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Health Watch -- The Nervous System: Epilepsy Health Watch is a Public Service of the Office of News and Publications and is intended to provide general information only and should not replace the advice of a medical professional. You should contact your physician if you have questions about any of these topics. There are a number of diseases and disorders that target the brain and nervous system. The nervous system even plays a role in how you interact with your world. That's what we'll be talking about this week on Health Watch. More than two million people in the United States have epilepsy, and most of them manage it with medication. Dr. Paul van Ness, director of the Epilepsy Center at UT Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas, says it's important for patients to stick with their medication. Epilepsy drugs may have side effects such as fatigue, abdominal discomfort or blurred vision and they may be expensive or inconvenient to take on schedule, which could lead to lapses. But rather than failing to take the drugs as instructed, patients need to discuss their problems with their doctors. Health Watch is heard Monday through Friday nationwide on ABC Satellite Radio. Call your local radio station and ask if they carry the program.
Meat demand sparks dramatic rise in antibiotic use – report Pig farmers use four times as many drugs as cattle ranchers, with poultry farms falling somewhere in between, says a study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences last week. China, the world’s largest pork producer, is also the world’s biggest consumer of antibiotics in farming. The US comes in second, consuming 10 percent, while Brazil, India and Germany round off the top five. The study says that farmers around the world used over 63,000 tons of antibiotics to raise livestock in 2010 and projected the number will rise to over 105,000 tons by 2030. Antimicrobials are used to boost and accelerate growth in animals, as well as keep them healthy while penned up in barely sanitary industrial farms. “We've found that when animals have good nutrition, good genetics and there is good hygiene on the farm, the added value of antibiotics is quite minimal,” said Ramanan Laxminarayan, director of the Center for Disease Dynamics Economics & Policy in Washington DC. Wow. Put down the bacon and check this terrifying map of worldwide antibiotic use on animal farms: http://t.co/oYEby1LbVu — amywestervelt (@amywestervelt) March 23, 2015 While cattle take a while to build up herds, poultry and pigs can be raised quickly and in confined spaces, explained Timothy Robinson, principal scientist at the International Livestock Research Institute and one of the authors of the study. In most of the world, researchers say, there are few if any laws regulating the use of antibiotics in farming. The European Union has strict laws against growth-boosting drugs, but allows farmers to treat animals to prevent disease. In the US, farming accounts for 80 percent of all antibiotics used. The Food and Drug Administration has urged a halt to using human antibiotics on livestock since 2013, following a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report showing that at least 23,000 Americans die every year from antibiotic-resistant bacterial infections. “Antimicrobial resistance is a tragedy of the commons, but with more direct individual effect than climate change,” said the study’s lead author, Princeton University ecologist Thomas Van Boeckel. — The Atlantic (@TheAtlantic) March 23, 2015 Several major US restaurant chains have sworn off antibiotic-treated meat. Chipotle has suspended the sale of pork at many of its locations since January, after its supplier was unable to meet demand using only humanely-raised pigs. Pharmaceutical companies and corporate farms have challenged claims that the use of antibiotics in animals is related to the rise of resistant bacteria. While direct evidence remains elusive, “circumstantial evidence, linking use in animals to drug-resistant bacteria in humans, is exceedingly strong,” said Laxminarayan. He added that resistant bacteria usually reach humans through the water supply and other means, rather than through the direct consumption of animals raised on antibiotics.
You would have to agree that eating vegetables and fruits are a crucial part of health and longevity. It’s hard to achieve repeated high levels of performance if we don’t have that foundation of health and resiliency. Vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and specific proteins such as salmon provide benefits beyond carbohydrates, proteins, and healthy fats. The array of micronutrients, phytochemicals, and zoochemicals can support performance, reduce your risk of injury, and promote recovery and resiliency. Micros Drive Macros These micronutrients, vitamins and minerals, play various roles within our body. Think of them as the script, production, and directors in a movie. These nutrients may not provide “fuel” or be the main stars, but they give the direction and spark for an award-winning feature. Nutrient-dense foods provide the necessary micronutrients that play a role in almost every function of the body, such as: - serve as cofactors for the breakdown of macronutrients into energy, - bone metabolism and health, - blood clotting, - immune function, - blood pressure regulation, - muscle and nervous system function, - cardiovascular function, - and I could keep going all day long here. No matter how many great benefits I list here, you or your young athletes may still hesitate to add any color beyond brown and white to that plate. When it comes to vegetables, whether it is a bad experience, feeling a bit lost in the kitchen, and/or your individual preferences, many of us fall short of achieving the daily recommended intake. According to the U.S. Depart of Agriculture’s (USDA) recommendations, boys and girls ages 9-18 should eat between 2-4 cups, and adults should aim for 5 cups per day. What counts as 1 cup of vegetables? Vegetables often get a bad rap as past experiences fall short of exciting and enjoyable due to taste, texture, smell, or appearance. As we, humans, grow and mature, so do our palates, and the reintroduction of once cringe-worthy foods is essential as vegetable dissatisfaction improves with exposure. It may take up to four times to begin liking something you previously had written off on your “no chance” list. Here are three ways that our athletes have increased their vegetable intake: Blend It. Hands down the most successful strategy I have used with our athletes to help them hit their daily needs. Use their favorite smoothie as a base and add a handful of spinach or kale for an easy booster. Other veggies that have worked well include cucumber, beets, canned pumpkin, and carrot. Make it easy. One of the most significant barriers to getting enough vegetables in is time. If you have the financial means to purchase food kits where entire meals can either come fully prepared or you can prepare these meals from scratch at home. Our favorites for convenience are microwavable vegetables and pre-cut vegetables you can find at most grocery stores. Other meals you can add vegetables into are: Eggs, Soups and chilis, Lasagna, Pancakes, Muffins, Guacamole, Salsa, and Your burger (trust me – mushroom burger with 90/10 lean ground beef is a game changer). Make it taste good. Learning how to cook and prepare vegetables and meals at home has been a considerable barrier for many of our athletes and especially if they don’t taste great. From frozen vegetables prepared in the microwave to cauliflower macaroni and cheese – building up your skills not only on the field but in the kitchen is an essential for long-term success. Steaming, sautéing, roasting, and grilling vegetables can all bring out different flavors from the same vegetable – try them all! During spring training, we started a series of cooking classes that incorporate at least three different colored vegetables into every dish. The most popular are adding vegetables such as zucchini noodles or sautéed spinach into their pasta or making “Powerhouse Pizzas” by adding sliced bell peppers, mushrooms, spinach, and tomatoes. What about juices? Check us out later this week on where juices fit into the equation. Training demands and competition schedules are demanding. Lacking the necessary nutrition to support these demands can lead to poor performance and missed opportunities if sidelined due to injury or illness. For you or your young athlete, good nutrition provides the energy and micronutrients essential in meeting both the demands from training and competition as well as for proper growth and development. missed opportunities if sidelined due to injury or illness. For you or your young athlete, good nutrition provides the energy and micronutrients essential in meeting both the demands from training and competition as well as for proper growth and development.
It seems strange now to think of Saltash as a clog in the wheel of Westminster politics; yet between 1552 to 1832 – around three hundred years – it had the prestigious power in electing two MPs to sit in the House of Commons. This thought reminded me of my dissertation project from 2009 in which I outlined the range of opposition in Cornwall to the 1832 Reform Act which abolished a multitude of rotten boroughs such as Saltash. Sometimes I almost persuade myself to return to the dissertation in order to publish it more widely, but in the meantime I will content myself with a blog-post about some of the noteworthy and eccentric MPs which represented Saltash during his existence as a parliamentary town. Perhaps Saltash’s most illustrious member is in the form of Edward Hyde (1609-1674) – more prominently known to history as the first Earl of Clarendon. He was sitting for Saltash at the moment of outbreak of the Civil War between King Charles and the rebellious members of Parliament: famous struggle between the Cavaliers against the Roundheads. He served in the King’s council throughout the conflict, despite being an earlier critic of monarchical tyranny. Despite early gains, the Royalists were routed throughout the country. Edward Hyde would flee to Jersey, and then onto to France, with the young Prince of Wales: the future Charles II. They remained within the safety of the continent whilst Cromwell rose to prominence in England and whilst Charles I lost his head. Both he and the monarchy would return in 1660, from which point Hyde intertwined with royalty, becoming the grandfather to two future British monarchs: Mary and Anne. His name was further cemented to posterity with his historical writings on the Rebellion (whilst “enjoying” yet another enforced absence back on the continent after making many enemies in Parliament). Hyde was a contemporary of Edmund Waller (1606-1687), MP for Saltash when old in the tooth in his long life, in the 1680s. His was a long parliamentary career, being the young, pubescent age of sixteen whilst sitting for Amersham; he would represent St Ives in Cornwall during the time of Civil War troubles. He initially struck for the Roundheads, yet whilst undercover he cunningly plotted to present London (then a Parliamentarian stronghold) to the hands of the King. This plot was discovered, the result being the execution of more than thirty of Waller’s friends. He himself was excused due to his frantic testifying against all others; instead he was fined a massive £10,000 (an absolutely massive sum in 1643), before being released and banished from the “realm”. Like Hyde, Waller sought refuge in Europe, writing poems and selling his wife’s jewels when in financial straits. He would return to England when under the rule of Cromwell, writing shameful tributes to the Lord Protector, and then managing to switch his tune to pledge allegiance to Charles II when the monarchy was restored. The eighteenth century would see its fair share of eccentrics. Sir Cholmeley Dering (1679-1711) represented the borough in 1708. He achieved notoriety by arguing with Richard Thornhill in a London inn; it came to blows resulting in the loosening of several of Thornhill’s teeth. An understandably aggrieved Thornhill offered to fight Dering in a duel outside Westminster, in which Sir Cholmeley was shot, dying soon after. A more successful career was that of Edward Boscawen (1711-1761) who achieved fame for his feats at sea, notably beating the French during the Seven Years War. He earned the nicknames Old Dreadnaught and Wry-Necked Dick. Yet beneath such lives was the tight control of the Buller family. Saltash was rotten in the truest sense, in that the Bullers had the largest say on just who was to be elected. The family rose to prominence during the time of Cromwell and became firmly established in the borough by the eighteenth century (whilst also amassing power in the East and West Looe boroughs). Mostly, MPs were returned to Westminster who had no connection or love for Saltash; and most, also, had none of the eccentricities of those described above. The corruption of the old system is shown nowhere more clearly than in counting Cornwall’s total representation: 44 MPs. Today’s count is a mere 5. Saltash representation was ended in the passing of the Great Reform Act of 1832. The “borough-mongers” were brought to account by a public which had achieved a growing and ever greater political consciousness. During the heated 1831 Cornwall County election, a local townsman called out to his fellow voters ‘to do your duty, and as Patriots to make the noble sacrifice of your private Interest to the Public welfare’ by refusing to elect the supporters of the rotten system. It was needed, so he said, in order ‘to save your Constitution from violence – your family from Revolution – and yourselves, your children, and your property from impending ruin and destruction’. The townsman got his wish. Cornwall elected two pro-reforming candidates, and by 1832 the worst evils of the system were destroyed: and along with it went Saltash’s claim to representation in the House of Commons. All of this brought to an end three centuries of history, and despite the overall public support for changes of 1832 there remained many who opposed, derided and mourned the ending of the old system. My dissertation of a decade ago used the title ‘Imminent Danger’, coming from a quote from a contemporary who believed that everything that made Britain “Great” was coming to an inglorious, bloody end. Of course, it did not, but this feeling was one that interested me: the reformers are celebrated and praised by historians (and rightly so), whilst those who resist change are usually derided and forgotten. All of this gets me excited once more for my earlier study, and perhaps one of these days I will return to it to see if it grips as it once did as a stressed, tired, wide-eyed student all of those years ago!
A. Chalcedon and the Personal Union The Council of Chalcedon (451) affirmed the following of the two natures in Christ: “Christ, Son, Lord, Only-begotten, in two natures, inconfusedly (or unmixed, or without confusion), unchangeably (or unchanged, or without change), indivisibly (or undivided), inseparably (or inseparable), the distinction of the natures being by no means taken away by the union, but rather the property of each nature being preserved, and concurring in one person and one subsistence, not parted or divided into two person but one and the same Son and Only-begotten, God the Word, the Lord Jesus Christ . . .” The primary concern was to avoid the extremes of Eutychianism (two natures before the Incarnation but only one nature after) and Nestorianism (two persons). Jesus Christ is one person with two natures. B. The Personal Union of God and Man in Christ 1. It is not a nominal union as though Jesus were God only in name (cf. Modalism). 2. It is not a natural union. Pieper writes: “We speak of a natural union in the case of things which have a natural relationship to each other, as in the case of the body and the soul of man, which were created for each other; united, they make up a natural whole. But between the divine and the human nature in Christ there is no natural relationship; they stand in the greatest imaginable contrast to each other, the contrast between God and the creature. . . . According to Scripture, the incarnation of the Son of God was not a natural development, not the result of a necessary evolution of the divine or the human essence, but it was due to the free compassion of God upon fallen and condemned mankind” (II:98). 3. It is not an external or accidental union, as when two boards are glued together or when a body is clothed in a garment (such is no more than a conjunction of elements but hardly a union). 4. It is not a relative union, as when two things are in close relation but essentially separate. E.g., when two friends are bound or united by mutual love they yet remain distinct persons and spatially separate. 5. It is not a sustaining union, such as exists between God and his creation (Col. 1:17). 6. It is not an essential or commingling union, as if to say the two natures were so joined as to coalesce into one nature or essence (Eutyches: “I confess that our Lord was born of two natures before the union; but after the union I confess one nature”). 7. It is not a union by adoption. The incarnation was not the adoption of a human person by God but the assumption of human nature into the person of the Word. 8. It is not a mystical union, such as exists between God and his people (John 14:23). Francis Pieper explains: “Though God is in every tree, we dare not say: ‘This tree is God’ or ‘God is a tree’. Although the Triune God dwells in every Christian, we nevertheless dare not say: ‘This Christian is God’ or ‘God is this Christian’. But we can and must say with Scripture of the Man Christ: ‘This Man is God,’ and: ‘God is man,’ because in Christ God and man are united in one Person” (II:86). Thus we are left with the somewhat negative assertions of Chalcedon, resigned to describing what the union is not rather than what it is. C. The Biblical Portrait of Christ as One Person with Two Natures 1. Scripture nowhere testifies of a two-fold personality in Jesus Christ. In the Triune Godhead Father, Son, and Spirit address each other as distinct persons, but such is never the case within the person of Christ. We never see the Son of God address the Son of Man as if he were another person. The deity never addresses the humanity nor the humanity the deity as if two distinct persons exist in the one body. Christ always speaks of himself as “I” or “me” but never as “we” or “us”. 2. In Scripture, a) human attributes are ascribed to the person as designated by a divine title (1 Cor. 2:8; Acts 20:28; Col. 1:13-14; Rom. 9:5; Luke 2:11; Gal. 4:4; 1 John 1:1-3); and b) divine attributes are ascribed to the person as designated by a human title (Mt. 1:21; John 3:13; 6:62; 1 Tim. 2:5-6). Thus we conclude that there are not two different persons, each with its own nature and attributes, but only one person with two natures and two classes of attributes (human and divine). The two natures are thus joined or united but never confused. D. The Christology of Lutheranism Historic Lutheranism affirms with the Reformed tradition the reality of two natures in personal union in Jesus Christ. They differ, however, on the relationship of the two natures: Reformed or Calvinistic Christology – Any and every attribute of either nature may be ascribed to the one person, but none of the attributes of either nature may be ascribed to the other nature. Lutheran Christology – The attributes of both natures may be ascribed not only to the one person, but the attributes of the divine nature may also be ascribed to the human nature (communicatio idiomatum). Luther taught that there is a real transference of properties from the one nature (divine) to the other (human). They exchange something of their substance as if by a process of endosmosis (osmosis from the outside to the inside). Thus, even in his human nature Christ is almighty and omnipresent. The divine nature interpenetrates the human. Thus Christ’s humanity participates in the attributes of his deity (more specifically, the attributes of omniscience, omnipotence, omnipresence, and adoration). One consequence of this view is that the Logos now has no existence outside the flesh, nor the flesh outside the Logos (logos totus in carne). When Zwingli and others objected to Luther’s doctrine of the physical presence of Christ in the elements of the eucharist, he countered by appealing to the doctrine of the communication of attributes, according to which the attribute of omnipresence (ubiquity) is predicated of the human nature. Martin Chemnitz (1522-86; The Two Natures of Christ) asserted the communication of attributes, but argued that Christ’s physical flesh was omnipresent only when he so willed. The power of being simultaneously present in many or all places is subject to the will of the person of Christ. We must note three important qualifications to Lutheran Christology: (1) Contemporary Lutheran theologians typically distinguish between the possession and the use of those divine attributes communicated to the human nature. Mueller explains: “So far as the possession is concerned, the divine properties were communicated to the human nature at one and the same time, namely, at the very moment or act of unition (conception), so that even the infant Jesus was in possession of the entire divine majesty and glory, John 1:14; Luke 1:35. Yet Christ refrained from the full use of His imparted majesty during the state of humiliation, though rays of divine omnipotence, omniscience, etc., frequently manifested themselves, John 12:28; Matt. 3:17; John 14:11; 11:43f.; Matt. 17:2ff. The full and constant exercise of the communicated majesty did not begin until His exaltation to the right hand” (276-77). (2) The communication of attributes is not reciprocal. The attributes of humanity are not predicated of deity, “for there cannot be a humiliation, emptying, or lessening of the divine nature . . . as there is an advancement, or exaltation . . . of the human nature. The divine nature is unchangeable and therefore cannot be perfected or diminished, exalted or humiliated. The promotion therefore belongs to the nature that is assumed, not to that which assumes” (Mueller, 277). (3) Whereas most Lutheran theologians agreed that the powers of deity were in the possession of the humanity, they differed on whether Jesus renounced the use of these powers in the days of his flesh or simply exercised them in secret. D. The Christology of Calvinism The Calvinist criticism of Lutheranism was primarily two-fold: (1) The Lutheran Christology tends toward Docetism in that the communication of divine attributes to the human nature does not allow for the purely human development of Jesus. (2) The communication of attributes will necessarily issue in monophysitism and the error of Eutyches (ultimately only one nature in the incarnate Word). Lutheranism vigorously denies that one nature (the human) changes into the other (the divine). There is no confusion of the natures issuing in a tertium, as e.g., when honey and water are mixed and become mead. They simply wish to avoid what they believe are the Nestorian tendencies in the Calvinist formulation (namely, that the divine and human natures function independently of each other, inevitably resulting in two persons). In response to Lutheranism, the Reformed tradition did seek to clarify the relationship between the Logos/Word and the human nature he assumed. It came to be known as the Illud Calvinisticum. The Lutherans had contended that the whole Logos was present in Jesus, thus demanding the communication of the divine attribute of omnipresence to the humanity (and hence the latter’s ubiquity). The Reformed tradition, and Calvin in particular, held a much stronger distinction between the infinite and the finite (finitum non est capax infiniti) and concluded that the Logos, truly present in Christ’s manhood, is nonetheless existent outside it: totus extra carnem as well as totus in carne, governing the world simultaneously from a different center of life and consciousness, so to speak, from that at which He dwelt incarnate in Jesus Christ. Calvin explains: “Although the boundless essence of the Word was united with human nature into one person, we have no idea of any enclosing. The Son of God descended miraculously from heaven, yet without abandoning heaven; was pleased to be conceived miraculously in the Virgin’s womb, to live on the earth, and hang upon the cross, and yet always filled the world as from the beginning” (Book II, 13ff.). E. The Concept of “Anhypostasia” The classical concept of the incarnation contends that the Word did not take to himself or assume an independently existing human person. “Scripture,” says Pieper, “never describes the incarnation of God as His singular activity in a human person distinct from Him, or as His causing such a person to give perfect expression to His will” (II:80). Rather, the Word assumed a human nature, a nature that finds its own personality in the divine person of the Logos. Thus the human nature of Christ is described as “impersonal” or anhypostasia. Anhypostasia = that which has no personality in itself Enhypostasia = that which subsists in another personality or partakes of another hypostasis Some object, insisting that to deny “personality” of the human nature of Christ is docetic: it truncates or detracts from the true humanity of Christ. E.g., “The Jesus confronting us in the gospels does not at all impress us as having only a human nature which finds its personality in the divine logos. On the contrary, the gospels show us a genuinely human consciousness. The human nature is not just an impersonal organ of the Logos; we rather encounter a struggling, praying, believing, human being” (Korff, cited by Berkouwer in The Person of Christ, 306). “One cannot separate the nature from the person. Human personality is an essential constituent of human nature. Hence anhypostasy abolishes the true humanity of Jesus, his believing and praying human ego, the truth of his being tempted – the Logos cannot be tempted” (II:225). Part of the problem is found in our definitions of “nature” and “person”. Berkouwer explains: “The term ‘nature’ denotes the sum-total of all the essential qualities of a thing, that which makes it what it is. A nature is a substance possessed in common, with all the essential qualities of such a substance. The term ‘person’ denotes a complete substance endowed with reason, and, consequently, a responsible subject of its own actions. Personality is not an essential and integral part of a nature, but is, as it were, the terminus to which it tends. A person is a nature with something added, namely, independent subsistence, individuality. Now the Logos assumed a human nature that was not personalized, that did not exist by itself” (321-22). But is a human “nature” which lacks independent, volitional self-consciousness, truly human? Advocates of Anhypostasia insist that it is. By speaking of Christ’s human nature as “impersonal” or “without personality” they are not saying that he lacked anything substantially necessary to being truly human. They simply wish to deny that the Logos assumed to himself an independently existing, self-conscious human person. The human nature of Christ can never be conceived abstractly, i.e., independently of its existence in the person of the Divine Son. The human nature in Jesus had no personal subsistence next to or along side of the Logos. According to Bavinck, “the human nature formed in and out of Mary did not for a moment exist by and for itself but from the earliest moment of conception was united with, and taken up into, the person of the Son” (cited by Berkouwer, 311). Again, the point is that the human nature of Christ did not exist as a separate person before it was taken up into and united with the Son of God. Karl Barth sums up this view by pointing out that “God and Man are so related in Jesus Christ, that He exists as Man so far and only so far as He exists as God, i.e., in the mode of existence of the eternal Word of God. What we thereby express is a doctrine unanimously sponsored by early theology in its entirety, that of the anhypostasis and enhypostasis of the human nature of Christ. Anhypostasis asserts the negative. Since in virtue of the egeneto, i.e., in virtue of the assumptio, Christ’s human nature has its existence – the ancients said, its subsistence – in the existence of God, meaning in the mode of being (hypostasis, ‘person’) of the Word, it does not possess it in and for itself, in abstracto. Apart from the divine mode of being whose existence it acquires it has none of its own; i.e., apart from its concrete existence in God in the event of the unio, it has no existence of its own, it is anhypostatos. Enhypostasis asserts the positive. In virtue of the egeneto, i.e., in virtue of the assumptio, the human nature acquires existence (subsistence) in the existence of God, meaning in the mode of being (hypostasis, ‘person’) of the Word. This divine mode of being gives it existence in the event of the unio, and in this way it has a concrete existence of its own, it is enhypostatos” (CD I:2, 163). F. The Human Development and Limitations of the Theanthropic Person How does the classical view explain the growth in wisdom and the limitations in the earthly experience of Jesus? Appeal is made two principles. 1. The dominant and controlling factor in Christ’s person is his deity, not his humanity. The argument is that the second person of the Trinity took to himself a human nature, not a human person. Thus Jesus the man had so much power and no more or less as the divine nature pleased to exert in him. 2. A distinction is made between the existence of the divine nature or Logos in Jesus and its manifestation. The Logos was always present in bodily form but did not always and consistently act through his human body and soul. Jesus was not always performing miracles, nor was he always imparting to his human nature the whole of his infinite knowledge. William G. T. Shedd explains it as follows: “During all these infantile years of the immature and undeveloped human nature, the Logos, though present, was in eclipse in the person of Jesus Christ. By this is meant, that the Logos made no manifestation of his power through the human nature he had assumed, because this human nature was still infantine. When the infant Jesus lay in the manger, the Logos was present and united with the human nature as really and completely as he is this instant, but he made no exhibition of himself. . . . The babe lay in the manger unconscious and inactive. Yet the eternal Logos was personally united with this infant. There was a God-man in the manger as truly as there was upon the cross” (II:274-76). “It will not follow, however, that because there was no thinking going on in the human mind of the infant Jesus, there was none going on in the Logos. For it must be remembered, that though the Logos has condescended to take ‘the form of a servant’, he has not ceased to exist in ‘the form of God’ . . . . Because the Logos was localized and limited by a human body on the earth, it does not follow that he did not continue to exist and act in heaven. And because the Logos did not think in and by the mind of the infant Jesus, it does not follow that he did not think in and by his own infinite mind” (II:274-76). Thus, Shedd concludes that “Christ’s self-consciousness of his theanthropic person and mediatorial office was formed gradually, as he passed from youth to manhood, by the increasing illumination of the humanity by the divinity” (II:277). Thus the humanity of Jesus knew only as much as the deity pleased to disclosed and manifest. Q: But if there was at all times in Jesus a “human mind” or a seat of consciousness capable of being illumined by the “divine mind”, capable also, therefore, of thinking and willing, how does one escape the conclusion that there were “two minds” in the incarnate Christ? And if two minds, why not “two persons”? G. Duality or Singularity of Will in the Theanthropic Person Classical Christology affirms that Jesus is but one person who has two natures. Does he then possess only one or two wills? If one stresses the unity of the Person, monothelitism seems reasonable. If one stresses the two natures a duality of wills makes sense. Shedd contends for the latter: “Either nature would be incomplete and defective, without the voluntary quality or property in it. Each nature, in order to be whole and entire, must have all of its essential elements. A human nature without voluntariness would be as defective as it would be without rationality” (II:328). I.e., a truly functional nature in an intelligent being must have the voluntary capacity to act. “In this light,” says Pannenberg, “it is clear that doubleness of nature requires doubleness of will” (293). The dyothelite (two wills) formulation is thus built on the assumption that axiomatic to a nature is volition. Q: Again, if there are in Christ two natures, both of which are rational and volitional, how does one escape the Nestorian heresy of two persons? The monothelites (one will) regard the two natures as having only one theanthropic will between them. They insist that from the union of the two natures there resulted a will that was not solely divine, nor solely human, but divine-human (Shedd calls this a modified Eutychianism). Q: Does not the concept of one will imply one nature? In other words, how does monothelitism avoid the heresy of docetism? Shedd offers this explanation: “In opposition to this error [Monothelitism] the catholic theologians asserted two wills in order to the completeness of each nature, and met the objection of the Monothelites that there must then be two persons, by affirming that by reason of the intimate personal union of the two natures neither will works without the other’s participation in the efficiency. If the human will acts, the divine will submits and co-acts. This is the humiliation of the divine. If the divine will acts, the human will submits and co-acts. This is the exaltation of the human. One and the same Christ, therefore, performs the divine or the human action, as the case may be, although each action is wrought in accordance with the distinctive qualities of the will that corresponds with it, and takes the lead in it” (II:328). Monothelitism was condemned under emperor Constans at Constantinople in 681. Should it have been?
Two New York city council members, Brad Lander and Ritchie Torres, have called for an end to “school segregation” in the city and the elimination of “apartheid schools”—meaning schools in which 90 percent of the students are either black or Latino. Others have defined “apartheid schools” as those with less than 1 percent white enrollment. The term “apartheid,” of course, refers to the brutal system of legalized racial segregation that existed in South Africa from 1948 to 1994. Its use is meant to convey the sense that an elite minority population wields the whip hand over a racial majority. Most New Yorkers would probably wonder what the city’s Department of Education—not known as a nest of white supremacy—has in common with a programmatic policy of racial classification and restriction. While New York, like America in general, has divisions of income that sometimes cleave along ethno-racial lines, no well-off black or Latino families in New York are prevented from moving into any neighborhood they can afford. Ethnic enclaves in New York are largely determined by group affinity. Chinese immigrants have gravitated toward communities in Lower Manhattan, Brooklyn’s Sunset Park, and Flushing, Queens, but it would be absurd to suggest that Asian-Americans in New York are somehow victims of segregation, along the lines of Jim Crow-era Dixie. The 90 percent black and Hispanic figure cited by Lander and Torres is striking until one considers that more than two out of three kids (68 percent) in the city’s public school system are black and Latino. It thus takes only a minimal amount of population concentration for a public school to fall into the “apartheid” category—in which, as Lander and Torres see it, poor children are concentrated with one another in schools that consign them to “steep disadvantage.” The council members assert that “the average black or Latino student attends a school where nearly 70% of the students are low-income.” But again, context is needed: according to the Department of Education, 78 percent of all students in the system are poor or attend schools where all students get free lunches. And 90 percent of all city public schools have student bodies that are at least 50 percent poor. So it’s no surprise that black and Latino kids attend primarily lower-income schools. Nonetheless, council members Lander and Torres say that they have a cure for New York’s “apartheid” problem. They propose an “innovative admissions policy that eliminate[s] the neighborhood zone, accepts students from two demographically-different districts, and prioritizes English Language Learners and students eligible for free-and-reduced-price-lunch for 35% of its seats.” Such a proposal might work in Brooklyn’s District 15, which is racially more diverse than most areas of the city. White students are 27 percent of the district (almost double their citywide average), and Asian students comprise 16 percent of the area (slightly higher than average). Park Slope is an affluent area wedged between Fort Greene and Red Hook, and one could shift kids around the district without causing too much grief. Politically speaking, Park Slope and environs are left of center even by New York City standards, so a project of “busing lite” would probably be acceptable to its residents. What about other parts of the city? The student population of the Bronx, for instance, is already 90 percent black and Latino. Even the most authoritarian social planner, carefully relocating the borough’s few white and Asian students, would never be able to achieve non-“apartheid” status for more than a few schools, and only then at the expense of others. Or consider Staten Island, whose student body is almost half white, and which accounts on its own for about 20 percent of the school system’s white population. Would the white children of Staten Island’s South Shore have to take buses, ferries, and subways out to remote corners of New York City in order to satisfy Brad Lander’s vision of racial equity? The logic behind the assertion that most of New York City’s schools are “apartheid schools” is faulty because Gotham is a “majority-minority” city. The school system roughly maps to the same population concentrations that are found throughout the city. It’s no surprise to anyone that the Upper East Side and Greenwich Village are mostly white, that Corona is Latino, and that East New York is mostly black. It’s also no surprise that many white children attend private or religious schools, especially tens of thousands of Orthodox Jews in Brooklyn, thus skewing the demographics of the public school population and making it that much more difficult to achieve an idealized racial balance. When Lander and Torres ask if the city is satisfied with “separate and unequal” schools, they abuse language in the service of ideology. Arguments can be made about inequitable funding for education at the state level or about funding disparities between urban and suburban schools, but all schools within New York City receive the same level of funding from the Department of Education. Why not forget about engineering the racial makeup of the schools and focus instead on improving performance? The city’s experiment with charter schools has proven that an “apartheid” school can perform as well as a privileged “non-apartheid” school. While council members Lander and Torres fantasize about population transfer, school choice already works.
1. Critics have often remarked that the wife-selling episode which begins the novel should appear completely out of place, and yet Hardy somehow manages to make it seem entirely believable. How is he able to accomplish this? 2. What do we learn in Chapter 2 about Henchard that we perhaps do not learn in Chapter 1? 3. What are the similarities and differences between the walk that Susan and Elizabeth-Jane take to the Weydon-Priors fair in Chapter 3, and the one we witness in the opening chapter? 4. What is the significance of Hardy's description of Casterbridge in Chapter 4? 5. Do you have a hard time believing in Henchard's transformation from the wife-seller at Weydon-Priors to the Mayor of Casterbridge? Why or why not? 6. What is the significance of Farfrae's singing in Chapter 8? 7. Why is Chapter 9 structured the way it is, with a flashback presented at the end? 8. Why does Hardy choose the ring, the remains of a Roman amphitheater, as the location for Henchard's meeting with Susan? What is the significance of this encounter? 9. What is Hardy saying about Fate on the one hand, and how characters determine their own fate on the other hand, specifically with respect to what we learn in Chapter 12? 10. What do we make of the encounter between Elizabeth-Jane and Farfrae in Chapter 14? 1. Make a close study of Chapter 16 and analyze how Hardy brings together the ideas of Play, Game, Sport, Chance, and Fate. 2. How does the use of letters create suspense in Chapter 18? 3. What is to be made of Lucetta's multiple names, and the suggestive names of the other characters in the novel, like Abel Whittle and Mrs. Goodenough? 4. What series of contrasts does Hardy develop in this chapter, both between Henchard and Farfrae, and between Lucetta and Elizabeth-Jane? 5. Hardy seems to be playing with his readers in introducing us to Mr. Fall, the weather prophet. What are the various significances we can derive from this character's name? 6. In Chapter 1, Hardy makes Henchard's act of wife-selling believable through the particular way he colours this opening scene. How does he make the coincidence of the furmity woman's return 20 years later likewise believable? 7. Why does Hardy not only have Lucetta and Elizabeth-Jane chased by the bull, but subsequently rescued by Henchard? 8. Are we given a clear sense of whether Elizabeth-Jane is more upset with Lucetta's marriage to Farfrae because of the broken promise to Henchard, or because she herself is in love with Farfrae? 1. Discuss the role of Joshua Jopp in the novel once Henchard has been reduced to his humblest circumstances. 2. What is the significance of the parallel readings of Lucetta's letters, first by Henchard to Farfrae, and then by Jopp to the assembled company at Peter's Finger? 3. How is the fight between Henchard and Farfrae in Chapter 38 significant in what it suggests about: (i) the history of Henchard's relationship with Farfrae, and (ii) the complexity of Henchard's character. 4. Explore all of the various significances attached to the skimmity ride in Chapter 39. 5. Does Henchard's spotting of the "body" in the water (which, of course, turns out to be his effigy from the skimmity ride) remind us of a similar episode from popular film? What are all of the various implications of this scene? 6. What is the symbolic importance of the wheel of fortune in The Mayor of Casterbridge and of things that connote circularity in general (i.e. The Ring, Henchard's roughly circular walk around Casterbridge in Chapter 44, etc.) 7. What is the significance of Henchard's will that Elizabeth-Jane and Farfrae find in the final chapter of the novel, and how is it connected to the other declaration Henchard makes so many years before in the wake of selling Susan and his daughter to Newson? 8. Is Henchard a tragic hero? Discuss. Last modified 20 September 2000
Sachchidananda Sinha was born on 10th November 1871 in Arrah, in the erstwhile Bengal Presidency. He was educated in Patna, and later in London where he earned his law degree. In London, he was an active member of the British Committee on the Indian National Congress. He campaigned for the election of Dadabhai Naoroji to the House of Commons in 1892. In 1893, he enrolled himself at the Calcutta High Court and later practiced in Allahabad and Patna High Court. He played a crucial role in the formation of the Province of Bihar and Orissa. Sinha was associated with the Congress party between 1896 and 1919. During this time, he was an integral part of Bihar Provincial Congress Committee, serving as its Secretary and later as President. From 1910-1930, Sinha was a member of the Imperial Legislative Council. He became the Deputy President of the Central Legislative Assembly in 1921. He also held the office of the President in the Bihar and Orissa Legislative Council and served in the Bihar Legislative Assembly. Later, he became the first Indian ever to be hold the portfolio of a Finance Member of a province. Sinha showed a keen interest in journalism and became the editor of the Hindustan Review, a monthly magazine. He was also an academician and authored multiple books. From 1936-1944, he held the position of Vice-Chancellor of Patna University. Role in India’s Independence Movement: Although Sinha was considered a moderate, he preferred to call himself a “constitutional nationalist” to signal his belief that Indians should adopt constitutional means to attain freedom. As such, he did not actively participate in the various movements of the freedom struggle. Contribution to Constitution Making: Sinha was elected to the Constituent Assembly from Bihar on a Congress Party ticket. He served as interim President of the Assembly before Rajendra Prasad was formally appointed as President. Although he did not actively participate in the debates, he submitted important memorandums on tribal issues in Bihar to the Tribal and Excluded and Partially Excluded Areas (other than Assam) Sub-Committee and on the integration of Bihari territory with West Bengal to the President. Sinha passed away on 5th March, 1950, soon after the Constitution came into force. Sinha was a prominent academic who published a number of papers and books, the most significant among them being Some Eminent Behar Contemporaries, Some Eminent Indian Temporaries, Iqbal: The Poet and His Message, Dyarchy in Indian Provinces in Theory and Practice and Kashmir, “the Playground of Asia”. Sinha was not part of any committees in the Constituent Assembly. Sinha did not actively participate in the debates.
In this tutorial we’ll follow an exciting process of creating flat medieval weapons for games! We’ll be working with basic geometric shapes and using various functions and tools of Adobe Illustrator to transform and modify the shapes. By the end of this tutorial you’ll be able to create not only a fantasy longsword, heavy warhammer and a battle axe, but you can also use the described techniques to create the whole set of medieval weapons or fantasy assets for your game! Feel free to browse the Envato Market for references of medieval weapons, and then let’s start! 1. Create a Sharp Sword Let’s start by creating a New Document of 800 x 600 px size and make a greyish-blue rectangle of the same size, using the Rectangle Tool (M) to form a background. Let’s start shaping our sword from a rectangle of 30 x 280 px size. Fill the shape with a gentle linear gradient, consisting of three colors: pale blue, light yellow and light pink, creating an effect of a metal surface. Use the Gradient Tool (G) to place it vertically. Using proper colors is one of the most important things that makes your illustration vivid and enlivens it! If you want to apply the same color palette as in this tutorial, feel free to use the Eyedropper Tool (I) and hold Shift to pick the color from any spot on your screen. This way you’ll be able to pick the colors directly from these screenshots! This also works for gradients: select a gradient slider in the Gradient panel, take the Eyedropper Tool (I), hold Shift and pick the needed color, thus changing the color of the slider. This tip can really speed up your work. Convenient, isn’t it? Go to Object > Path > Add Anchor Points. Use the Direct Selection Tool (A) to select the new anchor point in the middle of the top edge and drag it up, shaping the pointed tip of the blade. Go to Object > Path > Offset Path and set the Offset value to -7 px, forming a smaller shape inside. Copy the shape and Paste in Back (Control-C > Control-B). Move it a few pixels to the left, using the arrow keys, and switch the Blending Mode to Multiply in the Transparency panel, forming a gentle shadow. Repeat the same action once again, but this time move the copy a few pixels to the right. Switch the Blending Mode to Screen, making a bright highlight. Now let’s merge the tips of all three shapes at one point. Take the Lasso Tool (Q) and select the points. Head to the Align panel and check that you've chosen Align to Selection. Finally, click Horizontal Align Center and Vertical Align Center to align all the points at one point. Now let’s shape the groove of the sword. Use the Line Segment Tool (\) and hold Shift to make a vertical line across the central ridge of the sword. Apply a white color for the Stroke and change the Profile to Width Profile 1 in the Stroke panel to make the line pointed. Let’s align the shapes. Select the line and the sword base beneath it. Click the sword once again to make it a Key Object (it will be marked with a thicker selection). Head to the Align panel and click Horizontal Align Center and Vertical Align Center to align the shapes. Let’s start shaping the cross-guard from a 90 x 10 px rectangle. Fill it with dark greyish-purple gradient and place the gradient diagonally, using the Gradient Tool (G). Copy the shape and Paste in Front (Control-C > Control-F). Squash the shape to make it narrower and make the colors of the gradient a bit darker. Copy the bigger rectangle and Paste in Back (Control-C > Control-B). Move the copy down a bit and make it darker. Repeat the same action, moving the new copy up and making it lighter to make the guard more three-dimensional and detailed. Let’s add more elements to the guard. Add a small vertical rectangle of 7 x 23 px size at the left side of the guard. Fill it with linear gradient of the same colors as the guard, but make it somewhat darker. Add a small 13 x 13 px circle, placing it beneath the rectangle (Shift-Control-[). Select the top left and bottom left anchor points of the rectangle with the Direct Selection Tool (A) and use the Live Corners feature to make the corners slightly rounded by pulling the circle markers. Group (Control-G) the rectangle and the circle. Double-click the Reflect Tool (O) and select the Vertical Axis. Click the Copy button to make a mirrored copy and place it on the opposite side of the guard. Let’s add a simple, elegant grip to our sword. Make a rectangle of 30 x 85 px size, using the same dark color palette. Create a couple of rectangle copies on top and make them narrower, forming the stripes of darker and lighter colors. Copy the decorative element from the tip of the guard, make it larger, and attach it to the bottom of the grip. Let’s finish up the grip by adding one more element. Make a thin rectangle across the grip, as shown in the screenshot below. Select its top and bottom left anchor points with the Direct Selection Tool (A) and drag them up, making the shape skewed. Use the Reflect Tool (O) to flip the shape over the Vertical Axis and make a Copy. Now we have two crossed metal stripes, decorating the guard. Let’s add some highlights to the metal surface of our sword to make it more realistic. Use the Rectangle Tool (M) to make a set of horizontal stripes. Fill them with blue color and switch the Blending Mode to Screen. Place the stripes over the blade of the sword, rotating them about 30 degrees. Now select the blade shape together with the stripes and take the Shape Builder Tool (Shift-M). Hold Alt and click the unneeded pieces outside the blade to delete them. Finally, let’s add a few finishing touches to the blade of our sword. Zoom in and use the Pen Tool (P) to add three anchor points at the right edge of the blade. Select the middle point with the Direct Selection Tool (A) and move it to the opposite side, forming a notch. Add more notches to the blade, making it look more aged and chipped, as if it has already been used in battles. There we have it! Our sword is ready. Let’s move on and make a heavy warhammer! 2. Draw a Golden Warhammer Let’s start rendering the top part of our hammer. Use the Rectangle Tool (M) and make a 60 x 95 px shape, filling it with a golden linear gradient, using the gentle tints of yellow and orange colors. Place the gradient diagonally. Add two more narrow rectangles, placing them at the left part of the larger shape. Adjust the colors, creating a shiny metal look: make the dark part of the bottom rectangle slightly darker than that of the top shape. And make the light-yellow part of the bottom shape brighter than that of the top shape, creating a nice contrast and adding dimension to the shapes. Add two more groups of rectangles, decorating the hammer. Now we’ll create the center of the hammer’s top. Make a 45 x 85 px rectangle, filling it with dark-purple linear gradient. Duplicate (Control-C > Control-F) the shape and shrink it to 20 x 85 px, making the rectangle narrower. Make the color of the gradient a bit lighter. Duplicate the new shape and rotate it 90 degrees, making a cross. Adjust the width of the shape to make it fit the large rectangle. Select the crossing stripes and Unite them in the Pathfinder, merging them into a single shape. Add two more stripes beneath the cross, filling them with darker gradient to create a subtle shadow. Let’s make a shiny gem to decorate our hammer. Use the Polygon Tool and set the number of Sides to 6, forming a hexagon of about 8 x 8 px size. Fill it with linear gradient from rose-pink to darker pink. Duplicate the shape and shrink it to make a smaller hexagon inside. Make the colors of the gradient a bit lighter, making the shape pop out. Add a dark stripe at the left side of our hammer. And let’s attach the rubies! Place the gem on top of the shape, hold Alt-Shift, and drag it down to make a copy. Press Control-D multiple times to repeat our last action, making more copies. Decorate the dark part of the hammer with a large gem as well. Let’s use the Reflect Tool (O) to flip the golden part of our hammer to the opposite side. Make a couple of brown stripes with the Rectangle Tool (M) and set the Blending Mode to Screen. Place them over the golden base of the hammer and use the Shape Builder Tool (M) while holding Alt to delete the unneeded pieces. Add a few notches to the dark parts of the hammer to make it chipped. Let’s add a shiny golden handle to our hammer. Form a 15 x 180 px rectangle and fill it with vertical linear gradient from yellow to orange, giving it a shiny metal look. Add another rectangle beneath, making it a bit wider and making the colors of the gradient brighter, creating a nice contrast between the shapes. Let’s add a grip to the handle. Create a group of dark-purple rectangles of the same type we did for the guard of our sword. Set their size to 55 x 15 px. Add another dark rectangle of 40 x 125 px for the grip. Place three thin vertical stripes above the grip to make it textured. Add a decorative element to the bottom of the grip. You can copy one from our sword or make a new one, using the Rectangle Tool (M) and the Ellipse Tool (L). Copy the crisscrossed element from the grip of the sword and apply it to the grip of the hammer. Now the handle looks massive and detailed! And that’s it for our golden warhammer! Let’s move on to the axe! 3. Render a Heavy Battle Axe! Let’s start making the head of the axe with double blades. Use the Ellipse Tool (L) to make a 195 x 195 px circle, filling it with gentle linear gradient. I’m using the same colors as for the blade of our sword. Add two smaller circles, covering the top and bottom parts of the first circle. Align all three shapes to the Vertical Center and use the Shape Builder Tool (Shift-M) while holding Alt to cut out the circles. Duplicate the blade twice (Control-C > Control-F > Control-F) and squash the top copy, making it narrower. Select the top shape and the one beneath it and use the Minus Front function of Pathfinder to cut the shapes, forming the edges of the blades. Switch the remaining pieces into Multiply Blending Mode, making them somewhat darker. Let’s render a decorative element in the center of the blade. Combine three geometric shapes as shown in the screenshot below, rotating a square 45 degrees and placing two crossing ovals on top of it. Select all three shapes and Unite them in Pathfinder. Fill the created shape with golden linear gradient. Keeping the shape selected, go to Object > Path > Offset Path and apply a -5 px Offset value. Adjust the color of the top shape, making it slightly lighter to add dimension. Add another smaller shape on top and fill it with dark-purple gradient. Decorate the shape with a bright gem, duplicating it from the hammer. Now let’s form the wooden haft of our battle axe. I’m using the blade of the sword to shape the half and switch the colors of the gradient to dark brown, depicting a wooden surface. We also need to add a massive grip to the handle, but no need to make a new one! Let’s use the one we’ve made for the hammer and change the colors of its parts from dark purple to golden. Copy a horizontal stripe from the grip and add a couple of those to the top part of the haft to make them hold the blade. Work at the blade a little bit more, adding a few notches and bright reflections to the metal surface. Now our battle axe looks complete! Let’s add one final detail to give the whole weapon's composition a finished look. Use the Ellipse Tool (L) to make a 120 x 15 px oval and fill it with radial gradient from blue in the center to white at the edges. Squash the gradient using the Gradient Tool (G). Switch the Blending Mode of the shape to Multiple, forming a subtle shadow. Congratulations! Our Set of Medieval Weapons Is Ready! Great job! We’ve just finished designing our set of flat fantasy weapons. Let’s place them in a row and add a shadow beneath each weapon to make everything look complete. I hope you’ve enjoyed following this tutorial and discovered some useful tips and tricks that will help you to expand the set, creating more weapons of different kinds, such as spikes, staves, daggers, and more. Check out this Medieval Fantasy Weapons Pack if you want to get the source file and to see what other types of weapons can be created using this technique. Have fun, and feel free to share your results! Subscribe below and we’ll send you a weekly email summary of all new Design & Illustration tutorials. 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MARK GARLICK / SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY MARK GARLICK / SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY Artwork of a subgiant star seen from the surface of a barren planet. A subgiant is a star that has exhausted the hydrogen in its core and which as a result has left the main sequence and began to swell. A subgiant star typically has about three times the diameter of the star it was on the main sequence. Model release not required. Property release not required.
The existence of something as a self-conscience of your moral state could be attested by outer evaluation of one’s self, since an inner recognition opposed to the usual exposed manner of attesting the existence of things. The praise and blame represent such evaluation, being the ways by which is established one’s responsibility for his acts. Moreover, praise and blame are expected to be heard by the one who acts, so that they seem to be required as criteria for confirming the conscience of a moral state. In spite of such expectation, the praise or the blame instills into the moral agent the sense of being the author of a praised or blamed act or life, but does not make him to recognize his responsibility for the unqualified act or life. Thus, the praise or the blame cannot fulfill the duty of attesting the self-conscience of one’s own moral state. The lack of an outer confirmation of the moral conscience does not neglect its existence, but rather declines its common image of a definite feeling of the authorship of moral acts or state. Without an outer confirmation, the conscience cannot obtain the clear shapes of an inner moral judgment. Therefore, the conscience gleams hardly through the dominant belief of the moral agent, even if an unspoken one, that he only partakes to some events or is the subject of what happens in his life, without being totally responsible for his own and wanted acts or character. The self is also in lack of configuration, being associated with the acts of life through which one passes. The conscience of your own moral state seems not to be an inner one. It includes all the outer events able to define one’s life, but also the persons or community with which he lives. And we can remind that the Ancient Greeks believed that the self of an individual was determined by his community. The common prestige of an ‘inner moral judgment’ is caused by the usual practice of reporting ourselves to the outer evaluation of our facts and life. It occurs in fact a contradiction: what is said from outside about us is believed to be a part of our interiority. When nobody praise or blame us, we conceive our facts and life as praiseworthy or blamable by others. The inappropriateness of such conception rises under the form of the fear that we do not belong to us whenever our acts bear a bad moral sense. While the good acts are prominently attributed to ourselves in a social context, the bad ones are believed to come from outside and still belonging to us. The guilty conscience is borne from this ambiguity of ownership of our facts or life, and less by a supposed inner process of conscience. The guilty presses upon the moral agent primarily because he finds himself in a position from which he cannot establish what is his own and what belongs to others.
What is Child Support? Child support mandates arepassed downfrom the state family courtand the amount of payment is determined by a variety of social, economic, and professional factors. A child support payment is monies paid by the non-custodial parent to the parent acting as the primary care custodian – or the custodial parent. Determining Child Support Payments There are three primary criteria in the determination of child support payments; these payments are normally determined by the state of family court handling the case. Child support calculators exist that provide informational estimations of child support payments, as well. 1. Income: The amount of income earned by both parents – custodial and non-custodial – is factored in to the determination of child support. Both parents maintain the right to life and earnings that allow for their respective needs to be met. Portioned income is allotted for the child support payment, which iscalculated by the court in charge of settling the matter. 2. Custodial Responsibility: The custodial responsibility – both parental, as well as financial – is factored into the determination of a child support payment. In the event that the parental role that one parent has well-outweighs the other parent’s role, the magnitude of responsibility is taken into consideration upon factoring child support. 3. The Number of Children: The higher the number of children involved in a child support settlement, the higher the prospective child support payments – more children is proportional to more responsibility, including both financial and parental. Both parents are required to provide an equal amount of child support– in a varied capacity – for their shared children. Tax and Child Support Child support payments cannot: Be taxed by the state on the part of the parent making child support payments Be considered as tax deductions of the part of the parent receiving child support payments Child Support and Living Arrangements Child support payments are also reliant on ‘established paternity’, which is the legal terminology signifying parental role with respect to the life of the child. Both in the case of step parents and birth parents, the established paternity is assumed to be shared by the birth parents. In the event that the child lives with one parent, the other parent is required to pay child support payments. In the event that the child shares residence with both parents, arrangements can be made reflecting payment proportional to the amount of time in which the residence is shared by specific parent and child. Child Support Legality The parameters and protocols surrounding both the settlement and determination of child support payments vary on an individual basis and in conjunction with the established paternity and additional parental role of each parent with regard to their shared child or children; all child support payment documentation should be completed to the fullest extent – in a meticulous fashion. In the event that an individual experiences difficulty completing – or understanding – the requirements of child support, they are encouraged to consult an attorney specializing in family law, child law, child support payments, and custodial law.
As biologists tell us, bananas contain three natural sugars – sucrose, fructose and glucose, plus loads of healthy fiber. As a result, it gives not only an instant but a sustained as well as a substantial boost of energy. This sounds like a perfect packet of energy for a workout session. Isn’t it?? Research has proven that just two bananas provide enough energy for a strenuous 90-minute workout. No wonder banana is the #1 preferred fruit with the world’s leading athletes. But, energy isn’t the only way a banana can help us keep fit. It can also help overcome or prevent a large number of illnesses and conditions, making it a must to add to our daily diet. - 1 How banana helps in Anemia? - 2 How banana helps in regulating Blood Pressure? - 3 How banana helps students with Exams? - 4 How banana helps in Constipation? - 5 How banana helps in Morning Sickness? - 6 How banana helps after Mosquito Bites? - 7 How banana helps in Calming Nerves? - 8 How banana helps in Gastric Ulcers? - 9 How banana helps in Hangover? - 10 How banana helps in Temperature Regulation? How banana helps in Anemia? Bananas being rich in iron, stimulate the production of hemoglobin, and helps in anemia. How banana helps in regulating Blood Pressure? Surprisingly, banana is extremely high in potassium, yet low in salt (its a fruit after all). But, this very thing makes it perfect to beat blood pressure. Adding more to your surprise, the US Food and Drug Administration has even allowed the fruit industry to make official, research-backed claims for this fruit’s superb ability in reduction of risk of blood pressure and hence, stroke. How banana helps students with Exams? A recent research suggests, that consuming a potassium rich diet can actually improve learning and cognition by making pupils (a part of eye) more alert. In an attempt to further test the theory, 200 students at a Twickenham school (England) were made to eat bananas with regular three meals. And as predicted, all of them fared very well at their exams and reported longer attention span, less fatigue and restlessness. How banana helps in Constipation? Ooh! That’s something we’d love to ward off with a pill, ASAP. Can’t say much about you, but in my case, the laxative just worsened my condition every time. That’s precisely why I started including a banana salad in my daily evening snack. (Follow link for more Healthy snacking ideas) As mentioned above, the fruit being rich in fiber, can help restore normal bowel action , thus, eliminating constipation altogether. Good bye laxatives! How banana helps in Morning Sickness? Snacking on bananas between meals helps to keep blood sugar levels up and avoid morning sickness. So, when you wake up, you already have a full charged battery to begin your day with. How banana helps after Mosquito Bites? Next time a mosquito or insect bites, try rubbing the affected area with the inside of a banana skin. Many people find it amazingly successful at reducing swelling and irritation. How banana helps in Calming Nerves? Bananas are high in B vitamins that help calm the nervous system. Not only will it help you keep your work stress in control, but will also keep you away from reach of depression and anxiety . This is not coming out of thin air, two separate studies have scientifically proven it to be true. Next time, when you feel beaten down by PMS, ditch pills for a banana. The vitamin B6 it contains regulates blood glucose levels, which can affect your mood. How banana helps in Gastric Ulcers? Because of its soft and smooth texture, banana has been used as the dietary food against intestinal disorders. Its pulp when ingested, coats the stomach mucosa (lining) and neutralized acidity. Though it is easy to consume, studies have shown efficiency of banana powder in prevention of undesirable mucosal shedding too. How banana helps in Hangover? This is probably one of the quickest ways of getting out of a hangover – a banana shake, sweetened with honey. As already said, with its antacid properties, it calms the irritated stomach and, with the help of the honey, replenishes depleted blood sugar levels; while the milk soothes and re-hydrates system. Things cannot get better than this! How banana helps in Temperature Regulation? Many cultures view bananas as a ‘cooling’ fruit. One that can lower both the physical and emotional temperature of expectant mothers. In Thailand , for example, pregnant women eat bananas to ensure their baby is born with a cool temperature. Indeed, a banana is a natural cure for many ills. If you compare it to an apple, it has almost five times the vitamin A and iron, four times protein, thrice the phosphorus, twice the carbohydrate, vitamins and minerals. Fully loaded with salt free potassium, it is one of the best value foods in any grocery store. So may be, its high time we placed in high regards as compared to apple and start chanting, ‘A BANANA a day keeps the doctor away!’ References K. P. Sampath Kumar, Debjit Bhowmik, S. Duraivel, M. Umadevi. Traditional and Medicinal Uses of Banana - Journal of Pharmacognosy and Phytochemistry Sabater-Molina M, Larqué E, Torrella F, Zamora S. Dietary fructooligosaccharides and potential benefits on health. J Physiol Biochem. 2009 Sep;65(3):315-28. doi: 10.1007/BF03180584. Review. PubMed PMID: 20119826. Stough C, Scholey A, Lloyd J, Spong J, Myers S, Downey LA. The effect of 90 day administration of a high dose vitamin B-complex on work stress. Human Psychopharmacology. 2011 Oct;26(7):470-6. doi: 10.1002/hup.1229. Epub 2011 Sep 8. PubMed PMID: 21905094. Lewis JE, Tiozzo E, Melillo AB, Leonard S, Chen L, Mendez A, Woolger JM, Konefal J. The effect of methylated vitamin B complex on depressive and anxiety symptoms and quality of life in adults with depression. ISRN Psychiatry. 2013 Jan 21;2013:621453. doi: 10.1155/2013/621453. Print 2013. PubMed PMID: 23738221; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC3658370. Mukhopadhyaya K, Bhattacharya D, Chakraborty A, Goel RK, Sanyal AK. Effect of banana powder (Musa sapientum var. paradisiaca) on gastric mucosal shedding. Journal of Ethnopharmacolorgy. 1987 Sep-Oct;21(1):11-9. PubMed PMID: 2447444.
Cleaning out some old computer files, I came across this blast from the past: a 2001 Seattle Times article on Seattle’s seismically-vulnerable Alaskan Way Viaduct, which contained this little gem… A 1996 study by engineers at the University of Washington found that the viaduct was built on soil that could liquefy in an earthquake. Engineers also found problems in the way the columns were connected to the foundation. The UW study concluded that retrofitting would cost $340 million, tearing it down about $120 million and replacing it $530 million. OK, picking apart old cost estimates is like shooting fish in a barrel. Still, the UW estimates from 1996 now seem somewhere between quaint and comical, considering that the current cost estimate for replacing the Viaduct with a deep-bore tunnel is $3.1 billion—or $4.2 billion, if you also include related improvements to streets, transit and the waterfront. It’s not just inflation that’s driven up the cost. The real problem is that these sorts of mega-projects tend to be financially risky: cost estimates rise the harder you look at the project, and the projects themselves rarely go according to plan. Bent Flyvberg, a world expert on megaprojects, finds that… …real cost overruns of between 50 and 100 per cent are common, and overruns above 100 per cent are not uncommon, while demand is typically overestimated, with typical overestimates between 20 and 70 per cent. (Sadly—and to be fair to the substance of Flyvberg’s research—these sorts of problems are particularly prevalent in urban rail.)
