Earliest information: 1779 (?1663)
Original estate: Dean and Canons of Windsor
Common Rights? No
Date of current building: ?17th century, with 19th century facade
Dean & Canons of Windsor -> ?Lafford (1663) -> An Inn from c1685 -> "Plume of Feathers" (1764 onwards)
Description of property:
- The Plume, Mar 2007
- Market Place, 1870 showing The Plume of Feathers on the right
- The Plume Hotel, c1909 [Albert Parsons] (SH)
- The Plume Hotel, undated. (Kindly sent by Dr Jim Whittaker)
This was originally a property owned by the Dean & Canons of Windsor. As such, the summary of ownership of these lands (referred to as "estate" = land, tithes and church in Peake's Chapter 10 in Rev. Summers 'The Story of Hungerford' was:
1103-1118: Church in H'ford built sometime between these dates Robert, 1st Earl of Leicester granted "estate" to the Church of Beaumont, then in
1142 Robert transferred "estate" to the Abbey of Bec.
1291 "Estates" of Abbey of Bec in H'ford attached to a prebendal stall at Salisbury Cathedral. Church in H'ford transferred to the Priory of Ogbourne, a cell of the Abbey of Bec.
1324-1325 Priory of Ogbourne still held "estates"
1341 Abbot of "estate" = Rector of Hungerfford, held 2 carucates of land, worth 60 shillings a year.
WAR: Hundred years war with France ending 1453: King Henry IV (1399-1413) took 'alien' Priory of Ogbourne "estates". King Henry V (1413-1422) granted the "estates" to his brother, Duke of Bedford. Latter died 1435 & left the "estates" to his nephew, King Henry VI (son of Henry V, had 2 reigns - 1422- 1461 & 1470-1471) endowed "estates" to the Dean & Canons of Windsor sometime after 1435 BUT the Archives of St. George's Chapel quote 1421 as the date of the Ogbourn Priory Endowment to D & C of Windsor.
DISSOLUTION: King Henry VIII's reign (1491-1547) saw the Dissolution of the monasteries in 1536. In H'ford the properties of D&C W survived but the Chantries of the Holy Trinity & St. Mary were confiscated.
1614: The heresay Commoners Rights given by John of Gaunt to the inhabitants of H'ford sometime between 1360-1381 & entrusted by various legal arrangements during the years of 1612-1617 to the Trustees/Feoffees of the Town & Manor, were NOT given to those properties which were owned by the Deans & Canons of Windsor, ie 113, 112 H/S & others.
The Lafford family, 1663-c1690s:
1663-64 (Norman Hidden) The 1663 and 1664 Hearth Tax returns show, by position, that 113 High Street (or possibly 112 High Street), was occupied by John Lafford.
- His D/S will dated 1684 and proven May 1685 describes him as a victualler. He leaves to his loving wife Mary "the messuage in which I now dwell". He seems to have had no children, leaves the residue of his estate to his nephew Adam Lafford (son of his brother Adam Lafford).
- There is an inventory which includes 10½ years of lease remaining. The leasehold helps to treate(?) the property as a tenement of the D&CW, and Lafford's occupation as a victualler perhaps to identify it with what is known later as the Plume of Feathers. This supposition is strengthened by the Hearth Tax return which indicates 4 hearths, more than the average private house.
The earliest reference to the property as an inn, 1685:
1685 See Inventory of John Lafford
- John Lafford was buried 27 March 1685.
- A Mary Lafford was buried April 1687, and another in April 1691.
- Shortly after her husband's death in 1685 "widow Lawford", as Summers calls her (p. 148) had quartered on her a wounded soldier from the Battle of Sedgemoor. His wounds, we are told, were dressed by Peter Passion and he was fortified with spirits. This incident also quite clearly points to the use of the house as an inn. Peter Passion, judging by the same hearth Tax to which reference has already been made, lived about two doors away.
- Although the business seems to have continued after John Lafford's death, we do not know what happened after that of his widow.
- Nephew Adam Lafford died in 1695. His will describes him as yeoman – which may refer to any kind of self-employment. He left a widow Dorothy who, it would seem, was his third wife, a previous Elizabeth giving birth to his daughter Emma(?) (who is mentioned in his will) and who later married ..?.. Stokes. Elizabeth who died in 1664/5.
- Adam married a second wife Mary nee Savage in 1685, but she died in 1686 or 1691. In 1693 he married Dorothy Watts.
- In 1652 Adam lived in a house owned by Edward Jenkins. The Hearth Tax lists of 1663 also show him at a separate address from his uncle John Lafford, a one-hearther cottage [?possibly rectorial ?chantry] either part of 35HS or 36HS.
"The Feathers" (1764) and "The Plume of Feathers" (1765):
1764 (Norman Hidden) "Received of Jn Whale 1/2 year rent for the Feathers due at Michaelmas 1s 10d. This is the earliest reference to "The Feathers" by name
1765 (Norman Hidden) 26 Oct: Answer taken by Commissioners (E112/Berks/5geoIII/Easter 19) taken at the house of "John (or ?Joseph) Lawrence know as The Plume of Feathers".
1779 (Norman Hidden Sun Fire Insurance vol 278 policy no. 419194 dated 5 October 1779) Elizabeth Pierce – alehouse keeper – on household goods in her dwelling house known as The Plume of Feather. Brick and tiled.
1814 (Survey of the Parish of Hungerford Dec.1814 by James Pain) "Plume & Feathers Publick House (Thomas Salter) 2 rooms in front, Dineing Parlor, Bar room, cellar & other offices, 6 Sleeping rooms, Stableing for 10 horses. (Garden Cottage & Garden above. Arable land in the Breach Field 1 acre, 1 rod, 1 perch. The above under repair. Value £25-0-0. ". See copy of original survey CC120149 from Archives, St George's Chapel, Windsor. [The Breach = old Common Field between Park St / Fairview Road / Priory Road and Port Down.].
1819 (EA) "Feathers"
1823 (Pigot) Thomas Salter, innkeeper.
1830 (Pigot) Thomas Salter.
1841 (CS) Ann Salter (60) Publican.
1844 (Pigot and Snare) "Plume of Feathers" tavern and PH: Thomas Salter.
1847 (Kelly) George Salter, although Snare Directory still had T. Salter.
1850 (Snare) George Slater, innkeeper
1851 (Census) George Slater (44), innkeeper; Martha Salter (40), Mary Harris (18) Domestic servant.
1854 (Billing) George Slater "Brewer and Maltster".
1861 (Census) George Sellwood
1862 (Lacks Directory) The Hope Friendly Society (Benefit Club) was held at The Plume of Feathers Inn.
1863 (Dutton & Allen) George Sellwood, "The Feathers"
1864 (Billing) George Sellwood, "Plume of Feathers"
1869-1877: Abel Blake is named in the 1869 Kelly, 1869 Post Office Directory, 1871 census, Abel Blake (58) and 1877 Kelly. (In the 1861 Census he had been publican at Barley Mow. Mr & Mrs RW Blake, 9 Court Drive, Sutton, Surrey, say he was previously miller at Denford.)
1881 (CS) "Plume of Feathers" - Elizabeth Blake (66) Innkeeper.
1886 (DD) Charles Osmond (formerly Postmaster H'ford) bought from Dean & Canons of Windsor.
1886 (DD) Charles Osmond sold the cottage & garden at east end of site to his son - Charles Alexander Osmond. (Deeds state cottage "late occup'n of James Wells, bounded N by Park Street, S by gardens of Charles Bodman, E cottages of Giles Miller, W by garden of Plume of Feathers.
1889 (DD) Charles Osmond snr sold to son Charles Alexander Osmond for £700.
1891 (Kelly) Charles Alexander Osmond - "The Plume" Family & Commercial hotel, fishing parties accommodated (loose boxes).
1891 (DD) C.A. Osmond sold to Frank Blatch, of Theale for £1,650.
1895 (Kelly) Mrs. Lizzie Brown, "Plume Hotel"
1899 (KD) William Weaver
20th century landlords included:
1900 (Cosburn's Dir) W Weaver, the "Plume" inn.
1903 (KD) William Weaver, "Plume Hotel"
1915 (Kelly Dir) Mrs Amy Sarah Parlley, Plume Hotel.
1919 (Courage Brewery, archives at Windsor) Owned by widow Blatch & son Herbert - sold to Newbury Brewery. Follow this to download the Indenture of 13.10.1919: Sale of property to Newbury Brewing Co for £1,550.
1920 (KD) "Plume Hotel" - Licensee: Felix Lloyd Powell.
1920 Kelly: Felix Lloyd Powell [Trudie Pihlens heard a radio programme in July 2006 which referred to Felix, and his wife Mabel, taking over The Plume Inn in Hungerford in ?1915 – he had written "Pack up your Troubles in your old Kit Bag". From Google I find: "Reproduced below are the lyrics to one of the songs definitively synonymous with the First World War, Pack up your Troubles.Written by George Asaf (words; Asaf was a pseudonym for George Powell) and Felix Powell (music) the song achieved instant success when published by Chappell & Co. in London in 1915.]
c.1920 Approximate date for pebble-dash rendering to main building.
1924 (Kelly) "Plume Hotel" Walter Pye
1928 Kelly: H.J. Tavender
1931 Kelly: Harry C. Hutton
1931 (Courage Brewery, archives at Windsor) Newbury Brewery Co sold to H & G Simonds Ltd
1935 Kelly: James W.V. Dunsden
1936 Kelly: James Dunsden
1939 Kelly: Leslie W. Talbot
1939 (BL) Plume Hotel (L.G.W. Talbot)
1939 (KD) "Plume Hotel" - licensee: Leslie W. Talbot. (for 35 years from 1937-72!)
1962 (Courage Brewery, archives at Windsor) Courage Brewery took over H & G Simonds, to become Courage Barclay & Simonds Ltd.
1972-81 (Courage Brewery, archives at Windsor) Morton Country Inns: Lic'ee: Alan Scott-Morton Beard
(Ken Nisbett) Says error re Morton ownership.
(Ken Nisbett) Says 1796 map shows stables and cottage, half way up strip.
1981 (Courage Brewery, archives at Windsor) : Licencee: Frank Richard Sidley.
1981 (Ken Nisbett) Kenneth Robert & Elizabeth Nisbett occ. Courage Brewery owners.
Undated: Greene King become owners.
In 1993 Frank Metcalfe, licencee
1999 Refurbished and upgraded
c.2004 Jimmy Weir
c2010 James Weir
Jul 2015 New manager - a consortium. Manager Eamon McGreal. See "Consortium takes over The Plume", NWN 6 Aug 2015.
Nov 2015 Name changed to "The Hungerford Arms".
31 May 2019: New managers: Diane and Robert Hall, aka Diggy and Fluey. Name restored to "The Plume of Feathers".


