickshaws as well as personal vehicles in Bangladesh are being converted to CNG powered technology, the cost of which is in the range of $800–$1000. In the Bangladesh capital of Dhaka not a single auto rickshaw without CNG has been permitted since 2003.
In 1998, the Supreme Court of India ordered all public transport vehicles of Delhi to use CNG as fuel instead of diesel and other hydro-carbons to reduce pollution levels in the city. As of 2011, the state-owned Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) is the world's largest operator of environment-friendly CNG buses. The use of CNG is also mandatory for the public transport system in Ahmedabad, Gujarat.
In India, CNG costs are at Rs 31.50 per kg compared with Rs. 75.00 per liter of petrol(prices as of October 2011 in Bangalore, India). In Thailand, CNG costs are at Thb 10.4 per kg (US$0.35) per kg compared with Thb 40.00 (US$1.35) per liter of petrol (prices as of March 2011 in Bangkok, Thailand). CNG is quite notable at a cost savings of 60% along with reduced emissions and its usability by environmentally friendlier cars.
CNG vehicles are commonly used in South America, where these vehicles are mainly used as taxicabs in main cities of Argentina and Brazil. Normally, standard gasoline vehicles are retrofitted in specialized shops, which involve installing the gas cylinder in the trunk and the CNG injection system and electronics. Argentina and Brazil are the two countries with the largest fleets of CNG vehicles, with a combined total fleet of more than 3.4 million vehicles by 2009. Conversion has been facilitated by a substantial price differential with liquid fuels, locally produced conversion equipment and a growing CNG-delivery infrastructure.
As of 2009 Argentina had 1,807,186 NGV's with 1,851 refueling stations across the nation, or 15% of all vehicles; and Brazil had 1,632,101 vehicles and 1,704 refueling stations, with a higher concentration in the cities of Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo.
Colombia had an NGV fleet of 300,000 vehicles, and 460 refueling stations as of 2009. Bolivia has increased its fleet from 10,000 in 2003 to 121,908 units in 2009, with 128 refueling stations. Peru had 81,024 NGVs and 94 fueling stations as 2009, but that number is expected to skyrocket as Peru sits on South America's largest gas reserves. In Peru several factory-built NGVs have the tanks installed under the body of the vehicle, leaving the trunk free. Among the models built with this feature are the Fiat Multipla, the newFiat Panda, the Volkswagen Touran Ecofuel, the Volkswagen Caddy Ecofuel, and the Chevy Taxi. Other countries with significant NGV fleets are Venezuela (15,000) and Chile (8,064) as of 2009.
In Singapore, CNG is increasingly being used by public transport vehicles like buses and taxis, as well as goods vehicles. However, according to Channel NewsAsia on April 18, 2008, more owners of private cars in this country are converting their petrol-driven vehicles to also run on CNG – motivated no doubt by rising petrol prices. The initial cost of converting a regular vehicle to dual fuel at the German conversion workshop of C. Melchers, for example, is around S$3,800 (US$2,500); with the promise of real cost-savings that dual-fuel vehicles bring over the long term.
Singapore currently has five operating filling stations for natural gas. SembCorp Gas Pte Ltd runs the station on Jurong Island, and jointly with Singapore Petroleum Company, the filling station at Jalan Buroh. Both these stations are in the western part of the country. Another station on the mainland is in Mandai Link to the north and is operated by SMART Energy. SMART also own a second station on Serangoon North Ave 5 which was set up end of March 2009; The fifth and largest station in the world was opened by the UNION Group in September 2009. This station is recognized by the Guniness World Records as being the laregst in the world with 46 refuelling hoses. This station is located in Toh Tuck. The Union Group, which operates 1000 CNG Toyota Wish taxis plan to introduce another three daughter stations and increase the CNG taxi fleet to 8000 units.
As a key incentive for using this eco-friendly fuel Singapore has a Green Vehicle Rebate (GVR) for users of CNG technology. First introduced in January 2001, the GVR grants a 40% discount on the Open Market Value (OMV) cost of newly registered green passenger vehicles. This initiative will end at the end of 2012 as the government believes the 'critical mass' of CNG vehicles would then have been built up.
The Ministry of Transport of Myanmar passed a law in 2005 which required that all public transport vehicles - buses, trucks and taxis, be converted to run on CNG. The Government permitted several private companies to handle the conversion of existing diesel and petrol cars, and also to begin importing CNG variants of buses and taxis. Accidents and rumours of accidents, partly fueled by Myanmar's position in local hydrocarbon politics, has discouraged citizens from using CNG vehicles, although now almost every taxi and public bus in Yangon, Myanmar's largest city, run on CNG. CNG stations have been set up around Yangon and other cities, but electricity shortages mean that vehicles may have to queue up for hours to fill their gas containers. The Burmese opposition movements are against the conversion to CNG, as they accuse the companies as being proxies of the junta, and also that the petrodollars earned by the regime would go towards the defense sector, rather than towards improving the infrastructure or welfare of the people.
In Malaysia, the use of CNG was originally introduced for taxicabs and airport limousines during the late-1990s, when new taxis were launched with CNG engines while taxicab operators were encouraged to send in existing taxis for full engine conversions. The practice of using CNG remained largely confined to taxicabs predominantly in the Klang Valley and Penang due to a lack of interest. No incentives were offered for those besides taxicab owners to use CNG engines, while government subsidies on petrol and diesel made conventional road vehicles cheaper to use in the eyes of the consumers. Petronas, Malaysia's state-owned oil company, also monopolises the provision of CNG to road users. As of July 2008, Petronas only operates about 150 CNG refueling stations, most of which are concentrated in the Klang Valley. At the same time, another 50 was expected by the end of 2008.
As fuel subsidies were gradually removed in Malaysia starting June 5, 2008, the subsequent 41% price hike on petrol and diesel led to a 500% increase in the number of new CNG tanks installed. National car maker Proton considered fitting its Waja, Saga and Persona models with CNG kits from Prins Autogassystemen by the end of 2008, while a local distributor of locally assembled Hyundai cars offers new models with CNG kits. Conversion centres, which also benefited from the rush for lower running costs, also perform partial conversions to existing road vehicles, allowing them to run on both petrol or diesel and CNG with a cost varying between RM3,500 to RM5,000 for passenger cars.
In China, companies such as Sino-Energy are active in expanding the footprint of CNG filling stations in medium-size cities across the interior of the country, where at least two natural gas pipelines are operational.
Middle East and AfricaEdit
Iran has one of the largest fleets of CNG vehicles and CNG distribution networks in the world. There are 1800 CNG fueling stations, with a total of 10.352 CNG nuzzles. The number of CNG burning vehicles in Iran is about 2.6 million.
Egypt is amongst the top ten countries in CNG adoption, with 128,754 CNG vehicles and 124 CNG fueling stations. Egypt was also the first nation in Africa and the Middle East to open a public CNG fueling station in January 1996.
The vast majority 780000 have been produced as dual fuel vehicles by the auto manufacturer in the last two years, and the remainder have been converted utilizing after market conversion kits in workshops. There are 750 active refueling stations country wide with an additional 660 refueling stations under construction and expected to come on stream. Currently the major problem facing the industry as a whole is the building of refueling stations that is lagging behind dual fuel vehicle production, forcing many to use petrol instead.
Nigeria CNG started with a pilot project in Edo State in 2010 by plants owned by the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) and as at October 2011 about 7 CNG stations have been Built in Edo State with about 6,000 cars running on CNG in Edo state Major companies such as Guinness, and hotels in Ikpoba hill are using CNG to power their Gensets .
The use of methane (CNG) for vehicles in Italy started in the 1930s and has continued off and on until today. Since 2008 there have been a large market expansion for natural gas vehicles (CNG and LPG) caused by the rise of gasoline prices and by the need to reduce air pollution emissions.
Before 1995 the only way to have a CNG-powered car was by having it retrofitted with an after-market kit. A large producer was Landi Renzo, Tartarini Auto, Prins Autogassystemen, OMVL, BiGAs,... and AeB for electronic parts used by the most part of kit producer.
Landi Renzo and Tartarini selling vehicles in Asia and South America.
After 1995 bi-fuel cars (gasoline/CNG) became available from several major manufacturers. Currently Fiat, Opel, Volkswagen, Citroën, Renault, Volvo and Mercedes sell various car models and small trucks that are gasoline/CNG powered. Usually CNG parts used by major car manufacturers are actually produced by automotive aftermarket kit manufacturers, e.g. Fiat use Tartarini Auto components, Volkswagen use Teleflex GFI and Landi Renzo components.
In Italy, there are more than 800 CNG stations. In Germany, CNG-generated vehicles are expected to increase to two million units of motor-transport by the year 2020. The cost for CNG fuel is between 1/3 and 1/2 compared to other fossil fuels in Europe. in 2008 there are around 800 gas(CNG) stations in Germany
In Portugal there are 4 CNG refueling stations but 3 of them do not sell to the public. Only in Braga you can find it on the local city bus station (TUB).
In Bulgaria, there are 96 CNG refueling stations as of July 2011. One can be found in most of Bulgaria's big towns. In the capital Sofia there are 22 CNG stations making it possibly the city with the most publicly available CNG stations in Europe. There are also quite a few in Plovdiv, Stara Zagora and Veliko Tarnovo as well as in the towns on the Black Sea - Varna, Burgas, Nesebar and Kavarna. CNG vehicles are becoming more and more popular in the country. The fuel is mostly used by taxi drivers because of its much lower price compared to petrol.
In Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, there is one CNG station located in the capital Skopje, but it is not for public use. Only twenty buses of the local Public Transport Company have been fitted to use a mixture of diesel and CNG. The first commercial CNG station in Skopje is in the advanced stage of development and is expected to start operation in July 2011.
In Sweden there are currently 90 CNG filling stations available to the public (as compared to about 10 LPG filling stations), primarily located in the southern and western parts of the country as well the Mälardalen region Another 70-80 CNG filling stations are under construction or in a late stage of planning (completions 2009-2010). Several of the planned filling stations are located in the northern parts of the country, which will greatly improve the infrastructure for CNG car users. There are approx. 14,500 CNG vehicles in Sweden (2007), of which approx. 13,500 are passenger cars and the remainder includes buses and trucks. In Stockholm, the public transportation company SL currently operates 50 CNG buses but have a capacity to operate 500. The Swedish government recently prolonged its subsidies for the development of CNG filling stations, from 2009-12-31 to 2010-12-31.
In Spain the EMT Madrid bus service use CNG motors in 351 regular buses. Is rare to see another kind of CNG vehicle, and there's no CNG refueling stations.
As of 2010, there are 25 public CNG filling stations in the Czech Republic, mainly in the big cities. Local bus manufacturers SOR Libchavy and Tedom produce CNG versions of their vehicles, with roof-mounted tanks.
Canada is a large producer of natural gas, so it follows that CNG is used in Canada as an economical motor fuel. Canadian industry has developed CNG-fueled truck and bus engines, CNG-fueled transit buses, and light trucks and taxis. Both CNG and propane refueling stations are not difficult to find in major centres.
Fuelmaker Corp of Toronto, the Honda-owned manufacturer of CNG auto refueling units, was forced into bankruptcy by parent Honda USA for an unspecified reason in 2009. The various assets of Fuelmaker were subsequently acquired by Fuel Systems Corp of Santa Ana, CA.
In the US, federal tax credits are available for buying a new CNG vehicle. Use of CNG varies from state to state, only 34 states have at least one CNG fueling site. In California, CNG is used extensively in local city and county fleets, as well as public transportation (city/school buses), and there are 90 public fueling stations in Southern California alone. Compressed natural gas is available at 30-60% less than the cost of gasoline, as a rule of thumb, in much of California.
Personal use of CNG is a small niche market currently, though with current tax incentives and a growing number of public fueling stations available, it is experiencing unprecedented growth. The state of Utah offers a subsidised statewide network of CNG filling stations at a rate of $0.85/gge, while gasoline is above $4.00/gal. Elsewhere in the nation, retail prices average around $2.50/gge, with home refueling units compressing gas from residential gas lines for approx $1.50/gge. Other than aftermarket conversions, and government used vehicle auctions, the only currently produced CNG vehicle in the US is the Honda Civic GX sedan, which is made in limited numbers and available only in a few states.
An initiative, known as Pickens Plan, calls for the expansion of the use of CNG as a standard fuel for heavy vehicles has been recently started by oilman and entrepreneur T. Boone Pickens. California voters defeated Proposition 10 in the 2008 General Election by a significant (59.8% to 40.2%) margin. Proposition 10 was a $5 Billion bond measure that, among other things, would have given rebates to state residents that purchase CNG vehicles.
Congress has encouraged conversion of cars to CNG with a tax credits of up to 50% of the auto conversion cost and the CNG home filling station cost. However, while CNG is much cleaner fuel, the conversion requires a type certificate from the EPA. Meeting the requirements of a type certificate can cost up to $50,000.
During the 1970s and 1980s, CNG was commonly used in New Zealand in the wake of the oil crises, but fell into decline after petrol prices receded. At the peak of natural gas use, 10 percent of New Zealand's cars were converted, around 110,000 vehicles.
Brisbane Transport and Transperth in Australia have both adopted a policy of purchasing only CNG buses in future. Transperth is purchasing 451 Mercedes-Benz OC500LE buses and is undertaking trials with articulated CNG buses from Scania, MAN, and Irisbus, while Brisbane Transport has purchased 216 Scania L94UB and 240 MAN 18.310 models as well as 30 MAN NG 313 articulated CNG buses. The State Transit Authority of New South Wales (operating under the name "Sydney Buses") operates 102 Scania L113CRB buses, two Mercedes-Benz O405 buses and 300 Mercedes-Benz O405NH buses and are now taking delivery of 255 Euro 5-compliant Mercedes-Benz OC500LEs.
Martin Ferguson, Ollie Clark, and Noel Childs featured on ABC 7.30 Report raising the issue of CNG as an overlooked transport fuel option in Australia, highlighting the large volumes of LNG currently being exported from the North West Shelf in light of the cost of importing crude oil to Australia.
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 1.9 "Natural Gas Vehicle Statistics: NGV Count - Ranked Numerically as at December 2009". International Association for Natural Gas Vehicles. Retrieved on 2010-04-27.
- ↑ Envocare: Environment, Recycling, Ethical Investment, Alternative Energy
- ↑ "Chugging along: After 13 years, Napa Valley Wine Train rolls to a profit - Jim Doyle - November 22, 2002", The San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved on 2008-11-09.
- ↑ "Napa Valley Wine Train Tests CNG Locomotive - Tech.Winetrain - May 15, 2008". Retrieved on 2008-08-20.[dead link]
- ↑ "The First CNG Train Starts Functioning in Peru - Paula Alvarado - June 21, 2005". Retrieved on 2008-08-20.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Source: Gas Authority of India Limited
- ↑ Source: California Air Resources Board
- ↑ "How Safe are Natural Gas Vehicles?" (PDF). Clean Vehicle Education Foundation. Retrieved on 2008-05-08.
- ↑ "How Safe is Natural Gas?". Retrieved on 2008-05-08.
- ↑ "Fighting CNG fires" (PDF). Retrieved on 2008-05-08.
- ↑ US National Science Foundation (NSF)
- ↑ US National Science Foundation (NSF)
- ↑ "NGV Statistics". International Association for Natural Gas Vehicles. Archived from the original on 2007-10-25. Retrieved on 2007-11-14.
- ↑ Armin Rosencranz; Michael Jackson. "Introduction" (PDF). The Delhi Pollution Case: The Supreme Court of India and the Limits of Judicial Power. indlaw.com. Retrieved on 14 January 2007.
- ↑ "Citizen Charter". Delhi Transport Corporation. Retrieved on 21 December 2006.
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 16.2 16.3 16.4 R. Fernandes (2008-08-20). "Latin America NGVs: An Update Report". International Association of Natural Gas Vehicles. Retrieved on 2008-10-11.[dead link]
- ↑ GNVNews (November 2006). "Montadores Investem nos Carros á GNV" (in Portuguese). Institutio Brasileiro de Petroleo e Gas. Retrieved on 2008-09-20.
- ↑ The Irrawaddy news magazine, Burma, Myanmar, Southeast Asia
- ↑ 人民网 (Chinese)
- ↑ "More natural gas stations needed, say motorists". The Star Online (2008-06-13). Retrieved on 2008-08-04.
- ↑ 21.0 21.1 Rashvinjeet S. Bedi (2008-06-08). "Motorists rush to check out NGV system". The Star Online. Retrieved on 2008-08-04.
- ↑ Vinesh, Derrick (2008-06-25). "Long queue for NGV kits". The Star Online. Retrieved on 2008-08-04.
- ↑ "Proton cars to come with NGV kits". The Star Online (2008-06-28). Retrieved on 2008-08-04.
- ↑ Elaine Ang and Leong Hung Yee (2008-07-07). "Moving towards hybrid vehicles". The Star Online. Retrieved on 2008-08-04.
- ↑ Perumal, Elan (2008-06-13). "Rush to fit natural gas gadget". The Star Online. Retrieved on 2008-08-04.
- ↑ http://shana.ir/179344-en.html
- ↑ Allen, Robin (1999-05-11). "New fuel cleans up: CNG: Compressed natural gas is rapidly gaining popularity with drivers; Surveys edition", Financial Times, p. 17.
- ↑ http://www.euromobility.org/documenti/strumenti/Benefici_metano.pdf
- ↑ Teleflex Power Systems
- ↑ Metanoauto.com (Italian)
- ↑ Remix Bulgaria Ltd - exclusive representative of the Italian companies SICOM and BRC , methane stations, producing full range of stations , building and putting in operation o...
- ↑ CNG stations and Prices for the US, Canada and Europe
- ↑ .Svenska Gasföreningen är en branschorganisation för energigaser (Swedish)
- ↑ Svenska Gasföreningen är en branschorganisation för energigaser (Swedish)
- ↑ Svenska Gasföreningen är en branschorganisation för energigaser (Swedish)
- ↑ IDG.se (Swedish)
- ↑ Branschnyheter | Branschtidningar med nyheter online (Swedish)
- ↑ European NGV Statistics - NGVA Europe
- ↑ http://www.theautochannel.com/news/2009/04/06/455943.html
- ↑ CNG Fueling Sites - Compressed Natural Gas Fueling Locations
- ↑ http://www.mbta.com/about_the_mbta/news_events/?id=14023&month=&year=
- ↑ "Natural Gas Prices in the US". Retrieved on 2008-06-07.
- ↑ Sperling, Daniel and Deborah Gordon (2009), Two billion cars: driving toward sustainability, Oxford University Press, New York. pp. 42–43. ISBN 978-0-19-537664-7.
- ↑ "Mercedes-Benz OC500LE - CNG". Sydney Buses. New South Wales Government. Retrieved on 28 August 2010.[dead link]
- ↑ "NGV Bus Demonstration - H Bender - December 1993" (PDF). Retrieved on 2007-07-26.
- ↑ "Natural gas: the future of fuel?". The 7.30 Report. Australian Broadcasting Corporation (29 April 2008). Retrieved on 28 August 2010.
|This page uses some content from Wikipedia. The original article was at Compressed natural gas. The list of authors can be seen in the page history. As with Tractor & Construction Plant Wiki, the text of Wikipedia is available under the Creative Commons by Attribution License and/or GNU Free Documentation License. Please check page history for when the original article was copied to Wikia| | <urn:uuid:5f3b13b6-fdce-41d1-a712-2f19744ed832> | CC-MAIN-2015-32 | http://tractors.wikia.com/wiki/CNG | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2015-32/segments/1438042990445.44/warc/CC-MAIN-20150728002310-00127-ip-10-236-191-2.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.935503 | 7,024 | 3.5625 | 4 |
The tall, beautiful iris, named after the Greek goddess who rode rainbows, comes in many magical colors. Despite its divine origins, this beautiful flower is rugged, reliable, and easy to grow. Learn to plant and care for irises for long-term success in your gardens.
More than 250 species make up the genus Iris. The most familiar irises are the tall bearded irises (Iris germanica), which reach 2 to 3 feet tall. Their distinctive six-petaled flowers have three outer hanging petals (called “falls”) and three inner upright petals (called “standards”).
Irises may be a bearded or crested (aka “beardless”) type. Bearded iris are so-called because they have soft hairs along the center of their falls. The hairs on crested types, like the Siberian iris, form a comb or ridge instead.
Most irises flower from late spring to early summer. Some—mostly bearded hybrids—are remontant, meaning they may flower again later in the summer. The blooming period of Siberian irises tends to follow that of the bearded types.
Irises attract butterflies and hummingbirds and make lovely cut flowers. For iris companions in the garden, look to roses, peonies, and lilies.
Irises will bloom best in full sun, meaning at least 6 to 8 hours of sunlight daily. They can tolerate as little as half a day of sun, but it’s not ideal. Without enough light, they won’t bloom well. Bearded irises must not be shaded out by other plants; many do best in a special bed on their own.
Provide well-draining, fertile, neutral to slightly acidic soil. Loosen soil to 12 to 15 inches deep, then mix in compost or aged manure. Good drainage is critical: Irises prefer “wet feet, but dry knees.” They will not tolerate wet soil in winter. Learn more about preparing the soil for planting and organic soil amendments.
When to Plant Irises
Plant most irises in late summer to early fall, when nighttime temperatures remain between 40° and 50°F (4° and 10°C) or above. This gives them plenty of time to get established before the coming winter.
Tall bearded iris varieties are best planted closer to fall because they tend to go dormant in early to mid-summer.
If you receive bare rhizomes or irises in a container at some point earlier in the year, plant them as soon as possible. It’s better to get them in the ground rather than wait until the “ideal” time.
How to Plant Irises
Plant bare-root rhizomes (the thick stems) horizontally, with the top exposed and only the roots underground. In areas with particularly hot summers, set the rhizome just below the soil surface.
Dig a hole 10 inches in diameter and 4 inches deep. Make a ridge of soil down the middle and place the rhizome on the ridge, spreading the roots down both sides. Fill in the hole and firm it gently, leaving part of the rhizome and the foliage uncovered.
Plant singly or in groups of three, 1 to 2 feet apart, depending on the fully grown plant’s size.
Soak Siberian iris rhizomes in water overnight before planting, then set them 1 inch deep (2 inches, if the soil is sandy), 2 feet apart. Over a period of years, they will form clumps; divide when blooms get smaller and vigor declines.
Do not mulch around the rhizome, as this may encourage rot.
How to Grow Irises
In the early spring, remove winter mulch and old foliage to allow for fresh growth.
Fertilize in early spring, scratching an all-purpose fertilizer around the plants. Avoid high-nitrogen fertilizers. Reblooming irises perform best if fertilized again after the first wave of flowering is finished.
Do not overwater irises; too much moisture in the soil can cause the rhizomes to rot. Water consistently and deeply, especially during summer drought.
Keep rhizomes exposed. Unlike bulbs, which thrive deep underground, bearded iris rhizomes need a bit of sun and air to dry them out. If they’re covered with soil or crowded by other plants, they’ll rot.
Taller irises may need staking, or they will fall over.
Deadhead (remove spent blooms) consistently. Bearded Irises flower sequentially on buds spaced along the stems.
After blooming is finished, cut flower stems down to their base to discourage rhizome rot, but do NOT trim the iris’ leaves. The plant’s foliage carries on with photosynthesis and generates energy for next year’s growth and flowers. Only prune off brown leaf tips, if desired.
After a hard frost in the fall, cut foliage back hard, remove any foliage that appears spotted or yellowed, and dispose of all debris in the trash.
For winter protection, cover the rhizomes with an inch or two of sand topped with a light layer of evergreen boughs, applied after the ground freezes and removed when the forsythias bloom in the following spring.
Iris borer, a common iris pest, overwinters as eggs in spent leaves. Signs include vertical streaks in the leaves. If apparent, look for the pests and squash them! If you see rot in the rhizome, dig it up and remove the affected parts. See pest tips below.
Over time, it’s not unusual for plantings of irises to become overcrowded, which causes the rhizomes to lose vitality and stop blooming. When this happens (usually every 2 to 5 years), it’s time to divide and replant healthy rhizomes in fresh soil.
When to divide? Do this task after flowering finishes, and then trim the foliage back to six inches.
Shortly after blooming (usually around midsummer), carefully dig up (lift) the clump of irises. You’ll find that the original rhizome that you planted (the “mother”) has produced several offshoot rhizomes.
Separate these rhizomes from the mother with a sharp knife and discard the mother, as it will no longer produce blooms.
Inspect the rhizomes for any rotting tissue, soft spots, or other signs of disease, removing and discarding infected parts or entire unhealthy rhizomes.
Plant these fresh rhizomes in a new bed, replant them where they were before (after adding new soil), or share them with friends and spread the joy of irises!
The tall bearded irises,Iris germanica, come in many flamboyant colors. They are generally planted in the fall. Rebloomers (remontant) varieties include:
‘Immortality’: fragrant white flowers that appear in early summer and again in late summer; hardy to Zone 4
‘Feed Back’: fragrant dark purple flowers; Zones 4 to 9
‘Earl of Essex’: white flowers, with purple edging; Zones 3 to 10
‘Jennifer Rebecca’: mauve pink flowers; Zones 4 to 9
Siberian irises, I. sibirica, also come in a range of colors. They have a more delicate beauty than the stately bearded irises, but are equally as rugged. They also tend to be more pest and disease resistant.
‘Blueberry Fair’: ruffled blue flowers; Zones 3 to 8
‘Fond Kiss’: white flowers with pink flush; Zones 3 to 8
Japanese irises, I. ensata, bear huge, flat blooms. These heavy feeders thrive on moisture during the growing season and do well around ponds; move to drier ground for fall and winter.
‘Coho’: pink flowers with golden flush; Zones 4 to 9
‘Variegata’: dark purple-reddish flowers; Zones 4 to 9
Irises as Cut Flowers
Cut flowers for arrangements when they are just showing color.
Vase life is 3 to 7 days.
Wit and Wisdom
Irises are called the “poor man’s orchids.”
The iris is depicted in the French royal standard fleur-de-lis. It is the emblem of New Orleans, Louisiana, and Florence, Italy, and the state flower of Tennessee.
Orris root, taken from the dried roots of I. germanica, is used as a scent fixative in perfumes.