World Water Day: Water Scarcity Hurting Pakistan More than a billion people in the world do not have access to safe drinking water, a basic necessity, on World Water Day today. In Pakistan alone, 38.5 million people lack access to safe drinking water and 50.7 million people lack access to improved sanitation, according to published data. Pakistanis are facing unprecedented shortage of clean drinking water and electricity due to the lowest recorded levels of water in the country's dams, according to Pakistani Meteorological Department. The mortality rate for children under-five in Pakistan is 99 deaths per 1000 children, according to Global Health Council. About half of under-five deaths occur in six countries with large populations: India, Nigeria, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Pakistan and China. Water and sanitation related diseases are responsible for 60% of the total number of child mortality cases in Pakistan, with diarrheal diseases causing deaths of 200,000 under-five years’ children, every year. Unsafe drinking water is shown to lead to poverty through time spent by women and girls to fetch ‘drinkable’ water from long distances. The combination of unsafe water consumption and poor hygiene practices require treatments for water borne illnesses, decreased working days, and also contribute to lowering of educational achievement due to reduced school attendance by children. It is sad to see the growing water crisis in Pakistan whose Indus Valley has been the center of some of the world’s greatest civilizations: Harappa and Mohenjo Daro (2600 to 1900 BC) and Gandhara, (1st-5th Centuries AD); their social, agricultural and economic systems were based on their interactions with rivers (Indus and its tributaries, including the Indus, Jhelum, Chenab, Ravi, Beas and Sutlej and Kabul rivers, etc.) which provided irrigation and created fertile land for farming. Archaeologists believe that people of Mohenjo-Daro and Harappa lived in sturdy brick houses that had as many as three floors. The houses had bathrooms that were connected to sewers. Their elaborate drainage system was centuries ahead of their time. A well established history, tradition and system of water management and entitlements has existed, from the Indus Valley Civilization to the 1960 Indus Water Treaty and the 1991 Water Accord which establish clear entitlements for each province and for each canal command to surface waters. There is a severe water shortage looming in Pakistan. According to a 2006 World Bank report, it is fast moving from being a “water stressed country to a water scarce country”, mainly due to its high population growth, and water is becoming the key development issue. The groundwater is over-exploited and polluted in many areas; most of the water infrastructure (even some of the major barrages) is in poor repair; the entire system of water management is not financially sustainable. However, large parts of Pakistan have good soils, sunshine and excellent farmers; it can get much more value from the existing flows. Among the 25 most populous countries in 2009, South Africa, Egypt and Pakistan are the most water-limited nations. India and China, however, are not far behind with per capita renewable water resources of only 1600 and 2100 cubic meters per person per year. Major European countries have up to twice as much renewable water resources per capita, ranging from 2300 (Germany) to 3000 (France) cubic meters per person per year. The United States of America, on the other hand, has far greater renewable water resources than China, India or major European countries: 9800 cubic meters per person per year. By far the largest renewable water resources are reported from Brazil and the Russian Federation - with 31900 and 42500 cubic meters per person per year. According to the United Nations' World Water Development Report, the total actual renewable water resources in Pakistan decreased from 2,961 cubic meters per capita in 2000 to 1,420 cubic meters in 2005. A more recent study indicates an available supply of water of little more than 1,000 cubic meters per person, which puts Pakistan in the category of a high stress country. Using data from the Pakistan's federal government's Planning and Development Division, the overall water availability has decreased from 1,299 cubic meters per capita in 1996-97 to 1,101 cubic meters in 2004-05. In view of growing population, urbanization and increased industrialization, the situation is likely to get worse. If the current trends continue, it could go as lows as 550-cubic meters by 2025. Nevertheless, excessive mining of groundwater goes on. Despite a lowering water table, the annual growth rate of electric tubewells has been indicated to 6.7% and for diesel tubewells to about 7.4%. In addition, increasing pollution and saltwater intrusion threaten the country's water resources. About 36% of the groundwater is classified as highly saline. In urban areas, most water is supplied from groundwater except for the cities of Karachi, Hyderabad and a part of Islamabad, where mainly surface water is used. In most rural areas, groundwater is used. In rural areas with saline groundwater, irrigation canals serve as the main source of domestic water. Out of the 169,384 billion cubic meters of water which were withdrawn since 2000, 96% were used for agricultural purposes, leaving 2% for domestic and another 2% for industrial use. By far most water is used for irrigated agriculture. With the world's largest contiguous irrigation system, Pakistan has harnessed the Indus River to transform 35.7 million acres for cultivation in otherwise arid conditions. Yet,the sector contributes less than 20% of the Pakistan's GDP and Pakistan remains a food-deficit nation. In sharp contrast to the peaks of the Hindu Kush and the Himalayas at the headwaters of the Indus River, the Indus valley plain flattens out dramatically as it runs to the sea. The very low rainfall, poor drainage, ancient marine deposits, saline groundwater, and evaporation and transpiration combine to create a vast salt sink. The steady expansion of irrigation and agriculture added greatly to this process of accumulating salt that over time waterlogging and soil salinity have emerged to threaten the sustainability of Pakistan’s agricultural system. Pakistan is currently experiencing water stress and will soon face outright water scarcity. High population growth is causing ‘water stress.’ Pakistan is using almost all its water resources today and no more are available. If something goes drastically wrong with the salt/sediment/water balance of the Indus system, there is no other river system in the region to draw on. A World Bank report recommends that Pakistan needs to set up new water reservoirs on an urgent basis, citing scarcity of water to get worse in the near future. The aging and inadequate irrigation and water infrastructure deficit alone is estimated at US $70 billion. Pakistan needs to invest almost US $1 billion per year in new large dams and related infrastructure over the next five years. According to the World Bank data, Pakistan only stores 30 days of river water, India stores 120 days, while the Colorado River System in the US has storage capacity of up to 900 days of water usage. The report says that new water reservoirs will push Pakistan’s economy forward. It says that a new dam can potentially add four to five percent to Pakistan’s GDP. Water is also essential for power generation in Pakistan, but only about 20% is generated by hydroelectric power plants. The current power shortage of approximately 2,000 megawatts will increase to 6,000 megawatts by the year 2010 and 30,700 megawatts by the year 2020. Pakistan has the potential to generate as much as 50,000 MW of hydroelectric power, more than twice its total current generating capacity of 20,000 MW from all sources, which is far short of the nation's needs, limiting Pakistan's social and economic growth prospects. In addition to the development of new water reservoirs, serious conservation steps need to be taken to improve the efficiency of water use in Pakistani agriculture which claims almost all of the available fresh water resources. A California study recently found that water use efficiency ranged from 60%-85% for surface irrigation to 70%-90% for sprinkler irrigation and 88%-90% for drip irrigation. Potential savings would be even higher if the technology switch were combined with more precise irrigation scheduling and a partial shift from lower-value, water-intensive crops to higher-value, more water-efficient crops. Rather than flood irrigation used in Pakistani agriculture, there is a need to explore the use of drip or spray irrigation to make better use of nation's scarce water resources before it is too late. As a first step toward improving efficiency, Pakistan government has launched a 1.3 billion U.S. dollar drip irrigation program that could help reduce water waste over the next five years. Early results are encouraging. "We installed a model drip irrigation system here that was used to irrigate cotton and the experiment was highly successful. The cotton yield with drip irrigation ranged 1,520 kg to 1,680 kg per acre compared to 960 kg from the traditional flood irrigation method," according to Wajid Ishaq, a junior scientist at the Nuclear Institute for Agriculture and Biology (NIAB). Beyond the urgent need for improving farm water use efficiency, Pakistan must address the safety of drinking water to improve the health of its people. It must take steps to protect its water streams from industrial pollution and sewage discharge. Along with various international institutions and NGOs, the leadership should undertake projects that will help in providing hygiene and sanitation promotion and community mobilization along with extensive capacity building in order to complement Pakistan's substantial investments in hardware for safe drinking water. A big part of it is education, followed by practical assistance to communities in setting up better sewage treatment and waste disposal systems that are locally supported by cities and towns. The Medium Term Development Framework 2005-2010 provides for about US$404 million per year government spending for water supply and sanitation projects and is accompanied by several policy documents with the objective to notably improve water and sanitation coverage and quality. Availability of clean water in reasonable abundance is essential for sustaining life and improving the future of the people of Pakistan. The challenges are great and the stakes are very high. Failure is not an option. But the challenges of poor sanitation are too big and complex to expect Pakistani government alone to deal with them. The nation's private sector and NGOs must rise to the occasion. There are successful examples of private citizens addressing sanitation issues on a local, community level. For instance, Dr. Akhtar Hamid Khan is the force behind Orangi Pilot Project to help residents of Orangi Town, a katchi abadi (shanty town) in Karachi to help themselves. It has assisted in a number of projects to build better low-cost housing, improve sanitation and establish schools with the participation of the community. “Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.” Acclaimed social scientist Dr. Akhtar Hameed Khan used to reference this well-known proverb (according to his son, Akbar Khan), as it quite fittingly represents his philosophy on community development. While the problems faced by Pakistan are huge, I believe that a serious and organized initiative by a tiny percentage of Pakistan's large middle class of at least 40-50m people can begin to make a difference. Pakistanis owe it to themselves and their poor brethren to step up and take responsibility for improving the situation of the most vulnerable citizens of their country. The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. But we must persevere by taking one step after another until we see results. Here's a video clip on safe drinking water: United Nations World Water Development Report Water Resource Management in Pakistan Water Supply and Sanitation in Pakistan Light a Candle, Do Not Curse Darkness Safe Drinking water and Hygiene Promotion in Pakistan UN Millennium Development Goals in Pakistani Village Orangi Pilot Project Three Cups of Tea Volunteerism in America Dr. Akhtar Hamid Khan's Vision
It looks like you're using an Ad Blocker. Please white-list or disable AboveTopSecret.com in your ad-blocking tool. Some features of ATS will be disabled while you continue to use an ad-blocker. 1.Fajardo lagoon usually glows when organisms in the water are disturbed 2.For the past nine days the water in the lagoon has remained dark 3.Biologists don't know why it's stopped glowing and are investigating A glowing lagoon off Puerto Rico's northeastern coast has gone almost completely dark and biologists have no idea why. The Fajardo Grand Lagoon in Las Cabezas de San Juan usually glows when bioluminescent organisms that live in the water are disturbed, yet they have not been visible for at least nine days. Nearby construction work is thought to have caused disruption to the area, but biologists also believe a recent spate of bad weather could have caused the glowing lagoon to dull. Another theory is the chopping down of mangrove trees in the area, to let larger boats into the lagoon and its surrounding water, could also have played a part. 'We have been compiling data,' Carmen Guerrero, secretary of the Department of Natural Resources said. 'There are a lot of factors that could be at play.' The bioluminescent lagoon is often referred to as a bay and is a popular tourist attraction. As a preventive measure, the government has temporarily suspended construction at the project for two weeks until scientists can figure out what is causing the problem. Alberto Lazaro, president of the state Water and Sewer Authority, said he will evaluate scientists' findings before deciding how to proceed in several weeks. Recent rains and a storm that are generating heavy waves is another possibility for affecting the lagoon's bioluminescence, continued Guerrero. The Conservation Trust of Puerto Rico, which manages the lagoon and surrounding areas, collects water samples three times a week to record data including temperature, salinity and precipitation. Scientists will analyse this data to help solve the mystery of the darkening lagoon. It is not the first time the lagoon has gone dark. It went nearly dark for a couple of months in 2003 but the glow was restored before scientists could establish the exact cause. I was just showing this to my Fiance as a place to possibly visit. I think they have recently stopped allowing people to get into the water because they wear bug repellants (poison) which kills the organisms. This is also known as Mosquito Bay. This so reminds me of the movie Cocoon... Cocoon (1985) - Trailer reply to post by OccamsRazor04 I agree - my whole post is ignorance - I'm asking questions. I've never heard of this place. Any info on the questions I ask would be appreciated.
Going off of what we discussed today in lecture, I wanted to do some research about infectious diseases and what exactly was going on in the world with them. Surprisingly enough, I found a lot of information; a lot of bad (or scary) information to be exact! Just when we thought the worst was over, we've evolved into an era where infectious diseases are becoming the top contender for illnesses and deaths throughout the U.S. and the globe! So, what kind of diseases are we talking about? How serious is this? Well, that's exactly what I wanted/needed to find out! National Geographic has recently published an article on their website addressing infectious diseases and their increasing presence in the United States (an area where most people believe is somehow "immune" to these diseases). One example discussed in this article involves a case of West Nile Fever, which was carried into the U.S. by mosquitoes. The disease originated in Uganda, and is thought to be spread by infected birds, who are bit by mosquitoes, who then bite humans (West Nile Virus).The case being discussed is located in Florida, but there have been other cases basically throughout the entire United States! This is scary because many people thought that West Nile Virus wouldn't become an issue in the United States because of all the different types of vaccinations we grow up getting. However, as this CDC website shows there are only a handful of states that only have had West Nile Virus in animals and only one state that has yet to have it: every other state has had at least one case of the disease! It's scary to think that a disease we thought was only contaminating one area has so quickly spread and been found in almost every state in the U.S. It really makes me wonder how or if we can ever stop infectious diseases?! But one of the most astonishing things that I found from research is that there are more & more possibilities of these infectious diseases affecting us everyday! One example of how these diseases could seriously harm us is if terrorists used infectious diseases to destroy an entire nation of people they don't like! I know that after September 11, one of the big security threats that our nation was worried about was the possibility of other terrorists using infectious diseases like Anthrax to kill our political leaders. It is this type of security threat that I believe most often we do not associate with when we think about the spreading of diseases. However, this kind of threat is one that should definitely be considered more often and should not be overlooked! Another thing that I found that scares me about infectious diseases is how unprepared it seems the world is to handle them. According to this Medical News article, there are plenty of infectious diseases facing Americans in today's society. Think of outbreaks of MRSA, or Swine Flu, or even Tuberculosis! Some of these diseases are newer (like the Swine Flu), but Tuberculosis was thought to be completely eradicated, and is now actually coming back up in cases here in the U.S. Why is this happening? It could be due to our immunizations wearing off, in which case we need booster shots. But it could also be due to mutations in the disease that our previous shots do not make us immune to. Although we may we have some vaccinations for different diseases like these, going off of the example brought up in class today with Smallpox, what are we supposed to do when we only have a few million, but billions of people need the vaccination? A suggestion from the Medical News article is for the entire globe to work together on infectious diseases, and I think they're right! In the United States alone there are more & more cases of infectious diseases taking lives, and this is in a nation that is thought to be at the very top as far as development and research goes. If we can't figure out how to develop vaccines quickly enough to save our own people, how can we expect researchers in poor countries with even more limited resources to save all of their population? I believe that if the world's top scientists and researchers could communicate together to find a solution to keep up with these diseases, they would most definitely be solving one of the world's greatest problems! Infectious Diseases is an area that I can honestly say I never knew much about, and I most certainly did not think that it was affecting our lives as much as it truly is. It's scary to think that the diseases that we thought we were immune to, are actually come back to take the lives of people today & sometimes there is just nothing we can do about it. It's also scary to think that terrorists could/would use these diseases to start a type of "war". I'm not sure what the exact solution to fixing this problem is, but I hope we can find something soon because if not, our future looks rather scary! What do you think? What's the best way to fight these types of diseases? Who should get the limited number of vaccinations that we have for certain infectious diseases? Those are all tough questions, but I'm glad that I don't have to make the final decision on the last one! Here's some more research on this topic: Tips to keep yourself clean (& hopefully fight off those diseases) Really interesting video chat with Peter Hudson about Infectious Diseases
- Udemy - Learn Python Programming: Step-by-Step Tutorial - 6.3 GB - Udemy Learn Python Programming Step Tutorial This is a complete Python programming course designed for the students who wants to learn Python language from scratch to advanced level. This course cover basic to advanced topics of Python programming with real-time examples. All the examples used in this course are easy to understand. This course cover basics of Programming, File Handling, Exception Handling, Object Oriented Concepts, Database, Web Scraping, Data Science Introduction , and many more advanced Python topics. This course is designed for beginners and everyone. Who this course is for: This Python langugae course is designed for everyone even non-technical person can enroll and learn. Beginner Python developers curious about advanced Python Programming topics. Programmers who wants to learn Advanced Python Programming Students looking to build their career in Data Analytics, Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning Python, Software Developmet, Web Development, Game Development Beginner Data Scientist This Python Programming for Beginners and for everyone Be able to use computer No prior knowledge is required Last updated 1/2019 More at ibit.to Udemy - Learn Python Programming: Step-by-Step Tutorialfrom to 0 b/s/ ↗
MEGALI (ANO) GRAVA LOUTSON CAVE Megali (Ano) Grava Loutson cave also called the Big Upper cave or Peristerograva (Cave of the pingeons) is situated near the village of Loutses at an altitude of 478 metres. After a steep descent alongside imposing vertical walls, you'll reach the entrance of the cave. The path requires extra attention in winter due to slitheriness. Inside the cave the surface is completely flat and the roof is full of geological formations. If you are inside the cave and look up to the opening of the cave from where the sunlight enters, you will be impressed by the sense of isolation and serenity this dark cave offers. The entrance to the cave is 70 metres wide and approximately 60 metres high. Just behind the entrance you'll find the main room of the cave, 100 metres long, 70 metres wide and approximately 60 metres high. On the left, two small corridors are located between the entrance to the cave and the horizontal floor of the main room. The main color in the cave is green. On the left side of the cave you'll see two columns, also called 'The white stalactites', 20 metres long, 3 metres wide and approximately 3 metres high. Study of the cave: The cave was studied and mapped on April 15, 1969. Since 1969 the cave has been studied several times. Research by Professor Dr. G.E. Theodorou in 1997 revealed ceramic pieces and a Byzantine coin. Until now there is no scientific proof of any connection between Megali (Ano) Grava Loutson cave and Mikri (Kato) Grava Loutson cave. Folklore and oral tradition: Persistent rumours state there is a deep ground water well ('pigadi') connecting Megali Grava Loutson cave with Mikri Grava Loutson cave. A story has been told that sheep sometimes disappear in one cave and that they appear in the other cave because of a mysterious connection between both caves. The existence of a connection between both caves is not confirmed through scientific evidence. Neither has it been discovered during the inspection of both caves in 2017 and 2018. A different story tells that - somewhere in the centre of the main room, where the dome touches the ground - there used to be a big hole channeling to a smaller chamber and another hole, only passable by smalls animals, like fox. In his report of 2000 Professor Theodorou writes that according to local shepherds there is a deep well in the main room of the cave which is now covered with stones. In 1985 cave crickets were found in the Megali Grava Loutson cave by F. Gasparo. One cave cricket was examined and specified as a Corfu cave cricket (Dolichopoda steriotisi Boudou-Saltet, 1972). The Corfu cave cricket is an endemic Greek species and found only on the Ioanian Island of Corfu in the Peristerotripa cave in Sokraki (1970), in the Anthropograva cave in Klimatia (1980, 1987, 1988 by M. Rampini and in 2006 by C. Di Russo). In 2018 cave crickets were spotted in the Anthropograva cave in Klimatia, in the Kaminaki cave in Kaminaki, in the first cave in the place Giorga in Nimfes and in the Alepotripa cave in Platonas. In the Megali Grava Loutson cave no cave crickets were found. Cave record Hellenic Speleological Society ΑΣΜ ΕΣΕ 3554. Russo di C., Rampini M. & Cobolli M. The cave crickets of Greece: a contribution to the study of Southern Balkan Rhaphidophoridae diversity (Orthoptera), with the description of a new species of Troglophilus Krauss, 1879. Biodiversity Journal, 2014, 5 (3): p. 397 - 420. Θεοδώρου Γ. (2000) - Πρώτα αποτελέσματα των ανασκαφών στο σπήλαιο Μεγάλη Γράβα Λουτσών (Δήμος Θιναλίων, Βόρεια Κέρκυρα) Ελλάδα, Δελτίο της Ελληνικής Σπηλαιολογικής Εταιρείας, τόμος 22, τεύχ. 1: σ. 53 - 70. Θεοδώρου Γ. σε συνεργασία με Ρουσιάκη Σ., Κίρδη Σ., Λαμπροπούλου Γ., Υψηλάντη Ε., Δημητρακόπουλου Λ. και Πλέσσια Π., (2000) - Παρατηρήσεις σε σπήλαια της βόρειας Κέρκυρας, Δελτίο της Ελληνικής Σπηλαιολογικής Εταιρείας, τόμος 22, τεύχ. 1: σ. 71 - 84. Μερδενισιάνος Κ. (1969) - Σπήλαιον Μεγάλη Γράβα Λουτσών Κέρκυρας, Δελτίο της Ελληνικής Σπηλαιολογικής Εταιρείας, τόμος 10, τεύχ. 3 - 4: σ. 102 - 104. Μπουνιάς Ιωάννης, Κερκυραϊκά Ιστορία - Λαογραφία, τόμος Α΄, Αθήνα 1954, σ. 62 - 63.
Sources: The Library of Congress Country Studies; CIA World Factbook The Peruvian labor force increased from 3.1 million workers in 1960 to 5.6 million by 1980, and to 7.6 million by 1990. As it did so, the share of the labor force in agriculture steadily decreased, but the shares in manufacturing and mining failed to rise (see fig. 11). On balance, the decreases in the agricultural share had to be offset by increases in the share in service activities, some of them offering productive employment at abovepoverty income levels but many of them not (see table 17, Appendix). Peru's long process of transition away from a rural society was far from complete at the beginning of the post-World War II period. Fifty-nine percent of the labor force was still working in agriculture in 1950. That share fell to barely over half by 1960 and to 34 percent by 1990. The more surprising trend is that the share of the labor force in manufacturing also fell, from 13 percent in 1950 to 10 percent by 1990. Stable shares in both construction and mining meant that the shift out of agriculture went mainly toward services, pulling their share of employment up from 23 percent in 1950 to 50 percent by 1990. The persistent decrease in the share of the labor force in agriculture could in theory have helped to alleviate rural poverty by leaving higher average land holdings to those remaining in agriculture. But the absolute number of people trying to make a living from inadequate land holdings actually increased. The labor force in agriculture rose 52 percent between 1960 and 1990. In addition, emigration from agriculture exerted increasing pressure on labor markets in the cities, and the increase in rural workers kept earnings low in that sector. A growing labor force need not drive wages down and in most instances does not, provided that investment and technical change keep opening up new opportunities for productive employment fast enough to absorb the larger number of workers. Peru managed to accomplish such growth in the first post-World War II decades, but from the early 1970s the trend went downward. As more and more workers tried to survive in the service sector by selfemployment or work with families instead of formally registered firms, they created a rapidly growing informal sector. Workers in the informal sector are mostly employed, and they certainly add to national income, but their earnings are often below the poverty line. Overt unemployment that can actually be counted has been only a small part of the problem. The overt unemployment level in Lima was an estimated 7 percent in 1980, rising to 8 percent by 1990. But estimates of underemployment in part-time or very low-income activities indicate that 26 percent of Lima's labor force was in this category in 1980, and fully 86 percent in 1990. Such measures are invariably somewhat arbitrary, depending on how underemployment is defined and measured. However, the fact that the share of Lima's labor force fitting the definition more than tripled between 1980 and 1990 is readily understandable in the light of the deterioration of the economy in the 1980s. Data as of September 1992 NOTE: The information regarding Peru on this page is re-published from The Library of Congress Country Studies and the CIA World Factbook. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of Peru Employment information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Peru Employment should be addressed to the Library of Congress and the CIA.
Welcome to ECSE - The Early Childhood Special Education program at Falmouth Elementary provides developmentally appropriate learning experiences for young children with developmental delays and/or other disabilities as well as typically developing preschoolers. The program is an inclusive model with an equal number of children both with and without disabilities. The preschool program is based upon a child development curriculum. The guiding principles for such an approach are: - Children learn best through their active involvement with people, material, events and ideas. - Consistent adult support and respect for children's choices, thoughts and actions strengthen a child's self-esteem, feelings of responsibility, self-control and knowledge. - Children learn best when immersed in a positive, consistent and predictable routine. - Children greatly benefit from a language-rich environment. - The preschool program follows the elementary school schedule. When there are changes to the school hours for elementary students, the preschool times will be adjusted as follows: * 2 1/2 HOUR EARLY RELEASE (1:10 on the school calendar) AM Class - leave at 11 PM Class is cancelled * 2 HOUR DELAYED OPENING (Bus runs 2 hours later than normal) AM Class is cancelled PM Class - Hours remain the same Falmouth's ECSE program is a peer model program. What is a peer model program? The SCPS Preschool Peer Model Program is a vital part of our early childhood special education classroom instruction. The Peer Model Program provides typically developing children an opportunity to interact with same age peers who are receiving specialized instruction in a developmentally appropriate classroom. This “inclusion” program provides a stimulating and challenging environment that offers all children a wide range of learning opportunities. Research-based practices tell us that typically developing peers are positive role models for students with disabilities. Inclusive preschool environments promote belonging, friendships, understanding and acceptance of others that are different. Research also states that typically developing children enrolled in an inclusive preschool setting develop meaningful relationships with their peers who have disabilities. Children selected to serve as peer role models must demonstrate developmentally appropriate speech, language, social skills and behaviors. Peer Models are able to communicate clearly, interact well with others, model cooperative interactions and follow directions. Families of children accepted as Peer Models must commit to having their child attend when the program is in session, provide transportation to and from preschool, and sign an agreement letter. There is no enrollment or registration fee. Children are selected by the Early Childhood Special Educator at the elementary school where the preschool programs are located. If you are interested in having your child considered as a Peer Model, please complete an application and return it to the school. You can submit one application per school year. Applications are reviewed as they are received. Applications for the following school year are available in February and can be found on the Stafford County Public Schools website. Applications can be submitted from September to May. Applications will not be accepted from June through August. The Early Childhood Special Educator will contact you if your child is selected to participate in a classroom visit. Prior to the end of the current school year, you will be notified if your child is selected to participate in our program as a Peer Model. For additional information, please contact the Early Childhood Special Education teacher closest to your neighborhood school. You may also contact the Preschool Instructional Coordinator, Renee Falcone, at (540) 899-6000. - Children must be 3 by September 30th of the school year for the morning class; 4 by September 30th of the school year for the afternoon class - Children must be toilet trained - Children must be able to interact well with their same-age peers and demonstrate age-appropriate skills - Children must not have an active IEP or require specialized instruction Do you think your child could be a peer? Peer Applications can be found here: Peer Application
Welcome to PhysLink.com - Your physics and astronomy online portal. Stay a while! Check out our extensive library of educational and reference materials. Also, check out our fun section! Why does increased pressure lower the melting point of ice? Can we use the First Law of Thermodynamics to explain? Asked by: Shawn Tee For most substances, increasing the pressure when a system is in equilibrium between liquid and solid phases will increase the phase transition temperature. Water is one of a few special substances for which the pressure lowers the temperature of transition. The basic reason is that water actually expands when it goes from the liquid to solid phase. In textbooks you will find the explanation for these properties by using the Clapeyron-Clausius formula, but it is perhaps most readily explained using LeChatelier's principle. This principle states that when a system is in equilibrium, any external changes that try to take it out of equilibrium (like applying pressure to ice) will cause the system to adjust in a way to counteract that change. This is a general property of what we mean by 'equilibrium' so it probably derives more from the Second Law of Thermodynamics ('equilibrium is the state in which entropy is maximized') than the First Law -- though perhaps a more creative individual could find a good way to explain your question using that law too. In this case, if you increase the pressure on the ice the ice-water system wants to try to lower it again. It can do that by making itself fit into a smaller volume. But since water fills a smaller volume when it's liquid, rather than solid, it will go to a lower melting point -- allowing more solid to become liquid. Answered by: Brent Nelson, M.A. Physics, Ph.D. Student, UC Berkeley
building bones and binary We rewind slightly to cover the beginnings of automated logic. Then we have a look-see at the mechanical calculators of the 17th century, and the people who made it happen. Along the way, we find the birth of binary. Here’s an article on the giant water clock built in china to track the motions of the heavens. Here’s a little something on the development of the pendulum clock. Here’s a bit about Ramon Llull. Here’s an article about the contribution of Leibniz to what would eventually become computer science. And here’s a translation of one of the papers Leibniz wrote on binary, unfortunately not the one with his marbles.
Definition - What does Profilometer mean? A profilometer is a device used to determine the quantitative roughness of a material by measuring the texture, finish and topography of its surface. Profilometers are used in industrial applications to determine the extent of corrosion on a metal's surface by examining key physical properties of the surface before and after corrosion occurs. Corrosionpedia explains Profilometer Profilometers are used to quantify surface properties such as the curvature, flatness and smoothness of a surface. They are used to measure a wide range of physical characteristics, including: - Surface roughness - Volume loss - High-aspect-ratio features - Hard-to-reach spaces - Long stroke profiles - Thickness of non-transparent materials Profilometers are useful in hostile environments. There are two main types of profilometers: stylus and optical. Stylus profilometers use a probe to measure a metal's surface while the latter uses light to measure a metal's surface.
Here’s a one-line summary of How To Win Friends and Influence People: Understand human nature, then work with it, not against it. I’ve summarized Dale Carnegie’s classic is by highlighting a few key principles, then adding in a few stories and anecdotes from the book. People act in their self-interest Andrew Carnegie and the busy nephews Andrew Carnegie (not related to Dale Carnegie) had nephews who were bad at keeping in touch with family. Their parents would write them, but they wouldn’t reply. Naturally, their parents were disappointed and upset. Carnegie knew just how to get a reply from the boys. He wrote each of them a letter asking how they were, just as the parents did. But he did something different: he mentioned that he enclosed money in the letter, but didn’t include the money! As he expected, now that he had created an incentivize to reply, both nephews wrote back to their dear uncle Andrew. How do you get your kid excited for school? One of the reasons the book is a fun read is because Dale includes stories from his students’ experiences as they applied his lessons. In one story, a man was having trouble with his child, who resisted going to kindergarten. Every morning was difficult, as the child would put up a fuss, not wake up on time, and so on. Berating and disciplining the child were not working, and it was becoming a strain on the family. So he tried a different approach: one weekend morning, the man got other family members together in the kitchen for finger painting, and made sure to show that they were having a great, wonderful time. The child naturally wanted to join in the family fun, but as he tried to do so, the man stopped him and said: “ah, you’ll have to go to kindergarten to learn first” With a reason to get excited, the child was up the next schoolday, all ready to go to school. People will act when there’s a strong incentive for them to act. Average people use the stick. Smart people use the carrot. People just want to be heard The angry customer at lumber yard One story involved a lumber supply business that had an irate customer. The customer kept insisting that the lumber being sent to him was subpar, and demanded refunds. The manager of the business was convinced that the customer was judging the supply incorrectly, and he decided to visit him. But instead of going there to prove himself right, he wanted to see how the customer was making his judgments. He asked the customer to lay out the lumber he was being supplied, then asked about the pieces that were being rejected. The customer would rant for a while, calming down as they inspected more pieces. The manager would then ask questions that got the customer to re-think how he was judging the pieces. With a clearer head, the customer realized (on his own) that his methods were incorrect. The customer accepted the order, stopped asking for refunds, and became a happy customer after that. People want to be heard and acknowledged. Average people fight fire with fire. Smart people put out the fire. People will only do things if they think it’s their idea How to convince someone to reduce your rent Dale Carnegie would regularly hold seminars on his teachings at a certain hotel. One day, he got a letter from the hotel manager told him that they’d have to raise his rental fees by 300%. Instead of fighting and arguing with the hotel staff about how he’d been a loyal, regular customer, he knew he would have a better chance by getting them to think it was in their best interest to keep him as a customer. And so Carnegie met with the hotel manager and told him that, were he in the manager’s shoes, he would do the same thing. He understood that it was his responsibility to maximize profit. Carnegie also mentioned that he had to do what was in his own interest; in that, if he could not afford to hold his seminars there, he would simply find another venue. While doing this, he also mentioned that his seminars brought in hundreds of educated, smart, successful people to the hotel, which was an incredible source of free advertising for the hotel. He asked the hotel manager to consider these as he made his decision. Soon after that, Carnegie got a letter saying that his rent would increase, but well below the original 300%. People hate feeling like they are being told what to do. Average people bulldoze. Smart people plant seeds. People love being the hero How to get your rival to work with you Andrew Carnegie (there are quite a few Andrew Carnegie references in the book; he was something like the Bill Gates of his day) was once in a heated rivalry with another steel magnate named George Pullman. They were locked in a price war, with each side working themselves into a frenzy, fighting over the same customers, while neither of them made very much money. Carnegie met with Pullman and proposed a merger as a way to stop the madness. He argued that with such similar operations, there would be gains in efficiency, and most importantly, they could both make more money. Interested but skeptical, Pullman then asked Carnegie what he would call the venture, to which Carnegie replies, “why, the Pullman Palace Car Company of course.” Pullman agreed, and the industry rivals became partners. People have egos that need to be stroked; we all like being the hero. Average people take credit. Smart people give credit. Be a student of human nature, then work with it, not against it. In writing this summary of How To Win Friends and Influence People, I’ve found that none of the summaries — including this one — do it justice. Frankly, the principles he teaches are common sense. The value of the book is that it’s packed full of stories and anecdotes that really help you internalize how it would apply to your life. Carnegie does such a great job of explaining why and how the principles work, so you don’t get advice laced with survivorship bias. Want more? Here’s some of the best Dale Carnegie quotes from How To Win Friends and Influence People.
Build a Desert - Large aquarium with a lighted hood cover - Small desk lamp with bendable gooseneck (optional) - Peat moss - Rocks (medium sized) - Plants, including cacti and succulents - On the floor of the aquarium, spread a 1-inch layer of gravel. - Mix the soil in the following ratios: Soil: 1 part Sand: 3 part Vermiculite, and peat moss: 1 part Spread this mixture on top of the gravel in an uphill sloping fashion toward the back of the aquarium. This layer should be about a 2.0- to 2.5-inch thickness. - Place several cacti and succulent plants in the soil. You can visit your local nursery for a greater selection of cacti and succulents. - Place rocks in the soil for decorations. (Woody tree branches may also be used.) - Place thermometer in the terrarium where you can read the temperature. - Use the lamp to help create a hot atmosphere. - Periodically sprinkle the cacti and succulent plants in the soil with water. Design an observation chart. Chart any changes in your plants. Give water in increments of a 1/2 cup. Keep track of the amount of water given and the temperature of the terrarium.
Friday's unemployment report shows the number of jobs created in the U.S. economy improved, with a net gain of 171,000. At the same time the unemployment rate worsened slightly, rising to 7.9 percent. Gary Steinberg of the Bureau of Labor Statistics says this contradiction appears once in a while because the job creation numbers and the information on the percentage of the workforce that is jobless come from different surveys that ask different questions of completely different groups of people. The unemployment rate comes from a survey of 60,000 households. Researchers ask who has been paid to work or sought paid work recently. The unemployment rate is the percentage of unemployed people out of the total number of people available and willing to work. Data on the number of jobs gained and lost comes from a separate survey of 400,000 worksites. These firms are asked how many people are on the payroll. Cornell University Managerial Economics Professor Sharon Poczter says tracking employment is complicated by the constant flow of people in and out of the workforce. If people who had given up finding work, and are therefore not counted as unemployed, get jobs, then the unemployment rate goes down. But if these "discouraged" workers see signs of an improving economy, and begin searching for work, they are officially unemployed and the rate goes up. She says there is a similar issue when people reach retirement age and leave the workforce. Employed people leaving the workforce would tend to push the jobless rate up, while unemployed people hitting retirement could make it go down. Experts say there are some other places for quirks (odd things) to appear in the data. For example, if a person has a full-time job and a part-time job, the business survey would see two jobs, even though it concerns only one person. Similarly, if a young entrepreneur like Steve Jobs is working in his parents' garage inventing Apple Computer, he might not show up in the business survey, but would appear in the household survey. Poczter and other experts say the current system has to evolve to monitor changes in the ways and places people work. Counting employees in a steel mill is easier than discovering inventors coming up with the next company like Facebook. Steinberg says his agency is constantly looking for better ways to find and communicate data.
Despite Slovenians got their state already after the First World War (1918) in the Kingdom of Slovenes, Croats and Serbs, Slovenia was not independent state until 1991, after her split from Yugoslavia. As Vatican was one of the first states that internationally recognized the newly created independent state of Slovenia in 1992, Slovenians will forever remember the Pope’s words in Slovenian at the occasion of his visit in 1996: “Papež ‘ma vas rad!” (“The pope loves you!”). Pope’s John Paul II visit was devoted to celebration of the gained independence of the Slovenian state and to commemorate the 1250th anniversary of Christianity among the Slovenians. In 8th Century Slovene people start loosing their independance first under Franks, then under the German Holly Roman Empire. This influenced also the culture, including the langugae use. The Freising Manuscripts are known as the earliest document of Slovenian culture, created in 10th Century. These prayers are the earliest preserved writings in Slovenian, as well as the earliest Slavic texts, written in the Latin alphabet. ‘Monumenta Frisingensia‘ (can be listen and read online in translation from early Slovenian into five languages, including modern Slovenian) have documented the use of Slovenian langugae in Christian liturgy in Upper Carinthia, which belonged to the Freising diocese. Later the liturgy was hold everywhere in Latin as this was the official European langugae. This means that general public still spoke Slovenian langugae, but official languge of nobles and the rulers became first Latin and from 12th century the German. Dictionarium quatuor linguarum is a 16th-century book by the German polymath Hieronymus Megiser that includes a multilingual dictionary with German, Latin, Slovenian and Italian vocabulary. While a large part of Europe in the 16th century adopted a humanistic cursive (“Latin” script, antiqua) as the dominant font, the duality between the “German” and “Latin” fonts was maintained in Central Europe until the begining of 20th century. So the archive documents could be found in Latin and German also for Slovenian origin. While the Latin records are easy to read, a German handwriting is more demanding and requires skilled genealogyst or translator. In both cases basic vocabulary needs to be learnt to understand written information, for example an occupation. Despite all these historic records in German, and information at the imigration documents, that passanger’s state of origin was Austria, your ancestor may be of Slovenian origin. If you start discovering this by your genetic matches in Slovenia, do not hesitate to contact them – in every family you will find somebody, who speaks English. Many Americans imagine Slovenia as an eastern communistic country, close to Russia. Which is far from truth. Firstly, Slovenia has a Central European geographical position, and secondly, her communistic party split from Russian policy soon after Second World War. As Slovenia was one of the six Yugoslav republics, certain level of self-governement was retained. For example, Slovenia got her first constitution in 1947. Nowadays we can read legislation and use Slovenian langugae in all official procedures not only in the Republic of Slovenia, but also in the institutions of the European Union. Whether this is a guarantee that a language spoken by 2 million of people will survive in globalised world or not, we can not say. What is worth mentioning, the Slovenian origin means ethnicities rooted in the geographic regions in Central Europe, where Slovenian speaking people have lived in the past millennium and have been using various Slovenian dialects (Ramovš, 1931).
Are YOU Going Deaf? FYI- there are recommended community limits to noise exposure -70dBa. The level is set as the maximum our ears can take without causing damage. Hearing health has deteriorated especially in cities with mass transit – we are going deaf! To give you a few references silence is 0dBa, while normal conversation is 60dBa and a car horn is 110dBa. As you read on think about about the time interval(s) that we are exposed to these ‘deafening’ sounds levels. So what are commuters in cities w rapid transit exposed to? The following are the degree of noise as measured in decibels (dBa) noted on specific mass transit travel modes: NYC buses – 75.7dBA Long Island RR – 76.7dBa Metro North RR – 75.1 dBa Ferries – 75.3 dBa Trams – 77.0 dBa Subways are not the only sources of loud noise to commuters. Many use MPs players ear plugs dialed up to drown out external noise on their commutes and result in increasing damage. Exposure to high decibels (levels greater >70dBa) creates a cumulative damage to hearing. Yesterdays damage is with you as you are repeatedly exposed. Subways are not the only sources of loud noise to commuters. On top of chronic commuting noise, sporadic nuisance noise exposure to horns, sirens car alarms contributes negatively and compounds the problem! If you go to a music venue or worst play in a band and not wear protection your hearing will definitely suffer. Yes even attendance at sporting events results in high damaging decibel exposure. Think about the ear protection used in shooting ranges that is for a very good reason. Certain workplace settings include mandatory usage of protection gear – wearing earplugs. Recall the upper limit of noise exposure is 70 dBa. There are over 200 million people worldwide with irreversible noise-induced hearing loss (NIHI). High noise exposure is known to be associated with a wide range of illness such as hypertension, heart disease, and stress hormone disruptions, poor sleep quality and decrease learning and concentration. Excessive exposure obviously impact hearing – – yes deafness! So please use hearing protection on your commute not to will warm your hearing! Journal of Urban Health: Bulletin of the New York Academy of Medicine, Vol. 90 No. 2doi:10.1007/s11524-012-9734-2
The number of mortalities from measles over that period fell from 542,000 to 158,000, it said in a statement on Thursday. The number of new cases fell by 58 percent to 355,000 in 2011. The UN health agency recommends that all children receive two doses of measles vaccine to be protected from the highly contagious disease. But despite high-profile vaccination campaigns, the vaccine has yet to reach all those in need. The WHO estimates that 20 million children worldwide failed to receive first dose of the vaccine in 2011. More than half live in India (6.7 million children), Nigeria (1.7 million), Ethiopia (one million), and Pakistan (900,000) and the Democratic Republic of Congo (800,000). In 2011, these five countries experienced large outbreaks of measles, while thousands of cases were also recorded in other countries including France, Italy and Spain. Most of these countries have committed to eradicating measles by 2015 or 2020.
What's on the CHSPE Math Test? Number Sense and Operations Order of Operation Operations with real numbers and radicals Algebra and Patterns Slope of a line Linear functions and quadratics from graphs Linear equations with 1 and 2 variables Geometric Transformations – Dilation, Reflection and transformation Need to brush up on your math? This is the book for you! CHSPE Math practice questions, easy-to-read tutorials explaining everything in plain language, exam tips and tricks, math shortcuts, and multiple choice strategies! Everything you need, complied by a dedicated team of experts with everything you need all in one place! Here is what the CHSPE Math Workbook can do for you: - Learn then practice your math skills! Practice test questions are the best way to prepare for an exam and this is the book that you need to fully prepare for the CHSPE math test. - Practice Tests familiarize you with the exam format and types of questions, giving you more confidence when you take the exam. - Practice tests are a critical self-assessment tool that reveals your strengths and weaknesses. - Practice tests allow you to practice your exam time management – a critical exam-writing skill that can easily improve your grade substantially. - Practice tests reduce Test Anxiety, one of the main reasons for low marks on an exam. Hundreds of questions with detailed solutions and explanations to improve your understand of the basic concepts behind the questions. - Learn powerful multiple choice strategies designed by exam experts! Includes tips and multiple choice strategies to increase your score you won’t find anywhere else! Practice Really Does Make Perfect! The more questions you see, the more likely you are to pass the test. And between our study guide and practice tests, you’ll have over 200 practice questions that cover every category. Our practice test questions have been developed by our dedicated team of experts. All the material in the study guide, including every practice question, are designed to engage your critical thinking skills needed to pass the test! Heard it all before? Maybe you have heard this kind of thing before, and don’t feel you need it. Maybe you are not sure if you are going to buy this book. Remember though, it only a few percentage points divide the PASS from the FAIL students! Even if our test tips increase your score by a few percentage points, isn’t that worth it? CHSPE Math Workbook Prepared by our Dedicated Team of Experts! - Over 100 Practice Questions - Tutorials for all Math content - Test Tips - Multiple Choice Strategies - Not found anywhere else! - How to Study for a Math Test - Mental Preparation for a Test Test shortcuts, tips and strategies to increase your score! Practice Exercises and Tutorials for: - Fractions, Decimals and Percent - Basic Algebra - Word Problems - Data, Statistics and Probability - And a lot more! Practice tests are a critical self-assessment tool and one of the most effective ways to study! Practice tests can help you: - Learn your strengths and weaknesses - Familiarize yourself with the exam format - Build your self-confidence - Practice your exam time management - Reduce exam anxiety Why not do everything you can to increase your score? The CHSPE Study Plan 9 Making a Study Schedule 13 Practice Questions 20 Answer Key 23 Converting to Scientific Notation 26 Scientific Notation Practice 29 Answer Key 31 Order of Operation Practice Questions 35 Answer Key 37 Simplifying Exponents and Radicals Exponents, Tips, Shortcuts & Tricks 39 Simplifying Radicals 41 Practice Questions 43 Answer Key 47 How to Solve Word Problems Types of Word Problems 53 Practice Questions 67 Answer Key 75 Cartesian Plane, Coordinate Grid and Plane Basic Geometry 84 Perimeter, Area & Volume 87 Pythagorean Geometry 90 Geometric Transformations 97 Practice Questions 103 Answer Key 125 One-Variable Linear Equations 139 Two-Variable Linear Equations 140 Simplifying Polynomials 142 Factoring Polynomials 143 Quadratic Equations 144 Practice Questions 147 Answer Key 157 Data Statistics & Probability Permutations & Combinations 178 Inferences from Data 180 Simple Probability 181 Practice Questions 184 Answer Key 191 Basic Math Multiple Choice How to Study for a Math Test How to Prepare for a Test The Strategy of Studying 208 How to Take a Test Reading the Instructions 212 How to Take a Test - The Basics 214 In the Test Room – What you MUST do! 219 Avoid Anxiety Before a Test 225 Common Test-Taking Mistakes 227
Ventricular septal defect is a congenital defect of the heart, that occurs as an abnormal opening in the wall that separates the right and left ventricles. Ventricular septal defect may also be associated with other heart defects. Many small defects will close on their own. For those defects that do not spontaneously close, the outcome is good with surgical repair. \|Review Date: 12/10/2007\| Reviewed By: David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.; and Mark A Fogel, MD, FACC, FAAP, Associate Professor of Pediatrics and Radiology, Director of Cardiac MR, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. The information provided herein should not be used during any medical emergency or for the diagnosis or treatment of any medical condition. A licensed medical professional should be consulted for diagnosis and treatment of any and all medical conditions. Call 911 for all medical emergencies. Links to other sites are provided for information only -- they do not constitute endorsements of those other sites. © 1997- A.D.A.M., Inc. Any duplication or distribution of the information contained herein is strictly prohibited.
The Oxford-AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine will be distributed in the UK beginning early January. The country’s medicines regulator is set to give the green light this week, reports say. It comes after several other coronavirus vaccines gained approval in various parts of the world, among them shots from Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna and Sinopharm. In the UAE, the Pfizer-BioNTech and Sinopharm vaccines are already being used. Here, we look at the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine, how it differs from other vaccines and what could be done to improve it. How does it work? The vaccine is given in two doses, 28 days apart. Researchers extracted genetic instructions for building coronavirus spike proteins – the structures on the outside of the virus that it uses to enter human cells – and inserted them into another virus called an adenovirus. The host adenovirus used in the vaccine is a virus that causes the common cold in chimpanzees. This adenoviral vector, as it is known once new genetic material is added to an adenovirus, has been altered in the laboratory to ensure it cannot infect people and multiply. Once it enters human cells, through the vaccine, it causes them to produce harmless coronavirus spike proteins. The body’s immune system reacts against these proteins and that response confers protection against the coronavirus. Essentially it tricks the body into thinking it has been infected with Covid-19. Other coronavirus vaccines employ similar technology, including Sputnik V from Moscow’s Gamaleya Institute. While the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine involves two doses, based on the same chimpanzee adenovirus, Sputnik V uses two genetically engineered human adenoviruses, each given separately. Why use adenoviruses? Adenoviruses are seen as good vectors because they are stable. Once injected into people, they are unlikely to undergo genetic changes. Chimpanzee adenoviruses are particularly good because humans will not have previously been infected by them. This reduces the risk of something known as adenoviral vector immunity: individuals infected with a particular adenovirus in the past may have developed immunity to the vector itself. In such cases, when the vaccine is injected, the immune system jumps into action against the adenovirus and it cannot produce the proteins it has been genetically engineered to create. If these proteins are not synthesised, a person’s immune system will not react against them to give immunity to whichever disease the vaccine is supposed to prevent. So the person has immunity to the vaccine vector but not to the disease. As well as being used in vaccines, adenoviruses are also useful vectors for gene therapy, in which therapeutic genes are delivered into the cells of people with genetic defects. Who is behind the vaccine and how have they tested it? A team of University of Oxford scientists completed their design for the vaccine after Chinese researchers released details of the coronavirus genetic material online early this year. The university teamed up with British-Swedish pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca to develop and distribute the vaccine. Much of the funding came from the British government, which bought up 100m doses in advance. Clinical trials involving more than 24,000 people took place in Brazil, South Africa and the UK and manufacturing is taking place in more than 10 countries to ensure, as the university put it in November, “equitable global distribution”. How effective is this 'winning formula'? In late-stage clinical trials, the vaccine was, overall, 70.4 per cent effective at preventing people falling ill with Covid-19. This figure averages results from two dosing regimens. With two standard doses, effectiveness was 62.1 per cent. When people were given half a dose, and then a full dose, efficacy was 90 per cent. In comments to British media published on Sunday, AstraZeneca’s chief executive, Pascal Soriot, said a “winning formula” had been worked out that would achieve results “up there with everybody else" – a possible reference to other vaccines that are as much as 95 per cent effective. Mr Soriot also indicated the vaccine was completely effective at preventing severe cases of Covid-19. Scientists not connected with the vaccine programme have suggested that an initial half-dose results in better protection because it reduces adenoviral vector immunity. What benefits does the vaccine offer? The vaccine is relatively cheap, costing about £3 (Dh14.7) per dose. Coronavirus vaccines based on messenger RNA, a type of genetic material, such as the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines, are several times more expensive. Another benefit is that it can be stored in a refrigerator and does not require extreme cold temperatures. “It’s so much easier to store and distribute. Anything you can store at zero and a few degrees above is much easier,” said David Taylor, professor emeritus of pharmaceutical and public health policy at University College London. In addition, the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine is thought to produce fewer allergic reactions than some coronavirus vaccines. How could it be improved? Aside from Mr Soriot’s comments that AstraZeneca had found an optimum regimen for the vaccine, this month it was announced that scientists were looking at combining it with Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine to increase efficacy. The idea is that a person could be given one dose of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine and another dose of one of Sputnik V’s two genetically engineered human adenoviruses. The Russian Direct Investment Fund, which is behind Sputnik V, said trials would begin by the end of the year. Using the two vaccines may be better than two doses of the same vaccine because it reduces adenoviral vector immunity.
2.5 million US Veterans were followed for 8 years to evaluate if exposure to air pollution – specifically fine particle air pollution contributed to an increase in kidney disease. It is well established that poor air quality specifically fine particles (<2.5 microns) increases heart and respiratory deaths. This is the size of particles that permeates thru the lungs into the blood system. EPA and NASA data on air quality showed a linear association with an increased risk of kidney disease. When fine particles exposure exceeded what EPA considered safe, this study found a yearly 45,000 new cases and 2400 renal failures. Researchers were careful that other conditions like Diabetes, and hypertension could not explain the development of kidney disease. Remember the kidney filters 45 gallons of blood a day
For centuries, crowds of people speaking diverse languages filled the bazaars of Asia, and long caravans crept along dusty roads carrying precious gems and silks, spices and dyes, gold and silver, and exotic birds and animals to Europe. Yet the Silk Road was to become not only a great trade route but the melting pot of two very different civilizations; those of the East and the West, with their specific cultural traditions, religious beliefs, and scientific and technical achievements. Central Asia, situated between China and India in the east, bordering on the European world in the west, spreading between the Volga and Siberia in the north, and between Persia and Arabia in the south, for almost two thousand years stood at the crossroads of the world's great civilizations and cultures. Much has been lost to history. The sands of time have covered many ancient towns, but the careful hands of archeologists and restorers have succeeded in finding and restoring for us rare treasures from the old cultures of the Semirechye (Seven Rivers region) and Central Asia. Branches and routes of the Silk Route didn't remain static over the course of time - they changed for various reasons: some of them gained significance and flourished, while others ceased to exist, causing the decline of the towns and settlements in their path. In the sixth and seventh centuries A.D. the route passed through China to the west via the Semirechie and southern Kazakhstan. The flourishing period of the Silk Road through Central Asia and Kazakhstan declined during the 8th-12th centuries. The huge territory remembers the slow plodding of camel caravans, for thousands of years wandering the wide routes of the Great Silk Road. This part of the road represents a unique complex of historical monuments, archeology, architecture, town planning and monumental art. The cities of Otrar, Taraz, Sairan (Ispidzhab), Turkestan (Yassy), Syab, Balasagyn and others were not only shopping centers, but centers of science and culture. The Great Silk Road is one of the most significant achievements in the history of world civilization. The widespread network of caravan routes crossed Europe and Asia from China to the Mediterranean coast and in ancient times served as an important means of business relations and cultural exchange between East and West. The longest part of the Silk Road lies across the territory of Central Asia and Kazakhstan. Caravans laden with silk from China, spices and precious stones from India, silver goods from Iran, Byzantine clothes, Turkic slaves, Afrosiabian ceramics, and many other goods, moved through the Kara-Kum and Kyzyl-Kum deserts, the boundless steppes of Sary-Arka; passed over the ridges of the Pamirs and Tian-Shan , Altai and Karatau Mountains; and crossed the rivers Murgab, Amu Darya and Syr Darya. Along the route of the caravans were rich settlements and towns - Merv (Turkmenistan); Bukhara, Samarkand, Urgench and Khiva (Uzbekistan); Otrar, Taraz and Chimkent (Kazakhstan); Dgul, Suyab, Novokent, Balasagun, Borskon, Tash-Rabat, Osh and Uzgen (Kyrgyzstan). The first, the Southern branch, ran from Termez via Samarkand to Dushanbe's present location, along a tributary of the Kyzyl-Su up to Alai and exited in the area of modern Irkishtam, where it switched direction towards Kashgar. The second, the Fergana branch, led from Samarkand via Hodjent to Isfara, Kokand and Osh. The third, Northern branch came from Zamin Rabat to Benkent (Tashkent) , Isfidjab (Chimkent), Taraz (Jambyl), Nuzket (Kara-Balta), and Balasugun (Burana). From there, caravans traveled along the Boom Canyon to reach the Issyk-Kul area and further to China across the San-Tash range.
Edwin G. Lutz was an American artist and the author of drawing and art books. Early in his career, Edwin contributed to newspapers and magazines as an artist and illustrator, but by the end of his life, he was probably best known as an author. He pursued many aspects of art, and between 1913 and 1936 he wrote 17 instructional “how-to” books on drawing (introductory and advanced), cartoon animation, lettering, painting (watercolor and oils), and cinematography. Many of these books had multiple printings for several decades. His most impactful book was Animated Cartoons – How they are made, their origin and development (1920). This book offered practical ideas for streamlining the production of animation drawings. Not only was this the first book concerning the subject, but it greatly influenced a young Walt Disney when he was first starting out in animation. In his first studio in Kansas City, Walt Disney and his team of animators used Edwin’s book as a guide for creating his early animated cartoons. Edwin’s books changed an industry and influenced many aspiring artists.
On December 19, 1966, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) was formally established as a regional bank that will serve the growing region of Asia and the Pacific. It would also mark the beginning of a long and fostered relationship between this institution and the Philippines, and in particular of what would become Metro Manila. A relationship that has lasted until this day. To understand this story better, it is important to know first what the ADB is about and how it came to be in the first place. About the ADB The Asian Development Bank is not a regular bank that caters to individuals and corporations. On the contrary, the ADB is an international financial institution (like the World Bank and International Monetary Fund) whose shareholders and/or clients are actually sovereign countries through their respective governments. These international financial institutions provide loans like regular banks, albeit for sovereign countries, as well as finance various development programs, projects, and the like. As the name implies and as somewhat mentioned earlier, the ADB primarily serves 49 member countries in the Asia-Pacific region, along with 19 countries like the United States, United Kingdom, France, and Germany. Japan currently is its main shareholder, which should not come as a surprise considering that it was Japan who helped make the ADB possible in the first place. In particular, it was the efforts of Takeshi Watanabe, a former director of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund and would become ADB’s first president, who helped lay the foundations of the institution that we know today, having established its policies on the onset. This raises an interesting question: if Japan was the driving force behind the ADB, how come its headquarters is in Manila? In answering this question, we have to look at the ministerial conference held in Manila in November 1965 which aimed to finalize matters on establishment of the Asian Development Bank. And one of the things to be finalized was the location of the future institution’s headquarters. With a homecourt advantage of sorts, the Philippines lobbied hard for having the headquarters located in Manila, despite the fierce competition from the likes of Singapore, Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, Tehran, Colombo, and, of course, Tokyo. Heck, the Philippines pulled out all the stops which included putting up a large sign on the land they were offering for the headquarters which read “Permanent Site of the Asian Development Bank.” After 3 rounds of voting among the delegates, ultimately Manila emerged as the winner, albeit with only a 1 vote margin against Tokyo. Ultimately, it proved to be a sound decision as having the bank’s headquarters in Manila helped the ADB be more accessible to the developing countries in the region which would benefit more from its projects and programs. The first headquarters in Pasay With the location of the headquarters formally secured, work would now proceed on constructing the actual headquarters itself, a 12,200 square meter property along Roxas Boulevard in Pasay, near the intersection with Libertad (now A. Arnaiz Avenue). For this, a design competition was held, won by a Cresenciano de Castro, a Filipino architect whose works included the Philippine Nuclear Research Institute in the University of the Philippines Diliman campus and, reportedly, many of SM‘s early brutalist concrete department stores. Overlooked today among Filipino architects, de Castro was actually one of the pioneering architects who employed brutalist architecture, the one that emphasized the heavy use of concrete in buildings. And the ADB headquarters was no exception. De Castro’s design involved the construction of a 14-storey tower with slightly curved sidewalls and a five-storey podium building. Helping him out were Nestor De Castro and Lor Calma, both of whom did the interior design of the headquarters. Work began as early as December 1965 and would be completed in November 1972. Moving to Ortigas Center The ADB stayed in its Pasay headquarters for almost 20 years, during which its operations grew alongside the challenges facing the developing countries in the Asia-Pacific. Thus, there was a need for a bigger space to house its operations. This time, it was moving up north at heart of the growing Ortigas Center in the Mandaluyong side where a 6.5 hectare land was available. Alongside this need, there was also a growing consciousness for environmental sustainability in which the planned headquarters is envisioned to lessen energy consumption and minimize carbon footprint. The ADB tapped the services of American architectural firm Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM) which proceeded to design a sustainable headquarters the bank envisioned. Work would begin on the new headquarters by the late 1980s and was formally inaugurated in May 1991 and has served as the institution’s home since. The old ADB headquarters was eventually acquired by the government and now serves as the office of the Department of Foreign Affairs. Sustainability and accessibility In designing the ADB headquarters, SOM had in mind was not skyscraper-high buildings that were beginning to rise at that time. Instead, it would be comprised of (originally) 2 buildings of up to about 9 storeys tall with skylight windows and light wells for generous natural light to save on electricity. In addition, there is also a podium building, a courtyard garden, and lagoon area surrounded by lush greenery. The complex provided for a spacious and bright ambience throughout complex, both indoors and outdoors. The ADB complex was hailed for being one of the most PWD-accessible buildings in which it received an Apolinario Mabini Award in 1991. Not one to count on its laurels, more improvements followed, including the installation of solar panels which would generate 613 megawatt-hours of electricity and the construction of a 3rd building, completed in time for the institution’s 50th anniversary in 2016. Perhaps the most notable of these achievements is the gold certification given to the ADB headquarters in 2016 by the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED), one of the first (if not the first) office complexes in the country to be given such distinction. It is also the only international financial institution to obtain LEED gold certification and among the biggest Asian buildings, in terms of floor area, to do so. With over 50 years of history together, the Asian Development Bank and the Philippines have formed a bond that has become ingrained in the country’s identity. More so especially between the ADB and Manila as its structures have become landmarks that have shaped the metropolis’ skyline today and for the years to come. Happy anniversary to the Asian Development Bank!
“Acne; a chronic inflammatory skin disorder of the sebaceous glands characterized by comedones and blemishes and is a hereditary trait which is also triggered by hormonal changes.” What does that mean? You may have inherited acne, and adult hormones kick-start the onset. A rough start to being a grown-up! What now? All acne is composed of three factors including dead skin, bacteria and sebum (oil). Managing these factors is key to minimizing break-outs. There are three types of acne; inflammatory (papules and pustules), non-inflammatory (comedones, commonly known as blackheads and whiteheads), and cystic or nodular acne. Severity ranges from Grade I minor acne, to Grade IV, the most severe cystic acne including papules, pustules, comedones and inflammation. Causes of acne begin with clogged pores, oily or dirty skin, an overabundance of bacteria, “comedogenic” cosmetics and products, and triggers such as hormones, stress and certain foods. Clogged pores can be due to a hereditary condition called “retention hyperkeratosis” in which dead skin is not shed as it is on normal skin and continues to build up. Excessive oil production triggered by hormones combines with dead skin to cause comedones or sebaceous filaments (oil plugs in the pores). Make-up, hair and skin products can also cause cells to build up (comedogenic ingredients), or cause inflammation and irritation due to using ingredients that are inappropriate for your type of skin. The real bad guys in the formation of acne are bacteria. They thrive in an anaerobic (oxygen deprived environment) and can create a real “party in your pores” causing inflammation and pressure on the follicle wall. If the wall ruptures it causes infection (pustules and papules). Cysts are deep pockets of infection where the skin forms hardened tissue to stop the spread of bacteria. This type of acne results in permanent scarring to the skin. Other variables that contribute to acne are hormonal fluctuations (usually testosterone). Stress, triggers more oil production and adrenalin as well as hormonal fluctuations. Foods affect bodily function and excessive iodides in salt, MSG, kelp, cheese, fast food, processed foods and shrimp and crab aggravate acne. Other common foods that contribute to acne are dairy, peanuts, caffeine, and “white foods” such as pasta, potatoes, sugar and rice. Considerations for dirty phones, pillows, make-up brushes, leaning on dirty hands, friction or exposure to dirt, sweat, oil, or other environmental factors should be noted. Managing acne takes discipline and good habits. At a minimum, stay hydrated and practice stress reduction and good nutrition. Cleanse and protect your skin with products that are appropriate for your skin EVERY DAY. Exfoliate 3 times a week. Eliminate products that make acne worse or irritate your skin. Avoid environmental aggravators including dirt, grease, sun, humidity, and pollution. Schedule a facial with an esthetician that specializes in acne. An esthetician can help you create a home care routine with the right products. Balancing stress, hormonal fluctuations and inflammation can be helped by acupuncturists, nutritionists and exercise. Because smoking robs cells of oxygen, it contributes to acne directly. STOP smoking. For more severe types of acne, a doctor should be consulted to prevent permanent scarring to the skin. Schedule an appointment with Joni at Silkface by clicking here! 1 P. 96, Milady’s Standard Fundamentals for Estheticians, 9th Edition, 2004
Research has shown that adolescents should sleep 8-10 hours for optimal judgment, learning, and development. Reality is 70%of high school students average less than 8 hours per night. Is this important? JAMA Pediatrics published the results of a study (over 8 years) evaluating high school students sleep duration and behavior. It was a self-reported data gathering study. Findings noted dramatic difference among those who slept 8 or more hours versus those who slept fewer 6 hours. Those who slept fewer 6 hours exhibited unsafe behavior included drinking, drug use, aggressive and self-harm behavior. They also were 3 x more likely to consider suicide, attempt suicide, drive aggressively, smoke, engage in the risky sexual activity. Furthermore, they were more likely to carry a weapon. Now that you are informed help a teen gets sufficient sleep.
Many Australian scientists in Antarctica will see their research put on ice by funding shortfalls that will continue until 2020, senior scientists said. Rising fuel costs mean some major research projects that require flying inland from bases on the Antarctic coast have been ruled out. The proposed work included projects to examine the speed at which glaciers in Antarctic mountains are melting, to study layers of ancient ice that hint at past climates, and projects that contribute to the understanding of sea level rises along Australia's coasts. ''The territory is almost the size of mainland Australia, so you can't cover the whole thing in a skidoo,'' said one senior scientist, who asked not to be named. Another scientist who works with the Australian Antarctic Division said most serious research could take up to five years to complete, so planning ambitious projects had been delayed. ''Australia's capacity to do any real fieldwork in the Antarctic has basically been run to zero for the recent past and foreseeable future,'' a scientist said. ''While we have an amazing air link from Australia and four-star accommodation, Australian scientists are basically being told they are unable to conduct substantial fieldwork beyond the domain of the station. ''The cost of not understanding Antarctica's role in driving Australia's climate and coastal sea level change far exceeds the cost of getting to these places.'' In the May federal budget, the Antarctic Climate and Ecosystems Co-operative Research Centre received a $25 million allocation over five years. Scientists also welcomed $8 million to extend the life of research icebreaker Aurora Australis.