What is glucosamine?
Glucosamine is produced naturally in the body and plays a key role in building cartilage, the tough connective tissue that cushions the joints. As a supplement, it provides the raw material needed by the body to manufacture a mucopolysaccharide (called glycosaminoglycan) found in cartilage. The availability of this nutrient may help support joint health by contributing to the normal processes that maintain healthy cartilage, and may help address the symptoms of osteoarthritis.
It is most often sold as glucosamine sulfate, but is also available as glucosamine hydrochloride, and n-acetyl glucosamine. Although they are all forms of glucosamine, each has a different chemical makeup and may not have the same effects when taken as supplements.
Why is it necessary?
Osteoarthritis causes joint cartilage to lose its elasticity and become stiff which leads to joint discomfort, swelling, and loss of movement. Over time, the body decreases production of glucosamine. It is possible that incorporating daily glucosamine supplements may rectify and replace falling levels in the body and reduce osteoarthritis symptoms, although studies have yielded contradictory results.
One study published in the February 23, 2006, issue of the New England Journal of Medicine concluded glucosamine taken with chondroitin sulfate, an important structural component of cartilage providing a joint’s resistance to compression, benefited those with moderate-to-severe osteoarthritis pain. However, another study published in the British Medical Journal in 2010 found glucosamine, chondroitin sulfate, and the combination of the two did not reduce joint pain.
Despite the debate, Dr. Weil believes that there is sufficient evidence of a positive effect to recommend that people with osteoarthritis try the supplement to see if they experience any benefit.
What are the signs of a deficiency?
People over the age of 50 are prone to developing joint, cartilage, and bone injuries as bone density gradually decreases. Morning stiffness and aching joints which improve with a little movement are a common indication of osteoarthritis, and X-rays are the best way to confirm this condition.
How much, and what kind, does an adult need?
There is no Daily Value recommendation; however, Dr. Weil suggests 1,500 mg of glucosamine (in the form of glucosamine sulfate) daily for those with osteoarthritis.
How much does a child need?
Dr. Weil does not suggest that a child take glucosamine if he or she does not have osteoarthritis. If a child is diagnosed with juvenile osteoarthritis, consult a pediatrician before beginning glucosamine supplementation.
How do you get enough from foods?
It is found in shells of marine animals and in animal cartilage but does not occur naturally in abundance in foods that are commonly eaten in the U.S. Instead, supplements offer a method of acquiring glucosamine in sufficiently high quantity to meet the dosages used in studies that demonstrated a therapeutic effect.
Are there any risks associated with too much?
There are no known risks with taking large quantities, but diabetics should consult their primary physician before taking glucosamine because it may alter glucose levels in the body. Large amounts may also interact with diuretics and blood thinners – if you are on these medications, ask your physician before starting to take supplements.
Are there any other special considerations?
- Some glucosamine supplements are derived from shellfish, so those with shellfish allergies must be cautious and determine the origin of the supplements.
- Glucosamine is not recommended during pregnancy due to a lack of research evidence establishing that the supplement is safe for either expectant mothers or the developing fetus.
Some studies have shown glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate taken together may increase effectiveness in relieving arthritis pain, but more research is needed to establish a clear therapeutic effect. Most studies have shown that glucosamine needs to be taken for 2 – 4 months before its full benefits are realized, although many experience some improvement sooner. Glucosamine can be used safely in conjunction with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs).
Updated by: Andrew Weil, M.D., and Brian Becker, M.D., on January 10, 2013.


Age-friendly and Child-friendly Communities
According to the 2011 census, seniors (65+ years of age) compose about 15% of British Columbia’s population, and children and youth (0-17 years) compose 19% of the province’s population. Children, youth, and seniors form an important part of every community. They also have unique needs around leisure, accessibility, and health that local governments need to consider.
What is this issue about?
Age-friendly and child-friendly communities, as their names imply, are communities that provide the programs, resources, and infrastructure required for seniors, children, and youth to thrive. Such communities consider the needs of these residents in their community planning and policy work. While some activities and programs may be planned for and appeal to one age, there are benefits for the whole community.
- According to WHO, “an age-friendly city encourages active ageing by optimizing opportunities for health, participation, and security in order to enhance quality of life as people age.”i
- Age-friendly cities consider seniors' needs with regard to outdoor spaces and buildings, transportation, housing, social participation, respect and social inclusion, civic participation and employment, communication and information, and community support and health services.
- Through Age-friendly BC, the government of British Columbia is working with local governments and other stakeholders to achieve the vision of a province where people of all ages and abilities feel included and valued in their communities.
According to UNICEF, “a child friendly city is a city or any local system of governance that is committed to fulfilling children’s rights,” including safety and health, civic development, play and social activities, and equal opportunity rights.ii
Why are age-friendly and child-friendly communities important for health and well-being?
An age-friendly community is important for seniors’ health because it allows seniors to stay active and connected to others, while also "aging in place." Age-friendly communities reduce travel barriers, allowing seniors to visit friends, exercise, and volunteer, all of which are good for mental and physical health as they reduce depression and heart disease, and increase life expectancy. Age-friendly communities have physical infrastructure that is less likely to cause falls, a major cause of disability among seniors.
A child-friendly community is important for a healthy community because it sets the stage for a good start in life, leading to healthy mental, social, and physical development, as well as healthy lifestyle habits. Child-friendly communities provide opportunities for physically active play and sport through recreation programs and playgrounds, learning opportunities through libraries and community events, and civic engagement and leadership development through municipal processes. Provided early in life, these opportunities allow children and youth to build the confidence, knowledge, and skills they need to thrive as they develop. Simply put, local conditions that support healthy children and youth also support the development of healthy adults and a healthy society overall.
Did You Know?
- In 2011, 16% of B.C.’s population was composed of seniors.iii By 2036, this number is expected to rise to 24%.iv
- In 2011, 45,300 seniors (65+ years old) in B.C. lived in seniors homes, composing 6.6% of the senior population.v
- In 2011, 19.1% of B.C.’s population was composed of children and youth (0-17 years old).vi
- In 2010, B.C. had the second highest child poverty rate in Canada.vii
Why do age-friendliness and child-friendliness matter for local governments?
Local governments have many of the tools necessary to make age-friendly and child-friendly communities a reality. They can consider the needs of seniors, children, and youth and involve them in planning initiatives, programs, and events. Municipal action to create age-friendly and child-friendly communities attracts seniors and families with children to move to and stay in these communities, allowing for healthy lifelong development for all ages and for healthy communities overall.


Mumbai: Three out of
10 parents in India say their children have been victims of cyberbullying and a majority of them through social networking
sites like Facebook, according to an online global poll released
The survey done by Ipsos - a global market research company -
found that 45 percent of Indian parents believed a child in their
community was being cyberbullied, while a majority (53 percent)
parents are aware of the issue.
Cyberbullying is when a child or group of children -- under the
age of 18 -- intentionally intimidate, offend, threaten or
embarrass another child or group of kids specifically through the
use of information technology, such as a website or chat room on
internet, a cellular telephone or another mobile device.
The poll surveyed 18,000 adults in 24 countries, 6,500 of whom
were parents. It showed the most widely reported vehicle for
cyberbullying was social networking sites like Facebook, which 60
Globally, mobile devices and online chat rooms were a distant
second and third, each around 40 percent.
In India, it is evenly split between social networking sites (55
percent) and online chat rooms (54 percent).
"The findings are quite surprising, which revealed that the
frequency of cyberbullying in India was higher than that of
western nations, including the US (15 percent), Britain (11
percent) and France (5 percent). Prior to this survey, there has
been little evidence to suggest cyberbullying is a major issue in
the country," said Biswarup Banerjee, head - marketing
communications, Ipsos in India.
"The key to this study is that it measures parental awareness of
cyberbullying, not actual rates of the behaviour. While we can't
speculate on what actually happens, it is quite possible that the
proportion of children actually being cyberbullied is, in fact,
understated, since we are speaking with the parents, not the
kids," he said.
A strong majority (77 percent) of global citizens say
cyberbullying is a fundamentally different type of bullying that
needs special attention from parents and schools, in addition to
existing efforts to address bullying in general.


