Before you stepped into the role of etiquette educator, it was likely frustrating for you to witness children with poor manners falling short of their fullest potential. But now, as a certified etiquette specialist, teachable moments are seemingly endless! You have multiple opportunities and tools at your disposal to teach kids manners.
Why Is It So Important To Teach Kids Manners?
It’s essential to teach kids manners (and generally effective communication skills) so they can feel confident in a variety of situations. Manners are the foundation to feeling confident.
Imagine a child seeking help, but lacking the kind words or etiquette knowledge to have their needs fulfilled. Whether a child is struggling with a math worksheet in school or they’re searching for the restroom at the zoo, knowing how to ask questions in a polite manner will help them get what they really need.
What’s more, children without an etiquette education are often less comfortable speaking up because they’ve had poor experiences in the past. They don’t understand why other people respond negatively to them.
At Manners To Go, we believe every child deserves to feel confident! Our curriculum is designed to help every child find their (politest) voice so they can enter any situation with the ability to communicate their needs, wants, and opinions.
3 Ways To Teach Kids Manners As An Etiquette Professional
While there are many ways to teach kids manners, there are three prominent categories of manners that you should address first. Have a look at the basics, conversational skills, and table manners to start.
1. Basic Manners
Basic manners are those that carry from one situation to the next and always apply. From supermarkets and playgrounds to the hallways at school…basic manners are always essential and helpful.
When you teach kids manners, prioritize these things first:
- Eye contact
- Self respect
These are valuable skills for children to learn because they make up the formula for a strong first impression. Kids may make mistakes after greeting others, but it certainly helps if they can maintain good eye contact long enough to say hello and state their name!
2. Conversation Skills
Many young adults struggle to hold a polite conversation nowadays. But refining conversational skills will help children of all ages grow into capable adults—worthy of their dream jobs one day.
It’s more challenging to train adults in conversational skills than it is to teach children—so start early! Enforce good conversation techniques from a young age so kids can grow into adulthood feeling confident in all social and professional settings (instead trying to pick up slack on the back end).
Conversation skills are also necessary to build friendships! Children who can clearly articulate their thoughts are better able to share, take turns, accept kind criticism, and resolve conflict.
3. Table Manners
Mealtimes are an ideal opportunity to teach kids manners. Think about it: table manners encompass all the skills people use to feel confident in most social settings.
To start, children need to learn how to hold their utensils in a safe, polite way—in turn teaching them restraint, control, and awareness. They also need to understand how to navigate a table setting, which translates to feelings of independence, security, and confidence.
Most children always love studying table manners because it’s action-oriented! They love to set the table and rehearse mealtime conversation. As an etiquette professional certified with Manners To Go, you’ll know how to teach both American and European Style Dining!
Where Can You Teach Kids Manners As A Certified Etiquette Professional?
The list of places where you can teach kids manners is vast! Schools alone have a variety of etiquette education needs, from group assemblies to after-school programs.
Not-for-profit groups like scout troops, sports teams, and church organizations appreciate etiquette educators, too. Some country clubs or youth organizations (like Jack and Jill of America) search for specialists to lay the foundation for good manners in order to bring out the best in their participants.
There’s even a desire for etiquette professionals at birthday parties! Children everywhere crave the knowledge they need to succeed, so any opportunity to teach manners and make it fun is huge.
How To Teach Kids Manners Successfully
There are a few techniques proven to help teach kids manners. Try one or all three in your own etiquette education endeavors!
Model The Behavior You’re Teaching
“Do as I say, not as I do,” doesn’t work for much, let alone teaching kids manners. Your students need to see you acting the same way you want them to behave.
For example, the first time you meet your students, you ought to introduce yourself politely! Make good eye contact and square shoulders to show respect. Nod along when they’re speaking to you and repeat some of their words in your response to demonstrate that you were actively listening.
How you handle yourself during times of stress or disagreement is particularly important. Don’t let negative emotions be an excuse for poor manners. Teach kids manners matter even when they’re not feeling their best. And it’s okay to feel down as long as you express your needs and disappointments in a healthy way.
Role-Play Different Scenarios To Teach Kids Manners
Role-play is a fun way to illustrate your etiquette lessons. After all, it is role-PLAY! Stage a few imaginary scenarios in which all of your students play an important part.
When role-playing, it helps to act out the wrong way to handle social situations before you model the right way. Acting pretend-rude can be a silly way for kids to get comfortable in class and help them understand that kids with poor manners come across less seriously in real life.
Positive role-play sticks with young students better than lecturing alone. It gives them the opportunity to visualize themselves in different social situations, so when they come across the real thing, they’re ready!
Focus On What’s Developmentally Appropriate
Depending on their developmental maturity and aptitude for learning, different kids need different learning opportunities. But understanding what tools work best for the students in front of you can be challenging if you don’t have any training.
A certification to teach manners to children from Manners To Go is the solution to that problem! We provide you with resources to understand each of your students and teach them effectively.
The knowledge you acquire from your certification will help you manage your expectations about children’s unique abilities and provide valuable direction for each class you teach. You’ll be more confident (not to mention better qualified!) when you complete the certification program.
There are many ways to teach kids manners, but a few that matter the most. Bear in mind a few basic techniques and take the time to acquire your teaching certification so you can drive the greatest impact on your students.
Here is a FREE Guide to Help YOU Start a Business Teaching Manners to Children
CLICK THE IMAGE TO GET THE DOWNLOAD RIGHT NOW
Here Are Your Next Steps
Get to Know Manners To Go™
Most likely, you will want to get to know us. Feel free to call or email us. Click on the links below. We are happy to discuss the details with you.
“Live” Video Training
If you are looking to start immediately and save money on travel and time, then this is your best option.You choose the dates of our trainings. Most choose to have their sessions once a week, others twice. This is a “live” and private training. It is NOT self-guided.
PRIVATE Training. That’s right, we meet in person, the two of us and our focus is completely on your business. Click the image above or follow the button below to learn more and to see a list of cities available for your training.
Receive the curriculum and book your training dates
Upon payment, you receive the curriculum. Next, we will send an email asking you to schedule your first training date.