The foods that you eat can actually help relieve Candida infection. The yeast overgrowth can produce very disturbing symptoms that can actually make you feel terribly uncomfortable. While the presence of some bacteria and yeasts in the body is harmless, controlling their growth is necessary. Harboring the overgrowth of yeast will result in Candidiasis that is characterized by the symptoms of itchiness, burning sensation, pain, soreness and rash. It can also trigger the symptoms of allergies, digestive discomforts, mood swing and recurrent yeast infections. The foods that you consume can help prevent and control yeast overgrowth. The yeasts are a form of fungus that usually thrives in your gut. However, they can actually grow numerously that it can result in a yeast infection that will produce unhealthy symptoms. Candida feeds on sugar The yeast feed on sugar and what you eat actually feed them and support their growth. In order to eliminate Candidiasis, you need to cut down your sugar intake. It is best to avoid eating honey, dairy products, sugar substitutes and sweet fruits and beverages with high sugar content. Sugar is known to depress the body's immune system that also contributes to the spread and growth of Candida in the body. However, eliminating sugar from your diet may not be completely healthy and you need other nutritious foods to help combat Candida overgrowth to eliminate the yeast infection naturally. Try these foods that are known to help fight off yeast infections and boost your body's natural defenses against Candida. Foods and herbs with anti-fungal properties There are potent foods that can help eliminate fungal infection in the body. They are healthy to eat and contain natural anti-fungal properties that can control, prevent and eliminate Candida growth that cause the yeast infection. A clove oil has a strong anti-fungal property that you only need a single drop that you can take orally with a fresh water. Barberry is also one of the popular anti-fungal food that has berberine that is known to be effective in keeping the gut healthy against fungus growth. An apple cider is also an effective anti-fungal food that you can take against yeast infection. You can use it as a salad dressing or add it to your food ingredient. It is very versatile to use in your food preparation and they are effective in breaking down the yeast. Coconut is also popular for its natural fatty acid called caprylic acid that has the property of interfering with the replication of the fungus cells and prevents Candida growth. Ginger may not be the top option for a Candida busting food to take, it has a lot of healing benefits that can provide the body with the ability to fight off a fungal infection. It is not potent enough against Candidiasis, but has excellent detoxifying properties that help cleanse the body. Its anti-inflammatory and anti-fungal property is sourced from its roots that can enhance the body's ability of eliminating the fungus. Garlic contains sulphur with anti-fungal properties. Eating a raw garlic can release high level of anti-fungal agents that can kill the yeast. It is best to eat them raw and crushed that makes its anti-fungal compounds readily available after the intake. Vegetables containing isothiocyanates Isothiocyanates have powerful compounds containing sulphur and nitrogen that are effective in attacking Candida yeasts. Eat plenty of broccoli, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, radishes and arugula and other similar vegetables to get more Isothiocyanates in your diet. Drink lemon juice You can also drink something to enjoy some anti-fungal properties to fight off Candida. Lemon juice not only quench your thirsts, but also keep your gut healthy and detoxifies the liver that enhances the elimination of Candida in your body. Make sure to keep your body's immune system fit and healthy by exercising regularly and eating these top healthy foods that can bust Candida infections.
- App Store Info DescriptionWalk through the Astronomy door and find yourself in space! Learn about the solar system and galaxies. iASTRO is a 3D educational app developed to supplement high school Astronomy. It is intended as a resource for students and provides a fun way to learn through interactive visualization. - walk into space through the door labeled Astronomy and learn about the solar system and galaxies - move between galaxies using the menu - selecting 'back to home' takes you back to the solar system - learn about the solar system and its planets by clicking on the planet of interest or select planets from the menu and choose from there - while in the planet menu, selecting explore mode takes you to the rotating view of the solar system - all content is VA Standards of Learning (SOL) content. iASTRO was developed through a partnership between the Creative Gaming and Simulation lab at Norfolk State University (NSU) and WHRO Education. It is made possible by an Enhancing Education Through Technology competitive grant from the Virginia Department of Education. iASTRO was developed by Norfolk State University project team: Dr. Rasha Morsi, Bratislav (BaTo) Cvijetic, Cory Hornsby, and Michael Chase WHRO Education project team: Mitzi Fehl and Meagan Taylor-Booth Real images of planets and galaxies were acquired from the NASA multimedia resource site: http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/imagegallery/index.html SOL content was developed by VA educators through WHRO Education. Research was conducted at the Creative Gaming and Simulation Lab at NSU. Web: http://cgs.nsu.edu; Contact: [email protected] and 757-823-0025 CREATIVE GAMING AND SIMULATION LAB BACKGROUND The Creative Gaming and Simulation lab (CGS) is a 3700 sq. ft. facility housed in Marie V. McDemmond Center for Applied Research (MVMCAR) at Norfolk State University. CGS specializes in Modeling, Simulation, Visualization, and Training Technologies (MSV&TT) research and development in areas that include game-based and interactive web-based applications as well as interactive training solutions for education, industry, and government. [iASTRO is optimized for the iPad.]
It did not take much time to spread the news in Malabar, through Arab merchants, about the emergence of a prophet named Muhammad (peace be upon him) in Makkah and his religion, Islam. When the moon was split into two as a miracle from Prophet Muhammad, many people inside and outside the Arabian peninsula had witnessed it. Cheraman Perumal Rama Varma Kulashekhara was said to be the king of Kerala at that time. He saw the miracle while he was relaxing on the rooftop of his palace in Kodungallore in a moonlit night. The king had come to know about Islam through Arab merchants and became more curious to know about the Prophet and his religion after the moon-splitting incident. Luckily a group of Arabs came to Kodungallore at that time, met the king to get permission to visit Ceylon, the present Sri Lanka. They wanted to visit the mountain which has the footsteps of Adam, the first human being and the first prophet. King Cheraman asked his Arab guests about the miraculous moon-splitting incident. Sheikh Sahiruddhin bin Baqiyuddhin Al-Madani, a prominent member of the team replied: “We are Arabs, we are Muslims. We have come here to visit Ceylon.” The king became more curious to hear about Islam directly from the residents of Madinah, the center of Islam and the first capital of the Islamic government. Sahiruddhin gave convincing reply to all the questions asked by the king. Cheraman then expressed his desire to embrace Islam and travel with them to meet the Prophet. This incident is well documented by M. Hamidullah in his book “Muhammed Rasulullah,” William Logan in his book “Malabar Manual” and Ahmed Zainudhin Makthum in his work “Thufhathul Mujahideen” as well as in the interview with Raja Valiya Thampuran of Kodungallore. Before going to Makkah, the king divided his Kingdom into three parts and appointed his sons and nephews to rule each province. He also visited many of his relatives and employees to give them instructions. He went to Kalankara to see his sister Sreedevi and told her about her decision to visit Makkah and embrace Islam. His nephew, son of Sreedevi, was appointed to rule the present Kannur district. He later embraced Islam and became Muhammed Ali, who established the Kannur Arakkal royal family and became the first Adiraja. The Arab visitors returned to Kodungallore from Ceylon to take King Cheraman along with them on their way back to Arabia. The king was waiting for them. They arrived in Shehr Muqlla. It is said the king met with the Prophet and this was mentioned by Balakrishnapillai in his book “History of Kerala: An introduction.” This historical meeting has been mentioned in the Hadith by Imam Bukhari and Abu Saeed Al-Khudri. The Hadith says: “A king from India presented the Messenger of Allah with a bottle of pickle that had ginger in it. The Prophet distributed it among his companions. I also received a piece to eat.” King Cheraman declared his conversion to Islam in the presence of the Prophet and adopted a new name, Thajuddin. He later performed Haj. As per the wishes of the Prophet, a team of his companions led by Malik bin Dinar started their journey with Thajuddin to propagate Islam in Kerala. But along the way the king fell sick. Before his death the king had written a letter to his sons to receive Malik Bin Dinar’s team and to give them all necessary help. The king later died and buried in Zafar (now Salalah) in Sultanate of Oman. After landing in Musris (Kodungallore), Malik Bin Dinar met the ruler of the area and handed to him the king’s letter. The ruler made necessary arrangements for them to propagate Islam. Some history books say that a temple named Arathali was converted to a mosque and named after Cheraman in Kodungallore. Bin Dinar and his colleagues built mosques in 12 places. Surprisingly all of them are situated along the coastal areas of Arabian Sea. Bin Dinar died when he was in Butkal, Karnataka, and was buried there. It is mere coincidence that King Cheraman and Bin Dinar were buried on the two banks of the Arabian Sea: Salalah and Butkal. Three conditions are to be fulfilled for a person to become a Sahabi or companion of the Prophet. First, he should embrace Islam from the Prophet or from his companion, second, should spend at least a small period of his lifetime with the Prophet, and third, should die as a Muslim. Cheraman fulfilled all the three conditions and can be said that he was the only Sahabi from Kerala, known to history.
Why are solar cookers covered by a glass plate? Asked by \| 16th Oct, 2010, 06:20: PM Glass covers function to trap the heta radiations inside the box. Heat radiations once inside the box, will be absorbed by the content inside the box. The same radiations are reradiated in longer wavelengths, which fail to get refracted out of the glass cover. Subsqeuently, the heat radiations get trapped inside the box & hence the temperature rise inside the box. We hope that clarifies your doubt Answered by \| 18th Oct, 2010, 12:47: PM Kindly Sign up for a personalised experience - Ask Study Doubts - Sample Papers - Past Year Papers - Textbook Solutions Verify mobile number Enter the OTP sent to your number
National Geographic’s October Photo Issue features a fascinating collection of pictures from around the world. Not the least of which is its sobering splash of glacial meltdowns from global warming. Photographer James Balog firmly concludes that “climate change is real” – an easily demonstrated fact. As the caption under one photo tells us: “Iceberg-choked Prince William Sound reveals that the retreat of the Columbia Glacier is accelerating. It’s lost two more miles of ice in six years. And since 1980 it has diminished vertically an amount equal to the height of New York’s Empire State Building.” A lead-in to the Meltdown pictorial says mournfully: Glaciers are suppose to advance or retreat at a glacial pace. Now they’re disappearing before our eyes. Unfortunately many of the same gurgling people who have sent the Tea Party class to Congress will vehemently disagree. Can they survive on sea water alone? This time, the waters won’t part. No related stories.
Follow Harriet on Twitter REPENT! NYRB On Why We Write Poems About the Apocalypse Malise Ruthven’s latest for The New York Review of Books wonders at the power of contemplating an apocalypse, religiously, politically, and poetically. He opens with a Robert Lowell’s poem, “Fall, 1961,” and Thomas Merton’s “Figures for an Apocalypse,” saying: The idea of impending doom, whether divinely ordained or inferred by creative imaginations in the wake of absent deities, is a recurring theme not only in the work of writers such as Yeats, Eliot and Beckett. Imagining—or predicting—the end of the world has been the stuff of popular culture from the doomsday panoramas of the English artist John Martin (1789-1853) to the events of the “Rapture” described in the Left Behind series of novels by Tim F. LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins. In recent years, apocalyptic rhetoric has turned up in international politics among terrorists and hard-line governments such as Iran, but also their adversaries in Washington, Israel, and elsewhere including the current Republican candidate for president. The great English critic Frank Kermode thought that poets—unlike some politicians—were proof against enchantment by the dream or nightmare—of the apocalypse. Yeats’s apocalyptic beast that “slouches towards Bethlehem to be born” (in his 1920 poem “The Second Coming”) is safely wrapped in the allusive language of myth, contained by the broader frame of the poet’s “clerical skepticism.” But Thomas Merton belonged to a generation that lived through real apocalypses brought about by political actors: Auschwitz, Hiroshima, and Vietnam. Mary Bryden, a specialist in modern literature, suggests that the recurrent apocalyptic motifs that surface in Merton’s writings reflect two somewhat contradictory notions of how the world might end: one emerging from religious expectation, and the other from a more plausible secular angst. In 1968, the year of his death (caused when an electric fan fell into his bathtub) he wrote in his diary that the news of the murder of Martin Luther King had pressed down upon him “like an animal, a beast of the apocalypse.” Read the full article here.
Akihito, Emperor of Japan \|Birthname\|\|Akihito Tsugu, Prince of Japan\| \|born on\|\|23 December 1933 at 06:39 (= 06:39 AM )\| \|Place\|\|Tokyo, Japan, 35n42, 139e46\| \|Timezone\|\|JST h9e (is standard time)\| \|Astrology data\|\|00°37' 19°08 Asc. 27°35'\| Japanese royalty, the son of Emperor Hirohito. He was the first son after the birth of four girls. In time-honored custom, he was removed from his parents at age three to be raised by nurses and tutors, however, in departure from custom, at six he was sent to a school with foreigners to broaden his experience. When the Allies occupied Japan after WW II, he was sent to a provincial city. He studied political science and economy at Gashushuin University to prepare for his role as leader of modern Japan. Slight and unprepossessing, Akihito has lived a modest life outside of the public eye. He showed his spirit when he chose Michiko Shoda for his bride, as she was the first non aristocrat elevated to royal consort, wooing her passionately. They married on 3/10/1959 amid nationwide celebration. The couple set up house in the Togu Gosho, the Crown Prince's unpretentious residence a half mile from the Imperial Palace. However, reports filtered out that Nagaku resented the intrusion of a commoner into the family. Not only that, but the couple chose to raise their three children, Prince Hiro, Prince Aya and Princess Nori, at home. In 1986, they stepped further into modern realities when they took their first subway ride. As Crown Prince, Akihito began his workday at 10:00 AM, planning public appearance and receiving visitors. Later, the family would gather in the palace sitting room for tea and cake. Like his father, who was an avid amateur marine biologist, Akihito became an expert on fish, writing monolographs on the goby. He is also a dedicated musician, a fine cellist who plays impromptu concerts of Mozart, Grieg or Beethoven with his wife on viola, Aya on the guitar and Nori at the piano. His second son, Aya, became engaged to commoner Kiko Kawashima on 8/26/1989. For all his majesty, Akihito has never projected a clear public image. He has a natural dignity combined with shyness and a better than average mind that is clear and analytical, with a turn for original thought. His destiny is obvious and he accepts it soberly. Akihito became the 125th Emperor of Japan on 11/12/1990, enthroned in an ancient ceremony as a symbol rather than a living god with unlimited power, as in former Japanese history. In late December 2002 he was diagnosed with prostate cancer. - parent->child relationship with Fumihito, Prince Akishino (born 30 November 1965) - parent->child relationship with Naruhito, Prince of Japan (born 23 February 1960) - child->parent relationship with Hirohito, Emperor of Japan (born 29 April 1901) - child->parent relationship with Nagako, Empress of Japan (born 6 March 1905) - spouse relationship with Michiko, Empress of Japan (born 20 October 1934). Notes: Happy - sibling relationship with Higashikuni, Shigeko (born 6 December 1925) - sibling relationship with Hitachi, Prince (born 28 November 1935) - sibling relationship with Suga, Princess of Japan (born 1 March 1939) - sibling relationship with Takatsukasa, Kazuko (born 30 September 1929) - sibling relationship with Yori, Princess of Japan (born 7 March 1931) Aries Osawa quotes data as given in Japan in "Astrology Now," 6/1976. J.M. Packard, "Sons of Heaven," 1987, p.266 gives 12/22/1933. Possibly a typo error, as reference sources give 12/23/1933. Sy Scholfield gives 12/23/1933 at 6:39 AM from newspaper article: “Our Envoy Visits Palace; Heir to Throne Is Born in Japan,” by The Associated Press, New York Times, December 23, 1933. p. 1 - Traits : Body : Race (Japanese) - Traits : Body : Size (Slight) - Diagnoses : Major Diseases : Cancer - Family : Childhood : Order of birth (Fifth of five kids; first son) - Family : Childhood : Parent, Single or Step (From age three raised by servants) - Family : Relationship : Marriage - Very happy (A love match) - Family : Relationship : Number of Marriages (One) - Family : Parenting : Kids 1-3 (Three) - Lifestyle : Social Life : Family (Familly is first priority) - Lifestyle : Social Life : Hobbies, games (Music, a cellist) - Notable : Famous : Historic figure (First to get education with foreigners) - Notable : Famous : Royal family (Japan) - Notable : Book Collection : American Book
A secretary is an essential part of the administrative network of an organisation and should not be thought of as ‘just a typist’ or a ‘filing clerk’. His or her work is far from unskilled and a successful modern secretary is expected to understand a plethora of technological gadgets – usually within moments of their purchase – and be the resident systems guru. All this, while receiving calls, passing on messages and typing letters. It isn’t a job for everyone. “Wherever a man turns he can find someone who needs him” (Albert Schweitzer) Traditionally the post holder has been perceived as being ornamental – ‘fluffy’ to use a modern word. However things have changed and being competent is now more important than being decorative although, since many secretaries face public scrutiny, presentability is still important. Typical duties for a secretary might include: - Typing letters - Taking dictation - Receiving calls and operating a switchboard - Faxing and copying - Data entry - Maintaining contact records - Keeping the office diary - Recording minutes - Setting up and running a product and reference library - Preparing presentations - Ensuring office stationery supplies are regularly replenished Although an ability to understand technology at a day-to-day level is required, great technical ability is not generally necessary. On the other hand, a sunny disposition, a level head and good organisational skills are. Since typing and letter composition are part of the daily routine for a secretary, they are expected to possess a good standard of English and have an above average knowledge of grammar and spelling. Every written communication that passes through their hands represents the company and therefore literacy is a key quality. A secretary normally functions alone or, less commonly, as part of a pool of secretaries. Consequently, he or she is not usually called upon to supervise junior staff although this may be required of them from time to time – particularly with management trainees who may come under their wing. The job has been a traditionally female role with many of the post holders eventually intending to leave their work to run homes and look after children. As a result, many secretaries have not aspired to ‘greater things’, being content, instead, to shine at what they do rather than seek out promotion. Despite their relatively junior role, a secretary can have a considerable amount of authority as they are often keeper of the ‘great secret’ of how things like the switchboard, photocopier, fax machine and other gadgets work. However, for a secretary looking to move up, the standard routes for higher pay and responsibility are either to supervise other secretaries or to become a Personal Assistant. In either case, experience and an excellent track record are going to be essential. The role of secretary has changed dramatically over the last two decades. Nowadays typing accuracy is much less important since the computer screen permits endless corrections. However, the replacement of typewriters with computers has meant an expectation of higher standards of presentation through correct use of different fonts, colours, text attributes and the incorporation of graphs and charts into documents. While skills like shorthand and dictation have become less essential, the requirement to understand the finer features of Excel, Word, PowerPoint etc has come to the fore. As a result, many companies will send secretaries on IT courses such as CLAIT. Secretarial salaries typically range from £11,000 to £15,000 per annum. Those who choose to specialise can earn more – for example, a law secretary will be paid up to £40,000 or £80,000 if they get chartered. Working in the City for a FTSE 100 company can net up to £130,000 p.a.
Global Agenda Council on Personal Transportation Systems 2012-2014 Ever since Henry Ford invented industrial manufacturing, the automobile has been the prime mode of personal transportation. Governments around the world have invested heavily in building the relevant infrastructure to support this system of personal transportation. It has provided individual mobility, employment, innovation and wealth to many nations. However, with dense levels of car ownership in developed nations, tremendous growth in emerging markets and urbanization at record levels, this system has started to fail. Megacities are struggling with congestion and poor air quality. They cannot keep up with needed infrastructure expansion or they struggle to finance its upgrade. New models of car ownership are evolving, governments are strongly pushing for alternative-energy vehicles to improve air quality in cities, and consumers hope that new information technologies will help them to improve their travel experience and reduce time wasted in traffic. However, alternative-energy vehicle sales have been disappointing, sustainable business models for new ownership are still lacking, and the integration of new information technologies and intermodal transportation is still far from being seamless.
Sustainable Urbanism: Urban Design With Nature Providing a historic perspective on the standards and regulations that got us to where we are today in terms of urban lifestyle and attempts at reform, Douglas Farr makes a powerful case for sustainable urbanism, showing where we went wrong, and where we need to go. He then explains how to implement sustainable urbanism through leadership and communication in cities, communities, and neighborhoods. Essays written by Farr and others delve into such issues as: - Increasing sustainability through density. - Integrating transportation and land use. - Creating sustainable neighborhoods, including housing, car-free areas, locally-owned stores, walkable neighborhoods, and universal accessibility. - The health and environmental benefits of linking humans to nature, including walk-to open spaces, neighborhood stormwater systems and waste treatment, and food production. - High performance buildings and district energy systems. Enriching the argument are in-depth case studies in sustainable urbanism, from BedZED in London, England and Newington in Sydney, Australia, to New Railroad Square in Santa Rosa, California and Dongtan, Shanghai, China. An epilogue looks to the future of sustainable urbanism over the next 200 years. At once solidly researched and passionately argued, Sustainable Urbanism is the ideal guidebook for urban designers, planners, and architects who are eager to make a positive impact on our--and our descendants'--buildings, cities, and lives. How to use this book. Part One The Case for Sustainable Urbanism. Chapter 1: The Built Environment: Where We Are Today. The American Lifestyle on the Wrong Course. Pioneering Reforms: Setting the Stage for Sustainable Urbanism. Chapter 2: Sustainable Urbanism: Where We Need to Go. Sustainable Urbanism: The Grand Unification. The Three Steps of Sustainable Urbanism. Part Two Implementing Sustainable Urbanism. Chapter 3: Leadership and Communications. Leadership Talking Points for Sustainable Urbanism (Jim Hackler and Irina Woelfle) The Power of Paired Choices. Implementation Agendas for Leaders. Chapter 4: The Process and Tools for Implementing Sustainable Urbanism. RFQ for Sustainable Urbanist Professionals. Benchmarking Municipal Sustainability: The Santa Monica Sustainable City Plan (City of Santa Monica). Documenting Community Preference in Form and Sustainability: Image Preference Survey (IPS) (Christina Anderson) Conducting a Charrette (Bill Lennertz) Shaping Sustainable Neighborhoods with the Toledo Smart Neighborhood Analysis Protocol (SNAP) (Carolee Kokola). A Sustainable Urbanist Neighborhood Plan: Toledo SNAP (Carolee Kokola). Regulating Plan and Form-Based Code (Christina Anderson). Incorporating Sustainability through Codes, Covenants, and Restrictions (CC&Rs) (Dan Slone). RFP for a Sustainable Urbanist Developer (City of Victoria, British Columbia). Part Three Emerging Thresholds of Sustainable Urbanism. Chapter 5: Increasing Sustainability Through Density. The Transect of the Everyday. Water and the Density Debate (Lynn Richards). Transit Supportive Densities. Chapter 6: Sustainable Corridors. The Sustainable Corridor (Doug Farr, Leslie Oberholtzer, and Christian Schaller). The Integration of Transportation, Land Use, and Technology (Shelley Poticha). Biodiversity Corridors (Rebecca L. Kihslinger, Jessica Wilkinson, and James McElfish). Chapter 7: Sustainable Neighborhoods. Neighborhood Definition (Victor Dover and Jason King). Neighborhood Completeness (Eliot Allen and Doug Farr). Neighborhood Housing (Laurie Volk and Todd Zimmerman). Neighborhood Retail (Robert J. Gibbs). Economic Benefits of Locally Owned Stores (Matt Cunningham). Healthy Neighborhoods (Melanie Simmons, Kathy Baughman McLeod,and Jason Hight). Walkable Streets and Networks (Dan Burden). Complete Streets (Fred Dock). Universal Basic Home Access (Eleanor Smith). Managing Travel Demand (Jeffery Tumlin). Car Sharing (Jeffery Tumlin0. Chapter 8: Biophilia. Open Space (Carolee Kokola). Public Darkness (Nancy Clanton and Todd Givler). Stormwater Systems (Jim Patchett and Tom Price). Food Production (Lynn Peemoeller and Jim Slama, with Cathy Morgan). Outdoor Wastewater Treatment (Thomas E. Ennis). Indoor Wastewater Treatment (John Todd Ecological Design). Chapter 9: High-Performance Buildings and Infrastructure. The Impact of Planning on Building Energy Usage (Alan Chalifoux). 2030 Challenge (Ed Mazria). High-Performance Infrastructure (Hillary Brown). Large District Energy Systems (Doug Newman and Robert Thornton, John Kelly, and Adam Lund). The 2030 Community Challenge: Economic Growth with Sustainable Urbanism. Part Four Case Studies in Sustainable Urbanism. Chapter 10: Lessons Learned from Sustainable Urbanism. BedZED: London, England. Glenwood Park: Atlanta, Georgia, United States. Holiday Neighborhood: Boulder, Colorado, United States. Christie Walk: Adelaide, Australia. Newington: Sydney, Australia. High Point: Seattle, Washington, United States. Upton: Northampton, England. Kronsberg: Hannover, Germany. Loreto Bay: Baja California Sur, Mexico. Civano: Tucson, Arizona, United States. Poundbury: Dorchester, England. Chapter 11: State of the Art in Unbuilt Sustainable Urbanism. Dockside Green: Victoria, Canada. Lloyd Crossing: Portland, Oregon, United States. Z-Squared: London, England. New Railroad Square: Santa Rosa, California, United States. Uptown Normal: Normal, Illinois, United States. Dongtan: Shanghai, China. Galisteo Basin Preserve: Santa Fe, New Mexico, United States. Pulelehua: Maui, Hawaii, United States. Coyote Valley: San Jose, California, United States. Scales of Intervention. Farr Associates is a Chicago-based firm focused on sustainable design in architecture and urban design. Founded in 1990, Farr Associates was the first architecture firm in the world to have designed at least two buildings to be certified with a LEED Platinum rating: the Chicago Center for Green Technology and the Center for Neighborhood Technology, also in Chicago. The firm designed its own office in the historic Monadnock Building as a LEED for Commercial Interiors pilot project. - background on sustainability - standards for sustainable urbanism - case studies of exemplars of sustainable urban design. - LEED-ND information and guidelines. Sustainable Urbanism provides clear direction for urban designers, urban planners, and architects to design cities and developments that are sustainable and reduce environmental harms. The text includes background on sustainability, standards for sustainable urbanism, and case studies of exemplars of sustainable urban design. Written by noted national experts on sustainable urban design, who are involved with both the Congress for the New Urbanism and the US Green Building Council. "Providing a historical perspective on the standards and regulations that got us and keep us on the course toward sprawl and unsustainable development, along with earlier attempts at reform, the book makes a strong case for Sustainable Urbanism, showing how architects and urban designers need to shape the built environment for the benefit of both humans and nature." (APADE, 2009) "A masterpiece, it combines good writing with a thorough treatment of the subject." (The Bernard Place Bee Line, 4/22/08) "It's not immediately obvious how Doug Farr's new book differs from the many other books in this field, aside from having a laudatory preface by Andres Duany. His careful division of the case studies into built greenfield, unbuilt greenfield, built infill, and unbuilt infill, should be a clue. It's also nice that he offiers a fairly specific definition of the s-word. Farr's book is distinguished by his systematic determination to reveal the trade secrets of sustainable design-those rules of thumb that bridge the gap between woolly generalities and highly specific case studies." (BuildingCommunities.com, February 1, 2008) "A broadly-focused and solutions-based look at environmentally sustainable urban design. Case studies and essays written by Farr and others give a real-world context to the ideas and methods espoused in this ambitious argument on behalf of a new type urban design and development that is interrelated with nature." (Planetizen.com; 1/29/08) "The author of Sustainable Urbanism wants to break down barriers between nature-focused environmentalists and human-focused urbanists. The book asserts that we need a radical change in how we live, not just for the health of our planet, but for ourselves. The author's ambitious goal is to make sustainable urbanism the dominant pattern of human settlement by 2030. This book is a valuable resource for anyone that is in a position to advance a more organic way of life that is more in tune with the environment." (Vector 1 Magazine, January 6, 2008) "Sustainable Urbanism is important because it addresses the sustainable development issue from all sides and provides solutions across the vast array of disciplines that create the built environment. The book…should be a resource not just for developers...but also for city councils, mayors, governors, engineers, and voters." (Urban Land, 1/08) "Beyond just developing a concept, however, the book acts as a comprehensive how-to manual for anyone who helps shape the environment...after setting the stage with a compelling case for sustainable urbanism, Farr provides specific and detailed standards and steps to guide readers." (Environmental News Network, 12/21/07) "There is something for everyone in Sustainable Urbanism, the new book that tackles exactly what the title implies. Backed by an impressive range of research, tables, charts, it is a comprehensive look at how to make our development pattern more sustainable." (Joe Urban Blog, 12/07) "Chicago architect Douglas Farr is no Le Corbusier--Who is?--yet his thoughtful new book is propelled by the same sort of visionary energy and desire to integrate architecture, city planning and nature for a better way of life. Here's the twist: Whereas Le Corbusier celebrated the car, Farr fingers it as a prime factor in creating today's sprawling, auto-dependent suburbs and all the lifestyle woes, like rising levels of obesity, they've supposedly wrought. While that's a familiar rant from the New Urbanist architects who call for compact, walkable communities, Farr wisely goes beyond them, urging a grand integration of the New Urbanism and the fledgling green building movement." (Chicago Tribune, December 2007) "What makes his volume stand out is that it combines expertise in New Urbanism with a thorough understanding of environmental issues and techniques. The result is the most comprehensive, technically informed volume available on how to design and build places that are environmentally responsible and also gratifying to inhabit." (New Urban News, December 2007) "makes excellent use of physical case studies, it is also concerned with the intangible forces that shape our cities…" (Building Design, Friday 15th February 2008)
This material must not be used for commercial purposes, or in any hospital or medical facility. Failure to comply may result in legal action. WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW: What is heart block? Heart block is a problem with the flow of electrical signals in your heart. The electrical signals control the way your heart beats. With heart block, these signals are delayed or interrupted completely. This affects the way your heart beats. What are the types of heart block? - First-degree atrioventricular (AV) block slows the time it takes the electrical signal to travel from the atria to the ventricles. - Second-degree AV block caues the electrical signal to slow with each beat until it stops completely. The block may happen from time to time. It may also happen when you are do a certain activity, such as exercise. - Third-degree AV block is also known as Complete Heart Block (CHB). CHB prevents the signals from the atria from reaching the ventricles. The ventricles will beat on their own, but it is a very slow beat. This is a life-threatening condition. What increases my risk for heart block? - Previous heart attack or heart failure - Heart valve conditions or surgery on your heart valves - Some medicines, or being exposed to toxins - Lyme disease - Older age What are the signs and symptoms of heart block? Signs and symptoms depend on how severe your heart block is. You may not have any symptoms or you may have any of the following: - Fatigue or confusion - Lightheadedness, dizziness, or fainting - Shortness of breath - Chest pain How is heart block diagnosed? Healthcare providers will try to find the cause of your heart block. An EKG will be used to diagnose your heart block. An EKG is used to check the electrical activity in your heart. You may need to wear an EKG monitor for a few days while you do your daily activities. This monitor is also called a Holter monitor. You may need any of the following to find the cause of your heart block: - Blood tests may be done to check for infection, measure your electrolyte levels, or check for other causes of heart block. - A chest x-ray will show the size of your heart and check for fluid in your lungs. - A stress test helps healthcare providers see the changes that take place in your heart while it is under stress. Healthcare providers may place stress on your heart with exercise or medicine. How is heart block treated? Treatment depends on how severe your heart block is. You may not need any treatment. When symptoms are severe, you may need the following: - Heart medicine may be given to help your heart beat correctly until a pacemaker can be placed. - A pacemaker is a small device that helps your heart beat at a normal speed and in a regular rhythm. You may need a temporary or permanent pacemaker. A temporary pacemaker is a short-term treatment in the hospital. The pacemaker is applied to your skin with sticky pads or placed into a vein in your neck or chest. A pacing device helps keep your heartbeat stable. A permanent pacemaker is put under the skin of your chest or abdomen during surgery. A tiny battery creates electrical impulses that keep your heart rate regular. - Treatment of the cause of your heart block may be done if it can reverse the effects. For example, IV antibiotics may be given for Lyme Disease. Care AgreementYou have the right to help plan your care. Learn about your health condition and how it may be treated. Discuss treatment options with your healthcare providers to decide what care you want to receive. You always have the right to refuse treatment. The above information is an educational aid only. It is not intended as medical advice for individual conditions or treatments. Talk to your doctor, nurse or pharmacist before following any medical regimen to see if it is safe and effective for you. © Copyright IBM Corporation 2021 Information is for End User's use only and may not be sold, redistributed or otherwise used for commercial purposes. All illustrations and images included in CareNotes® are the copyrighted property of A.D.A.M., Inc. or IBM Watson Health Learn more about Heart Block IBM Watson Micromedex Mayo Clinic Reference Medicine.com Guides (External) Always consult your healthcare provider to ensure the information displayed on this page applies to your personal circumstances.
Experts say people are more likely to get bitten or stung by insects this time of year than in late spring or early summer, as pesky critters like bees and mosquitoes prepare for the cold winter months. They are gathering food and building nests, often near our homes. Agriculture officials say because of that, you should stay extra aware of wasps, hornets, and other insects like mosquitoes and chiggers. Experts urge using long sleeve shirts and pants, as well as insect repellent, when outdoors at times of peak insect activity. They remind you to follow the directions on the bottle when using repellent, especially for children. If you are trying to rid your home of a wasp or hornets nest, experts recommend doing it at night when most of the insects have returned to the nest. Viewers with disabilities can get assistance accessing this station's FCC Public Inspection File by contacting the station with the information listed below. Questions or concerns relating to the accessibility of the FCC's online public file system should be directed to the FCC at 888-225-5322, 888-835-5322 (TTY), or [email protected].
Tuesday, April 22, 2014 is Earth Day. No matter what your thoughts on climate change, it is hard to deny that conserving energy and recycling materials can help to save money and lower the amount of waste piling up in landfills across the country… and around the world. Did you know that the first Earth Day was celebrated here in the United States on April 22nd 1970? I didn’t!!! I also didn’t know that the recognition and celebration of Earth Day led to the creation of the Environmental Protection Agency, the Clean Water Act, the Clean Air Act and the Endangered Species Act!!! By 1990 almost 150 countries were participating in Earth Day events, and today the global initiative continues to gain more and more support. A lot of us already recycle or even drive more fuel efficient vehicles… but here are a few things you can do to save energy that you may never have heard of before… -Turning off your computer at night can save you several cents a day, so that’s a few extra cups of expensive coffee shop coffee a year! -Speaking of coffee, stop using coffee stirrers! Just put your cream and stuff in the cup before the coffee… let the coffee do the mixing. -Don’t preheat your oven, instead just pop in the food and then turn the oven on and save a bunch on your electric or gas bill. -Stop taking baths… switch to showers. Baths use about twice as much water as the average shower. -Switch to cotton swabs that have paper between the ends instead of plastic. The cost of creating that plastic is more expensive than you think. -Use a car wash. I know a lot of us like to wash our own cars… but most car washes use less water than us letting loose with the garden hose. -Buy locally made products. If there is less of a demand for out of state products, less fuel will be used to ship non-local products to our area. Of course you can find a gazillion more suggestions online on ways that you can help improve life on Planet Earth! Happy Earth Day everyone.
Until recently, coffee was on the list of habits to break if you really wanted to be healthy. Not anymore as the latest research shows. Here is a quick overview of the main health benefits from drinking your daily cuppa! Please have a read through the article below for full all the details. A big thank you from EcoCaffe to Clare Collins, a professor in Nutrition and Dietetics at the University of Newcastle in Australia, for all the work she has done researching our beloved coffee. Some like it hot, some like it iced, and some just don’t like it at all. Until recently, coffee was on the list of habits to break if you really wanted to be healthy. Not anymore. Systematic reviews of the research – the most powerful method to weigh up scientific evidence – judge the current evidence as mostly in favour of drinking coffee. Coffee drinking is linked to a decreased risk of premature death, type 2 diabetes and some types of cancer. However, some people will need to be cautious of the amount. Heavy coffee intake has been linked to an increased risk of lung cancer and can exacerbate heart problems. Coffee drinkers live longer. A review of 20 studies including more than 970,000 people found those who usually drank the most coffee had a 14% lower risk of dying prematurely from any cause, compared with those who drank the least. Even drinking just one to two cups a day conferred an 8% lower risk. Decaffeinated coffee drinkers who had two to four cups a day still had a 14% lower relative risk of premature death than those who didn’t drink coffee at all. Coffee drinkers, particularly men, have a lower risk of liver cancer. This is important as liver disease is the sixth-most-common cancer in the world and is more common in men. Results from six studies, based on the total number of cups of coffee drunk per day, found the relative risk of liver cancer was 14% lower for every extra cup. Research shows that naturally occurring coffee components, including kahweol and cafestol, have direct cancer-protection and anti-inflammatory properties. Coffee appears able to up-regulate biochemical pathways in the liver that protect the body from toxins, including aflatoxin and other carcinogenic compounds. Coffee drinkers have a lower risk of type 2 diabetes. Across 28 studies of more than one million adults, those who drank three or more cups of coffee a day had a 21% lower relative risk of developing type 2 diabetes compared to those who never or rarely drank it. For those drinking six or more cups a day, the risk was lowered by 33%. Interestingly, the risk was lower for both regular and decaffeinated coffee drinkers. For each cup of regular caffeinated coffee there was an extra 9% lower relative risk of developing diabetes and a 6% lower risk for each cup of decaffeinated coffee. The active components of coffee help reduce oxidative stress, the imbalance between free radicals and antioxidants. Coffee contains chlorogenic acid, which has been shown to improve glucose metabolism and insulin sensitivity, and caffeic acid, which increases the rate muscles use up blood glucose, as well as having immune-stimulating and anti-inflammatory properties. Coffee drinkers have a lower risk of prostate cancer. Across 13 studies that included more than 530,000 men, those who drank the most coffee had a 10% lower relative risk of developing prostate cancer than those who drank the least. For every extra two cups of coffee drunk per day, cancer risk decreased by a small extra amount of 2.5%. However, when prostate cancer grade was factored in, there was no protective effect for advanced or terminal types of prostate cancer. Now, the reasons to watch your coffee intake. Watch your total coffee intake to lower your risk for lung cancer. Studies of more than 100,000 adults found those with the highest coffee intakes had a 27% higher relative risk of lung cancer. Every extra two cups of coffee per day was associated with an 11% greater risk of developing lung cancer. There were only two studies on decaffeinated coffee and they had the opposite finding: a 34% lower relative risk for high decaffeinated coffee intakes. Drinking more than one to two cups of coffee when pregnant may not as be risky as once thought, but it’s worth being cautious. The relationship between coffee and risk of miscarriage and other adverse pregnancy outcomes in older research studies was more likely to be seen in poorly designed studies, especially for outcomes like low birth weight and congenital anomalies. Some of the risk of miscarriage was probably confounded by the fact that women with severe morning sickness, which is a sign of good implantation of the embryo, tend to cut down on coffee due to nausea. It also appears that cigarette smoking, which tended to be associated with coffee consumption in older studies, was not always adjusted for, so some of the risk is likely to have been due to smoking. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists recommends pregnant women drink less than 200 milligrams of caffeine per day. This is equivalent to one to two cups of coffee a day (instant coffee has 50-100 mg caffeine per cup; brewed coffee about 100-150 mg). The last caution relates to your heart. High intakes of caffeine can increase blood pressure in the short term and plasma homocysteine, another heart disease risk factor. Coffee is not associated, however, with the long-term risk of heart disease. People with high blood pressure or heart conditions, older people, adolescents, children and those who don’t usually drink coffee will be more sensitive to caffeine found in “energy” drinks, cola and coffee, and it can take longer to metabolise. Switching to decaffeinated coffee will help. It’s important to note that most of the research on coffee comes from population-based observational studies that measure association and not causation. That is partly because it would be very hard to do a randomised controlled trial of drinking more coffee and measuring health outcomes over many years. But there’s a thought – anyone like to volunteer for that study? A big thank you to Claire Collins from EcoCaffe for this great article! If you love your coffee, you will probably be making plenty of usage from your coffee machine to get your daily fix. But have you ever thought about how dirty your machine can get? It is important to keep your coffee maker clean and also prevent the growth of bacteria, yeast or even mould. By descaling your Nespresso machine regularly, you will make sure to remove not just hard water deposits but also all those other nasties. Also, the cleaner your machine is, the better your coffee is going to taste. We recommend coffee machine descaling at least twice a year Descaling can be done in six easy steps and should take about 20 minutes. Prepare your machine Descaling your machine Exit the Descaling Mode Your machine is now ready! Note: Be sure to use caution on countertops as this acid formula can have a similar effect as that of lemon juice. For more detail, please watch the following demo videos from Nespresso: Ecocaffe offers Restore, a safe and effective powder descaler for removing hard water scale from espresso machine boilers, coffee and milk delivery lines. Click here to find out more. Restore is registered by Australian Certified Organic (ACO) as an allowed input in organic systems and is certified by the Organic Materials Review Institute (OMRI). Restore is free from phosphate and Genetically Modified Organisms. The ingredients and formulation of the products that are NSF certified are safe, leave no harmful residues and do not cause corrosion within the coffee machine. Safe to use on aluminium, brass and stainless steel. All ingredients are all rapidly biodegradable meeting international standards. Over 160 million tons of plastic is produced each year to create single-use disposable items and packaging. With no established system to close the loop, this has led to over 70 years of accumulation of plastics in landfill (40%) and the environment (32%), with only 10% being recycled. Plastics end up in waterways and oceans, breaking down into ever smaller pieces called micro-plastics, well known for entering the food chain through the water, air and food that we consume. Seabin Smart Tech, similar to a rubbish bin X pool skimmer, removes floating plastics as small as 2mm, filtering 600,000L of water per day from oil and surface pollutants. The Seabin moves up and down with the range of tide collecting all floating rubbish. Water is sucked in from the surface and passes through a catch bag inside the Seabin, with a submersible water pump capable of displacing 25.000 Lph (liters per hour), plugged directly into either a 110V or 220V outlet. The water is then pumped back into the marina leaving litter and debris trapped in the catch bag. The Seabin can catch an estimated 3.9 Kgs of floating debris per day or 1.4 tons per year (depending on weather and debris volumes) including microplastics down to 2 mm small. The Seabin unit is a “trash skimmer” designed to be installed in the water of Marinas, Yacht Clubs, Ports and any water body with a calm environment and suitable services available. The unit acts as a floating garbage bin skimming the surface of the water by pumping water into the device. The Seabin V5 can intercept: floating debris, macro and microplastics and even micro fibres with an additional filter. By acting as a trash skimmer, the Seabin V5 is also able to clean the water from contaminated organic material (leaves, seaweed, etc…). The Seabin V5 is easily equipped with oil absorbent pads able to absorb petroleum-based surface oils and detergent predominant in most marinas around the world. If you want to find out more about the Seabins maybe for your Mariana, you can contact Seabin here. Why not try a simple and refreshing EcoCaffe Iced Coffee Pod recipe to keep yourself cool and energised during the Australian summer 🙂 It's so yummy and yet, completely eco-friendly. Let's make it: Suggested (stronger) Coffees: The stronger the coffee the better, but why not try them all 🙂 And for a limited time only, you can enjoy Free freight on all orders over $25. Just head to https://www.ecocaffe.com.au/product-category/ethical-limited-series/ EcoCaffè is a fully Australian-owned company that started off by exclusively selling the world's first biodegradable coffee pods to Australian consumers. These biodegradable coffee pods were produced by Ethical Coffee Company, which was established by its CEO Jean-Paul Gaillard, the man behind the Nespresso coffee capsule success. All the know-how has now merged into our exclusive Dingo Republic brand. Leading the way with a strong environmentally-friendly approach and commitment to real sustainable development, Dingo Republic pods are compliant with the strict EN13432 and / or AS4736 biodegradable standards and break down within 180 days. Our organic and fairtrade specialty coffees is sourced from the best growers around the world. After a careful selection process, the beans are then roasted, ground and filled into our 100% Nespresso®* Original Line machine compatible pods right here in Australia. No matter what industry, we believe that there is always an opportunity for businesses to become involved in positive social change. Which is why EcoCaffe has partnered with i=Change and with every sale, $1 goes towards a life-changing project. We're all in this together! Nespresso has partnered with Swedish cycling start-up Vélosophy to create 1,000 bicycles in the same shade as their popular 'Arpeggio' coffee pods After two years in development, RE:CYCLE, a stylish urban bicycle made from discarded Nespresso pods, is ready to roll. And it only takes 300 espressos to make one. Developed by Swedish start-up Vélosophy in collaboration with Nespresso, the limited edition model retails for €1,290 ($1,446). It showcases the creative possibilities for the afterlife for the billions of single-use coffee pods discarded around the world every year. What is otherwise looked at as waste is given new life as a bike. It’s a beautiful way to sustain our earth’s resources and just one of the ways to put life in motion. The result is called RE:CYCLE – a ride that’s a perfect marriage of sustainability and design. An instant icon of circular economy design. Recycling upcycled. RE:CYCLE’s got all the finishing touches you’d expect from a bicycle – and then some surprise additions made by Vélosophy. The striking purple frame is inspired by arpeggio, one of the favourite Nespresso coffees, while the bell is modelled on the iconic shape of the capsule. Jean-Marc Duvoisin, CEO of Nespresso, said that through their collaboration with Vélosophy, they are illustrating to coffee lovers the potential of recycling their coffee capsules. We have teamed up with TerraCycle to enable a premium solution to recycling, ensuring a responsible option for a second life for used capsules. TerraCycle is a multi-award winning company that provides a zero-waste solution for all recyclable coffee pods. All packaging, capsules and lids can be fully recycled. As well as our efforts to reduce our company’s footprint on the planet, we also aim to give back to the community. We value the opportunity to help others as an active brand member of i=Change and we contribute directly through our store by donating $1 from every sale to life-changing projects. We are also proud to be a participant in the climate initiative - “CO2 neutral websites”. This means the carbon emissions from both the website and the users of the website have been neutralized by the building of new renewable energy sources, various CO2 reducing projects and by the purchase of certified CO2 offsets. Originally published by Espressorium/Espressorium is now known as EcoCaffe The first irrefutable proof that caffeine enhances memory and can enhance memory as long as 24 hours after consumption was published in the Jan. 12, 2014, edition of the journal Nature Neuroscience by a team of scientists led by Michael Yassa, assistant professor of psychological and brain sciences in the Krieger School of Arts and Sciences at Johns Hopkins University. The research is considered exclusive proof that caffeine improves long-term memory because all participants in the study received a 200 milligram pill of caffeine after they had seen a series of photographs. This change in experimental design eliminated the potential that the memory effect was due to increased effect on vigilance, focus, and attention that can be produced by caffeine. The test participants were selected from people who did not regularly use any kind of caffeinated beverage. The test subjects were divided into two groups. Each individual watched the same series of photographs. One group received a 200 milligram pill of caffeine five minutes after seeing the photographs and the other group received a placebo. Caffeine levels were measured in each participant at one, three, and 24 hour intervals after taking the caffeine. Both groups of participants watched a second set of photographs that had a few different photos and some very similar photos compared to the set of photographs that the participants viewed 24 hours earlier. More members of the group that took the caffeine could distinguish the added photos and the similar photos. This behavior implies the involvement of a higher level of memory called pattern separation. The memory enhancement lasts as long as 24 hours after consuming caffeine. All memory involves the hippocampus. The exact mechanism that caffeine has on memory retention has not yet been elucidated. The researchers indicate that the fact that 200 milligrams of caffeine has been proven to enhance memory should not be taken as a license to consume extreme amounts of caffeine. Originally posted by Espressorium/Espressorium is now known as EcoCaffe Breaking down the ingredient ratios of 23 exquisite espresso-based drinks, this chart is a world tour of the purest form of coffee, from the straight-up varieties like the Doppio and Lungo to frothy drinks like the Cappuccino and Latte to less celebrated (yet no less delicious) concoctions such as the Galao and the Cafe Bombon. Originally posted by Espressorium/Espressorium is now known as EcoCaffe We are proud to introduce our new Dingo Republic range - the Ethical Series. This brand-new range of coffee is certain to satisfy both connoisseurs and the environmentally-conscious alike! All capsules in the Ethical Series are plant-based and certified 100% compostable and biodegradable. That's right! No aluminium, petroleum-based plastics or other nasty stuff. Each capsule is packed to the brim with rich, fresh, aromatic, and 100% organic coffee that has been carefully selected for your enjoyment, freshly roasted and ground in Australia 🙂 We're incredibly proud and excited to launch this new range, and we can't wait for you to try it! CEO, Eco Caffè Our Decaf will not only satisfy your taste buds, but you can also rest assured knowing that what you are putting into your body is free of any chemicals! From the mountains of Mexico comes our ‘Mountain Water Washed’ Organic Decaf Coffee. Not only is it decaffeinated but it is also 100% certified Organic. Our Mexico Organic Decaf uses a premium decaffeinated coffee bean and is one of the rare decafs that only applies the mountain washing process which uses only pure water mountain to separate the caffeine from the beans. The process is difficult and tedious, the production staff must be incredibly fastidious about how they handle the beans, the water that they use - making sure it isn’t contaminated with other chemicals - and the length of time to retain the full flavours of the Mexican mountain beans whilst achieving the highest extraction of caffeine (99.9%) Review: The best decaf "I have struggled to find decent decaf coffee pods for my Nespresso machine until now.....Espressorium decaf is the best by far." John, Mount Waverley The coffee is expertly roasted and packaged in Sydney, Australia from premium imported coffee in 100% Nespresso® compatible hermetically sealed and 100% recyclable capsules. Have you tried Decaff before? Did you know that consumption of decaffeinated coffee appears to be as beneficial as caffeine-containing coffee with regard to all-cause mortality, according to a large prospective cohort study? Originally posted by Espressorium/Espressorium is now known as EcoCaffe So we've talked about the best organic, fair-trade, vegan to go with your coffee but now we have something even better... Not only is this recipe more delicious than any you could find in store, it is most likely quicker to make than the purchase and best of all CHEAPER (in the long run)! Oh and did we mention this chocolate is cane sugar free (can be entirely sugar free based on your specific ingredients). The flavour I went for was coconut and nut but I will include some variations at the bottom if you want to add or subtract an ingredient. 3 HEAPED tblsp Cacao Powder (or cocoa powder if that is what you have. Find benefits...) 3 tblsp Coconut Butter (soft) 1-2 tblsp Coconut oil (soft) 1 cup coconut shreds 1 cup nuts (I used almonds) Pinch of Salt (use sea salt or pink Himalayan) Soften Coconut Butter and Coconut Oil by heating then in a microwave or thaw in the sun or bolting water. (I try to thaw in order to ensure the substances are soft but not liquid). Chop nuts into small pieces. Combine all ingredients in a bowl until smooth and even. Spread evenly in a long container or tray on a baking sheet. Leave in freezer to set for 1-2hrs. Break into small choc pieces and enjoy. Best stored in freezer. Cacao Butter- cacao butter is often expensive but if you have it you can substitute it for coconut butter or in conjunction. Nut butter options- Use whatever you have, try to ensure the ingredients are all natural and do not contain processed sugars or additives. Some good options could be Mayvers almond butter, peanut butter or another combination of theirs. Nut options- Use your favourite nuts. Some good options would be walnuts, pecans, hazelnuts or macadamia ( you could even use seeds such as sunflower or pepita for a healthier crunch.) Dried Fruit- Think cranberries, goji berries (I used these in half my batch and they were delicious. Find benefits here.) or any other sugar and preservative free dried fruit you have. Protein Powder- if you want to make these choc bites into more of a snack or feel like you need to add more protein into your diet feel free to add your favourite flavour of vegan protein. Be aware you may need to play with the consistency and liquidity of the ingredients to ensure the powder gets soaked in. Cinnamon- I didn't add this incredible ingredient list as I forgot to add it to my recipe but I definitely think it will work! Just a pinch can do wonders for your health. Find out its benefits... As you can tell you can really play around with this recipe. I just wanted to prove that you can make healthy vegan chocolate that tastes amazing in your own kitchen with ingredients you probably already have. Disclaimer- definitely don't take this recipe with a grain of salt test it, tweak it and mould it into your ideal flavour and consistency. All contents © 2020 The Eco Caffe Company \| ABN 36 162 189 915. *The Nespresso® trademark is a third party mark and is not the property of The Eco Caffe Company. All rights reserved. No part of this web site may be reproduced in any way, or by any means, without the prior written permission of The Eco Caffe Company. Website Design Gold Coast by Shared Marketing
Dandruff is a form of skin eczema or a skin condition which usually occurs in parts of the body where there is high incidence of oil or sebum production. It is a common condition that affects the scalp of many men and women. Many men are found to suffer such a problem and become the butt of jokes among their friends. It is also seen as a sign of poor personal hygiene. Thus, even if dandruff is a common problem, many people see it is as an indication of poor lifestyle and hygiene choices. Men are scared of wearing black suits or shirts as they are scared that this problem will be revealed and they will be ridiculed in society. There are several causes that can be attributed to it and many home remedies that can be tried effectively to deal with such a skin condition. Causes Of Dandruff While many people think that dryness of the scalp leads to dandruff, it is usually the opposite and there could be several reasons attributed to it. It is a form of skin eczema that occurs not only in the scalp but could even occur in other areas of the skin. It is usually characterized by high sebum production. It is assumed that a yeast which lives on the skin, known as Malassezia furfur, plays a role in causing dandruff Skin cells which form in the scalp continuously, might be shed at a faster rate than it is normal which leads to the skin cells being seen as white flakes If the yeast on the skin overgrows it could lead to dandruff Stress, hormonal changes, too much oil or immune system deficiencies could lead to dandruff Symptoms Of Dandruff The symptoms of dandruff are several: There are white flakes which lie on the scalp and is visible on the scalp as well as on clothes
Bethnal Green (Parish of St Matthew), Middlesex, London A parliamentary report of 1777 recorded a parish workhouse in operation at St Matthew's Bethnal Green for up to 400 inmates. An 1830 map shows a workhouse located at the junction of Hare Street and Winchester Street. The building was in the form of a square, surrounding a central courtyard. The Bethnal Green Poor Law Union was formed on 25th March, 1836. Its operation was overseen by an elected Board of Guardians, 20 in number, representing the Parish of St Matthew, Bethnal Green which comprised: Church Division, Green Division, Hackney Road Division and Town Division. The population falling within the Union at the 1831 census had been 62,108. The average annual poor-rate expenditure for the period 1833-35 had been £14,218. The Waterloo Road Workhouse In 1840-42 a new workhouse, designed by Mr Bunning, was erected at a site at Bonner's-hall-fields to the west of the Waterloo Road. The buildings, three storeys high and built of brick, comprised a long corridor-plan main block running north-south, with two irregular wings. Able-bodied inmates were accommodated in the south wing of the main block, and a large dining-hall/chapel was situated at the centre of the building. The north wing of the main block, and the irregular wing at the north-east, were occupied by the sick, the infirm and the insane. A vagrants' block and stone yard were located at the north-west corner of the site. By the 1860s, the workhouse's official capacity was 1,400 inmates. In January 1866, Bethnal Green was the subject of one of a series of articles in the medical journal The Lancet investigating conditions in London workhouses and their infirmaries. The report contained a large number of criticisms, particularly of the twenty-seven sick wards: - No running water was available from 5pm until 7am. - Classification was poor, with imbeciles scattered amongst the various wards, and foul cases mixed with ordinary patients. - Lighting and ventilation were inadequate — many windows were six feet from the floor to prevent the inmates seeing out. - Overcrowding resulted in each patient having only 300 cubic feet, only a quarter of official recommendations. - There was a lack of water-closets and urine-soaked floors. - Washing facilities were severely lacking — in one children's ward, 17 children were washed daily in one pail, several in the same water, and dried with sheets. - In the male wards, forty-five men were served by two latrines which were flushed twice a day. - A staff of only two paid nurses, both untrained, nursed up to 600 sick. They were assisted by 40 pauper nurses and helpers 'whose tendencies to drink cannot be controlled'. - The insane ward consisted of small, dark, ill-ventilated rooms, under the charge of a male pauper, a weaver by trade with no knowledge of nursing. - The diet was lacking in meat, and the aged and infirm were given difficult to digest food such as suet pudding - The number of medical officers was inadequate for the number of patients Despite all these complaints, Bethnal Green was placed in the best of The Lancet's three categories of workhouse, as regards sick care provision, an indication of how bad conditions were in establishments in the other two classes. However, life in the workhouse was not entirely without its relief. In 1867, The workhouse inmates were entertained by the "Delaware Minstrels". The poor people in Bethnal-green Workhouse were indulged, on the evening of Wednesday week, with a pleasant little entertainment furnished, gratuitously of course, by the "Delaware Minstrels," who are an amateur company of "nigger vocalists," entirely composed of the clerks in the banking establishment of Messrs. Barrette, Hoare, and Co., Lombard-street. This may seem odd combination ; bat the performers, as well as the audience, enjoyed themselves heartily on the occasion without detriment either to the poor-law administration or to the proprieties of banking business next morning, when there would be small chance (as it is unusual for indoor paupers to hold large cash balances or to present cheques at a bank) that any of the staid and precise gentlemen behind the counter in Lombard-street should be recognised by any of the Bethnal-green unfortunates whom he had helped to cheer and amuse. The songs and choruses performed were those with which the "Christy Minstrels" have made us familiar; there was also a stump speech, an eccentric dance, a good deal of comic dialogue, and the "Grand Plantation Walk Round"—all given with admirable spirit, and set off by appropriate costumes and gesticulation. In 1908, plans were drawn up by WA Finch to remodel the building with the provision of new casual wards, enlargement of the dining hall, new kitchens, a new wing for 100 female inmates, new bath and lavatory buildings, and "modern padded rooms". The building, later known as Waterloo House, continued in use until at least 1935. It has now been demolished and replaced by a housing estate. The Well Street Workhouse From the early 1890s, Bethnal Green operated a second workhouse on Well Street in Hackney. It was used to accommodate the "aged respectable poor" — those who had demonstrated good behaviour at the Waterloo Road workhouse. The Well Street workhouse briefly hit the headlines in September 1897 when it was claimed that an elderly inmate had died of overeating. Workhouse officials were quick to rebut the story, even though overeating had been given as the cause of death by the doctor in attendance. The dead man had a weak heart and could have died at any time from the least exertion. The extra food he had eaten had probably been given to him by a fellow inmate who was unable to finish his own prescribed portion. It was however revealed that the Guardians had been experimenting with the dietaries, in order to reduce waste, by serving each inmate with half their bread allowance at the start of each meal, with the second half being provided on request. A saving of fifty pounds of bread had resulted in the course of two meals. The substitution of Irish Stew for the normal pea soup had also proved successful. As a result, the Guardians petitioned the Local Government Board to allow the practices to be continued. With the upgrading of the Waterloo Road establishment in 1908, this presumably became surplus to requirements and in April of that year was offered for letting. The Cambridge Heath Road Infirmary In 1882, the Local Government Board imposed restrictions of the numbers of patients who could be accommodated in the sick wards of the Waterloo Road workhouse, and created a need for a separate infirmary. Eventually, a site was found running between Cambridge Heath Road and Russia Lane, and in 1896 plans were commissioned from the firm of Giles, Gough and Trollope. The new infirmary was to provide 750 beds in eleven pavilions, arranged in pairs either side of a central corridor running from east to west across the site. At the centre were an administrative block and laundry block, with an entrance block at the west on Cambridge Heath Road. The buildings were constructed in brick with Portland stone dressings by the firm of Thomas Rowbotham of Birmingham and opened in March, 1900. The site location and layout are shown on the 1955 map below. A detailed description of the infirmary's layout appeared in The Builder on March 10th, 1900. BETHNAL GREEN INFIRMARY, CAMBRIDGE-ROAD, LONDON, E. On Monday the new Infirmary in Cambridge-road, Bethnal Green, was opened. The new buildings have been designed for the accommodation of 750 patients together with the whole of the staff necessary for the working of the institution. The site has a length of 740 ft. with a frontage to Cambridge-road of 330 ft., and of 280 ft. to Russia-lane, with an area of about 4½ acres. The Cambridge-road frontage is partly occupied by an entrance block containing on the ground floor a commodious committee-room with clerk's office adjoining, waiting room, porter's office, and retiring-rooms for ladies and gentlemen; on the first floor are suites of apartments for the steward and engineer. An archway in connexion with the block, and under the supervision of the porter, gives entrance to a private approach road along the north side of the site, from which convenient access is obtained to the two receiving rooms for patients, the administrative block, stores, and-all other departments. The mortuary is on the same floor as the laundry, completely separated therefrom, and comprises in addition to the mortuary proper, a post-mortem room, fitted with a revolving table and the most advanced sanitary appliances, and also a room in which visitors may inspect the remains of deceased relatives or friends. A lift is provided by which coffins are lowered to the mortuary yard below. The basement story under the laundry is occupied by the boiler-room, which contains three large Galloway's Lancashire boilers, the engine and dynamo room containing duplicate sets of engines and dynamos for supplying electric light to the whole institution and power to s the laundry, the battery-room for electric accumulators, the hydraulic accumulator and pump-room, supplying power to the hydraulic lifts and accumulator in connexion with the latter. Adjoining is the engineer's workshop and store. A large steam-coal store adjoins the boiler-room, and under the mortuary is situated the carpenters' workshops and coffin store. In connexion with the boiler and engine rooms, subways are arranged for conveying steam, water, and other pipes and electric wires to all parts of the buildings. The medical officer's residence has been provided at the north-east angle of administrative block and incorporated with main building. The accommodation provided is, on basement floor, kitchen, scullery, and usual offices ; on ground floor, entrance-hall and staircase and two reception-rooms , on the first floor, four bedrooms, bath-room, &c. ; and on the second floor, a servants' bedroom, boxroom, &c. A common-room, or mess-room, is provided for the assistant medical officers on ground floor of administrative block as before mentioned, and on the first floor, approached by a separate staircase, are provided a study or sitting-room and four bedrooms, with bath-room, &c. Ample accommodation has been provided for the nursing staff on the ground and upper floors of the administrative block. The nurses' mess and recreation rooms, already mentioned, are on the ground floor, and are large and cheerful apartments. A wide staircase leads up from the nurses' corridor near these rooms to the three floors of nurses' bedrooms above. This staircase gives access to all the nurses' rooms, but subsidiary staircases are also arranged for administrative purposes and use in emergencies. The matron's bedroom is on the first floor, in such a position as to command the nurses' corridor on that floor, and an assistant matron's room occupies a corresponding position on each of the floors above. Adjoining these rooms is a private staircase for the use of the matron and her assistants and for facilitating the supervision of the nurses. The nurses number eighty, each having a separate bedroom, seventeen on the first floor, thirty-five on the second floor, and twenty-eight on the third. Bath-rooms are provided for the nurses in convenient positions. All water-closets have cross ventilated lobbies. In order to provide for the better circulation of air around the large block of buildings which the provision of such complete administrative accommodation necessitates, the continuity of the building has been interrupted at suitable points, and the necessary communication obtained by bridges across the spaces thus formed. A portion of the third floor of this block is devoted to associated sleeping accommodation for the female servants, twelve or fourteen in number. A separate staircase from the ground floor is provided for their use, also bath-room, &c. The wards are contained in separate blocks or pavilions, three on each side of the administrative block and, connected therewith and with each other by a corridor on the ground floor only. This corridor is an extension to the east and west of the main corridor, described in connexion with the administrative block, and is lo ft. wide throughout. It has a flat roof, which forms a promenade for convalescent patients in fine weather. The receiving-rooms for patients (a separate suite being provided for each sex) have direct access to this main corridor. Each consists of a one-story building, containing entrance porch, receiving ward with two beds, bath-room, and water-closet. Access is obtained to these from the private approach road. The wards are all of three stories and extend northwards and southwards of the main corridor. The axis of all the wards is thus north and south, this being the best possible disposition for the reception of sunlight on both sides. The wards are all arranged on one principle, and the following description of one ward will serve for all except the isolation wards, which will be separately mentioned. The number of patients for which each ward is designed varies from twenty to thirty-six, the majority, however, being intended for twenty-eight patients. Each pavilion contains a spacious staircase, a direct acting hydraulic bed lift, and a food and coal lift for the service of the upper wards. Each ward is approached from the main corridor or staircase by a short well-lighted and ventilated corridor, opening from which are a small ward for two special cases, with separate water-closet accommodation; a ward kitchen or nurses' duty room, fitted with cooking range, sink, dresser, and a well-lighted and ventilated food cupboard; a small store-room for patients' clothes, and another small store-room for ward linen and requisites. The large wards are 24 ft. wide, arranged for the beds in pairs on each side between the windows. The wards are warmed by central stoves. These stoves are arranged to introduce warmed fresh air to the wards. Each ward has an additional means of heating by low pressure hot water radiators at sides. Fresh air is admitted to these, and, after being warmed, is passed into the wards. In summer weather, cool fresh air can be admitted through both stoves and radiators. All wards have foul air extraction shafts. All windows have ventilating hoppers of special design at the top, and have sliding sashes with wide guard heads at bottom for allowing of ventilation at the meeting rails without draught. Tobin ventilation shafts are also provided. Provision is thus made to regulate the states of the atmosphere. Two sanitary annexe towers are provided at the ends of each ward and approached therefrom through cross venting lobbies. One annex contains water-closets and siphonic apparatus, and a sink-room with slop and special appliances for cleansing bed-pans. The other annex contains a bath-room and lavatory with fittings for regulating the supply of hot cold water. At the end of ward and between the annexes is provided a balcony for the use of convalescent patients. Iron fire-escape staircases are provided at the ends of wards farthest from the main staircase. Water - closet accommodation entirely separate from that for patients, is provided for nurses on each floor of each pavilion. Isolation wards sufficient for the treatment and classification of all contagious and offensive cases are provided in three three-story pavilions. These are aerially isolated from the main buildings, the only connexion being by covered way or being open to the air on each side. The wards are of ten beds each, and are similar to the general wards except that a larger proportion of space is provided per bed. A small ward for one special case adjoins each ten-bed ward. The buildings are erected of stock bricks with best quality facings relieved by strings of moulded white Suffolk bricks. The heads and sills of the windows, plinths, &c. are of Portland stone. The stone is used with somewhat greater freedom in the facades of the administrative and official blocks. Internally, the walls of corridors, kitchens, sanitary annexes, &c. are faced with tinted glazed brick at dado height. The wards have Keen's ceramic dadoes, all angles being rounded. The main corridors and other parts have marble paving. Granolithic paving is used in the administrative block. The floors of wards generally of pitch pine, polished. The joinery generally pitch pine, varnished, the panels being specially selected figured wood. The buildings have been erected from the designs and under the superintendence of Messrs. G Gough, & Trollope, the architects, of Craven-street, Charing Cross, by Mr. Thomas Rowbotham of Birmingham. The electric lighting has been carried out by Messrs. Calvert & Co., of Manchester. The heating, cooking, and machinery and engines by Messrs. Z. D. Berry & Sons, of Westminster. During the First World War, the infirmary became the Bethnal Green Military Hospital. In 1930, the infirmary passed into the control of London County Council, and then in 1948 became part of the National Health Service as Bethnal Green Hospital. It took on the role of a geriatric hospital before finally closing in 1992. All of the buildings have been demolished, with the exception of the entrance block on Cambridge Heath Road. The rest of the site has been redeveloped for residential use. The Leytonstone Schools From the outset, the Bethnal Green Board of Guardians adopted a policy of separating children under fifteen from their parents. The children were sent to schools run by other boards on the edge of London such as the one in Mitcham run by the Holborn Union, and the one in Hanwell run by the Central London School District. In 1867, the Bethnal Green Guardians reported that conditions at Mitcham were unsatisfactory — the children were not clean and tidy, and not enough was being done to find work or apprenticeships for the older boys. The following year, the Board decided to set up their own schools and so bought Leytonstone House and its nine acres of grounds for the sum of £9,500. The site was located on Whipps Cross Road, to the south-west of what is now the Green Man roundabout in Leytonstone. Most of the outbuildings on the estate were demolished but the main house was retained to act as the administrative centre for the new complex. The schools opened on 18th August 1868, with the children's accommodation initially being in the form of temporary iron buildings. Within months of their opening, the schools were centre of a scandal when the Matron, Mrs Wells, was accused of cruelty to some of the children in her charge. The case was reported in The Times on 8th December, 1868. Yesterday Mr. Corbett, Poor-law Inspector, held an inquiry in the Board-room of the Bethnal Board of Guardians, respecting a charge of cruelty brought against Mrs. Wells, the matron of Bethnal-green Workhouse Schools at Leytonstone. Mr. Poland attended to watch the case on behalf of the guardians, and Mr. Lewis, solicitor, represented Mrs. Wells. Mr. M. Williams appeared for Mr. Wells. The proceedings lasted several hours, and a number of girls of about 14 years of age, all pupils at the Leytonstone Schools, were examined. The Inspector said that charges against Mrs. Wells were that she had upon various occasions beaten and otherwise ill-treated girls placed under her care by the workhouse authorities. There were also charges against Mr. Wells, the Master, that he had been absent without leave, and that he had returned to the schools at 1 o'clock in the morning intoxicated. Mr. Poland stated that on Tuesday, the 24th of last month, fours girls — Prior, Perks, Wynne, and Gilbert — ran away from the Leytonstone Schools. They were from 12 to 14 years of age, and they were accompanied by two boys, scholars at the schools. The boys were aged 12, and their names were Edwards and Brook. The four girls were met in Bethnal Green by a guardian and a relieving officer. Upon being recognized as workhouse children they were asked what had happened, and replied, "We ran away from the schools because we were beaten." The children were taken to the workhouse, where they all made the same statement. The medical officer examined them the next day and certain marks that might have been made by a cane were found upon them. The guardians then took up the matter, and the Poor-Law Board were communicated with. Sarah Prior, aged 14, deposed that the matron had not beaten her except on one occasion, when she gave her a slight stroke across the hand with a little cane. She accounted for certain marks found upon her back and those upon three other girls by saying that they had been beaten with sticks by four boys and by two others with their hands for a quarter of an hour in the bath-room on the day of their absconding. They were beaten in play. Esther Perks, aged 13, said that the girls did not start from the school for the purpose of running away. They merely left to take a walk, thinking they would get back before bed time. Night came on, and then they made up their minds to go to Bethnal-gGreen. The only beatings that she had ever had were two cuts on the hand with a cane. The three others got the same punishment at the same time. The boys had caused the marks of violence on her back. Mary Jane Frogget, aged 14, said she saw the matron beat Prior on the back in the long room. She struck her four times with a cane. Mrs. Wells accidentally struck Perks on the forehead at the same time. Jane Sheen, aged 14, said that Prior refused to clean some brass taps in the kitchen. Mrs. Wells then went to cane her for her impudence. Prior ran around the room and jumped over the forms. Mrs. Wells followed her. The girls only got four blows with a cane. The cane broke and flew in pieces round the room. Elizabeth Yardley said that she had been told by Mrs. Wells to tell the guardians that they were not beaten. The Inspector then adjourned the enquiry for further evidence. The Poor-Law Board found the charges against Mr. Wells to be conclusively proved, and required his immediate resignation. The charges of drunkenness and cruelty against Mrs. Wells were found not to have been substantiated, but as she had admitted having given female children "handers" contrary to the regulation which forbids their corporal punishment under any circumstances, and as her tenure of office depended on that of the master, they were compelled also to call for her immediate resignation. Between 1881 and 1889 the temporary iron buildings were gradually replaced by new permanent blocks designed by A and C Harston. A report from 1889 described the official opening of the new buildings. \|LEYTONSTONE, E.- The new workhouse schools erected from the designs of Messrs. A. and C. Harston, at Leytonstone, for the Bethnal-green Board of Guardians, were formally opened on Wednesday week. Six semi-detached houses for boys form one side of a quadrangle, 300ft. by 224ft. ; six similar houses for infants and girls form the other side ; whilst the end is bounded by a building which contains the school and class-rooms. In the middle of the quadrangle is a block containing the dining-hall (also used as a chapel), stores, baths, &c. Each house contains four bedrooms with special window-head ventilators of the architects' invention (each bedroom accommodates twelve, children, so, that there are forty-eight in each house), a day-room,, small rooms for the children's attendants, and a lavatory, containing a long water-pipe with sixteen rose jets which deliver the water in a fine spray by which the children wash, bowls being thus dispensed with and the risk of communicating ophthalmia (that pest of Poor Law schools) being reduced to a minimum. The houses are in semi-detached pairs, and the buildings all communicate under the shelter of an open-fronted arcade, which forms a covered way on the ground story, and on the first-floor level of a flat asphalted terrace. The most striking feature of the centre block is the dining-hall and chapel, which measures 80ft. by 45ft., and has an open-timbered roof. The other parts of the centre block are the needlework- room, kitchen, 40ft. by 24ft., sculleries, stores, swimming-bath, 34ft. by 20ft., bath-rooms, with slipper baths, and boiler-house, containing two large Cornish steam boilers. All the new buildings are built of the best hard block bricks, with slated roofs. In other parts of the grounds there have been built a large asphalted playground, fitted with gymnastic apparatus, and containing an open-fronted covered playshed, 100ft. long ; a group of workshops, and a laundry. The total cost of the new building is £45,000. The whole school establishment, including the older infirmaries, receiving wards, and schoolrooms, accommodates 664 children. Messrs. Jackson and Todd, of Hackney-road, were successful in obtaining the three successive building contracts, under which the works have been carried out during the past nine, years. Mr. George Poole was the clerk of the works.\| Leytonstone was an early example of the move away from the large "barrack" schools of the 1850s-60s, such as those at Hanwell towards the rural cottage-home sites such as that were erected by the Shoreditch Union at Horncurch and the Greenwich Union at Sidcup. The site location and layout are shown on the 1915 map below. The original 18th century house at the east became the matron's house and committee rooms. At the rear, it connected via a passageway to kitchens and stores, behind which were the dining-hall and then a swimming pool. To each side were the children's blocks, with boys at the north and girls to the south, arranged as three semi-detached pairs of homes or "cottages". A nursery for young children occupied the ground and first floors of one of the homes on the girls' side. Each home was looked after by a house-mother. The infirmary, at north of the boys' blocks, had two separate blocks, one of which was for contagious cases. In 1898 there were four trained nurses. Washing was done by hand in the laundry which employed a laundress and four assistants. A separate two-storey school building, possible the large block at the west of the site, contained a girls' large schoolroom and classroom on the ground floor, and the boys' large schoolroom and two classrooms on the first floor. There was also a room for infants, although in 1898 was struggling to cope with the number (around 100) of infants. At that time, four schoolmasters and four schoolmistresses were employed. Workshops, which included a tailor's, shoemaker's, painter's and carpenter', were located in a block to the north of the entrance which also had a bandroom on the first floor. The block to the south of the old house is believed to have served as a receiving ward, also under the charge of a house-mother. It had 24 beds and new admissions were kept there for two weeks following their arrival. The new arrivals were despatched to Leytonstone in fortnightly batches after having spent up to two weeks in the main workhouse. The schools had an open-air gymnasium and playing field for games. The nearby woods were also used for regular rambles. Occasional treats included annual outings to a pantomime and to the seaside. Changes to the poor law legislation in 1899 allowed the Guardians to 'adopt' children of 'immoral' parents not in receipt of poor relief, and also take very young children into care to allow their mothers to work and support their older siblings. Up until 1904, the children all received their education and some craft training entirely on the premises except for a group of boys who went to the Metropolitan Asylum Board's naval training ship Exmouth. From 1904, all those over eight were sent to local schools. Any cases of severe mental handicap were passed on to the MAB's home at Darenth in Kent. After leaving the schools, the girls were looked after and reported upon by the Metropolitan Association for Befriending Young Servants (MABYS), and the boys, when apprenticed by the general relieving officer, or if sent to working boys' homes or houseboys' brigades, by the superintendents of those establishments. In 1930, control of the site passed to the London County Council. At that time, there were 397 children in residence ranging in age from two weeks and fifteen years. The schools continued in operation as Leytonstone Children's Home until March 1937, with the under-fives receiving Montessori teaching in-house, and the older children receiving education and training with local schools and employers. The site subsequently became Leytonstone House Hospital, providing help for people with learning difficulties. Following its closure in around 2000, the site has now been redeveloped for residential use with a number of the original buildings being preserved. The Ancestry website has two collections of London workhouse records: - The London Workhouse Admission and Discharge Records (1738-1930) are searchable by name. - The Poor Law and Board of Guardian Records, 1430-1930 are more extensive but only provide browsable page images. London Metropolitan Archives, 40 Northampton Road, London EC1R OHB. - Waterloo Road Workhouse — Admissions and discharges (1919-35); Births (1878-1926); Deaths (1895-1935); Creed register (1869-1935); Registers of lost children (1897-1929); etc. - Well Street Workhouse — Creed register (1891-1900). - Leytonstone Children's Home Admissions and discharges (1915-37); Births (1901-14); Deaths (1869-95); Baptisms (1928-36); Punishments (1911-36); etc. - Cambridge Heath Road Infirmary — Admissions and discharges (1879-1926); Creed registers (1900-18); Register of inmates (1900-15); etc. - The Lancet January 27, 1866. - The Builder March 10, 1900. Unless otherwise indicated, this page () is copyright Peter Higginbotham. Contents may not be reproduced without permission.