Prior to the use of communication satellites, we had only two systems to defeat the curve of the earth. We had terrestrial wired systems, and we had microwave relay systems with towers on hilltops about 30 miles apart. But these systems were not great. Spanning just the North American continent took 107 hops by microwave relay. Prior to 1954 transatlantic cables were mostly fiscal and/or technological failures. Until the 1950s transatlantic telephone service was primarily radio-based. Technology had to catch up to the idea, but in the years after Clarke's proposal, the world began considering another approach. (Which we ironically reversed over the last decade)
Sputnik I was launched by the USSR in October of 1957, and the USA launched Explorer I in 1958. These were satellites, but not communication satellites. In December of 1958 we launched Score under the Defense Department's ARPA program (Advanced Research Projects Agency). It was a shiny metallic mylar balloon 100 feet in diameter. It was in the spirit of, if not the design of some passive reflector design proposals written by J.R. Pierce around 1954. The actual unit was designed by Kenneth Masterman-Smith. It contained two tape recorders (for redundancy) and four antennas two for transmission and two for reception. The frequencies used were 150 MHz for the uplink and 132 MHz for the downlink. Its batteries lasted 12 days and it then burned up on re-entry in January of 1959. It broadcast the first human voice communication from space on December 19th. President Eisenhowers words were as follows:
"This is the President of the United States speaking. Through the marvels of scientific advance, my voice is coming to you via a satellite circling in outer space. My message is a simple one: Through this unique means I convey to you and all mankind, America's wish for peace on Earth and goodwill toward men everywhere."
That's what he said, but what he meant was the U.S. now had the ability to deliver a nuclear weapon from space. The Russians took this poorly. More here. AARPA moved on with a project called Advent and Echo to mixed success. Echo was another 100ft passive reflector mylar balloon this one launched in August of 1960. It remained in orbit until May of 1968. Echo II was a bit more interesting. It was bigger at 135 feet in diameter, and was launched January 25, 1964. It came down in 1969. Following Echo, passive communications satellites were abandoned. Telstar 1, the first production active communication satellite was launched on July 10, 1962.


The brilliant flash of an exploding star’s shockwave—what astronomers call the “shock breakout” — is illustrated in this cartoon animation. The animation begins with a view of a red supergiant star that is 500 times bigger and 20,000 brighter than our sun. When the star’s internal furnace can no longer sustain nuclear fusion its core to collapses under gravity. A shockwave from the implosion rushes upward through the star’s layers. The shockwave initially breaks through the star’s visible surface as a series of finger-like plasma jets. Only 20 minute later the full fury of the shockwave reaches the surface and the doomed star blasts apart as a supernova explosion. This animation is based on photometric observations made by NASA’s Kepler space telescope. By closely monitoring the star KSN 2011d, located 1.2 billion light-years away, Kepler caught the onset of the early flash and subsequent explosion.
Credit: NASA Ames, STScI/G. Bacon


Tattooing In Prehistoric Times
The art of Tattoo has been around for thousands of years. The styles and reasons for tattoo have varied from individual to individual as they have from society to society. Some tattoos were prepared for simple ornamentation, others done for religious beliefs and others still for reasons known better to their wearers. Tattooing has existed in one form or another across the earth since time immemorial and the popularity of tattoo art is most likely to continue for centuries. Though the fundamental concept of tattoo has been constant throughout the history, the styles and reasons for tattoo have evolved along with man's own development.
Gone too are the preconceptions about tattoos. In recent years, the tattoo is enjoying something of a renaissance. The reason for this has a lot to do with the improvements in tattoo technology; this has enabled real artists to make real their designs, where as before it was quite difficult to transfer what was in ones mind, to ones body. Now it is most common for the very best tattooists to have formal fine art or technical art qualifications.
In prehistoric times, tattooing was prevalent in many lands. Tattooing has been a Eurasian practice since Neolithic times. "Ötzi the Iceman", dated circa 3300 BC, exhibits therapeutic tattoo (small parallel dashes along lumbar and on the legs). In the Steppes, other natural mummies up to 7000 years old have been found to have tattoos. The Tarim Basin (West China, Xingjian Province) revealed several tattooed mummies of a European physical type.
Three tattooed mummies (c. 300 BC) were extracted from the permafrost of Altai Mountains in second half of the 20th century (the Man of Payzyrk, during the forties; one female mummy and one male in Ukok plateau, during the nineties). Their tattooing involves animal designs repertory carried out in a curvilinear style. The Man of Pazyryk was also tattooed with therapeutic dots lined up along the spinal column (lumbar region) and around the right ankle.
Tattoos in Egypt can be found as early as before the Pyramids were made.
Meaning of Tattoo
- The word reminds of the sounds made by the tattooing machine while making tattoos.
- Polynesian word "ta" which means striking something.
- In England the word tattoo was used to describe the beating of military drums.
Purposes of Tattooing
The art of Tattoo has been around for thousands of years.
- Prepared for simple ornamentation.
- A part of tradition, for cosmetic, religious beliefs and purposes, medicinal purposes. Sport tattoos to make style statements and express themselves and their personalities.
- Reasons known better to their wearers.
Health tattoos are common in Tibet, where people tattoo their bodies with sacred mantras, mantra wheels and mantra flags, of gods on the distressed person so that the person recovers by the blessings of gods.
Ainu women tattooing themselves to look like goddesses so that the evil forces of disease would mistake them for goddesses and run away.
We can find the therapeutic character of tattoos already in connection with Frozen Fred (Ötzi) and in Samoa it is known as medicine against rheumatism or against head-ache: in Africa tattoos are supposed to be more effective than medicine.
In India tattooing for health purposes is very popular since time immemorial. We often see the tattoo of lord Hanuman and Shiva.
Tattooing to Preserve Youth.
Such tattooing rituals are performed by Maori girls, who tattoo their lips and chin. Old Ainu ladies re-tattoo their hands and mouths to get back the falling eyesight.
The Tattoo Has its Origin in Body Painting.
Probably it has been detected incidentally and used to decorate bodies. These paintings can be found even earlier than rock-paintings.
In Africa and Melanesia we find the magical purpose of bodypainting in connection with sorrow (with white clay), in the facial paintings of the Eskimos who were whaling in the Bering Sea, at youth initial ceremonies or in Australia: in connection with obsequies with black, red or yellow colour.
The war paint of the North and South American Indians has beside deterrence also magic power. Many tribes (e.g. in Indonesia) rub the colour in the soared skin – tattoos.
The so called scar tattoo is the earliest form of bringing colour in and under the skin., as protection against infections wounds were rubbed with additives to ameliorate the healing process. Later scars were treated with soot or with colours made of plant sap. The permanent ripping of the scars retarded the healing and intensified the effect.
Coloured threads were sewed under the skin: that was a characteristic of the Eskimos! It was an early form of the wedding ring – to show the belonging of the wife to her husband. In 1578 the arctic inquirer Sir Martin Frodisher saw a female Eskimo with such marks.
The social status of the chieftain or the warriors was clearly recognizable. Individual signs on the body were often identical with the symbols on the property of the carrier, for example on pots or weapons. Tattoos depended on tribes and environments and were a part of the carrier's personality.
In earlier periods the motives were often abstract, for example symbols like lines, points or simple geometric forms. Later the motives became more and more graphical. Fishermen, for example had dolphin tattoos on their bodies to be protected against shark attacks.
Forms, techniques, patterns and the intensity of the painting determine certain situations and events. There are also colours that are characteristic for families.
Massai-girls paint the boy of their choice in an erotic dance; they put their legs on his shoulder to mark him. Also emotions like happiness, sorrow and aggression are shown in the bodypainting – it's a kind of personal image and self-knowledge.
Body painting has a great importance in the Indian culture. It was the measure of appreciation within a group. It gave information about man's merits in war and hunting. The colour red was the colour of war and a symbol of success, whereas the colour blue was a symbol of difficulties and defeat.
Tattoos for Protection
Protective amulets and such magical applications are closely linked to religious beliefs.
Iraqis commonly tattoo a dot at the end of a child's nose to guard against illness.
A tattoo of Hanuman is used to relieve pain among Hindus. Even Indian divinities carried tattoos. It seems Vishnu drew a tattoo on the hand of his wife Laskhmi for protection.
Aborigines in Australia believe tattoos on their arms allow them to dodge boomerangs.
Soldiers in Burma tattoo their thighs to be invulnerable in war.
Cambodian men cover themselves in tattoos to make themselves impervious to harm, even from bullets.
Sacred Buddhist texts are a favorite tattoo in Thailand, where they are believed to have magical power. In an initiation rite known as the "Krob Kru," the devotee lights incense and pray in preparation. The tattoo artist uses a special rod to inscribe the sacred text on the chest, back or arms. A shaman then tests the tattoo's potency by giving each tattoo three or four strong swipes of a sword. Tattoo recipients often enter a state of ecstasy or burst into violent trances.
The snake clan of Pakokku, Burma, has made a science of protection tattoos. No member has ever been killed by a snake. Their secret is the tattoo.
Many Hawaiians adorn themselves with special tattoos honoring their 'aumakua. A tattooed row of dots around the ankle, considered a charm against sharks.
Distinctive tattoos with the name "Ram" repeated in Sanskrit on practically every inch of skin, even on the tongue and inside the lips of Ramnaamis.
The Hawaiians are prominent among people who have specific tattoo gods. In Hawaii, the images of the tattoo gods are kept in the temples of tattoo priests. Each tattoo session begins with a prayer to the tattoo gods that the operation might not cause death, that the wounds might heal soon, and that the designs might be handsome. Many modern American tattooists will tell you, "When you should get a tattoo, the tattoo god will tell you that it is time."
Japan used tattoos for religious purposes and other ceremonial purposes. The tattoos of Japan were prepared by the women of Borneo. The women of Borneo were the first to use tattoos to denote the status and place in life of the owner of the tattoo.
Adivasis of Madhya Pradesh in India- the Chirlya (bird) mark must be borne by a Bhil woman prior to her marriage and is always tattooed at the side angles of the eyes.
Tattooing after marriage is not regarded as auspicious. Symbolic confirmation of their group codes. Every member tries to be with the group. Tattooing gives feeling of security. There is a belief among the Bhils that the figures drawn on the body are the evidence of good deeds which go with a person to his post-mortem existence.
In the Bundelkhand region amongst the rural people there is a saying that whereas all other ornaments of a woman are taken off when she dies, tattoo marks are her only fortune she carries to the next world.
A male dancer always takes care to decorate his body with white and red stripes to give the impression of a tiger. The Muria dancer prefers to paints the rows of dots to look like a panther.
In India tattoos were used to express deep sorrow. The deeper the sorrow the greater the self-mutilation. The physical pain should help people to get over the mental agony. In India even teeth were pulled out.
In Papua New Guinea still today women cut off a finger-joint every time a member of their family dies – except the thumb. Some women have totally mutilated hands – whereas men don't do this at all!
In Africa some tribes tried to determine the sex of a child during the pregnancy with the help of tattoos and to protect the unborn child against demons.
Celebrities like rock stars, movie stars, athletes, pop stars and sports stars proudly display their tattoo designs and body art.
Everyone, from basketball stars to boxers and wrestlers, seems bitten by the tattoo bug. In a survey, conducted by the Associated Press, it was found that more than 35% of all NBA players had tattoos on their bodies.
Through tattoos marked over their bodies, criminals show their allegiance to their respective gangs. It is interesting to note that many times criminal tattoos record the wearer's personal skills, specialties, accomplishments and convictions. Certain Criminal tattoos have developed recognized coded meanings.
In Japan (between 300-600AD), tattoos were put on criminals as mark of punishment.
In ancient Rome also they followed the same pattern by tattooing slaves with slogans such as "I am a slave who has run away from his master".
Russian Criminal Tattoos Like in other countries there is a mania for tattoos among criminals, but in Russia they give much more sense for those signs on their bodies. Each even smallest detail can be interpreted as a biography verse from the life of tattoo owner, both police and criminals can just look at the body of the tattooed person and tell all his deeds.
Russian criminal tattoos have a complex system of symbols which can give quite detailed information about the wearer. Not only do the symbols carry meaning but the area of the body on which they are placed may be meaningful too.
The initiation tattoo of a new gang member is usually placed on the chest and may incorporate a rose. A rose on the chest is also used within the Russian Mafia. Wearing false or unearned tattoos is punishable by death in the criminal underworld.
Tattoos done in a Russian prison have a distinct bluish color and usually appear somewhat blurred because of the lack of instruments to draw fine lines. The ink is often created from burning the heel of a shoe and mixing the soot with urine.
In addition to voluntary tattooing, tattoos are used to stigmatize and punish individuals within the criminal society. They may be placed on an individual, who fails to pay debts in card games, or otherwise breaks the criminal code, and often have very blatant sexual images, embarrassing the wearer. The victim of a forcibly applied tattoo is nevertheless required to pay the tattoo artist for his work.
Apart from these, we find animal tattoos, baby tattoos, leg, hands, foot, chest, back, tongue ear, eye, head, stomach, freak and funny tattoos.
Other Uses of Tattoo
The Greeks used the tattoos primarily to transmit messages between their spies.
Continued to : Tattoos in Literature