Misshapen/yellow leaves; distorted flowers; leaf drop; sticky “honeydew” (excretion) on leaves; sooty, black mold
Knock off with water spray; apply insecticidal soap; inspect new plants carefully; use slow-release fertilizers; avoid excess nitrogen; encourage lacewings, lady beetles/bugs, spiders
Bacterial soft rot of iris
Dieback starts at leaf tips; leaves yellow/ wilt/separate from base; rhizomes rot; foul odor; plants may die
Cut out diseased rhizome tissue/air-dry cut surfaces for 1 to 2 days before replanting; for severe infections, destroy plants/surrounding soil (do not compost); remove plant debris regularly; disinfect tools; good air circulation; prevent plant injury; control iris borers; plant rhizomes at proper depth
Leaves/stems/ entire plants wilt, brown or blacken, and may die; water-soaked lesions on lower stems; crown/rhizome rot; fluffy, white fungal mats with mustard- seed–like balls on stems bases/nearby soil
Destroy infected parts/ plants (if severe), white fungal mats, and surrounding soil to at least 6 inches beyond plant and 8 inches deep (do not compost); remove plant debris regularly; disinfect tools; solarize soil; resistant varieties; good drainage
Yellow/ brown/gray spots with water-soaked margins on leaves/flowers; gray mold; buds remain closed; stem lesions; wilt/rot; scorched appearance (“fire”) in some plants
Destroy infected parts/ severely infected plants (do not compost); remove plant debris regularly; disinfect tools; good air circulation/ sunlight; avoid overhead watering; prevent plant stress/injury; weed; rotation
Yellow-margined, reddish brown leaf spots; brownish black powdery mass in spots; plants collapse; inky black stains on some rhizomes; rhizomes rot
Destroy infected leaves/rhizomes (do not compost); remove plant debris regularly; good air circulation; 3-year rotation
Leaf tips turn brown; pinholes chewed in leaves (caterpillar/larvae entry); holes bored in rhizomes; slimy, stinky mess at plant base and rhizome
Squash by hand or remove and discard affected foliage before pupation (and new moths, mating, eggs); inspect suspected rhizome damage, discard (burn/bury) affected ones; clean beds of plant debris after a hard frost
Iris weevils (“flag weevils”)
Beetle-like insects feed on flowers, seeds, pods of wild blue flag iris (Iris versicolor) and purple Siberian iris; deposit eggs in ovary, which pupate in seed- pod; visible when flower is in bloom
Leaf spot (“bacterial leaf spot of iris”)
Varies; water-soaked rust/black leaf spots between veins later dry/fall out, leaving holes; leaves yellow/ distort/wilt/die; stem cankers
Destroy infected parts/ severely infected plants (do not compost); remove plant debris regularly; disinfect tools; prevent plant stress/in- jury; good air circulation; avoid overhead watering
Leaf spot (fungal)
Varies; leaf spots on lower leaves enlarge and turn brown/black; fuzzy growth or pustules in lesions; disease progresses upward; leaves die
Destroy infected leaves/ severely infected plants (do not compost); remove plant debris regularly; disinfect tools; resistant varieties; good air circulation; avoid overhead watering
Leaf spot (iris)
Yellow/brown leaf spots with water-soaked/reddish brown/yellow margins dry out; black specks in lesions; leaves curl/yellow/die back from tip; poor flowering; plants weakened
Destroy infected parts (do not compost); remove debris regularly; resistant varieties; good air circulation/sun; avoid overhead watering; weed
Typically, starting on lower leaves, yellow/brown/purplish, angular spots or streaks change to dark green/brown/blackish lesions between leaf veins; dead areas may drop out; distorted/curled leaves may wilt/drop; symptoms move upward on plant; stems, buds, and flowers may also be affected; poor flowering; stunted or bushy growth
Destroy infected leaves/plants (do not compost); remove plant debris regularly; choose resistant varieties, if available; good air circulation/spacing; avoid overhead watering/keep leaves as dry as possible; weed
Roots “knotty” or galled; plants stunted/yellow/wilted/weakened; leaves and other parts may distort or die; poor flowering
Destroy infested plant debris after flowering season, including roots (do not compost); disinfect garden tools; choose resistant varieties; solarize soil; plant French marigolds(Tagetes patula) as a trap crop; rotate plantings
Nematodes (stem and bulb)
Typically, leaves turn yellow then brown/distort/blister/wilt/die; swollen stems, crowns, leaf bases; poor/distorted flowering; plants stunted/die; fluffy white masses (“nematode wool”) may be present; discolored/distorted rhizomes soften/brown/crack/die; rhizome cross-section may show brown concentric rings
destroy infested plants and those within 3 feet, including soil (do not compost); disinfect tools; choose healthy, nematode-free seed/ plants; rotate plantings every 5 years, if possible; plant green manures such as mustard and radish; weed
Irregular holes in leaves/flowers; slimy secretion on plants/soil
Handpick; avoid mulch; use copper plant collars; avoid overhead watering; lay boards on soil in evening, in morning lift and dispose of pests in hot, soapy water; drown in deep container of 1/2 inch of beer or of sugar water and yeast sunk to ground level; apply 1-inch-wide strip of diatomaceous earth around plants
Knock off with water spray; use sticky traps; beat/shake foliage/flowers; clip off unopened/infested buds and shoot tips; submerge in mixture of 7 parts water to 1 part isopropyl alcohol and discard; water adequately, avoid excess nitrogen; deadhead flowers
Verbena bud moths
Tunnels/bores into plant shoots/stalks, seeds, and buds; moths do no harm
Handpick, or cut infestations, burn infested shoots and buds
Varies; leaves with yellow/light green mottling or rings; distorted leaves/stems/flowers; flowers streaked; stunting
Destroy infected plants (do not compost); remove plant debris regularly; disinfect tools; resistant varieties/certified virus-free plants; control sap-sucking insects (aphids, whiteflies); weed
All stages suck sap on leaf undersides; leave sticky “honeydew” (excrement), sooty, black mold; yellow/silver areas on leaves; wilted/stunted plants; adults fly if disturbed; some species transmit viruses
Remove infested leaves/ plants; use handheld vacuum to remove pests; knock off leaf under- sides with water spray in morning/evening; set yellow sticky traps; apply insecticidal soap; invite beneficial insects and hummingbirds with native plants; weed; reflective mulch | <urn:uuid:03d1b138-e6c6-479c-a440-92f67827ebad> | CC-MAIN-2023-50 | http://bathroomremodelglendale.com/irises.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-50/segments/1700679100762.64/warc/CC-MAIN-20231208144732-20231208174732-00723.warc.gz | en | 0.887793 | 3,444 | 3.453125 | 3 |
This is how I recommend that students structure their home music practise. I encourage you to schedule daily practise to ensure that it gets done. Please record the practise time in the Student Portal once it has been completed.
If I have assigned some theory worksheets, then getting them out of the way early on means they won’t be forgotten!
2. Warm Up
All technical work (warm ups, scales, arpeggios and other exercises) assigned / required for their level.
Go through all assigned pieces and work on areas that need extra attention. Simply playing a song through from beginning to end over and over does NOT fix problem areas! Nor does stopping at the problem spot and starting over fix a problem. It just makes you even better at the beginning of the song.
To fix areas that need improvement (which will typically be marked on the piece and mentioned in the lesson notes):
- Isolate the particular problem area, e.g. play the single bar or phrase hands separately.
- When the bar can be played correctly hands separately, bring the hands together.
- If the problem has been solved, play it through a few more times, then move on.
- If not, return to playing hands separately a few more times before trying together again.
- When the bar can be played, move on to a bigger unit, such as the phrase it belongs to.
- If the whole phrase can be played correctly, play it through a few more times for good luck, then move on.
- If not, return to playing the single bar hands together a few more times before trying the whole phrase again.
- Continue moving up to bigger and bigger sections of the song that contain the problem area.
- Finally, play the whole song from beginning to end.
Take advantage of technology!
Many lesson books come with CDs that allow you to listen to how the song should be played. Please make use of these!
I am increasingly making use of beginner series that offer technology to practise along with at home that can be slowed down and sped up as progress is made, such as books available in Piano Maestro, or for those without an iPad the Bastien New Traditions series has software that can be downloaded onto a computer. If a student can’t remember what they learned that week, at the very least they can listen to and try to play along with the songs (so they can hear when what they are playing doesn’t match with the recording). Piano Maestro will help prompt them with what the correct note should be if they use the Learn mode (best option) or try the song with the Hold on.
For exam pieces, YouTube recordings likewise exist that show how the song should be played (I recommend those by Alan Chan). I will often show these to students during the lesson, and may put links in the lesson notes for them to watch again at home. Listening again to these recordings at home or watching the videos is very important to help the student understand what they are aiming for. When they can play along with the recording, they have mastered the main parts of the song in terms of correct notes, rhythm and speed (there may also be elements of dynamics, phrasing, touch, pedal use etc to be addressed..)
4. Aural practise
For students preparing for exams which have aural components, aural practice will be required. For students in Grades 1 and higher with access to an iPad, this can be done using the free “AMEB Aural Book” app.
I will usually provide notes on other ways to practise for aural tests at home.
5. Piano Maestro free play / Free play of other songs
I try to find out from students what types of songs they like and am happy to source additional songs for them to play for fun. If you use Piano Maestro, please do let your child spend some time exploring the plethora of songs available there – it is great sight reading practise, and there is a wide range of songs to suit all interests and levels, even to quite advanced levels!
I encourage you to also source music for them, by going to a music store and purchasing a book or sheet music, or you can purchase individual songs online from music publishers (G Major Music Theory offers some free piano sheet music for beginners through to intermediate level). I can either recommend what “level” of book they would need to look for (“Easy” piano does not apply to beginners, but to students who have passed several exams!), or else take your lesson book with you and the staff can assist with pointing you to the relevant section. After all, the whole point of learning to play is enjoying music! | <urn:uuid:3bfdc3cb-6ed0-4fff-b100-c15a199b9025> | CC-MAIN-2021-39 | https://www.musicwithsimone.com.au/music-lessons/practise/daily-practise-plan/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2021-39/segments/1631780057857.27/warc/CC-MAIN-20210926083818-20210926113818-00445.warc.gz | en | 0.95408 | 969 | 2.796875 | 3 |
Minnesota Severe Weather Awareness Alerts and Warnings
This is Severe Weather Awareness Week in Minnesota. April 12 through April 16, 2021. Each day of the week a different topic has been chosen to highlight in an effort to educate us about dangers during severe weather.
Homeland Security and Emergency Management (HSEM), a division of the Minnesota Department of Public Safety has chosen the week and messages to be delivered to us.
We are fortunate to live in an age and country where our technology can now communicate with us almost anywhere and give us advanced warnings of impending hazards or other important information.
Knowing where and how you can receive the warnings and what to do when you get them can mean the difference between life and death.
Rice County and the City of Faribault both use the Everbridge Alert System to notify people when severe weather is possible or happening.
A severe thunderstorm or tornado watch means conditions are right for severe thunderstorms or tornadoes to develop. You should make sure everything is ready in case a warning is issued.
Have a kit ready in case you must seek shelter. The weather kit should include extra batteries, blankets, shoes, water and snacks in case you are trapped for awhile.
A severe thunderstorm or tornado warning means severe weather is imminent and you should seek shelter immediately.
This would be a great time to sign up for Everbridge. Officials tell us not enough people have signed up for the emergency message alert system.
Remember outdoor sirens are designed to warn anyone who is outdoors . Once they hear the siren they should tune to local radio and find out why the siren has been sounded.
It will take just a few minutes.
Some interesting weather information.
KEEP READING: Get answers to 51 of the most frequently asked weather questions... | <urn:uuid:a7aeeefa-9c7e-4cf0-a140-a74e893bdc43> | CC-MAIN-2023-06 | https://krforadio.com/minnesota-severe-weather-awareness-alerts-and-warnings/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-06/segments/1674764499816.79/warc/CC-MAIN-20230130101912-20230130131912-00314.warc.gz | en | 0.939037 | 367 | 2.875 | 3 |
Diseases of peony
The peony is one of the most popular and showy of the garden perennials grown in Minnesota landscapes. Peonies can be healthy, vigorous and disease-free if grown on a favorable site that includes full sun, good air circulation, adequate water, and good drainage. However, in a year with excessive rain or if planted on a less than ideal site, peonies may suffer from disease. Diseases must be properly identified and their biology understood if they are to be successfully managed.
Managing Disease: Prevent and Protect
It is very difficult to stop any disease in the season it appears. Prevention through proper site selection, cultural management and good sanitation is by far the most important step in reducing the incidence and spread of disease. Cultural measures such as improving air circulation, watering midday and watering only at the base of the plant (don't get the leaves wet) will greatly reduce infection.
Sanitation--or removal of any spent flower blooms, infected buds, leaves and stems--is best done during a dry, calm time of the day. It is very important to clean your pruner by dipping in 10% bleach solution or by spraying it with 70% rubbing alcohol after cutting off diseased plant material and prior to pruning any healthy plants. Carefully dispose of any infected plant material. Do not discard this debris in your compost pile.
In the fall, cut any diseased plants back to the ground or just below the ground and dispose of the infected material. Add well-composted organic material as a light mulch in early fall to help add nutrients and improve the soil. This organic compost can be lightly worked into the top inch or two of soil.
Fungicides help protect plants from disease; however, they are not very effective at "curing" a problem once it has started. A fungicide can be applied to protect new shoots, leaves and buds from infection. For optimum results, apply early in the season, spraying to thoroughly cover all plant parts including the base of the plant. Carefully follow label directions.
Figure 1. Gray, fuzzy spores are characteristic of Botrytis blight.
The fungus Botrytis cinerea attacks stems, buds and leaves. This disease can appear at any time of the growing season, but is most common in cloudy, rainy weather. It begins early in the spring when the shoots are about six inches tall. Young stalks discolor at the base, wilt, and fall over. This wilt and shoot death may continue throughout the summer if conditions are wet. Other symptoms during the growing season include large, irregularly shaped spots on leaves and brown flower buds that are covered with a mass of gray, fuzzy fungal spores. The fuzzy fungal spores, produced after rain or watering, are characteristic of Botrytis infection (Figure 1).
Good sanitation (including prompt removal of spent flower blooms) and following the cultural recommendations above will greatly reduce Botrytis problems. Fungicides are of limited effectiveness against this disease, but basic copper sulfate or Mancozeb can be applied early in the season when shoots are about six inches tall to help protect the plant. Spray all plant parts to thoroughly wet foliage and soil. Read and follow all label directions.
Figure 2. Phytophthora blight often invades the crown and causes a wet rot.
The symptoms of blight caused by this fungus, Phytophthora cactorum, may be confused with the symptoms produced by Botrytis sp. The stems, leaves, and buds can be affected by both diseases. However, with Phytophthora blight, there is no felty growth or sporulation on the plant surface when in a wet environment. Infected parts become dark brown or black and somewhat leathery. The entire shoot may turn black and die (Figure 2). Cankers may appear along the stems and cause them to fall over. While Botrytis sp seldom invades the crown, Phytophthora sp often does, causing a wet rot to develop and destroy the entire plant. Because infections of this disease generally occur in the roots and lower portions of the stem, spraying with fungicides is of little value. Confirmed cases should be removed and destroyed, together with adjacent soil. Planting healthy clumps in new locations where the soil is well drained usually prevents further trouble.
Leaf and Stem Spots
Several fungal organisms are capable of causing spots of varying sizes and colors on peony. These organisms may affect stems, leaves, bud scales, and flower petals. Most infections occur when the plant is still young and the leaf and stem tissues are very succulent. Spots may appear as small elongate reddish areas that enlarge to lesions with gray centers and reddish borders and may develop into extensive zonate cankers. Cankers on stems may cause twisting or, if the stem is very young, it may be killed. Spots on the leaf may occur along the veins as well as on the tissue between the veins and on the petioles. Buds also may be "blasted" (destroyed) when the bud scales and outer petals become infected.
Another disease appears as small, circular, red discolored spots occurring first on the leaves. A number of the spots may run together so that the leaves appear irregularly blotched. The under-surface becomes light brown (chestnut color) while the upper surface remains a dark glossy purple. On young stems the spots appear as reddish brown streaks. All parts of the plants may be infected and during severe drought conditions infected leaf cells are killed. Leaf and stem spots may be controlled best by removing old top material in the fall, cutting the stems at ground level and destroying those parts. Thorough sanitation should adequately control these diseases.
If some peony shoots wilt, yet the basal parts look perfectly sound, your plant may be suffering from Verticillium wilt. A soil-borne fungus (Verticillium albo-atrum) causes this disease. If you prune off the wilted shoot near the base and look at it in cross-section, you will see that the water conducting system inside the stem has turned brown. Verticillium sp is a destructive fungus and nearly impossible to kill because it lives in the soil. Because of this, if you have a confirmed case of Verticillium wilt (check with your county extension office), remove and destroy the infected plant. Do not replant with another peony or other plant susceptible to Verticillium sp.
Sclerotinia sclerotiorum can cause stem rot on peony as well as on many different herbaceous plants found in the garden. The entire plant or portion of the plant may wilt. The infected part of the stem turns a light tan color and may become dry and stringy. Fluffy white mycelium often appears under humid conditions, thus the name, white mold. Slice the stem lengthwise to help you diagnose this disease. Various sizes of irregularly shaped, hard black sclerotia may be found inside the tan area of the stem. Sclerotia are the overwintering structures for this fungus and they can survive for many years in the soil. Remove and dispose of any infected plant parts being careful to not drop the sclerotia. Sclerotinia is a soil-inhabiting fungus that is nearly impossible to remove. Replant infested areas with nonsusceptible plants. Wider spacing to improve air circulation will minimize infection by this fungus.
Figure 3. Mosaic virus is one of several attacking peony. | <urn:uuid:e560f000-ef8c-4d7d-8398-6af666cbdaea> | CC-MAIN-2015-35 | http://www.extension.umn.edu/Garden/yard-garden/flowers/diseases-of-peony/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2015-35/segments/1440644065375.30/warc/CC-MAIN-20150827025425-00015-ip-10-171-96-226.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.937655 | 1,562 | 3.5 | 4 |
Federal Communications Commission Aviation Jurisdiction
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is not normally associated with aviation jurisdiction other than perhaps the issuance of radiotelephone station/operator licenses. However, the FCC is an independent Federal Agency which has been entitled by Congress to regulate and enforce a broad range of aviation matters. This lesson was created as a primer for the aviation law student or a refresher for the legal professional working in the aviation field. At the completion of this lesson the student should be knowledgeable of the scope and authority of FCC jurisdiction in aviation matters.
(Any interpretations or opinions presented in this lesson represent those of the author alone)
On completion of the lesson, the student will be able to:
1. Explain the authority and function of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) as a governmental agency responsible for aviation regulation and oversight in the United States. | <urn:uuid:14f979e4-f905-4dee-8ec4-339c956552f4> | CC-MAIN-2021-43 | https://cali.org/lesson/9488 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2021-43/segments/1634323587854.13/warc/CC-MAIN-20211026072759-20211026102759-00516.warc.gz | en | 0.938253 | 176 | 3.234375 | 3 |
Abee Meteorite thin section specimen. The photos were taken under blue cross polarized light. Abee is an example of the enstatite chondrite class of meteorites. The E Type chondrites are know for their reduced state and contain very little oxidized iron. Instead the iron is either metallic or joined with sulfur. They are mostly composed of their namesake magnesium rich orthopyroxene silicate mineral, enstatite. For more information see page 115 in Norton’s The Cambridge Encyclopedia of Meteorites.
View Meteorite Thin Section Panoramas: | <urn:uuid:2661f4cd-6572-40aa-8ebe-bd044451a8ae> | CC-MAIN-2019-22 | https://solaranamnesis.com/category/enstatite/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2019-22/segments/1558232259327.59/warc/CC-MAIN-20190526165427-20190526191427-00275.warc.gz | en | 0.862855 | 116 | 2.515625 | 3 |
Getting a grip on data sharing requires understanding shared storage, shared data, data access, and data movement techniques.
Jim Tummins, Durk Watts, and Brad Stamas
Not so long ago, it was popular for relatively independent departments within an enterprise to process and manage their own data--in effect creating islands of data and information. In today`s business environments, these islands have become liabilities. Instead, "interoperability" among departmental servers has become critical. Sharing data throughout the enterprise can provide complete, accurate, and consistent information for timely business decisions.
In concept, data sharing represents a significant opportunity in today`s enterprise. However, data sharing is often poorly understood and difficult to implement. A clear understanding of the issues involved enables better evaluation of available and future solutions.
There are several ways to share data, few of which represent "true" data sharing, where a single copy of data is available to everyone. For a variety of reasons, the techniques are fundamentally software-based.
Data sharing defined
Data sharing is the process of accessing information by multiple applications or users (see figure). This high-level definition is generally accepted in the industry. However, there may be differing views, which result from subtleties among storage, data, and information definitions. The result is a great deal of confusion. That said, various elements are driving the need for data sharing today:
- Rapid growth of duplicated information
- Increased interdependency among mission-critical applications
- Conversions from one platform to another
- Application growth on new platforms
- Increased heterogeneity
- Persistence of legacy systems
- Need to be current
- Growth of and dependency on data marts and warehouses
- High costs of data administration and storage management
Essentially, the need for data sharing is driven by the multiplicity of applications hosted on multiple types of platforms and operating on related information. As a result, organizations are saddled with high administration and support costs (for duplicate storage resources, multiple management products, multiple systems administration efforts, etc.), which prevent new applications from being introduced.
To learn how to implement data sharing--and to uncover potential constraints--it is important to first understand how data is accessed from storage devices.
There are three basic methods of access: raw, file-system, and database. All three require knowledge of both logical and physical data structures; the configuration, capabilities and geometry of the storage devices; and I/O protocols used by each storage device. The forms of data access differ from each other in terms of the degree and type of assistance provided to the application, with raw access offering the least assistance and database access offering the most.
All forms, however, rely on the operating system`s block I/O services, which provide a low-level bridge between the operating system and the physical storage devices. All systems have some form of block I/O services (e.g., the SCSI driver on Unix platforms or the I/O subsystem on MVS platforms).
The three forms of access also provide different access control mechanisms, caching services, and lock management services. Each form also generates unique meta-data for the organization and access of data under its control.
The result is distinct domains of data, i.e., database, file-systems, and raw access. Applications access data in these domains through data-access service layers using the layer`s API.
Application access to stored data is defined and controlled by the data-access service provider, such as a file system or database. Therefore, multiple applications that need access to data controlled by a particular data-access service must have an interface with that service.
This distinction is taken one step further with file systems and databases. For example, DB2 and Oracle employ different APIs, logical structures, ways of relating data items to one another, and so forth. As a result, Oracle data is different from DB2 data, and Oracle can`t be used to access data under DB2`s control. Vendors, not just platforms, further segregate data domains.
In the past, no single platform could provide all possible data-access services sufficiently and simultaneously. Different factors drove the development, implementation, and use of applications. Consequently, applications, their data, and their dependent data access services tended to coalesce on individual platforms--hence the model of multiple, specialized data servers, which continues to be used in most organizations today. For example, there may be one or more file servers, an e-mail server, database server, etc. In this environment, processing platforms, storage devices, applications, and administration tools are generally distinct from one another.
Operating with distinct data servers results in distinct storage resources, which means multiple vendors, management methodologies, and maintenance approaches.
Shared storage addresses a number of problems associated with distinct data servers. Benefits accrue (arguably) due to economies of scale, a single storage supplier, reduced administration, reduced amount of storage, flexible allocation, and ease of upgrade.
Shared storage objectives include:
- Providing shared physical storage assets for multiple users
- Lower price and total cost of ownership
- Just-in-time capacity management (re-assign capacity to new hosts as requirements change)
- Storage-based assists (such as remote dual copy)
- Enabling centralized physical storage management
- Leveraging existing resources and procedures
- Standardizing storage management procedures
Shared storage allows independent disk storage to be aggregated and centralized. Storage capacity is shared, but data is not. While different data types reside within the same physical storage subsystem, partitioned storage by itself does not enable data sharing. However, shared storage is a requisite step for data sharing.
For data to be shared by multiple applications, the applications must be able to access common or equivalent data. Multiple-application access to data can be supported through solutions that either enable access to a single instance of data, called data access, or through solutions that enable applications access to equivalent images of data, referred to as data movement (see figure below).
While multiple-application access to a single instance of data may appear to be the most efficient solution (due to reduced storage space and administration), it often isn`t (due to technical complexity). Instead, many organizations employ both data access and data movement solutions to enable data to be used by multiple applications.
One approach to data sharing is through data-access services. This method is used by Network File System (NFS), databases, many client/server applications, and clustered processing systems. Methods of this type are often described as "true" or "direct" data sharing because only a single, common instance of data is shared among multiple applications. However, these methods provide "true" data sharing only to applications that use APIs defined by their own data-access services. Data-access sharing techniques are fundamentally software-based.
In contrast, data movement, otherwise known as "indirect" data sharing, uses tools to copy data from one location to another so that other applications can access equivalent data.
The tools differ from one another in terms of sophistication (e.g., direction of data movement, granularity of information moved, selected data movement versus bulk data movement, ability to transform data, and ability to synchronize independent data stores). See the sidebar for a list of available data movement utilities.
At first glance, the data-access approach may appear to be the better choice since only one copy of data is involved, which means lower storage and administration costs. However, this approach is complex and can be expensive. In contrast, data movement methods are generally less complex to implement and often offer better performance than data-access alternatives.
In fact, according to surveys conducted by Gartner Group and other consulting firms, the use of data movement tools is increasing. This is in part due to increased use of software that allows near-real-time and asynchronous access of equivalent data.
No silver bullet
No single method addresses data sharing across all platforms and application architectures. However, a wide range of methods is available--each enabling data sharing within defined and limited contexts.
The method of choice depends on the purpose of the application, type of host and storage platform, level of data-access granularity, degree of access protection needed, level of data coherency needed across multiple data stores or applications, and kind of dependencies that exist within the data to be shared-not to mention cost and performance issues.
The block I/O interface (SCSI, ESCON, etc.) makes it possible to move blocks between the host and storage devices. Without interpreting the data contained within a block, it is impossible to know the relationship between any two blocks, which sequences of blocks comprise a file, which application is accessing data, or how to provide access control.
From a purely physical view, data sharing faces obstacles. For example, to share data via a storage device, the device must assume some of the functions of data access services. And if the storage device supports data sharing through data movement methods, an understanding of the logical organization of source and target data is needed.
The next opportunity beyond data sharing is providing intelligent information management and information accessing services. To that end, storage systems need to become more intelligent, assuming storage management and access management roles. This process began with advanced storage controllers and will continue with storage-area-network technologies.
Data sharing is the process of accessing information from multiple applications or users.
Applications can access data via raw access, file system access, or database access.
Data access enables application access to a single instance of data, while data movement techniques enable applications to access equivalent images of data.
Data movement methods and tools
The Gartner Group, an IT consulting firm in Stamford, CT, distinguishes several types of data movement utilities:
File transfer programs move entire files in one direction, from System A to System B.
Copy management tools physically move entire files, subsets of files, or databases in one direction from System A to System B. Copy management tools may utilize file transfer programs. These tools provide capabilities to better schedule file movement (as opposed to user-generated scripts used with file management tools).
Replication uses database logs or triggers to identify changes since last replication interval. Changes are sent as insert, update or delete transactions from source to target. Replication is commonly supported in a homogeneous environment (e.g., Oracle to Oracle, Notes to Notes, etc.)
Data propagation tools move all changes (as opposed to net changes) between heterogeneous environments, including non-relational and relational. These tools support data transformation functions, such as date formats.
Data synchronization tools exchange differences between two data stores to achieve information synchronization. Data transformation is also supported. Synchronization tools are generally used when two or more independently updated data stores need to be synchronized periodically.
Extraction and transformation tools are designed to support efficient bulk movement of information from one platform to another.
Jim Tummins and Durk Watts are technical marketing managers and Brad Stamas is a consulting analyst for communication and I/O technologies, at Storage Technology Corp., in Louisville, CO. | <urn:uuid:d21b9193-6c35-4096-acfd-7a2cba973a9b> | CC-MAIN-2018-09 | http://www.infostor.com/index/articles/display/56524/articles/infostor/volume-3/issue-3/news-analysis-trends/data-sharing.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2018-09/segments/1518891812855.47/warc/CC-MAIN-20180219231024-20180220011024-00281.warc.gz | en | 0.913036 | 2,285 | 3.140625 | 3 |
A new study of 296 women by the University of Kent’s School of Anthropology and Conservation, has found that those giving birth to a baby boy are 79% more likely to experience postnatal depression (PND), compared with women having a baby girl. Additionally, women whose births had complications were 174% more likely to experience PND compared to those women who had no complications.