Have you taken the fun little quiz to find out how much you know about Thanksgiving? I'll tell you something about the history of Thanksgiving Day that encourages us to step back and give thanks for all the blessings we have. Maybe you will discover some unusual things about the history of Thanksgiving. In 1620, a boat filled with more than one hundred people sailed across the Atlantic Ocean to settle in the New World. This religious group had begun to question the beliefs of the Church of England and they wanted to separate from it. The Pilgrims settled in what is now the state of Massachusetts. Their first winter in the New World was difficult. They had arrived too late to grow many crops; and without fresh food, half the colony died from disease. The following spring, the Iroquois Indians taught them how to grow corn (maize), a new food for the colonists. They showed them other crops to grow in the unfamiliar soil and how to hunt and fish. In the autumn of 1621, bountiful crops of corn, barley, beans and pumpkins were harvested. The colonists had much to be thankful for, so a feast was planned. They invited the local Indian chief and ninety Indians. The Indians brought deer to roast with the turkeys and other wild games offered by the colonists. The colonists had learned how to cook cranberries and different kinds of corn and squash dishes from the Indians. To this first Thanksgiving, the Indians had even brought popcorn. In following years, many of the original colonists celebrated the autumn harvest with a feast of thanks. After the United States became an independent country, Congress recommended one yearly day of thanksgiving, for the whole nation to celebrate. George Washington suggested the date November 26 as...
So it turns out the United States is not, in fact, the educational wasteland tech industry lobbyists would have you think. Companies like Microsoft often claim that America is suffering from an economically hobbling shortage of science, math, and computer talent. The solution, they argue, is to let employers fill their hiring gaps by importing tens of thousands of educated guest workers beyond what the law currently allows. Much as farmers want to bring in field workers from Mexico on short-term visas, software developers desperately want to bring in more coders from India. The Senate's current immigration bill would grant their wish. As written, it vastly increases the annual limit on H1-B visas, which allow corporations to bring employees with a bachelor's degree to the U.S. from overseas for up to six years. Roughly half the guest workers who currently arrive through the program come for computer-related jobs. When Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced earlier this month that he was forming a political action group to back the reform effort, it was in part seen as a move to ensure that the H1-B provision would make it to President Obama's desk intact. There's just one problem. That whole skills shortage? It's a myth, as was amply illustrated (yet again) in a report written by researchers from Rutgers, Georgetown, and American University, and issued by the Economic Policy Institute. It still might be the case that tech companies are having trouble finding specific skill sets in certain niches (think cloud software development, or Android programming), but there simply aren't any signs pointing to a broad dearth of talent. Our Programmer Surplus Colleges, for instance, are already minting far more programmers and engineers than the job market is absorbing. Roughly twice as many American undergraduates earn degrees in science, technology, engineering, and math disciplines than go on to work in those fields. As shown in the EPI graph below, in 2009 less than two thirds of employed computer science grads were working in the IT sector a year after graduation. Meanwhile, the unemployment rate for programmers is still stuck well above its pre-recession average. Could it be that schools aren't teaching their students the right stuff, that despite their fancy credentials, today's grads lack the programming chops or logical prowess needed to succeed at a Google or Microsoft? Not so much. In industries where talent is scarce, economists generally expect wages to rise, as desperate companies go chasing after what few qualified souls they think can do the job. That's exactly what's happened to oil and gas engineers over the last decade during the energy boom, for instance. But while there have certainly been anecdotal accounts of Silicon Valley firms tossing outrageous sums at elite college students, in the big picture, programmer salaries have been stagnant ever since the dotcom bubble went bust more than a decade ago. The pattern holds whether you look at the national data, or just at traditional tech centers such as Silicon Valley, the Route 128 corridor outside Boston, Dallas, or Austin, where you'd expect competition for talent to be hottest. The "Indentured" Workers Problem The H1-B program's fiercest critics, such as University of California, Davis computer science professor Norman Matloff, have long derided it as little more than a pipeline for cheap "indentured" labor. Companies are technically supposed to hire H1-B immigrants only if there are no Americans available to do the job, and then are required to pay them on par with U.S.-born professionals. Thanks to an array of legal loopholes in the way appropriate wages are calculated, though, it doesn't necessarily work out that way. Often, it comes down to a matter of age: Companies frequently save money by hiring a young, less experienced immigrant instead of an older American who would command a higher salary. And because the bureaucratic hurdles make it difficult for H1-B holders to switch jobs -- particularly if they're stuck in line waiting for a green card -- guest workers have notorious difficulty bargaining for promotions or raises. They also can't go off and start their own businesses, as they'd lose their visa. Unlike green card holders, they're professionally chained in place. The program has also fed the pernicious growth of IT outsourcing firms. These companies use H1-B visas to import low cost tech workers by the thousands, who they hire out to American corporations as substitutes for better-paid, in-house staff. The Boston Globe reports that just 4 of these companies -- New Jersey-based Cognizant Technology Solutions along with India-based Tata Consultancy Services, Wipro, and Infosys -- claimed 20 percent of the 134,780 H1-B visas that were approved in 2012. In light of these concerns and what we now know about the "skills shortage," is there any way to justify expanding H1-B? Possibly, but only with caution. The Benefits of High-Skill Immigration Hollow rhetoric about our unskilled workforce aside, there are a few compelling arguments in favor of H1-B. First, and most simply, it's reasonable to think that companies should be able to quickly and easily fish for talent abroad in the cases where it's truly necessary. Moreover, there may be evidence that the H1-B program has been a net plus for American workers. Earlier this year, U.C. Davis's Giovanni Peri and Colgate's Chad Sparber released a draft paper suggesting that that from 1990 to 2010, the influx of H1-B workers actually accounted for an astounding 10 to 20 percent of yearly U.S. productivity growth, and added $615 billion to the economy. That, they say, boosted both wages and employment for U.S. born scientists and engineers. There were undoubtedly winners and losers; while average salaries rose, some older Americans almost certainly gave up their jobs to younger immigrants with fresher skills. But if the paper is right, that price seems worthwhile in the grand scheme of things. Finally, over the long term we really do want more immigration. Economies grow essentially one of two ways: productivity growth, or population growth. H1-B helps with the latter. It obviously is not a perfect tool for the job (after all, it's technically supposed to be a "non-immigrant" visa). It would be far better if we simply handed skilled workers more green cards -- and to be fair, the immigration bill is designed to do that as well -- since that gives them the freedom to shop around for jobs, bargain for higher pay, and set down roots in a community. But inviting in a group of educated, decently paid, law-abiding professionals who might one day become permanent residents through employer sponsorship or through marriage isn't a terrible second option. A Policy Compromise So perhaps a compromise is in order. Today, the the number of generic H1-B visas available to for-profit companies is capped at 65,000, with another 20,000 set aside for foreign students who earn an advanced degree at U.S. universities.* The Senate plan would give those numbers an MLB-sized shot in the arm. The cap would jump to 110,000 visas minimum, but could go as high 180,000, based on a formula that would account for both demand from employers and the unemployment rate for skilled professionals. Another 25,000 visas would be around for advanced degree earners. This is too much, too fast for program that's such a mixed bag in its present state. Instead of rushing to bulk it up, Congress should just make the system more flexible by leaving the cap at 65,000 and carefully indexing it to health of the job market (the current formula could probably use some tweaking). That would give it room to grow without creating a sudden surge of new guest workers into an economy that may not be primed to handle them. It would also create time to judge Congress's efforts to fix the program's many faults. The immigration bill both increases the minimum salaries employers will have to pay H1-B workers and comes loaded with financial penalties aimed at cracking down on companies, like the outsourcing firms, that over-rely on the visas. But will that be enough to head off future abuse? We don't know, and it seems unwise to super-size H1-B until we do. Our immigration system should be designed to adjust to the needs of the market, but for the time being, we seem to have as many brains as the market needs. Let's not act like we don't. *Academic institutions and nonprofits aren't subject to the cap at all. A note to regular readers: A few Atlantic fans might recall that I've written much more blithely in support of increasing the H1-B program cap in the past. As I've learned more about the program, my thoughts about it have obviously changed. While I would love it if all of my opinions were unimpeachably well thought out, I think I have an obligation to be transparent in cases where they were not. We want to hear what you think about this article. Submit a letter to the editor or write to [email protected].
Torian's Projects: Introduction All of Torian’s Western Australian projects are located in the Eastern Goldfields Province of the Yilgarn Craton. Most of the rocks within the tenements are of Archaean age. Such ancient rocks host many of the earth’s major gold, nickel and base metal deposits and have been dated at between 2.5-3.0Ga years old. The famous gold mines at Kalgoorlie which have produced over 70 Moz Au and the huge nickel sulphide deposits at Kambalda and Mt Keith are hosted by rocks of similar ages and origins. The Archaean rocks of the Yilgarn Craton are broadly subdivided into granites and greenstones. The granites form large, coalescing, ovoid shaped regions up to several hundreds of kilometres in length and width, generally separated by narrow elongate Greenstone Belts composed of ancient volcanic rocks and sediments that have subsequently been deformed and metamorphosed by complex tectonic and mineralising events. Such events are believed to have been responsible for the formation of major gold, nickel and base-metal deposits in a wide variety of rock-types.
Peripheral neuropathy is a condition characterized by damaged nerve endings, most commonly in the feet and lower legs. Generally, a patient’s symptoms are initially localized to the digits and plantar aspect of the foot but over time can spread proximally to the distal third of the leg. There are dozens of research studies out there showing just how effective light therapy is with healing. Here's 30 of them that pertain mostly to neuropathy. Most cases are related to diabetes which impacts between 60 to 70 percent of all patients with diabetes. This is because elevated blood sugars eventually damage the small blood vessels that provide nutrients to the nerves. Since the blood vessels cannot provide adequate nutrients to nerves, nerve injuries do not properly heal and regenerate. There are dozens of other causes of neuropathy including trauma as well as the side effects of prescription drugs. Light Therapy Treatment Medical treatment for years has centered on pain management medicine to cover up the symptoms while the condition progresses. A much more natural, effective, non-invasive approach is the cutting-edge Light Therapy. This painless approach employs a powerful system that focuses on healing the damaged nerve endings, rather than covering up the symptoms with dangerous drugs which can cause terrible side effects. How Does It Work? The key discovery is that Light Therapy actually stimulates the tissues of the body at the cellular level. The light energy penetrates the skin and is absorbed by the mitochondria of the cells. This energizes the mitochondria and accelerates healing of damaged nerves and surrounding tissues. It does this in part by increasing the oxygenation of injured tissue. In fact, regardless of what type of tissue that is involved, Ideal Light dramatically increases cellular function. Helping Peripheral Neuropathy with Light Therapy Every year over three million new cases of peripheral neuropathy are diagnosed in the United States alone and the rate continues to grow each year. These patients suffer from neuropathic pain and disability including numbness and tingling along with sharp, throbbing or burning pain. The condition can lead to foot ulceration, gait disturbance and even amputation. The pain experienced by people with diabetic neuropathy also impacts their quality of life. This includes difficulty in walking, sleeping and eventually contributes to a decrease in social interaction. The principle behind Light Therapy is to enhance the functioning of the mitochondria, the organelles in the cell that are responsible for taking on nutrients and turning them into energy. This in turn improves the function of the whole cell. The end result is increased healing and circulation with significant symptomatic relief. Some of the most common ailments that you can use Light Therapy on include: Diabetic Neuropathy, Plantar Fasciitis, Bunions, Heel Spur, Fungal Nail Infection, Achilles Tendon Injuries, Sprained Ankle, Calf Injuries
To measure and record potentials and currents in the body an electrode can be used as biomedical sensor . This seems to be a very simple function, but in fact an electrode recording biopotentials is actually a transducer, converting ionic currents in the body into electronic currents in the electrode. This transduction function greatly complicates electrode design. Figure 4 shows an electrode-electrolyte interface. The electrode only has one type of charge carrier (electron), whereas the electrolyte has two types of charge carriers (cation and anion). The electrolyte is an aqueous solution containing cations of the electrode metal C+ and anions A-. The electrode consists of metallic atoms C and the current crosses the interface from left to right. At the interface, charge is exchanged through chemical reactions, which can be generally represented as:where n is the valence of C and m is the valence of A. Figure 4. Electrode-electrolyte interface A potential difference know as the half-cell potential is determined by the metal involved, the concentration of its ions in solution, and the temperature. The standard half cell potential, E0, is the potential for 1M concentration solution at 25°C when no current flows across the interface. When a circuit is constructed to allow current to flow across an electrode-electrolyte interface, the observed half-cell potential is often altered. The difference between the observed half-cell potential for a particular circuit and the standard half cell potential is known as the overpotential. Three basic mechanisms contribute to the overpotential: ohmic, concentration, and activation. 1. The ohmic overpotential is the voltage drop across the electrolyte itself due to the finite resistivity of the solution. Overall, this is usually not a big voltage in high concentration solutions. 2. The concentration overpotential results from changes in ionic concentration near the electrode-electrolyte interface when current flows. Oxidation-reduction reaction rates at the interface change with excess charge due to a finite current. This modifies the equilibrium concentration of ions changing the half-cell potential. 3. Charge transfer in the oxidation-reduction reaction at the interface is not entirely reversible. For metal ions to be oxidized, they must overcome an energy barrier. If the direction of current flow is one way, then either oxidation or reduction dominates, and the height of the barrier changes. This energy difference produces a voltage between the electrode and the electrolyte, known as the activation overpotential. The overpotential of an electrode is then given by the sum of these three polarization mechanisms: Vp = Vr + Vc + Va where Vr is the ohmic overpotential, Vc is the concentration overpotential, and Va is the activation overpotential. Note that overpotentials impede current flow across the interface. A way to minimize Vp is to use nonpolarizable electrodes. These allow conduction current to flow across the interface with no energy exchange and there are no overpotentials for this type of electrode. The best electrode to use for all possibilities for biological electrode system is the silver/silver chloride (Ag/AgCl) electrode. This is made of a silver metal base with attached insulated lead wire coated with a layer of the ionic compound AgCl. The electrode is then immersed in an electrolyte bath in which the principle anion of the electrolyte is Cl-. For the best results, the electrolyte solution should also be saturated with AgCl so there is little chance for any of the surface film on the electrode to dissolve. Cl- is an attractive anion for electrode applications with mammals since these animals (including humans) have an excess of chloride ions in solution. The electrode-electrolyte interaction is described by the reaction Ag ⇔ Ag+ + e- Ag+ + Cl- ⇔ AgCl(precipitate) And the Nerst equation for the reaction can be written as: E = E0 + —— ln(Ks)- —— ln(acl-) The first two terms on the right side of this last expression are constants - only the third is related to ionic activity. In biological systems, the large chlorine ion concentration makes its activity fairly constant. This means that the half-cell potential for this electrode is quite stable for biological systems. In this article we will only consider low current densities, and consequently the electrode-electrolyte interface can be modeled as a linear system with an equivalent circuit composed exclusively of linear components (i.e., voltage/current sources, resistors, capacitors and inductors). The terminal characteristics of an electrode have both resistive and reactive components. Figure 5. Equivalent circuit for a biopotential electrode in contact with an electrolyte. Ehc is the half-cell potential, Rd and Cd make up the impedance associated with the electrode-electrolyte interface and polarization effects, and Rs is the series resistance associated with interface effects and due to resistance in the electrolyte Fig. 5 shows the equivalent circuit of the electrode-electrolyte interface. In this circuit Rd and Cd represent the resistance (i.e., conduction currents) and the capacitance (i.e., displacement currents) respectively resulting from the double-layer of ionic charge at the electrode-electrolyte interface. The resistance Rs is the series resistance associated with equivalent losses in the electrolyte itself. There are three primary layers in the skin. The outermost layer, or epidermis, plays the most important role in the electrode-skin interface. It is a constantly changing layer, the outer surface of which consists of dead material on the skin’s surface with different electrical characteristics from live tissue. The deeper layers of skin contain the vascular and nervous components of the skin as well as the sweat glands, ducts, and hair follicles. These layers are similar to others in the body, and with the exception of the sweat glands, can be modeled as equivalent to the electrical characteristics of the rest of the viscera. Given this anatomy, a general equivalent circuit describing the characteristics of both the electrode-electrolyte interaction and the connection to the skin can be developed, as illustrated in figure 6. Figure 6 Total electrical equivalent circuit obtained for a body-surface electrode placed against skin The epidermis can be considered a semipermeable membrane to ions, so a potential given by the Nernst equation, can be developed if there is a difference in ionic concentrations across this membrane. The dermis and subcutaneous layer under it behave in general as pure resistances. They generate negligible DC potentials. Finally, the electrical characteristics of the sweat glands must also be taken into account for a complete model of a skin electrode. The fluid secreted by sweat glands contains Na+, K+, and Cl- ions, the concentrations of which differ from those in extracellular fluid. This produces a potential between the lumen of the sweat duct and the dermis and subcutaneous layers. There is also a parallel RpCp combination with this potential representing the wall of the sweat gland and duct. This equivalent model has been used by many authors to simulate the electrical behaviour of the electrode-skin interaction.
Long ago there was a poor little orphan boy who had no home and no one to protect him. All the inhabitants of the village neglected and abused him. He was not allowed to sleep in any of the huts, but one family permitted him to lie outside in the cold passage among the dogs who were his pillows and his quilt. They gave him no good meat, but flung him bits of tough walrus hide such as they gave to the dogs, and he was obliged to gnaw it as the dogs did, for he had no knife. The only one who took pity on him was a young girl, and she gave him a small piece of iron for a knife. "You must keep it hidden, or the men will take it from you," she said. He did not grow at all because he had so little food. He remained poor little Quadjaq, and led a miserable life. He did not dare even to join in the play of the boys, for they called him a "poor little shriveled bag of bones," and were always imposing upon him on account of his weakness. When the people gathered in the singing house he used to lie in the passage and peep over the threshold. Now and then a man would take him by the nose and lift him into the house and make him carry out a jar of water. It was so large and heavy that he had to take hold of it with both hands and his teeth. Because he was so often lifted by his nose, it grew very large, but he remained small and weak. At last the Man in the Moon, who protects all the Eskimo orphans, noticed how the men ill-treated Quadjaq, and came down to help him. He harnessed his dappled dog to his sledge and drove down. When he was near the hut he stopped the dog and called, "Quadjaq, come out." The boy thought it was one of the men who wanted to plague him, and he said, "I will not come out. Go away." "Come out, Quadjaq," said the Man from the Moon, and his voice sounded softer than the voices of the men. But still the boy hesitated, and said, "You will cuff me." "No, I will not hurt you. Come out," said the Moon Man. Then Quadjaq came slowly out, but when he saw who it was he was even more frightened than if it had been one of the men standing there. The Moon Man took him to a place where there were many large boulders and made him lie across one as if he were to be paddled. Quadjaq was scared but he did not dare disobey. The Man from the Moon took a long, thin ray of moonlight and whipped the boy softly with it. "Do you feel stronger?" he asked. "Yes, I feel a little stronger," said the lad. "Then lift yon boulder," said the Man. But Quadjaq was not able to lift it, so he was whipped again. "Do you feel stronger now?" asked the Man. "Yes, I feel stronger," said Quadjaq. "Then lift the boulder." But again he was not able to lift the stone more than a foot from the ground, and he had to be whipped again. After the third time he was so strong that he lifted the boulder as if it had been a pebble. "That will do now," said the Man from the Moon. "Rays of light even from the Moon give you strength. To-morrow morning I shall send three bears. Then you may show what power you have." The Man then got into his sledge and went back to his place in the Moon. Every time a moonbeam had hit Quadjaq he had felt himself growing. His feet began first and became enormously large, and when the Man left him, he found himself a good-sized man. In the morning he waited for the bears, and three bears did really come, growling and looking so fierce that the men of the village ran into their huts and shut the doors. But Quadjaq put on his boots and ran down to the ice where the bears were. The men peering out through the window holes said, "Can that be Quadjaq? The bears will soon eat the foolish fellow." But he seized the first one by its hind legs and smashed its head on an iceberg near which it was standing. The next one fared no better. But the third one he took in his arms and carried it up to the village and let it eat some of his persecutors. "That is for abusing me!" he cried. "That is for ill-treating me!" Those that he did not kill ran away never to return. Only a few who had been kind to him when he was a poor skinny boy were spared. Among them, of course, was the girl who had given him the knife, and she became his wife. Notes: Contains 31 folktales gathered from the Eskimo living in North America. Author: Clara Kern Bayliss Publisher: Thomas Y. Crowell Company, USA
If we speak about cultural relations particularly in the music, it should be noted that borrowing in the field take place very easily and spread quickly over a large area, because the music is connected with specific objects, the use of which is not too difficult for people endowed with an ear for music and a desire to show their talent. The first musical instruments occurred on the basis of targeted modernization of household goods and tools. For example, using a bow like a musical instrument was initiated when it was noticed that stretched bowstring may make listenable sound, and hollow pots, in certain cases, may enhance a sound driving resonance with it. Besides tapping the empty bowl also makes it possible to obtain pleasant sounds. We find oldest elementary music terminology at the ancient Bulgars, a people of Turkish origin, living wide expanses of Ukraine, and for some time known in history as the Scythians. For several centuries, the Scythians were in close contact the ancestors of the Hungarians, which we here call the Magyars. Their homeland was in the south of the common Finno-Ugric territory bounded by the Volga and the Don Rivers. In the days of yore the Magyars were neighbors of the ancestors of the Mari. Between these nations existed language and cultural exchange, including music, as can be seen below. Now many known names of musical instruments have one source of origin in the Bulgarish language, which has a continuation in the modern Chuvash. Of course, the first musical instrument of the Bulgars, whose name in izmenennіh forms spread in many nations, is very different from many of its later modifications. Just the names of the bandura and mandolin, as well as many other musical instruments go back to one source. Relation of these names has no doubt, but it is not clear where and why bandura turned into a mandola, a smaller model which was the mandolin. Thus the word "bandura" is primary, and its origin is associated with the Lat pandura and Gr. πανδουρα "cittern" and its source are looked for in Lydia. (VASMER MAX. 1964. Volume 1, p. 120). Obviously not found, as the roots of words are in the language of the ancient Bulgars, as it is evidenced by Chuv. păntăr-păntăr – imitation of strumming strings, păntărtat – 1. to strum, produce strumming sounds (of a stringed instrument), 2. pop, rattle (on drums) and like. What Chuvash words have a more common sense, means that the stringed musical instrument was borrowed by Indo-Europeans (Greeks and / or Italians) from Bulgars, and not vice versa. At the same time they also borrowed its name. This happened about four thousand years ago, when the Bulgars from their ancestral home in the Lower Dniester switched on Right Bank of Ukraine and came into contact with the Indo-European tribes (see the section Türks as Carriers of the Corded Ware Cultures ). At left A Scythian musician on Sakhnovska plate The Scythians-Bulgars held music in high esteem, as evidenced by the image of the musician on the so-called Sakhnovska plate, which is part of the headdress, and finding remnants of musical instruments during archaeological excavations. There is scant historical evidence that the Scythians had their own five-string musical instrument. This information, analysis of Sakhnovsky musician' posture and musical instrument in his hands, its comparison with the ancient and modern folk ones allow restoration of the appearance of the instrument (see. on the right). Inherent design features have numerous counterparts in the Eastern tradition, so it can not be imported (OLIZNZK O.G.. 2004: 42. Fig. 2). The peoples of the Caucasus have names for musical instruments like the Latin word pandura [(Osset. fændyr "violin", "balalaika", "accordion", "lira", Georg. panduri (ფანდური) "stringed musical instrument similar to a lute"and others], but the source of the borrowing, just as words bandura, difficult to define. Musical instruments with a similar name – Fr. tambourin (long drum), Tat. dumbra "balalaika", Cr.Tat. dambura "guitar", Tur. tambura "guitar", Kazakh. dombra (a type of balalaika), Mong. dombura are used by many Asian and European peoples. It is believed that their names have Arab origin (Ar. tanbūr "stringed musical instrument"). However Chuv. tĕmpĕr-tĕmpĕr "imitation of drumbeat", tĕmpĕrtet "to rattle" (of drum) cast doubt on this, since the similarity of words păntăr and tĕmpĕr speaks to their common Türkic origin.Одновременно ими было позаимствовано также его название. Это произошло приблизительно четыре тысячелетия назад, когда булгары со своей прародины в низовьях Днестра перешли на Правобережную Украины и вступили в контакт с индоевропейскими племенами (об этом см. раздел Тюрки как носители культур шнуровой керамики). As can be seen from the above examples, the spread of musical instruments and their names are complex and varied. Now, we limit ourselves to the subject of the influence on the musical culture of the people through the substrate. Let's begin the conversation with a narrow topic of similarity Ukrainian "kolomiyka" and Chuvash folk songs. Note that the basis of the kolomiyka is rhythm of fast dance, accompanied by singing, shouting and foot stamping. They have a certain resemblance to the Russian "chastushka" (a ditty), but according to experts, "there is no reason to assume that chastushka and kolomiyka have any genetic link» (GOSHOVSKIY V. 1971: 178). Searching similarity of kolomiyka in Chuvash songs are complicated by the fact that music theory still have no formal features that could help finding commonality in musical creativity of different nations, and in particular in the similarity of melodies. The reason lies in the complexity of the study of folk music and just in the establishment of its features mood building on which one can build a comparison of melodies of folk songs. Give the floor to experts: We should honestly admit that today the problem of mood building remains unsolved. Unsolved because – from our perspective – the question itself was repeatedly methodologically incorrect (RUBTSOV F.A. 1973-1: 80) Melody is one of the most important musical events. However its studying has been much less developed than other part of music theory (PAPUSH M. 1973: 135). From the time of this writing, it took several decades, but the situation has not changed. It seems that after the first attempts to find patterns of the mood building musicologists have recognized the complexity of the problem and now they just do not come it radically solve. Words known theorist that "musical folklore has no knowledge system, and represents the sum of observations" (RUBTSOV F.A. 1973-2: 10) stay in much so actual, as at the beginning of the last century when musicologists bolder than now, took up the study of folk music, relying more on their own subjective perception of folk tunes, despite the understanding of the unreliability of intuitive inference. Nevertheless, we can trace some progress in musicology by comparing Carpathian and Hungarian music, as it will be shown below, is also relevant to our topic. In the 30s of the last century Hungarian composer and musicologist Bela Bartok drew attention to the following fact: For western Ukrainian folk dance music is most common so-called kolomiyka… So-called shepherds' Hungarian song material are compared with Ukrainian kolomiyka and are their more or less modified forms. Ther are in Hungarian folklore about 30 groups of variants of these songs. Compared with all musical material, they are quite a small amount, so that the influence of Ukrainian kolomiyka cannot be considered significant (BARTOK BELA. 1966: 27). While Bela Bartok based on an analysis of assembly Ukrainian songs of F. Kolessa, notes borrowing New-Hungarian sufficiently large number of songs by both Ukrainians and Slovaks. He gives several explanations for this fact, including "a predisposition, spiritual kinship between the inhabitants of the Hungarian villages, on the one hand, and, on the other hand – Slovakian and Ukrainian ones" (Ibid, 29). This fact contrasts with the fact that no connection was between the Hungarian and German (Austrian) music, though the influence of German music on the Czech and Slovak especially was very great. Development path of the Hungarian music was by Bela Bartok intuitively defined as follows: Ukrainian kolomiyka → Hungarian shepherd song → recruit music → New-Hungarian folk song (Ibid, 29). As you can see, B. Bartok gave a special role for recruit music that looks a little strange, but it can be explained by the fact that an intensive cultural exchange between soldiers of different nationalities in the multinational Austro-Hungarian state was while serving in the Army. And here is especially important to note that the Ukrainians and Slovaks borrowed only New-Hungarian music, which Ukrainian musicologist, agreeing with Bartok, gives this explanation: Obviously for mastering the ancient Hungarian pentatonic style, nor Ukrainians and Slovaks had no appropriate basis i.e. those "opposing waves" which would facilitate its adaptation (PRAVDIUK O.A. 1982: 78). Here we are getting closer to the subject of comparison Ukrainian and Chuvash folklore music. The fact that the Hungarian folk music, as well as the music of many Finno-Ugric and Turkic peoples from the Volga to China is built on the pentatonic scale, i.e. on a diatonic scale, consisting of five basic tones, while the music of European people had such tones seven. Thus, we have one major trait that unites the Chuvash and Hungarian music, but we can assume that once pentatonic was characteristic also for Ukrainian music. Observation of Bela Bartok eventually was clarified by another famous Hungarian composer and musicologist of 20th cen. Zoltan Kodaly. Initially, he drew attention to the striking and unexpected fact of certain similarities of deep reservoir of Hungarian folk music with song material of Mari and Chuvash people, in proof of that he gave musical notations of Hungarian, Mari, and Chuvash songs (KODALY ZOLTAN. 1961). While he notes in one place that a Chuvash version of one of the test melodies is more archaic than Mari and Hungarian ones though certain melodic ends prevail in the Chuvash material (KODALY ZOLTAN. 1961: 49). Just Chuvash option allowed assuming the presence pentatonic melodies n the Hungarian. Based on the results of studies Hungarian composer draws the following conclusion: Already today we can assume that the form of Hungarian folk music, coinciding with Mari and Chuvash material, are likely an influence of the Bulgars, which obliged the Hungarian language about two hundred loanwords (Ibid: 61). However, that's not all. Zoltan Kodaly also found a similarity between the Ukrainian kolomiyka and Mari folk songs through the Hungarian "shepherds' songs", which more accurately describes as "songs swineherds": Latest Mari materials offer the meantime a new starting point for deciding on the form of "Hungarian kolomiyka". Until now, we, along with Bartok believed that Hungarian type of "swineherd dance"… descended from a common on Carpathian Ukraine form of kolomiyka. However Mari material presents in large quantities as examples for smaller (Carpathian) and for larger (Hungarian) forms of this type (Ibid: 94). Further analysis of melodies of these three peoples leads Zoltan Kodaly to the conclusion of insolvency made earlier assumption "that Carpathisn example is the original, and Hungarian one is a borrowed form" (Ibid: 94). Without going into the intricacies of analysis of the musicologist, we can only treat with attention to his words that the Ukrainian melody is "faded reflection of Hungarian songs." Z. Kodaly says not a word about similarity analyzed melodies to Chuvash one, but in one of the places of his work complains that most part of the Chuvash music still has not been studied, although, as already mentioned, often cites examples of similarity Chuvash and Mari folk music. Taking into account the fact that the Hungarians in their ancestral home were neighbors of Mari in very old times and the fact that no similarity to Hungarian music has not been found in the music of other Finno-Ugric peoples, it can be assumed that in some time Mari, just like the Hungarians, borrowed the melodies from a single source – from the ancient Bulgars. As we can see, the problems is very complex and requires extensive research what was understood by Zoltan Kodaly: To solve this problem it would be necessary, on the one hand, thoroughly investigate all the instrumental and vocal folk music of Eastern Europe, on the other hand, to investigate the possibility Carpathian-Mari touch. It is also natural in further assume Carpathian origin of melodies of another type – not forming fifths structure and having syllabic structure (Ibid: 95). An Ukrainian musicologist Volodymyr Goshovskiy tried to refute Zoltan Kodaly' conclusion. He studied a lot of folk music and on the basis of his research wrote a solid monograph "At the root of Slavic folk music". About kolomiyka he wrote the following: Kolomiykas are the result of specific "kolomiyic" musical-poetic thinking of people, they are present where a carrier of this thinking lives and thogether with him him migrate. Kolomiyka as a certain style cannot be borrowed (GOSHOVSKIY V. 1971: 163). What kolomiyka did not become general Ukrainian heritage, ie it was not borrowed by the bulk of Ukrainians, and is characteristic only for residents of the Carpathian region may indeed correspond to a different specific spiritual community of Carpathian Ukrainians (Huzuls, Boykos, and Lemkos). Recall that B. Bartok spoke of some spiritual kinship residents of Carpathian, Slovaks, and Hungarian villages. However Goshovskiy obviously denied such community and found his own explanation of similarities between kolomiyka and Hungarian "swineherd songs" His conclusions was briefly formulated by another Ukrainian musicologist he (Goshovskiy – V.S.) specified Bartok's thought about influence of Carpathian kolomiyka on New-Hungarian song and found out that the reason for this effect were not the individual songs of swineherds, which carriers were mostly of Transcarpathian origin, but the mass migration of peasants from the Carpathians to Hungary after the defeat of the uprising under leadership of Rákóczi. (MADIAR-NOVAK VIRA 2006: 123). This explanation deserves attention, but does not clarify the reason for the similarity of kolomiyka and Mari songs. Taking into account the presence of the ancient Bulgars in the Carpathians, as it is evidenced by numerous Carpathian place names, we can assume that the formation of the folk culture of the modern population of Ukrainian Carpathians occurred by participating ancient Bulgars, who stayed in these places after the departure of the bulk of their relatives in the steppes of Ukraine at Scythian time. Despite the fact that in the future Carpathian Ukrainians suffer from some cultural influence of migrants from Moldavia and Wallachia, they still kept Bulgarish musical legacy. The Mari also borrowed Bulgarish tunes already later when another part of the Bulgars moved from the Azov region to the Middle Volga banks. Other facts can be found in support of this assumption, though they also require targeted analysis of specialists. For example, as well as Ukrainians, Chuvash prefer choral, polyphonic but not solo singing, how they differ from related Turkic and neighboring Finno-Ugric peoples, which are characterized, according to experts, solo monody of one voice (PRAVDIUK O.A. 1982: 76.) It may be noted also that male Chuvash dances, as well as Ukrainian ones, have such elements as jumping and squats.
Medicine Central™ is a quick-consult mobile and web resource that includes diagnosis, treatment, medications, and follow-up information on over 700 diseases and disorders, providing fast answers—anytime, anywhere. Explore these free sample topics: -- The first section of this topic is shown below -- Zoonotic disease caused by Coxiella burnetii, a hearty organism that can survive for years in soil - Infected animals are usually asymptomatic, although repeated pregnancy losses can occur. - Infection in humans results in illness ranging from mild symptomatology to chronic disease. - Endemic worldwide except in New Zealand - Point-source outbreaks also occur. - Primary reservoirs are farm animals (cattle, goats, sheep) and urban pets (dogs, cats, rabbits) (1). - Environmental reservoirs are wild animals: mammals, birds, reptiles, and ticks. Ticks may act as vectors but are not a necessary link in transmission (1). - Acanthamoeba castellanii may also be a reservoir (1). - The highest concentration of C. burnetii is present in products of conception (amniotic fluid and placenta): - Also excreted in urine, feces, and milk - Typically inhalation of infected aerosol droplets: infected barnyard dust, air conditioning (1) - Consumption of unpasteurized dairy products - Percutaneous exposure - Human-to-human transmission: Infected parturient women, sexual intercourse, fomite transmission, transplacental transmission, tick bites, blood transfusion, and bone marrow transplantation are other means of transmission. - United States - Largest reported outbreak of Q fever was in the Netherlands from 2007 to 2010. - Incidence increases with age; 5 times more likely to occur in patients >15 years - Male > female (2.5:1); males more often symptomatic Estimated seroprevalence in the United States is 3% in healthy adults and 10–20% in high-risk occupations. Q fever is underdiagnosed and underreported (2). Etiology and Pathophysiology - C. burnetii is an obligate intracellular bacterium with a pleomorphic membrane akin to gram-negative bacteria; prefers mononuclear phagocytes but can infect other cell lines (3) - Resistance to heat, drying, and disinfectants allows organism to survive and promotes environmental spread. This makes source identification difficult. - Highly infectious, one organism sufficient to cause disease - Class B bioterrorism agent - Incubation period is 1 to 3 weeks (1). - Clinically relevant antigenic variation - Phase I (wild type); virulent natural phase found in infected animals and humans. In chronic Q fever infection, phase I antibodies are higher. - Phase II is less infectious in immunocompetent mammals and is typically found after laboratory processing. Antibodies to phase II are higher in acute Q fever infection. - C. burnetii in nonimmune persons causes: - Asymptomatic infection (60%) - Mild illness (36–38%) - Severe illness and hospitalization (2–4%) (4) - Acute Q fever with mild illness - Self-limited flulike illness that resolves after 1 to 3 weeks and is often undiagnosed - Acute Q fever with severe illness - Presents as atypical pneumonia, encephalitis, aseptic meningitis, prolonged fever of unknown origin, myocarditis, pericarditis, or hepatitis - Pneumonia is more likely in older patients, can last up to 90 days; often mistaken as viral - Hepatitis is more common in younger patients and is a granulomatous process. - Rare: hemolytic or hypoplastic anemia, orchitis, thyroiditis, pancreatitis (inappropriate secretion of antidiuretic hormone [SIADH]), glomerulonephritis, bone marrow necrosis, acalculous cholecystitis, panniculitis, splenic rupture, or epididymitis (4) - Post-Q fever fatigue syndrome: occurs in 20% of patients with acute Q fever. Patients have symptoms for >1 year, elevated antibody titres, and lack of clinical and laboratory evidence for chronic Q fever (3). - Chronic Q fever is defined as infection lasting >6 months. It may develop months or years after the initial infection in a vulnerable host: - Affects 1–5% of persons with acute Q fever - Most common manifestation is endocarditis (60–70%). Less common manifestations include osteomyelitis, vascular aneurysms, prosthetic infections, pulmonary interstitial fibrosis, pericardial effusion, pulmonary pseudotumor, lymphoma-like illness, amyloidosis, and mixed cryoglobulinemia (4). Genetic factors do not influence clinical course. - Occupational: farmers, abattoir (slaughterhouse) workers, veterinarians, or other animal handlers; laboratory personnel, and people handling unpasteurized dairy products, wool, or animal hides - Living in a rural area within 10 miles of a farm with cattle, sheep, or goats (3) - Recent travel/military service in areas of higher risk (agricultural communities, Netherlands, Middle East) - Tobacco smoking (1) - Consumption of raw milk - Risk for progression from acute to chronic Q fever is seen with increased age, preexisting valvular heart disease, prosthetic joints, and immunocompromise. Often a self-limited, milder acute illness; chronic Q fever is rare. GI symptoms in 50–80%; skin rash in 50% (3) Q fever in the 1st trimester increases risk of chronic Q fever and obstetric complications. Vaccine is not commercially available in the United States: - Registered in Australia and given to abattoir workers - Efficacious in specific populations; duration of immunogenicity is uncertain (5).
This course is divided into four units: Unit 1: Russia 1917-1991: From Lenin to Yeltsin Unit 2: Mao’s China 1949-1976 Unit 3: Protest, Agitation and Parliamentry Reform in Britain 1780-1928 Unit 4: The Cold War, its Development and its Demise 1945-1990 In order to recieve your Pearson Edexcel A Level in History (Specification: 9HI0), you will be required to sit three written examinations, and submit one piece of coursework. It is the responsibility of the student to find a centre and book their exams as a private candidate. All exam fees are payable directly to the centre. We will provide you with a list of recommended centres around the country when you enroll. When you book your exams you may be asked to provide exam codes. These are listed below, and will be sent to you on enrollment. Paper One: Breadth study with Interpretations-Russia 1917-1991: From Lenin to Yeltsin (Code: 1E) 1 hour 30 minutes in total. (30% of total for A Level qualification) Paper Two: Depth study - Mao's China 1949-1976 (Code: 2E.1) 1 hour 30 minutes in total. (20% of total for A Level qualification) Paper Three: Themes in breadth, with aspects in depth - Protest, agitation and parliamentary reform in Britain 1780-1928 (Code: 36.1) 2 hours 15 minutes in total. (30% of total for A Level qualification) Coursework option: The Cold War, its development and its demise (1945-90) (Code: 04) Coursework requirements: Produce a detailed essay of approximately 3-4,000 words on the subject matter above, with suggested questions provided. Students can break this into sections or write it as one continuous extended essay. (20% of total for A Level qualification) Further information on all units can be found from the web link below:
Alibre Options: Creating Patterns Using Standard Sketch Shapes9 Jun, 2006 By: Michael Todd Save time when creating duplicate 3D features with the Feature Pattern tool. In last month's tech tip, I discussed how to save time when creating duplicate 3D features by using the Feature Pattern tool. This month, I will cover another time-saving pattern option -- this time in sketch mode. Alibre Design offers several standard sketch shapes that you can use to create patterns with a large number of instances -- for example, creating a hole pattern for airflow in a sheet metal plate. Using the standard sketch shapes will not only save you modeling time but will save regeneration time and reduce file size because standard sketch shape patterns are treated as one entity in Alibre Design. You can use standard sketch shape patterns to create various 3D features, but in this example I will use them for a sheet metal cut feature. Creating the Pattern 1. Create a 3D model on which you want to place a pattern. I will begin with a sheet metal plate (approximately 8.0" x 3.0") that needs a hole pattern for airflow (figure 1). Figure 1. Sheet metal part. 2. In the work area, select the face to use as the sketch plane (the face will highlight in a different color when you select it) and then select the Activate 2D Sketch tool. 3. Choose the Sketch Shapes menu from the Sketching toolbar and then select the shape you wish to use (figure 2). For this example, I will use the Double D shape. After selecting the appropriate tool, the Shape dialog box appears (figure 3). Figure 2. Sketch shapes are available on the Sketching toolbar. Figure 3. The Double D Shape dialog box appears after selecting the Double D Shape tool. 4. Fill in the appropriate values for the shape. For the double D shape, I need to specify the lengths of two sides and an angle, if desired. I will use 1.0" for the XL length, 0.50" for the YL length, and 90 degrees for the angle. 5. Select the pattern type to use. The pattern options are: single instance (no pattern), linear pattern, arc pattern, circle pattern and grid pattern (figure 4). For this example, I will select the grid pattern. You will have various options to specify depending on the pattern you choose. Figure 4. The Double D Shape dialog box with the grid pattern selected, showing the parameters to specify. 6. Move your mouse pointer over the work area, and you will see a preview of the pattern has attached to the mouse pointer. Move the pattern around until it is approximately where you want it and then click in the work area to place the pattern. After placing the pattern, you can continue to modify the parameter values in the dialog box, and the pattern will update in the work area. When you are satisfied with the pattern, choose Apply to create the sketch (figure 5). Figure 5. The sketch is created after selecting the Apply button. 7. You will notice that another copy of the sketch pattern has attached to the mouse pointer. You can choose to place another copy in the sketch, or you can select the Close button to exit the Shape dialog box. In this case we do not need another pattern, so I will choose Close. 8. You will notice if you move your mouse pointer over one of the shapes that the entire pattern highlights. When you use this method, the sketch shape pattern is created as one sketch entity. 9. Next you need to dimension the sketch to the model. You will notice in figure 6 that I only need to dimension one of the shapes, because the parameters of the diameter and distances between them are set in the Shape dialog box. Figure 6. The sketch is fully dimensioned. 10. If you need to edit the parameters of the sketch shape pattern, you can right-click on one of the shapes and choose Edit. The Shape dialog box appears, and you can change any of the parameters. 11. Finally, I need to use the sketch shape pattern to create a 3D feature. I will use the sheet metal cut feature for this example. To do this, select the Cut tool from the Sheet Metal Modeling toolbar. Because I am choosing the 3D feature while in sketch mode on this sketch, the Cut dialog box will appear with the sketch field already populated (figure 7). Figure 7. The Cut dialog box appears with the sketch field already populated. 12. Select OK to create the cut. The sheet metal plate with an airflow hole pattern is complete (figure 8). Figure 8. The completed sheet metal plate. Using a standard sketch shape pattern, I have created a hole pattern in a sheet metal plate using only two steps -- one sketch and one feature. Look for next month's Alibre Options article, where I will explore another great feature of Alibre Design. Until then, look for me as the Alibre Assistant online in Alibre Design. In her easy-to-follow, friendly style, long-time Cadalyst contributing editor and Autodesk Technical Evangelist Lynn Allen guides you through a new feature or time-saving trick in every episode of her popular AutoCAD video tips. Subscribe to the free Cadalyst Video Picks newsletter and we'll notify you every time a new video tip is published. All exclusively from Cadalyst!
- STAFF PICKS - GIFTS + GIFT CARDS - SELL BOOKS - FIND A STORE This item may be Check for Availability Altered Curiosities: Assemblage Techniques & Projects Synopses & Reviews Discover a curious world of assemblage with projects that have a story to tell Step inside Altered Curiosities, where a wisdom tooth gets its own shrine, a honeybee lights up the room and a taxidermy eye becomes the eye in the back of your head. As author Jane Wynn shares her unique approach to mixed-media art, you'll learn to alter, age and transform odd objects into novel new works of your own creation. Step-by-step instructions guide you in making delightfully different projects that go way beyond art for the wall - including jewelry, hair accessories, a keepsake box, a bird feeder and more - all accompanied by a story about the inspiration behind the project. You'll also learn to: Find your personal symbols and incorporate them into your work. Alter toy figures to create curious new creatures. Master simple soldering techniques that take you beyond the soldering iron. Apply beautiful patinas and etchings to brass and copper. Transform cast resin into pieces that look like metal. The endless possibilities of assemblage are yours to discover Let Altered Curiosities inspire you to create a new world that's all your own. Two very important things make this book stand out from the crowd of other collage, mixed-media and assemblage titles: the projectsfull of oddities and the unexpectedand the techniquesseveral of which have never been published before. A common element of Jane Wynns style is to find an object, break it and put it together again (sometimes more than once), and she loves using anthropomorphic associations to tell stories in her projects. Step by step, readers will learn her unique method and her sought-after techniques. Along with surface alterations (faux-aging, patinas and the use of unusual household products) Altered Curiosities teaches metal etching with rubber stamps, simple wiring to create dramatic lighting, instruction for altering simple toy figures (making two-headed animals, for instance) and more. Showing how to take common objects and reconstruct them into something else, "Altered Curiosities" teaches metal etching with rubber stamps, simple wiring to create dramatic lighting, instruction for altering simple toy figures (making two-headed animals, for instance), and more. What Our Readers Are Saying Arts and Entertainment » Art » Mixed Media
Parent Notes Newsletter Did You Know What Children Can't Do-Yet It never fails to amaze me how much babies and young children can do. They use their abilities to learn every day. It is also important to remember that there are many things that they are not yet capable of doing, certainly under the age of three or so, and perhaps later. They are not capable because of the way their minds work when they are young. Let me remind you of just some of the things that little ones cannot do. They can't share. Possession of objects is the child's way of understanding autonomy. Owning comes before sharing. Young children can't say, "I'm sorry" and mean it. This requires being able to understand how the other person feels, an impossible task for young children. They can't wait, nor can they sit still for very long. Short attention spans, along with muscles and a nervous system that tells them to move, contribute to this characteristic. Lastly, they can't be ready to do any of this until they are ready because children grow and develop at different rates. Grandma Says is a free newsletter from © Growing Child. To receive your free e-mail subscription of Grandma Says or to contact Growing Child e-mail [email protected] or call (800) 927-7289 Balancing Work and Family Children’s Language Development - Balance children’s lives. Make sure children spend more time doing than viewing. LIMIT TV AND VIDEO TO 5-7 HOURS A WEEK. - Read aloud to your child often. Make this a daily habit. Have fun and use this as a special, quality time with your youngster. - Let your child tell you stories. Some you can write down, in the child’s own words. Read back his story. Help your child to illustrate their story and make it into a book! - Invest in a whiteboard. For family messages, schedules, or word play fun, a whiteboard in the kitchen or family room can keep language alive. - Enjoy conversations with your child often. Listen more. Talk about all sorts of things, including what he saw on television. Listen to your child often, and allow him to answer his own questions. - Provide opportunities for mental challenges. Language and thinking are interrelated. The more your child uses his brain, the more likely he will develop important language skills.