There are no wild Attwater’s prairie chickens on Attwater Prairie Chicken National Wildlife Refuge in southeast Texas. When I say “wild” I mean born and raised in the wild – born with the knowledge to run like hell and hide in some bush or clump of grass when a hawk appears.
Wait…Why run when you can fly? Because prairie chickens fly only slightly better than pigs. With their ungainly bodies and stubby wings, they flap like crazy just to get a few feet off the ground for a few seconds. Far better for a prairie chicken to use leg power and ground concealment than to take to the air.
Why are there no wild Attwater’s prairie chickens on the Texas refuge? There were an estimated 1 million of them running around the coastal prairie of Texas and Louisiana in 1900. Rapid loss of their habitat over the next four decades (welcome to Houston!) reduced the population to about 9,000 birds – a level below the extinction threshold for this species. (Extinction threshold is the point at which a population has declined so much that disease, inbreeding or even a major storm can wipe out the remaining individuals in the blink of an eye.) And extinction is what happened to the Attwater’s prairie chickens.
The few dozen Attwater’s prairie chickens that do exist on the refuge today were all raised in zoos. They don’t have the survival knowledge of their (now extinct) wild cousins. Though much care is taken to prepare them for the wild, still many end up contributing quickly to the food chain.
Saving the lesser prairie chicken
What have we learned from the Attwater’s prairie-chicken experience? How can we use this knowledge to create a better outcome for the Lesser prairie-chicken, a close cousin of the Attwater’s? The biggest lesson is that prairie chickens need vast expanses of habitat in order to survive extended droughts and a multitude of other threats. By vast I mean millions of acres – far more than can ever be preserved through purchase and the establishment of federal or state refuges and preserves.
The lesser prairie chicken, which lives in the southern Great Plains, is following the same downward trajectory the Attwater traced roughly a century ago. Like the Attwater’s, it used to number in the millions and it, too, has faced extensive loss of habitat and precipitous population declines. There are just 17,000 lesser prairie chickens in the wild. That is the lowest recorded population ever for this species and it represents a roughly 50 % drop from the population in 2012. Reputable scientists are warning that this species is at, or near, its extinction threshold, and in November 2013, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service proposed listing the lesser prairie chicken as a threatened species.
In order to reverse declines of the lesser prairie chicken we need to quickly preserve the last remaining patches of high quality habitat and concurrently restore hundreds of thousands, and eventually millions of acres of new habitat. The vast majority of existing and potential habitat is on private lands – mostly farms and ranches, conservative folks who may be hesitant to engage in conservation of a species that stands a good chance of being subject to federal government regulations.
What to do? EDF has a long history of working cooperatively with farmers, ranchers and forest landowners across the country to restore and conserve habitat for threatened, endangered and at risk species. We have a more recent history of working with the oil, gas and wind industries to ensure the responsible development of energy resources. We are now putting these successful programs together to conserve a declining species in an agricultural landscape with intensive energy development.
We have established an amazing partnership of diverse interests ranging from Exxon to the Kansas Farm Bureau. We are also successfully developing a strategy to recover the Lesser prairie-chicken, while enabling the responsible continuation of farming, ranching and energy development, all of which are vital to the economy of the southern Great Plains. We call this strategy the Lesser Prairie Chicken Habitat Exchange.
What is the Habitat Exchange and how does it work?
Basically, farmers and ranchers can generate a new source of income for themselves by restoring and managing lesser prairie chicken habitat. Landowners receive credits by taking conservation actions that benefit the species, like planting native grasses, conducting prescribed burns, removing fences and cutting down invasive trees. They can then market these “chicken credits” through the Habitat Exchange to energy companies that need to offset the impacts of their development projects on lesser prairie chicken habitat. Every transaction requires a net benefit to the species. The strategy is designed to strongly incentivize conservation in the areas that are most important to the lesser prairie chicken and to minimize energy development in these areas.
The goal? Nothing short of putting the bird on a positive trajectory of recovery and long-term sustainability.
The first major step in this strategy is the launch of the Lesser Prairie Chicken Habitat Exchange, which will occur this fall. The prospects for success are excellent! Farmers and ranchers from across the southern Great Plains are already asking detailed questions about how and when they can participate. Several major oil companies are now planning for their first investments in credits. All of this bodes well for restoring healthy wild populations of the lesser prairie chicken. I look forward to the day when “growing prairie chickens” becomes as common as growing cotton or cows.


A deuterium nucleus; namely, a proton and a neutron. It is used in nuclear applications, such as the bombardment of molybdenum plates to create technetium plates. With an electron, it forms the stable hydrogen isotope of deuterium or "heavy hydrogen", symbol D, atomic wt. 2. Water with both hydrogens replaced by deuterium is called "heavy water" (D2O), and is used as a moderator in the harnessing of nuclear fuels.
I swear that deuterons have somethingy to do with the book of Deuteronomy, 5th book of the Old Testament.
by eszett May 15, 2003