The researchers decided to assess whether there was a relationship between the sex of infants and PND because of the known link between inflammatory immune response and the development of depressive symptoms. Both the gestation of male foetuses and the experience of birth complications, have documented associations with increased inflammation, but until this study, their relationships with PND were unclear. Many known risk factors for depressive symptoms are now being associated with activation of inflammatory pathways in the body.
(Male infants and birth complications are associated with increased incidence of postnatal depression. Social Science & Medicine, January 2019. Accessed on line 8 November 2018.)
Robin’s comment: Women with a tendency towards depression and anxiety are known to be at increased risk of postnatal depression. Perhaps one day we will be advising these women, when pregnant, especially if they know they are carrying a boy, to tilt towards the (anti-inflammatory) Mediterranean diet. See my article of 26 September 2018 under Depression. | <urn:uuid:8035aa2a-8364-4954-b7a0-ca4e4058cdf8> | CC-MAIN-2019-13 | http://www.acupuncture-exeter.co.uk/postnatal-depression-more-likely-after-having-a-baby-boy/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2019-13/segments/1552912201672.12/warc/CC-MAIN-20190318191656-20190318213656-00412.warc.gz | en | 0.973243 | 271 | 3.109375 | 3 |
An excerpt from www.HouseOfNames.com archives copyright © 2000 - 2015
Origins Available: Irish, Scottish
Where did the Scottish Mullikin family come from? What is the Scottish Mullikin family crest and coat of arms? When did the Mullikin family first arrive in the United States? Where did the various branches of the family go? What is the Mullikin family history?Among the the peoples of ancient Scotland, the first to use the name Mullikin were the Strathclyde- Britons. Mullikin was a name for someone who lived in Wigtown, a former royal burgh in the Machars of Galloway in the south west of Scotland. This burgh is first mentioned in an indenture of 1292, and the fact that the sheriffdom was in existence at the time of the Largs campaign of 1263 suggests that the burgh may also have been recognized as such during the reign of Alexander III.
Medieval Scottish names are rife with spelling variations. This is due to the fact that scribes in that era spelled according to the sound of words, rather than any set of rules. Mullikin has been spelled Milligan, Millicen, Millicken, Milliken, Milligan and many more.
First found in Wigtownshire (Gaelic: Siorrachd Bhaile na h-Uige), formerly a county in southwestern Scotland, now part of the Council Area of Dumfries and Galloway, where they held a family seat from early times and their first records appeared on the early census rolls taken by the early Kings of Scotland to determine the rate of taxation of their subjects.
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Mullikin research. Another 211 words(15 lines of text) covering the years 1296, 1526, 1612, and 1688 are included under the topic Early Mullikin History in all our PDF Extended History products.
More information is included under the topic Early Mullikin Notables in all our PDF Extended History products.
Some of the Mullikin family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. Another 227 words(16 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products.
Many Scots were left with few options other than to leave their homeland for the colonies across the Atlantic. Some of these families fought to defend their newfound freedom in the American War of Independence. Others went north to Canada as United Empire Loyalists. The ancestors of all of these families have recently been able to rediscover their roots through Clan societies and other Scottish organizations. Among them:
Mullikin Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
Mullikin Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.
Motto: Regarde Bien
Motto Translation: Attend well.
The Mullikin Family Crest was acquired from the Houseofnames.com archives. The Mullikin Family Crest was drawn according to heraldic standards based on published blazons. We generally include the oldest published family crest once associated with each surname.
This page was last modified on 4 February 2015 at 19:03. | <urn:uuid:5694168b-4853-4ca8-b275-40d602e66fd3> | CC-MAIN-2015-32 | https://www.houseofnames.com/mullikin-family-crest | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2015-32/segments/1438042989126.22/warc/CC-MAIN-20150728002309-00135-ip-10-236-191-2.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.96423 | 765 | 3.1875 | 3 |
Have your students engage with the people, issues, and events surrounding the Civil Rights Movement! Generate excitement and engagement in your classroom as your students learn about this important era in United States History.
This packet has a 30 question Study Guide covering the CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT. I have included five highly interdependent cooperative group activities using the STUDY GUIDE. They are structured to motivate students to be engaged with one another as well as content.
Five different games are also included. You are shown how to play all of the games with the STUDY GUIDE provided. Every game is fast-paced and generate a lot of enthusiasm from students. After playing them, you will see that you can use the structure of these games for any classroom content.
Every cooperative group activity and game comes with full instructions and the sheets needed to do them in the classroom.
ACTIVITY 1: The Bump Game
ACTIVITY 2: Interdependent Cooperative Group Share-Sheets
ACTIVITY 3: Interdependent Cooperative Group Crossword Puzzles
ACTIVITY 4: Interdependent Cooperative Answer Sheets
ACTIVITY 5: Round Robin Review Game
ACTIVITY 6: Interdependent Cooperative Group Divided Questions
ACTIVITY 7: Wipeout Game
ACTIVITY 8: Interdependent Cooperative Group Questions and Answers
ACTIVITY 9: Got to Hand it to You Game
ACTIVITY 10: Three Strikes and You’re Out Game
All activities come with Answer Keys.
You can purchase some of the ACTIVITY PACK’S individual Cooperative Group Activities here:
Civil Rights Movement Interdependent Share-Sheets
Civil Rights Movement Interdependent Divided Questions
Civil Rights Movement Interdependent Crossword Puzzles
Civil Rights Movement Interdependent Answer Sheets
Check out related topics:
Slavery in America: Study Guide and Activity Pack
Reconstruction: Study Guide and Activity Pack
The Bill of Rights: Study Guide and Activity Pack
The Civil War: Study Guide and Activity Pack
West African Empires: Study Guide and Activity Pack
The Causes of the Civil War: Study Guide and Activity Pack
Roaring Twenties: Study Guide and Activity Pack
Vietnam War: Study Guide and Activity Pack
The Progressive Era: Study Guide and Activity Pack
Enlightenment and the Age of Reason: Study Guide and Activity Pack
Check these other products out:
The Civil Rights Movement and the Montgomery Bus Boycott: What Happens Next?
The Civil Rights Movement and the Little Rock Nine: What Happens Next?
The Civil Rights Movement and the Nashville Sit-Ins: What Happens Next?
The Civil Rights Movement and the Freedom Riders: What Happens Next?
The Civil Rights Movement and Freedom Summer: What Happens Next?
The Road to the Civil War and the Dred Scott Decision: What Happens Next?
John Brown and the Harper’s Ferry Raid: What Happens Next? | <urn:uuid:7aba801c-a18e-41c7-bae4-8cdf595499f4> | CC-MAIN-2018-47 | https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Civil-Rights-Movement-Study-Guide-and-Activity-Pack-1612332 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2018-47/segments/1542039742963.17/warc/CC-MAIN-20181115223739-20181116005739-00446.warc.gz | en | 0.819891 | 606 | 4 | 4 |
The pancreas is a five to six inch gland located behind the stomach. The pancreas produces enzymes that are used for digestion, and insulin, which is essential for life because it regulates the use of blood sugar throughout the body.
Common Diseases That May Lead to Transplantation
United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) is committed to providing accurate and reliable information for transplant patients. The content on this page was originally created on August 1, 2003 by UNOS and last modified on December 20, 2007.
This Web site is intended solely for the purpose of electronically providing the public with general health-related information and convenient access to the data resources. UNOS is not affiliated with any one product nor does UNOS assume responsibility for any error, omissions or other discrepancies. | <urn:uuid:39727b4e-d76e-47ad-bb2e-2cf8f20c9471> | CC-MAIN-2014-23 | http://www.transplantliving.org/before-the-transplant/organ-facts/pancreas/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2014-23/segments/1405997878518.58/warc/CC-MAIN-20140722025758-00053-ip-10-33-131-23.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.936221 | 159 | 2.734375 | 3 |
This knitting guide will help beginner knitters who come to simple-knitting. This page breaks down exactly what you need to know to start knitting today.
And this page is also for those of you who only want to learn the basic knitting stitches. Maybe some of you want to learn enough to make some easy knitted gifts and this page is for you too.
The knitting guide is a condensed version of exactly what you need to do to start knitting stitches now. Once you've conquered these the rest will fall into place.
And when you've worked through this guide you'll even be able to try some very simple knitting patterns so you can practice what you learned. These patterns will make great knitted gifts too!
Ready to Get Started? Great, here we go...
1. The first thing you need to do is purchase some yarn. What kind? A medium worsted weight yarn (4) will be best to work with. And make sure to pick a light color so it'll be easier to see your stitches.
Some great yarns to try are Patons Canadiana, Red Heart Super Saver or Red Heart Soft and Bernat Super Value Yarn. These are all very popular and have a variety of colors to choose from.
Next you'll need to purchase size US 8 or 9 (5mm or 5.5mm) knitting needles. These are the easiest to handle when you're learning.
Note: You don't have to buy the super long knitting needles right now unless you want too. The shorter straight knitting needles will work just fine and won't be so cumbersome.
When you have time you can read all about the beginning knitting steps on my getting started page. It's covers choosing yarn and needles.
Also please keep in mind that this is a beginners guide to knitting only. You can find instructions for everything on my knitting instructions page.
2 & 3. The first two knitting lessons are to make a slip knot and cast on knitting stitches. (Just click on the links) Choose a cast on you like. My two favorites are the long tail cast on and the knitted cast on. Cast on about 20 or 30 stitches to practice.
All done? Great!
4. Next you need to learn how to knit the knit stitch, the funnest stitch and my favorite stitch.
Keep practicing knitting stitches until you feel comfortable and then you can move on to number five of this knitting guide.
Note: Knitting every stitch on every row is called Garter stitch
5. The next knitting guide lesson is to learn how to purl stitches.
6. When you finish practicing the knitting and purling lessons you need to learn how to cast off. It's also known as binding off. Casting off stitches is a simple way to take the live stitches off your needle.
This six step knitting guide gave you the foundation you need to keep on knitting or to enjoy where you're at right now.
And even now there are some pretty awesome knitting patterns you can do.
Even my friend Tink here loves this knitting guide and the first knitting pattern, the easiest ever hat pattern. Well have a look for yourself.
She just has to show off her new knitting skills!
The knitting patterns below are very simple and contain everything you learned in my knitting guide:
Even the knit sweater pattern below is wonderful for beginners because all you need to do is knit a rectangle. It sounds ridiculous but it works perfectly.
All these patterns and in fact the rest of them on my knitting patterns page are simple and I hope you enjoy them. Some are more challenging but it's important to challenge yourself.
You may also enjoy trying some of my knitting stitch patterns. These aren't actual patterns but rather stitch patterns that create texture and pretty designs.
These will be great knitting practice for you.
I hope this knitting guide simplified how to start knitting and most of all helped you with your knitting.
I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. If you make a purchase through one of my links I may receive a small commission. This will not affect the purchase price and you will not pay more when you buy through my link. | <urn:uuid:81ff6af3-28d4-4271-bb76-ba94765127c1> | CC-MAIN-2020-50 | https://www.simple-knitting.com/knitting-guide.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-50/segments/1606141195687.51/warc/CC-MAIN-20201128155305-20201128185305-00354.warc.gz | en | 0.933079 | 880 | 2.53125 | 3 |
There is an interesting folktale about how the order of the 12 animals was determined. Once upon a time, the 12 animals quarreled about the order of the cycle. Because every one wanted to take the lead, no decision was made. Finally the animals agreed to ask the Jade Emperor, the ruler of all gods in Chinese mythology, to decide the order. The Jade Emperor decreed to hold a competition. The animals would run across a river, and each animal’s position in the cycle would be set by its place in the race.
At that time the cat and the rat were very close friends. The cat wanted to take up a position in the cycle, but he was a sleepy head. So the cat told the rat to wake him up the next morning. The rat promised to do so, but the next morning he was so excited about the competition that he forgot to wake up the cat.
All the other animals gathered at the bank of a river, and the race began. The rat jumped into the ox's ear without being noticed. Just as the ox was about to reach the opposite side of the river, the rat jumped out of his ear, won the race and became the lead sign of the cycle. The ox became the second, and the others also reached the bank one after another. The pig, lazy and slow, ended up last. The cat didn't wake up until the race was over, but it was too late, and he was not able to make it into the cycle. From then on, the cat and the rat became enemies. The cat hates the rat so much that every time they meet the cat chases and tries to kill the rat. That's probably the origin of Disney cartoon - Tom and Jerry(Just kidding!). | <urn:uuid:f07faba8-5474-409d-8302-172135134d9c> | CC-MAIN-2015-11 | http://www.chinahighlights.com/travelguide/chinese-zodiac/story.asp | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2015-11/segments/1424936465599.34/warc/CC-MAIN-20150226074105-00029-ip-10-28-5-156.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.988432 | 359 | 2.859375 | 3 |
The official currency in Barbados is the Barbadian dollar which has been used since 1935. Presently, its ISO 4217 code is BBD. The abbreviation for the Barbadian Dollar is “$,” or sometimes, to avoid confusion with other currencies having dollar denominations, it is “BDs$.” The subdivision of the Barbadian dollar is 100 cents. According to Standard $ Poor’s, the international rating of the Barbadian dollar on on October 22, 2010 was “BBB-/A-3.”
History of Barbadian dollar
The history of Barbadian dollar goes alongside that of the Eastern Caribbean territories in Britain. The large portion of currency that was circulating during the late nineteenth century was the silver pieces of eight. The silver pieces of eight were initially the Spanish dollars and Mexican dollars. In 1821, there was the adoption of the gold standard in Britain. In 1848, Barbados adopted the British sterling following the imperial order-in-council in 1838. In 1873, there was an international crisis of silver which led to the demonetization of the silver piece of eight that was still circulating alongside the British coins in Barbados. The demonetization took place in 1879, and resulted in the conversion rate of 4 shillings 2 pence a dollar. The first dollar denomination currency in Barbados was the banknotes and was introduced in 1882. The dollar did not have any subdivisions and it circulated alongside the sterling and the 1 pound notes that the government issued in 1917. There were also private notes with sterling denominations which began to circulate from 1920 with the conversion rate of 4 shillings 2 pence a dollar.
The official tie of the Barbados currency with the ones of Eastern Caribbean territories of Britain took place from 1949, following the introduction of the British West Indies dollar. The government of Barbados gave out the paper money dollar denominations between 1938 and 1949. In 1955, there was the introduction of a decimal coinage which replaced the British sterling coinage. There was also a replacement of the British West Indies dollar by the East Caribbean dollar in 1965.
The Central Bank of Barbados created the Barbadian dollar in May 1972. The dollar replaced the East Carribean dollar in 1973 and was pegged to the US dollar from July 5, 1975, with the conversion rate of two Barbados dollar for one US dollar.
Coins of the Barbadian dollar
The first coinage of the Barbadian dollar after the currency’s introduction in 1973 was in the denominations of 1¢ which was struck in bronze until 1991 and copper plated zinc afterward, 5¢ which was struck in brass, 10¢, 25¢, and $1. The 10¢, 25¢, and $1 denominations were struck in cupronickel.
Barbadian Dollar Banknotes
The first banknotes of 5 dollars were introduced in 1882 by the Colonial Bank. Later, in 1920, the bank issued 20 and 100 notes while the Barclays Bank which took over the Colonial Bank introduced the 5, 20 and 100 dollar notes in 1922. However, in 1940, issuance of the 5 dollar notes continued until 1949 while other denominations stopped production. The banknotes that are circulating currently are the 2, 5, 10, 20, 50, and 100 dollar notes.
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Your Harvard CitationRemember to italicize the title of this article in your Harvard citation. | <urn:uuid:f6cc72ba-4842-4306-8eb3-4586da150820> | CC-MAIN-2019-51 | https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/what-is-the-currency-of-barbados.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2019-51/segments/1575540536855.78/warc/CC-MAIN-20191212023648-20191212051648-00429.warc.gz | en | 0.955732 | 709 | 3.203125 | 3 |
How to Teach Your Dog to Pivotby Kea Grace
Pivoting, a flashy skill commonly seen in the canine sports of freestyle, obedience, rally and agility, requires your dog to change directions by moving his rear end and keeping his front feet in place. Not only does pivoting teach superb hind-end awareness, it allows a fast-moving pooch to switch positions on a dime. Teaching this skill requires patience and a bit of time, but every dog is capable of learning pivots.
Place a rubber-bottomed metal food bowl upside down in the middle of a clear space. Using treats, lure or shape your dog onto the dish with his front feet. Reward your pup for first sniffing the bowl, touching it with a paw, placing one paw on it, and then finally, placing both front feet on the bowl. Continue practicing until your dog readily and confidently stands with both front feet on the bowl and waits for a reward.
Hold a treat about 8 inches in front of your dog's nose and take a single step to the right or left around the bowl, making sure the line between the treat and your dog's nose stays straight. If your pooch gets off the bowl to try and reach the treat, lure your pup back onto the dish and reward him. You want to reinforce the concept of keeping his front feet on the bowl. Use the treat as a lever to get your dog to move slightly sideways to continue facing you. If your dog makes any attempt to move his back feet while keeping his front on the bowl, praise him enthusiastically and give him the treat. Continue practicing until your pup will sidestep one step to the right or left.
Add one step at a time until your dog can swivel all the way around the bowl with you across from him. Take things slow so your pooch can build muscle memory and awareness. Once your pup is solid pivoting in one direction, begin practicing the other direction.
Items You Will Need
- Rubber-bottomed metal food bowl
- Offer an extra challenge by changing your position in relation to your dog's. Stand next to him, add extra distance or straddle his body. When working on something new, build the skill one step at a time, first in one direction, then the other.
- Comstock/Comstock/Getty Images | <urn:uuid:236cc1ac-c361-476e-baad-5859e5c8bc44> | CC-MAIN-2018-34 | https://dogcare.dailypuppy.com/teach-dog-pivot-1834.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2018-34/segments/1534221209021.21/warc/CC-MAIN-20180814101420-20180814121420-00125.warc.gz | en | 0.953511 | 479 | 2.546875 | 3 |
In the library we see publishers responding quickly to events in the hope that they will capitalize on reader interest and sell more books. In some cases their rush to get a book on the shelves can result in books that meet a need but won’t find their way into your top ten list. With the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing publishers, authors, illustrators, scientists and astronauts had ample time to pull together every resource to make their products top-notch and it has been an absolute thrill to see these book treasures arrive on our shelves. It seems like I have been taking home a book or two a month to read or share with my space-loving family and we have learned some wonderful new facts, sneaky behind-the-scenes tidbits or relived the details we already read.
When we look back at those blurry images on the moon it’s hard to comprehend that it was only fifty years ago that engineers and technicians (almost entirely men) huddled over the desks to wait and see if decades of work would pay off. It seems like much more than fifty years because advances in technology have reached an absolutely dizzying pace. The computers used to provide guidance for the Apollo mission were so big that they took up entire rooms but are known to have been no more powerful than a calculator used by today’s high school student. It’s astounding to realize that the code was fed into the guidance computer using punch cards. You can actually see the code listing on the Caltech archive and imagine the incredible amount of work that went into just one part of the mission. Or you don’t have to imagine it. Here is a photograph of Margaret Hamilton, an MIT computer programmer working at NASA during the Apollo missions, standing next to a stack of some of the Apollo guidance computer source code.
Landing on the moon is the anniversary being celebrated on July 20th but there could have been hundreds of thousands of individual anniversaries celebrated before that day. An estimated number of about 400,000 people worked to make it possible for three men to safely travel to the moon and two men to walk upon it. The dedication, the incredible risks, the scientific advances and the decades of research and development since the Apollo mission have culminated in a publishing surge and it’s making for some fabulous reading.
In 1961 John F. Kennedy shared his goal that the United States put a man on the moon by the end of the decade and put into motion his plan to conquer space and the world at the same time. Historian Douglas Brinkley (a professor at Rice University where Kennedy gave his famous “we choose to go to the moon speech”) has done well in tying together the story of Kennedy’s family, that of engineer Wernher von Braun, NASA’s role in American politics and the space program’s future following the president’s assassination. He successfully blends politics, history and the thrill of the space race into one compelling narrative in American Moonshot : John F. Kennedy and the great space race. It’s a must read for anyone interested in the Kennedy story or someone who wants to get a feel for all of the forces that came together to make Apollo 11 happen.
Another 2019 book that has far fewer pages but held me captivated for hours was a gorgeous picture book by Dean Robbins and Sean Rubin. The Astronaut Who Painted the Moon is not about the Apollo 11 mission but about the mission that follows and the images are so beautiful. It’s a sweet choice to take home to read aloud but a reader of any age could learn from this one. Alan Bean was the lunar module pilot for Apollo 12 and was the fourth person to walk on the moon but is also known as the only artist to have ever seen the moon up close. What a perfect chance to use your art to communicate a unique experience! This picture book is a wonderful opportunity to learn a little more about his life as a navy pilot and his work at NASA but focuses more on his work as an artist. The author was able to collaborate on this story with the astronaut before his death and the illustrations share some of Bean’s own bold use of line and shape. It’s a little more STEAM than STEM and it’s perfect. Read more about Alan Bean on his own website or through the NASA website.
Alan Bean was a part of the group known as Astronaut Group 3 which included Buzz Aldrin and Mike Collins. But in the early days at NASA all of the astronauts worked closely together by backing each other up at mission control, training together, testing equipment, flying together and helping each other to learn the dense material required to make each mission a success. We have so many fantastic books on the shelves about these fascinating days – some old and some new – but Neil Armstrong’s authorized biography (the one that the Ryan Gosling biopic was based on) is one that stands out in my mind because it is so clearly written. It reads like a textbook because it is free of extra emotion but filled with incredible fly-on-the-wall detail. The chapters that cover his time as a test pilot are so explicit that I am sure I will remember the types of the planes he flew longer than I will remember the names of the people in his family or the town he was born in (Wapaknoeta, Ohio). If you read one book about the Apollo 11 mission then I suggest you set aside a few evenings and spend some time with First Man : the life of Neil A. Armstrong. It’s the closest you will ever get to feeling like you have experienced the life of an astronaut.
For another perspective on the Apollo 11 mission we have a newly reissued copy of Michael Collins’ Carrying the Fire here on the shelves. As a member of the crew, he followed a similar astronaut career path to many of the other pilots with a graduation from West Point, time spent as a test pilot and a spacewalk on Gemini 10. Where his story becomes interesting is that with Apollo 11 he had the unique worry of being the man who might have to fly home and leave Buzz and Neil behind. He was concerned that they might crash on the moon, that there might be a failure to launch from the moon or any one of a number of other catastrophes. He writes about this weighty knowledge in his memoir. Mike had time to think about this as he piloted the command module and listened to his crewmates make their historic first steps onto the lunar surface. So much of the spotlight has focused on their actions in those days on the moon but his story – and his feeling of being truly alone out there – make this a fascinating memoir.
We have also been experiencing an increase in other material focusing on the Apollo 11 anniversary so if you haven’t satisfied your curiosity through shiny, new books you can view a documentary like the one that features newly discovered 65mm footage of mission control and the astronauts on the moon. It’s a truly unbelievable viewing experience. You can also check out one of the many magazines that have featured the moon landing – Make, National Geographic, Popular Mechanics and Sky & Telescope are a few of the periodicals that I’ve been reading lately – the photographs and features have been a great way to augment my reading about the anniversary.
We have some of the classic books about space flight on the shelves like NASA flight director Gene Kranz’s Failure is Not an Option and Tom Wolfe’s The Right Stuff (many contemporary astronauts say that this book was an early inspiration for their career choice) and your options for fiction about astronauts are endless. We have so many great books to suggest that you could be reading until we return to the moon. I know I’ll be on the holds list for the book about that mission.
— Penny M.
NOTE: if your children are into space, check out the Moon Lander (see below) in the Children’s Department at the Main Library. And don’t forget to register for the super-fun, space-themed Summer Reading Club. Activities, events, challenges and prizes all summer long. | <urn:uuid:c024f916-0e50-4299-bdeb-ad1c5a690bee> | CC-MAIN-2019-35 | https://morebookspleasewpl.com/2019/07/18/failure-is-not-an-option/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2019-35/segments/1566027317516.88/warc/CC-MAIN-20190822215308-20190823001308-00403.warc.gz | en | 0.970025 | 1,677 | 2.53125 | 3 |
The trajectory of ancient Israelite history turns now toward the centralization of power, toward a monarchy. This is tragically common to all revolutions and movements that include an element of liberation from the abuse of centralized power. It is borne out of a need for something, or someone, more enduring, authoritative and pan-tribal than were the judges before Saul. And yet this will only replace one set of problems with another, as so eloquently foretold by the prophet Samuel, in chapter 8: 11-18. Saul, the first king, will demonstrate both the good and the bad of kings and kingship, as he increasingly forgets who is in charge: God, through the priests and the prophets. Saul even usurps a priestly duty, by offering a sacrifice (I Samuel 13). While it looks like an act of headstrong defiance, we’ll see that Saul is actually also something of a people-pleaser, afraid of people abandoning or betraying him. Such faults and their expressions lead to the rejection of Saul and his dynasty. His fatal flaws will only be exacerbated through contact with David, who is previewed in this section as Saul’s replacement. Key features of David’s character, good and questionable, show in his first encounters with Saul, and with Goliath: his courage, confidence, faith and devotion to God, both musical and military. But the cockeyness with which he approaches Goliath will not always serve him in good stead.
Some other key developments in I Samuel:
- A very important biblical name for God: YHWH Sabaoth, first appears in I Samuel. It often translated “The Lord of Hosts,” is especially appropriate to I and II Samuel and its focus on military and political developments. The hosts will prove to be both heavenly and earthly.
- The increasing role in the Bible of God’s Spirit, in the life and ministry of Samuel, as well as over the prophets with whom Samuel is connected, perhaps as a teacher and leader. God’s Spirit had previously given some of the judges, like Samson, great strength, skill and courage. Now He is recorded as being directly involved in giving prophecy and inspiring ecstatic worship (I Sam. 10:9ff).
ABOUT THE PHILISTINES: In I Samuel, they appear to be the dominant threat to Israel, subjugating them even to the point of being able to effectively disarm them of all potentially dangerous iron working. As in other Biblical battles, Israel throws off their yoke through faithfulness to God and without anything comparable to their numbers and military technology, like chariots. The supreme example of this is David going against Goliath, with his slingshot. But in an earlier battle, God sends thunder against them, to panic them, so that all Israel need do is pursue them (I Sam. 7), to cut them down. Historians and archaeologists record that the Philistines were “sea people,” invaders probably from Greece or Cyprus, who first tried to settle in Egypt, but were defeated and settled in what is now Gaza. There they were effectively a client, vassal kingdom under Egypt’s suzerainty, making the wars between Israel and the Philistines a continuation of Israel’s exodus from Egyptian servitude.
If you, the reader, have not yet memorized this Psalm, it is highly recommended for its simplicity, profundity, rhythmic nature, and its powerful, connected images. I often recite it repeatedly during times of anxiety or sleeplessness (which are sometimes overlapping). There are 14 simple prhases, or verbal images, most of which relate directly to shepherding and sheep. “My Shepherd” is a name for God in keeping with other, similar names, such as “Shepherd of Israel” and “The Good Shepherd” (John 10). It has been one that I have recited and prayed with people in the hospital or even on their death beds, or with their families when they were unable to say anything or even respond to our presence. The words, “I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever,” are the words I have seen most commonly printed on bulletin covers for funerals and memorial services. But the words, promises and images apply to every step of life, in good times and bad. It perfectly blends faith with prayer, making it the perfect “prayer of faith.” | <urn:uuid:bfc3d8c6-dc06-4971-879c-2f3a078d97a6> | CC-MAIN-2021-04 | https://www.emmanuelmennonitechurch.com/2010/11/15/week-23-i-samuel-7-17-psalm-23/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2021-04/segments/1610703512342.19/warc/CC-MAIN-20210117112618-20210117142618-00733.warc.gz | en | 0.976279 | 924 | 2.8125 | 3 |
Parents to be, have the unique opportunity to create a better brain for their unborn child from day one. When a baby is born she born with unlimited potential but the experiences she has in her life will determine the outcome of that potential. Experience = learning. No experience = no learning. Lots of experience = optimal learning.