CAD Clinic: Points, Links and Shapes15 Dec, 2005 By: Phillip Zimmerman Cadalyst Subassembly points, links and shapes allow Civil 3D to label their values in a section view. Civil 3D creates subassemblies from points, links and shapes. The value of subassembly points, links and shapes is that they provide Civil 3D with the ability to label their values in a section view. Subassembly points define the vertices of the subassembly shape and its two connection points. One connection point is towards the assembly, and the other is where the next outside subassembly connects to the current subassembly. The Civil 3D Help documentation identifies these points starting with P1. P1 is the connection point towards the assembly, and it is the first point of the subassembly shape. The outside connection point is usually the top right or left point on the subassembly. Even though the Help file identifies the points with number prefixed with the letter P (P1, P2, P3?), each point has a specific name and numeric code called a Standard Point Code (figure 1). For example, when looking at the sample basic curb and gutter subassembly, the P1 point has the Standard Point Code of 31 or flange, the P2 point has the Standard Point Code of 32 or flowline gutter, the P4 point has the Standard Point Code of 35 or back curb, etc. Figure 1. Our sample basic curb and gutter subassembly with Stand Point Codes and links. The Standard Point Codes are the most important codes for the subassembly because they represent the names of the feature lines a corridor uses to build a roadway model. Another importance use of these codes is annotation for a section view. Point codes allow Civil 3D to create offset and/or elevation section labels. Between each vertex (Standard Point Code) on the subassembly is a link. A link creates the outside edge of a subassembly shape (figure 1). The L1 link connects points P1 (Standard Point Code 31) and P2 (Standard Point Code 32); the L2 link connects point P2 (Standard Point Code 32) and P3 (Standard Point Code 33), etc. Subassembly links provide important data to Civil 3D. First, a link is data for annotation. A link provides Civil 3D with a way of annotating a grade or slope value on an assembly. Second, using the sample basic curb and gutter subassembly as an example, it has three links that define a top (L1, L2 and L3) and the L5 link that defines the datum. These two links provide Civil 3D with data to create surfaces (top and datum). From two surfaces, a user can create a representation of the design (top) or calculate an earthworks cut and fill (datum). Taken together the points and the links create a shape, e.g., the shape Pave1 (figure 2). The name of the subassembly is Basic Lane, but it has points, Standard Point Codes, links and a shape name, Basic Lane. The type of annotation Civil 3D creates from a shape is a shape's name. However, the most important value from a shape is an area. This area is the basis for computing quantity take off values. Figure 2. The definition of Basic Lane's shape. Annotating with Points, Links and Shapes The Section View and Section Label styles primarily annotate the existing ground or finished ground not the roadway section. The annotation of an assembly in a corridor section comes not from the Section View or Section Label styles, but from Code Label Styles of the Multipurpose Styles branch of Prospector Settings. The Code Label Styles reference the markers (points), link and shape of a subassembly in an assembly (figure 3). Figure 3. The Code Label styles reference the markers (points), link and shape of a subassembly. Marker, link and shape label styles are generic. A marker label style does not look for a specific Standard Point Code; it uses the location of the Standard Point Code to determine the offset and possibly the elevation for the label. The same is true for link and shape label styles; they are generic, and you can apply them to any link or shape in the assembly. Code Set Style Rather than identifying a label with a subassembly's points, links or shapes, Civil 3D uses an intermediate step. Civil 3D uses Code Set Style that defines what Standard Point Codes, links and shapes of an assembly display annotation. The name of a code set style is an alias for a list of styles an assembly displays when a style is specified for a point, link or shape. When creating a section view, you assign the code set style to the view. The Civil 3D content style, All Code Set Style, identifies all of the point, link or shape names from the subassemblies of an assembly. Each point, link and shape in the list has a style that affects how the items show on the screen. The Label Style column specifies if an item displays any annotation in a section view (figures 4, 5 and 6). Figure 4. Identifying the links of a subassembly. Figure 5. Identifying the points of a subassembly. Figure 6. Identifying the shapes in a subassembly. What is important is not the Code Set Style, but the Code Label Styles (the entries in the Label Style column) associated with the set. Code Label Style You should create a code label style that is generic enough to apply to several codes within a subassembly. For example, the Offset/Elevation Style is generic for most point code annotation. However, you can have multiple styles. A code label style references a point, link or shape. As a result when reviewing or defining each type of style, the component names in the style reflect the element they label. Figure 7 represents a generic offset/elevation style. The style is generic enough that you could label any Standard Point Code. Figure 7. A generic offset/elevation style. The style in figure 8 represents a link style. This style focuses on labeling the slope or grade of the element it is assigned to. Changing the format of the label is as simple as changing the format string of the contents entry. Figure 8. A link style. Assigning a Code Label Set The assignment of a code label set occurs as you create a section view (figure 9). The Create View or Create Multiple View commands display the Create Section View dialog box. In the Select sections to draw, area is a style column. This column assigns the label to the various sections in the view. The assignment of the All Codes Code Set Style assigns its code label styles to the section view. If All Codes has only two point codes with styles, the resulting section labels only those codes. If you add codes to the style after creating a section view, the section view updates to show the new annotation entries added to the Code Set Style (figure 10). Figure 9. Creating a section view. Figure 10. The updated section view. In her easy-to-follow, friendly style, long-time Cadalyst contributing editor and Autodesk Technical Evangelist Lynn Allen guides you through a new feature or time-saving trick in every episode of her popular AutoCAD video tips. Subscribe to the free Cadalyst Video Picks newsletter and we'll notify you every time a new video tip is published. All exclusively from Cadalyst!
A Brief History of Preston Preston derives its name from the Old English, Preosta - meaning priest and Tun - meaning enclosure of homestead. It is first mentioned in a Royal charter dated between 1106 and 1116 and recorded in the St. Alban's register. At this time, King Henry I (1110-1135) granted lands in Preston as well as Earsdon, Chirton, Seghill, Monkseaton, Whitley and others to the monks of St. Oswin at Tynemouth. Apart from a spot of plundering in 1323 0r 1324 by Thomas de Middleton and others when oxen, cows and household goods where taken, Preston history apears to have been fairly uneventful until 1539. This was the year in which the dissolution of the monasteries took place and the lands were seized by the Crown. The next notable event was in 1649 when Township was enclosed and 265 acres of land were divided and granted to the various copyhold tenants. More details are given in "The Farms of Preston" Until the Reform Act of 1832, Preston saw little change. It was in that year that the Township, together with Tynemouth, North Shields and Cullercoats, was constituted a Parliamentary Borough and by an order granted on 6th August 1849, the four were incorporated into Tynemouth Borough for municipal purposes. In 1904, Tynemouth became a county Borough and remained so until 1974, when it joined with its neighbouring towns to form the metropolitan Borough of North Tyneside. Being part of North Tyneside, the original boundaries of Preston Township are now unmarked but, as a general guide, it lies between North Shields to the south and Monkseaton to the north. To the east is Tynemouth and to the west, Chirton. The map above shows the boundaries in more detail. In addition, when the Shire Moor was enclosed in 1788, approximately 94 acres of land was annexed to Preston Township. This was known originally as Northumberland Place - presumably because part of it was held by the Duke of Northumberland - but more recently as West Allotment - being the allotment of land to the west of the Township. Whilst several industries have flourished in the area over the years - notably the tanneries of the 13th century, coal-mining from the 12th to the 20th centuries, the breweries during the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, the linen and damask factory of the early 19th century and the carriage works of the late 19th and early 20th century - Preston was primarily an agricultural area until quite recently. Agriculture has virtually ceased here now, however, the vast majority of the farm land having been developed in the 1950's and 1960's. The only working farm is Rake House on the northern edge of the Township. By far the biggest employer in the early part of the 20th century was the colliery (see Coal in Preston). After this closed in 1926, the employees were forced to seek work outside the Township. With the development of modern transport it was made easier for them and others who already worked away from the area to travel to their jobs and Preston gradually became a dormitory. The Township, not including West Allotment, measures approximately 646 acres whilst Preston Village, through which you are shortly to be guided, is generally accepted as being Front Street and those roads and lanes running off it. Before we commence our tour.. Preston Village
The Year Game Before you begin, place one of the jokers on the bottom of the deck. Now tell the spectator to take a card. Have her place it on top of the deck and cut the cards. You can have her cut a lot of times. Then say you have to have the joker on the bottom. Look for the joker. When you find it, the card after it is the spectator's card. Cut the deck so that her card is on top of the deck, and the joker is on the bottom. Now you ask: - Ask how many weeks are in a year. When the spectator answers 52, deal 5 cards onto the table in a pile, and then deal 2 cards in a separate pile. - Put the 2 card group on the 5 card group, pick them both up and put them on the deck. - Ask how many months are in a year. Deal 12 cards onto the table. Pick them up and replace them on the deck. - Ask how many days are in a week. Deal 7 cards onto the table and then replace them on the deck. -Take off the top card and bury it in the deck. Take the joker from the bottom and touch the top card with it. Then turn over the top card, which is the spectator's card. Next: 49er Fools Gold Previous: What's on Your Mind?
Thirty years on, 76-year-old Baku resident Emilie Ragimova still remembers January 20, 1990 in two colors -- red and black. After a night of indiscriminate violence by Soviet troops that left an estimated 133 people dead and 611 injured, Baku’s sky that morning was “blood-red,” Ragimova said. “And the streets were black: black flags and ribbons everywhere, black clothes on people ... “ There was “an indescribably oppressive atmosphere,” she continued. “A quiet, devastated, crushed city.” On the night of January 19-20, 1990, the Soviet army rolled into the Azerbaijani capital to try and impose Moscow’s will on a restive population. Soviet Defense Minister Dmitry Yazov said the army was attempting to stop a national protest movement from overthrowing the government. The army’s actions, though, only reinforced the resolve to break free from Soviet rule. Yet even today, much remains unclear about what exactly led to the violence and who is to blame for it. Many of those slain had nothing to do with the anti-government protests that had become part of Baku’s daily life. Among the fatalities were people who assisted the wounded, casual passers-by, and even those who just happened to be near a window at the wrong time. Current Time has tried to piece together the fragments of this day through the recollections of both protest participants and of those who, until the very last moment, did not understand what was taking place. Background To Tragedy In a way, the night of January 19-20, 1990 was the culmination of months of tensions in Baku and throughout Azerbaijan. It occurred against the backdrop of the conflict with neighboring Armenia over the Azerbaijani region of Nagorno-Karabakh, a flood of displaced persons, and growing dissatisfaction with Moscow for not resolving the Karabakh conflict. The Narodny Front (Popular Front), a national, pro-democratic movement set up in 1988, had become the megaphone for those grievances. By late 1989, daily rallies of thousands of people, led by the pro-democracy Narodny (Popular) Front movement, were taking place on Baku’s main Lenin Square, and demands for the government’s resignation and for Azerbaijan’s independence from the USSR were sounding louder and louder. An outbreak of brutal violence against Baku’s ethnic Armenians on January 13 provided an opening “for a showdown between Moscow and the Popular Front,” wrote Carnegie Endowment expert Thomas de Waal in his 2003 book Armenia and Azerbaijan through Peace and War. A state of emergency was introduced in Nagorno-Karabakh, border areas of Azerbaijan and Armenia, and the Azerbaijani city of Ganja, which had a large ethnic Armenian population. During this time, a Politburo delegation headed by Yevgeny Primakov, a close ally of Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, and Defense Minister Dmitry Yazov arrived from Moscow to try and stabilize the situation. Allegations that Narodny Front participants were armed is one of the biggest controversies about the actions of January 20. Defense Minister Yazov declared at the time that there were 40,000 fighters with automatic weapons among them. Witnesses interviewed by Current Time, however, stated that they saw no weapons at the rallies. Photographer Sanan Aleskerov, then 34, recalled spending almost two days at the Baku rallies before Soviet troops moved in. He maintains that he saw no armed men there. “It was an amazing time,” Aleskerov said. “I went to the rallies because I believed that this was the beginning of democracy, of a new state. I never loved the USSR and wanted change.” He remembers a unique “period of unusual solidarity” among Azerbaijanis across generations, gender, and professions. But his attempts to photograph the rallies failed. Protesters grabbed his camera and smashed it, he said. “People were afraid because they knew that KGB agents were walking in the crowd under the guise of journalists or simply photographers taking pictures of the rally participants.” Some Narodny Front members sensed that trouble was coming. For several days, there had been rumors that tanks were going to enter the city. But the activists did not know exactly where the operation would start. The movement ran cells of supporters in many factories, companies, and educational institutions that enabled them to disseminate information. At the Baku Energy College, Zamina Jabbarova, a 42-year-old professor of Russian language and literature, had set up one of these groups. “On the afternoon of January 19, the cell’s leadership told me to gather all my students and take them to the Salyan barracks because the troops were expected to be brought into [the city] at night,” Jabbarova said. “But I categorically refused, sent all the students home, and warned the parents over the phone not to let them out.” That evening, Jabbarova herself went to the barracks, located about 5 kilometers to the northwest of Lenin Square, the main rally site. She recalls seeing “several dozen people” sitting around bonfires there. One movement leader, Neymat Panakhov, a prominent rally orator, came “and promised that a truck with weapons would arrive soon,” recalled Jabbarova. “He promised that and left. But I didn’t see a single armed man that night.” One of those sitting around the bonfires, waiting for the tanks, was 22-year-old Shahbaz Huduoglu, today the head of Baku’s Qanun Publishing House. Then a studied in the theater department of Baku’s Institute of Arts, he actively participated in the protests. “Every day, I went to various events organized by the popular movement, participated in rallies, marches, protests, all kinds of gatherings,” Huduoglu said. “In those days, when people came together and shouted ‘Freedom!’, ‘Independence!’, you felt goosebumps on your skin.” The Evening Of January 19: A Broken TV The city’s mood was tense on January 19, recalled Ragimova. But if some Narodny Front participants had picked up on rumors of plans for an armed crackdown, most other Baku residents did not know what was happening at all. In hindsight, says economist Tatyana Kovaleva, a broken TV that her father, a radio operator in the Soviet merchant navy, could not fix on the evening of January 19 was a tipoff for what happened in Baku the next day. “Dad put [the TV] in the middle of the room, took it apart, adjusted it, put it back on, turned it on ... The TV doesn’t work. Again, he dismantled it, adjusted it, assembled it. It doesn’t work. And it was like that several times,” Kovaleva, then a 10-year-old, recalled. With Soviet repair shops unreliable and her father about to leave on an extended deployment, a heated argument broke out. “Mom started shouting: ‘See, you can’t fix one thing! You’ll leave now, and we’ll be left without a TV for several months!’ “ Angry, Kovaleva’s father left for the train station, banging the door behind him, and Kovaleva herself ended up gradually screwing the TV back together. “We didn’t know then that Dad wasn’t to blame for the fact that the TV didn’t work,” she said. That evening, televisions had stopped working throughout Baku. A power unit had been blown up in the city’s TV center. Those responsible were never identified, but analysts generally consider it the work of the Soviet military or special services. A state of emergency and curfew had been imposed at midnight on January 20, but, without working television sets, few in Baku knew. The Night Of January 19-20: Tanks Enter The City Moving from Baku’s northern outskirts, Soviet army troops entered the city from several directions, blocking the bay, just south of the government headquarters, and Baku’s airport. The columns headed mostly into the center, traveling along several avenues, past the Salyan barracks, and near a metro station later named 20 Yanvar (January 20). Sounds of tank guns firing awoke Ragimova, then a 47-year-old department head at a children’s clinic. She lived with her mother and little daughter close to the site of events. “They were shooting very close, but the windows of the apartment face the courtyard, rather than the street, so I couldn’t see anything. I only heard the noise of the voices of my neighbors who ran out,” said Ragimova, who still lives in the same apartment. “It was very scary, although I had guessed or felt that something like this would happen.” For several days before the troops moved into Baku, activists with megaphones had come into the courtyards of city apartment buildings and called for young people to attend the Narodny Front’s rallies, she added. For the young Kovaleva, who lived in the center of Baku, the sound of shooting sparked no immediate alarm, however. For months, amidst rallies and the recent violence against ethnic Armenians, “something was happening in the city almost every day,” she explained. “When the shooting started, there was a commotion in the courtyard,” Kovaleva recounted. “All the adults gathered in the apartment of a neighbor who had a radio, and the children, including my brother and I, were ordered to stay home. I was not afraid. Rather, it was somehow surreal.” Surreal scenes were already playing out near the Salyan barracks. At midnight, flashes illuminated the sky, recalled Jabbarova, who lived near the barracks. Her son, just out of the army, identified the flashes as tracer bullets. He dressed and left their apartment. It took Jabbarova “a few more minutes” to realize that her son was now in the street “under these bullets.” She ran out after him. On the street, “we saw a tank coming toward us,” she continued. “The hatch was open. A strange-looking man with long hair was standing up in it, looking more like a mercenary than an ordinary soldier.” “I was terrified, wanted to rush at this tank, shouting ‘Killers!’, ‘Fascists!”, but my son pushed me into the side of the road – literally, the bushes -- and literally covered me with his body,” Jabbarova recalled. “And, then, when the danger was over, he took me home.” Live Bullets And A Blood-Soaked Jacket At around the same time, Institute of Arts student Shahbaz Huduoglu, still near the Salyan barracks with the Narodny Front activists, remembers seeing a column of tanks moving down Tbilisi Avenue toward the crowd he was in. “Shots were heard, but people around said that these were not live bullets, that they simply wanted to scare us,” he said. “And we believed that this was the case, that these were not real bullets because, in fact, we weren’t doing anything there. We simply had gathered around the fire, unarmed, intent on not dispersing at any cost.” But the bullets turned out to be live. “At first, the tanks fired high, much higher than our heads, and then lower and lower,” Huduoglu said. As the tanks moved closer, the gun barrels moved still lower, putting bullets at the protesters’ level. Suddenly, one person fell to the ground, he said. Frightened, those nearby turned and ran up the street, exposing themselves more to gunfire, Huduoglu continued. “Another person fell, now very close to me. He was injured. Along with someone else, I pulled him aside and threw him over the fence of a nearby hospital,” he said. As he returned from the hospital grounds, Huduoglu reported, he saw “several tanks already crawling along the central avenues.” His friends and he spent the rest of the night in side streets. “I was a step away from death, but I can’t say that I sensed or realized this,” Huduoglu said. “There was no fear. However, there was also no fantastic courage that would make me attack the tanks.” Nonetheless, in one sense, he already carried the mark of the night’s violence. A new, foreign-cut white jacket he was wearing had to be thrown away, he recollected. “It was soaked with the blood of that wounded guy.” “A Planned Provocation” Proximity to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, in downtown Baku, provided no extra safety that night for 35-year-old Academy of Sciences’ Institute of History employee Leyla Yunus and her family. Machine-gunfire from the street smashed a window in their apartment that faced an internal courtyard. Yunus’ husband, Arif, headed out to see what was happening and to try and inform international media, the couple wrote in their 2018 book From a Soviet Camp to an Azerbaijani Prison. “He told [us] how tanks crushed and fired on everything, including the ambulances. They shot at everyone, including children and the elderly. Even people who just went out onto the balcony were shot,” wrote Leyla Yunus, who had left the Popular Front earlier that month. ”Arif said that they even would finish off [some of the wounded].” Kovaleva shared similar stories. During the mid-1990s, she went to visit friends living in a part of Baku where the tanks had entered the city. She saw bullet scars there on the outside of residences. “(My) friends said that two of their neighbors were killed, without even leaving the house,” she said. “They just came to the window and were hit by bullets.” Red Sky, Black City: The Morning Of January 20 Like Ragimova, Shahbaz Huduoglu and his friends also saw Baku in black that morning. Heading into the city center, they came across several cars crushed by tanks, he said. In Baku’s very center, Fountain Square, still a popular site for evening strolls, the whole square “was already ‘dressed’ in black,” he said. “On all the trees, people had tied black shawls, ribbons, scarves, as if prepared in advance. And it was as if the city itself -- the trees, the buildings -- sensed what had happened and was filled with sorrow. “ For Zamina Jabbarova, it was the red that stood out. “On the streets, I saw puddles of blood and carnations laid around them,” she said. Learning about the many wounded, Jabbarova went to a hospital to donate blood, but was refused. The doctors already had a surplus. “Really, many [people] wanted to help the victims,” she said. No ready help existed for the anger and fear, however. En route to work at the children’s clinic that morning, Ragimova and a colleague walked past army tanks on which soldiers, armed with machine guns, were sitting. Her young colleague wanted to scold them, she said, but “I kept her from doing it by force.” At work, they learned details about what had happened the night before. An admirer of one of the clinic’s nurses and the father of one of its patients were among those killed. The clinic driver “told us how he drove the head doctor to the clinic at night literally under fire, ‘like in a movie,’” Ragimova related. Photographer Aleskerov had slept through the gunfire the night before. On the morning of January 20, he went with some friends to the headquarters of the Central Committee of the Azerbaijan Communist Party to see what was happening there. A tank started driving toward the group, but stopped when the young men, shouting, rushed toward it. Alone, Aleskerov returned home through empty streets. Not far from his apartment building, he encountered a tank coming around the corner. “And that’s when I did get scared. Never in my life have I been so afraid as then,” he said. “When there are several of you, nothing is scary – neither rushing toward the tank, nor even dying. But when you are alone, and the barrel is looking straight at you ... “ “I ran into the nearest courtyard I could find, flew up to the very last floor, and waited there until the tank left. “ After January 20: A Park That Became A Cemetery On January 22, Baku’s TV broadcasts returned with coverage of a mass funeral for those killed. They were buried in one of Baku’s main squares, Lenin Square, now called Azadlig (Freedom) Square. A huge crowd of mourners went through the city center to a park overlooking the city and Caspian Sea. It became the Alley of Martyrs, or “Shahids,” a name for those who have been killed in battle or fighting for freedom. “There were really many people, everyone in black. A very depressing picture, even when you see it on TV,” elaborated Ragimova. In the background, loud speakers played the song Ayriliq (Separation), a 1950s tune that had become “an unofficial anthem of the popular movement,” she recalled. Despite the song’s beauty, Ragimova still associates it with the funeral – “just like carnations, which I’ve disliked ever since.” Photographer Aleskerov could not bring himself to photograph the funeral. Instead, he photographed the 40th day after the burials, when, in keeping with Islamic practice, Azerbaijanis gathered again in the Alley of Martyrs to remember the dead. They are the only photos he still retains. Many remember city-wide mourning throughout those 40 days: Men did not shave, and Baku residents remembered the dead in the courtyards of apartment buildings. For Huduoglu, the violence of the night of January 19-20 did not lead to depression or shock. But it proved a breaking point in how he and his contemporaries related to the Soviet state. “Then, we realized that there was no army that would protect us. There was an army that was ready to destroy us. The army in which we used to serve suddenly turned against us. And it was already impossible to believe in such an army.” Or in the government it defended. Noted Yunus, now a human-rights advocate in The Netherlands: “We have to remember that the Baku massacre on January 20 was the bloodiest, but not the only case of suppression of a popular movement in the Soviet republics in those years.” Protesters had been gunned down in Tbilisi, Georgia in April 1989; the same would occur in Vilnius, Lithuania in January 1991. In Azerbaijan’s case, the Soviet prosecutor's office found nothing criminal in the army’s actions and closed its investigation into the events of January 19-20, 1990. After independence in 1991, the Azerbaijani prosecutor's office reopened the case a few years later. In 1994, under then President Heydar Aliyev, it brought criminal charges against former Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev, Supreme Council Chairman Yevgeny Primakov, Defense Minister Dmitry Yazov, and KGB Chairman Vladimir Kryuchkov. Two officials from Soviet-era Azerbaijan were also charged: Ayaz Mutalibov, Azerbaijan’s first post-Soviet president, who served as chairman of Azerbaijan’s Council of Ministers during the 1990 crackdown, and First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Azerbaijan Abdul-Rakhman Vezirov. But these charges remained on paper. To date, no one has been held accountable for the events of January 20, 1990.
English WatchmakingCopyright © David Boettcher 2006 - 2021 all rights reserved. Don't assume that a name engraved onto the movement of an English watch indicates who made it; usually it doesn't. Although in the earliest days of watchmaking there were individuals who made complete watches, by the end of the eighteenth century a division of labour had occurred so that there were dozens of specialists involved in the making of a watch. Making a watch was divided broadly into making the main parts by the movement maker, the case maker, the dial maker, etc., and “finishing” which involved bringing all the parts together. The person who controlled the process of finishing the watch was called the watchmaker, even though they usually didn't actually make or finish a single part of the watch themselves. But the people who made watches didn't usually sell them directly to the public. It was high street retailers who sold watches to the public, and they didn't want anyone's name other than their own on the watches that they sold. English watchmakers were many and usually quite small operations, so the retailer had the stronger hand. If one watchmaker didn't want to put the retailer's name on the watches he made, the retailer could go to another watchmaker who would. The practice in Britain until the mid-1920s was that it was the retailer's name that was put onto watches. The term “watchmaker” must be one of the most abused in the English language. Most people would assume that someone who described themselves as a watchmaker actually made watches. Nothing could be further from the truth. From as soon as there were shops that sold watches and jewellery, the terms “watchmaker and jeweller” were commonly used by high street retailers. The vast majority of these establishments never actually made watches or jewellery, the terms were used solely to impress the public. The same terms are still used today by high street retailers for the same purpose. In traditional English watchmaking, the work of manufacturing a watch was divided into two broad specialisms; movement makers and watchmakers. Rather strangely to most people's ideas, neither of these actually made watches from start to finish. A movement maker made the basic parts of watch movements, which a watchmaker “finished”. The end product was a watch, but no one person or establishment could be said to have made it; it was the end product of a long and complicated process. A movement maker such as John Wycherley in Prescot bought raw materials, brass and steel, and produced “rough movements” consisting of “frames”, the main plates and pillars, and other parts such as the fusee, mainspring barrel and train wheels and their arbors. A watchmaker bought rough movements from a movement maker and “finished” them by sending them out to various individual specialists who fitted the escapement, jewells, engraved and gilded the movement, and then fitted the dial and hands and last the finished movement was put into a case made by another set of individuals working for a case maker. There was a good reason for the division between movement makers and watchmakers; roughing out parts from raw materials required heavy machinery and was dirty work, whereas the processes of finishing were more delicate, requiring concentration, and were better done away from heavy machinery. The Beginnings of Watchmaking in England From Southern Germany watchmaking gradually spread across Europe to the low countries and France. There was no watchmaking in England before 1570 and the English watchmaking industry most likely got started by clockmakers servicing or repairing German, Swiss or French watches, and then making watches of their own, training up apprentices who could do parts of the work and gradually building up workshops of skilled workers. There were probably makers like this in many provincial towns, but of course the greatest demand and concentration of skilled craftsmen was in the capital London. There was an influx of Huguenot refugees into England from France following the Edict of Fontainebleau (1685) which revoked the Edict of Nantes and abolished all legal recognition of protestantism in France. Amongst these refugees were skilled watchmakers, which stimulated the nascent English watchmaking industry. In the seventeenth century, English watchmakers came to dominate the supply of fine quality watches and English watches were the best in the world, highly priced, much sort after and imitated. Thomas Tompion (1639-1713), known as the father of English clockmaking, made very fine clocks and watches, and many of his apprentices went on to become important makers themselves. Tompion's associate George Graham continued this work after Tompion's death. One of George Graham's apprentices was Thomas Mudge, who invented the lever escapement around 1755. Although the very first watches in the sixteenth century had been made by individuals or small teams, they were mechanically simple and not very good timekeepers. The introduction of the balance spring in 1675 transformed watches into useful timekeepers. By the end of the seventeenth century, individual workers had begun to specialise in certain aspects of the trade. This led to a rise in the number of people employed. By 1690 Tompion was employing up to 20 workmen at his workshop in Fleet Street, the "Dial and Three Crowns". In the section of Rees's Cyclopaedia devoted to Clocks, Watches and Chronometers published in 1807-1818, William Pearson listed thirty four different principal crafts that were involved in the process of making a watch, many of which were further subdivided. Making or Finishing? By the end of the seventeenth century watches were “made” on the division of labour principle, where separate specialists would each do one part of the work, the watch being passed round to each one in turn e.g. one man would fit jewel holes and do nothing else, where another would attach the balance spring and do nothing else. These two men would be incapable of doing the other's work. This was true for dozens of individual highly skilled but very specialised craftsmen who made all the individual parts of the watch, often in their own workshops. It was a highly complex web and could only exist in the few main centres of London, and later Liverpool and then Coventry, where there was a conglomeration of workers with the necessary skills. In the eighteenth and nineteenth century, most English watches began as a collection of raw materials that had been roughly machined close to the finished sizes and were supplied as rough movements called “frames”. A frame consisted of the top and bottom plate, separated by pillars, the mainspring barrel, fusee and the train wheels mounted on their arbors. There was no escapement or balance and balance spring, and no jewels; these were added later. For many years the town of Prescot near to Liverpool had the monopoly on the supply of frames, but in the late nineteenth century frames began to be made in Coventry. The person who organised the work of “finishing”, purchasing the frame and then passing it out to the various specialists to gradually turn it, step by step, into a finished watch, was called the “watch maker” although he might not have made a single part of the watch himself. He also almost never put his name onto the movements or finished watches. Most often the name of the retailer, the shop keeper who had ordered the watch to be made, was engraved as if they were the manufacturer. Retailers liked to style themselves as “watchmakers”. Perhaps this harked back to a time when there had been someone in the business who actually made watches and set up a shop to sell them, like Tompion and his shop in Fleet Street. But there were many more retailers who never made anything that they sold and just liked the grand sound of the title “Watchmaker”. This is still seen today where high street shops call themselves "Blah, Blah, and Co. Goldsmiths, Jewellers and Watchmakers" even though there is today no one in the organisation who has ever smithed any gold, set a jewel, or made a watch. In Rees' “Cyclopædia”, The Cyclopædia; or, Universal Dictionary of Arts, Sciences, and Literature, published in the years leading up to 1820, William Pearson discusses the term “watchmaker” as shown in the image here. The text looks a little odd to modern readers because it uses the long form of the letter "s", ſ, which looks like an f without the crossbar, at the start and in the middle of words, as was the practice at the time, with the normal form of s used at the ends of words. The Craft Method of Watchmaking Traditional English watches were not made by individuals, they were made by large communities of workers, each of which was a specialist in one particular aspect of the work. Rough movements were made in Prescot, Lancashire. These were then “finished”, turned into finished movements, by communities of individual specialists; most of the work was in the finishing. These communities were based in London, Coventry, Liverpool and Birmingham; all large cities. Identifying the "Maker" In an attempt to prevent forgeries and counterfeits, a statute William III, 1697-8, An Act for the exporting Watches Sword-hilts and other Manufactures of Silver, required that from 24 June 1698 all clocks and watches should have engraved on them the name and place of abode of the person who made them, or who caused them to be made. If the maker was well known, such as Tompion, then their name on the piece would add to its value. But if the maker was not well known, the allowance that the person who caused a clock or watch to be made could put their name put on it allowed a retailer, who would be better known to his customers than a little known maker in a far off town, to have his name put on. The vast majority of English made watches of the nineteenth century do not carry the name of the person who made them; instead the name of the retailer who ordered the watch and sold it in his shop was engraved on the movement, and sometimes enamelled onto the dial. The exceptions to this rule are a few well-known makers whose reputation for high quality work added to the value of the watch. These are easily identified. If a watch carries an unknown name, one that is not associated with a well known watchmaker, then the name is almost certainly that of the retailer. In the nineteenth century trade the term the trade was broadly divided into movement makers, who made rough movements, and watchmakers, who organised the finishing of a watch from a rough movement and other parts such as hands, dial and case, into a complete watch. Their names almost never appeared on the finished watch. In the earliest times the name of the retailer was engraved directly onto the movement top plate. Later it was engraved onto a removable plate that was fixed to the top plate over the mainspring barrel. This barrel plate was originally introduced to make it easy to remove the mainspring barrel without dismantling the whole movement so that a broken mainspring could be replaced. It soon became the usual place to engrave the retailer's name, because that could easily be done at a late stage in the making of the watch or even after the watch was complete. If the engraving was not done at the time the watch was being made, it was sent out with the barrel plate blank so that the retailer could add his own name, or his customer's name later. Sometimes it is obvious that this has been done because the engraving cuts through the gilding, or the plate has been re-gilded and is a different colour to the rest of the movement. Sometimes the cost of engraving was not justified; the barrel plate was left blank and the watch carries no name. It is very rare to find on an English watch the name of the person who actually “made” it. One of the reasons for this is the way that English watches were made, which meant that there was no one maker in the traditionally understood meaning of the word; it was more of a team effort. English watches were almost all made entirely using craft methods, hand tools and simple hand powered machines, and the system of “putting out”. Each part was made or finished by an individual craftsman working in his own home or small workshop, often working for several different customers. By the nineteenth century watches usually began as rough movements, consisting of the frame, the main plates separated by pillars, and a few other parts such as the spring barrel, fusee and train wheels on their arbors. These were mostly made at Prescot in Lancashire by a number of specialised companies, many by John Wycherley, an English pioneer of mass production, until Coventry started to make frames in the late nineteenth century. The rough movements were sent from Prescot to the traditional watchmaking centres of London, Coventry and Birmingham to be “finished” into working movements and then fitted with dials, hands and cases. Sometimes this was done by someone who directly employed journeymen and apprentices to do the finishing, but many watches were made by the process of "putting out" - sending the part finished watch to various specialists working in their own homes or small workshops to have each stage of the work completed. This person might have considered themself to be the manufacturer, even though their role was organising the work rather than actually making any of the parts. Most often the name of the retailer, the shop keeper who had ordered the watch to be made, was engraved as if they were the manufacturer. In the days before mass advertising, a local retailer was someone well known and trusted by customers in the local area, whereas they would never have heard of the. The name was usually engraved on the barrel bar, a small plate above the mainspring barrel that could be easily removed for this work. Often watches were sent out with the barrel bar blank so that a retailer could have his, or his customer's, name engraved on it. Most English watches have a serial number on the top plate. This is often the watchmaker's serial number, although some retailers had their own serial numbers engraved on the top plate, with the watchmaker's serial number being marked on a part of the movement not seen by the customer. The origin and purpose of serial numbers on English watches is not known. Thomas Tompion was one of the first to put serial numbers on his clocks and watches, and since he was regarded as the father of English watchmaking perhaps others simply followed his practice. It is not possible to work backwards from the serial number to discover who was the manufacturer. Unless you know who made the watch, and have access to the factory records (which is unlikely), you cannot discover anything from the serial number alone. Mr R. E. Tucker, 1933 Some of the best known London makers did establish a sufficient reputation for their name to be valuable and be put onto the movement or dial, but many of the hundreds, or even thousands, of small "makers" are unknown. Even the best English makers did not always put their name on their work, the retailers preferring that if any name appeared it should be theirs. Appearing in 1887 before a Select Committee considering amendments to the 1862 Merchandise Marks Act, Mr Joseph Usher, of the very renowned London watchmaking company Usher and Cole, said that ... it is very seldom that our names appear on the watches that we make. Speaking in an interview in 1933, Mr R. E. Tucker, who had worked at Williamsons, attributed this to the attitude of British retailers, who wanted to put their own name on the watches that they sold. Towards the end of the nineteenth century a few English watch manufacturers, the best known being Rotherhams of Coventry, introduced mechanical methods of manufacture and produced enough watches to be known by name, but their production quantities were small compared to the American factories, and they suffered from too little investment too late, being unable to keep up with changing fashions and finally swept away by Swiss imports and the wristwatch. This makes it all rather difficult if you decide you want to collect English watches and pursue a theme to the collection – say if you wanted to make a collection of Rotherhams watches to see how the styles and technology changed over the years. Unless the vendor recognises the movement as being made by Rotherhams, they will list the watch under the retailers name. Sometimes a search on ebay for "Rotherham" can have surprising results, such as a watch listed as "Mint Silver Fusee Rotherham Massey 1 Pocket Watch 1828" which turned out to be signed "William Farnill Rotherham" who turned out to be a retailer in Rotherham. In "Reminiscences of Rotherham", Alderman George Gummer, J.P., records that on the High Street in Rotherham was "... the shop of an eccentric old man named William Farnill, who carried on a mixed business, dealing in confectionery, toys, watches and jewellery - a curious combination. This shop, always popular with the younger generation, had in it a proprietor who was a greater curiosity than his wares." Needless to say, this watch has nothing to do with Rotherhams the Coventry watch manufacturer, and neither was it "made" by William Farnill, whose name was engraved on it by the anonymous finisher. When English watches were exported to America, the name of the eventual retailer was not known so fictitious names were made up. In an article in Antiquarian Horology June 2009, Alan Treherne wrote about George Clerke, a London manufacturer who supplied watches to provincial watchmakers and jewellers and also exported many watches to America. Clerke gave evidence to a Parliamentary Committee in 1817 about the practice of putting fictitious names on clocks and watches. Clerke used fictitious names such as Fairplay, Fondling and Hicks on watches he exported to America - an invoice to Demilts of New York USA was reproduced in the article showing these names on watches supplied by Clerke. English made cases were expensive and so many "bare" movements, that is they were without a case, were sent to America and cased there. So collecting English watches looks a bit like pot-luck. But you can improve your chances of getting what you want by leaning the characteristics of the watches you are after, the layout of the top plates and the sponsor's marks of the watch case makers for silver and gold cases. But even then, finding something specific is a bit like finding a needle in a haystack. So Who Did Make my English Watch? If you have an English watch that does have a name on the dial or engraved on the plates and it is not the name of one of the small number of well known English watchmakers that can be easily researched, then it is most likely to be the name of the retailer who ordered the watch to be made and sold it in their shop, or sometimes the name of the customer who bought the watch. This is the case for the vast majority of English made watches. Many retailers called themselves "watchmakers" although they were not watch manufacturers and did not actually “make” the watches that they sold. The term watchmaker undoubtedly originally meant someone who made watches, but by the eighteenth century the trade of watchmaking had been divided into many separate branches and no one person made a whole watch, although someone who had completed an apprenticeship should, in theory, have been capable of making all the parts of a watch. People who made parts for or repaired watches started called themselves watchmakers, and then also those who only serviced watches, and finally jewellers who simply ordered watches from the manufacturers started calling themselves watchmakers. Sometimes it is possible to discover who made the "frame" or rough movement by looking for initials on the bottom or pillar plate, the plate underneath the dial. An example of these are the initials JW for John Wycherley of Prescot, an English pioneer of mass produced frames. Click this link to see a watch with a Wycherley frame. If you have the watch serviced, which you certainly should do if you intend to use it, then ask your watchmaker to take a photograph of the plate for you. If there is no name on the dial or engraved on the movement, then the watch was "made" by one of the small "makers" whose name was not sufficiently well known or celebrated to be worth the expense of engraving it onto the plate, and the retailer didn't have his name engraved, probably for reasons of cost. If there is a serial number on the watch, that will almost always be a number put on by the watch "maker" rather than by the retailer. Who Made the Watch Case It is often easy to find out something about the making of a watch case, because for hallmarking purposes a sponsor's mark had to entered at the assay office and each case punched with this mark before it was submitted for hallmarking. Sometimes this can lead to the name of the watch manufacturer if they were large enough to have a case making department, such as Rotherhams of Coventry. But often it only gives the name of an independent watch case maker, working on his own account for anyone who cared to place an order with him. Sometimes it can be completely misleading, because manufacturers would punch the sponsor's mark of someone who had nothing to do with making the items, such as a retailer. The term “maker” is loaded with misunderstanding. Watch case making had its own specialists and a case maker would employ many journeyman workers: the case maker who made the basic structure of the case, soldering together the band and case back, the joint maker who made the "joints" (hinges of the case), the springer, the pendant maker, the polisher, and the "boxer in". So each case was the result of a team of specialists rather than the product of a single "maker", and the owner of the enterprise probably never laid his hands on a case day to day. The use of the term “maker's mark” in the context of hallmarking has contributed to this misunderstanding over many years, which is why the term "sponsor's mark" is preferred. Back to the top of the page. In England the verge remained the most used escapement until the nineteenth century when it was superseded by the lever escapement, invented by Thomas Mudge around 1755. On the continent the virgule and then the cylinder escapement were widely used, partly because they gave better timekeeping than the verge, and partly because they allowed a thinner, flatter, watch to be made, which was more fashionable. The subsequent history of the lever escapement after its invention by Mudge is still subject to debate. It was not immediately taken up by English makers, although continental watchmakers such as Breguet did use it. Josiah Emery, a Swiss national who had set up business in London, made a watch with a lever escapement modelled on the Mudge design in 1782, and between then and 1785 made around 30 such watches. John Leroux, also working in London, created an improved lever escapement that included "draw". This is a safety feature that positively pulls the lever onto the banking pins, making the action of unlocking more certain at the expense of a slight increase in the energy required for unlocking. Leroux's escapement did not retain oil well on the escape wheel teeth and was abandoned. In 1791 Peter Litherland of Liverpool was granted a patent for the rack lever escapement, which proved to be robust and popular and was made in large numbers, but was not a detached escapement. The first really successful English attempt at a detached lever escapement was made by Edward Massey. Beginning around 1812 he developed a lever escapement having a roller on the balance staff with a projecting tooth or pin that that moved the lever on each swing. The design went through several versions before arriving at one with a jewelled impulse pin. By the 1820s this design had matured into the lever escapement with table roller, and a second smaller roller was added to separate the safety action from unlocking and impulse, giving the classic design of English lever that was used throughout the rest of the nineteenth century and into the twentieth century. In the wake of Tompion, Graham and Mudge were many other fine watchmakers, and in the eighteenth century English watchmaking was pre-eminent. English watches were regarded as the finest available and much imitated and copied. At some stage in the mid-eighteenth century London makers stopped producing watches from scratch, and started to use rough watch movements (ébauches or "frames") made at Prescot, near to Liverpool. These were supplied in batches to watchmakers in the Clerkenwell district of London, the centre of British watchmaking, and in smaller numbers to watchmakers in other cities such as Coventry, Birmingham and Liverpool. These "watchmakers" finished the movement by arranging for the train to be planted and jewelled and fitted with the escapement, and added dials, hands and cases. During the eighteenth century the industrial revolution had resulted in the increased use of labour-saving machinery and reduced the demand for manual labour. The Napoleonic Wars made the economic situation worse due to the government raising taxes to pay for the war (income tax was introduced as a "temporary measure"), rising food prices and unemployment caused by wartime trade restrictions. When the war ended in 1815 Britain was left deeply in debt and in a serious economic depression. In 1817 a select committee of the House of Commons investigated condition in the British watchmaking industry and found that it was in a terrible state. Samuel Smith submitted the following evidence to the committee by letter: Since I last had the honour of seeing you in London, in October, 1815, I have travelled all through North and South Wales (three times since the double duty on plate licences) and I find the trade is getting much worse every journey, in consequence of the enormous duty on plate; for I find all through the country they are giving up their licences, for it will not answer to pay 4l.12s. per annum to sell but three or four watches in the course of the year; there are but few vendors of watches in the country through which I travel, who sell more than the above statement; and I, by getting orders from these different people, have for a number of years employed from thirty to forty men; at the present time, I do not employ ten, and I think the principal cause is owing to the duty on plate; I have formerly sold on this journey (which is about a thousand miles in circuit) more than five hundred watches, and that will regularly employ from fifty to sixty hands. If the duty on plate was reduced to its former amount, it would give great relief to our trade, and would ultimately bring in more to Government, for you will find by the number of people who will give up their licences, the duty will ultimately fall very short; I have not the least doubt, there will be as many as three out of four who will give them up. Smith goes on to list many towns in the Midlands and the North of England, and in Wales, and relates the terrible state of trade and high levels of unemployment in all of them. This evidence is interesting because of its insight into how watches reached provincial retailers and the numbers of watches that they sold, many of them only three or four watches a year. Watch design in England had improved significantly by the 1820s by which time English watchmakers developed a design of watch with a movement that had a detached double roller lever escapement. This became known as the "English lever" watch and it remained in production for over eighty years. At the time of its introduction it held a very high reputation, but it was not developed as time passed, and remained almost entirely hand made. Because of the fusee it was almost impossible to be made with keyless winding, and many were made that were key wound and set years after the introduction of the modern form of keyless winding and setting in the 1840s, which made the English lever watch appear increasingly old fashioned towards the end. English makers continued to use the fusee, which had been abandoned by the Swiss in favour of the simpler going barrel and was never used in American factory production. The complexity of the fusee added substantially to the bulk and to the cost of making an ordinary watch without significantly improving its accuracy, although it was useful in watches and chronometers where very high accuracy was required. But English watchmakers clung to the fusee because they thought the public recognised it as the sign of a good watch, even though the public probably didn't have a clue what a fusee was or why it was important and were voting with their wallets and buying imported watches Swiss and American watches in increasing numbers. The “free trade” movement led to a reduction in duties on imported watches. Up to 1840 import duty on watches was charged at 25% and huge numbers of watches were smuggled into the UK. In 1842 under Robert Peel the duty was reduced to 10% and the declared value of imported watches rose more than tenfold from £5,085 to £52,622. The lower duty meant that the cost and risks of smuggling were less financially viable and so watches were imported through normal channels. In 1860 Gladstone removed the duty on imported watches altogether. It is impossible to say whether the number of watches entering the country actually increased as some have said, or remained constant, with watches that previously would have been smuggled now being declared as imports. Back to the top of the page. Division of Labour Division of labour means the assignment of different parts of a manufacturing process or task to different people in order to improve efficiency. The watch industry was one of the first to make extensive use of division of labour, to breakdown the manufacture of a watch into steps that could be carried out efficiently. Workmen trained for years on learning how to make a single part, and then made that part over and over again, every day for years on end. In this way they got very good at it, but almost invariably they couldn't make any of the other parts of a watch. Most workers were self employed, or employed only a handful of apprentices and workers, and tools were hand held, and usually hand or foot powered. There were at least a dozen major branches and each specialism was in turn further subdivided. The industry was well described by Aaron Dennison, the father of the American watch industry, but the structure of the industry remained on the lines evolved in the late seventeenth century and the same account could have been made at any time from then until the eve of the Great War: The party setting up as a manufacturer of watches bought his Lancashire movements - conglomeration of rough materials - and gave them out to A, B, C, D, to have them finished. A, B, C, and D gave out the job of pivoting certain wheels of the train to E, certain other parts to F, and the fusee cutting to G. Dial-making, jewelling, gilding, motioning, etc. to others, down almost the entire length of the alphabet; ... Back to the top of the page. Springing and Timing At the end of the process was the person who made and fitted the balance spring and brought the watch to rate, adjusting it for equal rate in different positions and temperatures. This person was called the “springer and timer” and it was the most difficult and skilled job of the lot, effectively turning what was a simple gearbox and escapement into a working and accurate timepiece. It was more of an art than a science, even today the dynamics of the balance spring have not been fully analysed. It is an extremely complex four dimensional system that is difficult to model. The men who fitted and adjusted balance springs learnt their trade and practised it by long hours of trial and error. Springing and timing was the longest stage in the production of a chronometer; making an adjustment to the spring, observing the rate over 24 hours, making another adjustment, observing the rate again, over and over again until the machine was perfect. One can imagine this going on for day, weeks, months even. Sometimes troublesome machines were put to one side and returned to months later. Chamberlain relates meeting the son of James Ferguson Cole, who said that he could not afford to be a watchmaker like his father but instead confined himself to ... the more lucrative branch of springing and timing. Judging from the description of his house it must have been very lucrative work. I was struck by the contrast between the obvious wealth of Cole junior and that of Dicky Doke, who was said to have cut practically all the wheels for English chronometers over 50 years. The image in “Mercer Chronometers” of Doke after his retirement smoking a pipe does not imply wealth. Back to the top of the page. Pierre Frédéric Ingold and Watchmaking by Machinery The first attempt to establish in England a factory where watches were made largely by machinery rather than hand craft work was made by Pierre Frédéric Ingold in 1842-43. This was resisted and finally defeated by conservative English watchmakers. Ingold and his supporters attempted to set up a company called the "British Watch and Clockmaking Company" but this ultimately failed with heavy financial losses to some of its backers. The failure of the Ingold enterprise, and subsequently similar ventures in America which also failed due to the large amounts of capital required to set up a factory making watch parts by machine, caused British watchmakers to shy away from making watches by machinery, although ironically when Dennison was successful in America, the memory of Ingold was revived by some in an attempt to show that England had been first in the field. Speaking in 1933, Mr W. E. Tucker, who had worked for Williamsons, remarked “The introduction of machinery in this country has been a matter of very great difficulty, largely because of the hostility of the old school of watchmakers. Mention of that takes me back to the time when there were serious disturbances in Clerk- enwell, sabotage and rioting were indulged in, and a good deal of antagonism was shown to firms who were progressive enough to want to instal machinery.” Back to the top of the page. Mass Production : The Gauged and Interchangeable Principle American watchmakers were the first to achieve mass production of watches. By using specially designed machines the American factories could produce almost every part of a watch mechanically, and those parts could be assembled into a working watch without further finishing. Swiss manufacturers recognised that this was a severe threat to their industry and adopted American machine methods of production, calling it the "American system", also referred to as the "gauged and interchangeable" principle. The fundamental problem with making mass produced items is making the parts to such accuracy that any part will fit where it is intended to go without any further work. This gets more difficult as the parts get smaller and the allowable errors in the dimensions, called tolerances, get tighter. Automatic machines can be created to machine hundreds or thousands of parts that are ostensibly identical, but as the cutting tools wear the dimensions of the parts will vary. This is less of a problem today because tools are made from steel alloys or carbides that are very wear resistant, but in the nineteenth century tools were made from hardened carbon steel and wear was a severe problem. In a watch the most demanding point of fitting is the pivots of the train wheel arbors in their bearings. The difference between a good fit and a poor one is measured in hundredths or even thousandths of a millimetre. When watches were made by hand, the fit was established by trial rather than measurement, the worker would turn down the pivot until it would nearly enter the hole, and then would remove small amounts by burnishing or polishing until it went fully in and "felt right". But this was not possible when machines were used to make parts automatically that needed to fit into other parts without any extra work. A machine that mass produced parts would be set up by a tool setter to make the parts the right size, and then the parts produced checked against accurate gauges. Once tool wear resulted in the parts going out of the allowed tolerance on the size, the machine would be stopped and reset. Any parts that were the wrong size were simply scrapped. Back to the top of the page. The Decline of English Watchmaking Before the Americans shook up the industry there was a sort of unwritten agreement between the English and Swiss. The Swiss mass produced cheap watches for the mass market by craft methods using low wage labour, often using low paid women and children. The English produced small numbers of expensive, high quality, watches by similar craft methods but using more expensive, time served and exclusively male, labour. From the middle of the nineteenth century, English watchmaking came under increasing competition from high quality American, and then Swiss, watches using mass produced machine made components and assembled by cheaper semi-skilled labour. Most English watchmakers were either reluctant or unable to adopt machinery and mass production methods of manufacturing. Large amounts of financial capital were required to purchase machinery, which took years to pay back on the investment, and the many smaller makers working on the craft system of “putting out” simply did not have the sort of money or scale or operation necessary to make the investment. Writing in 1887, David Glasgow, Vice President of the British Horological Institute, said I have seen, lately, watches made in Coventry, both by the splendid machinery of the Messrs. Rotherham and others made on the old system, and for quality and price they would compare favourably with any watches I have seen ; but on inquiring into the condition of the producers of the latter, it was quite evident a decent existence could not be maintained on their earnings : therefore, competition with foreigners under such circumstances is neither desirable nor possible. The “old system” referred to by Glasgow was the method of putting out; sending round a partially completed watch to various specialists working in small workshops, often in their own homes, where operations were performed by hand, or on hand or foot operated machinery. Those English manufacturers who were either unwilling or unable to modernise and carried on in the same way, came under increasing downward pressure on price from the mass produced competition from home as well as abroad but were trapped in an industry and way of work and life that was all they knew. In 1891 the Horological Journal reported that wages and prices were low in comparison to other trades and that really skilled watchmakers were doing ... beautiful work for prices that a bicycle repairer would have a good laugh at. In such circumstances, young people didn't follow their parents into the trade and found work in the new industries of the bicycle and motor car, and the old ways died with the retirement of their practitioners. Only a few larger manufacturers such as Rotherhams were able to put up a fight, but even these “large scale” English manufacturers were tiny operations compared to the massive integrated American factories, or the highly divided Swiss system where hundreds if not thousands of small manufacturers were tied together in a productive web of activity. Many towns in the Swiss Jura mountains were almost entirely dedicated to the production of watch parts and the assembly of these into finished watches. In Das Kapital, first published in 1867, Karl Marx described the very high division of labour in the Swiss watch industry and said that La Chaux-de-Fonds was a "huge factory-town" such was the extent that it seemed every part of the town was involved in the industry of making watches. Individual companies competed against each other to produce parts of the watch better or cheaper, producing economies of production due to specialisation and division of labour. Against the economies of scale of these competing systems the English factories could not remain profitable and, one by one, closed or changed direction into other areas of manufacturing. Back to the top of the page. English watchmakers prided themselves on workmanship that but they could not compete with companies in Switzerland that added attractive extra features, known as "complications", to watches. The reasons for this are not entirely clear. English watchmakers were certainly capable of producing these complications if they put their minds to it, and had done so in the seventeenth century, but by the eighteenth century the capability had disappeared from England and English watches were being sent to Switzerland, most likely to an area that specialised in timepieces with complications called the Vallée de Joux. In 1887 a Select Committee of the House of Commons took evidence about English watchmaking from Mr Joseph Usher, of the very highly renowned London company Usher and Cole. The answers Mr Cole gave to two questions are very illuminating. Q: Now, with regard to the very high class of watch with split seconds, chronographic minute repeaters, perpetual calendars, and so on ; is it a fact that those watches cannot be made in England? Mr Cole: Not these complications; but the movements can be made in England, in fact, we make them now, with not more than 10 percent, of foreign work in them, minute repeaters. Q: Will you explain to us what happens? Mr Cole: It is sent to have the repeating work put on it. The watch itself is made in England ; the movement is made in Lancashire ; we finish and escape the watch in Clerkenwell; and everything connected with it, the keyless work and all that is English, with the exception of the repeating work. The Swiss were prepared to use cheaper labour, including women and children, for some tasks, whereas for their own watch industry, beginning in about 1850, the Americans turned to machine tools and mass production methods to cut costs. The Swiss became puzzled by a decrease in their export trade to America. At the Centennial International Exhibition of 1876, held in Philadelphia from May to November was to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the signing of the United States Declaration of Independence, American watch manufacturers had proudly presented for the first time the results of their investments over the preceding 25 years in mechanical watch production. The Swiss representatives were shocked at what the Americans had achieved. By using specially designed machines the American factories could produce almost every part of a watch mechanically, and those parts could be assembled into a working watch without further finishing. Swiss manufacturers recognised that this was a severe threat to their industry and adopted American automatic machine methods of production, calling it the "American system". Back to the top of the page. Watch Production in English Factories Although the vast majority of English made watches were made by the system of putting out, there were some factories established that made watches entirely in house. In the Winter 1996 issue of Antiquarian Horology, D H Bacon estimated production for some of these factories between 1870 and 1930, when watchmaking in England had effectively ceased. I have tabulated below the summaries of his data for machine production in factories. Note that the first date given is that when machine production began, although some of the companies, e.g. Rotherham & Sons, could trace their history a long way further back than this. The data was mainly inferred from serial numbers seen on watches rather than from factory records and therefore cannot be assumed to be absolutely accurate, but it gives an idea of the relative scale of the English watch factories. \|The Lancashire Watch Company\|\|1888 – 1910\|\|900,000\| \|The English Watch Company\|\|1871 – 1897\|\|200,000\| \|William Ehrhardt\|\|1856 – 1923\|\|775,000\| \|Rotherham & Sons\|\|1856 – 1930\|\|425,000\| \|J W Benson\|\|1892 – 1941\|\|Unknown\| \|H Williamson Ltd.