Shankaracharya Temple, Srinagar Overview
Located quaintly in the Gopadari Hills on Srinagar, the Shankaracharya Temple is a beautiful temple that is also considered an astounding example of Hindu architecture. The temple is also known as Jyestershwara Temple because it was built in reverence of Lord Shiva. The Buddhists call the temple Pas-Pahar. The temple is situated at a height of 1100 feet above sea level. Such is the location of the temple that one can see the entire city of Srinagar from here. Each year, thousands of devotees pay a visit to the beautiful temple during Amarnath Yatra. If you want to experience true bliss and sate your soul, come to Srinagar and visit the Shankaracharya Temple.
It was here that a great Hindu philosopher Shankaracharya attained spiritual knowledge. It is said that he worshipped Shiva Lingam. There is plenty of information on boards around the temple that narrate the incident. After he attained enlightenment, he laid the foundation of four important Hindu schools of Advaita, which is the philosophy of non-dualism. Shankaracharya came to the valley nearly ten centuries ago. The temple is named after him. The Sanctum Sanctorum of the temple is still found here.
The temple is built on an elevated octagonal platform. One has to take a number of steps to approach the temple. There is an interesting fact about the hill the Shankaracharya Temple is situated on. The hill was initially called Jetha Laraka. However, over a period of time, the name was changed to Gopadari Hill. The temple displays the traditional Hindu style of architecture prevalent in ancient India. The interesting architecture of the temple attracts devotees and architecture students to study the style from around the world.
More on Shankaracharya Temple
History of Shankaracharya Temple
The mention of the temple can be traced back to 200 BC. However, the structure as it stands today was built in the 9th century AD. The temple has Persian inscriptions as well. The beautiful temple is also called the Garden of King Solomon. Some historians and scholars believe that the temple has connotations to Buddhism because, during the ancient Buddhist era, Buddhists used to pray here. They say that after Shankaracharya arrived, it became a Hindu site of worship. It is said that the Shiva Linga within the temple was placed in the 19th century during the Sikh period.
On the contrary, some
historians believe that the foundation of the temple was originally laid by the
Hindu King Sandiman. He ruled Kashmir from 2629 BC to 2564 BC. Since then the
temple has undergone renovation and repair several times.
Architecture of Shankaracharya Temple
The Shankaracharya Temple displays an interesting style of architecture. It is famous throughout the country and beyond because of the fact that it was dedicated to the Hindu God Lord Shiva and the way it is built. Since its inception, the temple has seen many changes and renovations. The temple is built on a significantly raised octagonal platform. You need to ascend nearly 243 steps and then further 8-10 steps to actually reach the temple. The steps have a fencing wall on which you will find inscriptions.
The steps leading to the main temple were built by Maharaja Gulab Singh. There were some changes made to the temple during the reign of Shah Jahan as well. You can find those inscriptions within the temple. The main shrine is circular in shape. From here, you get a breathtaking view of the entire valley. You can also view the beautiful Dal Lake shimmering in the sunlight.
The temple underwent its first renovation during the time of Lalitaditya. The second time it was renovated was when it got destroyed in an earthquake the shook the city. Zain-ul-Abideen took the charge of renovating of the mighty temple during the time of Sheikh Mohi-ud-Din. The temple got its electricity connection for the first time in the year 1925. It is because of the several rounds of repairs the temple has undergone that the main chambers look quite new. The temple premises has two small buildings as well. This is where the saints who perform puja here live.
You are permitted to take pictures of the temple. You can take amazing photographs of the temple and sight of the valley from here.
Best Time To Visit Shankaracharya Temple
The months from May to September are ideal for tourists to visit the beautiful Shankaracharya Temple. The weather is mildly cold and you will enjoy the atmosphere of the temple. Since Srinagar gets very cold during winters, it is advised that tourists visit before winter to enjoy their trip to the fullest.
Tips For Visiting Shankaracharya Temple
1. The temple stays open until 8 PM. However, cars are not allowed to enter after 5 PM.
2. Within the temple premises, you won’t be able to take your cameras and mobile phones. Please make the necessary arrangments to leave your gadgets with someone just outside the temple premises or keep them in your hotel room.
3. Tourists are checked thoroughly before entering the premises. Please be cooperative.
4. Bear in mind that you need to climb nearly 260 steps to reach the temple shrine. Ascend only if you are physically capable to do so.
5. Dress comfortably and wear good shoes so you can walk around the entire area without any problem.
How to Reach Shankaracharya Temple
Buses are available throughout the day from all parts of Srinagar. You can take any of the state transport buses to reach here. You can also take a taxi to reach the Shankaracharya Temple without any fuss. They are a better option for a comfortable trip. Once you get down from the vehicle, be prepared to walk to reach the shrine.


Cooper Creek,also called Coopers Creek, or Barcoo River, intermittent stream, east central Australia, in the Channel Country (wide floodplains, grooved by rivers). Rising as the Barcoo on the northern slopes of the Warrego Range, Queensland, it flows northwest to Blackall. Joined by the Alice River, it continues southwest past Isisford and receives its principal tributary, the Thomson, from which point it is known as Cooper Creek. It crosses the South Australian border, and carries water to Lake Eyre only during wet-year floods. Average annual discharge at Currareva is 2,900 cu ft (82 cu m) per second. The total length of this system of internal drainage is 880 mi (1,420 km), and the basin (area 114,000 sq mi [296,000 sq km]) provides cattle pasturage after the floods subside. Projects for irrigated cotton farming were introduced in the 1990s; however, they aroused controversy because of concerns about overusing the available water and damaging the wetlands. The major source of domestic and stock water is, however, the aquifers of the Great Artesian Basin. Cooper Creek was explored (1845–46) by Charles Sturt and Sir Thomas Livingstone Mitchell; Sturt named it “Cooper’s Creek” for the first chief justice of South Australia.


FishyPaint allows users to view and interact with a virtual aquarium as they touch the responsive fish, and use their own real-world artwork and pictures to create their own unique and colorful finned friends.
KazuTime will help young children gain a better understanding of the passage of time, and may assist them with developing the self-control required to wait for anticipated events. It is also useful for timing activities that parents wish to have continued for a specific amount of time, such as brushing teeth or cleaning a room.
Awesome School Apps – Five Best Apps for Kids with Special Needs Here is a reviewed and recommended list of apps that you will find helpful for students with learning challenges. There are apps to help with reading and writing, apps to uncover behavior management preferences for nonverbal students, and a few apps that will help …
ABA Preferences is a great tool to help teachers, parents, caregivers, and others who work with special needs individuals to understand their students’ and clients’ preferences. This information can be very useful in designing effective learning and behavior management interventions.
Spelling Bug Hangman is a fun version of the classic game that comes with nearly 100 built-in word lists for early elementary students as well as the capability to add individualized practice word lists.
Autism Discovery Tool offers a wealth of insights and tips that will be useful to people who interact with others who have sensory processing problems or are on the autism spectrum as well as simulations of what some of the sensory distortions might seem like.
Verbs for Kids-Part 1 would be a useful tool to help students of English and perhaps special needs students hear examples of acceptable English grammar and pronunciation, as well as see clear animated illustrations of 180 verbs and sentences. It does have some flaws, however, and parents and teachers would be wise to check the app thoroughly before investing.
The Pronoun Party is a bare-bones, repetitive source of practice sentences with pronouns and gender words that will help young children practice understanding these words in spoken sentences and responding to them appropriately.
MARTi is an innovative and outstanding tool that will improve quality of life for individuals struggling with learning problems, dementia, cognitive challenges, autism, traumatic brain injury and many other conditions that impair reasoning, memory, sequencing and other vital skills.
Mini Prep is a low-key, gentle app that will help the very young practice basic skills of color matching, number matching and number order, letter matching and letter order. The app is simple to use and will help the young users feel very successful.


Known in its present form in Poland from at least the thirteenth century, the PON is most likely descended from the Puli and the herding dogs.Kazimierz Grabski, a Polish merchant, traded a shipment of grain for sheep in Scotland in 1514, and brought six PONs to move the sheep. A Scottish shepherd was so impressed with the herding ability of the dogs that he traded a ram and two ewes for a dog and two female dogs. These dogs were bred with the local Scottish dogs to produce the Scottish herding dogs, most obviously the Bearded Collie.Almost driven to extinction in World War II, the PON was restored mainly through the work of Dr. Danuta Hryniewicz and her dog, Smok ("Dragon"), the ancestor of all PONs in the world today, who sired the first ten litters of PONs in the 1950s.In fact, Dr. Hryniewicz considered Smok to be the epitome of the breed, with a perfect anatomical build and a wonderful temperament. Smok set the standard and type that was emulated by PON breeders for generations to come, and from which the first official standard for the PON was finally written, and accepted by the FCI, Fédération Cynologique Internationale, in 1959. He is considered to be the 'father' of the modern Polish Lowland Sheepdog. His moderate build lends itself to working effortlessly all day long, running with ease to herd the sheep. Pictures of Smok can be seen in the book, "The Official Book of the Polish Lowland Sheepdog".The American Kennel Club recognized the Polish Lowland Sheepdog as a breed in the Herding Group in 2001.


Climate Change Effects & Adaptation Approaches for Freshwater Ecosystems
New report for the North Pacific region
With the growing number of scientific papers on climate change and continued interest among resource managers and conservationists to account for climate change in their work, there is a need to summarize climate change information for key geographies and ecosystems. In response to this need, National Wildlife Federation produced an extensive compilation of climate change effects and adaptation approaches specific to the freshwater aquatic and riparian ecosystems of the North Pacific Landscape Conservation Cooperative (NPLCC) geography.
Covering approximately 204,000 square miles, the NPLCC region extends from Kenai Peninsula in southcentral Alaska to Bodega Bay in northern California and stretches up to 150 miles inland to the crest of the Cascade Mountain Range and Coast Mountains. It is home to birds of conservation concern including the marbled murrelet, spotted owl and Queen Charlotte goshawk, iconic salmon, and a wide range of habitats crucial for the survival of other wildlife and for sustaining the Way of Life of many Tribes, First Nations, and Native Alaskans. Many of these species, habitats, and ecosystems are already experiencing the effects of a changing climate.
Download the full report:
Climate Change Effects and Adaptation Approaches in Freshwater Aquatic and Riparian Ecosystems in the North Pacific Landscape Conservation Cooperative Region: A Compilation of Scientific Literature (pdf)
- Temperature increases and altered precipitation patterns have resulted in reduced snowpack and summer streamflows, increased water temperature, and earlier snowmelt over the past century in most of the NPLCC region. These trends are projected to continue as temperatures rise further and more precipitation falls as rain than snow in most of the region, driving an increase in winter streamflow and flooding and further decreases in summer streamflow.
- Lake levels and river inputs are likely to decline if increases in evapotranspiration are not offset by an equal or greater increase in precipitation. This may degrade nearshore habitat or isolate nearby wetlands, stressing species dependent on those systems.
- Warmer temperatures, reduced snowpack, and altered runoff timing is projected to cause drying of alpine ponds and wetlands. Habitat area and quality may be reduced for Cascades frog, northwestern salamander, long-toed salamander, garter snakes, and other species. However, loss of snowpack and glaciers may allow alpine vegetation to establish, leading to improved habitat conditions for some high-elevation species over time. Recently deglaciated habitats in coastal Alaska are also important to breeding Kittlitz’s murrelet, a bird species of concern.
- Salmon, lamprey, and bull trout are at risk from increasing stream temperatures and altered streamflow patterns. Lamprey migrated up the Columbia River 13 days earlier from 1939 to 2007 in response to increased water temperature and decreased discharge. Bull trout are generally found in streams cooler than 60.8 °F in Washington, Oregon, and northwest California, but summer stream temperatures are projected to exceed 68 °F in many of these bull trout waters by 2100. Similarly, water temperatures exceeding the thermal maximum for salmon are projected for the Fraser River in British Columbia, the Lake Washington/Lake Union Ship Canal and Stillaguamish River in Washington, and the Tualatin River in Oregon in the 21st century.
- Invasive aquatic species found in the NPLCC region that appear to benefit from climate change include hydrilla, Eurasian watermilfoil, white waterlily, and reed canarygrass. Reed canarygrass, for example, is an aggressive invasive species expected to clog more streams in Alaska as waterways warm and lose ice.
- Although uncertainty and gaps in knowledge exist, sufficient scientific information is available to plan for and address climate change impacts now.
Since climate change scenarios generally project a further increase in the atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) concentration and an associated exacerbation of climate change effects, adaptation is emerging as an appropriate response to the unavoidable impacts of climate change. Adaptive actions such as incorporating climate projections into infrastructure planning, modifying invasive species protocols to account for climate change, and supporting wetlands and intact floodplains expected to persist over time can reduce a system‘s vulnerability and increase its capacity to be resilient to changing conditions. Ultimately, successful climate change adaptation will enhance the ability of natural and human communities to prepare for, accommodate, or cope with current and future climatic changes.
Download by chapter:
- Executive Summary
- Table of Contents and Preface
- Chapter I: Introduction
- Chapter II: CO2 Concentrations, Temperature, and Percipitation
- Chapter III: Major Climate Impacts on Hydrology in the NPLCC Region
- Chapter IV: Implications for Freshwater
- Chapter V: Implications for Freshwater Species, Populations, and Biological Communities
- Chapter VI: Implications for Key Fish, Amphibians, and Macroinvertebrates
- Chapter VII: Adapting to the Effects of Climate Change in the Freshwater Environment
- Chapters VIII, IX, & X: Next Steps, Appendices, and Bibliography