Your unborn children will face many different challenges to you. In all likelihood they will be working in fields that have not even been developed yet. You will have very little knowledge of what they are doing, as it will not be part of your frame of reference. We as parents need to equip them with the best tool (a ready brain) to deal with this onslaught. There are very simple things that you as a parent can do to help ensure that your child is equipped to deal with the challenges that may face her. In order for you to understand this we need to go back and look at the brain.
The brain is made up of three layers (Triune model) these layers have a window of opportunity to develop to their full potential. A window of opportunity is just this brief period that we have for optimum development of that part of the brain. The first layer is the primal survival brain – the fight or flight centre of the brain. The next layer is our emotional brain – here we learn to love and care and feel. The last layer is the thinking brain or the cortex.
The first window of opportunity is during the first 14 months from birth; during this time we need to stimulate the survival brain in order to create strong muscles so that we can send messages to them that they will respond to in the correct way. We do this through encouraging movement. Once we stimulate the senses the message has to travel via neurochemical pathways (roots) to the muscles to react. How do we create these neurochemical pathways in the brain? By allowing our babies freedom to move and explore. Nothing is more detrimental to a child’s development than being cooped up in a chair or stroller for the better part of the day. Simply by stimulating the senses through massage and exposing them to different experiences during these crucial 14 months, you are creating the networks (roots) that she will need to help her learn and help her reach her full potential. By repeating the actions you are creating the insulation (myelin) that makes it permanent. Repetition is good for a child, it is how they learn.
The next window of opportunity is from 14 months to 4 years and during this time your child will be working on the emotional brain. This area of the brain processes feelings and emotions. This is the glue that holds the survival brain and the cortex together. We have to keep our emotional bucket full in order for learning to take place. Only between 4 and 11 years will the thought processes be laid down. This is the area of the brain that focuses on language, creativity, thought etc.
As parents we can create a whole brain experience with an excellent root system that allows messages to come through easily to the brain just by stimulating our children. It is imperative to enrich a child’s brain with as much experiences as possible during these windows of opportunity. | <urn:uuid:ab80a009-9efc-4f0e-ae8d-8c79d3187515> | CC-MAIN-2018-47 | https://parentinghub.co.za/why-do-i-need-to-stimulate-my-baby-from-a-young-age/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2018-47/segments/1542039744803.68/warc/CC-MAIN-20181119002432-20181119023559-00018.warc.gz | en | 0.96656 | 642 | 2.71875 | 3 |
Eating curry containing turmeric once or twice a week could prevent Alzheimer's disease and many researchers are investigating if it can be used as a treatment in those who already have it.
Professor Murali Doraiswamy told delegates at the Royal College of Psychiatrists' Annual Meeting in Liverpool that brain plaques dissolved in mice given high doses of curcumin and in younger mice, the spice appeared to prevent them forming in the first place.
Trials are currently under way that could lead to a curry pill, he said.
Professor Doraiswamy said: "There is very solid evidence that curcumin binds to plaques, and basic reserach on animals engineered to produce human amyloid plaques has shown benefits. Turmeric has been studied not just in Alzheimer's research but for a variety of conditions, such as cancer and arthritis. Turmeric is often referred to as the spice of life in ancient Indian medical lore." | <urn:uuid:58ebf1d9-4f0e-4fe6-ad05-b244c8017a2f> | CC-MAIN-2016-07 | http://madrc.mgh.harvard.edu/print/1084 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-07/segments/1454701162648.4/warc/CC-MAIN-20160205193922-00032-ip-10-236-182-209.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.969344 | 194 | 3.015625 | 3 |
As we pause on July Fourth to celebrate the Declaration of Independence, I wondered what would happen if the present players in Congress were in charge in 1776. Politics were nasty back then, too, what with the duels and all, but eventually most people got on board with the whole freedom and liberty thing.
I suspect it might have gone down like this:
PHILADELPHIA (AP) – The Continental Congress deadlocked again today over language declaring independence from Great Britain, as negotiators fought to make a July 4 deadline before the group hit the so-called Independence Cliff.
Under pressure from tea party leaders, Delegation Speaker John Boehner told the assembly that he would file a lawsuit to stop consideration of independence if the “taxation without representation” clause wasn’t redrafted to include language that provided more tax breaks for colonial plantations.
“Plantations are people, too,” Boehner said at a news conference in Independence Hall.
Deposed Majority Leader Eric Cantor, who was recently ousted from his Virginia plantation, had no comment. Meanwhile, his successor, Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, was pamphleteering against the proposed plan.
The declaration talks broke down over several key provisions, according to delegation sources.
One major sticking point was the phrase “We hold these truths to be self-evident.” Aides scrambled to revise language that was acceptable to both sides.
“ ‘We’ is a pretty specific term, and we were unable to agree who ‘we’ are,” Delegate Nancy Pelosi said.
Another point of contention was the use of the word “inalienable,” which anti-immigration delegates asserted might be a code phrase for lax border enforcement.
President of the Continental Congress Barack Obama dismissed what he called “stalling tactics” by Boehner and other so-called “Founding Fathers,” and implored them to “send me a declaration I can sign.”
Some members of the Continental Congress objected to the use of the phrase “Founding Fathers.”
“It’s patriarchal, it’s paternalistic, it’s sexist and it’s probably a violation of Title IX, which we haven’t drawn up yet,” Pelosi said.
“And don’t get me started on ‘all men are created equal,’ ” Pelosi added.
The “Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness” clause, long a source of friction, faced scrutiny as outside political action committees ran a series of commercials critiquing various aspects of the proposed phrase.
“The Continental Congress wants to tell you what liberty is. That’s just more big government. Call your Continental Congressman and tell him you’ll decide what liberty means, not some Philadelphia politician,” one ad said.
As both sides raced to meet the deadline, a few took time off to pursue their own happiness.
Continental Congressional investigators were examining precisely what the delegates were doing but remained mum on what, if any, charges might be filed.
“We’re looking into the matter, but we need to wait until 1787 to act.” | <urn:uuid:12d72cd8-c693-447c-b8ac-f36c97609cdf> | CC-MAIN-2017-17 | http://www.sacbee.com/opinion/editorial-cartoons/jack-ohman/article2602767.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-17/segments/1492917123102.83/warc/CC-MAIN-20170423031203-00365-ip-10-145-167-34.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.962115 | 678 | 2.65625 | 3 |
KORIYAMA, FUKUSHIMA PREF. – A group of elementary school students in Koriyama, about 60 km from the crippled Fukushima No. 1 plant, may only be 10 years old, but they possibly know more about radiation than fourth-graders anywhere in the world.
After a year of study at Akagi Elementary School in Fukushima Prefecture, the 28 students in Tomoyuki Bannai’s class can now explain the difference between alpha, beta and gamma rays. They know alpha rays are dangerous in terms of internal exposure to radiation and that gamma rays pose the biggest threat for external exposure.
“I believe my class of fourth-graders is probably the best in the world in terms of radiation education,” Bannai, 43, told The Japan Times in late February.
“Children, who are more vulnerable to radiation exposure, are the ones who need to gain a thorough understanding,” he said. “I want them to have the ability to select the right information when so many different data exist.
“And I want them to be smart enough to think for themselves based on such information.”
Teaching children about radiation became an urgent issue after the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant began spewing radioactive isotopes last March.
It is an especially crucial matter in Fukushima Prefecture, which hosts the wrecked facility, as children there continue to be exposed to radiation, albeit at low levels.
In response, the prefectural board of education asked Fukushima’s 700 elementary and junior high schools to teach all students about radiation from next month, when the new school year starts. The board advised the schools to spend about two to three hours a year on the subject, focusing on radiation protection and the health effects of exposure.
The subject of radiation will become mandatory in science classes for third-year students at junior high schools — the first time such lessons will take place in about 30 years.
But this decision was made before the March 2011 calamities sparked Japan’s worst nuclear crisis. In 2008, the government reviewed teaching guidelines to broaden the curriculum, including radiation subjects, and this will take effect in April.
Like Bannai, however, some teachers have already started instructing students about radiation on their own initiative since the nuclear crisis erupted. But while many teachers have only spent a few hours teaching the basics, Bannai went far beyond that, using about 30 to 40 hours of general studies time for radiation classes.
He believes the knowledge his pupils have gained will protect them from false information and possibly from discrimination they may face in the future on account of radiation fears.
“When they grow up, they need to be able to explain how they’ve tackled (the contamination) and how they’ve thought about it,” said Bannai, who studied earth science at Tokyo Gakugei University and had a basic understanding of radiation. “I want them to become adults who can explain how they’ve been dealing with the situation when they may face discrimination, and not let any stigma hinder them.”
Bannai started teaching his students about radiation last April, ranging from updates on the nuclear disaster to ways to protect themselves from exposure.
Located about 60 km from the Fukushima No. 1 plant, the radiation reading at the school was around 3.5 microsieverts per hour before decontamination work — about 70 times higher than in Tokyo. Therefore it became an urgent issue to teach children how to avoid, or at least to limit, their radiation exposure, Bannai said.
With the help of Misato Yugi — an illustrator who responded to Bannai’s call on Twitter for assistance in producing a textbook for children about radiation — he made a colorful leaflet last April and handed out copies to students free of charge. He also posted it on the Internet for everyone to access.
From there, Bannai worked to gradually instill more knowledge in his students by encouraging them to discuss and think about the nuclear accident.
With the first anniversary of such lessons near, Bannai said he is convinced children can learn and understand difficult topics — if taught in the right way.
“The ability of children is far greater than adults often assume. Their learning power is very strong,” Bannai said. “The important thing is to let them think about and discuss (a subject), and not to just lecture them and ask whether they have understood or not.”
In late February, Bannai asked his students to discuss the biological half-life of cesium-137, the time it takes for half the isotope to be eliminated after it gets into someone’s body. While the half-life of cesium-137 is 30 years, the isotope’s biological half-life is about nine days for infants, 38 days for children up to 9, and 70 to 90 days for adults, according to the Consumer Affairs Agency.
The topic is not easy for 10-year-olds to grasp, but after dozens of hours of study, all of Bannai’s students started to actively discuss how cesium is discharged from the human body, the potential health effects if they eat contaminated food, and what they can do to avoid internal exposure as much as possible.
Asked if they were ever fed up with the classes, all 28 fourth-graders said they enjoyed learning more about radiation.
“I had a kind of scary image of radiation because it’s invisible. But after I’ve learned about it, I now know what to avoid and where not to go. Also, I now understand the news about the nuclear crisis,” said fourth-grader Teppei Sato. “I understand (radioactive materials) better than my mother. When we go to a supermarket together, I tell her which produce to avoid.”
Thanks to decontamination efforts that started last May, the school’s hourly radiation reading had fallen to 0.18 microsievert in late February, below the government’s target of 0.23 microsievert.
But the daily lives of children in Koriyama have changed profoundly. For example, they no longer play at local parks and they all carry glass dosimeters provided by the city to measure their external exposure.
“I spend more time playing at my friends’ houses,” Sato said. “So I exercise by pedaling my bike on the way to my friends’ houses.”
The students stressed they are not seeking anyone’s pity.
“I don’t want people to feel sorry for us. We are not poor kids,” said fourth-grader Rina Ishii.
While some adults have called for all children to be evacuated from Fukushima, the students said that after learning about the health risks of radiation exposure, living in Koriyama is not that bad.
“There may be a risk of developing cancer, but the risk is small. As long as we take care in selecting food, I think it’s OK,” said student Wataru Sugeno.
The fourth-graders said they generally try to avoid eating produce grown in Fukushima. And shiitake and “yuzu” (citrons) from the prefecture are definitely off the menu, as contamination levels above the government limit of 500 becquerels per kilogram were recorded in some produce during sampling tests.
“As children have said, the situation (in Koriyama) is not that miserable,” Bannai said. “They have learned about internal exposure and contamination levels in produce. And they are beginning to tackle that and are trying to create a brighter future. I want people to know that.” | <urn:uuid:cb866cfb-0502-492e-9944-0a25741bd427> | CC-MAIN-2015-06 | http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2012/03/24/news/children-taught-radiation-studies/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2015-06/segments/1422121967958.49/warc/CC-MAIN-20150124175247-00028-ip-10-180-212-252.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.965165 | 1,633 | 3.09375 | 3 |
Gene Therapy Pros and Cons: Gene therapy is involved in the replacement of a defective gene within a cell’s nucleus with the genetically healthy and functional gene. It is also known as ‘Gene Augmentation‘. Genes are basically nitrogenous based codes that encode secret information of all of the amino acid formation in the body.
Table of Contents
- Types of Gene Therapy
- Top 10 Pros of Gene Therapy
- Top 10 Cons of gene therapy
Types of Gene Therapy
In a simpler terms, there are 2 types of Gene therapy namely:
A) Somatic Gene Therapy: This type of gene therapy involves the transferring of a section of DNA to a somatic cell (example: bone cells) to another. The effects of somatic gene therapy will not pass onto the patient’s offspring.
B) Germline Gene Therapy: In this type of gene therapy, a section of DNA of an egg or sperm cell is transferred to another reproductive cell. The effects of germline gene therapy will transfer onto the patient’s children and following generations.
As protein’s building blocks are amino acid and a single change in any single information regarding amino acid synthesis will yield disastrous results so; genes are crucially important in normal body functioning.
Diseases in which genes are involved have long been dreaded as they till now they have been severe and incurable. These disorders can only be managed with the help of significant changes in lifestyle and with some aid from medications. But now gene therapy has somehow alleviated the hazards of these disorders.
Gene therapy certainly likes so many others has both positive as well as negative aspects. Some of them are listed below:
Top 10 Pros of Gene Therapy
Here are some of the pros or advantages of gene augmentation therapy:
1. Genetic Disorders Are Treatable
Rare genetic disorders today affect about 10% of the population in general. Over 7000 distinct diseases exist today and out of which almost 80% are those which are caused by malfunctioning genes. With the help of gene therapy, these diseases are now curable and provide patients with a licit treatment.
2. New Field of Medicine
Gene therapy can provide a chance of treatment of even those diseases that currently don’t have a treatment protocol. Even age involved disorders like Alzheimer’s disorder, Parkinson’s diseases, and Huntington’s disease, etc. which have a genetic basis can be provided with medications and drugs formulated by gene therapy research work.
3. Beacon of Light
In so many cases about 1 out of 33% in the US (about 3% of total births), babies experience some sort of genetic defect. These congenital defects are a leading cause in deaths of newborn infants probably 1 in 5 fatalities.
With the help of gene therapy risks of some of these genetic disorders can be corrected. In such a way gene therapy is a source of hope and comfort to so many families and especially to the parents of such special babies.
4. Diversified Options
Gene therapy provides a strong basis of treatment for those individuals who suffer from infertility and opportune them with starting their own biological families.
Using an adjusted and modified genetic therapy method called “CRISPR“, proper alterations to fertility have occurred in specific mice species. This definitely clears the way for developing such effect in humans in the coming future.
5. Equal Applications in Non-Humans
Gene therapy is not mainly reserved for humans only. This can be applied to plants as well as animals. This therapy provides the basis for the extension of their lifespan, stabilizing their health and genetic conditions if present.
Natural immune systems of plants and particular species, as well as food-providing animals, can be altered and modified to give solid defense against any attacking disease preventing extinction or endangerment of those species.
6. Basis of New Potential Discoveries
More lifesaving options are available with the help of gene therapy now, so more people mean more diversity and perspectives for future research. By saving the lives of people today, gene therapy can provide a stage for many more potential discoveries in the coming era by those who might not survive without this therapy.
Sure enough, many ethical questions are raised regarding this therapy, but its benefits cannot be neglected as well.
7. Technology-based Therapy
So many of previous discoveries were directly or indirectly based on natural sources like antibiotics were discover by Alexander Fleming in 1928 when he noticed the killing of bacteria in petri dish due to peculium mold.
Gene therapy is mostly based on technology and our ability to identify, modify and alter specific genes. So, advancement in this field can be achieved at a much faster rate, and as practices or quality of such therapies improves, a decrease in the costs of these therapies will be possible.
8. Increases Lifespan
When specific changes are made in genes for curing a problem, then overall lifespan can be improved of a person’s life. Genetically disordered persons live a very miserable life, and most of them cannot make up for long so gene therapy can help them to live a healthy and long life.
9. Enhances Overall Health
How wondrous can it be if a future risk of the cardiovascular disorder can be treated not by statins but by gene therapy that will boost a person’s own natural biological processes?
Better blood flow, muscle mass, and so many related benefits yielded with the help of this therapy can entirely change the prospects of treatment and prevention.
10. Offers Large-Scale Treatment
Heredity diseases have a chance of cascading down from generations to generations. So if an individual has a genetic disorder, its likely to be present in his offspring’s as well.
Gene therapy can act as a plug by blocking by passing down of such hazardous defects.
Top 10 Cons of gene therapy
On contrary, let us review some of the disadvantages or cons of gene therapy:
1. Serious Ethical Concerns
Gene therapies are done by several genetic disorders’ treatments. But there are so many aspects of this technology that lead to serious ethical questions.
Like if gene therapy is used to create sheer ‘perfection’ in children or it might create a new social class of “created” people, normal humans do have serious threats from this therapy.
2. Religious Concerns
Manipulation of the genetic makeup of man is absolutely unacceptable to persons with strong convictions and religious beliefs. From a religious perspective, it is an interference with Nature’s will be altering genes.
3. Ineffective Approach to Medical Science
Many clinical trials have only been successful till now which involve gene therapies. So many abstract outcomes rely on gene therapy if it works one day, but till now its impractical therapy.
Because researchers have found evidence of reversal of natural gene function even after treatment of the problem.
4. Might Not Be Long-Term Effective
New generations of bacteria have started to develop resistance against antibiotics despite their discovery less than a century ago. So many infections today are the reason for the death of people as they develop due to extremely resistant bacteria.
Gene therapy which today is considered ultimate treatment solution might face such outcomes in future.
5. Expensive Option
Even if other cons are ignored of this therapy, gene therapy is a costly treatment option of an ordinary man. This therapy can only be a comfort and reasonable opportunity for those who have strong financial backgrounds, hence creating segregation among people of the same society.
That patient’s family, which is unable to afford expensive medical treatment, pass through a depressing mental phase. The first approved and successful treatment cost 1 million dollars.
6. Currently Unreliable Delivery Method
Virus vectors are a common choice for delivery of gene in the host. There is a strong possibility that the patient’s body may react adversely to the newly introduced substance and its defensive mechanisms may not only consider it as antigen but also attack it.
Even if the immune system doesn’t prove to be a snag, cell replication and division are not predictable. Genetic changes attained as a result of this therapy may trigger a more grievous immune response.
7. Uninsured Results
Gene therapy may yield patient to the point on which he has to go on with the more complicated problem as compared to what he was facing originally. Genes are microstructures; anything can go wrong during a treatment method.
8. May Encourage Gene Doping
If the cost and availability of this therapy are ignored and if people are provided with an equal chance to avail of this therapy, it can surely equalize athletics or educational opportunities.
If a person succeeds only because of attained/gained intelligence or strength, this surely is a matter of sheer injustice with other participants.
9. Can Provide Unintended Side-Effects
There is no reliable information or researches on what side effects gene therapy may yield if applied. As close working with building blocks of the body is concerned in this therapy, it can create different mutations in future generations of the individual, may lead the way towards onset or creation of new hazardous diseases or it can merely reduce the quality of life of a concerned person.
10. Invasion of Privacy
Gene therapy, sure enough, intervenes in the privacy of family genetics as a detailed genetic background is required before the commencement of treatment.
In such way member of families with genetic defects may face certain issues in society; they can be segregated from normal persons when they will face promotion or demotion by their genetic status or when they will be affected with policy issuing terms of insurance companies.
At the end of the day, gene therapy is only applicable and useful if it is perfected. Without jumping the snags of all listed cons, gene therapy will not be as valuable as it can be.
It is the only ray of light for those who are suffering from the disease having no cure at all with medications except alternation of genes. And in this time of problems with which mankind is experiencing, this little hope should not get escaped.
All ethical and religious concerns should be reasoned with logical arguments as well as insurance to no gene doping should be made sure. Only then this method will be fruitful for all.
- “Curing Genetic Disease with Gene Therapy”. Accessed December 25, 2018. Link.
- “The Future of Gene Therapy”. Accessed December 25, 2018. Link.
- “Data & Statistics on Birth Defects | CDC”. Accessed December 25, 2018. Link.
- “Gene transfer to sperm and testis: future prospects of gene therapy for male infertility. – PubMed – NCBI”. Accessed December 25, 2018. Link.
- “Gene Therapy | Learn Science at Scitable”. Accessed December 25, 2018. Link.
- “Gene Therapy Successes”. Accessed December 25, 2018. Link.
- “Challenges In Gene Therapy”. Accessed December 25, 2018. Link.
- “Tracking the Cost of Gene Therapy – MIT Technology Review”. Accessed December 25, 2018. Link.
- “Gene Therapy in Sports: Gene Doping | Learn Science at Scitable”. Accessed December 25, 2018. Link.
- “Gene therapy on the move”. Accessed December 25, 2018. Link.
- “Genetic Testing: Remarkable Resource or Invasion of Privacy?”. Accessed December 25, 2018. Link. | <urn:uuid:d26e46b2-9827-47e9-9767-962e8ef9e375> | CC-MAIN-2020-29 | https://www.bioexplorer.net/gene-therapy-pros-cons.html/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-29/segments/1593655886516.43/warc/CC-MAIN-20200704170556-20200704200556-00090.warc.gz | en | 0.939248 | 2,357 | 3 | 3 |
Back in November 2017, I was invited to be part of a panel at The Music Mark Conference entitled “Securing the Future of Music in the Curriculum – Instrumental Skills v Music Knowledge”, a title which forced me to hone some thoughts into a 5m presentation and which I have continued to reflect on since.
The panel was co-ordinated by Dan Francis who has summarised his presentation in a blog post here and this is a good overview of some of the background to the choice of title for the session as well as some insights into the current music education sector in the UK.
I chose to focus on the skills vs knowledge aspect of the title and I had in mind mainly KS3 music because that’s the most likely place most students will get some music at school as the entitlement to music in UK state schools continues to diminish.
Examples of a skills-based approach in music
I hear quite often now about music teachers choosing to follow a ‘skills-based’ curriculum at KS3.
Looking at some of the online discussion and in visits to schools, this approach looks to be students learning music through playing music, the musical knowledge and understanding then growing from the experience of actually creating something musical.
When thinking at its most basic level about a skills-based approach, I think about the idea of learning to play a musical instrument in a classroom context. With this in mind I am reminded of the year 9 class all sat at keyboards wearing headphones playing Ode to Joy on Keyboards from notation.
In this scenario, the learning starts from prescribed repertoire using materials that have been chosen or made for the learners and the music itself often only exists after the process has been completed.
To access the task, students in this class need to know how to use the materials they have been given. (It might help to have heard the music as well, but it isn’t essential to have done so).
As a contrasting example, the teacher leading this class at Shrewsbury International School, Bangkok, also follows what he calls a skills-based curriculum. In this lesson, year 7 are getting under the skin of Electronic Dance Music through playing along, breaking down the patterns and then composing their own beats to then be transferred to computers.
Later the sounds can be manipulated and explored through technology. The teaching starts from what exists within the music and builds from there.
Students in this class need to know how to respond to the music they hear and adjust their responses appropriately. For them, the answers lie within the music and finding them is an experience of discovery.
It seems there’s some variety within this ‘skills-based’ approach. So digging deeper, can we define a difference between developing instrumental skills (in the sense of knowing how to play something) as the first example suggests and ‘musical skills’ (a bit more holistic) in the second?
And does one approach engage students more than another?
Or perhaps it’s not the curriculum content and choice between skills or knowledge that’s important after at all, but the teaching, the approach, the relationships?
More on that in my next post.
And so what of ‘knowledge’?
First we have Nick Gibb’s narrative about the importance of the ‘knowledge-rich’ curriculum, this recent speech being just one example, see his Twitter feed for more!
I’m not sure I’m confident about what this means in practice for music especially when you throw in the multitude of other seemingly diametric options available to teachers informal/formal, theory/playing, notation/no notation, prepare for GCSE/prepare for something else and on and on and on it goes.
Should the emphasis be on knowing about music, knowing pieces of music or knowing how to do something related to music (see Swanwick/Phillpot for more thinking on this)
John Finney has recently written a series of blog posts articulating the need for some clear pathways through the ‘conceptual confusions’ around all of this and he articulates this so much better than I can.
But one final thought.
Should this debate be better defined by musical pathways, for example by the content in GCSE/A Level (and international/vocational equivalents)? These seem to test some aspects of musical knowledge, understanding, theory, language etc. at a point at which making a judgement about the effectiveness of music education in schools seems logical.
The balance of skills and knowledge within such qualifications is apparent, yet the concept of KS3 as preparation for GCSE when just 6 or 7% of students take that qualification doesn’t feel right either.
Perhaps what’s being tested at this level doesn’t always join up to that aspirational line of progression through classroom music in ways which make it easy for music teachers to bring students through in just a classroom setting. ie. Do GCSE and A levels in music really test what can be achieved only through a classroom music experience regardless of whether that’s skills or knowledge? I’m not convinced they do and it doesn’t help teachers find a simple route through this minefield of choices and decisions.
Perhaps the answer lies in what it means to be ready to take GCSE-so defining the required balance of skills and knowledge (and ENGAGEMENT with classroom music) necessary to access those examinations courses.
Arguably it’s a failure to find a balance between all 3 of these essential ingredients that have resulted in the precarious situation music is now in in schools with its low numbers, high costs, just for the few and irrelevant to the rest.
Chuck in the appalling lack of subject specific CPD for music teachers and the decline in university-based teacher training and it’s no wonder we don’t seem to be making much progress (pun intended) with all this.
Despite the wealth of research, papers, journals, chapters, books that exist on the topic of music education, many teachers still end up with a KS3 pick and mix of topic-based 6 week ‘schemes of work’ that follow the listen to music, be told about the music, play some of the music (if you’re lucky) go into groups and make up some music, perform and assess and then repeat pattern, with little consideration for exactly what is being learned (and built upon) in terms of skills or knowledge.
So what happens if you strip out all the background noise and just look at what is in front of you. Then what might be found?
My next two posts will unpick some experiences that have helped form some of my thinking about this.
The first, published as a guest blog for Musical Futures International, is about what happens when all you have between teacher and learners is the music. The second is about what happens when students make some of the choices and what can be learned from that.
But I want to finish with something that Steve Jackman, teacher of the year 7 class in the video above said when he summed up his approach to music in his school.
If you spend 3 years learning about swimming, you would expect to be able to swim at the end of it.
Perhaps after all the answer is that simple. Start with the end in mind.