\|\|1897 – 1931\|\|600,000\| The scale of output of the English factories was much smaller than that of the Swiss or American. The American Watch Company of Waltham between 1852 and 1900 had produced around 10,000,000 watches, and by 1957 when production ceased had made around 35,000,000 watches. Paris Exhibition 1878 A letter from a correspondent at the Paris Exhibition of 1878 gives an interesting list of what he regards as the leading English watch manufacturers of the time, and also perhaps a hint that the decline of English watchmaking had begun, at least in its reluctance to take on and compete with foreign competition. The Paris Exhibition, 1878 THE English section is a favourite resort of all classes of foreign visitors, and to judge from the numerous comments to which I have listened from day to day, I am enabled to say that they are not only highly gratified, but often surprised, at the vast amount of skill and progress embodied in the exhibits of our country. I regret, however, that this eulogium does not apply to our watchmaking and jewellery display. Sir John Bennett, G. E. Frodsham, M. Riego, and V. Kullberg are the only representatives of the English watch trade. Either of the makers just mentioned are quite capable of sustaining the reputation which first-class English work enjoys ; but what we wanted was to show the world what English watch manufacturers can do for the million. Where is Coventry and Birmingham? Some time ago, one of the leading Swiss watch manufacturers told me that England would never be able to manufacture a watch suitable for the pocket and purse of the British workman. Fully anticipating that such makers as the English Watch Company, Wallen, Michael, Newsome and Yeomans, Rotherham, Cowen, Badgers, Hill, and others would be represented here, I promised to show him some work with the price and quality of which he would be astonished. Unfortunately, I have been disappointed : none of these firms have shown up, and my opponent is more than ever convinced of the truth of his assertion. Our representative watch manufacturers have no doubt valid reasons for absenting themselves from this magnificent show ; but I think it a great mistake. As it is, the British Horological Section is no where in comparison with France, Switzerland and America. Sir John Bennett John Bennett was horn in Greenwich in 1814, the son of a watchmaker. He took over the family business when his father died in 1830. Several years later he transferred his trading activities to the City of London, firstly in Cornhill and later in Cheapside. Although trained as a practical watchmaker, Bennett's business at 65 Cheapside was a high street retailer of watches made by English and Swiss watch manufacturers. In The Daily News of 10 December 1859 it was announced that the adjoining house at 64 Cheapside had been acquired for the jewellery department. In 1892 the shop front at number 65 was remodelled and number 64 vacated, being let to Messrs. Eugene Rimmel Limited, the cosmetics company. A watch with “Bennett 65 & 64 Cheapside” on the dial has been seen with London Assay Office hallmarks for 1864 to 1865 in the case. The sponsor's mark JN incuse was entered at the London Assay Office on 28 April 1862 by James Neale of Ryley Street, Coventry, showing that the watch was made in Coventry. The business was sold to J. W. Benson in 1889 and that company continued it until 1941. John Bennett's strong campaigning in the 1850s for Britain to adopt many of the new techniques being used by the Swiss horological industry was not well received and was one of the things which led to the foundation of the British Horological Institute in 1858. Knighted in 1872, Sir John Bennett died in July, 1897. Back to the top of the page. English watchmaking began in London but later centres arose in Liverpool and Coventry. In the eighteenth century these were supplied with "frames" or rough movements for finishing by specialist manufacturers in Prescot in Lancashire. These frames included the plates, fusee, spring barrel and train wheels and other basic components, but they needed to be jeweled, fitted with escapements, and a lot of other finishing before they were ready to be sent to the retailers, Back to the top of the page. Watchmaking in London became centred in Clerkenwell. At the end of the eighteenth century the annual output of watches from London was almost 200,000 pieces, but this declined steadily throughout the nineteenth century as competition from Switzerland and America took increasing market share. The Clerkenwell watchmakers continued to use time-served skilled workers and traditional handcraft methods, with movements passing through the hands of twenty or more specialist trades, the working parts being hand fitted to each movement, plates engraved and gilded, etc. It was very rare for all these specialists to be brought together "under on roof", that is in a factory. It was more usual for each craftsman to have his own small workshop, often within or as an extension to his house. The part finished movements were sent from one workshop to another for the various stages to be completed. Craftsmen also rarely worked for only one watch finisher, so work from one had to wait its turn while a job for another was completed. English movements often varied in size meaning that the cases had to be individually fitted to each one, unlike American watches that were from the start made in standard sizes and could have their cases interchanged, and were often fitted with a customer's choice of case by the retailer. Later standard sizes were adopted so that cases could be "made to blocks", pieces of metal the same outer size and shape as the finished movement. Clerkenwell watches were almost entirely hand made using simple tools that hardly changed over centuries, using traditional hand skills passed down over the generations. For instance, theoretical epicycloidal principles, expounded on the continent by Camus, say that pinion leaves should have radial flanks to the dedendum with semicircular addenda while the wheel teeth should have mitre shaped acting profiles. An editor of an English edition of Camus' work that was published in 1842 received the following comment: In Lancashire they make the teeth of watch wheels of what is called bay-leaf pattern; they are formed altogether by the eye of the workmen; and they would stare at you for a simpleton to hear you talk about the epicycloidal curve. This, however, is at odds with a statement by Professor D. S. Torrens that the first tooth cutters of true epicycloidal form were made by the Prescot clockmaker and toolmaker, Thomas Leyland, about the year 1800. These were made on the orders of William Hardy to epicycloidal patterns that Hardy had created. Although the London watchmakers never adopted modern methods of working and gradually died out, there were sporadic attempts to introduce the American system into British watchmaking. There were many people and companies involved in watchmaking in London and I won't attempt to list and discuss them all here, but I will add notes from time to time of companies that come to my attention for some reason. The house of Kullberg became known in the nineteenth century as the producer of the finest English marine chronometers. Many of Kullberg's chronometers are stamped "J.P" on the bottom plate for the frame maker Joseph Preston & Sons of Prescot, Lancashire, a company still in existence in the early 1950s. Their work was of the highest quality and they supplied many of the top London chronometer makers. Although Preston was far and away the largest supplier, Wycherley frames were also used. Kullberg's records survived. Each watch or chronometer made has a separate page detailing the cost of each component and processes involved in its production or finishing. The records are held by the London Metropolitan Archives, purchased at auction by the Clockmaker's Company from the library of David Torrens after his death, and deposited in the Guildhall Library in 1973. J. W. Benson J. W. Benson began as a partnership between the brothers Samuel Suckley and James William Benson in 1847. They purchased the businesses of several established companies in London at Cornhill and Ludgate Hill, from which they claimed a date of foundation of 1749. The partnership was dissolved on 27 January 1855 when James left to set up alone as J. W. Benson at 33 Ludgate Hill. He later acquired the adjoining premises at No. 34, and later two houses at the rear, which formed the stock rooms and workshops, where steam power was used and watches manufactured and repaired. The first James William Benson died on 7 October 1878, aged 52, and his three sons James William junior, Arthur Henry and Alfred took over the running of the business. The company had retail outlets at various addresses in London, and moved several times on Ludgate Hill. Around 1880 Benson moved the main premises to 62 and 64 Ludgate Hill, with the steam powered workshop adjoining at 38 Belle Sauvage Yard. Watches made there during the nineteenth and twentieth century were named Bank, Ludgate and Field, and often, perhaps always, engraved with Best London Make and By Warrant to HM The Queen. These names were used for different watches, e.g. Ludgate was used on old fashioned key wound and set watches as well as stem wound and set “keyless” watches. In addition to watches of their own make, Benson bought in watches from Nicole Nielson, especially repeaters, P & A Guye and others. The Field watch was so named after the Hunting Editor of the Field magazine, Arundel, wrote I have used the watch for four months, and I have carried it hunting sometimes five days a week, and never less than three. For most weeks I have had one day, sometimes two, with hounds on foot ; and with this strong test I have found it an accurate timekeeper. I recommend Messrs. Benson's hunting watch as one that can be depended on. Field, 22 March 1893. The company J. W. Benson and its subsidiary Hunt & Roskell, acquired in 1889, were converted into separate limited liability companies J. W. Benson Ltd. and Hunt & Roskell Ltd. in 1897. In 1935, a visit to “J. W. Benson's London Watch Factory” observed the manufacture of watch movements. Whether this was definitely the Benson Steam Factory at Belle Sauvage Yard or one of the factories that supplied Benson, such as P & A Guye or Nicole Nielsen & Company, is not clear. Manufacture of only one calibre was described,a ¾ plate movement with an English right angled lever escapement. It was said that various grades of movement were manufactured, the differences being in the jewelling and finish, with ruby jewels and diamond endstones in the higher grade movements, so it must be assumed that by 1935 Benson were making only this one calibre. Only high-class Venetian dials and hand-made hands were used in cases of solid construction in either gold or silver. This watch was by then very old fashioned, with an English style ratchet (pointed) tooth escape wheel, pallet stones inset into the lever and a single roller. It operated at 16,200 vibrations per hour, a low frequency compared to the then almost universal 18,000 vph. It was said that every part of the movement was made so as to be interchangeable and considerable expenditure had been incurred in acquiring the most up-to-date machines. The machines described were mainly presses used to blank out components from sheet, there was no mention of e.g. automatic lathes, which had been operating in American and Swiss factories since the nineteenth century. Philip Priestley records that J. W. Benson had watch cases made by Benson Brothers of Liverpool, who were not relations. The sponsor's mark used on these cases, J.W.B, was entered at the London Assay Office by J. W. Benson. The Benson Brothers case making business was purchased by Dennison in the 1930s. The factory at Belle Sauvage Yard was destroyed by bombing in 1941, including 12,000 watches in stock at the time and the company's records. Benson did not resume making watches after the war, carrying out only repair work. Sometimes this event is erroneously said to have taken place during the Great War. J. W. Benson continued until 1973 when it appears that the name was sold to Garrard, and then subsequently to Mappin & Webb. Back to the top of the page. P & A Guye P & A Guye were a London company set up to make watches by machinery, and said to be the first in England to make watches with parts that were interchangeable throughout. In 1884 it was said that one large American watch factory can turn out 1,100 watches in a day, whereas Messrs. Guye will take two or three months to produce the same number. If this was taken as 11 weeks, then Guye's rate of production would be 100 per week. The address of P & A Guye at 77 Farringdon Road is interesting, because Grace's Guide lists H. Williamson's address in 1922 as 77-81 Farringdon Road. Guye made an 0 size movement which they said was smaller than any English hand made movement. Back to the top of the page. Nicole, Nielsen & Company. Nicole and Nielsen were half way between a traditional craft watchmaker and a machine based factory. They made their own movements, rather than buying them in from a movement maker. Their machines were powered by foot or hand, but they made parts to exact gauged sizes so that they were interchangeable. “This firm did not desire any notice of the merits of their tools and machinery given to the world, as they did not wish their watches to be known as machine made, their business being of a select and aristocratic character.” In March 1903 Robert Benson North, owner of Nicole and Nielsen firm, was granted Patent No 6737 for “Improvements in Revolving Escapements for Watches and other Portable Timekeepers”. This was a type of tourbillion, where the escapement revolves around a fixed wheel. Back to the top of the page. Dent was a very well known London manufacturer of high quality clocks and watches. Several other companies used the name Dent in order to trade off this reputation, so one has to be careful of watches carrying the name Dent. Edward John Dent (1790-1853) began making watches in 1814. Dent became one of London's greatest and best known chronometer makers. Dent and John Roger Arnold, son of the chronometer maker John Arnold, were in business together as Arnold & Dent from 1830-1840 at 84 Strand, London. In September 1840 Dent and Arnold separated and Dent continued in business under his own name Edward Dent until his death, when others continued the firm under various names and at various addresses. Charles Frodsham took over Arnold’s business after Arnold’s death in 1843. Dent experimented with glass balance springs for marine chronometers to overcome the problem of rust. These worked well and were surprisingly robust; in a chronometer that was accidentally dropped to the floor, which broke the balance staff pivots, the glass balance spring was unharmed. However, the glass springs suffered from an acceleration in rate which continued for several years, so were ultimately not satisfactory. In 1842 Dent published an explanation of the cause of Middle Temperature Error, after which it was often referred to as “Dent's Error”. The Dent company built the Great Clock for the Palace of Westminster, which strikes the hours on the bell called Big Ben. Edward John Dent was alive when the company was awarded the contract for the clock, but he did not live to see it completed. Dent's two stepsons each inherited half of the business on his death. Both died within a few years and the two businesses were continued separately under similar names. The one run by Dent's widow Elizabeth was called Dent & Co., the other run by one of the stepson's widow Marianna Frederica was called M F Dent. Kendal & Dent The name Kendal & Dent is often seen on low grade watches such as a key wound and set watch with Swiss cylinder movements having no train jewels that I saw, inscribed “Kendal and Dent London Swiss made”. This puzzled me until David Penney told me that the name has nothing to do with any of the great Dent firms and that the company were retailers who mostly sold cheap Swiss and English made watches. They once had a bought in but well made watch English watch accepted for Admiralty use after the Greenwich Trials, and ever afterwards advertised themselves as Suppliers to the Admiralty. None of their watch are fakes as such, just poor quality, and the firm acquired a suitably poor reputation as a result. The Dent of Kendal & Dent was not related to the famous Dent family of watchmakers, and was accused of changing his name in order to deceive people that he was. J. B. Dent Very little is known about this company, even whether or not John Bryant Dent was a real person. A company trading as John Bryant Dent or J. B. Dent appears to have used the name Dent to associate their business with that of the more famous Dent company. Vaudrey Mercer states that Thomas Buckney of the real Dent & Company complained in a letter to J. B. Dent for referring to themselves as "Dent & Co." in a catalogue. They also used an image of the Westminster Great Clock in some of their adverts although the clock was nothing to do with them. J. B. Dent appears to have been a retailer of clocks and watches, possibly with shops at at Blackfriars Road, London, from circa 1883 and 74 Imperial Buildings Ludgate Circus in circa 1885. Specimens of watches carrying their name and logos include English fusee lever watches and Swiss watches with cylinder escapements. Although J. B. Dent watches often carry "Watch and Chronometer Makers to the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty and the British Government, London" engraved on the dome, there is no evidence to support this claim. The name J. B. Dent does not appear in any published results of watch trials at Greenwich or Kew and is not actually mentioned in any issue of the Horological Journal. An entry in a 1905 trade directory records "J. B. Dent & Sons, British Empire, London and Provincial Watch Manufactory, 189 Blackfriars Road, London" which seems to be just as much puffery as the engraving on the dome. The notice includes "No connection with any other House in the Trade" so Buckney's letter had an effect. Back to the top of the page. Watchmaking in Coventry rose to prominence in the nineteenth century. It began with the finishing of rough movement or “frames” from Prescot in Lancashire, supplied by companies such as Wycherley. The industry expanded and eventually all the parts of the watches, including the frames, were made in Coventry. The origins of watchmaking in Coventry are obscure. In 1727 George Porter, watchmaker, was Mayor of Coventry, also in 1745 and 1753. Rotherhams, who became Coventry's biggest watchmaker, could trace their origins back to 1747. The trade gradually grew until in 1860 there were 90 manufacturers employing 1,250 men, 667 apprentices and 30 women. The industry was at its peak between about 1850 and 1890, when 100,000 watches were made during busy years, about twice as many as the London watchmaking district of Clerkenwell was then producing. Towards the end of the nineteenth century there were several attempts in Coventry to change over from what was called the hand-made watch to the machine made watch, adopting the new methods of machine production known as "the American system". These were led by Rotherhams, who were initially successful in adopting the new manufacturing methods, and H. Williamson, Ltd. Coventry makers got their frames from Prescot until 1889 when the Lancashire Watch Company was founded and, fearing that their supply of frames would be cut off, Coventry watchmakers set up their own frame manufactory as the Coventry Watch Movement Company. Rather than simple frames, this company appears to have made complete movements ready to be cased, but soon found that Coventry's new bicycle and then motor industries were more profitable and diversified away from watchmaking and eventually amalgamated into the Coventry Gauge and Tool Company. Watchmaking Areas of Coventry Although Coventry had a long history of watchmaking it was on a small scale before the middle of the nineteenth century. Spon Street, a thoroughfare in the centre of Coventry that had been an industrial area since medieval times, was the first location in the city to harbour watchmakers. Rotherham & Sons and Newsome & Yeomans were on Spon Street, as were other smaller watchmakers and watch material suppliers. Rotherhams and Yeomans remained in Spon Street. The Coventry Watch Museum Project can be found on Spon Street today. In the nineteenth century the centre of Coventry was overcrowded and unhealthy, so as watchmaking in Coventry increased in importance and prosperity, some watchmakers moved away from the city centre. The Butts, an area close to the city centre around Butts Road became occupied by a number of watchmakers and ancillary works such as case makers. Land released by Act of Parliament in 1845 to create a new suburb to the West of the city centre called Chapelfields, which also became very popular with watch makers and allied workers. Some Coventry watchmakers set up in a new satellite "garden" development at Earlsdon, on farmland purchased in 1852 by a Coventry housing association. This was separated from the city at the time by open country but today is a suburb. In the late nineteenth century Coventry watchmakers were making twice as many watches as Clerkenwell in London. These were mainly for the cheaper end of the market, although about one third went overseas, particularly to India and Australasia where American and Swiss exports failed to dominate the markets in Britain's overseas territories. Some could aspire to the highest quality precision work. In 1889 a list of the 26 watches with the highest marks in the Kew Observatory trials included four Coventry watchmakers. Fridlander had four watches in the list, one of which gained 89 marks. There were three by Joseph White, two by Rotherham and Sons, and one by Newsome and Company. At the peak there were around a hundred Coventry watch manufacturers, from large companies like Rotherhams down to very small operations, supported by three to four hundred smaller firms carrying out specialist operations, making parts and cases. The smaller companies were all working in the time honoured craft tradition in small workshops without power, or at home by piece work, performing operations by muscle power alone. The Americans, followed by the Swiss, adopted machinery to carry out repetitive tasks quickly and cheaply. Most Coventry watch manufacturers and their suppliers were either unwilling or unable to modernise and carried on in the same way, under increasing downward pressure on price from the mass produced competition but trapped in an industry and way of work and life that was all they knew. In 1891 the Horological Journal reported that wages and prices were low in comparison to other trades and that really skilled watchmakers were doing ... beautiful work for prices that a bicycle repairer would have a good laugh at. The formation of the Lancashire Watch Company in 1888, which took over many of the frame (rough movement) makers and had the object of becoming a manufacturer of complete watches, caused Coventry watch manufacturers concern that the supply of frames might be restricted or prices forced up. In 1889 the Coventry Watch Movement Manufacturing Company was established to produce frames in order to reduce reliance on supplies from Prescot. Although Rotherhams by then made every part of their watches, there were still a large number of enterprises in Coventry that depended on Prescot frames. The enterprise was not a great success and had to become, in part, a Coventry agency for the Lancashire Watch Co. By the end of the nineteenth century the writing was on the wall. Dwindling demand for rough movements and opportunities to supply parts to the bicycle, and later motor car, manufacturers meant that the company dropped the "Watch" part of its name and by 1914 was no longer making watch parts. Business was more successful in these new areas and the company continued until the 1970s. By the eve of the Great War the number of Coventry watch manufacturers had dwindled to thirty, supported by around 120 specialists, mainly individual craftsmen working in workshops in their own houses. The adoption of the wristwatch by many men during the Great War was a change that small companies did not have the capital to invest in, and the depression of the 1920s that followed the short post-war boom finished the industry off completely. Watchmaking in England continued to decline throughout the rest of the nineteenth century as Swiss and American imports took greater and greater market share. The spiral downwards was a mixture of a lack of investment which prevented modernisation, downwards pressure on prices as the Swiss and Americans increased the degree to which they could produce components by machine, resulting in low wages leading to few wanting to enter the industry. The last few English watch manufacturers staggered on until the Great War of 1914 to 1918 gave rise to a new fashion for the wristwatch, which the English industry in general did not make, and could not afford to tool up to make, and so the last manufacturers closed down or diversified into making parts such as speedometers and petrol gauges for the new motor industry. For a while Rotherhams bucked the trend and made some wristwatches in the inter war period, but the writing was on the wall and they increasingly diversified into more profitable engineering activities. They appear to have ceased watch production in Coventry before WW2. Back to the top of the page. In this section I have gathered information about a number of Coventry watchmakers. This is by no means exhaustive, more a collected set of notes and jottings which I add to from time-to-time as I find out more. Newsome and Yeomans separated in 1878 and Newsome created Newsome & Company at 14/15 The Butts.Newsome was not the first watchmaker in the Butts: The Watchmaker, Jeweller and Silversmith of 5 June 1876 records the liquidation on 28 April of William Thomas Band of Butts Street, Coventry, watch manufacturer. In 1881 it was recorded that Messrs. Radges & Co., of Argyle Works, Butts, Coventry, and 53, Hatton-Garden, London, E.C. were making going barrel watches (i.e. without a fusee) on the interchangeable system in all sizes, both full and three-quarter plate, in gold and silver cases. Radges later relocated their London showrooms to Garfield Buildings, 4 Gray's Inn Road, Holborn, W.C. Radges had started as a watch manufacturer in 1865, and since 1876 been at his address in The Butts. After a downturn in trade in the 1890s, Radges was declared bankrupt in April 1894. Hearsall Lane was the location of Smith and Sons, Watch Balance Manufacturers. Opposite their premises was the typical 'top shop' workshop of Philip Cohen's Watch Factory. Close by was the home and premises of Joseph White and the workshop of the Coventry Cooperative Watch Manufacturing Society (CCWMS). This was a cooperative of traditional watchmakers formed in 1876 to pool capital. The cooperative was initially successful, but refused to adopt machine methods and by 1895 were reported to be making only a few watches. They used Wycherley frames. Back to the top of the page. Rotherham & Sons Rotherham & Sons, based at 26-28 Spon Street, Coventry, England, could trace its origins back to 1747. In the nineteenth century Rotherhams became the largest watch manufacturer in Coventry. In 1880 John Rotherham sent his works manager to America to buy watchmaking machinery machinery from the American Watch Tool Co. and the company began to mass produce watch parts. There is a separate page about the company at Rotherham & Sons. Back to the top of the page. Back to the top of the page. H. Williamson was established in 1865 in Coventry by Henry Williamson as a dealer in, and later manufacturer of, jet jewellery. Jet is a hard black fossilized wood that can be carved and highly polished. Queen Victoria wore jet from Whitby as part of her mourning dress after the death of Prince Albert in 1861 and it became extremely fashionable. When jet went out of fashion in the 1880s the company diversified into other areas. The firm grew rapidly to become a huge wholesale business. The head office and show room was at 81 Farringdon Road, London. In 1892 the firm was incorporated as a limited liability company as H. Williamson Ltd. Henry Williamson went into semi-retirement due to poor health and failing eyesight in 1906, and died in 1914. The advertisement reproduced here from The Watchmaker, Jeweller and Silversmith of June 1893 says that H. Williamson, Ltd., 81 Farringdon Road, London are the sole agent for the United Kingdom for P & A Guye's movements in London made cases. Culme shows that two punch marks “HW” in cameo within an oval surround were entered at the London Assay Office in 1888 by Henry Williamson. A sterling silver watch case with one of these HW sponsor's marks and the date letter “R” for 1892 to 1893 has been seen. This suggests that H. Williamson were having watch cases made for them in London under their own sponsor's mark, which was a common practice, and fitting them with movements such as those from P & A Guye. The address of P & A Guye at 77 Farringdon Road is interesting, because Grace's Guide lists H. Williamson's address in 1922 as 77-81 Farringdon Road. The same guide lists Williamson factories in Birmingham and Coventry, and branches in Manchester, Auckland, Calcutta, Johannesburg and Sydney. Before the acquisition of the Errington watch company in 1895, Williamson had made only clocks and acted as agents for other companies, notably the watchmaker P & A Guye but also quite likely Errington. Charles Errington worked for H. Williamson until his retirement in 1910. Because Errington finished frames sourced from James Berry, he had no machinery for the manufacture of watch plates or other parts. It is believed that Williamson acquired machinery for making plates and other parts from the failed English Watch Company in 1896. In 1898 the company's main premises in Farringdon Road London was said to be extensive and imposing, with commodious offices at the front and a very large shipping department at the back, with warehouses, workrooms, a large packing department and numerous departments handling gem stones, jewellery, items of silver plate and electro plate, and a large clock, optical and watch department. “There were many excellent lines of Swiss watches . . . the majority of which are manufactured exclusively for the company.” The building at 11 Spencer Street, Birmingham, with a factory and offices, had been built for the Reading family of jewellers circa 1871. It was acquired in 1899 by H. Williamson Ltd., who used the offices and made electroplated silver wares in the factory. Williamson and Büren In 1898 Williamson purchased the Swiss company of Fritz Suter & Co, watch manufacturers in the town of Büren an der Aare in the canton of Bern, Switzerland, and in 1899 the factory of Albert Montandon in la Chaux-de-Fonds. The Büren factory was acquired specifically to supply parts such as the train wheels and pinions, mainspring barrels and arbors, and escapement parts, to the Errington watch factory in Coventry. These were made into watches of English design with plates that were made in Coventry, which were then sold as “English Lever” and “Keyless English Lever” watches. In 1899 the Lancashire Watch Company, who had previously supplied watches to Williamson before they purchased the Swiss factories, took out a prosecution under the Merchandise Marks Act (1887) and Williamson were found guilty of applying a false trade description to the watches with Swiss train wheels and other Swiss made parts. As a result of this, Williamson imported Swiss machinery so that they could make the parts in Coventry, which meant that the Swiss factories were no longer needed for this. Rather than close or sell of the factories, Williamson began making complete watches there and importing them under the brand name Büren. William Henry Sparrow Imported Swiss Büren watches are often seen with this sponsor's mark W.H.S in cameo within a rectangular shield with angled ends. The first punch with this mark was entered at the London Assay Office on 22 June 1907 by William Henry Sparrow, described as an importer of gold and silver watches, 11 Spencer Street, Birmingham. Two punches were registered in June 1907 as a result of the change in the British law which required all imported gold and silver watch cases be assayed in a British assay office and marked with Import Hallmarks. Two additional punches with the same mark were registered on 4 July 1907, and two further punches with the same mark on 3 May 1909. Philip Priestley records that Sparrow was possibly Manager of the Errington Watch Company Case Department, so it would make sense that when Errington was acquired by Williamson in 1895, Sparrow continued in charge of the manufacture of watch cases. Watch cases are seen with the W.H.S sponsor's mark with both English and Swiss movements. Williamson watches are also often seen in cases made by Dennison, but I have one sterling silver example that was made by Clarke & Ward: Thomas Samuel Clarke and Alfred Ward, trading as Clarke & Ward, are recorded at 55 Kensington Road, Coventry. They entered their details and registered a punch mark at the London Assay Office on 20 June 1910, and at the Chester Assay Office as “silver watchcase makers” on 24 June 1910. Merchandise Marks Act Prosecution In November 1899 H. Williamson Ltd. were accused of breaching the Merchandise Marks Act of 1887 by falsely applying to certain watches the description “English lever,” and of exposing for sale certain watches falsely described as made in England. It was not disputed that the watches in question did contain several parts of foreign manufacture, or that they were sold as English lever watches with the English hallmark upon their cases. Williamsons admitted that in some watches the barrel arbor, the cap studs, the centre wheel and pinion, the third wheel and pinion, the fourth wheel and pinion, the pallets, the pallet staff, balance cock, main spring, balance spring, balance and barrel were made in Switzerland. Williamson contended that the train and other foreign parts used in these watches were on the same footing as the balance and spring mainspring, which were nearly always of foreign origin in all English watches. They also contended that the foreign parts need not be considered in the description because they were imported in the rough and had to be shaped, polished and fitted in Coventry. These arguments were not accepted by Mr. Chapman, the magistrate who heard the evidence in the case, and in March 1900 Williamson were found guilty, fined £20 with £10 costs and the watches confiscated. An article in the Horological Journal in 1948 said that a result of the trial was that a new Merchandise Marks Act precluded any British watch or clock factory from using more than sixpennyworth of material, which the article said “just covered the cost of a hairspring”. In fact, it covered more than that as can be seen from the Williamson Astral pocket watch shown in the next section, which has a Swiss made balance, balance spring and mainspring, and the jewels are also almost certainly Swiss made, which is why it has only 7 jewels. At the time, jewels were mass produced in Switzerland by automatic machinery, but in England they were shaped and formed by hand, which made them much more expensive than the Swiss. The Williamson movement would be better, longer lasting, with 15 jewels, but the number was probably kept to seven to stay under the sixpennyworth limit on Swiss materials. The judgement in the case probably didn't come as a surprise to Williamsons because even during the case they had been importing Swiss machinery to be used at the Coventry factory to make parts which were previously imported from Switzerland. After losing the court case, Williamson extended the Coventry factory so that they could make all of the parts there instead of importing them, although they continued to use Swiss balances, balance springs, mainsprings and jewels. The Swiss Büren factory remained owned by Williamson, but now made complete watches marked “Swiss Made” for sale in the UK and elsewhere. Williamson Astral Face. Click image to enlarge. Williamson Astral Paul Perret Balance and Spring. Click image to enlarge The pocket watch shown here is a Williamson Astral in a gold plated Dennison Star grade case. The movement with its exposed winding wheels looks Swiss, but it was made actually in Coventry by H. Williamson Ltd. in around 1910. The reason for the Swiss appearance is that Williamson had been assembling movements in its Coventry factory using parts made at its Swiss factory in Buren, but this was found to be illegal after Williamson were prosecuted under the British 1887 Merchandise Marks Act. After the Court case over the Merchandise Marks Act, Williamson started to mark their movements “Warranted English”, either on the top plate or on the ratchet wheel as shown here. They imported Swiss machinery so that they could make almost all of the parts in Coventry, but the movements retained a characteristic Swiss appearance, with exposed winding wheels and a straight line lever escapement. After the Court case and the increase in the use of parts made in Coventry, Williamson issued a guarantee with each watch that said it was “guaranteed to be a genuine English Lever, the whole of its parts being of English Manufacture with the exception of a trifling amount of Foreign material which does not exceed the value of 6d.” Although the movement was mainly made in Coventry there are still some Swiss parts in it. At the time, English watchmakers routinely used Swiss mainsprings, balance spring and jewels. This movement has only 7 jewels, but it has a Swiss balance and balance spring, and not just ordinary ones. They are in fact a Paul Perret iron-nickel compensation balance spring, used with an uncut monometallic balance. The photograph shows the uncut balance and white metal alloy balance spring. Perhaps the absence of train jewels was in order to keep the cost of imported materials to below sixpence. John Troup & Sons This company was established in the early 1840s by John Troup at 36 Hatton Garden, in London's jewellery quarter, as a watch and clock maker and jeweller. Troup was joined in the business by his sons Alexander James and Frederick William, when the business was named John Troup & Sons. In 1870 the business was described as a wholesale jeweller. The premises has a small street frontage but stretches back a long way and today houses 18 independently owned jewellers booths. It seems likely that the front of premises was used as a retail shop with a wholesale business at the back. In 1903 a branch was opened at 105 Spencer Street, Birmingham. In 1907 the business and stock was sold to H. Williamson for £35,000. Williamson Sponsor's Marks Imports of watches from the Büren factory no doubt continued to increase as the demand for expensive English made watches decreased. Swiss watches in gold and silver cases with Swiss hallmarks were imported without any problems until 1907. Then in 1907 the British authorities woke up to the fact that this was against the law, and required that all imported gold and silver watches be assayed and hallmarked in a British assay office. This cause a sudden scramble amongst watch importers such as Williamson to service the requirements of hallmarking, which meant that they had to have a registered sponsor's mark. As major manufactures and wholesalers of gold and silver Williamson were already registered with the London Assay Office, Henry Williamson had first registered his mark H.W as gold worker on 4 February 1887, and various H.W.Ltd marks were registered after the company had become limited, but a different mark was registered specifically for use on imported watch case, the mark W.H.S within a shield with angled ends described below. William Henry Sparrow The mark shown here, W.H.S in cameo within a rectangular shield with angled ends, was registered at the London Assay Office on 22 June 1907 by William Henry Sparrow, described as an importer of gold and silver watches, 11 Spencer Street, Birmingham. Two punches were registered at that time. Two additional punches with the same mark were registered on 4 July 1907, and two further punches with the same mark on 3 May 1909. These simple registration details conceal an interesting story. Philip Priestley records that Sparrow was “Possibly Manager of the Errington Watch Company Case Department”. Sparrow had evidently been acquired by Williamson along with watchmaking machinery from the defunct Errington Watch Company. Astral Wristlet Advert from 1916 H. Williamson Ltd. was one of the first in the UK to recognise the important new market for wristwatches during the Great War. The 1916 Annual General Meeting of H. Williamson Ltd. was told that “ The public is buying the practical things of life. Nobody can truthfully contend that the watch is a luxury. In these days the watch is as necessary as a hat - more so, in fact. One can catch trains and keep appointments without a hat, but not without a watch. It is said that one soldier in every four wears a wristlet watch, and the other three mean to get one as soon as they can. Wristlet watches are not luxuries; wedding-rings are not luxuries. These are the two items jewellers have been selling in the greatest quantities for many months past.” (Emphasis added.) The advert reproduced here for the Wristlet Astral dates to 1916. The watch is said to have a screw back and bezel case; these were made by the Dennison Watch Case Co.. Although Williamson were clearly enthusiastic about the prospects for wristwatches, Astral wristwatches are not common and I have only seen one. The movement was stamped “Warranted English”, but without this it would be taken for a Swiss made movement. It is essentially a Swiss watch made in England using Swiss machinery, with a Swiss straight-line lever escapement and exposed winding wheels, Swiss mainspring, balance spring, balance and jewels. It had only seven jewels in the escapement, no doubt to keep the cost of the imported components beneath the sixpennyworth limit the train bearings were not jewelled. It would be interesting to know what these retailed for, I am sure they were much more expensive than a Swiss made watch with a better 15 jewel movement. It is no wonder they are rare! H. Williamson Liquidation Williamsons made clocks and watches with the name Astral and, in the 1920s, electrically wound car clocks with the name Empire. After the financial crash of 1929 and the subsequent world-wide depression in the 1930s H. Williamson Ltd. became insolvent in August 1931. A branch of Williamsons trading as “English Clock and Watch Manufacturers” was taken over by Smiths, who continued producing clocks with the name of Astral until 1955. The London company was liquidated, The Büren factory was taken over by a group of Swiss businessmen and the company restructured as Büren Watch Co. SA. The Coventry company Rotherham & Sons took over the agency for importing Buren watches into the UK. The Swiss company was bought by the American Hamilton watch company in 1966. Back to the top of the page. Alfred Emanuel Fridlander (1840 - 1928) was born in Birmingham and became one of Coventry's most distinguished watchmakers. By 1871 he was living in Coventry and gave his employment as a watchmaker employing 30 men and 6 boys. He is recorded at Holyhead Road Coventry. The sponsor's mark of the initials AF in a rectangular shield with cut corners was entered at the London Assay Office by Alfred Fridlander. It appears to be one of three similar punches that Fridlander registered between 1872 and 1882. Fridlander's first registration at the London Assay Office was on 13 October 1868 with a similar mark differing only in that there was a pellet between the A and the F, like this: A•F. Fridlander supplied many London retailers with watches. This included supplying S. Smith and Sons with many watches including their first non-magnetic watches, some of which were exhibited and awarded a gold medal and diploma at the 1892 Crystal Palace Electrical Exhibition. Fridlander also supplied movements for the Royal Geographical Society waterproof watches, often called traveller's or explorer's watches. Many Fridlander watches were tested at the Kew trials and received Class A and Especially Good certificates, often having Kaurrusel revolving escapements and cut bimetallic temperature compensating balances. Fridlander became a wealthy man having diversified, like many Coventry manufacturers, into the bicycle and motorcycle business, where he became a director of the Triumph Cycle Co, the Auto Machinery Co. and Leigh Mills Co. These companies were set up in Coventry to use the skills the local workforce had gained in watchmaking that became available as watchmaking in the city declined and the workers looked for other employment. Fridlander became a town councillor and Justice of the Peace (J.P.), and he served in that role for 28 years. Alfred Fridlander: London 1883 / 1884 Hallmarks British made movement and case London hallmarks 1883/84 on 18 carat gold. Click image to enlarge. Fridlander movement. Click image to enlarge. These are London hallmarks in an 18 carat gold case. The sponsor's mark was entered at the London Assay Office by Alfred Fridlander, a watchmaker of Coventry. It is likely that the movement was finished in Coventry from a "frame" made in Prescot, and that the case was made in Coventry in Fridlander's factory. Reading from the top the marks are: - The sponsor's mark "AF" in a square shield – the registered mark of Alfred Fridlander. - In the centre: a crown above an 18 – the standard mark of 18 carat gold from 1798. - To the left the date letter "H" – the date letter of the London hallmarking year 1883 to 1884, see the note below about the date letter shield shape. - To the right the leopard's head, and no other town mark – indicating the London Assay Office. If you click on the image you should get a bigger view. Back to the top of the page. Newsome & Yeomans, Newsome & Co. and Samuel Yeomans Newsome & Co. and Samuel Yeomans are regarded as leading English watchmaking companies of the late nineteenth century, but there is frustratingly little written about them. Their reputation is based on the high quality of the watches they produced and their results in the watch trials at Kew rather than making large quantities of watches, although they did make use of machinery and the gauge principle to reduce manufacturing costs. Newsome & Yeomans of Spon Street, Coventry, advertised in the Watchmaker, Jeweller and Silversmith in the 1870s as "Wholesale Watch Manufacturers ... Silver English Lever Watches of every description; also gold lever watches, three-quarter and full plate; Three-quarter Plate Keyless Centre Seconds Stop Watches in Gold and Silver. The Performance of every Watch guaranteed for a number of Years." On 29 Aug 1874 Samuel Yeomans entered his details and an "SY" cameo punch at the Chester Assay Office as a Watchcase & Watch Manufacturer. In December 1875 the Watchmaker, Jeweller and Silversmith reported that Messrs. Newsome and Yeomans had opened a new factory in Coventry. The address is not stated but it must be Spon Street, Coventry, because Newsome and Yeomans adverts continued to give this address until 1878, and Yeomans continued on Spon Street after the partnership had ended. The main workshop on the first floor, where it was well supplied with daylight, was 120 feet in length and accommodated over fifty workmen. On the ground floor was another workshop about forty five feet in length, along with a heated cloakroom, and a tea room. The report said that "Altogether the factory is certainly one of the most complete, although not the largest, which we have inspected." Newsome and Yeomans Separation, June 1878. The report said that "Their watches are all made by the aid of machinery to gauges, a system having many decided advantages, the chief of which is, that in the event of any wheel or pinion being broken or lost, it may easily be replaced without sending the entire watch. One special branch of their extensive business is the manufacture of the higher class gold ¾ plate, centre seconds, keyless, watches." The remark that spare parts could be sent out is somewhat puzzling because, in common with most English watchmakers, Newsome rarely put their name on the watches they made. The visible name, usually the only name, was almost always that of the retailer. In which case, how a watch repairer would know to contact Newsome to ask for parts is something of a mystery. Newsome and Yeomans separated in 1878, as evidenced by the separate adverts for Newsome & Co. and S. Yeomans reproduced here from June 1878. Samuel Yeomans remained in Spon Street, Newsome moved to 14, Butts, Coventry. The partnership of Isaac Jabez Theo Newsome and Samuel Yeomans was recorded as formally dissolved on 5th February 1879. Newsome & Co. On 7 February 1878 Jabez Newsome entered his details and a "JN" cameo punch at the Chester Assay Office as a Watchcase & Watch Manufacturer. This suggests that the dissolution of the partnership of Newsome and Yeomans was in the air in early 1878. Newsome, 14 Butts. Image courtesy of Bygone Spon End, Chapelfields and Nauls Mill. The address quoted by Ridgway and Priestley for the 1878 cameo punch mark is 14 & 15, Butts, Coventry, but this is an error. The earliest adverts by Newsome & Co. such as the one reproduced here were for 14 Butts, only later was 15 included. Newsome and Co. advertised from the address 14 & 15, Butts, Coventry, in the Watchmaker, Jeweller & Silversmith in the 1880s as watch and chronometer makers. This is puzzling as English streets normally have even numbers on one side of the road and odd numbers on the other side. Today number 15 Butts Coventry is occupied by Chicko's Café & Restaurant, flanked by The Mint Restaurant at number 13 and Istanbul Restaurant at number 17. However, information kindly provided by Robert Witts at the Coventry Archives and Culture Coventry is that a 1905 trade directory indicates that postal addresses at that time were numbered consecutively, so 14 and 15 were next to each other, and on the opposite, North, side of the road to the current number 15. A 1905 OS map shows the watch factory between York Street and Thomas Street (which no longer exists), opposite to today's number 15 and where the West side of the multi storey car park of the Ramada Hotel is today. According to the 1905 trade directory, the right side of the Butts (including Newsomes) runs from number 1 to 70, and the left hand side runs from number 71 to about 100. This was before extensive slum clearance and redevelopment took place from the 1930s onwards and the current, more usual, numbering scheme was adopted. In 1888 Newsome & Co. patented a "safety wheel" to guard against breakage of the mainspring in movements with goings barrels. This arrangement consists of a compound wheel, intermediary between the barrel and the centre pinion and gearing with both. The barrel teeth are cut on the middle of the barrel rim, which distributes the friction equally on both ends of the barrel arbor. The first of the compound wheels gears with the barrel, while the second gears with the centre pinion as the barrel would normally. Between the two wheels are a click and ratchet, similar to those in the going fusee. When the mainspring is driving the train of wheels, the click takes into the ratchet and the compound wheel acts as one wheel, but should the action of the barrel be reversed, as it would were the mainspring to break, the top wheel will simply ratchet the click round preventing any further damage taking place. In 1890 a new chronograph was manufactured by Newsome and Co. for registering one-sixtieth part of a second. The patentee and inventor was Mr. Robert Turner of 53 Princess Street, Bury. The escape-wheel arbor was fitted with a second wheel of forty eight teeth, which geared with a pinion of eight teeth that carried a hand on its axis round a small auxiliary dial divided into 60ths seconds. The result being that, with the ordinary chronograph train of 18,000, the small hand makes a complete revolution per second. The rest of the train was as normal and there was also a centre-seconds hand on the large dial. In March 1891 the death of Mr. I. J. T. Newsome was announced. The business was carried on as usual by the surviving partners, I. K. and S. T. Newsome, presumably sons. The first must be Jabez Kerby Newsome of 14 and 15 The Butts, Watch Manufacturer, who in 1896 was granted a patent for "Improvements in the Means and Method of Securing Bows to Keyless Watches." The letter "J" is a relatively recent addition to the alphabet and was often rendered as an "I" at the time. The second was Samuel Theo Newsome (1868-1930) died on 4 January 1930 aged 61. By 1894 Newsome and Co. had a London office at 94 Hatton Garden, EC, and were advertising as "Wholesale Watch Manufacturers. All kinds of English Lever Watches in Stock. Sole Makers of Patent Safety Wheel for Going Barrels. Keyless Work a Specialité with or without the Kew Certificate in "A," 46B," or "C" class... Illustrated catalogue on application." The firm's London agent was listed in 1897 as J. M. Joseph. By the time the London office had moved to 70 Hatton Garden, Joseph had been replaced by Charles Louis Ebeling. When the Lancashire Watch Company was founded in 1888, Coventry watchmakers were concerned that the supply of "frames", movements for finishing, from Prescot would cease, so they founded the Coventry Watch Movement Company. Samuel Yeomans was its first chairman. The company was initially under capitalised and struggled. When additional capital was introduced and automatic machinery purchased it found that the demands from Coventry watchmakers were too small to keep the machinery fully occupied so it diversified into the manufacture of bicycles, and parts for the motor and aviation industries. I. J. T. N: Isaac Jabez Theo Newsome, Newsome & Company. IJTN: Newsome and Company, London 1886 / 1887 Hallmarks IJTN: Newsome and Company, Chester 1888 / 1889 Hallmarks. The two sets of hallmarks shown here both have the same sponsor's mark, the initials I.J.T.N in cameo within a rectangular surround. Punches with this mark were first entered at the Chester Assay Office on 7 November 1884, and at the London Assay Office on 21 November 1884 and 22 April 1886 by Isaac Jabez Theo Newsome with the address 14/15 The Butts, Coventry, giving his occupation as watchmaker and watchcase maker. Another punch with the came initials in cameo but with a diamond shaped surround was also entered at the Chester Assay Office on 7 November 1884. Reading from the top and then left to right the marks are: - The lion passant or walking lion, the standard mark for sterling silver. - The town marks of (1) the Chester Assay Office, an upright sword between three wheat sheaves, and (2) the leopard's head of the London Assay Office. Note that when the leopard's head is struck on its own as shown here with no other town mark it signifies the London Assay Office, but some other assay offices struck the leopard's head as a standard mark in addition to their own town mark, see Leopard's Head Caution!. - The Chester hallmark has assayer's mark or date letter "E" for the year 1888 to 1889. The London hallmarks has the date letter "L" for the year 1886 to 1887. Remember that hallmark date letters span two calendar years, for brevity only the first year is shown in most references. Jackson's is the only reference that shows the correct two year span. - The sponsor's mark I.J.T.N in cameo within a rectangular surround. NB: Philip Priestley has the London punch as being entered by Newsome & Yeomans but this is incorrect. All the I.J.T.N punches were entered by Newsome after Newsome and Yeomans had parted company in 1878. Notice how the three assay office hallmarks are arranged in a regular triangle formation, whereas the sponsor's mark can be at a random angle. This is because the sponsor's mark was struck with a single punch before the case was sent to the assay office, but the three assay office marks were made by a "press punch". This is one punch that carries all three marks which was applied to the case and driven home by a fly press. This method of marking was used to speed up the process of marking the large numbers of gold and silver watch cases submitted for hallmarking. If the assay office hallmarks are not punched in a regular triangle pattern, this can indicate a fake hallmark in a watch case. Back to the top of the page. Bahne Bonniksen (1859-1935) served an apprenticeship with a watchmaker in Copenhagen and spent two years working there before moving to England in 1882. In Denmark his master had shown him a Jürgensen watch which inspired his interest in precision timekeeping. He initially worked in London, attracted by its horological reputation, for the company of R.G. Webster. In 1887 he took a job as a lecturer at the Coventry Technical Institute. He also started work part time as a watch springer and timer, and eventually gave up teaching to become a full-time as a watchmaker. In 1892 Bonniksen invented a simpler form of tourbillon which he called a “Karrusel”. The principle of the Karrusel is that a rotating cage, called the Karrusel, is driven off the pinion of the third wheel. The Karrusel is pivoted on the pillar plate coaxial with the fourth wheel. The fourth wheel sits inside the Karrusel with its pinion projecting below the Karrusel to engage with the third wheel as normal. The balance and balance spring, lever and escape wheel are mounted on the Karrusel carriage, together with two cocks, one of which bears the upper pivot of the fourth wheel and the lower pivot of the balance staff, the other bears the top pivot of the balance staff. The lower pivots of the lever and escape wheel are formed in the Karrusel, with a separate cock for their upper pivots. The right angle English lever is the ideal layout for the design. Bonniksen's house at 16 Norfolk Street in Coventry still exists and bears a blue plaque commissioned by the Coventry Watch Museum Project with the words “Residence and Workshop of Bahne Bonniksen Watch manufacturer and inventor of the Karussel Movement for watches and chronometers 1894”. Number 16 is a single fronted terraced house which does not look large enough to contain both a home and a substantial workshop, but Bonniksen said that all Karrusel movements were made there. Bonniksen is almost certainly referring to the production of rough movements; a frame consisting of the main plates and train wheels, including the Karrusel carriage. Components would have been sourced from separate specialist suppliers and assembled into rough movements. Some of these were no doubt finished on the premises, but Bonniksen also supplied supplied other watchmakers with rough movements for finishing. Back to the top of the page. In the first part of the eighteenth century, watches were made in and around Prescot by individual watchmakers as they were in many towns and cities around the UK. By the end of the eighteenth century the practice of individuals making entire watches had been replaced by the system of “division of labour”, where individual workmen specialised in the making of a single part or a small number of parts, and watches were the end result of the work of many of these specialists. Prescot in South West Lancashire near to Liverpool became a centre of manufacture for horological tools and "frames", collections of parts that constituted a rough movement, that were sent to Clerkenwell in London to be “finished”. Frames were also sent from Prescot to Liverpool and to Coventry to be finished. Presot was mainly a supplier of raw materials and partially complete movements; there were no finishers who produced complete watches. In 1866 John Wycherley set up a factory in Warrington Road, Prescot, with three floors and steam power, to produce rough movements or "frames" (strictly just the assembled plates and pillars, but sometimes seem to be used to refer to a collection of watch plates and other parts) by machinery. Wycherley stated that all the plates of a specific type of movement would be the same size, so cases could be made that would fit, and that the parts were interchangeable. Wycherley also introduced a system of uniform movement making with defined movement sizes, so that cases and dials could be ordered without having to send the movement for them to be made to fit. Wycherley seems to have been very successful, but was a long way from producing complete watches. At first his business made just plates, train wheels and pinions, little more than a collection of raw materials machined into their initial form that required a lot more work to become a watch. The plates were not even drilled for the train pivots. The watch finisher arranged to have the wheels "planted", which means drilling holes in the plates for the pivots. The frame then went to the jeweller, escapement maker, engraver, gilder, dial maker, and many other specialists before the watch was finished. Frames made in Wycherley's factory were stamped "JW" on the dial plate, one is shown here. The number 7673 on the watch movement is Wycherley's serial number for the movement. The 12 followed by an 0 over a 3 gives the size or "calliper" of the movement, the size being the diameter of the bottom (dial) plate measured by a pair of callipers. This calliper size is called the Lancashire gauge for determining watch sizes. A diameter of 1" plus 5/30 inches for the mounting flange was taken as the base size and called zero (0) size. Each 1/30 inch increased in diameter increments the size one number. The 12 on this movement indicates that it is 1 and 17/30 inches diameter. The 0 over 3 indicates the pillar height, the distance separating the two plates of the movement. Standard pillar height was taken 1/8" indicated as 0/0, with increments indicated above the line and decrements below in 1/144". For more about this see watch sizes. Details of Wycherley's 1867 Patent In 1882 Wycherley sold his business to Thomas P. Hewitt and it was renamed Wycherley, Hewitt & Co. Hewitt was later instrumental in founding the Lancashire Watch Company. NB: Sometimes the name is spelt without the final “e” as Wycherly. There are many mentions of John Wycherley / Wycherly in the Horological Journal in the nineteenth century. I counted 182 spelt Wycherley and 65 spelt Wycherly. I found three earlier instances, but the latter spelling seems to have become common from 1886 in the name of Wycherley, Hewitt & Company, which was more often (~61 times) printed in the HJ as Wycherly, Hewitt & Co. than the correct Wycherley, Hewitt & Co. (only 24 times). The Lancashire Watch Company At the end of the nineteenth century an attempt was made to produce finished watches in Prescot by machine mass production in a factory. A company called the Lancashire Watch Company was formed in 1889, bringing together and into one factory a number of separate businesses. The core businesses were Wycherley and Hewitt & Co., both owned at the time by Thomas P. Hewitt. Other businesses that were persuaded to go in with the venture were Isaac Hunt & Co., E. Beesley & Sons, H. Dagnall & Son, and Wood & Morton of Prescot ; J. Watkinson and Ralph Greenall of St. Helen's and J. Basnett of Coventry. A number of machines were purchased in America. The Lancashire Watch Company started producing watches around 1890. The company was initially successful. One of its largest customers was J. G. Graves, the Sheffield pioneer of mail-order selling, who is estimated at one period to have taken 70% of the factory's output. Another large customer was H. Samuel. Steel mainsprings are prone to break and in a going barrel watch this can result in serious damage to the wheel train and jewels. One method of preventing damage was to fix the centre pinion to the centre arbor with a left hand thread. When the watch was working normally this thread was held tight, but if the mainspring broke the sudden reversal of force would cause the thread to unscrew. This was known as a ‘safety pinion’ in American watches and a ‘reversing pinion’ in Lancashire Watch Company movements, which are stamped with this on the top plate as a warning to watch repairers that the centre pinion was loose on the arbor. An alternative safety device, which also reverses the direction of winding, was a small wheel on a hinged arm between the barrel and centre pinion. Normally this wheel was held in place between the barrel and pinion by the force of the mainspring, but if the mainspring broke and the force reversed the small wheel would jump out of mesh. Hewitt was granted British patent No. 21,412 for this invention in 1895. Lancashire Watch Company movements with this feature are marked ‘Patent Trip Action’. The Lancashire Watch company never quite achieved success. It suffered from making too many models of very similar watches, and poor marketing. Stocks of unsold watches and debts mounted. The company ran out of capital and failed in 1910. Closure of the factory was announced in January 1911, and an auction was held in March to liquidate the remaining stock and the tools, machinery and factory fittings. During the Great War the factory building on Albany Road in Prescot was used as a barracks for the Lancashire ‘Pals’ regiment, accommodating hundreds of soldiers from Prescot and the surrounding area. The 1st City Battalion K.L.R (King's Liverpool Regiment) was the first of all the Pals Battalions, raised by Lord Derby at the old watch factory on the 29th of August 1914. The Grade-II listed building, built in 1889, has now been converted into apartments. The watch illustrated here encapsulates many of the problems that beset the Lancashire Watch Company. It has an English lever movement that is key wound from the back, and the time is set from the front by opening the bezel and applying a key to a square boss on the minute hand. The case has Chester Assay Office hallmarks for sterling silver, the date letter "Q" is for 1899 to 1900. The sponsor's mark is TPH in cameo within a rectangular surround, which was entered at the Chester Assay Office in May 1899 by Thomas Peter Hewitt of the Lancashire Watch Company, Prescot. The dial has “English Watch Co. Birmingham” on it, referring to a company of that name operating in Birmingham at the time, described at English Watch Co.. John Platt has written a very comprehensive history of the Lancashire Watch Company. In there I found on page 288 two LWC watches with 'English Watch Co.' and 'Famous Premier' on their dials that are virtually identical, with silver cases hallmarked 1899 and 1900 with the same TPH sponsor's mark. This watch was made and cased by the Lancashire Watch Company in Prescot and sold to the English Watch Co., who then presumably sold it on to a jeweller for retail. The problems for the company that this watch sums up are (1) old fashioned products and (2) lack of marketing. A watch that was key wound and set, and not even set from the back but by opening the bezel and applying the key to the minute hand, was looking very old fashioned by 1900, when stem wound and set watches were pouring into the country from Switzerland and America. The mail order company J. G. Graves took up to 70% of the output of the factory. Graves was very successful in selling by mail order, part of which success came from holding prices down. He advertised an English lever watch in a silver case at 50 shillings, which could be paid for in five instalments of 10 shillings. This was much cheaper than such watches were usually sold. Taking such a large proportion of the output of the Prescot factory meant that Graves could drive them down on price. The fact that the Lancashire Watch Company also sold completed watches to other manufacturers, such as the English Watch Company in Birmingham as shown by the watch illustrated here, shows that they had a lack of marketing and sales channels. Simply creating a factory that could mass produce watches was not a recipe for success, the products needed to be sold to retailers, which required a marketing and sales operation that the Lancashire Watch Company did not possess. Hans Wilsdorf of Rolex showed only a few years later how a successful watch business could be created. He ordered watches from existing companies and created a demand for them by advertising. Back to the top of the page. Liverpool was an important centre of watch finishing with a large export trade to the Americas. Well known Liverpool watch manufacturers included Litherland in various combinations, Roskell and Thomas Russell. Peter Litherland was born in 1756 in Warrington, a town just inside North Cheshire on the banks of the River Mersey, 20 miles east of Liverpool. He became a watchmaker and in 1791 was granted a patent for the rack lever escapement. This is similar to the detached lever escapement except that the lever is connected by a curved toothed rack to a pinion on the balance staff. Thomas Russell had a partner Henry Stuart at 170 Park Lane, Liverpool, where they were listed as watch and clock manufacturers, but this partnership was dissolved on 28 January 1844. Thomas Russell went on to become a very well known Liverpool watch manufacturer. The business of Henry Stuart continued under various names and appears to have ceased trading in circa 1882. Ralph Samuel: Case Maker In 1856 Mr Ralph Samuel gave evidence to a Select Committee of the House of Commons that was investigating the hallmarking of gold and silver wares. He had been in the trade of manufacturing gold and silver watch cases for about 25 years and his business manufactured an average of 600 gold watch cases a month and 800 silver. Samuel said that his business made more cases than the rest of the Liverpool manufacturers and was probably the largest watch case manufacturer in the world, making up to 200 gold and 400 silver watch cases in a week. At the time there were 100 men and boys employed, although it had been considerably more at one time and was likely to increase again in the future. Liverpool never had an assay office, so most gold and silver watch cases made in Liverpool were sent to the Chester Assay Office for assay and hallmarking. Ralph Samuel said that it cost 9d (nine old English pence) each way to send watch cases to Chester by the railway. When asked if he insured the goods, he said that he didn't; he had on occasion sent parcels of watch cases worth £800 or £900 and they were delivered to the assay office by the railway porter. Ralph Samuel died in February 1860 and his widow Mary took over the running of the business. The 1861 Census describes Mary's occupation as “Gold case maker employing 40 men and 20 boys.” Back to the top of the page. Birmingham was a large industrial city in the West Midlands with an extensive jewellery manufacturing industry. Rather strangely for such an important centre of manufacturing it had very little in the way of watch makers. One significant company was the Dennison Watch Case Company, which has its own page that you can access via the link. Two Birmingham based watch manufacturer were the companies of William Ehrhardt and the English Watch Co., which are described below. Back to the top of the page. William Ehrhardt (1831-1897) was born in Germany and served an apprenticeship as a watchmaker there. He came to England in 1851, the year of the Great Exhibition. He worked for a time with Upjohn & Bright watchmakers in London before settling in Birmingham. In 1856 Ehrhardt set up a company at 30 Paradise Street, Birmingham. It seems his intention was to make watches by machinery. This was before John Wycherley set up his factory in 1866 in Prescot, Lancashire, and before Aaron Dennison formed the Anglo-American Watch Company in 1871 in Birmingham, so Ehrhardt was one of the pioneers of watchmaking by machinery in England. Ehrhardt was not in England at the time of Ingold's doomed venture in the 1840s, but perhaps he was influenced by the reason for its failure, which was principally due to opposition from established English watchmakers. Ehrhardt chose Birmingham because it was away from the traditional centres of English watch manufacturing where watches were made by hand using craft skills and factory methods would be opposed, as Ingold had been. Ehrhardt wanted machine operators for his factory, not traditional watchmakers. From 1856 to 1863 Ehrhardt operated from addresses in Paradise Street and Augusta Street in Birmingham. In 1864 he moved to Great Hampton Street, and an advert with this address in 1872 says that he has ... constructed machinery to make his patent keyless movement on the interchangeable system. William Ehrhardt entered a sponsor's mark at the Birmingham Assay Office on 14 November 1867. This meant that he could send in watch cases to be assayed and hallmarked. It was usual for watch cases to be made by specialist watch case makers, of which there were many in the watchmaking areas of London, Coventry and Liverpool. However, Birmingham did not have such a conglomeration of independent specialists supporting watch movement finishers, which suggests that Ehrhardt's company made watch cases as well as movements, and probably dials and hands as well, so that unlike many English watch manufacturers, the whole watch could be made and finished on the premises. In 1873 Ehrhardt was naturalised as a British citizen. In 1874 he built a new factory called “Time Works” in Barr Street to increase production. It is thought that by this time Ehrhardt had produced 200,000 watches. Ehrhardt was granted a patent, No. 6406 dated 1894, for improvements in the hand setting mechanism of keyless watches. The invention was a mechanism that allowed the keyless mechanism to be put into hand set mode by pulling the crown outwards away from the case. This is the way that watches are set today so it seems very familiar, but there were hundreds if not thousands of different mechanisms patented in the nineteenth century to effect this before the sliding pinion design invented by Adrien Philippe in 1845 was eventually adopted pretty well universally. When William Ehrhardt died in 1897 his sons William and Gustav Victor carried on the business. In the obituary notice it was said that 500 watches were made per week with 400 personnel. In 1898 the business was incorporated as William Ehrhardt Limited with 250 employees. Production peaked around 1900 when 250 persons were employed, including many girls who attended the machines, and 600 to 700 watches were made per week. The lower number of employees but greater number of watches made per week imply that Ehrhardt's sons had increased the productivity of the workforce by increased use of specialised machinery. From around 1920 the company used the name “British Watch Company Ltd.” on some of its watches, most likely hoping to gain patriotic support in the face of growing imports, a sign of the pressure on the few remaining English watch manufacturers. The company William Ehrhardt Ltd. was liquidated in 1923, by which date it was one of the very last English watch manufacturers. From 1923 until 1927 the Barr Street address was being used in adverts promoting a new company “G. V. Ehrhardt & Hereward Ltd.” as watch cleaners and repairers, but with no mention of watch manufacture. Sponsor's Marks and Trademarks W.E Cameo Sponsor's Mark W.E Incuse Sponsor's Mark The company used the two trademarks shown in the image above. The winged arrow trademark was registered on on 4 February 1878 and sometimes varies from the shape shown here with simpler and less detailed wings. The fir tree trademark was registered on 4 August 1911 and was used on watches that carry the British Watch Company name. The sponsor's mark “W.E” incuse was entered at the Birmingham Assay Office on 14 November 1867 by William Ehrhardt, and also at the London Assay Office. After the first incuse punch, further punches with “WE” and “W.E” in cameo within oval and rectangular shields were registered between 1880 and 1914. The punch mark shown here with “W.E” in cameo within an oval surround was made by one of three punches registered between 1907 and 1914. The watches manufactured appear to have been initially full plate key wound with going barrels, with anticlockwise winding to simulate the presence of a fusee. Early models had English right angle lever escapements with pointed escape wheel teeth and the frames pinned together, later models had Swiss straight line lever escapements with club tooth escape wheels with the frames screwed together. The patent granted to Ehrhardt in 1894 shows that he was interested in keyless winding by that date, and later production included three quarter plate movements with keyless winding. In an article in Antiquarian Horology Winter 1996 D. H. Bacon estimated the total output of Ehrhardt watches from the 1874 founding of the Time Works factory as 775,000 watches. This works out very approximately as about fifteen and a half thousand watches a year or 300 a week over 50 years. The rate was lower than this in the beginning and towards the end, and higher in the good years between 1885 and 1910. Back to the top of the page. William Ehrhardt Sponsor's Mark and Hallmarks Hallmarks - click image to enlarge Movement - click image to enlarge Thanks to Ken in the USA for the pictures. Ehrhardt Birmingham 1888/89 Hallmarks: Click image to enlarge. Thanks to Darren in Auckland for the picture. Two sets of hallmarks are shown here from cases of watches made by the company of William Ehrhardt Ltd. of Birmingham, England. William Ehrhardt first entered a sponsor's mark at the Birmingham Assay Office on 14 November 1867. Starting with the images from Ken in USA, reading from the top and then left to right the hallmarks are: - The lion passant or walking lion with raised right forepaw, the standard mark for sterling silver. - An anchor: the town mark of the Birmingham Assay Office. - The date letter in the picture of the full case back is a capital "k" in a rectangular shield with curly base: the date letter of the Birmingham hallmarking year 1909 to 1910. - In the picture of the full case back the sponsor's mark is "W.E" in an oval shield, the registered mark of William Ehrhardt Ltd. This sponsor's mark was first entered at the Birmingham Assay Office on 20 February 1907. The cropped picture from Darren W. in Auckland shows the earliest sponsor's mark entered by Ehrhardt at the Birmingham Assay Office in November 1867, the initials "W.E" incuse without surround. Several other forms of marks were entered by the Ehrhardt company over the years. The hallmarks in Darren's image are an anchor, the Birmingham Assay Office town mark, a lion passant, the standard mark of sterling silver, and the date letter "o" in Black Letter Small face for 1888 to 1889. Note that the Birmingham Assay Office used unique shield shapes for date letters specifically on watch cases in the nineteenth century that are not shown in any published tables. Back to the top of the page. The Anglo-American and English Watch Company The history of the Anglo-American and English Watch Companies is a story of one factory under two sets of management and two different names. The Anglo-American Watch Company was set up by Aaron Dennison and a group of investors in Birmingham in 1872. After the company failed to achieve sufficient sales of its watches in America, Dennison left and the company was renamed English Watch Company Limited. Soon after this the investors decided that the company was not viable and liquidated it. The factory and machinery was sold to William Bragge who ran it under the name “English Watch Company”, although this had no connection with the dissolved limited company of the same name. Anglo-American Watch Company The Anglo-American Watch Company was one of the first users of mass production machinery in England to manufacture of finished watches in any significant quantity. John Wycherley started earlier but made only unfinished movements, sold as ‘frames’ and rough movements to watch finishers. Aaron Dennison left the American Watch Company of Waltham in 1861 after a disagreements with Royal E. Robbins. He came to England in late 1863 as an agent selling patented American machinery to the iron trade in Birmingham, England. On a trip to America in 1864 in conjunction with this agency he was approached by A. O. Bigelow to help set up a new watchmaking company in Tremont. Bigelow's idea was to make watch plates and barrels in America by machine, and import the small fine parts, such as the train wheels, balance and escapement from Switzerland, where wages were lower than in America. Bigelow and Dennison founded the Tremont Watch Company in Boston, and Dennison went to Zurich to supervise the ordering and delivery of parts to America. The strategy was initially successful. In 1866 the company relocated to Melrose, Massachusetts, and was renamed the Melrose Watch Company. At the same time, Bigelow decided to make all the parts of the movements, and to increase production to 100 watches per week. Dennison disagreed with this and left the company. The new strategy was not a success; the Melrose Watch Company ran out of money and failed in 1868. Dennison returned to Boston and tried to form a new company to purchase the machinery and factory but failed. After much searching he found investors in Birmingham, England, who were prepared to put up the capital to buy the Melrose machinery and form a watchmaking company. The Anglo-American Watch Company was founded in October 1871 at 45 Villa Street, Aston-juxta-Birmingham, which later became known as Hockley, with Dennison as manager, subject to dismissal on three months’ notice and at a salary of £350 per year. At the end of five years Dennison was to receive shares in the company, and a share of the excess profits if they exceeded 5 per cent for the first year, 10 per cent for the second, 15 per cent for the third, 20 per cent for the fourth, and 25 per cent for the fifth year. The agreement was complicated by the fact that Dennison partly owned the tools and equipment which had been previously used in Switzerland. Notice of English Watch Co. Liquidation: 30 June 1875. The initial products, uncased movements, were sent to America for sale but there was little demand because of severe economic depression after the financial crisis of 1873 and the market was over supplied. This led to a change in direction towards the British market and the company was renamed the English Watch Company. At some stage this was transformed into a limited company. Liquidation and Sale Cutmore says that the Anglo-American Watch Company was wound up "late in 1874" and sold for £5,500 to William Bragge, who "renamed it the English Watch Company". However Philip Priestley records a special resolution of the Anglo-American Watch Company passed on 11 February 1874 that changed the name to the English Watch Company. It appears that Dennison left the company at this time, perhaps the investors had become disillusioned with his inability to turn ideas into profits. Another special resolution was passed on 9 June 1875 which proposed the voluntary winding up and sale of the English Watch Company. The date of 1874 given by Cutmore is wrong and was corrected to 1876 in an article in Antiquarian Horology Winter 1996. The London Gazette report reproduced here shows that The English Watch Company Limited of Villa Street, Aston-juxta-Birmingham, was wound up voluntarily in June 1875. The initial resolution was made on 9 June. This was confirmed at a second Extraordinary General Meeting on 24 June when Liquidators were appointed. Bragge must have purchased the company, already named The English Watch Company Limited, from the liquidators. The notice to creditors posted by the liquidators required all claims to be submitted before 1 August 1875. When the assets were sold to Bragge is not recorded but it must have been late in 1875 or early 1876. Bragge entered a sponsor's mark R.B in cameo at the Birmingham Assay Office on 19 January 1876, which he would not have done if he did not already own the company, so he probably bought it in December 1875 or early January 1876. Bragge would not have bought the limited company itself, which would have been allowed to go into liquidation taking its debts and liabilities with it. Bragge purchased the buildings, machinery and stock-in-trade from the liquidators, creating a new company called the English Watch Company. This was not a limited company, which might explain Cutmore's remark that he changed the name, the name being changed from The English Watch Company Limited to The English Watch Company, which was also a different legal entity. An Extraordinary General Meeting of the English Watch Company Limited was held on 20 December 1881 for the purposes of hearing from the liquidators how the winding up had been conducted and assets of the company disposed of. That was the final end of the first "English Watch Company Limited". English Watch Company EWCo. Production and Trademark : Antiquarian Horology Winter 1996 After the takeover by Bragge the English Watch Company continued to use the Melrose machinery for making plates and barrels, but was still dependent on the import of parts from Switzerland. In 1880 it was reported that that 200 men were employed and the machinery was little improved, the escapement and much of the material still came from Switzerland. William Bragge ran the company until about 1883 after which his son Robert took over. The Watchmaker, Jeweller and Silversmith reported in February 1882 that The English Watch Company of Birmingham was to become a limited company, The English Watch Company Limited. The capital of the Limited Company was £50,000 in £10 shares, although it appears that only half the amount was called up in the first applications. The freehold buildings, plant, machinery, stock in trade, goodwill, patents and trademarks had been valued on a going concern basis at £21,000. This was the second "English Watch Company Limited", a completely separate legal entity from the first limited company. The works at Nos. 41 to 49 Villa Street, Lozells, Birmingham, were reported to have been in active operation under the present management for "about six years", which would imply from late 1875 or early 1876. This ties in with the date of December 1875 to January 1876 for the purchase of the assets of the company by Bragge from the liquidators as discussed above. The works manager was Charles Haseler. The workshops had been planned for the purpose of watchmaking by steam machinery, the lighting being especially good with windows on both sides of each workshop looking out onto gardens. It was said that in addition to making parts by costly high-class and