[Sukkot 2022]. The Sukkot holiday refers to the Jewish people's 40 years of wandering in the desert. Etrog, lulav and outdoor dining... A brief reminder of the rites and traditions surrounding the famous cabin festival.
Sukkot -or Sukkot- takes place over 7 days. IN 2022, Sukkot begins on the evening of October 9 , and ends on the evening of October 16 . If the dates according to the Gregorian calendar change from one year to another, they are irremovable in the Hebrew calendar, between 15 and 21 tichri. It is immediately followed by the feast of Simha Torah (joy of the Torah) which takes place on Wednesday, September 29.
Souccot has the double vocation of honoring the last harvest of the year and commemorating the protection that God granted to the children of Israel, from their exit from Egypt to their arrival in the promised land. Sukkot therefore has both agrarian and commemorative symbolism. During the 40 years of their wandering in the desert, the Jews lived in tents and huts and could count on God to help them.
In order to perpetuate this tradition of nomadism and precariousness, the Jews are, on the occasion of Sukkot, invited to take their meals (and possibly spend the night) in specially made cabins, the day after Yom Kippur , and before the start of the party.
Pivotal to the Sukkot holiday, the Souccah is a hut made from branches, foliage and decorated with different religious symbols . Vegetables (gourds, pumpkins…) and seasonal fruits hang from the ceiling, and drawings can adorn the walls of this hut. Children will never run out of ideas for adorning their sukkah. If it is closed by a roof (summary, since it is made with leaves and branches), the Succah does not have a door. This peculiarity is above all a sign of openness: here everyone can enter .
The roof must have enough roofing to provide shade for those who live in the sukkah. Tradition sometimes collides with reality. Many Jews do not have an outdoor space in which to set up their sukkah. Everyone has to adapt the ritual according to their way of life. Mobile sukkahs circulating in the cities and community sukkahs installed in the perimeter of the synagogues have emerged to allow the faithful to perform a prayer at the time of Souccot .
The 'Four Species' ritual is an integral part of the Sukkot holiday. Every day, the faithful take charge the sun , myrtle, date palm and citron and wave them towards the four cardinal points, up and down while pronouncing a blessing. This custom aims to bring together the Jewish people, regardless of their level of religious practice, to form a single unit.
No dish is specifically indicated for Sukkot, although it is recommended to take all or part of their meals inside the hut . Traditionally, the dishes are festive meals, such as for Shabbat.Source journaldesfemmes.fr


Some common signs that someone is a witch include:
If someone has a wart, it may be the case that their spirit familiar is feeding on their body. Such warts often appear between the fingers.
During the Salem witch trials, women were more likely to face a witchcraft accusation than men. The rationale behind this was that women were more weak minded. They were especially likely to face trials if they were middle aged and unmarried.
Witches may appear socially unacceptable in public. For example, they may spend a lot of time being angry, engaging in irritating behavior or they could act strangely around children.
If someone issues a threat and it later comes true, it is a sign they are a witch.
Another sure sign that someone is a witch is their spirit appearing in a house late at night.
During witch trials, suspected witches faced tests to determine whether they were guilty:
Individuals who were able to swim were found guilty of witchcraft. Those who were innocent usually drowned.
People who could say the Lord's Prayer without making mistakes or omissions were not witches.
Sometimes judges would bake a cake using the suspected witch's urine and feed it to a dog. If the dog died, they were found guilty.


- the quality, condition, or fact of being exact and accurate.
- care, knowledge, and judgment are vital, as well as technical capability.
- precision is one of the attributes that distinguishes a surgeon both in and outside the operating room.
- the definition of such precision is more sophisticated and involves a deeper understanding of the underlying biological foundation of disease that is then challenged with targeted and strategic interventions.
- the quality of being honest and having strong moral principles; moral uprightness.
- surgical integrity is a concept of consistency of actions, values, methods, measures, principles, expectations, and outcomes.
- professionalism, in relation to surgical practice, incorporates competence, consistency, honesty and integrity.
- the quality of being friendly, generous, and considerate.
- showing sympathy and understanding
- kindness is doing something and not expecting anything in return, respect and helping others without waiting for someone to help one back.
- kindness in healthcare is how we communicate with and relate to our patients, our colleagues and ourselves.