- Steve Jackman @sjeeves
- John Finney @JohnFinney8
- Musical Futures International @mufuinternat
- Trinity College London @TrinityC_L
- Anna Gower @tallgirlwgc
- Dan Francis @danfrancismusic | <urn:uuid:76a2e965-7920-46c2-b49a-7a5867c48cb6> | CC-MAIN-2019-47 | https://annagower.com/author/annagower/page/2/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2019-47/segments/1573496669967.80/warc/CC-MAIN-20191119015704-20191119043704-00022.warc.gz | en | 0.960491 | 1,581 | 2.859375 | 3 |
Welcome to the web page for Ms. Feldbush's Comprehensive Science class.
There are three keys to success in science (and in life):
3. Hard Work
The games and links on this page are designed to help you study, review, and have fun with science. Try them out, and let me know if you find other science links. You can also link to the quia home page by clicking on the quia icon above.
Test 2 -- Wednesday August 30
Food Chains, Food Webs
1. Define and give examples of each of the following words: producer, consumer, autotroph, heterotroph, herbivore, carnivore, omnivore.
2. Draw a food chain with at least 4 links, using arrows to show the direction of energy flow.
3. Draw an energy pyramid for the same food chain.
4. When given a food web, identify the producers and consumers.
5. Identify the original source of energy for all organisms on our planet.
1. Define and give examples for the following words: independent variable, dependent variable, precise, accurate, valid.
2. Identify dependent and independent variables in an experiment.
3. Design experiments with proper control and variable.
4. Collect Data using a variety of methods.
5. Label data using appropriate metric units.
6. Convert common metric units of length, mass and volume
7. Display data using tables and graphs.
8. Read tables and graphs.
Test 3 --
1. Define and give examples of: ethics, credibility, replication
2. List the steps that must be taken to ensure the credibility of an experiments
3. Summarize the steps necessary when working with animals for research purposes.
4. Describe ethical requirements when working with human subjects
5. Apply the rules of ethics by not subjecting students of community to health or property risks
6. Explain how scientific knowledge is shared and can become available to everyone
7. Analyze factors leading to the increasing quantity of scientific knowledge | <urn:uuid:061d70b9-a9e9-48db-b5fa-fea23f1ff03b> | CC-MAIN-2016-44 | https://www.quia.com/pages/feldbushcomp.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-44/segments/1476988720475.79/warc/CC-MAIN-20161020183840-00126-ip-10-171-6-4.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.841142 | 425 | 4.125 | 4 |
CHESS; About the Chess Moves
Published: August 7, 1988
Starting this week, The New York Times is changing the notation system it uses to describe chess moves. The new system, known as algebraic notation, is widely preferred in the world chess community and has been officially recommended by the International Chess Federation.
In algebraic notation, the ranks of the chessboard are numbered 1 to 8, beginning with the first rank on White's side.
The files are lettered from a through h, beginning with the file on White's left. Thus, each square is identified by its file letter and rank number.
Under the previous system, descriptive notation, the identity of each square would vary, depending on whose turn it was to move. White's KB3 square, for example, is Black's KB6.
By comparison, the algebraic system identifies each square consistently in references to either player's pieces and moves.
In the starting position, White's queen knight thus stands on b1, the king on e1, the queen on d1; Black's queen knight stands on b8, the king on e8, the queen on d8, and so on.
Other features of the system follow:
DESIGNATION OF PIECES - The same in both notations, except that the algebraic system does not use any symbol for the pawn.
MOVES BY PIECES - Shown by the letter of the piece and the destination square, without a hyphen; thus, the descriptive moves 2 N-KB3, N-QB3 would be 2 Nf3 Nc6 in algebraic notation.
MOVES BY PAWNS - Since only one pawn can move to a given square at any time, pawn moves are designated simply by the name of the destination square; thus, the descriptive moves 1 P-K4, P-K4 are 1 e4 e5 in the algebraic system.
CASTLING - Shown as O-O (kingside) and O-O-O (queenside) in both systems.
CAPTURES BY PIECES -Not distinguished. If a move is given as Nd6, for example, and one of the opposition's pawns or pieces is already on d6, the knight captures it.
CAPTURES BY PAWNS -Shown by the letter identifying the pawn's file of origin followed by the letter of the file onto which it moves in making the capture. Thus, a pawn on the f file capturing anywhere on the e file is shown as fe. En passant captures are not distinguished.
CHECK - Not distinguished.
AMBIGUITY - If more than one piece of the same type can move to a square, the rank number or file letter of the origination square is added. Thus, the move Rd4 would be given as R1d4 (pronounced ''rook at 1 to d4'') if another rook on the d file could also move to d4. If there are black knights on c6 and e6, and the one on e6 moves to d4, the move is given as Ned4 (''knight at e to d4'').
If doubled pawns make the normal designation of a pawn capture ambiguous, the rank of the captured pawn is included. Thus, fg5 shows a pawn on the f file capturing on g5, and fg3 shows another pawn elsewhere on the f file capturing on g3. A SAMPLE SEQUENCE
Descriptive: 1 P-K4, P-K4; 2 N-KB3, N-QB3; 3 B-N5, P-QR3; 4 BxN, QPxB; 5 O-O, P-B3; 6 P-Q4, B-KN5.
Algebraic: 1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bb5 a6 4 Bc6 dc 5 O-O f6 6 d4 Bg4. | <urn:uuid:388a0360-68d5-4f72-b73a-0763f357e094> | CC-MAIN-2017-34 | http://www.nytimes.com/1988/08/07/style/chess-about-the-chess-moves.html?src=pm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-34/segments/1502886105955.66/warc/CC-MAIN-20170819235943-20170820015943-00283.warc.gz | en | 0.914805 | 839 | 3.28125 | 3 |
This year, the move towards online education has seen a massive acceleration as more schools than ever before have turned to distance learning. With children logging on for classes rather than walking into them, there are new challenges to overcome in order to provide online safety within education.
Setting suitable strategies in place can mitigate online threats, offering the benefits of distance learning without the concern for children’s safety, the school’s information, and any possible data vulnerabilities.
The challenges of online safety in education
Looking briefly at some of the challenges that are involved in online learning, the following needs to be considered:
- Cyber predators,
- Private information leaks,
- Phishing and scams, and
- Malware downloads.
Tips for teaching and practising online safety
In this blog, we’ll highlight the four main points to ensure your students are practising online safety as much as possible while online or using school-owned devices.
1. Have web-filtering tech in place
Web-filtering is a handy tool which limits what can and can’t be found online. In education, it’s not only a powerful method to make sure students avoid inappropriate content, but it’s also helpful to diminish distractions so that students stay on track with their tasks as much as possible.
The software is a fantastic way to restrict certain content from showing up from student’s searches without blanket-banning the internet. Mobile Guardian’s web-filtering for education offers a tailored solution for search safety, which is dynamic in with permissions and enables the management of school-owned devices.
Restrictions can be implemented by:
- Website categories,
- Keywords (pre-defined and defined by the school),
- URLs, and
- YouTube Channel.
Curious about how web-filtering works? Sign up for a free 14-day trial!
2. Teach students about cybersecurity in the curriculum
As such a major component in student’s education, teaching the safe use of the online space is important. Discussing digital dangers means that children will have the knowledge to step safely into internet independence. With the right information for safety in browsing, it’s less likely that they will end up falling prey to malicious content or entities when they are on their own devices.
Google launched Be Internet Awesome to teach and promote safe internet usage to children. The website provides an interactive and engaging way for students to learn about online safety and possible threats.
This helps address challenges such as scammers looking to steal information and money, malware and hacking software which can be installed through suspicious emails and links. Additionally, the website shows students how to deal with cyberbullying and aggressive keyboard warriors, and cybersafety.
Schools may develop their own Acceptable Usage Policy to help students appreciate and understand what is considered acceptable for device and internet usage.
3. Monitor student’s tasks and activity
Monitoring activity is not about taking student’s privacy away, it’s about ensuring that they are not straying to dangerous territory and are remaining focused during class. Live Screen Views and Tab Control mean there’s little risk of students stumbling across – and staying on – inappropriate or suspicious sites.
These features provide teachers with a window of clarity into how students are engaging with the lesson. If they are distracted, teachers are able to intervene directly and close the distracting tab.
4. Draw reports of device activity
Whether in the classroom or teaching remotely, Teachers have a knack for picking up when students are up to trouble. However, even the best can miss a spot of trouble here and there. Mobile Guardian created Device usage reports, to provide educators with insight into student activity during class.
Teachers and IT Administrators are able to draw reports that illustrate how time was spent during a lesson. These reports display the amount of time spent by students on which apps and websites.
These reports can be used to identify distracted students but, even more importantly, educators may correlate how successful students are spending their time, and seek to emulate this behaviour through classes.
Web Filtering in Online Safety
Not only do monitoring tools to ensure safety for students online, but they also alleviate distraction and redirection is simple as you clicking a button.
Mobile Guardian ensures that it doesn’t have to be a massive process to monitor whether students are focusing on the right thing and avoiding the wrong. The cloud-based software works seamlessly with your school’s system, making the switch from insecure to safety simple.
Add security to your school’s systems – trial Mobile Guardian for free.
Team Mobile Guardian | <urn:uuid:29501f05-f927-4eea-b0dd-550264bb8e99> | CC-MAIN-2023-14 | https://www.mobileguardian.com/online-learning-4-tips-for-student-safety/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-14/segments/1679296943589.10/warc/CC-MAIN-20230321002050-20230321032050-00322.warc.gz | en | 0.934951 | 964 | 3.390625 | 3 |
|© UNICEF/ HQ99-0849/ LeMoyne|
|Two women from the Dao ethnic group, carrying children on their backs, in Lason Commune, Ha Nam, Viet Nam.|
It is generally accepted that early gender socialization is one of the most pertinent issues in early childhood, affecting both boys and girls. The foundations for stereotypes in gender roles are laid through early gender socialization.
Early gender socialization starts at birth and it is a process of learning cultural roles according to one's sex. Right from the beginning, boys and girls are treated differently by the members of their own environment, and learn the differences between boys and girls, women and men. Parental and societal expectations from boys and girls, their selection of gender-specific toys, and/or giving gender based assignments seem to define a differentiating socialization process that can be termed as "gender socialization". There are numerous examples from varied parts of the world confirming that gender socialization is intertwined with the ethnic, cultural, and religious values of a given society. And gender socialization continues throughout the life cycle.
Gender socialization is the process by which people learn to behave in a certain way, as dictated by societal beliefs, values, attitudes and examples. Gender socialization begins as early as when a woman becomes pregnant and people start making judgments about the value of males over females. These stereotypes are perpetuated by family members, teachers and others by having different expectations for males and females.
Imagine the following scenario: a young pregnant woman is about to have her first child. When asked whether she wishes to have a girl or boy, she replies that it doesn’t matter. But, sitting next to her is an older relative who says “Oh, hopefully it will be a boy.” In small, but meaningful ways such as this, gender socialization starts even before birth.
Children start facing norms that define “masculine” and “feminine” from an early age. Boys are told not to cry, not to fear, not to be forgiving and instead to be assertive, and strong. Girls on the other hand are asked not to be demanding, to be forgiving and accommodating and “ladylike”. These gender roles and expectations have large scale ramifications. In many parts of the world, girls face discrimination in the care they receive in terms of their access to nutritious foods and health care, leading them to believe that they deserve to be treated differently than boys. The degree of gender differences observed varies in all cultures in respect to infant, toddler and young child health, nutrition, care developmental activities, education, hygiene and protection.
UNICEF, guided by the Convention on the Rights of the Child, advocates for gender equality and equity in care, protection and development of all children. | <urn:uuid:880685f4-ca49-47ee-b70e-4b275a52701f> | CC-MAIN-2018-22 | https://www.unicef.org/earlychildhood/index_40749.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2018-22/segments/1526794864558.8/warc/CC-MAIN-20180521220041-20180522000041-00066.warc.gz | en | 0.956838 | 581 | 3.796875 | 4 |
Assyrian Winged Human Headed Bull Lamassu Statue 8.5H -
Assyrian Bull Statue recreates one of the famous Lamassu statues originally done on a colossal scale that were symbols of ancient rulers in the Assyrian empire. Animal beasts with human heads. Sadly, many have been either partially or fully destroyed by the extremists in modern day Iraq.
Assyrian Winged Bull Lamassu Statue is made from bonded stone, antique grey wash finish, and measures 8.5 in H x 7.25 in W x 3 in D each including brown base. Weighs 3.4 lbs.
This Assyrian Lamassu a famous example of Mesopotamian art from Ancient Iraq. It features a majestic hybrid animal animal creatures associated with Assyrian leadership. This figure was known to the Assyrians as lamassu (lamassi, plural). It combined the strength of the bull, the swiftness of birds indicated by the wings, and the intelligence of the human head. It was designed to protect the palace from demonic forces, and may even have guarded the entrance to the private apartments of the king.The horned cap attests to their divinity, and the belt signifies their power.
Other lamassu have the hybrid form of a Human Headed Winged Lion.
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Past Class Struggles
As was pointed out in a previous article, early England was Feudal, and under the Manorial system rural England was composed of estates divided among villeins (a particular kind of peasant proprietors), who owed certain services to their lords.
The growth of commercialism broke up the Manorial system and introduced the Capitalist system. The foundation of the Capitalist system was laid by divorcing the labourer from the soil, i.e., converting the peasant into a “free” labourer.
Feudalism rested upon the reciprocal duties of lord and peasant or villein. The rise of the trading and manufacturing class brought about the need for a large number of labourers who could be exploited without restriction. In order that the commercial or capitalist class could become the supreme class in society the serf had to be converted into a free labourer—free of all feudal ties and relying only on wages for his living.
The commercial class, who had acquired money through trade, had steadily grown and permeated the existing system to such an extent that it was gradually breaking the bonds of Feudalism. In this the trading class were assisted by the great feudal lords themselves, who, while despising trade as vulgar, coveted its riches.
But the starting-point of capitalism was the free labourer. The landed proprietors, to get money, leased their lands and commuted labour rents into money rents. The rise of woollen manufacture on the Continent brought about a corresponding rise in the English wool trade. Then the great landowners commenced enclosing the common lands and evicting the peasants to make room for sheep. At the same time the suppression of the monastries and the break-up of the bands of feudal retainers, drove thousands of other people to seek employment under the growing new conditions.
In these various ways the principle raw material of capitalism—the free labourer, who must work for wages or starve—was produced.
The whole system of government, however, was built upon the feudal organisation and the Court was in control. As the capitalist organisation was breaking up the feudal, it became necessary for the moneyed class to obtain supreme control of social affairs in order to sweep away the privileges and restrictions that were hampering its development. Society had to be reorganised, politically and religiously, to conform with the new economic organisation.
The religious change took the form of the Protestant Reformation, Catholicism, with its many fast days and ceremonials, was inimical to commercialism, hence the fight of the commercial class for political power was suffused with the glamour of a new religion. Freedom of contract in earthly affairs was bolstered up by the plea of freedom of judgment in affairs spiritual.
During feudal times a struggle had been going on between the Court party and the great nobles. In 1215 the nobles forced from John the concession of the “Great Charter,” the gist of which was that the sovereign could not levy taxes himself, payments having to be granted by a council of barons and bishops. In 1265 the town element (representatives of shires and boroughs) was introduced into this council of Parliament. The succeeding history is that of the struggle for supremacy of Parliament against the royal power.
The merchants, embittered by the harassing and interrupting of commerce by enemy ships and the waste of money on foreign wars, time and again refused to grant the necessary subsidies and Parliament was dissolved. But the emptiness of the regal treasury always compelled the sovereigns to re-assemble Parliament.
By the time the bourgeois had arrived at wealth, then, and desired to become the ruling power, the Crown had secured the powers of government into its own hands, but at the same time, the necessities of the regal exchequer had compelled the feudal party to concede certain privileges and powers to the new class, and in this way the former helped to dig its own grave.
At the outbreak of the Revolution the parties taking part were : The Court Party, the lords and large landed proprietors ; the merchants ; the small farmers or country squires ; the town shop-keepers ; the political adventurers or opportunists ; and underneath all the poor of town and country.
The actual struggle commenced in 1642, when the Commons strove for the right to control the militia, and so take the military power out of the royal hands. In spite of the refusal of Charles to grant this request the militia were rapidly enrolled and lord lieutenants appointed.
The Lords desired to limit kingly power, the Commons to abolish it. In the early part of the war the Lords or Presbyterian party predominated and the policy of compromise was adopted. Underneath the Lords, however, were the Independents, growing daily in strength, menacing the policy and position of the Lords, and eventually compelling them to go over to the Court.
The Independents appealed only to Reason. Institutions, laws, customs everything, was by them brought before the bar of Reason and called upon to order itself according to the will of man, i.e., mercantile man. Equality of Rights, the “just” distribution of social property, was their cry. Let us hear Guizot speak of them.
“There was no contradiction between their religious and political systems ; no secret struggle between the leaders and their men ; no exclusive creed, no rigorous test rendered access to the party difficult; like the sect from which they had taken their name, they held liberty of conscience a fundamental maxim, and the immensity of the Reforms they proposed, the vast uncertainty of their designs, allowed men of the most various objects to range beneath their banners ; lawyers joined them in hopes of depriving the ecclesiastics, their rivals, of all jurisdiction and power; liberal publicists contemplated by their aid the formation of anew, clear, simple plan of legislation, which should take from lawyers their enormous profits and their immoderate power. Hanington could dream among them of a society of sages; Sidney of the liberty of Sparta or Rome; Lilburne of the restoration of the old Saxon laws; Hanison of the coming of Christ; even the non-principle of Henry Martyn and Peter Wentworth were tolerated in consideration of its daring ; republicans or levellers, reasoners or visionaries, fanatics or men of ambition, all were admitted to make a common stock of their anger, their theories, their ecstatic dreams, their intrigues ; it was enough that all were animated with equal hatred against the cavaliers and against the presbyterians, would rush on with the same fervour towards that unknown futurity which was to satisfy so many expectations.”“History of the English Revolution,” Guizot, p. 216.
The principal figure in this party was Oliver Cromwell, a country squire of Hundingdonshire. Cromwell was a descendant of the unprincipled adventurer chosen by Henry VIII. as his chief instrument in the confiscation of the monastic lands, in which, process Cromwell the elder succeeded, by embezzlement, in amassing an enormous amount of wealth. Cromwell’s parents had further augmented the monastic spoils by the profits derived from a lucrative brewery business. Such were the origin and connections of the man who was to lead the wealthier merchants to victory.
He organised a band of religious zealots drawn from the ranks of farmers and tradesmen, who contributed much to the earlier successes of the Parliamentary forces and also considerably exalted the power of their commander.
As the war progressed the Independents gradually gained the ascendant, and Charles I. was executed Jan. 30, 1648.
By 1649 the Independents had become strong enough to declare a commonwealth with a single House of Commons and Council of State, Cromwell managing to manoeuvre himself into the position of Lord Protector. The final working out of this was that all the executive power was centred in his hands. Then commenced the much desired epoch of the Merchants.
The commercial wars of Cromwell are described by Gibbins as follows :
“He (Cromwell) demanded trade with the Spanish colonies, and religious freedom for English settlers in such colonies. Of course his demands were refused, as well he knew they would be. Whereupon he seized Jamaica (1655) and intended to seize Cuba; and at any rate succeeded in giving the English a secure footing in the West Indies. He seized Dunkirk also from Spain (then at war with France, with a view of securing England a monopoly of the Channel to the exclusion of our old friends the Dutch. . . . Not content with victory in the West, Cromwell, with the full consent of mercantile England, declared war against the Dutch, who were now more our rivals than our friends. It would have been perfectly possible for the English and Dutch to have remained on good terms ; but the great idea of the statesmen and merchants of the 17th and 18th centuries was to gain a sole market and monopoly of trade, and so the Dutch had to be crushed. . . . Cromwell succeeded in his object. He defeated the Dutch and broke their prestige in the war of 1652-54, and designed to win their trade by the Navigation Acts of 1651. The contest between the English and Dutch for the mastery of the seas was already practically decided by the capture of New Amsterdam (New York), and the subsequent wars of Charles II. reign, completed the discomfiture of Holland.”—”Industrial History of England,” p. 123.
The defeat of the Dutch gave the English merchants the carrying trade of the Baltic and the Mediterranean. The Navigation Acts of 1651 referred to above set forth that all goods brought to England must be carried in ships of the actual country manufacturing the goods. As the Dutch had been previously the principal carrying nation, this was a direct blow at their supremacy, and also an indication of the growing power of the English mercantile marine.
Cromwell died in 1658, and shortly after the Royalist element began to regain a little power and succeeded in obtaining the recall of Charles II., but with greatly reduced royal power. This sovereign, more wily than his father, played into the hands of the wealthy class and was thereby enabled to enjoy a life of luxury. He pursued a foreign policy similar to that of Cromwell, enlarging the sphere of action of the merchants. He died in 1685, and his successor, James II., too thick headed to recognise the trend of the times, tried to restore the old supremacy of the Court.
In the meantime the French had grown in power and began to threaten the commercial position of England. William of Orange drew the attention of the English on account of the skilful way in which he harassed France. In consequence of this, and of the dissatisfaction aroused by the conduct of James, William was invited to the English throne in 1688. He landed with a force of Dutch, and with the help of the merchants and landowners defeated the Royalist forces.
William was presented with the “Declaration of Rights,” after signing which his coronation was celebrated.
In the “Declaration of Rights” was incorporated the principles of the now all powerful capitalist class. The two chief points were—
“The raising and maintenance of a standing army to be the prerogative solely of Parliament.
Levying of taxes or loans without consent of Parliament to be illegal.”
The early part of the Revolution had witnessed the desire of the revolutionary Bourgeois to abolish kingly power, but they soon found that such a measure was not entirely in their own interests. The mass of the people, seeing old habits and customs so ruthlessly jettisoned, began to question even the right of private property! During the expedition for the conquest of Ireland undertaken by Cromwell in 1629, a body known as the Levellers broke out into open insurrection, demanding “true and perfect freedom in all things.” This outbreak was crushed, but it frightened some of the “eternal laws of reason” out of the capitalists, hence their acquiescence in the restoration of the shadow of kingship.
The successful culmination of the rebellion put the rising capitalists in a position to reap to the full the advantages of the new system of colonisation and unlimited competition. It brought to the English working class a depth of misery and slavery hitherto unknown. | <urn:uuid:2b41b1f7-284e-461d-ae51-80e77b74280b> | CC-MAIN-2023-40 | https://www.worldsocialism.org/spgb/socialist-standard/1910s/1919/no-177-may-1919/past-class-struggles-2/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-40/segments/1695233510983.45/warc/CC-MAIN-20231002064957-20231002094957-00366.warc.gz | en | 0.973946 | 2,570 | 3.75 | 4 |
When I teach the Holocaust, I present my students with a dilemma. You are a Jew working in a concentration camp. To stay alive, you have the job of removing the corpses from the gas chamber and bringing them to the crematorium. One day a little girl is found alive among the bodies. You and your fellow workers have to decide whether you will risk your lives by trying to smuggle her into the female population or turn her over to the S.S. This dilemma is based on an actual incident. That incident is part of the plot of a movie entitled “The Grey Zone”. The movie was directed by Tim Blake Nelson (the goofy Delmar in “Oh, Brother Where Art Thou?”). Looks can be deceiving, he was the only member of the cast or crew who had read the Odyssey. He wrote the play that the movie is based on and then the screenplay. His research came from the book Auschwitz: A Doctor’s Eyewitness Account by Dr. Miklos Nyiszli. The movie was filmed in Bulgaria. Actual plans for the camp were used to make a 90% scaled replica of the crematoria and barracks.
There have been many Holocaust movies, but few have dealt with the Sonderkommandos. These were the “special units” that removed the bodies from the gas chambers. They were given better food and housing, but they joined the corpses after a few months. The movie is set in Auschwitz II – Birkenau in August, 1944. Dr. Nyiszli (Allan Corduner) meets the infamous Dr. Josef Mengele and decides to collude with him on his human guinea pig experiments. He figures the arrangement will help keep his wife and daughter out of the gas chamber. He also has the attitude that at least some science might come from the experiments. The other plot line involves a plot by some of the sonderkommandos to blow up the crematoria and the gas chamber. They are aware that the clock is ticking on their employment. In order to blow up the buildings, a trio of extremely brave women are smuggling gun powder to them from the munitions factory.
The movie hits several Holocaust images – the band playing as the Jews enter the “showers”, the burning of the Hungarian Jews in pits, the sorting of belongings. However, the movie is not interested in depicting life in the camp. In fact, the sonderkommandos are living a much better life than the typical prisoners. They are literally feasting in their comfortable barracks. This is not “Schindler’s List”, it is closer to “Escape from Sobibor” because it deals with resistance to the “Final Solution”. Unlike that movie, “The Grey Zone” digs deep into ethics and choices. The sabotage plot is going well until Hoffman (David Arquette) discovers a young girl among the bodies. Nyiszli is brought in to help her recover. He is let in on the plot. Now we have two dilemmas. What to do with the girl and should Nyiszli use his new knowledge to save his family? He is under pressure from an S.S. officer named Muhsfeldt (Harvey Keitel) to tell about any plotting in exchange for preferential treatment for Nyiszli’s family. These two arcs will get us to the explosive final scene.
“The Grey Zone” is an outstanding movie. The reason it is not well known is it is grim, even for a Holocaust movie. It also did not get much in the way of marketing. It made less than $1 million! The budget was a measly $5 million. Not a lot of it went to the cast, which is not all-star, but does have some excellent actors. Harvey Keitel is great as Muhsfeldt. The character is not your typical evil Nazi and is not predictable. In fact, the whole movie is unpredictable – other than the obvious failure of the plot. David Arquette plays against type as Hoffman. He has a very powerful scene involving a Hungarian Jew who argues with him before going in the gas chamber. It is one of several shocking moments in the movie. The standout among the cast is David Chandler as Rosenthal.
Aside from the great acting and interesting blend of cinematography (mostly hand-held and some POV), the strength of the movie is in the provoking of thoughts. Should the girl be saved? Is Nyiszli a villain or a man doing whatever it takes to save his family? Are the sonderkommandos in need of redemption? Most importantly, what would you do in the circumstances the movie posits? The film is a welcome addition to the Holocaust subgenre of war movies. It is instructive of the sonderkommandos and covers several aspects of Auschwitz that are seldom portrayed in Holocaust movies. It also is based on a true story so there is a history lesson here. (See below for how accurate the movie is.)
“The Grey Zone” is one of the top five Holocaust movies. It is tough to watch because most of the movies in this subgenre have relatively positive endings. This one is entertaining, but depressing. Shouldn’t you be depressed when you finish watching a Holocaust movie? I’m not criticizing movies like “Schindler’s List” or “Escape from Sobibor” because they tell true stories and those stories emphasize the strength of the human spirit. But we need movies that question human behavior and decisions made under difficult circumstances. Thank God this movie will be as close as you get to the “what if?” scenarios Nyiszli and the gas commandos faced.
GRADE = A
HISTORICAL ACCURACY: The movie accurately depicts the work of the sonderkommandos. These were squads of Jews who were forced into the “special units” when they first arrived at the camp. Their job was to remove the corpses from the gas chambers and transport them to the crematoria. It was not unusual for them to come into contact with the bodies of dead family members. In exchange for this work, they were isolated from the rest of the prisoners and lived in their own barracks. The barracks was nicer and they were well fed. They were given food, medicines, and cigarettes accumulated from the victims. The feasting shown in the movie was probably exaggerated, but they certainly were better off than the other Jews. They also were protected from being shot by the guards for minor infractions or just because the guard was having a bad day. Since they were “bearers of secrets”, they could not be allowed to survive, so every three months or so they were liquidated. The replacement sonderkommandos’ first job was to dispose of their predecessors.