automatic machinery, "the several parts of the same sizes are interchangeable". Large orders were flowing in from the Indian, Colonial and Home markets with the "revival in trade" after the depression of the 1870s. The prospectus for the 1882 share sale said that the watches made were exclusively English levers. This indicates a change from the earlier imported Swiss club tooth lever escape wheels to English made pointed tooth lever escape wheels which was noted in the article in Antiquarian Horology. In that article it was assumed that this change might have been a result of the Merchandise Marks Act 1887, but this report shows that it occurred at least five years earlier. In 1885 at the 4th Annual General Meeting the shareholders were told of the death of the 'founder' William Bragge, an enlargement of the workshop costing £950 and a new and more powerful steam engine by which a 50% increase in production could be obtained. The chart of English Watch Co. production from Antiquarian Horology Winter 1996 shows movements divided into three broad types or “zones”. Zone 1 are the oldest styles with clockwise winding. Zone 2 have anticlockwise winding with an extra wheel inserted to make the movement wind in the same direction as a fusee movement, although they were actually all going barrel. Zones 1 and 2 have Swiss club tooth escape wheels whereas zone 3 have English pointed tooth escape wheels. According to the prospectus, the changeover to pointed tooth escape wheels should have been earlier than the evidence seems to show.Etymology The words “Haseler's Patent” on the dial plate or “Patent” on the ratchet wheel click refer to Patent No. 646 granted to Haseler on 16 February 1877 for a recoiling click. In Haseler's design the click has a slot in it which, at the end of winding, allows a small reversal of the barrel to relax the mainspring spring tension slightly. This prevents excessive balance amplitude and obviates the need for stop work on the barrel. A patent was purchased from Mr Douglas of Stourbridge for his double chronograph and his stock of finished and unfinished movements and materials. The patent was probably No 4,164 of 27 September 1881 which allows the fitting of a centre seconds hand and minute counter to a normal watch, either on the conventional dial at the front or a back dial. The chronograph part was operated by a three-push button. The English Watch Company proposed to produce a combined repeating and chronograph watch known as the 'Chrono-micrometer' and one was exhibited at the 1885 Inventions Exhibition in South Kensington. The watch was a minute repeater with the chronograph showing minutes, seconds and fifths. This was an ambitious project in a different class of watchmaking to those previously made. In 1886 the company was reported to be very busy and in 1890 Robert Bragge and the company took patent 2,856 for 'Improvements in Chronographic watches'. The good times didn't last and on 11 February 1895 an Extraordinary General Meeting of the English Watch Company Limited passed a resolution that the company should enter voluntary liquidation. This time it was not resurrected. It is thought that H. Williamson of Coventry bought some of the machinery. Back to the top of the page. English Watch Co. Birmingham 1878 / 1879 Hallmarks British made case These hallmarks are in the British made case of a watch made by the English Watch Co. of Coventry. Reading from the top and then left to right the marks are: - The lion passant or walking lion with raised right forepaw, the mark for sterling silver. - The anchor: the town mark of the Birmingham Assay Office. - The date letter "d" in Black Letter font: the date letter of the Birmingham hallmarking year 1878 to 1879. - Below the these upper three hallmarks is the trademark of the English Watch Company. - Finally the sponsor's mark "R·B" in a rectangular shield, the registered mark of Robert Bragge. If you click on the images to the right, you should get a bigger view. Note that the shields in this hallmark around the Birmingham Assay Office town mark and the date letter cameos are not the same shape as shown in the published tables but instead have a point at the base and flat top. This was a shape that the Birmingham Assay Office reserved for watch cases. According to Priestley there are two candidates for the sponsor's mark "R·B" in a rectangular shield; Richard Baker of Coventry who registered this mark in 1838, and Robert Bragge of the English Watch Co. who registered an apparently identical mark in 1878. This shouldn't happen, but record keeping was not as efficient then as now and it could be that Baker had ceased work in the intervening 40 years between his registration and Bragge's. The trademark of the English Watch Co. clearly shows that this particular mark is Robert Bragge's. The name on the movement, William Philcox, 83 High Street, Wandsworth, is that of the retailer, not the maker; it was common practice at the time for the retailer to have their name engraved on the movement by the manufacturer. The square boss in the middle of the barrel bridge, between "High St." and "Wandsworth" is where a key was applied to wind the watch. This square is on the end of the barrel arbor and winds the watch mainspring directly. This was because the machinery on which the plates were made was designed for the American market, where the use of a going barrel which drove the train directly was the norm while English watchmakers were still clinging to the use of the fusee. In an English watch with a fusee the key was applied to the fusee arbor and wound anticlockwise, so later versions of English Watch Co. watches were made with an extra gear to replicate this direction of winding for the comfort of English customers, although the watches remained driven by a going barrel and not a fusee. Back to the top of the page. Early English watches developed from watches imported from the continent or made in England by migrants from the continent. They used spring driven verge movements that were derived from small spring driven table clocks. The timekeeping of the first spring driven timepieces was found to be strongly affected by the strength of the impulse to the balance so in the fifteenth century devices were invented to even out the power of the spring and deliver constant force to the balance. There were two devices, the stackfreed and the fusee. The stackfreed consisted of a spring with a roller on its end that bore on a cam attached to the mainspring barrel. This operated by opposing the power of the spring during the first half of its unwinding and then assisting it during the second half. It was used for a relatively short period. The fusee was a cone shaped pulley that was connected to the mainspring barrel by a gut line or chain. This operated by the chain pulling on a small diameter section of the cone when the spring was fully wound, and then on progressively larger diameters as the spring unwound. The fusee continued to be made in English watches into the twentieth century. The next significant step forward in watch technology after the fusee was the application in 1675 of a fine spiral spring to the balance to give it a natural frequency. The layout of a fusee verge watch is to a large extent determined by its technology. There are two plates between which most of the moving parts are fitted. The verge staff extends through the top plate where it carries the balance. The top pivot of the verge turns in the balance cock, the lower pivot in the potence, a bracket that hangs down from the top plate and also supports the inner end of the escapement or crown wheel. The outer end of the crown wheel is supported by the counter-potence. These design factors mean that a verge watch pretty well has to be a "full plate" design, which means that the upper plate is the same size as the bottom or pillar plate. The first photograph here shows a low grade fusee verge movement. You can see that the top plate is a full round plate with a small additional plate above the mainspring barrel. The balance cock that supports the top pivot of the verge staff is pierced and engraved, this one pretty crudely, more expensive watches had better quality work. The round head of the cock is slightly larger than the balance itself and protects it from clumsy fingers, or the key when the watch is being wound. The large foot is located by two steady pins and secured to the plate by a single screw. A strange detail is that one side of the foot of the cock has been cut away to clear one of the pillars that separate the two plates. The plate over the barrel is engraved "Jno Head, Binham" with the serial number 29858. Brian Loomes' "Watchmakers and clockmakers of the world" tells us that there were two John Heads, father and son, in Binham, a small village in Norfolk. Binham Priory Churchyard records show that John Head senior was born 23 March 1753 and died 9 March 1816. A second John Head is recorded in the Binham records without dates, but Loomes records that the son John Head was born 1787 and died 1847, so there was quite a range of dates when this watch could have been made. It was, however, not made by either of the Heads. In common with most English watches it was engraved with the name and location of the person who was going to sell it. The engraving of the marks next to the regulator scale, with a pattern of four arrows all facing one central point, indicates that the watch was finished in Coventry, and the serial number is that of the manufacturer. It does not show that the Head family sold nearly 30,000 watches in one small Norfolk village! Even though this is a low grade and "relatively" cheap watch it would still have been an expensive purchase at the time. This movement is rather dull and dirty because it has been hanging about without a case for a long time, which indicates that it originally had a gold case that has since been melted down for its bullion value. The brass parts of the movement were gold plated by a method called "fire gilding". Gold was dissolved in boiling mercury to form a putty like amalgam that was spread onto the brass parts. These were then heated so that the mercury evaporated and left a layer of gold on the surface. Fire gilding produces a beautiful effect that modern electroplating does not really replicate, but of course the mercury fumes were deadly and this method of gilding has not been used for a long time. The balance cock has also been elaborately pierced and chased by hand. Back to the top of the page. Around 1764 Jean-Antoine Lépine of Paris designed a new layout for the pocket watch that was much thinner than had been made previously. He replaced the vertical verge staff and crown escape wheel with horizontal escapements such as the cylinder or virgule, which allowed him to move the balance from outside the top plate to between the plates so that it was in the same plane as the train wheels, with its bottom pivot in the bottom plate. He also dispensed with the fusee and used a going barrel. To make his thinner movements easier to construct and maintain, instead of a full top plate Lépine used separate bridges to support the top pivots of the arbors, a design called a bar movement by English makers. Continental watchmakers followed Lépine's lead and the modern watch was born. Although the cylinder escapement had been invented in England and patented by Edward Barlow, William Houghton and Thomas Tompion in 1695 and improved by George Graham, most English watchmakers continued to make watches with verge escapements. Those that were interested in improving watches thought that the cylinder, with its constant friction, was not much of an improvement over the verge and so cast around for other, better, designs with less friction. Thomas Mudge invented the detached lever escapement in 1754 but it took nearly 75 years for the lever escapement to sweep all other movements off the board, at least as far as English watchmakers were concerned. Around 1825 the fully developed form of the English fusee lever escapement emerged into English watchmaking. It was not patented, and its inventor (if it had a single inventor) is not known. To begin with it looked very much like the fusee verge movement that it superseded, with a full top plate and the balance above the plate, pivoted in a large balance cock screwed to the plate. So similar was the layout of the two movements that fusee verge movements could be converted to lever escapements with little trouble. The photograph here shows one of these full plate English lever movements. You can see that the overall construction has changed little from the fusee verge movement, with the exception that the balance cock is much smaller and plain, and it now carries the regulator. Back to the top of the page. The “English lever” watch Between about 1814 and 1826, English watchmakers developed and brought to perfection a type of watch escapement that was to remain in production for over eighty years until it was made uneconomic by machine made watches. Its manufacture was unique to England and it enjoyed almost legendary status. The term “English lever watch” was understood throughout the world in the way people now understand “Rolls Royce”. It was a hand made watch that defied attempts to mechanise its manufacture. It was almost impossible to apply keyless winding, which made it very old fashioned towards the end. The “English Lever” has three main identifying features. - The English lever escapement. The lever escapement was invented in England by Thomas Mudge in 1770. Mudge made only two watches with this escapement. Developments slowly followed until the final form was achieved in the eighteenth century. The English lever escapement consists of a jewel pin on a roller on the balance staff, the lever itself with two pallets, and the escape wheel. The pivots of these three are laid out at right angles. As the balance swings back and forth the pin on the roller enters a fork on the end of the lever and knocks the lever from one side to the other, and each time this happens a tooth of the escape wheel is released. The escape wheel teeth are pointed, the pallets have concealed jewels, usually rubies. - The Fusee and Chain. This ancient device keeps the acting force of the mainspring constant as the watch runs down. The spring is contained in a barrel. A fine chain connects the barrel to the cone shaped fusee. When the watch is run down all the chain is wrapped round the barrel. As the watch is wound, by using a key to turn the fusee, the chain is drawn off the barrel onto the fusee. It first fills the largest diameter groove at the base of the fusee, then filling the grooves to the smallest diameter at the top until a stop finger is lifted into the path of the stop piece. As the watch unwinds the force exerted by the spring decreases, but the acting radius of the fusee increases, keeping the force on the wheel train constant. The bottom of the fusee incorporates maintaining power invented by John Harrison in 1753. - The case with fixed inner dome. The watch is wound through the dome after opening the case back. The movement is accessible from the front with a hinge at 12 o’clock and a nail-catch at six, as shown at English Lever Case. The dustcover can be released by sliding the crescent-shaped locking piece. Support the weight of the movement while doing this. In the image of the partly dismantled English Lever movement here is annotated to show the steel lever, impulse notch and the pallets. As the balance (not shown) oscillates through the neutral position, the impulse pin on the roller mounted on the balance staff enters the impulse notch and moves the lever. This causes the locking pallet to disengage from the escape wheel, allowing one tooth of the escape wheel to pass before the other pallet locks the wheel again. The English Lever escapement is called "right angled" because the pivots of the escape wheel, lever and balance form a right angle. English lever rose diamond endstone The internal parts of an English watch movement were also beautifully finished. The photograph here of the wheels in the train of the English lever watch shown above, dated by the hallmark in its case to 1833, gives an idea of the workmanship that was deployed. The steel pinions are superbly finished and polished, even on the ends of the leaves and with dished and polished centres. This finish was purely for decoration that only another watchmaker or watch repairer would ever see. This would have added considerably to the cost of the watch with no benefit to the purchaser in timekeeping or external appearance and I must admit that I am always amazed by it. Tradition and pride in workmanship was a feature of English watchmaking, the flip side of which was conservatism and resistance to change, and also to making economies so that watches could be cheaper. The English watch was always expensive, and remained so even when cheaper competitors arose and eventually stole its market. Watch jewelling was also pioneered and brought to a high art by English watchmakers. The picture here is of a balance staff endstone from the same 1833 English lever watch. The setting is blued steel. The jewel is a rose diamond, a hemispherical diamond with the curved upper part cut in triangular facets. This was purely for decoration, the working face of the stone was the flat base. The diamond was brazed to the steel setting and the two were polished on the underside together. There is more about watch jewelling at jewels. Back to the top of the page. Making watch cases was one of the most difficult tasks to mechanise or automate, partly because cases were usually made from silver or gold and the amount of metal in the case had to be kept down if the case was to be affordable. Today cases are pressed from stainless steel by hydraulic machines, but the material is worth only pence at most so economy of use and reduction of waste is of no concern. In the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries there were many specialist trades involved in making a watch case including case maker, joint maker, pendant maker, bow maker, springer, boxer-in, engine turner and polisher. Although in smaller workshops some of these trades would have been carried out by one person, increasing specialisation since the seventeenth century mean that watch cases were made by small teams rather than one individual. The hinges on watch cases are called "joints" for some unknown reason, and making them was a skilled craft that one man dedicated himself to. Back to the top of the page. In the late nineteenth century, centre second chronograph watches became quite popular in Britain. They usually had a slide on the case band that caused a strip of metal to press against the balance staff, stopping the balance. This caused the watch to stop keeping time when the chronograph function was used. There was no means of setting the seconds hand to zero, or recording more than one minute, which is all rather inconvenient. The watches were probably popular because people liked the appearance of the dial, with its large, sweeping, centre seconds hand, rather than because they wanted to use them as chronographs (much like the enthusiasm for chronograph wristwatches today). The movements of these watches were designed with the second wheel, which is usually the centre wheel, offset, so that the fourth wheel could be planted in the centre of the movement. The fourth wheel rotates once a minute and, in a movement with a conventional layout, it carries the small sub-seconds hand. By moving the fourth wheel to the centre of the movement, the seconds hand could be made longer to sweep the full radius of the dial rather than a small sub-dial. If the watch is key wound and the hands are set from the back, it is easy to see that the second wheel is offset because the set hands square for the key is offset, or the opening for the key is not in the centre of the dome. When arbor of the fourth wheel carries a centre seconds hand, the movement is called a “direct” centre seconds. This arrangement avoids the fluttering of the seconds hand of an indirect centre seconds arrangement. It is sometimes said that direct centre seconds was a twentieth century Swiss innovation, but that is wrong. The dials of early chronographs of this type were marked out with a track of 240 divisions around the edge, such as the one in the photograph here of a watch with a sterling silver case with London Assay Office hallmarks for 1878 to 1879. The use of 240 divisions was because the movement has a 14,400 vph escapement which ticked four times per second or 240 time per minute. The elapsed time could therefore in theory be read to an accuracy of ¼ of a second. The 14,400 vph escapement was an old design, but the newer type of escapement operating at 16,200 vph made 4.5 ticks per second and 270 per minute, which was obviously inconvenient for a chronograph and does not appear to have been used. Observations suggest that chronographs with 14,400 vph escapements and 240 divisions on the dial were based on traditional English movements with fusees, and that chronographs with 18,000 vph escapements and 300 divisions on the dial were based on going barrel movements. Lecomber's Decimal Chronograph On 13 Sept 1875, John Lecomber, a wholesale watch manufacturer of Liverpool, registered under the Merchandise Marks Act (1862) a “Decimal Chronograph” having a dial with a track around its outer edge marked out in 300 divisions. This dial was to be used with a movement having an 18,000 vph train, which ticks five times per second or 300 times per minute. Lecomber claimed as part of his design an escape wheel pinion with 6 teeth working with a fourth wheel pinion with 60 teeth. Watches made by Lecomber have “Decimal Chronograph Registered 13 Sept 1875” on the dial, and usually have Lecomber's name on the movement and his JL incuse sponsor's mark on a hallmarked case. Lecomber said the invention had been very profitable to him. He chose the name “Decimal Chronograph” because instead of the 16,200 vph movement, which made nine ticks in two seconds, the 18,000 vph movement he used made 10 ticks in two seconds. After the passing of the Trade Marks Act of 1875, Lecomber registered “Decimal Chronograph 13th September 1875” as a trademark on 31 May 1876. In 1883 Lecomber spotted, in the window of Mrs. Samuel’s shop in Market Street, Manchester, a watch not made by him which had “Decimal Chronograph” on the dial. Mrs. Samuel was Harriet Samuel who founded the chain of high street shops today called H. Samuel. Lecomber had a friend purchase the watch and then took legal action against Mrs. Samuel, which was only stayed after she paid Lecomber £115, a lot of money in 1883. Lecomber discovered that the watch in question had been made by Edwin John Hollins, a Coventry watch manufacturer, using a movement made by Joseph Preston of Prescot. However, it was Hollins who was making watches with the words Decimal Chronograph on the dials so Lecomber indicted him under the 1862 Merchandise Marks Act for the misdemeanour of issuing a false trade mark with intent to defraud, which carried a penalty of a fine or up to two years’ imprisonment with hard labour. The case of Lecomber v. Hollins was first heard on 27 June 1883 by the city magistrates of Coventry. A witness by the name of Williams, from the town of Bury in Lancashire, stated that since 1879 he had paid Lecomber a royalty of half-a-crown a watch to use the name decimal chronograph on his own “Improved Decimal Chronograph” watches. However, William Payne, Joseph Flint and Joseph Franklin, all watch dial makers of Coventry, stated that the names Patent Chronograph, Decimal Chronograph and Marine Chronograph were widely used on the dials of watches made in Coventry, and had been for many years. In defence, Hollins' lawyer said that the words “decimal chronograph” were merely a description which could not form the subject of a trade mark, and quoted a case under the Trade Marks Registration Act, 1875, in which the Master of the Rolls held that words which simply described something could not be registered. The case created quite a stir in the trade. On the 3rd of July 1883 a meeting of about 50 watch manufacturers was held at Coventry, under the chairmanship of Mr. J. Radges, of the Butts, and a resolution was passed that those present sympathised with Mr. Hollins and resolve to assist him in defraying the expenses for his defence. The case was reported in the Horological Journal of August. The case eventually ended up at the Warwickshire Summer Assizes on the 2nd of August 1883 before Mr. Justice A. L. Smith, where the judge and jury agreed with the reasoning that the words “Decimal Chronograph” were purely descriptive and that, since the dial had also carried the name H. Samuel, there had been no intention to defraud. The action against Hollins was dismissed without the case for the defence even being heard. Regestered [sic] Aug. 4th 1885 Watches are sometimes seen with the wording “Decimal Chronograph” and “Regestered [sic] Prov'ly Aug. 4th 1885”. This is a bit of a mystery, there can hardly have been anyone in the trade that did not know about Lecomber v. Hollins. There was also no such thing as a provisional registration; under the Merchandise Marks and Trade Mark Acts something was either registered or it was not. The wording probably means that an application for registration had been submitted but, given the prior events, it most likely would have failed to be accepted. Some nineteenth century pocket watches are seen with the words “Patent Chronograph” on the dial and movement which have cylinder escapements, which means that they are of Swiss origin. It appears that one or more Swiss manufacturers decided to cash in on the interest in Britain in chronograph movements. These are almost certainly not the subject of a patent and the wording on the dial is false. Perhaps the Lecomber v. Hollins court case persuaded them that it was acceptable to apply this wording, although it is most likely a false description. Back to the top of the page. S. Smith & Son S. Smith and Son of Trafalgar Square, London, described themselves as watch and instrument makers. The business was founded in 1851 by Samuel Smith. By the end of the nineteenth century they were recorded as "watchmakers to the Admiralty", selling high-class watches with certificates from the Royal Observatory, Kew. However, it is not clear that they actually manufactured any watches themselves at this time. It seems more likely that they were purchasing watches from English wholesale manufacturers such as P. & A. Guye, Ltd. and Nicole Nielsen & Co., and retailing them under their own name. Towards the end of the second world war, the British government persuaded Smiths to begin manufacture of watches for strategic reasons. High quality jewelled lever pocket and wrist watches were produced in a factory in Cheltenham, and cheaper pin lever watches from a factory in Wales, but the enterprise was never very profitable and withered, eventually being closed down. The modern Smiths Group is descended from the original company. Back to the top of the page. Dutch Fakes or Dutch Forgeries Arcaded minute track: click to enlarge Geneva "bridge": click to enlarge London hallmarks 1768/69: click to enlarge The watch in the images here is of a class commonly known as Dutch fakes or Dutch forgeries. The dial has an arcaded minute track that was popular in Holland at the time and hence such watches were once thought to have been made there. Typically they have a continental movement with a bridge rather than a cock for the upper balance pivot, they are engraved with an English sounding name and "London", and have a sterling silver case with English hallmarks. However, it seems that these watches were made from movements that were brought into England from Geneva, possibly finished in England, and then cased in English made cases. The case of this particular watch contains a watch paper with the town name of Oldenzaal, a city in the eastern province of Overijssel in the Netherlands, so it is possible that this watch was "made" in Holland by fitting a Swiss movement into a hallmarked English case, although by the time this watch was made, around 1768, the export of English cases was against the law. In 1698 an Act of William III made it illegal to export from England watch cases without movements, justifying this by saying that great quantities of empty cases had been exported to foreign countries where they had been fitted with bad movements carrying the names of London makers and the watches sold as English. So it appears that this probably did happen before 1698, but whether it continued after the export of empty watch cases had been made illegal must be doubtful. The same Act of William III said that because counterfeit names, and also the names of the best known London makers, had been put onto bad watches in England, anyone making or causing to be made a watch should put on it their own name and place of abode, and made it an offence to put on any other name. The dial has an "arcaded" minute track, where the pattern of lines with bars across that looks rather like a railway track is formed into outward sweeping curves between the minute numbers. This is reminiscent of an arcade, a covered passage with arches along one or both sides. The hands are gold or gilded and a fancy shape which was more used on continental watches than English. The balance staff arbor is pivoted in a bridge rather than a cock. The bridge is secured to the top plate with two screws, rather than the cantilevered balance cock with a single securing screw that was more usually used by English makers. The shape of the balance bridge of this movement looks like an ébauche made by Japy of Beaucourt in France, near to the Swiss border. In the eighteenth century Japy set up a factory to mass produce movements for clocks and watches and supplied these to to Swiss finishers to be made into watches. The balance bridge was used occasionally by English makers but English work is finer than this. The balance staff of the watch in the pictures is pivoted in a plain bearing in the bridge. Sometimes these movements have a steel plate to take the end thrust of the balance staff, although this one doesn't. An English watch would usually have a jewel bearing and diamond end stone for the balance staff. The use of jewels by English watchmakers during the eighteenth century was one of the areas where they were ahead of continental makers, for more details about this see my section watchmovement jewels. The movement is engraved "John Worke London". This could be a fictitious name or it might be a genuine London watchmaker. Loomes "Watchmakers and Clockmakers of the World" lists a "John Worke London 1760-85" which is the correct date range for this watch. A search of the web revealed several examples of watches signed John Worke London, all with the same continental style balance bridge. One auction house even says "John Worke was active from 1760-85 making Dutch style watches". The hallmarks in the case are genuine London Assay Office marks. The lion passant is correct for sterling silver and the leopard's head is a design that was introduced in 1756. The date letter is the "black letter capital N" of 1768 to 1769. The sponsor's mark "HT" is not recorded in most reference books because the London Assay Office Register of 1739 to 1758 when this mark must have been entered is missing. The consensus of opinion seems to be that it is probably the mark of Henry Cleaver Taylor, free of the clockmaker's company in 1746, although it might possibly be Henry Teague. It is likely that this is an English made case rather than an imported case. The cases of watches like this sometimes have the sponsor's mark of someone who is no known to be working as a watch case maker. It is most likely that these cases were made by someone who was not a member of the goldsmiths' guild, who asked a guild member to submit the work for assay and hallmarking under their own registered mark. The practice was called "colouring" by the Goldsmiths' Company and any guild member found guilty of it would be fined heavily. However, it did happen. On the basis that the Act of William III of 1698 made it illegal to export empty cases, it seems likely that the sterling silver case was made, assayed and hallmarked in London. From the information in Loomes it seems likely that the name John Worke and London are genuine. It thus appears that Worke was importing ébauches from France / Switzerland and finishing them in London, and having them cased by a London case maker. These watches were probably exported to Holland and other countries where English watches were known better by name than appearance. Watches with this type of movement are also seen in silver or gold cases without British hallmarks. These were most likely made, finished and cased in Switzerland / France. Back to the top of the page. The Term "Chronometer" In the HJ for January 1994 on page 250 is an article describing the purchase by the National Maritime Museum at Greenwich of watch No. 36 made by John Arnold in 1778. This watch was the first to have a bimetallic temperature compensation balance. It was tried at the Royal Geographical Observatory from 1 February 1779 to 6 July 1780 and its performance was exceptionally good. The HJ article is entitled “First Chronometer for Greenwich” and says that the watch's performance was so extraordinary that a new term “chronometer” was coined, probably by the cartographer and hydrographer Dalrymple, to describe this sort of high precision timekeeper. Arnold's No. 36 is said to be the first watch that this term was applied to and was therefore the first chronometer. Given the simple and rather obvious derivation from the Greek "chronos", meaning time, and the English "meter", meaning to measure, it seemed unlikely that a compound word meaning to measure time would have such an origin. I decided to look into this further. The source of the attribution to Alexander Dalrymple is “Some Useful Notes Useful to those who have Chronometers at Sea” (London, circa 1780). Now this would be a strange title for a book if the word chronometer was indeed new. If no one until the time this book was published had used the name chronometer for a timepiece, then how would those at sea know that the book was about the thing that they had if they did not know it was called a chronometer? In “Alexander Dalrymple and the Expansion of British Trade”, Howard T. Fry advances a more plausible explanation. He says that although the term chronometer was in use for pendulum time keepers as early as 1715, it was Dalrymple who first suggested applying the term to balance controlled time keepers used for measuring time at sea. In The Marine Chronometer (TMC), Commander Gould writes "Throughout the following pages the word "chronometer" has been used in its accepted English significance that of a machine specifically designed for the purpose of keeping accurate time at sea, and fitted with the spring-detent, or "chronometer" escapement. On the Continent the word is used indifferently to describe machines fitted with either the chronometer or the lever escapement." Gould's definition is rather circular: "A chronometer is a device fitted with a chronometer escapement, which is a spring-detent escapement, that is called a chronometer escapement because it is fitted to a chronometer." Rather amusingly, this definition would also mean that Arnold's No. 36, supposedly the watch for which the term chronometer was coined, is not a chronometer, because it is fitted with a pivoted rather than spring detent escapement. However, Gould ignores his own definition and refers to No. 36 as "a pocket chronometer". In an editorial note in the new edition of TMC Gould wrote Just before the outbreak of war in 1939, the Continental watch-trade pulled every string it could to get the trade in this country to adopt a definition of "chronometer" which would cover a good lever-watch also. One or two in the B.H.I. itself favoured this — but a small ad hoc sub-committee (of which I was Chairman) dug their heels in, & defined "chronometer" as "a timekeeper fitted with the spring-detent escapement". Unfortunately the Admiralty had "sold the pass" years before when they started calling deck-watches — which today are all levers — "chronometer watches" RTG 27.X.40. This struck me as rather ridiculous. Even the mighty Oxford English Dictionary does not claim to define words, only to document their meaning from evidence of how they are used. However, the small ad-hoc sub-committee "definition" seems to have stuck in some quarters. In the HJ September 2012 p392 D E Bryan FBHI questioned the use of the word chronometer by Adrian van der Meijden in an article about IWC Pocket Watches. Mr Bryan said "... in England a chronometer is a mechanism fitted with a detent escapement. As it happens, I have a copy of a ‘Kew A Certificate’ issued by the NPL and it clearly talks about taking the chronometer out of its gimbals. As I understand it in England, a chronometer was a chronometer, before, during and after testing, even if it failed the test. Chronometers were not tested for positional errors because they were hopeless in any other position but the horizontal. That is why, of course, they were suspended in gimbals. The implication is that a chronometer not only has to have a detent escapement but it also must be suspended in gimbals. However, it is interesting to note that Arnold's watch, the so-called "first chronometer", was not suspended in gimbals, it was cased as a pocket watch and was regularly worn by the trial judges. The DLC Technician Grade Version 1 – Introduction – Page 20 contains the following definition: \|Chronometer\|\|1. An instrument having a detent escapement for measuring time accurately.\| \|2. A marine chronometer: used by navigating officers when determining a ship’s longitude.\| \|3. A high quality wrist watch.\| Item 1 contains a non-sequitur; a detent escapement does not itself measure time accurately, and an instrument having a detent escapement might measure time accurately or it might not. The sentence is illogical. Item 2 is fine, but item 3 is so vague that it could mean anything. In the Oxford English Dictionary a chronometer is defined as: An instrument for measuring time. Etymology: Greek χρόνος (chronos - time) + meter. Compare French chronomètre (1701). Quote: "1714, W. Derham Physico-theology. (ed. 2) i. iv. 28 According to my own Observations made with ... a very accurate Pendulum Chronometer." Derham Physico Theology William Derham was Rector at Upminster, Essex, from 1689 to 1735. His book Physico-theology, subtitled a Demonstration of the Being and Attributes of God from His Works of Creation, contained the substance of 16 sermons he preached in St. Mary le Bow Church in London between 1711 and 1712. The subject of the book allowed Derham to indulge his interest in natural philosophy and he ranged over an astonishingly wide range subjects. The figure here is from a chapter about light in the fourth edition dated 1716. It describes measuring the speed of a "bullet" fired from one of Queen Anne's Sakers, a medium sized cannon firing a round shot weighing 5.25 lb (2.4 kg). Derham used "a very accurate Pendulum Chronometer" beating half seconds to time the flight. So the term "chronometer" was not invented in 1780 to describe Arnold's watch. It was in use in France by 1701 and in England by 1714. Horologists should stop pretending that they can define how words are used. If some wish to think that a chronometer must have a spring detent escapement they are, of course, free to do so; but they should also recognise that this will never be sufficiently widely used by the English speaking peoples to be documented by the OED. I suggest that the definitions in the DLC be modified as follows: \|Chronometer\|\|1. An instrument for measuring time.\| \|2. A marine chronometer: used by navigating officers when determining a ship’s longitude.\| \|3. A accurate watch: sometimes tested and certified to meet defined standards of accuracy.\| If you have any questions or comments, please don't hesitate to to get in touch via my Contact Me page. Copyright © David Boettcher 2006 - 2021 all rights reserved. This page updated April 2021. W3CMVS. Back to the top of the page.
Genetic Screening and Counseling Medicine Central™ is a quick-consult mobile and web resource that includes diagnosis, treatment, medications, and follow-up information on over 700 diseases and disorders, providing fast answers—anytime, anywhere. Explore these free sample topics: -- The first section of this topic is shown below -- - Rapid advances in elucidating the genetic basis of disease have resulted in the need for both primary care and specialty physicians to perform genetic risk assessment in their practices and refer patients for genetic counseling when indicated. - Genetic counseling is the process of communicating information about genetic risks. It focuses on susceptibility to disease in individuals who are - Suspected of having a heritable disease - At risk due to family history - Concerned about affected offspring due to family history, age, or ethnicity - Genetic counseling is provided in a nondirective manner, free of bias and coercion, thus empowering individuals or families to make well-informed decisions about their health care. - Genetic screening is performed on a population of individuals potentially at risk for the condition under consideration. Definitive diagnostic testing or confirmation follows a positive or indeterminate result. Individuals who have been identified by screening may receive genetic counseling to explain the implications of a positive screening result and the need for further diagnostic testing. - Counselors may assist clinicians and patients in choosing or declining various screening or diagnostic tests. - Pregnancy considerations: Genetic counseling may address elevated genetic risks associated with maternal age, family history of heritable genetic disease, teratogenic exposures, prenatal screening results suggestive of increased risk, or abnormal findings on prenatal ultrasound. - Newborn screening: varies by state according to the genetic makeup of the population. Conditions screened are those for which there is an effective treatment that can make a clinically significant difference. - Pediatric considerations: Genetic counselors work with pediatric specialists including medical geneticists to evaluate children at risk for a chromosomal abnormality or genetic syndrome because of developmental delays, intellectual disabilities, certain genetic-based medical problems, and/or dysmorphic features. Children should not be tested for adult-onset conditions for which there is no treatment in childhood. - Geriatric considerations: Genetic counseling and screening may be indicated to assess genetic predisposition for individuals and family members for conditions common in elderly populations. Recognizable genetic disease will be diagnosed in 3–7% of the population at some point during their lifetime. - Chronic medical illnesses such as diabetes, heart disease, cancer, and Alzheimer disease have a genetic basis in up to 10% of cases. - 50% of pediatric hospital deaths are associated with genetic diseases. - Congenital malformations are identified in 2–5% of newborns. Etiology and Pathophysiology Genetic disorders are classified into four major etiologies: - Chromosomal disorders - Single gene disorders - Multifactorial disorders - Mitochondrial disorders - Patterns of transmission include the following: - Autosomal recessive - Autosomal dominant - De novo mutations, incomplete penetrance, and variable expressivity may obscure the nature of inheritance, which can lead to variable presentations of many conditions. - Many cancers have one or more disease-causing mutations. Identification of a specific mutation can guide choice of therapy. - Identification of genetic risk may allow tailored interventions, lifestyle changes, and disease-prevention strategies. - Family history of genetic disease - Ethnic or racial background (see “Diagnostic Tests & Interpretation”) - Abnormal pregnancy screening tests - Aneuploidy screening - Abnormal ultrasound results - Abnormal screening results for cystic fibrosis, ethnicity-based inherited genetic disease, or other positive carrier screening - Genetic conditions cannot be prevented under ordinary circumstances (preimplantation diagnosis or prenatal diagnosis and pregnancy termination may be possible when a specific risk is known). - Diet or behavior can be modified to minimize or modify the clinical severity of some conditions (e.g., phenylketonuria and low-phenylalanine diet).
If you want your little one to follow a vegan diet, you may be wondering whether kids can actually get all the nutrients they need to grow and thrive without meat, poultry, milk, cheese, yogurt or even eggs. The answer is, yes, with careful planning and preparation, you can provide your vegan child with energizing, healthy meals and snacks. Packing protein into a vegan diet Since vegan foods don’t have all the essential amino acids that are found in meat, poultry, dairy products and eggs, it’s important to mix and match proteins found in grains, legumes, seeds and nuts to make sure your child is getting enough. Combining proteins from two groups ensures that he is getting the essential amino acids he needs, and it’s easier than you might think. You’re combining proteins each time you give your child a peanut butter sandwich on whole wheat bread (some breads contain egg and milk products, while others have none — so read labels carefully before buying), hummus with whole-wheat crackers, or a tofu stir-fry with brown rice. Breakfast can be as simple and nutritious as whole grain pancakes or waffles with peanut butter. Vitamins and minerals in vegan diets While a vegan diet can provide your child with all she needs to thrive, it’s important to pay particular attention to vitamin B12 and iron. Since vegan kids don’t drink milk or eat dairy products, they may not be getting enough B12. Look for cereals and other commercially prepared foods that are fortified with vitamin B12, and ask your doctor if you should give your child a B12 supplement. If your little one drinks almond or soy milk, check the label to make sure it’s fortified with B12 (many are fortified with 50 percent of the daily requirement for B12 per serving). Keep in mind that the iron in plant foods isn’t as easily absorbed as is the iron from meat; however, you can increase your child’s iron absorption by serving her a vitamin C-rich food alongside her meal. For instance, pair orange or tomato juice with bean soup or vegan chili. Lastly, be mindful of her calcium intake. While some vegetables like broccoli, kale, turnip greens and arugula contain calcium, you may want to check with your doctor about giving her a supplement. Why beans are a great vegan superfood Introduce your little one to beans, which are low in fat and high in fiber, by putting them into kid-friendly dishes like wraps, veggie burgers and dips. (You can use canned beans, rather than soaking dried beans overnight; just be sure to rinse and drain them first to get rid of excess salt.) Make your munchkin a whole wheat wrap filled with beans that you've cooked with a little garlic and brown rice. If he likes salsa, add a dollop for flavor. Or make a white bean sandwich spread/dip by mashing white beans with garlic, tahini and a little lemon juice. If your little guy is old enough to eat baby carrots, serve the dip with carrots and other raw vegetables that he likes. Lentils are even easier to cook than dried beans, and kids love them in soup. You could also serve up lentils in a colorful salad with canned, diced beets and diced carrots.
As an educator, perhaps you have looked for classroom materials related to Native Americans and wondered how to know which materials were accurate and appropriate. Or perhaps you have wanted to look for the best materials you could use with your students, but didn't know where to begin. Here are some guidelines for evaluating materials that you find, as well as some new ways to think about incorporating these ideas into the classroom! You can read more about many of these ideas and resources at American Indians in Children's Literature, Debbie Reese's must-read blog. Dr. Reese is from Nambe Pueblo in northern New Mexico, and currently teaches in the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign's American Indian Studies program. Her blog provides a wealth of suggestions and discussions that will help guide your preparation. Remember: Look beyond November Remember to look for ways to incorporate these materials — as well as discussion about Native Americans tribes and cultures — into your curriculum throughout the year! It's important to be well-informed about Native American tribes in order to teach effectively. Doing some extra preparation can make a significant difference when teaching about Native Americans, especially if you feel uncertain about the information you will be presenting (e.g. resources, materials, books, activities). Not only will you be more likely to find quality resources, you will be able to analyze and compare different kinds of resources for your classroom. Here are some questions to guide you as you begin. Setting realistic goals - What do you want to study? Why? - What do you want to accomplish? - What are the desired outcomes for students? Getting ready to research - What do you know? - What do you need to find out? - What resources are available? (local community members, public library, websites, etc.) - Are there ways these lessons into different subject areas? (Social studies, science, language arts, etc.) - Are there themes or resources that can be included in the curriculum throughout the year? Considering the students' perspective - What do your students already know? - Are there Native American students in your class? - If so, do your lessons reflect and respect their experiences? - Are there stereotypes or misinformation that needs to be addressed? Debbie Reese suggests the following tips as you plan your lessons: - Prepare units about specific tribes, rather than units about "Native Americans." For example, develop a unit about the people of Nambe Pueblo, the Turtle Mountain Chippewa, or the Potawotami. Ideally, choose a tribe with a historical or contemporary role in the local community. Such a unit will provide children with culturally specific knowledge (pertaining to a single group) rather than over-generalized stereotypes. - Be specific about which tribes use particular items when discussing cultural artifacts (such as clothing or housing) and traditional foods. The Plains tribes use feathered headdresses, for example, but not all other tribes use them. - Provide knowledge about contemporary Native Americans to balance historical information. Teaching about Native Americans exclusively from a historical perspective may perpetuate the idea that they exist only in the past. - Locate and use books that show contemporary children of all colors engaged in their usual, daily activities. This might include playing basketball and riding bicycles as well as traditional activities. Make the books easily accessible to children throughout the school year. Three excellent titles on the Pueblo Indians of New Mexico are: Pueblo Storyteller, by Diane Hoyt- Goldsmith; Pueblo Boy: Growing Up in Two Worlds, by Marcia Keegan; and Children of Clay, by Rina Swentzell (Reese, 1996). Choose children's books and activities with care American Indian or Native American? Debbie: "There is no agreement among Native peoples. Both are used. It is best to be specific. Example: Instead of 'Debbie Reese, a Native American,' say 'Debbie Reese, a Nambe Pueblo Indian woman.' The depictions of Native Americans vary greatly throughout children's literature, and it's important to note that even well-intentioned authors and illustrators may depict Native Americans inaccurately or in ways that perpetuate stereotypes that we are trying to move away from. Check your books carefully, and make a point to look for titles from Native American authors and illustrators. Here are some guidelines as you select books and activities for the classroom about Indigenous people. Choosing Children's Books & Activities What to look for What to avoid Authenticity: Accurate and respectful information & images about tribes, customs, and people Inaccurate or misleading information: Images or stories that mix different tribes' customs together or lack historical basis Indigenous people of yesterday & today: A balance of historic and modern depictions with real life events and daily activities Stereotypes: The wild Hollywood Indian; stories where children (or animals) "play Indian"; stories about children dressing up as Indians for Halloween or Thanksgiving Diversity: Books that reflect the diversity of North America's many different tribes \|The generic "Indian": Books, worksheets, or coloring pages about "the Indian" that provide little or no context or detail\| Respectful language: Language that conveys respect for Native Americans and their traditions Loaded language: Expressions such as "Sit Indian style," "Walk in Indian file," "Bunch of wild Indians"; songs such as "10 Little Indians" \|Positive images: Native American role models, from Jim Thorpe to the young female lawyer in Jingle Dancer\|\|Negative images: Native American characters who are sneaky, violent, or participating in stereopytical activities such as dancing around a fire. Learn more from Images of Indians in Children's Books.\| \|Relevance: Books and meaningful activities connected to an educational context, such as local Native Americans in the community or a particular tribe or custom\|\|Isolated activities: Making a headpiece, a drum, or Indian outfit without any connection to a particular context\| Debbie offers the following criteria in her October 16, 2010 blog post: - Does the author/illustrator specify a tribal nation? - What is the time period? - Is the history accurate? - How does the author/illustrator present gender? - Does the author's word choice indicate bias against Native peoples? Here are some examples of books that offer authentic and respectful depictions: Jingle Dancer by Cynthia Leitich Smith This story about a young girl who wishes to follow in her grandmother's footsteps presents a respectful and authentic representation of modern family relationships and roles of Native American women. Pueblo Boy by Marcia Keegan Get to know Timmy and his life at San Ildefonso Pueblo. Timmy plays Little League baseball and uses computers at school, but he also participates in the Pueblo Corn Dance and other traditions of his clan. This depiction provides young readers with a look at the life of a modern Native American child going about his daily activities. Powwow's Coming by Linda Boyden This book respectfully represents the rich powwow tradition through poetry and paper collage. Jim Thorpe: The Legend Remembered by Rosemary Updyke The books presents the story of Jim Thorpe, the son of a Caucasian American father and Native American (Sac and Fox) mother. For more recommendations, take a look at Debbie's website and A Broken Flute: The Native Experience in Books for Children, edited by Doris Seale (Santee/Cree) and Beverly Slavin. This book deals with the issue of cultural appropriation in books for children, and evaluates hundreds of books for children and teenagers published from the early 1900s through 2004. Take a new look at Thanksgiving In November, we often still see the misguided dramatization of what some promote as "the first Thanksgiving." This is a vivid example of what too often becomes a stereotypical depiction of Indians (children dressed in costumes and wearing feathers) and pilgrims (children in costumes) eating turkey and dressing. Debbie provides some suggestions for ways to approach Thanksgiving: - Critique a Thanksgiving poster depicting the traditional, stereotyped Pilgrim and Indian figures, especially when teaching older elementary school children. Take care to select a picture that most children are familiar with, such as those shown on grocery bags or holiday greeting cards. Critically analyze the poster, noting the many tribes the artist has combined into one general image that fails to provide accurate information about any single tribe. - At Thanksgiving, shift the focus away from reenacting the 'First Thanksgiving.' Instead, focus on items children can be thankful for in their own lives, and on their families' celebrations of Thanksgiving at home. (Reese 1996) I encourage you to continue your exploration about Native Americans, as well as to learn about culturally appropriate approaches to helping students discover rich new cultures and traditions, with the following materials. - Bigelow and Peterson. Rethinking Columbus: The Next 500 Years. Milwaukee: Rethinking Schools Ltd, 1998. - Readers Digest Editors. Through Indian Eyes. 1998. Articles & Websites Dr. Cathy Gutierrez-Gomez is an Associate Professor at The University of New Mexico's Department of Individual, Family, & Community Education. This article is based on resources she compiled for a presentation on behalf of The Tribal & Indigenous Early Childhood Network of the National Association for the Education of Young Children in November, 2010.
Some megafauna species are dangerous and costly for humans to live with Photograph:( Others ) Scores of animal species across the globe, including tigers, lions and rhinos, are at risk of disappearing due to threats posed by mankind. Latest researches indicate that 59% of the world’s largest carnivores and 60% of the world’s largest herbivores are currently threatened with extinction. These species, known as megafauna, play very important ecological roles, but can be difficult to live with because they are prone to conflict with humans and can be challenging to conserve. Some megafauna species are expensive as well as deadly for humans to live with and pose a direct risk to human life, crops, livestock and even pets. The targeted killing of these animals for their body parts, including skins, teeth, horns, bones and other organs, also means that significant effort and expenditure is needed to protect large mammals from poachers feeding the illegal wildlife trade. Many megafauna species also have large spatial requirements, needing in significant blocks of wilderness set aside to accommodate them. However, large mammals also engender unparalleled passion among the public for conservation. Surprisingly little attention has been paid to how the world shares the burden of conserving these charismatic species. We cannot ignore the possibility that we will lose many of them unless swift, decisive and collective action is taken by the global community. Therefore, the need exists to assess the relative contributions and sacrifices made by countries for conservation. Thus, measuring the efforts of nations to conserve such species seemed like a good place to start. Megafauna Conservation Index A group of colleagues and I set about to try to do just that. The idea was to identify a benchmark such that countries that are underperforming, in conservation terms, could be encouraged to do more. We developed a “megafauna conservation index” where we measured 152 countries on the following three areas based on the latest available information: These data were extremely challenging to collect, particularly information on the expenditures of countries on conservation. Improving the data on megafauna specific expenditure is an important next step. We found wide divergence among nations. Poorer countries tend to contribute more and have a higher megafauna conservation index while richer countries contribute less. The reason for this varies from country to country, and continent to continent. For example, African countries tended to score more highly than other parts of the world in terms of the distribution and diversity of megafauna species. The index classified 90% of countries in North/Central America and 70% of countries in Africa as major or above average performers. But approximately one quarter of countries in Asia (25%) and Europe (21%) were identified as major underperformers. Asia as a region scored the lowest megafauna conservation index, and is home to the greatest number of countries classified as conservation underperformers. Although challenged by poverty and instability in many parts of the continent, Africa prioritises and makes more of an effort for large mammal conservation than any other region in the world. In fact, Africa accounts for four of the five top performing megafauna conservation nations, including Botswana, Namibia, Tanzania and Zimbabwe. The United States ranked 19 out of the top 20 performing countries. At the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio, developed nations vowed to allocate at least USD$2 billion per annum towards conservation in developing nations. However, current conservation contributions from industrialised nations have reached just half of that amount, averaging USD$1.1 billion per year. The world needs to do much more for megafauna conservation. But some countries need to step up more than others. Several developed countries in particular need to make much more of an effort in what’s a global asset and a shared responsibility. There are three ways in which countries can improve their score: “Re-wilding” landscapes by reintroducing megafauna or by allowing the distribution of such species to increase; Setting aside more land as strictly protected areas; and Investing more in conservation, either at home or abroad. We hope that in creating this conservation index, nations around the globe will be mobilised to invest more in international conservation support to save the planet’s large and magnificent wildlife species.
The report outlines lessons learned from various countries delivering on poverty-environment efforts, the evolution of the PEI programmatic approach at the country level, and technical support provided in specific areas, such as the long-term impacts of climate change adaptation and the Green Economy agenda, among others. The report describes the work conducted on climate change, including the development of climate adaptation plans, in Bangladesh, Lao PDR, Nepal, Malawi, and Tanzania is also described. The annual report highlights some of the achievements made at the country level, inter alia, increased awareness and understanding of poverty-environment issues and capacities for mainstreaming (including cross-cutting issues such as disaster risk reduction); generation of country-specific evidence on the contribution of the environment to pro-poor economic growth and human well-being; environmental sustainability included as priority objective or outcomes in national planning processes; inclusion of poverty-environment indicators into policy documents and monitoring systems; increased budget allocation for poverty-environment measures; and improved integration of poverty-environment linkages into joint UN programming processes at country level. Disaster risk reduction examples inlude: PEI Malawi is a core part of the UNDP-Malawi MDG Cluster work-programme, along with climate change and disaster risk reduction and will help implement the United Nations Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF); The UNDP Bratislava Regional Centre has established a cross-practice Poverty and Environment Workspace to facilitate exchange of information among colleagues working in areas such as poverty reduction, environment, gender, climate change adaptation, disaster risk reduction and water governance. Tag This Document
Hydraulic pumps are used in hydraulic drive systems and can be hydrostatic or hydrodynamic. A hydraulic pump is a mechanical source of power that converts mechanical power into hydraulic energy (hydrostatic energy i.e. flow, pressure). It generates flow with enough power to overcome pressure induced by the load at the pump outlet. When a hydraulic pump operates, it creates a vacuum at the pump inlet, which forces liquid from the reservoir into the inlet line to the pump and by mechanical action delivers this liquid to the pump outlet and forces it into the hydraulic system. Hydrostatic pumps are positive displacement pumps while hydrodynamic pumps can be fixed displacement pumps, in which the displacement (flow through the pump per rotation of the pump) cannot be adjusted, or variable displacement pumps, which have a more complicated construction that allows the displacement to be adjusted. Hydrodynamic pumps are more frequent in day-to-day life. Hydrostatic pumps of various types all work on the principle of Pascal's law. Hydraulic pump typesEdit Gear pumps (with external teeth) (fixed displacement) are simple and economical pumps. The swept volume or displacement of gear pumps for hydraulics will be between about 1 to 200 millilitres. They have the lowest volumetric efficiency ( ) of all three basic pump types (gear, vane and piston pumps) These pumps create pressure through the meshing of the gear teeth, which forces fluid around the gears to pressurize the outlet side. Some gear pumps can be quite noisy, compared to other types, but modern gear pumps are highly reliable and much quieter than older models. This is in part due to designs incorporating split gears, helical gear teeth and higher precision/quality tooth profiles that mesh and unmesh more smoothly, reducing pressure ripple and related detrimental problems. Another positive attribute of the gear pump, is that catastrophic breakdown is a lot less common than in most other types of hydraulic pumps. This is because the gears gradually wear down the housing and/or main bushings, reducing the volumetric efficiency of the pump gradually until it is all but useless. This often happens long before wear and causes the unit to seize or break down. Rotary vane pumpsEdit A rotary vane pump is a positive-displacement pump that consists of vanes mounted to a rotor that rotates inside a cavity. In some cases these vanes can have variable length and/or be tensioned to maintain contact with the walls as the pump rotates A critical element in vane pump design is how the vanes are pushed into contact with the pump housing, and how the vane tips are machined at this very point. Several type of "lip" designs are used, and the main objective is to provide a tight seal between the inside of the housing and the vane, and at the same time to minimize wear and metal-to-metal contact. Forcing the vane out of the rotating centre and towards the pump housing is accomplished using spring-loaded vanes, or more traditionally, vanes loaded hydrodynamically (via the pressurized system fluid). Screw pumps (fixed displacement) consist of two Archimedes' screws that intermesh and are enclosed within the same chamber. These pumps are used for high flows at relatively low pressure (max 100 bars (10,000 kPa)).[clarification needed] They were used on board ships where a constant pressure hydraulic system extended through the whole ship, especially to control ball valves[clarification needed] but also to help drive the steering gear and other systems. The advantage of the screw pumps is the low sound level of these pumps; however, the efficiency is not high. The major problem of screw pumps is that the hydraulic reaction force is transmitted in a direction that's axially opposed to the direction of the flow. There are two ways to overcome this problem: - put a thrust bearing beneath each rotor; - create a hydraulic balance by directing a hydraulic force to a piston under the rotor. Types of screw pumps: - single end - double end - single rotor - multi rotor timed - multi rotor untimed. Bent axis pumpsEdit Bent axis pumps, axial piston pumps and motors using the bent axis principle, fixed or adjustable displacement, exists in two different basic designs. The Thoma-principle (engineer Hans Thoma, Germany, patent 1935) with max 25 degrees angle and the Wahlmark-principle (Gunnar Axel Wahlmark, patent 1960) with spherical-shaped pistons in one piece with the piston rod, piston rings, and maximum 40 degrees between the driveshaft centreline and pistons (Volvo Hydraulics Co.). These have the best efficiency of all pumps. Although in general the largest displacements are approximately one litre per revolution, if necessary a two-liter swept volume pump can be built. Often variable-displacement pumps are used, so that the oil flow can be adjusted carefully. These pumps can in general work with a working pressure of up to 350–420 bars in continuous work. Inline axial piston pumpsEdit By using different compensation techniques, the variable displacement type of these pumps can continuously alter fluid discharge per revolution and system pressure based on load requirements, maximum pressure cut-off settings, horsepower/ratio control, and even fully electroproportional systems, requiring no other input than electrical signals. This makes them potentially hugely power saving compared to other constant flow pumps in systems where prime mover/diesel/electric motor rotational speed is constant and required fluid flow is non-constant. Radial piston pumpsEdit A radial piston pump is a form of hydraulic pump. The working pistons extend in a radial direction symmetrically around the drive shaft, in contrast to the axial piston pump. Hydraulic pumps, calculation formulasEdit - , flow (m3/s) - , stroke frequency (Hz) - , stroked volume (m3) - , volumetric efficiency - , power (W) - , stroke frequency (Hz) - , stroked volume (m3) - , pressure difference over pump (Pa) - , mechanical/hydraulic efficiency - , mechanical pump efficiency percent - , theoretical torque to drive - , actual torque to drive - , hydraulic pump efficiency - , theoretical flow rate output - , actual flow rate output - Parr, Andrew (2011). "Hydraulics and Pneumatics a technician's and engineer's guide", p. 38. Elsevier. \|Wikimedia Commons has media related to Gear pump.\| \|Wikimedia Commons has media related to Mechanical efficiency.\|
Progress is being made in slowing the Wisconsin rate of infant mortality but state officials say there is still work to be done. As part of infant mortality awareness month, the Department of Health Services is informing mothers on ways to help their child reach his-or-her first birthday. Dr. Henry Anderson, the state health officer, warns against smoking while pregnant, promotes breastfeeding, and encourages sharing a room with the baby but not a bed. He suggests pregnant women avoid scheduling an earlier delivery or C-section prior to 39 weeks along unless medically necessary. In two decades ending in 2010, overall infant mortality rate in Wisconsin declined from 8.0 to 6.3 deaths per 1,000 live births, based on three-year averages, but the gains did not fully extend to minority groups. Anderson attributes the progress in part to the state partnering with local agencies and groups to provide health care and education to expectant and new mothers.
The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has today revised its consumer advice on the consumption of sprouts and sprouting seeds. Following the E. coli outbreak in France and Germany earlier this year, the European Commission has informed EFSA that the EU Member States have now completed tracing activities across the food chain. With the removal from the market in all Member States of the most likely source of the contaminated food - a specific lot of fenugreek seeds from Egypt - coupled with on-going importation restrictions, the Authority is no longer advising consumers “not to grow sprouts for their own consumption and also not to eat sprouts or sprouted seeds unless they have been cooked thoroughly”. EFSA recommends that consumers refer to national food safety agencies for any specific advice regarding sprout consumption. The Authority takes this opportunity to remind consumers of the importance of good hygiene practices when preparing and consuming fresh vegetables, such as washing hands before food preparation, washing food properly under running potable water and separating raw foods from ready-to-eat or cooked foods. This updated advice is accompanied by the publication of a Scientific Report that provides a comprehensive overview of what happened from a food safety perspective during the outbreak of E. coli 0104:H4 that led to almost 50 deaths in Europe, making it one of the largest food-borne outbreaks reported in the EU in decades. EFSA’s Biological Hazards Panel is currently carrying out a risk assessment on the EU production chain for sprouts and sprouting seeds following a request from the European Commission and will publish a Scientific Opinion in the coming weeks.
February 24, 2012 – Essay #5 – Amendment I: The Free Exercise Clause – Guest Essayist: Eric Rassbach, Deputy General Counsel at The Becket Fund for Religious Liberty “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof . . .” The Free Exercise Clause is perhaps the least commonly understood part of the First Amendment. The mythical “average American” presumably understands what freedom of speech means – we protect the right of almost anyone to say almost anything – and the Establishment Clause has been given the catchy, if mostly inaccurate, shorthand of “separation of church and state.” But were one to ask this hypothetical average American what protecting free exercise of religion means, she might respond with a blank stare. So why is the Free Exercise Clause so unknown, and what does it really mean today? Some blame for the Clause’s obscurity must lie with its checkered history. That history can be divided into roughly five stages. The first stage lasted 87 years, from 1791 to 1878, and was characterized by judicial silence. Although the Clause was ratified as part of the Bill of Rights in 1791, the Supreme Court had no occasion to address it, other than to say briefly, in 1842, that it applied only to the federal government, not states and cities. This silence does not mean that the Clause had no public meaning; indeed, it was cited time and again in debates over religion in the public square. But it did not appear in court, and its meaning remained rhetorical and political, not legal. That first phase came to an end in 1878, with the Reynolds case. In that case, the Supreme Court held that the Free Exercise Clause did not protect the practice of religious polygamy. Thus began an unsettled period for the Court’s Free Exercise jurisprudence. Two separate strands of caselaw emerged—one rooted in Reynolds and limitations on religious exercise, and another rooted in the ability of churches, synagogues, and other religious institutions to manage their own internal structures and their property. The tensions in Free Exercise jurisprudence became apparent in a series of cases involving Jehovah’s Witnesses during the 1940s. These cases at first resulted in at first narrow readings of the Clause and then increasingly broader readings that provided protections to the Jehovah’s Witness plaintiffs. This second and turbulent stage ended, and the third began, with Sherbert v. Verner, decided in 1963. In that case, the Court took a very strong stand in favor of individual religious liberty, holding that a Seventh-day Adventist could not be denied unemployment benefits because she was fired from her job for observing the Sabbath. The Court said that any government-imposed “substantial burden” on religious activity would be very difficult for the government to justify. This standard, extremely protective of religious liberty, represented a high-water mark in the history of the protection of Free Exercise. The Clause’s course took a sharp turn in a less religion-friendly direction 28 years after Sherbert was decided. In Employment Division v. Smith, decided in 1990, the Court held that Native Americans who had been convicted for smoking peyote in accordance with their religious beliefs did not have a right to state unemployment benefits. Because the Oregon anti-narcotic law at issue was a “neutral rule of general applicability” the Free Exercise Clause would provide no protection to the religious plaintiffs. This was true even though, like the Sherbert regulation, the rule imposed a “substantial burden” on their religious activity. The Smith ruling represented a dramatic shift in the law of Free Exercise, making it much more difficult for religious people to protect themselves against religion-restrictive laws. For a time, it seemed that the only way to evade Smith’s rule would be by convincing Congress and state legislatures to provide relief in the form of civil rights statutes protecting religion. But in 2012, the Court announced a fifth and entirely new stage of the Clause’s existence in Hosanna-Tabor Evangelical Lutheran Church & School v. EEOC. In Hosanna-Tabor, the Court held, in a 9-0 decision,that federal and state employment discrimination laws do not apply to “ministerial” positions. The Court thus made clear that Smith’s rule did not apply in the same way to religious institutions as it did to religious individuals. Indeed, religious activities related to “internal church decisions” would fall outside the Smith rule entirely, a result that shocked many long-time observers of the Court’s religion decisions. The next steps for the law of Free Exercise are not clear, but they are much more hopeful for religious people and institutions than they were before Hosanna-Tabor was decided.One could argue that this up-and-down history shows a kind of national, or at least judicial, schizophrenia when it comes to the place of religious people in public life. But that schizophrenia may simply mirror Americans’ uncertainty about the role of religion in public life, especially given the increasing religious diversity of our nation. The law could move in the direction of France or other Western European countries that have in effect attempted to drive religion out of public life, or to control it directly. But the law might also move in the direction of increasing religious freedom for every American, and decreasing government interference with religious people. So what should the Free Exercise Clause mean, at its most fundamental level? There is a case to be made that the Clause stands for the idea that every person, and every religious group, gets to decide for themselves what they believe about the good and the true, and to act on those beliefs in public. In that sense, the Clause carves out a kind of sacred space in the American body politic—a place where Americans can work out their relationship with God free from government interference, indeed, a place where the government must fear to tread. By its nature, religious freedom cannot be without limits. But by the same token government cannot be without limits, and some areas must remain completely free from government influence. But this sacred space is under siege in today’s ever-growing regulatory state. As they expand their influence over more and more areas of American life, governments at the federal, state, and local levels increasingly run roughshod over the claims of conscience. Prominent recent examples include the federal government’s attempt in the Hosanna-Tabor case to take over some ministerial and hiring and firing decisions, as well as the recently-issued healthcare mandates that would force Catholic, Protestant, and other religious groups to violate their consciences by paying for drugs and devices they believe cause abortion. State governments have made similar attempts to limit the conscience rights of religious institutions like churches and homeless shelters, as well as the conscience rights of individuals like pharmacists and doctors who object to participating in certain medical procedures. These conflicts will only grow in size and number as government expands and becomes more aggressively secular. Therefore it will be important for religious Americans in coming years to fight for the sacred space staked out by the Free Exercise Clause, because government will not stay out on its own. Eric Rassbach is Deputy General Counsel at The Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, a non-profit law firm based in Washington, D.C. that defends the free expression of all religious traditions. He led the Becket Fund team that litigated the Hosanna-Tabor case.