Every week in the news, we hear debilitating and depressing figures about the decline of our planet and food systems. The oceans are running out of fish, desertification is occurring at a rate 30-35 times faster than we’ve ever seen before, and air pollution has gotten so bad that even Paris has decided to ban driving cars on certain days each week.
And then there’s this statistic for a kicker: it’s estimated that some six million children in the world will die from starvation this year, and over a billion people in the world are suffering from malnourishment and hunger. Absolutely heartbreaking.
It’s not exactly a hopeful vision being presented to us. What’s important, however, is instead of becoming frozen by the immensity of it all, we need to accept what is true as it stands and then continue to make choices that can alter the trajectory in a meaningful way.
Let’s start with the facts: is it at all realistic to think we can we force all the multinational corporations to leave off their oil addiction, or sanction the companies clear cutting forests for roads and pipelines, or shopping malls? Looks pretty slim.
But, if we come to realize the main driving force behind these operations is money and profit, we begin to see that we have powerful choices to make when it comes to where we put this particular energy to work. Albert Einstein famously said, “we can’t solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them”.
We all know that something about mindset and our behavior needs to change in a huge way, so one of the questions we need to ask ourselves is: what does the future of food look like in an era of global depletion?
We know by now that global warming isn’t really about the toilet paper you choose or the light bulbs in your house, and it’s not about banning plastic bags in grocery stores when every food in the interior aisles remains encased in packaging. What it is really about is how we digest resources on this planet: land, fuel, and water – and importantly – how these choices are dictated by what we choose to eat.
But here’s a little perspective: In 1948, in an article on “the world population crisis”, Albert Brandt and James Payne told the readers of the American Mercury that “even allowing for spectacular advances in agriculture and industry, the earth simply could not support 4.4 billion people in the year 2048.
There would be the constant threat of famine, pandemic disease and unthinkably vicious wars for survival”. So maybe there’s hope for us yet.
Here are 5 trends to embrace or support however you can:
1. More Plants, Less Meat
While plant based diets are becoming more and more common, and are certainly a valid choice for many, we also want to stay true to our values here at the Institute for the Psychology of Eating when it comes to our understanding and support of bio-individuality.
However, one thing we all can agree is how the unnecessary cruelty and damage inherent in Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFO) should be taken into account and confronted. CAFO raised livestock is the basis for all conventional meat, dairy and egg production in this country, and it’s playing a huge role in air and water table pollution, not to mention how much waste is involved, and all in the name of “cheap”.
If you haven’t researched this yet, it would be a very good idea to do so. Granted, any version of industrial agriculture poses the same problem.
For example, while we often hear that 70% of the grain we produce in this country goes to feed animals in these CAFO systems (and we begin to understand the degradation of soil, biodiversity, and clear cutting that goes hand in hand with this), simply choosing to alter the destination of this grain does not solve the issue.
And here’s the reason why: the argument that these grains can be better served when fed to humanity does not solve the problems that mono-cropped agriculture produces on the land base. It’s still damaging to grow grain (or soy) in this way no matter if humans eat it or animals do. It does not matter if you subscribe to a paleo outlook or a vegan one.
If you’re relying on the conventional options, or you’re unwilling to consider how your diet can (or cannot) scale across the globe, then you’re still part of the problem. This is not meant to be a simplistic solution or discussion. Hardly the case. We do invite everyone to research the realities of industrial agriculture and choose for themselves the diet that speaks to their heart, mind, and body wisdom.
When we suggest eating more plants, we are encouraging everyone to readopt (or discover for the first time) a love for horticulture, for fruits and vegetables in their abundance. More than 2,000 plant species have been domesticated for food, yet nearly of all half our food calories come from: wheat, rice, and corn.
So what do we do about the thousands of overlooked plant species — and perhaps some diversity of animals? This means it’s time to branch out and begin eating more variety, and perhaps think of meat as a condiment, as many cultures do throughout the year, instead of the nightly centerpiece.
2. Get Educated
Charles Eisenstein, author of The Yoga of Eating, presents studies that organic growing methods can deliver two to three times the yield of conventional methods when done properly. This goes toward debunking a pervasive myth that the only way to feed the world is with industrial level agriculture. The very reason that these industrial methods were brought in, we were told, was to fight issues of world hunger.
But their effects on the land base and soil, not to mention the food quality, are actually perpetuating and recreating the very same outcome that led to their need in the first place: land degradation, erosion of soil, and contaminated water resources are no joke. We’re creating deserts all over the world (Mexico, China, Australia, Africa, Pakistan, Afghanistan, the US, Canada and many others).
Standard farming practices dictate that we till the soil, but this actually upsets the delicate bio-organisms that live and flourish there in optimal food systems. This results in the die-off or these organisms and it’s this result that our current agricultural technology actually depends on. We get our “soil fertility” from their dead bodies vs. their living ones.
This is why the Nile River valley and the Sudanese deserts exist. This is why Iraq is perceived as a wasteland, this is why within 150 years of America’s inception we experienced the Dust Bowl. This is also why we’re told we require petroleum-based nitrogen fertilizers that we subject our soils to, and it’s one of the reasons we’re wasting through our topsoil at an astounding rate.
When we consider this reality, and begin to study more about the history of food production on this planet, we begin to see that just we don’t know Jack about dirt.
However, there is a hidden truth at work here when we understand the difference between using living systems vs dead systems to grow our food: we can actually create an inch or two of topsoil every year. It does not require over a 1000 years per inch as is often mythologized. In fact, the record is 4-6 inches of new vital topsoil in a single year!
Want to learn more about the possibilities? Check out the work of the Savory Institute and the Permaculture Research Institute and their familiars, and start to educate yourself about soil production, holisitic land management, and ways to make deserts arable. There are lots of exciting and hopeful options out there.
3. Grow something
We used to be a country of farmers. If we could simply return to a healthier percentage of participation, where 10% of population engaged in agriculture or horticulture (instead of the current 1-2%) we would most likely find it a much easier prospect to feed each other without petrochemicals or pesticides.
Even small steps, like planting fruit trees in your city or neighborhood, growing tomatoes, lettuces, herbs, or other seasonal crops that you are willing to share (in your backyard, porch, or community garden plots) can do wonders to increase the pleasure we experience around food while helping to create community.
4. Community Supported Agriculture
Now this isn’t about signing up for a local basket of food to be delivered to your house each week – although this is a great start – but truly supporting the community. Get involved with how your community eats, set up donations to help those who would ordinarily be deprived of fresh foods due to their economic limitations.
Get to know your farmers, ranchers and local producers. Create food shares, or meat shares with friends and neighbors, so that everyone can eat truly nourishing foods. It also allows us to eat seasonally, which is incredibly beneficial to the body for many reasons, including allergies, taste, and nutritive values. Some of the biggest work to be done is about changing the culture itself, and when it comes to food, decentralization and self-sufficiency is essential. It’s also very empowering.
5. Waste Not Want Not
Nearly ten years ago, Frances Moore Lappé (made famous for her “Diet for a Small Planet” books) wrote in an article for Food First that, “the world today produces enough grain alone to provide every human being on the planet with 3,500 calories a day” or “4.3 pounds of food per person a day.
That includes two and half pounds of grain, beans and nuts, about a pound of fruits and vegetables, and nearly another pound of meat, milk and eggs”. So the reality of food scarcity, while a true issue in particular areas of the world for certain, is also a question of distribution. In large part, the issue is potentially solvable if we just rethink how we’re willing to feed each other.
Which leads us to the next ugly truth. Perhaps you’re wondering where all this food is currently going? Did you know that in February 2014 the USDA released the fact that, in the US, 31% (133 Billion pounds) went uneaten? Or that each year on average, this amount is closer to about 40% ?
It’s just tossed out, or left to rot. That’s a fairly large waste of resources, not to mention that food in landfills actually increases methane gas, and contributes to global warming. Just think of all that freshwater and land, all that fertilizer and energy — all for nothing. Additionally, here in the US about $1 billion gets spent just to dispose of our food waste.
Many of us growing up were instructed to clean our plates before we could leave the dinner table. While the method may have been lacking some decorum and understanding, and even proved detrimental to some of our later food habits, the fear of waste was certainly warranted.
When you step back to take it all in — yes, it can feel absolutely overwhelming. Maybe we just need to see these statistics as an invitation to become aware of our “foodprint,” as it were, but it’s also heartwarming to know that it’s still not too late. There are still ways to regenerate our relationship with the planet and our relationship with food. So what are you waiting for?
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Image on left: Ouro Preto monument; Embratur
BRAZIL: HISTORY HIGLIGHTS
- During some centuries the actual territory of Brazil has been home of some hundreds of thousands of Indians, belonging to Tupi, Ge, Aruak, and Carib groups. Human territorial density was very low, and the concentration of power and the degree of organization was far under those attained by Incas or the Mayas.
- April 22, 1500: Pedro Alvares Cabral, a Portuguese explorer, reached the coast of Brazil, at Porto Seguro, in Bahia, where they met the Pataxos Indians, the first tribe ever contacted by Europeans in South America. They still can be visited locally.
- The name of Brazil is associated to the name of a particular tropical hard wood, explored by the first Portuguese.
- Indian population was highly scattered in the territory. Calculations diverge substantially, ranging from 1 to 5 million.
- The insufficient number of Indians (aggravated by diseases and warfare with colonialists) stimulated the Portuguese to the importation of African slaves.
- In the first half of the seventeen century, the Dutch and the French have also settled themselves in Rio de Janeiro and Recife region, but not for many years. The Portuguese expelled them, and many of the Dutch settled in Brazil moved to a new colony on the island of Manhattan. Brazil is, by this way, connected to the New York City formation.
- African slaves were, at first, mainly workers of sugar plantations. The sugar was the first big business line implemented in Brazil, by the Portuguese.
- Significant numbers of slaves escaped from the sugar plantations, and found independent «quilombos» in remote areas. Portuguese military expeditions against them, failed often. Final destruction of quilombos was only achieved in late 1600, by the Bandeirantes, a well organized south Brazilian force, based in Sao Paulo region, largely responsible for the unity of Brazil.
- The relation between the African slaves and the Portuguese colonialists hasn’t attained the bitterness and the white dominance attained in North America. Black people resisted more effectively in Brazil, and their traditions and religion is still well visible in Brazilian states as Bahia.
- Around 1700 began the gold cycle, after this metals discovery, near Minas Gerais, not far from Rio de Janeiro. The gold led to the development of the central interior of Brazil. Rio de Janeiro replaced Salvador da Bahia as the Brazilian capital, in 1763.
- In 1807, King John VI of Portugal took refuge in Rio de Janeiro, after the invasion of Portugal by Napoleon, and Brazil became the seat of the Portuguese empire.
Image on left: D. Pedro I
- The wonders of Rio de Janeiro and the tropical life of Brazil had a so great impact in the royal Portuguese family that its members persist in staying in Brazil even after Napolean was defeated. The popular discontentment in Portugal forced King John VI to return to Lisbon, but, meanwhile, Dom Pedro I – son of the king John VI - and popular Brazilian forces declared the Brazil independence in 1822. “I’m staying”, said D. Pedro I, in defiance of a decree from Lisbon, requiring his return.
Image on left: Tiradentes
- Just thirty years before, in 1789, there was a preliminary movement for brazilian independence, lead by Tiradentes (Tooth Puller, the nickname of a merchant who exercised also the activity of dentist and physician).The rebellion failed, and Tiradentes was publicly hanged in Rio and his body cut into pieces (Tiradentes is, nowadays, a national Brazilian hero, and the date of is martyrdom a national holiday).
- Pedro II (1825 - 1891), has been the second and last emperor of Brazil. He was an intellectual and a reformist, responsible for the abolition of slavery. But is success as a ruler was very limited. After some conflicts with neighbouring countries, discontentment drove Brazil to the republican system. The royal summer palace and facilities can still be visited in Petropolis, a few miles from Rio de Janeiro.
- Near the twentieth century came the rubber cycle, with the subsequent great fortunes in places like Manaus (the rubber plant was an endogenous Amazonian plant). The accumulated fortunes were so great that the richest brazilian rubber barons in Manaus used to light their cigars with bank-notes. Some magnificent monuments of Manaus, as the Opera House, are a testimony of this period. The rubber cycle collapsed with the Asian concurrence, after the «theft» of some rubber Brazilian plants.
- It was followed by the coffee and cattle ranchers cycle. For more than 50 years, Brazilian politics were deeply influenced by these productions, and by the industrialization and the emergence of Sao Paulo – actually an immediate metropolis of more than 40 million people - as the economic and industrial heart of Brazil. Most of the economic power of Brazil is now centred in Sao Paulo, and some adjacent regions like the Minas Gerais state (capital: Belo Horizonte), and, in some extent, Rio de Janeiro.
- In the sixties, a new political capital was established at Brasilia, replacing Rio de Janeiro. The expressed goal was to encourage the development of the interior. During two decades – from mid sixties till mid eighties -, Brazil was ruled by military governments, with some economic success, if we measure it by production growth.
- Democratic government was only restored in 1985. Fernando Henrique Cardoso, elected in 1994, has been responsible for the «Real Plan», an economic plan that has created a new currency (the real) and hold inflation under control.
BRAZILIAN HISTORIC TOWNS
If you are looking for historic places, consider these three ones: Parati, Olinda, Ouro Preto… And also Belo Horizonte and Diamatina. They are true gems of the colonial Brazil. The historic heritage of the Portuguese colonial times is extremely well preserved in these towns.
Parati is the better option for those who are accommodated in Rio de Janeiro (or Sao Paulo), all the more since Paraty is located in an extremely beautiful beach zone: the Costa Verde, with astonishing places as Angra dos Reis.
Ouro Preto and Belo Horizonte
Diamantina, Ouro Preto (Black Gold, in English) and its state capital, Belo Horizonte (an hour from Rio, by plane), were at the center of 18th-century Brazilian gold rush (Ouro Preto is, according to Unesco declaration, a world cultural monument). With its many museums, churches, colonial houses and streets, Ouro Preto, Diamantina and Belo Horizonte deserve the unconditional visit of those who love ancient baroque architecture and historical places.
Belo Horizonte is the capital of Minas Gerais state, and the great hub of a vast region that includes not only Ouro Preto but also small towns as Sabará, Diamantina or Mariana, also magnificent examples of colonial and baroque architecture.
For more information, and tours:
Ouro Preto Brazil Tours
State of Minas Gerais Brazil Destinations. Colonial towns, Brazilian Gold Rush. Mines and Cultural tours. English speaking guide. Transportation.