The incident involving the young girl (she was probably around 15) was based on Nyiszli’s recollection. The girl possibly survived by being under the crush of bodies with her face pressed against the wet floor. When the men discovered her, they called for the doctor and he revived her. At this point, he brought the matter to Oberscharfuhrer Eric Muhsfeldt who he had a relationship with through his work with Mengele. Nyiszli thought he could convince the officer to let the girl be filtered into the female work groups, but Muhsfeldt did not think the chance of discovery was worth it. He had a guard shoot her. The incident involving the girl was not connected to the uprising.
The plot to blow up the crematoria and gas chamber is based on an attempted uprising by Sonderkommando XII in Auschwitz. Small amounts of gunpowder were smuggled from the munitions plant on site by three Jewish women – Ester Wajcblum, Ala Gertner, and Regina Safirsztain. The trio passed the explosives to Roza Robath who was part of the resistance. The planned rebellion had to be moved up when word spread that their time as body disposers was about to come to an end. On Oct. 7, 1944 they attacked the SS and Kapos with two machine guns, knives, and grenades. They killed three and wounded twelve. Part of a crematorium was destroyed, but for the most part the uprising was a failure. Some did manage to escape, but were soon recaptured. 200 were executed in a manner similar to the movie. The four women were ferreted out after the event, tortured, and executed.
Miklos Nyiszli was a Jewish doctor who arrived at Auschwitz with his wife and daughter in 1944. He volunteered as a doctor and caught the attention of Josef Mengele. Mengele put him to work doing autopsies and helping with his experiments. Some of this involved Mengele’s twins. His work and a bribe saved his family from the gas chamber. They all survived the war. Some historians dispute his information about the Sonderkommando.
Erich Muhfeldt was a mass murderer who was executed for war crimes after the war. He participated in the mass executions that attempted to cover up Madjanek when the camp was destroyed after the escape. He then ended up at Auschwitz and was in charge of Sonderkommando XII, He did have a creepy relationship with Nyiszli similar to the one shown in the film. | <urn:uuid:1a1140a9-106d-4504-9287-9d79e417ae05> | CC-MAIN-2018-34 | https://warmoviebuff.blogspot.com/2016/12/cracker-grey-zone-2001.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2018-34/segments/1534221218189.86/warc/CC-MAIN-20180821132121-20180821152121-00490.warc.gz | en | 0.981229 | 1,978 | 2.65625 | 3 |
For Immediate Release: January 26, 2012
Contact :CDC Division of News and Electronic Media
Study finds racial and ethnic disparities in US cancer screening rates
The percentage of U.S. citizens screened for cancer remains below national targets, with significant disparities among racial and ethnic populations, according to the first federal study to identify cancer screening disparities among Asian and Hispanic groups. The report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Cancer Institute (NCI), part of the National Institutes of Health, was published today in the CDC Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
In 2010, breast cancer screening rates were 72.4 percent, below the Healthy People 2020 target of 81 percent; cervical cancer screening was 83 percent, below the target of 93 percent; and colorectal cancer screening was 58.6 percent, below the target of 70.5 percent, according to the study, “Cancer Screening in the United States – 2010.”
Screening rates for all three cancers were significantly lower among Asians (64.1 percent for breast cancer, 75.4 percent for cervical cancer, and 46.9 percent for colorectal cancer) compared to other groups, the study found. Hispanics were less likely to be screened for cervical and colorectal cancer (78.7 percent and 46.5 percent, respectively) when compared to non-Hispanics (83.8 percent and 59.9 percent, respectively).
“It is troubling to see that not all Americans are getting the recommended cancer screenings and that disparities continue to persist for certain populations. Screening can find breast, cervical, and colorectal cancers at an early stage when treatment is more effective,” said Sallyann Coleman King, M.D., an epidemic intelligence service officer in CDC’s Division of Cancer Prevention and Control and lead author of the study. “We must continue to monitor cancer screening rates to improve the health of all Americans.”
sets national objectives for improving the health of all Americans. Such objectives include the use of screening tests recommended by the United States Preventive Services Task Force for breast, cervical, and colorectal cancers. Women aged 50-74 years should be screened for breast cancer with a mammogram every two years. Women who have been sexually active for three years or are aged 21-65 years should be screened for cervical cancer with a Pap test at least every three years. Colorectal cancer screening is recommended for average-risk men and women aged 50-75 years, using high-sensitivity fecal occult blood test (FOBT), done at home every year; sigmoidoscopy every five years, with high-sensitivity FOBT every three years; or colonoscopy every 10 years.
To assess the use of currently recommended cancer screening tests by age, race, ethnicity, education, length of residence in the United States, and the source and financing of health care researchers analyzed data from the 2010 National Health Interview Survey, which tracks progress toward the achievement of Healthy People 2020 objectives. For the ethnic subgroups, Asians were classified as Chinese, Filipino, or other Asian and Hispanics as Puerto Rican, Mexican, Mexican-American, Central or South American, or other Hispanic.
Significant findings include:
- Screening rates for breast cancer remained relatively stable and varied no more than 3 percent over the period 2000-2010.
- From 2000-2010, colorectal cancer screening rates increased markedly for men and women, with the rate for women increasing slightly faster so that rates among both sexes were nearly identical (58.5 percent for men and 58.8 percent for women) in 2010.
- From 2000-2010, a small but statistically significant downward trend of 3.3 percent was observed in the rate of women who reported getting a Pap test within the last three years.
- Considerably lower breast, cervical, and colorectal cancer screening use was reported by those without any usual source of health care or health insurance.
The authors note that this study reinforces the need to identify and track cancer screening disparities. Additionally, the report provides guidance for the development programs to increase the use of screening tests in order to meet Healthy People 2020 targets and simultaneously reduce cancer morbidity and mortality.
“Healthy People objectives are important for monitoring progress toward reducing the burden of cancer in the United States. Our study points to the particular need for finding ways to increase the use of breast, cervical, and colorectal cancer screening tests among Asians, Hispanics, as well as adults who lack health insurance or a usual source of health care” said Carrie Klabunde, Ph.D., an epidemiologist in NCI’s Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences and a co-author of the study.
According to the authors, the Affordable Care Act is expected to reduce financial barriers to care by expanding insurance coverage. Other efforts are needed such as developing systems that identify individuals eligible for cancer screening tests, actively encouraging the use of screening tests, and monitoring participation to improve screening rates, they say.
Through the National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program, CDC provides low-income, uninsured, and underinsured women access to timely breast and cervical cancer screening and diagnostic services in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, five U.S. territories, and 12 American Indian/Alaska Native tribes or tribal organizations. The CDCs Colorectal Cancer Control Program funds 25 states and four tribal organizations to implement population-based approaches to increase screening among men and women aged 50 years and older. Population-based approaches include policy and health systems change, outreach, case management, and selective provision of screening services. For information about CDC efforts to prevent cancer, visit www.cdc.gov/cancer
NCI leads the National Cancer Program and NIH’s effort to dramatically reduce the burden of cancer and improve the lives of cancer patients and their families, through research into prevention and cancer biology, the development of new interventions, and the training and mentoring of new researchers. For more information about cancer, visit www.cancer.gov or call NCI's Cancer Information Service at 1-800-4-CANCER (1-800-422-6237).
“CDC works 24/7 saving lives, protecting people from health threats, and saving money through prevention. Whether these threats are global or domestic, chronic or acute, curable or preventable, natural disaster or deliberate attack, CDC is the nation’s health protection agency.”
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The devastating fire that destroyed the roofs and spire of Notre-Dame in Paris demonstrates the vulnerabilities of medieval cathedrals and great churches, but also reveals the skills of their master-masons, writes Dr Jenny Alexander, from the University of Warwick’s department of the history of art.
The cathedral of Notre-Dame in Paris was built from 1160-c.1260 in the new Gothic style that was first developed in the area around Paris and was to dominate medieval building across Europe for the next three hundred years. Notre-Dame was built to be tall and imposing, and in order to support its great height, double aisles were used throughout.
The east end of the building has a complex vault to both its aisles that required sophisticated understanding of geometry by its master mason in order to bring it around the building at the same level. The building was completed with its west facade, that was designed to be a rich assembly of sculptured portals, complete with life-sized figure sculpture, and the Gallery of the Kings, by c.1245 and the towers followed swiftly after.
The original plan did not allow for magnificent facades to north and south at the ends of the transept, but these were added in the mid thirteenth century together with their superb rose windows, and their original glass provides one of the most memorable parts of the building today. Medieval stained glass artists carefully placed red and blue glass within white framing to create the stunning purple effect you get when the sun streams through the windows and they designed the north rose, on the darker side of the building, to be lighter in tone.
Skills of the master masons
The devastating fire that destroyed the roofs and spire of Notre-Dame Paris this week demonstrates the vulnerabilities of medieval cathedrals and great churches, but also reveals the skills of their master-masons. The lead covered wooden roof structure burned so fast because the fire was able to take hold under the lead and increase in intensity before it was visible from the outside, and it then spread easily to all the other sections of the roof. French buildings are more vulnerable here than UK ones, because they don't usually have a stone tower in the centre that would act as a fire-break. This feature is what saved York Minster in 1984 when the transept roof caught fire but it was the Minster’s tower stopped it spreading further.
Saved by the stone vault
Notre-Dame was saved from total destruction because the medieval builders gave it a stone vault over all the main spaces, and the stone flags on top of the aisles meant that the burning timbers and molten lead couldn't break through there. Coventry Cathedral was brought down in the Second World War when it was fire-bombed because it had a timber ceiling and the burning timbers fell into the church and formed a huge bonfire that fatally weakend the stonework and caused it to collapse. In France, the great cathedral at Reims lost its roofs in the bombardment of the First World War, but having a stone vault, it too survived as a building and has been restored.
Notre-Dame will rise again, and its conservators can take heart from the inscription inside the door of Coventry's new cathedral, 'to the Glory of God this cathedral burnt... and is now rebuilt'.
Dr Jenny Alexander is an associate professor in the Department of the History of Art.
Her research is concerned with the architectural history of the great churches and cathedrals of the medieval period, and with the ways in which those buildings were constructed and used. She is interested in how the medieval and early-modern construction industry was organised, how masons were trained, how buildings were designed and how the materials used were chosen, supplied, and worked.
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The text in this article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0). | <urn:uuid:ad65a03a-625f-4116-a6e9-d6a78fc6324e> | CC-MAIN-2024-10 | https://warwick.ac.uk/newsandevents/knowledgecentre/arts/history-of-art/notredame/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2024-10/segments/1707947473824.45/warc/CC-MAIN-20240222193722-20240222223722-00203.warc.gz | en | 0.974008 | 815 | 3.828125 | 4 |
BLACK-BILLED GULL (Chroicocephalus buller)
NAME: The English name ‘Gull’ would have its origins in Old Celtic ‘Gullan’ and other languages, including Latin ‘gula’ for throat. As per Choate this would be related to the gull’s ‘indiscriminate’ scavenging habits, its ‘willingness to swallow almost anything’ (think ‘gullible’).
Black-billed gulls were seen in Christchurch and Kaikoura on the South Island. They are only found in New Zealand and are now listed as ‘endangered’. In terms of size the black-billed gull is a small member of its family. It has a black bill and black legs. | <urn:uuid:2fc99401-78ac-49df-97de-b70638ad073a> | CC-MAIN-2019-18 | https://birdsoftheworld.info/black-billed-gull/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2019-18/segments/1555578526807.5/warc/CC-MAIN-20190418201429-20190418223429-00429.warc.gz | en | 0.974175 | 173 | 3.265625 | 3 |
by Swami Lokeswarananda | 165,421 words | ISBN-10: 8185843910 | ISBN-13: 9788185843919
This is the English translation of the Chandogya-upanishad, including a commentary based on Swami Lokeswarananda’s weekly discourses; incorporating extracts from Shankara’s bhasya. The Chandogya Upanishad is a major Hindu philosophical text incorporated in the Sama Veda, and dealing with meditation and Brahman. This edition includes the Sanskrit t...
या वाक्सर्क्तस्मादप्राणन्ननपानन्नृचमभिव्याहरति यर्क्तत्साम तस्मादप्राणन्ननपानन्साम गायति यत्साम स उद्गीथस्तस्मादप्राणन्ननपानन्नुद्गायति ॥ १.३.४ ॥
yā vāksarktasmādaprāṇannanapānannṛcamabhivyāharati yarktatsāma tasmādaprāṇannanapānansāma gāyati yatsāma sa udgīthastasmādaprāṇannanapānannudgāyati || 1.3.4 ||
4. Whatever is vāk [speech] is also the Ṛk [part of the Ṛg Veda]. This is why a person stops breathing in and breathing out when reciting the Ṛk mantras. Whatever is the Ṛk is also the Sāma. This is why one recites the Sāma without breathing in or breathing out. That which is the Sāma is also the udgītha. This is why when one sings the udgītha one stops both breathing in and breathing out.
Yā vāk sā ṛk, that which is speech is Ṛk; tasmāt, because [they are one]; aprāṇan anapānan, breathing in and out are suspended; ṛcam, the Ṛg Veda; abhivyāharati, one recites; yā ṛk tat sāma, that which is the Ṛk is also the Sāma; tasmāt, because [they are one and the same]; aprāṇan anapānan sāma gāyati, one suspends breathing in and out when singing the Sāma; yat sāma saḥ udgīthaḥ, that which is the Sāma is the udgītha; tasmāt aprāṇan anapānan udgāyati, because one sings the udgītha by suspending both breathing in and breathing out.
The Ṛk is a collection of words, and the Sāma is based on the Ṛk. Again, the Sāma and the udgītha are the same. To recite any of these, or even to speak, you have to resort to vyāna—that is, you must hold your breath. | <urn:uuid:c0b07e63-5322-446d-85e3-a7f213a1b938> | CC-MAIN-2019-13 | https://www.wisdomlib.org/hinduism/book/chandogya-upanishad-english/d/doc238739.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2019-13/segments/1552912203093.63/warc/CC-MAIN-20190323221914-20190324003914-00508.warc.gz | en | 0.824452 | 877 | 2.546875 | 3 |
The excretory system exists in all living creatures in order to facilitate the removal of nitrogen rich minerals, as well as additional waste products. The excretion process also serves to normalize water and ions in the body. Birds and reptiles differ in many ways, yet the function of the excretory system of species is actually remarkably similar in purpose.
Excretory System of Birds & Reptiles
Food consumption of some sort is necessary for the survival of both birds and reptiles. As food is ingested, the bodies of each of these species begin to undergo the metabolic process. According to the University of Cincinnati, metabolism serves as a means to break down protein and nucleic acid, both of which contain nitrogen. Some of the nitrogen is used by the body, but the majority must be excreted as a waste product.
According to the University of Cincinnati, the main way that both birds and reptiles rid their bodies of the surplus of nitrogen is by turning nitrogen into uric acid or ammonia. Converting the nitrogen is beneficial to birds and reptiles because their bodies are then able to excrete these substances with a minimal loss of water. In the case of cold-blooded animals, as well as many birds, that must be preserved as much as possible.
According to the Biology Web, when nitrogen forms in the body, it eventually becomes a toxic element. The excretory system allows the nitrogen to be excreted by the body before it begins to affect the pH of bodily fluids. In many animals, salt must also be excreted. Many birds and reptiles inhabit areas close to the sea and, as a result, they ingest large quantities of salt. The bodies of these animals excrete the excess salt in the form of a salt solution through nasal salt glands.
According to New World Encyclopedia, reptiles use two small kidneys as tools for excretion. The kidneys serve to filter the nitrogen from the animal's bloodstream, then turn it into waste. The nitrogen then exits the body in dry form as uric acid crystals along with the feces. According to Stanford University, the kidneys in a bird also function as a means to remove nitrogen from the blood. The white substance found in bird droppings is actually uric acid, which is not water soluble. In both reptiles and birds, eliminating the nitrogen requires that the body exerts a great deal of energy. Both species are able to efficiently remove the nitrogen while losing very little water in the waste product.
The excretory system of birds and reptiles effectively removes nitrogen from their bodies, and this system allows for the preservation of water. According to Back Yard Nature, when mammals excrete nitrogen, it is the form of urea, which dissolves very easily in water. In animals whose bodies are not water-based, using uric acid as a means for excretion allows for their survival with minimal water ingestion. | <urn:uuid:2919467b-c423-4ec3-bd7d-2725b37a8767> | CC-MAIN-2019-09 | https://www.cuteness.com/article/excretory-system-birds-reptiles | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2019-09/segments/1550247487624.32/warc/CC-MAIN-20190218175932-20190218201932-00349.warc.gz | en | 0.952337 | 580 | 3.8125 | 4 |
Román Lara Cuevas awoke to gunshots. The sound ricocheted through Quetzalcoatlán de las Palmas, an isolated community in the lush mountains of Guerrero, Mexico, accessible only by bumpy dirt roads. Typically, the loudest sound there is the barking of dogs announcing the arrival of visitors.
Lara Cuevas, a farmer who grows corn, beans and squash, bolted out of bed as soon as he realized the sounds were gunshots. It was around 6 a.m. on Jan. 6, 2016, the day his community traditionally observes Three Kings’ Day. He had planned to slaughter goats and pigs as offerings, then eat tamales with his family to celebrate the holiday, which commemorates when the three wise men visited baby Jesus.
Instead, two dozen armed men stormed into the village firing their guns. Lara Cuevas and his neighbors snuck into the cornfields and shrubs at the hilly perimeter of the village and hid.
Lara Cuevas said he didn’t know who the armed men were. All he knew, he said, is “they came to kill.”
Lara Cuevas hid for about an hour. When he emerged, he learned six men were dead. Five were his relatives: his father, uncle, cousin and two nephews.
That afternoon, all 34 of Quetzalcoatlán’s families fled the village by car. The community that had once been home to 140 people became a ghost town.
As Mexico’s drug war stretches into its 13th year, cartel-related violence is seeping into the most remote corners of Guerrero, a state in southwest Mexico. In extreme situations, entire communities are fleeing violence associated with drug trafficking and warring criminal organizations, leaving behind their homes and in many cases, the land they lived on and worked for generations.
Indigenous Mexican communities are more likely to be victims of forced displacement, according to the Mexican Commission in Defense and Promotion of Human Rights. Less than six percent of the country’s inhabitants spoke an indigenous language in 2010, according to Mexico’s National Institute of Statistics and Geography, yet the human rights commission said indigenous people comprised more than 60 percent of the 20,390 people forcibly expelled in massive displacement events in Mexico in 2017.
The commission defines “large” displacement events as those that affect at least 10 families or 50 people, said Brenda Pérez Vázquez with the commission. The agency uses press coverage to track such events, and doesn’t track individuals or individual families forced to flee. So the total number of people internally displaced in Mexico, she said, is undoubtedly higher.
When criminal groups threaten isolated indigenous communities or commit violence, poor road conditions and scarce phone service make it hard for people to flee, or for help to arrive. And when indigenous villagers are displaced, they face challenges requesting help, due to language barriers. Most of the residents of Quetzalcoatlán, for example, speak the indigenous language Nahuatl, and little Spanish.
For some indigenous Mexicans, in-country, forced migration is the first step toward international migration. Asylum is still a foreign concept in most indigenous Mexican communities, but many people who were displaced by drug-related violence from the southwest states of Guerrero and Oaxaca have entered the United States without authorization and are working as migrant farmworkers, traveling between California, Oregon and Washington, according to Luis López Resendiz, California coordinator for the Binational Front of Indigenous Organizations, a group that advocates for indigenous communities in the United States and Mexico.
Angelina Trujillo, an immigration court interpreter who speaks the indigenous language Mixtec, has observed a similar trend in California courtrooms. She said she has provided interpretation services for many young, indigenous people who fled the mountains of Guerrero and were apprehended by U.S. immigration officials while trying to cross the border without authorization.
Trujillo said she often hears the migrants, who are typically between the ages of 17 and 23, tell the judge, “we have to leave the community because there are drug [gangs] and they’re taking away our land.”
As tens of thousands of Central American and Mexican migrants have sought asylum in the U.S. in recent years, tens of thousands more Mexicans have been forced to migrate within their own country. In 2017, there were 25 episodes of massive internal displacement in Mexico, according to the country’s human rights commission. More than two-thirds of the events were due to violence sparked by criminal organizations, and more than a quarter were spurred by violence related to social, political or territorial conflicts.
Seven of the 25 displacement episodes occurred in Guerrero, the Mexican state with the most displacement events in 2017, the commission said. That year, 5,948 people in Guerrero fled their homes. Again, displacement disproportionately affected indigenous people. Indigenous Mexicans make up a larger portion of Guerrero’s population than the country as a whole, at roughly 13 percent, according to the country’s statistics agency, but they make up 61 percent of those displaced in massive events in the state in 2017, the commission said.
Guerrero secretary of state Florencio Salazar Adame, meanwhile, estimates about 870 people were displaced by violence between January 2017 and October 2018. Forced displacement is a problem in Guerrero, Salazar Adame said in an interview.
“It’s a consequence of the unfortunate violence we’re experiencing,” he said.
The state’s numbers are lower than the human rights commission’s, Salazar Adame said, because the government only counts cases in which people seek help from local authorities. And sometimes, he added, people are afraid to report displacement to the government.
“We have encountered situations, for example, where groups of displaced people don’t want to be helped,” he said. “When we ask them why they don’t want support, it’s because they feel threatened and they say there could be fatal repercussions the moment they turn to the government.”
The Desert Sun traveled to indigenous communities in Guerrero, Mexico, to capture what spurs people to initially flee and seek protection elsewhere — and what awaits them if they attempt to return home.
The massacre ‘was not an accident’
The residents of Quetzalcoatlán sobbed as they heaved dead men, fully clothed, limbs bloodied and mangled, into plain wood caskets.
A local journalist who arrived in the village hours after the 2016 massacre captured the aftermath of the attack on video. After residents loaded one of the six victims into a casket, the video shows a woman leaning over the body and swiping her fingers over his eyelids to close them. She wiped tears from her eyes, then covered his body with a sheet, as a state police officer standing in the background watched her say goodbye.
The Nahuatl-speaking villagers stacked the caskets, which were provided by the municipal government, in the back of a pickup truck, leaving trails of splattered blood on the ground.
Quetzalcoatlán, like most of Mexico’s indigenous communities, is extremely poor. Nearly three-quarters of Mexico’s indigenous population lives in poverty, according to a 2018 report from the National Council for the Evaluation of Social Development Policy. One in five of the country’s indigenous population cannot read or write, and one in six lacks access to health services, the agency said.
The same afternoon as the massacre, all 34 families deserted their community, their homes made of sticks and palm, their fields of corn, beans and squash, and their goats, pigs and chickens. They also left behind the village’s namesake palm trees. The residents traditionally dry the large fronds and then braid long, thin strips of leaves, which they sell at craft markets. Buyers weave them into hats and baskets.
The residents fled to Zitlala, the capital of the municipio, a county-like political subdivision, about two hours away by car. There, they buried their dead in Zitlala’s cemetery.
Indigenous Mexicans become displaced by drug-related violence in Guerrero
Vickie Connor, Palm Springs Desert Sun
A representative for the Guerrero government did not respond to questions about whether there was an official investigation into the January 2016 massacre. But Manuel Olivares Hernández, director of the José María Morelos y Pavón Regional Center in Defense of Human Rights, who advocates for Guerrero’s communities displaced by violence, said the government never investigated the killings. He said the residents were too afraid to report the crime and serve as witnesses.
In Guerrero, 96.8 percent of crimes went unreported or uninvestigated in 2017, according to Mexico’s statistics office. Guerrero had the highest rate of unreported or uninvestigated crimes of any state in the country that year.
Without a formal investigation, Olivares Hernández said he’s concluded the massacre was a consequence of Mexico’s extended drug war, which has resulted in drug cartels splintering into smaller, more nimble organizations, like the one that stormed Quetzalcoatlán.
Former Mexican president Felipe Calderón launched a massive campaign against the cartels after he assumed office in 2006. He deployed several thousand Mexican military troops and federal police to fight the groups in drug trafficking hot spots around the country.
Calderón’s strategy was to eliminate the leaders of the cartels. The government made some dramatic arrests, but few of the captured kingpins were prosecuted or convicted, according to a 2018 report from the Congressional Research Service. And as cartel leaders were captured or killed, other members created new groups.
“The fact that an armed group entered a community and killed six people was not an accident,” Olivares Hernández said. “It has a lot to do with the growth and development of organized crime groups in the state of Guerrero.”
In central Guerrero, two smaller criminal groups are now warring for control over the region’s transportation routes, production areas and workforce, according to Olivares Hernández.
One group, Los Rojos, inherited control of the region from the state’s first drug trafficking organization, the Beltrán Leyva group. By 2012, Los Rojos controlled the city of Chilapa and other gateway cities along a highway leading east to a mountainous region where poppies are grown.
But by 2014, another group, Los Ardillos, had aggressively pushed into Chilapa and challenged Los Rojos. In May 2015, hundreds of armed men associated with Los Ardillos poured into Chilapa in broad daylight. During the following five days, the balaclava- and bandanna-clad men roamed the town searching for suspected members of Los Rojos. At least 16 people disappeared.
As the groups have fought over new territories, Olivares Hernández said, they’ve given residents three options: Join, leave or die. He suspects one of the criminal groups tried to recruit the community members in Quetzalcoatlán to guard a major road that connects the state of Guerrero to Mexico City. He said it’s likely the Quetzalcoatlán residents refused to work for the group, so the organization retaliated.
Olivares Hernández said the state government hasn’t held anybody accountable for the violence that has displaced entire communities in Guerrero. Rather, he said, authorities only respond by providing victims of displacement with assistance, like food rations or rent money.
“They’re not detaining anybody, they’re not investigating and they’re not punishing the people who are responsible for all of this barbarity,” Olivares Hernández said.
‘They end up with nothing’
Local officials housed the Quetzalcoatlán migrants in a municipal auditorium in Zitlala for more than 20 days. After that, they crammed into one house that the municipal government rented for them. State police guarded them around the clock.
But the displaced residents of Quetzalcoatlán felt cooped up in Zitlala.
They were used to growing nearly all their food. In Zitlala, the government fed them. They were accustomed to hiking through the mountains to cut the leaves they use for their craft. In the city, they bought long strips of palm for about $3 — a burdensome price for the impoverished farmers.
“If the little they have — their land — is taken away from them, they end up with nothing,” said Bernardo Torres, a reporter based in Guerrero’s capital, Chilpancingo, who covered the massacre and its aftermath. “They don’t have anywhere to go, so they end up displaced, migrating to other cities, other states in the country or to the United States.”
People displaced by violence generally have two options, said Salazar Adame, Guerrero’s secretary of state. They can return home once security has been restored or, if they can’t return, the government will assign people a new piece of property, where they can build new homes and work new plots of land or find another form of employment.
The president of the municipio of Zitlala offered the two options to the migrants from Quetzalcoatlán.
“We want to return to our community,” Salomon Lara Tlaltempa, a Quetzalcoatlán resident, recalled telling the municipal president. “We already have our houses there. We have our small plots of land to farm.”
Spring was approaching and they were anxious to prepare the fields for another season. So when the state government offered people sacks of corn, money, sleeping mats, blankets and other provisions, 16 families accepted and returned home — two and a half months after the massacre.
When the residents of Quetzalcoatlán returned home in March 2016, no barking dogs welcomed them. Their goats, pigs and chickens were gone.