Radiographs showing the extreme positions of the raptorial pharyngeal jaws in moray eels. Credit: AFP. Alien is a memorable and influential motion picture (1979; directed by Ridley Scott), combining aspects of the horror and science fiction genres, in which an ultra-predatory, intelligent extraterrestrial terrorizes the human crew of a merchant spaceship. A direct descendant of Well's Martian monsters in The War of the Worlds, the repellent creature in Alien – designed, along with much of the set, by the Swiss surrealist painter H. R. Giger – stands at one extreme of speculation about what life on other worlds might be like and epitomizes the fears of those who have voiced opposition to attempts at interstellar communication (CETI, opposition to). Alien is also notable for its underlying themes of motherhood, penetration, and birth, and for Sigourney Weaver's portrayal of reluctant hero Ellen Ripley. It spawned three sequels – Aliens (1986), Alien 3 (1992), and Alien Resurrection (1997). It contrasts sharply with the portrayal of intelligent aliens in E.T.: the Extraterrestrial. Returning from a deep-space mission, the crew of the mining freighter Nostromo is woken from suspended animation by what appears to be an SOS call from a planetary system they are passing through. They descend to the planet's surface and discover an enormous derelict spaceship – the apparent source of the transmission. Three of the crew go to explore. Inside the craft they find the remains of the ship's pilot with a gaping hole in his rib cage, his rib bones bent outward. Meanwhile, Ripley, who has remained on the Nostromo manages to decode the SOS and finds it to be a warning. But the away team is out of communications range. One of the crew enters the alien ship's hold and discovers thousands of strange alien eggs. While examining one of these, it hatches and the parasite within attacks him, fixing itself to his face. After returning to the Nostromo the crew takes off to head for Earth. The "face-hugger" parasite subsequently dies and all seems well again. But what no one knows is that it has implanted an alien embryo within its host. This quietly develops until, during a meal the crew are having before going back into suspended animation, it spectacularly emerges through its victim's chest. The creature scuttles away and subsequently grows and develops rapidly into a hideous, vicious predator. Trapped inside their spacecraft, the crew are now in serious trouble ... Tom Skerritt .... Dallas Sigourney Weaver .... Ripley Veronica Cartwright .... Lambert Harry Dean Stanton .... Brett John Hurt .... Kane Ian Holm .... Ash Yaphet Kotto .... Parker Bolaji Badejo, Eddie Powell .... Alien Producers: Walter Hill, David Giler, Gordon Carroll for 20th Century Fox Executive producer: Ronald Shusett Writer: Dan O'Bannon Story: Dan O'Bannon, Ronald Shusett Director: Ridely Scott Other films in the series 1986 sequel to Alien. In it, Ripley and a crew of marines are sent to destroy an army of aliens that has infiltrated a small colony. Commercially orientated but technically adroit sequel to Alien. A special edition was later released on video which included 17 minutes of previously unseen footage. 1992 addition to the series in which Ripley unwittingly unleashes an alien on a distant planet, now being used as a prison for murderers and rapists. Slick-looking but imperfectly scripted film whose production problems were well documented at the time. Something of a disappointment compared to the first two entries. Released in 1997. Ripley is cloned so that scientists can remove the alien growing inside her for experimentation and breeding purposes. Inevitably the newly bred creatures escape and run amok. The fourth Alien movie is an improvement on episode three, being more akin to the action-orientated second installment. Unfortunately, the story becomes increasingly foolish as it progresses and there are also some uncertain moments in the editing and continuity. Prequel, scheduled for release in the summer of 2011, in which the back-story of the mysterious pilot discovered by the crew of the Nostromo is revealed. A real life Alien: the Moray eelOne of the nastier aspects of the Alien predator is its secondary jaw which can be thrust rapidly forward into its victim's face or body. In 2007, researchers at the University of California at Davis were amazed to discover that the moray eel can shoot a set of secondary jaws into its mouth to grasp its prey and pull it back into its throat (see bottom illustration). Rita Mehta and colleagues discovered the eel's special feeding ability through high-speed digital cameras that captured the second jaw as it thrust forward while feeding. The so-called pharyngeal jaw, which normally resides in the animal's pharynx, can travel from the pharynx into the mouth at lightning speed, giving the prey no chance of squirming free from the first set of jaws. Another creature with an Alien-like retractable jaw is the goblin shark, or Mitsukurina owstoni, which lives at depths of 100 to 1,000 meters. Its common name comes from the Japanese, who nicknamed it after long-nosed supernatural creatures known as the tengu. Goblin sharks have been found in water off Japan, New Zealand, Surinam, France, and Portugal, as well as in the North Pacific and the Gulf of Mexico. The prey they snare with their unearthly jaws includes teleost fish and squid.
Schools of Buddhism This article lists the main Schools of Buddhism with the major Buddhist traditions. - Vibhajyavāda (prior to 240 BCE; during Aśoka) - Pudgalavāda ('Personalist') (c. 280 BCE) - Mahāsāṃghika ('Majority', c. 380 BCE) Sthaviravāda split into 11 sects: Mahāsāṃghika split into 9 sects: Influences on East Asian schools - East Asian Buddhist traditions generally follow the monastic tradition of the vinaya of the Dharmaguptaka lineage. However, there are exceptions. For example, some sects within Japan do not follow the traditional vinaya vows; these sects permit non-celibate "monks" or "preists". - The Japanese Jojitsu is considered by some an offshoot of Sautrāntika; others consider it to be derived from Bahuśrutīya. - The Chinese/Japanese Kusha school is considered an offshoot of Sarvāstivāda, influenced by Vasubandhu. The different schools in Theravada often emphasize different aspects (or parts) of the Pāli canon and the later commentaries, or differ in the focus on and recommended way of practice. There are also significant differences in strictness or interpretation of the vinaya. - Sri Lanka: - Vipassana movement - Tantric Theravada Indian Mahayana schools East Asian schools - Chinese Buddhism - Korean Buddhism - Vietnamese Buddhism - Japanese Buddhism - Pure Land - Risshū school (Vinaya school) - Jojitsu (Satyasiddhi - historical) - Kusha (Abhidharmakośa - historical) - Sanron (Mādhyamaka - historical) - Hossō (Yogācāra) - Kegon (Avatamsaka) - Japanese esoteric Buddhism - Nichiren Buddhism Tibetan cultural schools - Four main schools - Other schools/traditions - Tibetan Buddhism - East Asian Tantric Buddhism (aka Tangmi, Esoteric Buddhism, Chinese Esoteric Buddhsim) - Why Are Buddhist Monks in Japan Allowed to Get Married? - "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2013-05-28. Retrieved 2013-07-29.. - Bhikkhu Sujato (2007). Sects and sectarianism: the origins of Buddhist schools, Taipei, Taiwan: Buddha Educational Foundation; revised edidion: Santipada 2012 - Dutt, N. (1998). Buddhist Sects in India. New Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass. - Coleman, Graham, ed. (1993). A Handbook of Tibetan Culture. Boston: Shambhala Publications, Inc.. ISBN 1-57062-002-4. - Warder, A.K. (1970). Indian Buddhism. Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass.
vestibular apparatus, vestibular system(noun) organs mediating the labyrinthine sense; concerned with equilibrium The vestibular system, which contributes to balance in most mammals and to the sense of spatial orientation, is the sensory system that provides the leading contribution about movement and sense of balance. Together with the cochlea, a part of the auditory system, it constitutes the labyrinth of the inner ear in most mammals, situated in the vestibulum in the inner ear. As movements consist of rotations and translations, the vestibular system comprises two components: the semicircular canal system, which indicate rotational movements; and the otoliths, which indicate linear accelerations. The vestibular system sends signals primarily to the neural structures that control eye movements, and to the muscles that keep a creature upright. The projections to the former provide the anatomical basis of the vestibulo-ocular reflex, which is required for clear vision; and the projections to the muscles that control posture are necessary to keep a creature upright. The numerical value of vestibular system in Chaldean Numerology is: 8 The numerical value of vestibular system in Pythagorean Numerology is: 5 Images & Illustrations of vestibular system Translations for vestibular system From our Multilingual Translation Dictionary Get even more translations for vestibular system » Find a translation for the vestibular system definition in other languages: Select another language: Discuss these vestibular system definitions with the community: Word of the Day Would you like us to send you a FREE new word definition delivered to your inbox daily? Use the citation below to add this definition to your bibliography: "vestibular system." Definitions.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2017. Web. 26 Jun 2017. <http://www.definitions.net/definition/vestibular system>.
Presentation Summary : A windmill built so that it too severely interrupts the airflow through its cross section will reduce the effective wind velocity at its location and divert much of ... Source : http://www.physics.rutgers.edu/~kotliar/honors/honsem02/somalwar/HonSem02/WINDPOWER.ppt Presentation Summary : Title: Windmill Project Author: Zach Pendergrass Last modified by: Zach Pendergrass Created Date: 11/30/2009 3:17:33 PM Document presentation format Source : http://ef.engr.utk.edu/ef152-2009-08/project_files/wm/A2-4/Windmill-Team-Project.ppt Presentation Summary : The Windmill Farmer Teachers Notes This slide show can be used on the IWB and as sheets. Pages 3 – 21 Can be used to discuss key points in the story. Source : http://www.literacyshed.com/uploads/1/2/5/7/12572836/windmill_farmer_presentation.ppt Presentation Summary : Device Design. Generator. Base Dowel Rod. Windmill. Generator:Composed of copper wire wrapped around an enclosed magnet. Creating an electromagnetic field. Source : http://ef.engr.utk.edu/ef152-2009-08/project_files/wm/A1-8/windmill-presentation.pptx Presentation Summary : He made the windmill because only 2% of his village could afford the cost of electricity (“Moving Windmills Project.”). Source : http://03mcgillycuddym.wikispaces.com/file/view/William+Kamkwamba.ppt Presentation Summary : MESA Wind Energy Challenge A Multi-Task Windmill November 2009 Tom Milnes JHU/APL & AIAA Baltimore Section Paul Wiedorn Wilde Lake HS & TEAM ... Source : http://www.jhuapl.edu/mesa/events/mesaday/resources/Multi-Task%20Windmill%20Challenge.ppt Presentation Summary : What did Napoleon announce concerning the windmill? Who controls the farm? What details give this away? What kinds of decisions does the leader(s) of the farm make? Source : http://teachers.greenville.k12.sc.us/sites/jchasser/Shared%20Documents/Animal%20Farm%20by%20George%20Orwell.ppt Presentation Summary : Windmill zone $297,000 14 DOM $329,000 27 DOM $297,500 42 DOM $302,700 39 DOM $300,000 43 DOM $263,000 93 DOM $239,000 191 DOM $293,000 67 DOM $259,900 DNS My ... Source : http://docs.wind-watch.org/luxemburger-living-with-the-impact-of-windmills1.ppt Presentation Summary : Reading Questions Ch. 6-7. Answer the following questions: 1. What problems do the animals run into in building the windmill? How are these problems solved? Source : http://www.cnusd.k12.ca.us/cms/lib/CA01001152/Centricity/ModuleInstance/18083/Seniors51_52.pptx Presentation Summary : ... Survey of land owners from 6 towns on Cape Cod. On average, home owners believe that the windmill project will reduce property values by 4.0%. Source : http://docs.wind-watch.org/Hewson_BaileyvilleIssues_OgleCtyIL.ppt Presentation Summary : Around the time of World War I, American windmill makers were producing 100,000 farm windmills each year, mostly for water-pumping. By the 1930s, ... Source : http://virtualeden.wikispaces.com/file/view/The+Wind+Turbines.ppt Presentation Summary : Agricultural Revolution. New farming technologies. iron plow harness windmill three-field system. Increase in food production Source : http://schools.nycenet.edu/region4/gchs/site/global_3/unit_5/5_23_1/powerpoint_5_23_1_commercial_revolution_trade_centers.pptx Presentation Summary : Title: Old Farm Windmill PowerPoint Presentation Author: jontypearce Last modified by: Owner Created Date: 7/11/2011 11:56:50 AM Document presentation format Source : http://www.presentationmagazine.com/powerpoint-templates/00864.ppt Presentation Summary : ... to automate the tasks of grain grinding and water pumping in Persia 500-900AD Wind as Electricity The first use of a windmill to generate electricity was in ... Source : http://www.uvm.edu/~gflomenh/ENRG-POL-PA395/powerpoints/Wind.ppt Presentation Summary : Who is Who Mr. Jones- Czar Nicholas II Old Major- Lenin Snowball- Trotsky Napoleon- Stalin Who is Who Dogs-KGB Windmill- 5 year plan Major’s Skull-Lenin’s Body ... Source : http://www.worldofteaching.com/powerpoints/english/animalfarm2.ppt Presentation Summary : Sancho suddenly believes in the windmill incident. Meanwhile, Don Quijote explains to Sancho he cannot complain of the pain of his shoulder since Knights never complain. Source : http://www.quijote.tv/JAS_Chapter%208%20The%20Windmills%20Adventure1.pps Presentation Summary : ... Dutch windmill (1500 – mechanical water pumping, grain milling) U.S. farm windmill (1854 – present – mechanical water pumping) Early Days Brush Turbine ... Source : https://www.osha.gov/dcsp/smallbusiness/forums/greenjobs.ppt Presentation Summary : The building of the Windmill as Napoleon’s idea – even though they know it was Snowball who came up with it. Propaganda is information, ideas, ... Source : http://hazacadeng.wikispaces.com/file/view/Thematic+Studyanimal+farm.ppt Presentation Summary : Windmill turbine Mechanical energy is converted to electrical energy and thermal energy. Solar panels Electromagnetic energy is converted to electrical energy and ... Source : http://tutortaks.com/video/obj%205%20english/Energy%20conversions.pps Presentation Summary : ... Permits Windmill Base 1/8” angle iron 12’ in height Triangular shape Setup instructions 20-6’ sections Windmill Blades PVC Home made construction ... Source : http://www.tech.mtu.edu/~jlirwin/senior%20projects/OFF%20THE%20GRID.ppt
By Lara Salomon It used to be that bullying was a personal thing. You would know exactly who it was that was bullying you, and they, in turn, would know who it was that they were bullying. I remember the good old days of running home with someone following close behind trying to shock me (quite literally) or insults being thrown at me across the hall. And those really were the good old days. These days, you rarely know your bully. With the internet growing bigger every day, it is a lot easier to voice your opinion on anything and everything that you find, and you can even do it completely anonymously. And while this power can be used for good, a lot of people use it for evil. Some people call them trolls, but having been the victim of bullying, I recognise a bully when I see one. There is a huge difference between offering constructive criticism and trying to put a person down, and a lot of the comments out there serve no other purpose than to cause others pain and humiliation. Cyber bullying is a cause that has struck the hearts of many as people have been realising just how easy it is for bullies to gain access to a computer and wreak havoc. In 2011, research in the US found that almost half of all American teens are affected by cyber bullying, and the majority of those who were bullied had no idea who the perpetrators were. With suicide rates in teenagers steadily rising due to bullying in general (not just cyber), campaigns have been on the rise in the US and across Europe to put a stop to the problem. Legislation to prevent cyberbullying has even also been introduced in a number of States in the US, and it’s not just the government clamping down. Riot Games have taken a strong stance on bullying and harassment in League of Legends, a popular, free, multiplayer online game. It is common for players of the game to be told that they are noobs (newbies, insinuating that they don’t know what they are doing), mocked, ridiculed, criticised and generally harassed by other players who feel that they either know better or are more experienced. Often the comments go beyond the game itself and become racist, sexist or homophobic. Having introduced a method for reporting players for verbal abuse, Riot Games have recently gone a step further in the prevention of such bullying by issuing bans for players who continually receive negative reports. Over the last two months, four professional gamers have been banned for verbal abuse and bad sportsmanship. The Escapist quotes Dustin Beck, the vice president of eSports at Riot, as explaining: “We take sportsmanship and player behavior very seriously, and we fundamentally believe that pro players should not be exempt from scrutiny over their behaviour.” It is certainly a step in the right direction, as it goes to show that bullying will not be tolerated, even in the big leagues so to speak. And they are not alone in showing their support for victims of bullying. The It Gets Better Project, aimed at providing support for LGBT teenagers who have been targets of harassment, has a collection of YouTube videos of support from a range of sources – from fellow teens, parents, family, friends and other victims, to celebrities like Neil Patrick Harris and even President Barack Obama. So, to those trolls, those bullies, I would like to suggest that while it is all too easy to get pulled into the web of anonymity and say whatever is on your mind, perhaps you should take a moment to think of what it is that we are saying and how it is affecting those around you. After all, one person’s criticism is another’s dynamite. And to those victims of bullying and harassment, you are not alone. It DOES get better. More news and views from Imaginet every day!
An expansive guide to the medieval world, with new attention to women, ordinary parishioners, attitudes toward Jews and Muslims, and more For many, the medieval world seems dark and foreign-an often brutal and seemingly irrational time of superstition, miracles, and strange relics. The aggressive pursuit of heretics and attempts to control the "Holy Land" might come to mind. Yet the medieval world produced much that is part of our world today, including universities, the passion for Roman architecture and the development of the gothic style, pilgrimage, the emergence of capitalism, and female saints. This new narrative history of medieval Christianity, spanning the period 500 to 1500 CE, attempts to integrate what is familiar to readers with new themes and narratives. Elements of novelty in the book include a steady focus on the role of women in Christianity; the relationships among Christians, Jews, and Muslims; the experience of ordinary parishioners; the adventure of asceticism, devotion, and worship; and instruction through drama, architecture, and art. Madigan expertly integrates these areas of focus with more traditional themes, such as the evolution and decline of papal power; the nature and repression of heresy; sanctity and pilgrimage; the conciliar movement; and the break between the old Western church and its reformers. Illustrated with more than forty photographs of physical remains, this book promises to become an essential guide to a historical era of profound influence. Number of Pages: 544 Format(s): Hardback - ISBN: 9780300158724 Publication Date:13/01/2015 Listed in:Medieval history, Christianity Publisher:YALE UNIVERSITY PRESS
Dillsburg, Pennsylvania, is the principal town in Carroll Township in northwestern York County, Pennsylvania. Irish-born Matthew Dill settled there in 1740 on a 504-acre tract, raised a company of men to fight the occasional Indian raids, and later prospered, becoming a county judge. By 1833, there were enough people living in Dillsburg for it to become incorporated on April 9 of that year. It was an important regional trade center, as well as a popular stopping place on the old state road between York and Carlisle, two of south-central Pennsylvania’s most prominent towns. Dill’s Tavern became a focal point of the community, providing rooms and refreshment for weary travelers. Nestled near the termination of South Mountain and on an important road, Dillsburg during the 1863 Gettysburg Campaign was the scene of a minor skirmish between the 26th Pennsylvania Militia (retreating from Gettysburg) and elements of Albert G. Jenkins‘ Virginia mounted infantry brigade, which was raiding the region for horses (we will have a detailed look at Jenkins’ seldom discussed raid in a series of future posts). On the late afternoon of July 1, 1863, more than 5,000 Confederate cavalrymen under Major General James Ewell Brown Stuart arrived in Dillsburg. Stories abound about the brief incursion… View of historic Dillsburg, PA, taken on the south side of town along Route 74. Some of the buildings date from the Civil War. A large portion of J.E.B. Stuart’s Confederate cavalry force rested in Dillsburg, and an entire brigade (Wade Hampton’s) camped northeast of town on the John Mumper farm). Stuart’s men entered town in two waves, with him having earlier split his division into two wings. The westernmost column consisted of the brigades of Fitzhugh Lee and John R. Chambliss, Jr. They lingered in Dillsburg while their horses rested and the men ate their dinners. The town was searched for supplies and horseflesh, and it is likely every stable was investigated. Only a few horses were located, because the majority of Dillsburg’s residents had heeded warnings from countrymen coming in that the Rebels were on their way. Still, a few citizens later filed damage claims for horses taken by Stuart’s cavaliers on July 1. Most of the horses had been hidden in supposedly secure places near the town in thickets, woods, or ravines, but the Rebels found the horses anyway. Among the victims on July 1 were Col. Samuel Nelson Bailey, whose horse was taken from the country stable of Samuel Mumper. Dr. George L. Shearer‘s 7-yr-old black horse was taken from a patrch of woods despite the protests of Abraham Birkholder and David A. Bentzler, who were guarding the steed. George W. Reed, Sr. sent his son Samuel Reed to take an 8-yr-old bay mare to woods on the property of John Cook. Rebels seized the horse, as well as two halters & chains. Tomorrow we will discuss several of the merchants in Dillsburg who lost inventory to Stuart and/or Jenkins.
Royal Meteorological Society talk: PhD Showcase - Date: Wednesday 18 April 2018 - Location: Earth and Environment - Type: Yorkshire Local Centre of the Royal Meteorological Society, Seminars, Earth and Environment - Cost: Free A showcase of current research from students in the School of Earth and Environment, University of Leeds. Anne Barber: Parametrisation of convective cloud dynamics Convective clouds play an important role in weather and climate systems by transporting heat, moisture and momentum upwards through the atmosphere. The small scale dynamics and microphysics of these clouds cannot be represented explicitly by numerical weather and climate models and instead may be represented by a parametrisation scheme. Such schemes approximate the in-cloud processes by relating them to processes that are explicitly resolved by the model. This talk will introduce some current convection parametrisations and discuss how new schemes may be created through use of Large Eddy Simulation. Niall Gandy: Breaking the ice – how did the British Ice Sheet melt away in northwest Scotland? During the last ice age, the majority of the British Isles was covered in ice thousands of meters thick. As the climate warmed, this ice retreated back to higher ground. However, in northwest Scotland, retreat started before it is believed the climate started to warm. The retreat also accelerated with time. This work uses computer simulations to reveal the mechanisms which allow deglaciation to be disconnected from the background climate changes. Understanding these mechanisms are key to understanding the processes of ice sheet retreat in the current warming world. Ben Pickering: The Golden Age of UK Weather Radar At the end of 2017, the last of the 15 UK Met Office radars were upgraded to have dual-polarisation technology. This upgrade enables the radars to identify precipitation type where only precipitation amount could be previously estimated. This talk will explain how type-detection is achieved and the work being done at Leeds to verify these new observations, including the installation of a network of laser precipitation instruments. About the Royal Meteorological Society Yorkshire Centre. The Yorkshire Centre is one of several local centres around the UK that organise regular meetings for those interested in all aspects of meteorology. Speakers present talks on a variety of topics and the meetings provide an opportunity to meet other members socially. Unless stated otherwise, all meetings are held in the Level 8 Seminar Room, School of Earth and Environment, University of Leeds. The talks are free and open to members and non-members alike. The Yorkshire Local Centre Committee 2018-2019 Chair - Dorian Speakman Secretary - John Goulding Treasurer - Lindsay Bennett Publicity team - Kamalika Sengupta, Beth Woodhams and Ben Pickering Committee Officers - David Cherry, Clive Mills-Hicks, Victoria Smith and Jim McQuaid Follow us on social media For regular updates about the meetings visit our facebook page: Royal Meteorological Society - Yorkshire Local Centre or twitter account: RMetSoc_Yorkshire. If you have any questions or suggestions of topics you would like included in our program, please send us an email to [email protected].
Dr. Masters co-founded wunderground in 1995. He flew with the NOAA Hurricane Hunters from 1986-1990. Co-blogging with him: Bob Henson, @bhensonweather By: Dr. Jeff Masters , 7:16 PM GMT on August 10, 2012 During the 1930s, a series of epic heat waves gripped the U.S., drying up the soil in an unprecedented drought that brought about the great Dust Bowl. The most intense heat hit during July 1936, which set a record for hottest month in U.S. history that stood for 76 years. That iconic record has now fallen, bested by 0.2°F during July 2012, which is now the hottest month in U.S. history, said NOAA's National Climatic Data Center (NCDC) this week. So far in 2012, we've had the warmest March on record, 3rd warmest April, 2nd warmest May, and warmest July. These remarkably warm months have helped push temperatures in the contiguous U.S. to the warmest on record for the year-to-date period of January - July, and for the 12-month period August 2011 - July 2012. Twenty-four states were record warm for that 12-month period, and an additional twenty states were top-ten warm. The past fourteen months have featured America's 2nd warmest summer (in 2011), 4th warmest winter, and warmest spring. The summer of 2012 is on pace to be a top-five warmest summer on record, and could beat the summer of 1936 as the warmest summer in U.S. history. Figure 1. When the temperature peaked at an all-time high of 108° in Minneapolis, Minnesota on July 14, 1936, the want-ad staff at the 'St. Paul Daily News' was provided with 400 pounds of ice and two electric fans to cool the air in the press room. Photo from the Minnesota Historical Society. Figure 2. Year-to-date temperature, by month, for 2012 (red), compared to the other 117 years on record for the contiguous U.S., with the five ultimately warmest years (orange) and five ultimately coolest years (blue) noted. The 2012 data are still preliminary. The year-to-date period of January - July was the warmest on record by a huge margin--1.0°F. Image credit: NOAA/NCDC. Figure 3. For the fourth consecutive month, a new U.S. record for hottest 12-month period was set in July 2012. Five of the top-ten warmest 12-month periods in the contiguous U.S. since 1895 have occurred since April 2011. Image credit: NOAA/NCDC. Most extreme January - July period on record NOAA's U.S. Climate Extremes Index (CEI), which tracks the percentage area of the contiguous U.S. experiencing top-10% and bottom-10% extremes in temperature, precipitation, and drought, was 46% during the year-to-date January - July period. This is the highest value since CEI record-keeping began in 1910, and more than twice the average value. Remarkably, 83% of the contiguous U.S. had maximum temperatures that were in the warmest 10% historically during the first seven months of 2012, and 74% of the U.S. of the U.S. had warm minimum temperatures in the top 10%. The percentage area of the U.S. experiencing top-10% drought conditions was 20%, which was the 16th greatest since 1910. Extremes in 1-day heavy precipitation events were the 24th greatest in the 103-year record. Figure 4. NOAA's U.S. Climate Extremes Index (CEI) for January - July shows that 2012 has had the most extreme first seven months of the year on record, with 46% of the contiguous U.S. experiencing top-10% extreme weather. Little change to the U.S. drought during the past week The great U.S. drought of 2012 remained about the same size and intensity over the past week, said NOAA in their weekly U.S. Drought Monitor report issued Thursday, August 9. The area of the contiguous U.S. covered by drought dropped slightly, from 63% to 62%, and the area covered by severe or greater drought stayed constant at 46%. The area of the country in the worst drought categories (extreme to exceptional drought) doubled from 10 percent last month to 22 percent this month. The extreme dryness and excessive heat devastated crops and livestock from the Great Plains to Midwest. During July, the area of the U.S. covered by moderate or greater drought was 57%, ranking as the 5th largest drought in U.S. history: 1) Jul 1934, 80% 2) Dec 1939, 60% 3) Jul 1954, 60% 4) Dec 1956, 58% 5) Jul 2012, 57% Video 1. This is Not Cool: Peter Sinclair's July 2012 video from the Yale Forum on Climate Change and the Media couples historical footage with contemporary clips and news segments. In one of the latter, for instance, NBC anchor Brian Williams opens the network’s flagship news program with the words: “It’s now official. We are living in one of the worst droughts of the past 100 years.” NASA scientist James Hansen is featured testifying about risks of “extreme droughts” in the nation’s breadbasket, and I'm featured in a few clips talking about the drought of 2012. I'll have a new post by noon Saturday. Wunderground's weather historian Christopher C. Burt has a post looking back at the great Heat Wave of July 1936. Comments will take a few seconds to appear.
Humans in the main do not have a great deal of psychic ability, which is simply a combination of telepathy and common sense. A small percentage, perhaps less than 10%, have some psychic abilities, and a very few are significantly psychic. Most humans are personally acquainted with a situation that had overtones of psychic interplay, or have a close friend or relative who relays such a story. Someone knew that revenge was being plotted and the means being planned. Someone knew that a package was in the mail and what it contained. Someone sensed that an airplane was in danger and warned a potential passenger to change their plans. Psychic ability runs in families, and for a simple reason. Telepathic ability as well as common sense are based on the structure of the brain, and this is for the most part genetic. What's going on here, within the psychic, to allow them to be aware of existing situations and seemingly to foretell the future? For those situations where the psychic simply had to be aware of an existing situation, one known to other humans, the answer lies in telepathy. Any fact known to another human can be sensed by a telepath. Psychics are most sensitive to those they know, or those who may be thinking about situations they care about, or those who may be thinking about the psychic themselves. This accounts for the majority of psychic situations, where a personal connection of some kind is present. Where psychics seem to be foretelling the future, common sense has entered in. Here the psychic senses facts known to a number of humans, and puts them together in logical probabilities. The pending airplane crash is in fact known to several humans - the airplane mechanics who are ordered to overlook maintenance because the financial condition of the airline is dire; the pilot who notices, however subconsciously, that his instruments are not lining up as they normally do; the scheduling clerks, who regret assigning aging airplanes to busy flights, knowing the risks involved. These humans send forth their thoughts for psychics to capture and ponder. For every situation where there is a successful foretelling of the future, there are literally thousands of situations where the psychic was wrong. The successful occurrences are so dramatic that the story gets widely told. Failures rarely get a mention.
- a ring with a flat bottom hung by a strap, usually on each side of a saddle and used as a footrest in mounting and riding - any of various supports, clamps, etc. resembling or suggesting such a ring - Naut. a rope hung from a yard and having an eye at the end for supporting a footrope passed through it - stirrup bone Origin of stirrupMiddle English stirop ; from Old English stigrap, akin to German stegreif: for Indo-European bases see stile and amp; rope - A flat-based loop or ring hung from either side of a horse's saddle to support the rider's foot in mounting and riding; a stirrup iron. - A part or device shaped like an inverted U in which something is supported, held, or fixed. - A rope on a ship that hangs from a yard and has an eye at the end through which a footrope is passed for support. - See stapes. Origin of stirrupMiddle English stirope, from Old English stīgrāp : stīgan, to mount; see steigh- in Indo-European roots + rāp, rope. top:stirrup on an English saddle bottom:stirrup on a western saddle - Referring to women's pants, a form of trousers commonly worn by women that includes a strap beneath the arch of the foot. Variant of stirrup bone the stapes, one of the three bones of the middle ear
What is microlearning? It's not just taking the entirety of the content you need to know and delivering it in small, bite sized chunks. Microlearning is more than that - in order to be effective it involves distilling the entirety of the original content into what you really need to know. Then you have to ensure that that content is delivered at opportune moments during the learning process. Then you re-deliver that content for maximum knowledge retention and behaviour change (but we'll get to that in a moment). For now, let's talk about the "Why"... The state of society Everyone is busy! All the time! I challenge you to name three people who aren't stressed out right now. We've put all this money, all this time, into automating processes, making computers faster, more powerful, and how much more time do we have? None. Probably less. We're expected to do more in less time. Everyday, you're competing against every new grad and robot out to get you, and then Mr. Manager stops by to tell you that you have to to complete 6 hours of training a month. It's just stress on stress on stress. Our saviour, microlearning Microlearning lies right at the nexus of two problems. First, it's a form of learning that our brain can actually process and learn from (as opposed to just memorising something in one stress-induced study super session). Second, it's quick. Do it on your way to work, while waiting for your morning coffee, or use it as a palette cleanser between Facebook and Instagram. 3 minutes a day. I know you're busy, but you've got time for this. I've told you that microlearning works and can solve these problems, but in the name of integrity, let's look at some actual evidence for that fact... The forgetting curve First, let's start with a thing called the "forgetting curve". It looks like this: That orange line above is a visual representation of just how quickly we forget the things we "know". If you memorise a pice of content today, you'll forget about 50% of that content just one day later. Humans, goldfish: same same. Luckily, there is a solution: spaced repetition. Basically, if you learn something, wait a bit, then revise that same content, the knowledge solidifies in your brain and you remember it much longer. It's why you can type without looking at the keyboard, but don't remember the quadratic formula. You type everyday, when was the last time you practiced your equations? This is a very simplified and quick look at the forgetting curve. For a more in-depth information you can read our blog post on it here. But for now, all you need to know is: - The forgetting curve demonstrates why learning everything all in one go is ineffective - you're going to forget most of what you learnt in the first week! Why bother in the first place? - Microlearning and spaced repetition go hand-in-hand. First, you break down the content into what the learner actually needs to know, then you re-present that content over time to solidify it. Booyah. It's learning you actually learn from. Engagement and results Here's some cold hard science on employee engagement and microlearning efficacy: - In 2016 Software Advice conducted a study in which 58% of respondents said they would be more likely to use their company's online training tools, if the content was broken into short 5-7 minute lessons. - Dresden University of Technology conducted a study where they compared the results of students who were tested after reading a single chapter (for a total of 16 chapters) versus students who were tested after reading the entire 16 chapters in one lesson. The students who were taught in smaller slices took 28% less time to answer the questions, and performed 20% better than the other group. - Our brain's short term memory is limited. Write down a bunch of numbers right now and try to memorise them - if you practice for an hour you'll be able to remember 7 or 8, maybe. The brain just can't hold that much information short-term. Therefore, it's pointless, useless, and futile trying to remember everything at once! Luckily, however, long-term memory isn't so limited. We're yet to find the upper limits of long-term memory. And how do we take something out of the short-term memory box and chuck it in the long-term bin? Present content at intervals, over time, and revise and reinforce that content. Pulling it all together Here's your micro-lesson on why bite-sized is best: - Everyone is time poor. - Our brains short term memory is limited; we can't absorb big chunks of information at one time. - We have short attention spans and find short bursts of information more engaging. Microlearning solves all our problems. Forever. We can relax now. Lie on the beach with our book and our 3-5 minutes of learning. What a life. Click here to learn more about how Yarno uses microlearning software to change employee behaviour. To learn about the big impact little bites of learning can have, download our microlearning white-paper. Mark heads up the Sales team at Yarno. He loves to chat, which is fortunate because he’s very good at it. He's our digital Swiss Army Knife, always armed with a solution to any problem. You might also like 2020 brought a new emphasis on learning; a bright patch in that otherwise dark, dreary year. There is no point in training unless you repeat it. Our brains are like leaky buckets: the things we learn spill out over time. That is, unless you repeat and reinforce your learning. There are known knowns, things we know that we know; and there are known unknowns, things that we know we don't know. But there are also unknown unknowns, things we do not know we...
Do you know that biodiesel energy can be made from sunflower seed oil? Oilseed sunflowers are grown easily and profitably at both small farm and large field scales. \|These sunflowers in southern Vermont were grown for on-farm biodiesel production.Photo: Vern Grubinger, University of Vermont Extension.\| - Current Potential for use as Biofuel - Biology and Adaptation - Pest Management - Harvest and Storage - Potential Yields Oilseed sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) is quickly gaining popularity as a feedstock crop for biodiesel because it shares several positive agronomic features with other common oil crops such as canola and soy; yields well in a variety of conditions, and can be grown easily and profitably at both small farm and large field scales. The high oil content of sunflower seed, often over 40%, makes it an excellent choice for a biofuel crop. Because it is already grown widely for use as food oil, agronomic practices are well established for regions where the sunflower is common in field rotations. Although pests can present production problems, careful rotations can help reduce inputs from fertilizer to pesticides. Current Potential for Use as Biofuel Sunflower oil holds great potential for offsetting petroleum diesel use, especially at the farm scale. Sunflower oils are already used for high-grade food oils, and the meal can be readily used as a livestock feed. Oil composition is similar to that of other vegetable oils such as soy and safflower, and biodiesel from sunflower is expected to have properties similar to biodiesel from soy. Most sunflower oil is produced for human consumption, a high-value oil that nets a premium for producers. The value of sunflower for biodiesel end-use may not provide adequate economic returns in some oil-producing regions. Biology and Adaptation \|Sunflower trials. Photo: Dennis Pennington, Bioenergy Educator, Michigan State University.\| Sunflower grows in a variety of soil conditions but performs best in well-drained soils with high water-holding capacity. In drier regions it often needs at least supplemental irrigation for best yields. However, sunflower is considered a drought tolerant crop and has a deeper root system than most crops. Sunflower is commonly considered a long season crop. It’s planted in mid- to late spring and matures between early September and early October, depending on exact planting date, variety, and growing degree day (GDD) accumulation. However, many hybrids have been developed that shorten the maturity period to less than 90 days, allowing harvest as early as late September. Because wild sunflower is native to most regions of North America, the conditions necessary for growing cultivated sunflower exist widely, although best agronomic practices have not been well established outside of the Midwest, the High Plains, and Western Canada. Pay attention to yield, oil percentage, maturity, and pest resistance when selecting a hybrid. Consult variety trial results from nearby universities and/or commercial seed companies, or conduct on-farm variety trials. For proper establishment, sunflowers prefer a fine seedbed. However, no-till production systems have been successful. Most regions suggest planting sunflower between early May and mid-June. Similar to corn, sunflowers require a soil temperature of 50 degrees F. to germinate. A range of plant populations and row spacing work for sunflower production. With organic methods, 20- to 30-inch row spacing aids mechanical weed control. Recommended seeding rate for oilseed sunflowers ranges from 15,000 to 25,000 plants to the acre, with lower seeding rates in areas of low rainfall. A variety of sunflower-specific modifications are available for many seed metering systems, such as shorter finger-pickups and different cell plates. Sunflowers are susceptible to a variety of pests, so management should include crop rotation, resistant cultivars, modified cultural practices, and often chemical control. Like other oilseeds, sunflower is susceptible to sclerotinia diseases and downy mildew. Carefully planned rotations are the most important element in disease management, as well as wider row spacing to increase air circulation, and resistant varieties. For insect management, regular field scouting is essential. Some sunflower pests also infest other crops regularly used in rotations, including wireworms, long-horned beetles, and pale-stripped flea beetles. Plan rotations to disrupt lifecycles of these pests. Harvest before the end of September to reduce huge losses to flocks of migrating birds. Control methods such as chemical deterrents, decoy crops, and harassment with explosions, gunshots, airplanes, and “squawkers” have had varying success. Best effects come from random but frequent changes in deterrent methods. The best management is to avoid nesting habitat. Sunflower does not compete well with weeds early in its development. Use herbicide-tolerant hybrids (Clearfield and Express Sun), along with pre-plant or pre-emergence use of herbicide to control weed pressure before sunflower crops become well established. A number of herbicides are registered for sunflowers. However, in the Northeast, cultivating with a tineweeder one and two weeks after planting has controlled weeds as effectively as herbicide, although cultivating does cause small declines in standing sunflower population. \|Sunflower seeds. Photo: Giovanni Dall’Orto; Wikimedia Commons.\| Harvest and Storage Harvest is usually in late September to October, ideally once the seed has reached close to 12% moisture. Combining the plants earlier at high moisture contents (up to 25%) can reduce losses from seed shattering and birds, but wetter seed requires subsequent drying. Desiccants can hasten seed drying in the field, but must be applied after the plant reaches maturity. Sunflower should be stored at around 9% moisture – at 10 or 11% the seed becomes more susceptible to insect and mold infestation, and oil extraction can become more difficult below 7%. Maintaining good seed condition is important for good oil content and quality. Air drying below 110 degrees F. is best for sunflower seed because fine hairs on the hull can ignite if they circulate through the drying fan and heat source, and in turn ignite the seed, which burns easily due to its high oil content. Maintaining seed quality for use as a feedstock provides the largest challenge post-harvest. Heating over 200 degrees F. (e.g., during the drying process) degrades oil quality by increasing the concentration of free fatty acids, which must be removed in the beginning stages of the biodiesel production process. Over-drying the seed reduces the efficiency of oil extraction if processed by a mechanical seed press. Drying seed quickly after harvest and maintaining the seed at good storage moisture is important for keeping high seed and oil quality. Dryland sunflower yields generally average 1,300 pounds/acre, but yields over 2,000 pounds/acre in irrigated or high rainfall conditions are not uncommon. Average oil content is 40 to 42%. Oil yield extracted from the sunflower seed ranges from 35 to 80 gallons per acre. The quantity of oil extracted from the seed varies depending on growing conditions, post-harvest seed handling, and whether the oil was extracted through chemical or mechanical methods. Sunflowers are a strong component of oilseed and biofuel cropping systems, because they adapt well to a variety of conditions and often require fewer agricultural inputs than more common crops. Because the oil has several potential markets and the pressed meal can fill niche cattle-feed markets, sunflower is a good choice for growers on both small and large scales. For Additional Information A lot of information has been published on production of sunflowers for oil and other uses. Much of this information is specific to geographic location. Here are links to Extension and agricultural agency bulletins on sunflower production from across the U.S. and Canada: Berglund, D., editor. 2007. Sunflower Production. North Dakota State University Extension Service, Fargo, ND. Darby, H., R. Madden, A. Gervais, and E. Cummings. 2009. Sunflower Research Trials. University of Vermont Extension, St. Albans, VT. Harner, J. P. 1987. Drying and Storing Sunflowers. Kansas State University Cooperative Extension Service, Manhattan, KS. Hussein, M., A. El-Hattab, and A. Ahmed. 1980. Effect of plant spacing and nitrogen levels on morphological characters, seed yield, and quality in sunflower. Journal of Agronomy and Crop Science 149:148-156. Knodel, J. J., L. D. Charlet, and J. Gavloski. 2010. Integrated pest management of sunflower insect pests in the northern Great Plains. North Dakota State University Extension Service, Fargo, ND. MAFRI. 2006. The Sunflower Production Guide. Manitoba Agriculture, Food, and Research Initiatives, Winnipeg, Manitoba. Meyer, R., D. Belshe, D. O’Brien, and R. Darling, editors. 1999. High Plains Sunflower Production Handbook. Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS. Ruffo, M. L., F. O. Garcia, G. A. Bollero, K. Fabrizzi, and R. A. Ruiz. 2003. Nitrogen balance approach to sunflower fertilization. Communications in soil science and plant analysis 34:2645-2657. Contributors to this Article - Vern Grubinger, Professor, University of Vermont Extension - Dennis Pennington, Bioenergy Educator, Michigan State University
The word abundance comes from the Latin abundantia and refers to a large amount of something. The term can be used as a synonym for prosperity, wealth or well-being. For example: “I have found abundance everywhere while walking the streets of Monaco. ” In the dictionary of Digopaul, the phrase “swimming in abundance” refers to enjoying great economic well-being and a significant amount of material wealth. This is probably the most common meaning of the term in everyday speech, and is generally used with a hopeless tinge, in that it serves to indicate its own absence. Taking the expression mentioned above, it is usually used in the first person and in the negative, to emphasize a lament for the economic situation itself. Material abundance is a concept that usually generates two opposing currents of opinion: on the one hand, there are those who respect the wealth of others, provided that it has a lawful origin; on the other, there are people who do not support the upper classes and assign all sorts of derogatory names. Within this last group, it is important to point out that many times those who feel rejection of wealthy people hide envy, deep desires to be themselves who can indulge themselves. Likewise, material possessions are frowned upon by those who seek to live in harmony with nature, given that many of the objects most prized by consumerism involve an excessive exploitation of resources. It is often said that wealth is not directly related to happiness, and therefore it is curious that a term that in principle represents well-being and the security of being able to meet the basic needs of life, may in turn have a negative connotation. and lack of commitment to the rest of living beings. In a world where we all respect each other, both ourselves and our environment, the abundance of some would probably become a source of wealth or food for those who need it. However, in our desire to climb social and economic hierarchies, we cover our deficiencies with possessions and we forget, generation after generation, of everything that the Planet offers us disinterestedly, such as oxygen, water, food and beautiful and varied landscapes to explore and enjoy as we like. Unlike our species, animals know how to take advantage of their resources and if it were not for our destructive acts, they would collaborate with the balance of nature as they have always done, and the world would be a place free of contamination and indiscriminate killing. On the other hand, the horn of plenty or cornucopia is a horn-shaped glass that represents abundance. It is a symbol of prosperity whose origins date back to the 5th century BC. In order to understand its meaning, it is necessary to focus attention on Greek mythology: Amalthea raised Zeus with the milk of a goat and he, by way of thanks, gave him one of the horns of a goat that had the power to fulfill the wishes of the person who owned it. The natural abundance, however, is the amount of each isotope of a chemical element that exists in nature, expressed as a percentage. The natural abundances of each isotope are used to calculate the atomic mass of the elements. In rhetoric, abundance is the wealth of expressive thoughts or procedures. One of the literary movements characterized by rhetorical abundance is Baroque conceptism. Abundantia is an asteroid discovered by Johann Palisa in November 1875, from the Croatian city of Pula. The name was chosen by the director of the Vienna Observatory, Edmund Weiss.
Before we learn how to say happy birthday in Korean, first we need to know a little bit about the Korean language. In Korean, we have different titles and words to speak to people of different ages. More formal words and different endings on words are used depending on a person’s age so as to be more polite. How to say happy birthday in Korean Before you wish them a happy birthday, make sure you know how old they are in relation to you. If you aren’t sure of their age, and want to stay on the safe side, go for more polite. 1. For someone who is your age or younger: Happy birthday (casual) 2. For someone who is a little older than you: Happy birthday (polite) 3. For someone who is much older than you or your parent: Happy birthday (formal) Happy birthday song Our birthday song is just a translated version of the English birthday song. This is because traditionally we didn’t celebrate our birthdays on the day of our birth, more on that later. Korean happy birthday song 생일 축하 합니다, 생일 축하 합니다, 사랑하는 (name) 의 생일 축하 합니다. Pronunciation of Korean happy birthday song sa-rang-ha-noon (name) wi sang-il chuk-ha-hop-ni-da,] English translation of Korean happy birthday song Happy birthday to you, Happy birthday to you, Happy birthday dear (name) Korean birthday traditions Celebrating your birthday, literally the day of your birth is relatively new in Korea. So when I mention birthdays in this article I’ll be referring to celebrating the day of your birth. But Korea does have a traditional way of celebrating getting older. Let’s look at that now. Unique age counting In Korea we count our age in a different way. The day when a baby is born, they are automatically one year old. And every year on the 1st of January EVERYONE gets one year older. This is an old Chinese tradition that Korea uses. So, when you celebrate the day of your birth in Korea you don’t get a year older. That happens on January 1st. On the morning of the 1st of January we eat 떡국 [duk-kook] (rice cake soup) to celebrate getting one year older. 떡국 has sliced rice cake, egg, and meat boiled in a bone broth. And we say: 새해 복 많이 받으세요. [sae-hae-bok ma-ni ba-duh-sae-yo] (I wish for you to have a lot of luck in the new year.) On our actual birthday, the day of our birth not January 1st, we are served 미역국 [mi-yuk-gook] (seaweed soup) traditionally cooked by our mom, a bowl of rice, and some side dishes. 미역국 has chopped up seaweed, a meat of choice (commonly beef), and a little bit of sesame oil. We also eat 미역국 after a mother delivers a baby as a recovery food every single meal for about 1 week to 1 month. 미역국 used to be considered as a royal food that only kings and queens could eat in the past. We also eat western style cake on our birthday. Our cake is not as sweet and usually is decorated with fruit. We have regular western style cakes like yellow cake, chocolate cake, ice-cream cake, but also sweet potato and green tea flavor cakes as well. The sweet potato cakes are popular among older people. Celebrations and presents It is common to celebrate birthdays at home with family instead of having a big party. We do not have theme parties for kids. When kids are little (3 – 9 years old) parents send little goodie bags to school for their classmates. We will gather around a cake after dinner and blow out the candles after making a wish and just like western style birthdays, we don’t say what our wish is. The candles have to be the right numbers for their age. Longer candles mean the first digit number of the age, and shorter candles mean the last digit number of the age. So, if the person is 38 years old, we will put 3 long candles and 8 short candles on the cake. After we become an adult, when we can legally drink alcohol, we often have a party with friends in a bar. People bring presents and a cake, and the birthday person picks up the tab for everyone. Also, birthday cards are not often given. Special birthday years There are 2 years that people celebrate their birthdays in a big way. When people turn 60, and when they turn 70. To celebrate their longevity, their kids either prepare a big festive party or a trip overseas. In the past, their children would rent a place to have everyone over from their small town including their family and friends. For food they would have rice cakes, fruit, and a pig that they kill. Nowadays for a party people rent a place for their family and friends with a big banner of celebrating their birthday, and hire a catering service and an MC. There will be a grandkids’ talent show and karaoke. For a trip to overseas, their kids pay for a package tour for them. We still have throwbacks to an earlier farming culture that are seen in how people buy presents for each other. In the past, we help each other during the harvest time or any time we need, and we call it 상부상조 [sang bu-sang-jo] which means we help each other with the intention of being paid back. Because of this we try to match the price of the present when we buy. For example, if person A bought me a present that costs about $30, on person A’s birthday I will buy something that costs about $30. As you get older, instead of buying a present it is acceptable to give cash as a present. Elders prefer to get cash. We have 생일빵 [sang-il paang] (Birthday hit) which means we are allowed to hit the birthday person for luck. This is more of a younger generation tradition. Also, younger generations often order a strong drink or make their own drink that is mixed with whatever they can find on the table like salt, ketchup, pepper, or other things that are not necessarily food. Socks can be dipped, or the drink can be poured in a shoe. This is not necessarily a tradition, but some younger Koreans do it for fun. Koreans love drinking and eating. So, this often plays a part in Korean birthday celebrations. We usually order big dishes to share for the table. A popular choice is beer and fried chicken but Korean BBQ is also very popular. Types of drinks in Korea Our traditional alcohol is called 소주 [Soju] a spirit made from different types of grains and 막걸리[makoli] rice wine. Soju is a clear liquid that almost looks like Vodka, and doesn’t have much flavor but has a little sweet taste to it. It varies in alcohol content (16.8% to 53%) and has a rubbing alcohol smell. These days Soju companies put out weaker Soju with fruity flavors. People drink Soju in a shot or mix it with beer as a 폭탄주 [pok-tan-ju] (bomb drink). 막걸리 is milky and has sweeter and smooth taste to it. Sticky rice wine is the most popular one. Traditionally it is served in a big bowl and you scoop it out with a ladle that is made of a gourd. Younger generations play a lot of drinking games. If you are invited to a party be ready to drink a lot! Or win at every game to avoid drinking. These are 3 very common drinking games we play but there are a lot more drinking games than the ones below. 1. 세종대왕 [Sae-jong dae-wang] (King Sejong) King Sejong invented the Korean writing system. To honor that we only use pure Korean words. We normally adapt a lot of English words like 컴퓨터 [com-pu-toh] (computer), 티비 [tee-bee] (TV), 컵 [cup] (cup), 포크 [po-kuh] (fork) and more. We don’t even have Korean words to substitute those words, so it can be very tricky. Whoever speaks English words has to drink. 2. Three, six, nine Game People sit around the table and start counting numbers up from 1. Every 3, 6, and 9 people have to clap instead of saying it out loud. It gets tricky when the number gets bigger especially 30, 60, and 90. Number 30 has a 3 so they have to clap once and for 33, 36, and 39 they have to clap twice. No one speaks out the number for 30 so you have to pay attention! Whoever makes a mistake has to drink. 3. 게임 오브대스 [gae-im o-buh dae-suh] (Game of Death) Everyone sings 재미난다 [jae-mi nan-da] (fun), 신난다 [shin nan-da] (exciting), 더 게임 오브 대스 [duh gae-im o-buh dae-suh] (The game of Death) while hitting the table with chopsticks. As soon as the song ends everyone points their chopsticks to 2 different people. Start from the person who drank last and follow the direction of the chop sticks to see where it ends. Whoever the last person is at the end of the chopstick chain has to drink. Other articles you might enjoy Happy Birthday in German 200 Belated Birthday Wishes
Views:112 Author:Site Editor Publish Time: 2020-06-03 Origin:Site In life, we wear glasses on many occasions. For example, if you are short-sighted, you must wear short-sighted glasses. Going to the beach by the sea and wearing sunglasses. Drivers wear sunglasses when driving. Or young people pursuing fashion will wear sunglasses to show their temperament, especially the stars. Before we buy a pair of glasses, the first thing to do is to measure the shape of our face, so as to choose the best pair of glasses for our face. Especially nowadays young people like to shop online, so they must find the highest, lowest, widest and sharpest facial area of their face, so that they can buy glasses that suit them. There are many ways to determine the shape of your face. However, it is the easiest and shortest way to measure yourself in the mirror. In addition, we can use the famous "cross-shaped method", but it is not precise enough, and sometimes there will be large deviations. The following we will learn how to measure face shape through simple family techniques. The first thing to measure is our cheekbone. Place a tape measure on the outside of the eyes and under the nose. Stretch from the left cheek to the right cheek. Then record the measured value of the tape measure. Place one end of the tape measure at the edge of the chin line, which is perpendicular to the point under the left ear. Then extend the tape measure to the right of the chin line, which is perpendicular to the point under the right ear. Then record the measured value of the tape measure. Because the forehead is protruding and relatively wider than the rest of the face, it is easier to measure. Place the tape measure over the eyebrows, stretch from the left hairline to the right hairline, and pay attention to the widest point of the forehead. Write down the measured value of the tape measure. The last step is to measure the length of the face. Start from the middle of the eyebrow, the middle of the hairline, and stretch the tape measure until the end of the chin. Make sure the tape measure is over the nose. Record the measured value of the tape measure. The square face is relatively short, the jaw line is prominent and angular. We need to pay attention to the two characteristics of square faces: square and short. The use of round spectacle frames, especially spectacle frames with round bottoms, can reduce the sensation of corners being too obvious. Choose glasses with a small height. If the frame height is too large, it will occupy most of the face, and make people feel that this face is shorter. If possible, choose a myopia frame with a higher temple position. This will make the face look longer. Just like a square face, the angle of the mandible of this face shape is obvious, the difference is that the face is longer. We still need to use round glasses frames to ease the corners, but we also need to shorten the face shape. Contrary to the aforementioned square face shape, we tend to choose a spectacle frame with a large height and a temple position in the middle, so that the myopic spectacle frame can occupy the appropriate part of the face. The following is a detailed description of the glasses selected for the square face. The round frame will make the jaw lines look softer. If you feel that the round frame does not fit the look you want, then a pilot-style frame can also be used. For women, the butterfly-shaped frame or cat-eye frame will balance your facial features and make you look more feminine. In addition, the cat eyes optical frames will make you look more attractive. The heart-shaped face is also called an inverted triangle face, which is characterized by a wide forehead, prominent cheekbones, and a narrow and pointed jaw. The appearance of this face is not balanced up and down, the upper part is larger and more prominent than the lower part. You need to wear a myopia frame with the opposite appearance, that is, the bottom is wider so that the width of the lower half of the face can be increased. The lower position of the temple also helps to improve this effect. Or it is recommended that wearing a pair of rectangular frame glasses or square optical glasses because they can add balance and "fullness" to the smaller pointed chin and narrow chin. The inverted face also feels unbalanced, the forehead is narrow, and the wider the downward, the lower jaw is wide and prominent. This kind of face shape is relatively rare. The principle of choosing a spectacle frame is the opposite of a heart-shaped face. A frame with a high temple position and a narrow bottom is required. The shape of the round face is completely opposite to the square face, so the selection principle of the myopia frame is basically the opposite of the square face. The myopic spectacle frame with obvious angular edges is needed to improve the contour of the face shape, but at the same time, the principle of "elongation" of the square face is also required. That is, use a square optical frame with a low height and a high temple position. In summary, nowadays not only myopic people often wear glasses, but now many people also wear decorative glasses. The main way is to choose the one that suits you best. The simplest way is to decide according to your face. Wenzhou Emma Optics has a professional manufacturer and exporter for fashion reading glasses, optical frame, sunglasses products. If you have a need for glasses, please stay tuned for the latest developments in our website.
While traditional tank units keep gallons of water heated around the clock, tankless water heaters only heat water when you need it, which can help reduce energy costs. Although most homes require only one tank-style water heater, homeowners who plan to go tankless may find using multiple smaller units rather than a single large one improves performance and ensures hot water is always available when you need it. Even the largest tankless water heaters can't supply enough hot water for multiple simultaneous uses in larger households, according to the U.S. Department of Energy. While some very large tankless units are advertised at flow rates of 9 or 10 gallons per minute (GPM), few actually provide this type of flow rate while still raising water to the desired temperature. To actually raise groundwater to 120 degrees Fahrenheit, most cut flow rate to well under the highest advertised rate, and may provide only a few gallons per minute. The DOE suggests using two or more tankless water heaters in larger households to achieve the desired level of hot water, or using dedicated tankless units at dishwashers and washing machines. FacilitiesNet suggests adding a second tankless unit when the demand for hot water exceeds 6 to 8 GPM. Tankless water heaters start heating water only when you turn on a faucet, switch on the shower or start your dishwasher. There is a small delay from these actions before you actually receive hot water because the water heater is busy generating heat. If you have only a central tankless unit, you may find yourself waiting frequently for hot water at fixtures located far from the water heater. Using two or more tankless units means water has less distance to travel, resulting in faster hot water access at sinks, showers and other fixtures. As you turn on the sink and wait for the tankless water heater to provide hot water, you allow cold water to flow down the drain. Adding a second tankless water heater means faster heat and less wasted water, according to the California Energy Commission. Multiple heaters also means shorter pipe runs, so less energy is wasted as hot water travels or cools down in the pipes. If you have a single large tankless water heater and it fails, you'll be left without hot water until the unit is repaired. A second heater serves as a backup system so you're never completely without hot water, though flow rate and capacity likely will be cut in half. Tankless water heaters cost $2,500 to $4,000 installed as of 2012, according to GreenBuildingAdvisor.com, and larger units generally cost more than small ones. Investing in two tankless water heaters rather than one likely will result in higher initial costs thanks to double equipment, installation, piping and ventilation expenses. - Photo Credit Jupiterimages/Comstock/Getty Images
The eminent economist Dr. C.K Prahlad, called the poorest of the global world, especially those living in the developing countries, as ‘the fortunes at the bottom of the pyramid’ whose potential had not yet been tapped effectively. On a similar note, Amartya Sen has argued that being poor doesn’t translate to just having low income levels but it is a larger problem that leads to the absence of security and ability to be a part of the larger social, political and financial system of the economy. It can be convincingly argued that these thoughts have been the foundation stone of central bankers and policy makers all across the world, for formulating policies that can eliminate financial exclusion from the society. With more than 800 million mobile subscribers it is yet another irony of India that more than half of its population has no access to formal banking system. The Rangarajan Committee, constituted by the Indian government in the year 2008, defines Financial Inclusion as “the process of ensuring access to financial services and timely and adequate credit where needed by vulnerable groups such as weaker sections and low income groups at an affordable cost.” Why is financial inclusion such a crucial issue for developing countries? A financial system works extremely well when it is inclusive because it helps in participation of more individuals into the financial system. Also, including the poor into the mainstream financial services is one of the major goals of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). When poor families have access to financial instruments that are designed especially for low-income levels, they can increase their savings, invest in various investment sources and it also helps in reducing inequality and poverty in the society. When the poor have access to micro-finance and loans, they can provide education to their children, reducing the reliance on child labour that exists in our society. As the Human Development Index reports of 2010, by the UN Development Program, India ranked at the 119th position. India has been doing poorly on all fronts, like life expectancy, education and per capita income. This further leads to a huge setback in the inclusive growth agenda. By improving access to credit and improving financial literacy, poor families can be helped to a great extent with respect to the facilities they can avail. In the recent years, there have been mixed results in the goal of achieving financial inclusion. Some schemes of the banks have failed to do well while several others have gained appreciable success. By constantly reviewing their goals and plans, the banks guided by RBI are trying to make the poor an integral part of the complex financial system. Let us hope the challenges are met by completed dedication and effective policy procedures by those who are at the helm of decision making.

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