So if you don't already know, I have a weekly video series on my Facebook page where I explain thorny grammar issues that tend to crop up when I'm editing. I'm a giant grammar nerd, and spreading the good grammar gospel is one of my missions in life.
This week's grammar video was on one of my personal bugaboos, lay vs lie, and when to use which one. When I was working as a medical editor, I had to edit reports that went to lawyers and could potentially become part of a court case, so proper language was more essential than ever. I had to look up the difference between "lay" and "lie" so many times because I could never keep it straight in my head.
So "lay" and "lie" are present-tense verbs and the difference is that "lay" is a transitive verb (meaning it takes a direct object) and "lie" is an intransitive verb (meaning there's no direct object). All you need to do to figure out if there's a direct object in a sentence is to ask "what?" or "whom?" after the verb: “She lays what?” “She lays the baby in his crib.” “Baby” is a noun so it’s the direct object and you use “lay.” If you try this with "lie," it doesn't work. “He lies down on the couch.” “Down” isn’t a noun, so there’s no direct object.
Things get stickier in the past tense because the past tense of "lie" is "lay." One of the many fun ways the English language loves to tease and infuriate its users. So it would be “he lay down on the couch and went to sleep.” The past tense of "lay" is a bit simpler: it's just "laid," so “she laid the baby in his crib.”
In the past participle form (when an action has occurred in the past but is ongoing), the "lie" verb is still irregular and here you use "lain": “He has lain on the couch for hours now.” Meanwhile, "lay" in the past participle form is, like the past tense, “laid”: “She has laid the baby in his crib five times already tonight.”
Whew! Confusing, right? In that medical editor job, I printed out a chart for easy reference so that's what I'm providing here for you to use too!:
Want more grammar tips? Have any grammar questions? Like my Facebook page to follow along every week for new videos!


In a first, scientists have successfully 3D-printed optical-quality glasses at par with commercial products currently available on the market. In a study published in the journal Advanced Materials Technologies, scientists from Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) in the US described successfully printing small test pieces from lab-developed ink. Since the refractive index of glass is sensitive to its thermal history, it can be difficult to ensure that glass printed from the molten phase will result in the desired optical performance, researchers said.
Depositing the LLNL-developed material in paste form and then heating the entire print to form the glass allows for a uniform refractive index, eliminating optical distortion that would degrade the optic’s function. “Components printed from molten glass often show texture from the 3D-printing process, and even if you were to polish the surface, you would still see evidence of the printing process within the bulk material,” said Rebecca Dylla-Spears, a chemical engineer at LLNL.
“This approach allows us to obtain the index homogeneity that is needed for optics. Now we can take these components and do something interesting,” said Dylla-Spears, the project’s principal investigator. The custom inks, aimed at forming silica and silica-titania glasses, allow researchers the ability to tune the glass’s optical, thermal and mechanical properties, she said.
Researchers printed small, simple-shaped optics as proof of concept, but the technique eventually could be applied to any device that uses glass optics and could result in optics made with geometric structures and with compositional changes that were previously unattainable by conventional manufacturing methods.
For example, gradient refractive index lenses could be polished flat, replacing more expensive polishing techniques used for traditional curved lenses. “Additive manufacturing gives us a new degree of freedom to combine optical materials in ways we could not do before,” Dylla-Spears said. “It opens up a new design space that hasn’t existed in the past, allowing for design of both the optic shape and the optical properties within the material,” she said.


Much of the credit for promoting the Duck Stamp goes to J.N. "Ding" Darling, an award-winning editorial cartoonist who penned the illustration for the first Duck Stamp while he was Director of the Bureau of Biological Survey (the forerunner agency of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service).
"There can be no doubt that 'Ding' Darling is a giant of twentieth century conservation," observed Bob Streeter, the Fish and Wildlife Service Assistant Director for Refuges and Wildlife, "but despite all 'Ding's' many achievements for waterfowl and wetlands, the history of wetlands conservation and the Duck Stamp itself are more complex than is often portrayed and their historical roots much deeper."
The idea of wetland habitat conservation already was well established in the earliest years of this century. And even the concept of a revenue stamp purchased by waterfowl hunters for wetland acquisition was under way before 1920.
Writing in the July 1984, issue of OUTDOOR LIFE Magazine, Lonnie Williamson of The Wildlife Management Institute noted that, "Legislation to give the Bureau of Biological Survey authority to protect migratory waterfowl was introduced in Congress in 1904." But, as Williamson added, it was 1911 before a strong, effective coalition of sportsmen, private conservation groups, and state wildlife agencies was pulled together by the American Game Protective Association (now The Wildlife Management Institute) to work for the bill's enactment. In 1913, with the passage of the Weeks-McLean Act, Congress provided some of the first Federal protection for migratory birds by establishing guidelines on seasons when birds could be hunted; hence, spring waterfowl gunning was essentially stopped.
A Federal court challenge to the Weeks-McLean Act in 1914 did little to deter conservationists to advance protection of migratory birds and their wetland habitats. With the 1916 signing of a migratory bird conservation treaty with Great Britain on behalf of Canada and the ratification and implementation of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act in 1918, the stage was set for many more waterfowl and wetlands conservation initiatives that continue today.
The initial idea for the Duck Stamp is more difficult to trace. However, in 1919, the chief U.S. game warden, George A. Lawyer, was the first to advance the idea of a Federal revenue stamp for waterfowl hunting to generate funds to acquire wetlands to assure habitat and public hunting areas. Lawyer s duck stamp idea preceded Ding s appointment as chief of the Biological Survey by 15 years.
Lawyer's innovative idea for a Federal waterfowl stamp found favor with the leadership of the American Game Protective Association who sought support from the Bureau of Biological Survey. Congressional support resulted in a bill being introduced in 1921. The proposed legislation called for the creation of a wetland habitat acquisition program; its source of funding: receipts from the sale of "duck stamps."
But sometimes even the best of ideas move slowly. As Williamson noted in his 1984 article, "It took eight years of struggle, but the wetland acquisition authorization bill, known as the Migratory Bird Conservation Act, was finally enacted in 1929." In the process of passage, however, the stipulations for the duck stamp and public hunting areas were winnowed out. The refuges that would be acquired would be financed with general appropriations.
The next important event on the national scene wasn't a government official or political leader, but a drought in the prairie region that by the early 1930s yielded devastation to farming communities and waterfowl alike. By 1934, the accrued effects of drought and the earlier conservation efforts with Congress in the 1920s produced the times and political climate suited for passage of the legislation that created the Federal Duck Stamp. George Lawyer s vision became fact.
"Most waterfowlers today and conservationists familiar with wetlands protection," said Streeter, "recognize that out of the Dust Bowl Era, some of our greatest waterfowl and wetland triumphs eventually emerged. Certainly 'Ding' Darling was the man of the hour in rallying key support in the early 1930s for the plight of ducks and wetlands. But my surmise is that 'Ding' himself would probably be among the very first today to say that those earlier efforts and ideas such as George Lawyer s stamp were critical in formulating this Nation s wetland conservation ethic. Since 1934 revenues from the sales of Duck Stamps have totaled more than $500 million and have helped acquire 4.4 million acres of wetlands.
"It's very important to recognize," said Streeter, "that this country has a record of almost a century of wetlands and waterfowl conservation. Understanding some of the earliest efforts is important to appreciating what has transpired since the 1930s, as well as what we have today. The first proponents of migratory bird conservation and wetland protection faced sharp opposition. It took considerable courage and perseverance for them to achieve what they did."
Today, scientists generally acknowledge that wetlands constitute the most valuable and productive wildlife habitat in North America and provide, via their migratory birds, ecological links to the rest of the world. The conservation advocates at the turn of the century, however, did not enjoy such a degree of scientific certainty. Much of their work relied on a faith that future studies would support their positions and the hope that the public at large would eventually appreciate and support the fruits of their efforts. George Lawyer's original idea for a Federal waterfowl stamp coupled with the pioneering conservation work undertaken in the earliest years of the twentieth century provided critical contributions to the conservation of migratory birds and their habitats-- contributions that can continue to serve conservation in the twenty-first century and beyond.
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