“Everything was silent,” Olivares Hernández said. “There wasn’t a single sound.”
The next time he visited the community, he brought a few dogs.
‘Still a little risky’
Many people never returned to Quetzalcoatlán. Some went to work in the fields of northern Mexico, while others migrated to the United States, according to media reports.
The U.S. Census doesn’t specifically include an option in its race and ethnicity categories for indigenous Mexicans living in the U.S. But there were an estimated 685,000 indigenous Latinos residing in the U.S. as of 2010, according to a 2013 report from the University of California; it estimated that 95 percent of those people were of Mexican origin.
Vivian Newdick, an independent scholar who works with the Binational Front of Indigenous Organizations in Texas, said it’s also difficult to determine how many indigenous people attempted to migrate north and are currently detained in immigrant detention centers. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Customs and Border Protection and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement don’t track how many people in detention centers speak indigenous languages, she said.
Immigrant advocates have criticized U.S. immigration agencies for providing inadequate translation services to indigenous people. The lack of translation services means U.S. asylum officers sometimes interview indigenous language speakers in Spanish, according to a 2015 memo sent from the CARA Family Detention Pro Bono Project, a coalition of immigrant advocacy groups, to Homeland Security.
Only about 60 people were living in Quetzalcoatlán in October 2018 — half as many as in 2016. A team of seven state police officers guard the community around the clock. The residents trust the police to protect them, Olivares Hernández said, but worry the government will recall the officers, leaving the community unprotected and vulnerable to another attack.
There haven’t been any other incursions into the community since January 2016 yet, “the families that remain here still live with the psychosis that they can be attacked,” said officer Hilario Gallardo Lucas, who wore a semi-automatic rifle slung across his chest.
The state police also accompany the Quetzalcoatlán residents when they need to leave the village and travel to nearby cities, Gallardo Lucas said.
“Leaving here is still a little risky,” he said.
Resident Salomon Lara Tlaltempa carries evidence of the risk on his body. He was shot in July 2017, a year and a half after the massacre, when he and another resident, Benigno Marabel Tlaltempa, went to Zitlala to collect a farm subsidy.
In Zitlala, a young man in a truck stopped and asked the two where they were from. They told the young man they were from Quetzalcoatlán. The young man removed a gun from his belt and shot and killed Marabel Tlaltempa. Lara Tlaltempa said he tried to wrestle the gun from the man, but failed. The man shot Lara Tlaltempa, too.
Lara Tlaltempa started running toward a local government office. He was bleeding.
“I withstood the pain for about 50 meters,” he said. He collapsed, and was eventually transported to a hospital in Chilapa, where he spent a month and a half recovering.
Olivares Hernández said he believes Lara Tlaltempa was targeted for speaking up for his community.
Now, Lara Tlaltempa cannot quite curl his fingers into a fist. His nerves are too damaged, he explained. When he puts on the baseball cap he was wearing that July day, a hole in the brim shows where a bullet blew through the hat and hit him between his right eye and ear.
‘The people continue to suffer’
More people from Guerrero’s indigenous communities have been displaced in recent months.
In early November, more than 70 Nahuatl-speaking people from the community of Tlaltempanapa were threatened by the same group that displaced the Quetzalcoatlán residents, according to Olivares Hernández. Just like the residents of Quetzalcoatlán, the residents of Tlaltempanapa fled to a neighboring city, where the government provided them blankets, sleeping mats and food.
More than three months later, the migrants from Tlaltempanapa have refused to go home. They believe if they return to the village and don’t cooperate with the criminal group, they will be kidnapped or killed, according to Olivares Hernández, who is advocating for them. They are requesting the state government provide them with new property, where they can build homes and plant crops, he said.
Olivares Hernández criticized the state government officials who have provided resources to caravans of Central American migrants, instead of helping Mexico’s own displaced people. He said state governments provided buses and resources to caravan members in fall 2018, with the goal of quickly moving them through each respective state. Meanwhile, he said, officials are slow to respond to cases of massive forced displacement, until media reports and human rights groups pressure them into action.
“We could say that the number of people displaced by violence in Guerrero is greater than the number of people in the Central American migrant caravan, but the government has tried to make them invisible,” he said.
Life in Quetzalcoatlán hasn’t returned to normal. Reminders of the massacre dot the village. Small concrete altars, adorned with crosses, vases of marigolds and candles, memorialize the six men where they were killed. Residents still occasionally light the candles.
Empty desks, piles of unused textbooks and fading vocabulary word posters are the only signs of the education that used to take place in the now-locked schoolhouse. The municipal government no longer sends a teacher regularly to instruct the remaining 12 children. The village’s health center has a few bottles of medication on its dusty shelves, but it too is locked. Medical professionals no longer travel to Quetzalcoátlan, due to violence in the region.
The state police officers patrol only the residential parts of Quetzalcoatlán. As a result, Olivares Hernández said, people are afraid to cut palm leaves or harvest crops in the mountains and fields that border the community, where Quetzalcoatlán residents believe the armed men came from.
“They only work one part of their land, the northern part, where they think the armed men can’t easily get to,” Olivares Hernández said. “The people continue to suffer.”
Residents said they remain afraid to travel outside of Quetzalcoatlán, too, unsure whom they might encounter on the roads or in other cities. So the residents stopped traveling regularly to markets to sell their braided palm leaves. Instead, they now rely on people coming to Quetzalcoatlán to buy their craft, at a lower price.
“The entire social fabric of the community has been destroyed,” Olivares Hernández said, “because life isn’t the same as it was before January 6.”
Rebecca Plevin covers immigration for The Desert Sun. Contact her at [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter at @rebeccaplevin. | <urn:uuid:afe90d18-823b-47fa-bdfc-569c0701f24c> | CC-MAIN-2021-31 | https://www.desertsun.com/in-depth/news/2019/02/28/mexican-cartel-violence-displaces-guerrero-indigenous-communities/2280762002/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2021-31/segments/1627046154321.31/warc/CC-MAIN-20210802141221-20210802171221-00646.warc.gz | en | 0.962264 | 4,564 | 3 | 3 |
Garden Planner: By Mary James
WITH SUMMER ON THE HORIZON, use this irrigation checklist to be sure every drop of precious — and expensive — water is used wisely.
Run the system — drip or sprayer — and check for leaks and sprayer or emitter malfunctions, as well as over- or under-watering.
Increase watering times in tandem with rising temps and day lengths.
If necessary, replace old equipment with new smart timers; check with your water provider for possible rebates on this and other equipment.
Bookmark a website like “Be Water Wise” and check plant evapotranspiration rates daily to fine tune watering schedules.
AND DON’T FORGET TO…
Plant annual herbs including basil, cilantro, parsley and dill, either from seeds or nursery seedlings.
Add heat-loving veggies to the garden, including tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, melons and cucumbers.
Mulch vegetable gardens with straw (not hay) to help hold in the moisture these fast-growers need.
As the weather warms, set lawn mower blades to 2 to 3 inches high for tall fescue and other warm-season grasses.
Water in the cool of morning or evening, rather than the heat of the day.
Knock aphids off roses with a strong spray of water.
Deadhead and feed roses to encourage a second bloom.
Set out ant traps to reduce colonies and prevent home invasions.
Plant seeds and seedlings for summer-blooming annuals, including sunflowers, so they can become established before the weather gets too hot. | <urn:uuid:a6350947-24b9-4b2e-b86d-5f9df3e21a89> | CC-MAIN-2023-23 | https://www.sandiegohomegarden.com/2012/05/23/adjust-irrigation/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-23/segments/1685224643663.27/warc/CC-MAIN-20230528083025-20230528113025-00126.warc.gz | en | 0.882882 | 358 | 2.546875 | 3 |
In part 1 I postulated that with the thousands of different plants that grow in our gardens it seemed unlikely that none had some effect on another. That it was only scientific to investigate how such interactions could take place, and how plants might do so above ground.
Of course whereas plants are reasonably discrete and independent above ground they are very intimately mixed and even joined at the microscopic root level underground. We tend to forget that plants make very extensive root systems; from the big roots we see to the microscopic hair like roots that creep everywhere. A tree's roots extend to more than it's height and even the humble beetroot may have roots stretching metres each way. Thus the foolishness of ripping up weeds, with their roots and all, from amongst crop plants in the midst of the growing season-any losses the weeds might have been causing is nothing as to the disruption done by ripping great chunks out of the crop's root systems! Better to sever the weeds at or just under ground level with a sharp hoe or knife.
Healthy soil is packed full of roots of all sorts and sizes and these bind the soil granules into a mat ensuring a stable and secure footing for all the plants. The roots turn loose soil into a sponge like mass that holds water and breathes air more effectively than the soil on it's own does. And of course roots remorselessly expand cracks in stones and rocks very very slowly breaking them down on their way to becoming more soil.
The most important thing that roots may do for other plant's roots is to die. The decaying roots then make pathways which other roots may follow. Surface and weak rooters may benefit especially by following deeper pathways made by old taproots. Also as each root rots it creates a potentially disease or pest ridden soup for following roots so those of the same plant or genus are unlikely to benefit. However other plants from different families with different requirements and resistance's may find such a soup to be full of useful nutrients.
As some plants root very deeply such as alfalfa these access soil layers other plants can't reach and improve fertility by moving nutrients up to where other plants can eventually reach them once discarded as leaves or other wastes. At the other extreme the most shallow rooted weeds may seem useless at first glance yet they quickly establish and prevent the soil washing or blowing away and as they grow they fix sunlight, water and nutrients creating future fertility when they expire.
Likewise plants, through their wastes improve not only fertility but the soil texture. As organic matter decays it binds with mineral particles to form soil granules. Obviously some plants must produce a different granulation to another. Some plants are well known for leaving a good tilth behind them such as stinging nettles, and flax, and others make saponins, soap like compounds, which aid soil granulation. Spinaches are reckoned especially good as green manures for that reason.
Secondly, worms are good at improving the soil texture and worm casts are not only very rich but very water stable holding their shape and not turning to mud easily. Very little is known about which plants encourage the different sorts of worms, though any plant creating leaf and petal litter, pollen etc. must obviously do so to some extent, and we have no idea as to which plant roots worms prefer to burrow in, through and or eat. As Darwin calculated the worms in a healthy soil contributed over a dozen tons of casts per acre per year then altering the worm population by only a few per cent could give you significant gains in fertility and soil texture.
Of course as I said last month, nature is not altruistic, the plants are only doing what helps themselves. Any advantage another plant gains is inadvertent though we can try and use that effect to benefit our crops. Unfortunately allowing stinging nettles amongst your currants may create a better tilth, it may reduce bird damage, it may even confer some disease resistance and shelf life to the crop BUT the nettles will still be competitive for air, light and water potentially reducing your crop!
Competition is a negative effect but even this can be turned to our advantage -few weeds ever get started where there is dense cover from an existing stand of almost any crop. Some weeds are especially competitive for certain nutrients, for example the thorn apple (Datura) is very pernicious as it robs the soil of phosphates however if it is pulled before it sets seed then all this phosphate is available again once the plant decays.
Green manuring has so far aimed at getting some plant material to rot down for humus and in some cases using legumes to do so and so also gain some nitrogen. We could be more clever and find green manures that accumulated whatever nutrients we are most needy of. Green manures are not normally companions as they are grown either before or after the crop rather than with it to remove the direct competition effects. What would be nice would be if they could be grown at the same time! Seedling crops are one possibility. By germinating a green manure and chopping it down in situ whilst still juvenile it may be possible to increase certain nutrients significantly without much competition with the crop for much other than water.
And indeed this is happening all the time even if you don't notice it. Weed (and all other) seeds germinating and commencing into growth give off vast amounts of nutrients and plant growth factors. If you have ever sprouted Mung beans for bean sprouts to cook you will know what I mean. Or if you germinated beans at school and watched them grow. In either case you have to keep washing the roots with clean water TO REMOVE THE EXUDATIONS which form a scummy festering solution otherwise.
All seeds and most plant roots both take in soil water and give out all sorts of substances; some of these are purely waste products. Wastes are produced as storage substances such as carbohydrates are turned into living tissues, and plants unload redundant materials so tobacco and cereals lose potassium as the plants mature. Thus germinating weed seeds are enriching the soil around them. (And 'poisoning' it-clover root extract is said to inhibit clover seed from germinating even when diluted to a few parts per million.)
Some seeds even carry the right micro-organisms to let them flourish later as they grow. Unfortunately not all seeds carry the right micro-organisms so there may be trouble establishing alfalfa and other legumes where none have ever grown before. Orchids are notorious and it is to be suspected that many 'difficult' plants need some microscopic partner or the other. A suitable one may often be introduced with leaf mould, well rotted manure or compost explaining part of their exceptional effects on plant health. In nature most plants have a vast range of fungi and bacteria that coexist near or more often on them in healthy soil. These then exchange nutrients with each other and many plant roots are naturally coated with what are termed mycorrhizal associations. In cereal crops these are rare but on a pine tree there may be several hundred different ones.
So plants do not just suck up soil water, they also give off root exudations to help them dissolve the soil particles, to dump wastes and to 'buy' nutrients from their mycorrhizal associations. Then they suck up the soup of fertility that is created. Perhaps more importantly there are all sorts of active chemicals from antibiotics to growth hormones being created and dispersed in the root zone which are sucked up as well. It may surprise you to learn that school simplified the lessons-plants do not just suck up dilute solutions of a few simple chemical salts. Plants actually suck up and spread throughout themselves all sorts of complex substances including antibiotics created by soil organisms. Plants are thus likely to be altering each other's growth and health far more than appears at first glance.
Anti-'companion gardeners' argue that they can see no mechanism whereby such claimed effects as Alliums discouraging mildews can possibly work. They may grant that pongy smells could distract insect pests but they vehemently deny a plant companion could discourage a disease. Well why not? Surely it is so simple they are exposing their own ignorance of plant growth and soil dynamics. Take, say an apple or a rose; growing on it's own in a bare soil; it may well prosper and flourish depending on the balance of soil organisms as well as the usual factors such as air, light, water, soil type and so on. Put Alliums, or any other genus, nearby and the soil micro flora and fauna will immediately and most definitely alter. The soil solution will have more or less of many different substances floating in it which the crop may now use to it's benefit. Much like you or I can resist colds the better if we have certain fresh foods available.
Dandelions are well known for giving off ethylene which then affects the plants around them. How many other plants give off other substances which we have not as yet noticed? Some plants such as chamomile, borage and red dead nettle are said to be good for other plants near them. Indeed as mentioned above even stinging nettles are reputed to be of benefit to our crops.
Exudates may indeed change the flavour and scent of a plant absorbing them in the same way a cow eating garlic gives tainted milk. This would account for how nasturtiums can drive woolly aphids from apple trees. French marigolds are famous for their pong which keeps pests away but their roots (and those of their close relations) also give off substances that control nematode eelworm populations. Others such as the edible chrysanthemum seem to keep pests away from brassicas -but is it their smell or do root exudates make the brassicas tougher to chew or somehow less appealing.
Indeed what might plant exudates be doing at the microscopic level. For it is down at that level that real fertility is created. The surface of soil mineral particles, dead cells and lumps of humus are where most of the countless micro-organisms exist though some float free in the soil solution. However they are not densely packed, in most soils they are scarce, much like plants in a near desert. And for each organism there is a limiting factor; some nutrient that is in too short supply to allow maximum growth, health or reproduction. If we can provide that then there can be a population explosion creating more wastes and dead bodies and thus more fertility.
Of course it is not all in our favour; some plants such as wormwood and fennel seem to be hostile to everything around them. In trials wormwood was found to be effective at keeping cabbages free of caterpillars but at a cost to the yield as the cabbages did not like wormwood any more than the butterflies did and failed to grow well.
Different plants have different exudates some of which are designed to encourage specific allies, discourage enemies or dissolve certain substances. As yet we are uncertain as to what is going on but it seems quite possible that by growing the right plants with the appropriate exudates then some near magic might occur. Indeed if we did but know how we could give our crops companions providing them their food, minerals, vitamins, antibiotics and pep pills. And all for the cost of the seed. | <urn:uuid:d8bd3619-a862-465c-8eed-3d5c913879b5> | CC-MAIN-2021-25 | https://bobflowerdew.com/companion-planting-pt-2-soil-inter-actions | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2021-25/segments/1623487614006.8/warc/CC-MAIN-20210614232115-20210615022115-00499.warc.gz | en | 0.965948 | 2,329 | 3.578125 | 4 |
Forging Partnerships between Mexican American
Parents and the Schools. ERIC Digest.
by Chavkin, Nancy Feyl - Gonzalez, Dora Lara
According to the Bureau of the Census (1994), there are approximately
13 million Mexican Americans in the United States. In her review of the
status of education for Mexican American students, Sosa (1993) reports
alarming statistics--a decline in high school completion rates, a steady
rise in the dropout rate, and high numbers of students two or more years
behind grade level. In light of these facts, educators have an educational
imperative to look for new ways to work with Mexican American families.
This digest describes research supporting family participation in students'
education. It then describes barriers to participation faced by many Mexican
American parents and successful programs and strategies for overcoming
those barriers. Finally, the benefits of two-way communication and school-family
partnerships are described.
RESEARCH ON PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT AND STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT
Research has shown that one of the most promising ways to increase students'
achievement is to involve their families (Chavkin, 1993; Henderson &
Berla, 1994). Herbert Walberg (1984) found that family participation in
education was twice as predictive of academic learning as family socioeconomic
status. Establishing partnerships with families has many benefits for schools
and families, but Epstein says, "the main reason to create such partnerships
is to help all youngsters succeed in school and in later life" (1995, p.
BARRIERS TO PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT
For many Mexican American parents, lack of involvement in their children's
education is erroneously seen as lack of interest, but Montecel et al.
(1993) present evidence that Mexican American parents do care about their
children's education. The reasons for limited involvement include beliefs
that the roles of home and school are sharply delineated. Mexican American
parents see their role as being responsible for providing basic needs as
well as instilling respect and proper behavior. They see the school's role
as instilling knowledge (Nicolau & Ramos, 1993). They believe that
one should not interfere with the job of the other. Nicolau and Ramos compare
Mexican Americans' respect for teachers with the awe that most Americans
have (or used to have) for doctors or priests.
Other barriers to parental involvement include a negative view of the
school system, past negative experiences with education, and language barriers.
Often parents view the school as a bureaucracy controlled by non-Hispanics.
The school often reminds Mexican American parents of their own educational
experiences including discrimination and humiliation for speaking Spanish.
Many times the lack of bilingual staff can make parents feel powerless
when they are attempting to resolve problems or advocate for their children.
OPENING THE DOORS TO MORE PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT
How then can schools open the doors to more parental involvement and
build partnerships with Mexican American families? Begin by making parental
involvement easy and interesting, at a pace that is comfortable for parents.
Outreach efforts can and will work, but they must be done in a culturally
sensitive manner and begin with a strengths perspective. Mexican American
families have many strengths and these strengths need to be recognized
from the beginning.
Nicolau and Ramos' (1993) examination of 42 projects provides helpful
insights that can inform practice. Communication should be a major focus
of the involvement effort. Reception areas in schools should include bilingual
staff; telephone calls and written communication should be available in
Spanish. For some parents, home visits or visits at a neutral site, such
as a community center, offer a less threatening environment. In general,
the more personal the approach, the better it works for Mexican American
parents. Written correspondence is not as effective as the personal conference;
in fact, it is wrong to assume that all families are literate.
If meetings seem appropriate, invitations should be extended by parents
to parents, preferably neighbor to neighbor. A good idea for a first meeting
is to ask parents who are more familiar with school personnel to bring
three friends to a meeting at a community center outside the school. Meetings
should be informal and based on the interests of the parents, with transportation
and child care provided.
SELECTING PROGRAMS AND ACTIVITIES
There are many programs and activities for parents and schools to consider.
Some focus on family involvement in home learning activities and others
focus on parents' continued education. Each school must select and adapt
activities that best match the interests and needs of their families. The
programs described below are only a sample of the successful approaches
being used across the country (Goodson, Swartz, & Millsap, 1991).
*Project FIEL (El Paso, Texas) was begun in 1985 and is in eight elementary
schools in El Paso. This intergenerational literacy program involves limited-English-proficient
parents and their kindergarten children in oral language, story writing,
reading, discussions, and at-home activities.
*Prestame una Comadre (Springfield, Illinois) means "loan me a godmother"
in Spanish and works with migrant Head Start families. Social workers conduct
home visits as often as three times weekly and hold small group meetings.
Families work on increasing self-reliance, learning about child development
and education, and improving family functioning.
*Academia del Pueblo--developed by the National Council of La Raza--provides
afterschool and summer classes for Hispanic children, monthly parent groups,
and literacy classes three times a week. The program operates at the Guadalupe
Center, a multiservice organization in Kansas City, Missouri.
*McAllen Parental Involvement Program (McAllen, Texas) includes three
core activities: Systematic Training for Effective Parenting (PECES is
the Spanish version of this commercially available curriculum), evening
study centers, and parent meetings on a variety of topics.
Some effective programs are part of a national or state network or are
supported by private funds. ASPIRA Parents for Educational Excellence (APEX)
trains Latino parents to become effective advocates for their children
at home and at school. The Hispanic Policy Development Project has worked
with hundreds of parents using an enrichment model rather than a deficit
approach. Project AVANCE, a privately funded program in San Antonio, Texas,
uses door-to-door recruitment strategies as part of its outreach to develop
parenting skills among low-income Mexican American mothers. Mother-daughter
programs, developed at Texas universities, work to expand the role of Hispanic
women by exposing them to nontraditional roles, campus field trips, and
career activities. Empowerment programs such as Comite de Padres Latinos
in Carpinteria, California (Delgado-Gaitan, 1991), emphasize treating parents
as valued participants and often lead to active participation by parents.
USING THE PARTNERSHIP APPROACH
Sustaining family involvement requires a commitment to open, continuous,
two-way communication with Mexican American families. Most schools have
established methods of one-way communication with parents, but the need
for more two-way communication cannot be stressed enough. It is critically
important for educators to take the time to listen to parents. The attitudes
and practices of teachers and principals make a difference in the amount
of parental involvement and in the achievement of students (Dauber &
Epstein, 1993). Sometimes educators overlook what they can learn from Mexican
American families. These families are rich sources of information that
can be used in the classroom. Parents have interacted with their children,
and they know many of their learning styles as well as their strengths
and weaknesses. Parents also know the community.
Partnerships with families require all participants to share responsibility
for educational outcomes. This perspective represents a major shift for
schools from merely delivering services to students to taking active, integrated
roles that validate the cultural and social experiences of families. To
succeed in this partnership role, staff need to ask parents for their ideas,
meet with parent and community representatives to define goals, and develop
a plan for parent and community involvement.
Training can help faculty and family members take on new roles needed
for effective partnerships. Ongoing partnerships need evaluation and frequent
checkpoints to see if their goals and objectives are being met and if those
goals and objectives are still appropriate. Keeping programs flexible helps
everyone adjust to changes within the student body, families, the school
staff, and the community.
There is a big difference between the rhetoric of partnerships and the
activity of partnerships. Educators must truly believe and act on the belief
that parents are their children's first teacher and the only teacher that
remains with a child for a long period of time. Educators must discard
the old deficit model of working with families and, instead, operate on
an enrichment model founded on the belief that parents truly want the best
for their children. Not only must educators tell parents that they are
equally as important as the school, they must tell students how important
their homes and communities are. Having a partnership allows educators
to tap a rich source of cultural knowledge and personal experiences. Mexican
American families want their children to succeed in school, and educators
have an important responsibility to work with these students and their
Bureau of the Census. (1994). Statistical Abstract of the United States,
1994. Springfield, VA: NTIS U. S. Department of Commerce.
Chavkin, N. F. (Ed.). (1993). Families and schools in a pluralistic
society. Albany: State University of New York Press.
Delgado-Gaitan, C. (1991). Involving parents in schools: A process of
empowerment. American Journal of Education, 100(1), 20-6.
Dauber, S. L., & Epstein, J. L. (1993). Parents' attitudes and practices
of involvement in inner-city elementary and middle schools. In N. F. Chavkin,
Ed., Families and schools in a pluralistic society. Albany: State University
of New York Press.
Epstein, J. L. (1995). School/family/community partnerships: Caring
for the children we share. Phi Delta Kappan, 76(9), 701- 712.
Goodson, B. D., Swartz, J. P., & Millsap, M. A. (1991). Working
with families: Promising programs to help parents support young children's
learning. Summary of Findings, Final Report. Cambridge, MA: Abt Associates.
(ED 337 301)
Henderson, A. T., & Berla, N. (Eds.) (1994). A new generation of
evidence: The family is critical to student achievement. Washington, DC:
National Committee for Citizens in Education. (ED 375 968)
Montecel, M. R., Gallagher, A., Montemayor, A. M., Villarreal, A., Adame-Reyna,
N., & Supik, J. (1993). Hispanic families as valued partners: An educator's
guide. San Antonio, TX: Intercultural Development Research Association.
Nicolau, S., & Ramos, C. L. (1990). Together is better: Building
strong relationships between schools and Hispanic parents. New York: Hispanic
Policy Development Project, Inc. (ED 325 543)
Sosa, A. (1993). Thorough and fair: Creating routes to success for Mexican-American
students. Charleston, WV: ERIC Clearinghouse on Rural Education and Small
Schools. (ED 360 116)
Walberg, H. J. (1984). Improving the productivity of America's schools.
Educational Leadership, 41(8), 19-27. | <urn:uuid:c0a09157-f9e2-4aa3-bddb-8a3b1b55b666> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://www.ericdigests.org/1996-2/mexican.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882571246.56/warc/CC-MAIN-20220811073058-20220811103058-00287.warc.gz | en | 0.924378 | 2,548 | 3.171875 | 3 |
|The dismal science|
|The Worldly Philosophers|
|In a global context:|
A free market is a type of market where the prices of goods are determined only by the interaction of consumers and producers, without the intervention of third parties, like the government. The opposite of a free market is a regulated market, where a third party, usually the government, intervenes through various methods, such as tariffs, taxes, and inflation, to restrict trade and regulate the prices.
The ideology advocating for absolute free market is called Laissez-faire, from the French "let them do". In Europe and other global contexts, "liberals" tend to pursue free markets economically.
“”The labour and time of the poor is in civilized countries sacrificed to the maintaining of the rich in ease and luxury. The landlord is maintained in idleness and luxury by the labour of his tenants. The moneyed man is supported by his exactions from the industrious merchant and the needy who are obliged to support him in ease by a return for the use of his money. But every savage has the full enjoyment of the fruits of his own labours; there are no landlords, no usurers, no tax gatherers.
|—Adam Smith, Glasgow Edition of the Works and Correspondence Vol. 5 Lectures On Jurisprudence 1762 |
The misuse of the word "free" is paralleled by that of its English synonym, liberty, which is derived from Latin rather than proto-German. The Roman direct equivalent of the proto-Germanic verb frijaz (lit. 'be a friend' and 'not be a slave'), libertas (lit. 'not be a slave'), changed in meaning as the Empire polarised between powerful creditor and weak debtor classes following the abolition of Debt Jubilees in the Second Century A.D.. Rather than meaning "not to be a slave", the word legally and in its scholarly usage came to mean the freedom of all men including slaves "to do absolutely anything they're actually permitted to do". All slaves, debtors, and creditors were therefore equally libertas before the gods. Hence, libertas was considered the freedom of the powerful to exercise power over the weak, unrestrained by other powerful people. Thus there was no incongruity in medieval lords possessing the "liberty of the gallows" - the right to maintain their own private armies, laws, and places of execution within their domains free from the "tyranny" of any other lord who believed that "eating aquatic creatures lacking fins or scales" e.g. mussels was not a valid grounds for execution just because it's in the bible.
Likewise, Spencer's redefinition of a "free" market differed radically from the original definition. This original definition was one of a market "free" from the economic rents imposed by rentier-landlords and rentier-monopolists. The French Physiocrats and English Classical Economists were the first economists, and their chief preoccupation was with the physical and social limits which made wages and the prices of goods and services different in different places and times. They conceived of the Malthusian analysis of the productive capacity of the land and sea to support human life, and a social critique of the role of landlords and monopolists in keeping wages suppressed and prices high to maximise their own libertas. However, most stopped short of taking their work to its natural conclusions and identifying moneylending and the ownership of companies as forms of unearned income as Adam Smith himself did. This is because most of them were creditors or (part-)owners of industrial or trade enterprises, and virtually all of their patrons were wealthy men from those professions.
“”The distribution of the income of society is controlled by a natural law, and this law, if it worked without friction, would give to every agent of production the amount of wealth which that agent creates.
|—John Bates Clark, The Distribution of Wealth (New York, 1899), p. v|
From the mid-19th century onward, Classical Economics' selective blindness to certain types of economic rent became an outright rejection of the whole concept. This occurred in response to two developments. One was that the economists' banker and business owner patrons had supplanted or merged with the landed aristocracy and developed their own monopolies, and so the critiques of their new income streams had become irksome. The other development was far more troubling: Karl Marx had taken the work of Smith et al. to its logical conclusion and concluded that all unearned incomes were economic rents. Faced with this argument, economists found it easier to deny that economic rent existed at all than apply it to some forms of unearned income and not others. Clark was the first to deny its existence, by working from the assumption that nobody would allow it to. Of course, rather than stating this extremely questionable assumption clearly he tried to make it sound logical by using Pseudostatistics and condemning anyone who criticised this logic as a bomb-throwing anarchist Marxist. By the time that Austrian school and Chicago school economists appeared in the 1920s-50s, they had little difficulty in using a combination of Quote mining and Lying by omission to 'prove' that the Classical Economists had wanted government to be "free" from "government intervention". This even extends to the "invisible hand" metaphor which is taken completely out of context. Of course, even the most basic reading of the actual works of Smith or Mill contradicts this misinterpretation, and so Neoclassicists no longer read or teach economic history.
Defining a "free" market
“”How ‘free’ a market is cannot be objectively defined. It is a political definition.
|—Ha-Joon Chang, There Is No Such Thing as a Free Market|
A "market" is a physical or metaphysical space legally defined and policed by government, in which individuals and organisations exchange goods and services through the use of debt, barter, and currency. They can be as large in scale as an entire market-society or market-world governed by many governments and private enterprises with many competing currencies and laws, or as small as a single family-household in which debts are rarely measured in currency and often forgiven. Unfortunately, what a market 'should be' "free" from and for what purposes is less clear as it is a highly politically charged issue. The Chicago school and Austrian school of economics have an Anaracho-capitalist definition of what a market should be free from: the government laws, government law enforcement, and government-backed currencies which have historically been necessary to create and operate them.
“”And the whole idea of classical economics from Quesnay’s Tableau Economique to all the way through Adam Smith and John Stuart Mill was to look at the finance sector and the landlord sector and monopolies as unnecessary [...] to tax away all the land’s rent or else nationalize the land [...] to have public enterprises as basic infrastructure so that they couldn’t be monopolized.
|—Michael Hudson, Steve Keen And Michael Hudson: Fixing The Economy (2017) |
Yet it is worth noting that the original interpretation of the Classical Economists including Adam Smith was that society should be freed from economic rents - unearned incomes - which came from increases in the value of land over time and the ownership of monopolies. In response to the Socialist call to free society from all economic rents including those from the ownership of finance and industry, the Classical interpretation was abandoned in favour of the redefinition made by Herbert Spencer in the 1870s and then used by Anarcho-Capitalists, Austrians, and Chicago-schoolers. Yet in the wake of the Great Recession, modern Keynesian such as the "rock star economist" Thomas Piketty have become popular for their calls to once again "free" markets from economic rents rather than control by government.
Free market fundamentalism
"Free market fundamentalism" is the term sometimes given to a strain of libertarianism that proposes that government can do no right when it comes to commerce, and that market pressure will weed out any bad products or corrupt businesses (the term used is laissez-faire, translating from the French approximately as "let it happen"). Liberals have largely abandoned laissez-faire capitalism as a dead-end, believing the idea to be too easily abused by the amoral and dishonest.
It's worth noting that Adam Smith's works, like other texts invoked by fundamentalists, are rarely read in their entirety by those who expound the doctrine they think it outlines. Smith did see a place for governmental regulation in a healthy marketplace. For example, without government regulation, companies such as British Airways would have had free rein to collude with their rivals and fix prices when setting their fuel surcharges, and Microsoft could continue its anti-competitive practices in Europe, thereby allowing it to maintain artificially high prices for its Office products. Or, in the case of the South Korean shipping industry, you don't want the market to kill off all its customers.
Arguments in favour
“”A rising tide lifts all boats.
|—John F. Kennedy|
In theory, in a society with no government and a "true" free market the price of goods and services will reach a natural equilibrium. A truly free market, however, is virtually unattainable, given crime, social attitudes, imperfect information, finite resources, and the constraints imposed by geography and physics.
In modern society, laws are required to maintain competition. This includes active prosecution of fraud cases, such as to prevent producers from lying directly or by omission about the ingredients in their products. No law requires people to understand what the ingredients are, so we have people worried about dihydrogen monoxide poisoning. In cases where fraud is more financial than edible, the Government requires that public accountants are trained by professional bodies and follow certification schemes. Without a third-party assessor, more unethical-leaning companies will hire their own auditors to sign off on their cooked books. We have seen the consequences of eroding what little trust companies have amongst themselves manifest in the real world with the 2007 Banking crisis. With a little regulation, the free market can go a long way on a short leash.
If they don't compete, they don't penalize customers for changing services, they can get good information on their services or products, and they want to make the most financially sound decision and there are several businesses in a market based on voluntary trade, a customer can refuse to buy from a business that provides worse service or shoddier goods than the others. When this happens, it can act as an incentive for companies to keep service (or at least to appear to do so). Nevertheless, the quality of service is generally higher under these conditions than when a firm has a natural and/or legal monopoly.
In theory, free markets put minimal restraints on innovation: if you have a bright idea and can finance its development, or get any one of the large number of venture investors to do it for you, you can develop your bright idea without being stopped by harrumphing or political meddling from a regulatory bureaucracy. If patents (another form of government regulation) are removed, you don't even have to worry about patent trolls; however, mega-corporations will be free to copy your idea and out-compete you.
Throughout history, the existence of free markets, or mostly free markets, has coincided with arguably the most productive moments in human history. Examples of civilizations that define this trend: the Roman Republic, the Enlightenment-era city-states, the British Empire, the American Republic, etc. Just ignore that, by coincidence or not, these societies were far from utopian and have histories of colonialism while having your lunch; ideas can work in the abstract, but life is more than the functionality of a single system, and the reality is far messier for how they play out.
“”So if you're gonna use a phrase like "a rising tide will lift all boats", you need to add something to that phrase. Something like, "a rising tide will lift all boats, which is great as long as you have a boat!!"
|—Nish Kumar, The Now Show, BBC Radio 4, 17 Oct 2014|
Political economy is largely concerned with the "business cycle," where too many loans are made to businesses or individuals who will default in a time of lesser activity (the boom). When the growth in activity slows, the rate of defaults increases and lending is curbed in response, causing enterprises to stop hiring or begin firing employees, reducing the populations' capacity to consume and thereby increasing defaults, etc whereupon the amount of activity plateaus and then starts decreasing. This causes a lot of unhappiness, as people don't like being poor and/or unemployed. John Maynard Keynes proposed that governments could keep the booms from being too big so that the shocks when they went bad weren't so big either, and could employ people when they did. While definitely not a dirty red with a sweet moustache as advocates of other economic schools have made him out to be, his proposals were accepted in his lifetime and considered responsible for what's called the Golden Age of Capitalism.
Economists from considerably less reputable schools consider his proposals a slippery slope to Fascist/Communist Totalitarianism, so they should be ignored in favor of doing absolutely nothing, because eventually it will all sort itself out. Very few societies like to let economists use them as a laboratory to test their theories. Despite empirical difficulties, Keynes' detracters are cocksure that modern economic instability shows that Keynesianism failed to accomplish what it sets out to do: correct the boom-bust cycle.
In most cases, the assumption that a free market means universal competition does not hold up. Many sectors are "natural monopolies" — public utilities, which have large fixed costs that prevent anyone short of an oil baron from entering the market, would be an example — in which an unrestrained market will lead to or maintain a cartel or monopoly. Hence why utilities are often nationalized or run as collectives owned by the workers in the monopoly. Even an industry that is not a natural monopoly may be dominated by a cartel or oligopoly that make competition impossible (see the Gilded Age for the most well-known example) and hold the consumer by the balls, if not permanently then at least for a few years; more creative monopolists may attempt to conceal this with the use of multiple brand names for products produced by the same company. Unfortunately, businesses don't like competition; they'd prefer to drive their rivals out in order to eat up as much profit as possible. That is, after all, the driving force in capitalism.
Ironically, maintaining a maximally free market (yet without monopolism and the abuses that follow from it) would require one of three things:
- Competent governmental regulation provided by farsighted, patient, and completely rational people of uncompromising self-restraint and discipline, committed to the maintenance of stability and sustainability even at the expense of short-range profit.
- A business community — comprised without exception — of farsighted, patient, and completely rational people of uncompromising self-restraint and discipline, committed to the maintenance of stability and sustainability even at the expense of short-range profit.
The personal intervention of Satan.
When a market does not produce the most efficient possible outcome, this is called "market failure" in economics. The existence of these is acknowledged by all but the most faithful believers in Supply side economics.
Market failures tend to boil down to one of two things:
- Sheer cost of entry or operation. The potential returns to building and operating a new rail line or undersea cable or private police service tend to be lower than simply buying out existing ones.
- Human nature. People tend to cooperate to benefit themselves and those like them, and hence tend to make agreements on zones of operation or set prices or organise mergers rather than compete to their mutual detriment.
There are various ways in which monopolies arise and some even argue that completely unregulated free markets naturally tend towards monopolies, pointing to the Gilded Age (which gave us the very term "antitrust") as an example. Monopolies, wherever they exist and are not subject to regulation, will set prices at a higher level than would ensue in maximum competition. Similarly, monopolies tend to be less willing to innovate or invest as there are few outside forces making them do it.
Classic examples for monopolies besides those arising from one company buying out or outlasting competition are the so-called "natural" monopolies. A classic "natural" monopoly would be a bridge — whoever wants to cross the river has to use the bridge. There is little reason to build another bridge and all the owner of the bridge has to do to keep his monopoly is to not charge an amount that would encourage a competitor to build another bridge. Analogous situations occur with other public infrastructures like power lines or railways. This is one of the reasons why such infrastructure is publicly owned and/or tightly regulated in most of the world.
It's very hard to deny the existence of this problem, but some microeconomists, like the Nobel Prize winner George Stigler, argue that the economic history shows that the government has done more harm than good on this matter, and maybe it's a better idea to let monopolies be eroded by new competitors.
Another problem with completely unregulated free markets that most economists admit exists are so-called "externalities", i.e. effects of economic activity that are not paid for by those that decide on said activities. While externalities can be positive and negative, negative externalities are discussed much more often. Let's give some examples.
If a person lives in an old house, the retention of the house and embellishing its facade creates a positive externality - people who pass by that house are delighted by its facade, more tourists come to visit and so on. The owner of the house may have some small benefit from that beauty himself, but mostly he is forced to bear the costs and will not benefit much from the external effects he generates. Thus he may be tempted to let the facade fall into disrepair or to replace an old and aesthetically pleasing house with a newer, cheaper house. In many cities local zoning ordinances or heritage protection laws partially ensure that owners provide those positive externalities, thereby regulating the free market.
On the other hand, negative externalities are more often discussed as there are many more immediately obvious examples. Driving a car, for example, creates noise, air pollution and endangers pedestrians, costs which drivers don't or only partially bear. In an unregulated free market, people will thus drive more cars than would be optimal in a perfectly rationally planned and organized society. Another example is environmental pollution in general. Unless some entity regulates, businesses and individuals will pollute more than would be optimal.
There are some economists who argue for "market-based" solutions to externalities and that a perfectly free market could find a solution where people make contracts regarding externalities, but overall most economists agree that some sort of state intervention is needed to promote activities that create positive external effects and to discourage activities that create negative external effects.
In economics, a public good is a good that is both non-excludable and non-rivalrous. Many of these goods and services cannot be provided by the markets, even if there are some exceptions. In other words, it's impossible to prevent people from enjoying these services without paying, unless you have the monopoly of the use of the force. Why can't these products be provided by the market? It's not hard to undestand. If people can profit from them without paying and those who are providing it can't charge their consumers what incentive do you have to provide it? Economists usually mention fireworks as a textbook exemple of a public good. If a company wants to make fireworks show, it can't prevent others who are close enough from watching it (unless you want to make it in-doors, which is probably not a very good idea), so people don't need to pay for it.
Albeit there's no consensus about which goods are actually public goods and should be provided by the government, some of these are roads, public welfare and basic research.
Free market mythology?
“”The hidden hand of the market will never work without a hidden fist.
|—Thomas L. Friedman|
While there are mountains of historical evidence that free-marketeers can point to show the successes of the free market, there are many that never accept cases where the market failed. So they have to churn out piles of revisionist history and misleading statistics to cover up the times when the
infallible market screwed up. With the election of Barack Obama, wingnuts needed a new set of talking points and various myths seem to have gone into overdrive lately. Usually, some bogus study or press release is cooked up by a conservative or libertarian think tank, which wingnuts like Glenn Beck or Michele Bachmann then boil down into easily digestible talking points. Here are some articles covering this bullshit:
- Austrian school (as an economic authority)
- Ben Steinery (ditto)
- Chicago school (ditto)
- Collectivism (as a snarl word)
- Depression of 1920 (as a triumph of the market)
- Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission (Republican bullshit about the Great Recession)
- Health care rationing (death panels!)
- Herbert Hoover (as a socialist)
- New Deal denialism ("FDR made the Great Depression worse, because Amity Shlaes said so!")
- Privatization/Deregulation (always a good thing)
- Reaganism (Gummint can never do anything right. Including the military!)
- Reaganomics (Trickle-down bullshit)
- Roosevelt Recession (never happened, or was due to labor unions)
- Rugged individualism (as a mantra)
- Rush Limbaugh's Thanksgiving (Thanksgiving as socialism vs. capitalism)
- Socialism (as a snarl word)
- Sound money (see Paul Ryan - more like Sound of money, yeh?)
- Tax cuts
- Commerce Clause
- Classical liberalism - Classical liberalism is classified as right-wing liberal in modern times. While social liberalism, a left-wing liberal, supports the government's involvement in the market to a certain extent, classical liberalism places great importance on the free market.
- Wealth of Nations by Adam Smith at Project Gutenberg
- Black, Hashimzade, and Myles (2009). A Dictionary of Economics.
- David Graeber, Debt: the First 5,000 Years (London, 2014) pp. 203-205
- Pierre Dardot and Christian Laval, translated by Gregory Elliott, The New Way of the World: on Neoliberal Society (London, 2017) pp.28-34; Michael Hudson, Killing the Host: How Financial Parasites and Debt Destroy the Global Economy, pp.45-57
- Gavin Kennedy. Adam Smith and the Invisible Hand: From Metaphor to Myth. Econ Journal Watch, 6(2): May 2009, pp. 239-263; Noam Chomsky, "Education is Ignorance - Excerpted from Class Warfare" (https://chomsky.info/warfare02/, 1995), pp. 19-23, 27-31; Michael Hudson, Killing the Host: How Financial Parasites and Debt Destroy the Global Economy, pp.82-84
- Yanis Varoufakis, Talking to My Daughter About the Economy (London, 2017) pp.13-18; David Graeber, Debt: The First 5,000 Years (London, 2014) pp.46-52
- BA's price-fix fine reaches £270m, BBC News. August 1, 2007
- EU fines Microsoft record $1.4bn, BBC News. February 27, 2008
- 4 Employed by Operator of Doomed South Korean Ferry Are Arrested, The New York Times. May 6, 2014
- Competition Law, Wikipedia provides through origins of the Sherman act, and the article on Signalling in Game Theory elaborates more on when companies choose to accommodate rather than compete with one another.
- Natural Monopoly, Natural Monopolies are formed when entry into the market is high; once a Capitalist has set up his business, his monopoly is natural as long as their would-be competitors are unable to acquire the funds for their own enterprise.
- East India Company, Britain wasn't the best trading partner to its former colonies.
- Post-WW2 economic expansion.
- Pinochet's Chile, for its reputation as the dismal science, not screwing up and around with economics is vital to a nation's health. | <urn:uuid:04a6677f-ccdc-4716-9fa9-98377c3452e4> | CC-MAIN-2022-27 | https://rationalwiki.org/wiki/Free_market | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-27/segments/1656104244535.68/warc/CC-MAIN-20220703134535-20220703164535-00795.warc.gz | en | 0.953672 | 5,548 | 2.65625 | 3 |
RAY: Devolution is an interesting topic. In most cases things have wound downward not upward over time. For example the first Dinosaur (latin for “terrible lizard”) that was discovered was called Iguanodon as it was noted to be identical only more than 10x larger than todays Iguana. It is also this initial discovery that has caused the common belief that these terrible lizards had leather skin with scales. But the Iguanodon has seemingly devolved into todays Iguana. This is also the case for sharks which have devolved in size and plant species which have much smaller leaves than they did 6000 years ago. There is a scorpion that was found in an underground cavern system which appears to have lost its eyes over time. Wholly mammoths have lost their hair and are much smaller today (now called elephants). Humans that used to live up to 1000 years are now living only 80 years on average. The Neanderthal is an example of ancient humans that lived a long life. We know this because of their lengthened noses and their extra bone along the eyebrows. (It has been observed that noses never stop growing all of our lives and that extra bone accumulates above the eyebrows all of our lives.) Today no one lives long enough to develop the skull features of the Neanderthal. Opposite to what Darwin believed it appears that things are increasingly becoming reduced rather than improved over time.
This was in response to a very interesting article entitled Our sense of smell is “devolving” by Adam Benton
The Simplified King James Version. Why is Ray working on a version of the Bible that resembles the King James?
A few sentences were cut off in the video.
Ray: That is what proves the accuracy of the over 5000 Majority Texts and that is what disproves the two rogue Alexandrian documents known as the Alexandrian Text. The Alexandrian text should be avoided completely. These texts are also referred to as the Vaticanus (it was discovered in the Vatican) and and the Tischendorf (after the name of the one that discovered it in a monestory in the Sinai) it is also refered to as the Siniaticus. Some argue there are some other texts but these are the two almost complete texts from which we are now receiving most of our modern Bibles today.
One of the arguments for the need for newer bibles is the desire for English that is more up to todays standards. This is a legitimate argument and it is the reason that the KJV itself went through 5 revisions up to and including 1812, 1769 or 1762 depending on which version of the KJV you use. All of these versions are almost identical except for punctuations mostly.
I have chosen to stick with the KJV line of bible as the KJV is based on the Majority of the texts and not the alexandrian. There was a recent attempt to give us an updated language bible called the New King James Version (NKJV). The problem with this version however is that they too accepted some of the errors from the Tichendorf (Alexandrian).
Starting in around 2003 I took some courses in Greek and Hebrew so that I could better understand the original languages of the Bible. After that in 2009 I wrote a book entitled “Illumination or Illusion” which examined the various KJV and non-KJV versions which resulted in many people asking me which version of the Bible I would recommend for someone wanting to have a more modern Bible? Starting in 2010 I decided that I would experiment with producing an accurate modern version that I am calling the SKJV (Simplified King James Version).
We are now preparing this new version for use in “English as a Second Language” training by Missionaries overseas and eventually we hope to make it availble in regular book stores later on. The New Testament is complete and we have about a years worth of work to complete the Old Testament ahead of us.
If anyone would like to examine a portion of the SKJV, Look down the left side of the screen under FREEBIES for the downloadable copy of the Gospel of John. It includes the Bible introduction and some commentary. I hope to pick up on this topic again at a future time.
Brad: Well that concludes our show “Truth is what matters”. We hope to hear from our listeners. You may comment on any one of our programs. We look forward to hearing from you. | <urn:uuid:0c96abf7-504a-4db5-922c-3bafe5bcdb9f> | CC-MAIN-2020-05 | https://truthiswhatmatters.wordpress.com/category/false-science-2/evolution-false-science/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-05/segments/1579251783000.84/warc/CC-MAIN-20200128184745-20200128214745-00224.warc.gz | en | 0.975556 | 919 | 2.828125 | 3 |
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How are cold sores spread? If you’re not careful, cold sores can spread to other parts of your body. Mucus membranes like your nose and eyes are especially vulnerable. Have a touch of eczema on any part of your body? Be doubly careful because if the infection spreads to a part of your skin already irritated by eczema, the result is a painful rash. It’s the same deal if you touch your cold sore and then indulge in a masturbation session.
That’s why it’s important to avoid touching your cold sore as much as possible. If you have to handle it for any reason, wash your hands with soap immediately afterward.
How do you treat cold sores?Topical cream is one of the most common forms of cold sore treatment, though you may be able to visit your doctor for a dose of antibiotics.
How do you avoid cold sores?Even though you can transmit the cold sore virus to other people when you don’t even have an outbreak thanks to a little wonder called viral shedding, there are still steps you can take to prevent the risk of catching it. If you have a cold sore, you might want to think twice about engaging in unprotected oral sex (though you shouldn’t be doing that anyway), and the same goes for intercourse if you or your partner has a genital herpes outbreak on your, well, genitals.
Sharing cutlery, drinking glasses or ChapStick can also transmit cold sores.
If you already have type 1 herpes, you have a reason to take it easy: Experiencing excessive stress can act as a trigger for an outbreak, as can food allergies, weather conditions and general fatigue.
don't be a sore loserWhile they’re not considered a particularly dangerous occurrence, cold sores can have hazardous complications, including eczema herpeticum, which is when a patch of eczema becomes infected with the virus. A particularly violent form of herpes can also lead to an infection of the nervous system. Despite these potential complications, cold sores are usually more of an embarrassment than a serious health concern. If you already have the virus and have already been graced by some cold sore outbreaks, try to think of it positively. Maybe now you and your girlfriend can bond over cover-up options. | <urn:uuid:16ab7dce-7f8c-4111-ba83-d8b7c40377f7> | CC-MAIN-2022-49 | https://www.askmen.com/sports/health_150/175b_mens_health.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-49/segments/1669446710916.40/warc/CC-MAIN-20221202183117-20221202213117-00553.warc.gz | en | 0.934507 | 539 | 2.625 | 3 |
Joseph Bruce Ismay was born on 12 December 1862 to parents Thomas Henry and Margaret Ismay. Less than seven years later the Oceanic Steam Navigation Company was founded by Thomas Ismay, with the company officially registered on 6 September 1869. The company soon expanded with vessels sailing on routes from Liverpool to New York and the Pacific. In 1888 Joseph Ismay married Julia Florence Schieffelin and they would go on to have two sons and two daughters.
On 23 November 1899 Thomas Henry Ismay died at the age of 72. Subsequently Joseph Ismay succeeded his father in charge of the company. Within three years the American International Mercantile Marine acquired the White Star Line for £10 million. Joseph Ismay served as Managing Director of the White Star Line and under his tenure the company developed its plans for the Olympic, Titanic and Britannic.
Joseph Ismay joined the Titanic at Southampton for her maiden voyage to New York. Travelling in first-class, he occupied a prominent suite on B-Deck, with its own private promenade. However, the tragedy that unfolded on the night of 14 April 1912 changed lives forever. In surviving the sinking of the Titanic Joseph Ismay unwittingly became one of the most controversial figures of the Titanic story. His reputation was unfairly tarnished by the tragedy. He died on 17 October 1937, aged 74.
The grave of Joseph Bruce Ismay is the form is a tomb and separate headstone. The tomb is a large, rough-cut block of stone. The sides of the tomb are decorated with representations of sailing ships with a chevron pattern beneath. The south-facing side of the tomb carries a decorative sun-burst motif. The top of the tomb carries two inscriptions, a dedication to Joseph Bruce Ismay and his wife and the words of Psalm 107, verses 23, 24:
To The Glory of God and In Memory of Bruce Ismay Died October 17th 1937 His Wife Julia Florence Ismay Died December 31st 1963
They that go down to the sea In ships: and occupy their Business in great waters These men see the works of the Lord: and his wonders in the deep.
The headstone, which is intricately carved on its south-facing side, carries the following inscription on the other side:
Behold also the ships which though they be so great and are driven of fierce winds yet are they turned about with a very small helm whither so ever the governor listeth.
It is by the decisions and actions that Joseph Bruce Ismay made that night that he has since been judged. The narrative of the Titanic disaster is one that had been told and retold so many times, such that it is difficult to know, in many cases, the undisputed facts. Even as the Carpathia headed to New York judgements were already being made in the press.
The following facts are undisputed. During the sinking Joseph Ismay was present on the starboard side of the ship, assisting passengers into the lifeboats; unlike many passengers he was uniquely aware of the situation. Collapsible C was the ninth and last lifeboat launched from the davits on the starboard side, just twenty minutes before the Titanic sank. Only three more lifeboats were launched after Collapsible C. The boat was already near to capacity and it was being lowered before Joseph Ismay stepped aboard.
In a sworn affidavit given to the US Senate Inquiry on 24 April 1912 Augustus H Weikman, a barber aboard ship, was present as Mr Ismay was helping load collapsible lifeboat C. "He got in along with Mr. Carter, because there were no women in the vicinity of the boat. This boat was the last to leave, to the best of my knowledge. He was ordered into the boat by the officer in charge. I think that Mr. Ismay was justified in getting in that boat at that time."
- Eaton, J. P. & Haas, C. A. (1994) Titanic: Triumph and Tragedy (2nd edition) Yeovil: Patrick Stephens Ltd.
- Hind, Philip et al (2014) Joseph Bruce Ismay Oxford: Encyclopedia Titanica, http://www.encyclopedia-titanica.org/titanic-survivor/j-bruce-ismay.html
- Hind, Philip et al (2014) Titanic Collapsible Lifeboat C Oxford: Encyclopedia Titanica, http://www.encyclopedia-titanica.org/titanic-lifeboat-c/
- Oldham, Wilton J (1961) The Ismay Line: The White Star Line and the Ismay family story Liverpool: The Journal of Commerce
- United States Senate, The (1912) "Titanic" Disaster Hearings before a Subcommittee of the Committee on Commerce United States Senate - Affidavit of A. H. Weikman USA: http://www.titanicinquiry.org/USInq/AmInq15Weikman01.php/ | <urn:uuid:d9cf42b4-70e0-4789-8af6-8a9fa6bb4ba0> | CC-MAIN-2018-47 | https://www.titanicmemorials.co.uk/post/grave/joseph+bruce+ismay+grave+putney+vale/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2018-47/segments/1542039742981.53/warc/CC-MAIN-20181116070420-20181116092420-00525.warc.gz | en | 0.967423 | 1,036 | 2.6875 | 3 |
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