The International Space Apps Challenge took place April 20-21, 2013.
Tech tools related to the International Space Station ruled NASA's Space Apps Challenge this year.
New spot-the-space-station programs, software to use 3D printing in space and apps to help astronauts take pictures of their home planet were among the technologies to come out of the 2013 contest.
The two-day space apps challenge was an international hackathon of sorts, soliciting mobile apps and technologies to aid space exploration and enrich life on Earth. More than 9,000 people from 83 cities around the world contributed to the 770 entries submitted between April 20 and 21, according to NASA.
NASA had outlined 50 wide-ranging problems to be tackled during the 48-hour event, and many of them were centered on the space station. [10 Best Space Apps in the Universe]
Viewers on the ground can spot the orbiting lab moving across the sky and the Spot the Station challenge was aimed at building an app to allow users to share their sightings with others and create a visualization with the data. Software to help compare microbial communities on Earth with ones on the space station was developed in another challenge, SciStarter Citizen Science. The International Print Station challenge, meanwhile, tasked techies to create a 3-D printing model for use in space.
A panel of judges from NASA, the European Space Agency (ESA), and partners announced the winners of the contest in May. Two of the space station-related tools were selected:
T-10: This London-based prototype app is designed for astronauts living on the International Space Station who are trying to photograph specific spots on Earth. The program would take advantage of local weather data to alert spaceflyers when they are approaching an ideal window to snap pictures of those areas of the planet.
Best Use of Hardware:
ISS Base Station: The ISS Base Station, made in Philadelphia, combines hardware and software to spot the orbiting lab from Earth. It includes an app that tracks the position of the International Space Station, with a mechanical arm that can point to the current location of the lab and alert users when it's in view.
Three of the finalists also made products that focused on the lab:
NASA in Our House: This interactive website made by a team in Allen Park, Mich., allows users to read about some of the incredible benefits that the International Space Station is delivering back to Earth.
Spot the Station AUT: This Auckland, New Zealand-made mobile app allows users to track the location of the space station and share photos and comments with other users. The app also featured a compass and directional indications overlaid on a real-time view from the camera.
Augmented Reality International Space Station: Submitted from Santa Cruz, Calif., this augmented reality app for Android to allow users to spot the station by using a smartphone camera.


The Natural History of Carolina, Florida, and the Bahama Islands (1729-1771) by Mark Catesby, a self-taught artist and naturalist, was first publication to describe scientifically the flora and fauna of North America. The first edition, published between 1729-1731, was written and illustrated by Catesby, with the exception of a few plates done by Georg Dionysius Ehret.
Catesby arrived May 23, 1722 in Charlestown in the colony of Carolina. A passionate explorer without formal scientific training, he taught himself scientific observation, illustration, and engraving. He describes his scientific and artistic methodology with much humility.
Catesby’s explanation of how he illustrated his plates shows how intent he was to recreate accurate representations so that his work would be part of the legitimate endeavors of the burgeoning scientific community. His attention to detail even extended to his description of how he painted greens in his illustrations.
Even with his efforts at accurate representation, one interesting feature of Catesby’s plates with multiple species is a varying perspective that doesn’t accurately account for size. For example, on Plate 20 of the Appendix, Catesby illustrated a Buffalo (Bison bison) with a Rose Locust (Robinia hispida).
Biodiversity Heritage Library has a wonderful post about Catesby and the realization of his lifelong dream to catalog the life of the new world in the North American British colonies of the south. All of Catesby’s illustrations from the three editions, along with links to those editions, can be found here with thanks to BHL.
As part of my research for BHL, I had the pleasure of adding taxonomy to each of these illustrations, with gratitude for the invaluable resource, The Curious Mister Catesby (2015), edited by E. Charles Nelson and David J. Elliot for the Catesby Commemorative Trust.
Pingback: In Focus: Catesby’s Natural History | Historical SciArt


Last week, I had the privilege of working with educators from the Dayton area through Communicate Institute in conjunction with Walsh University. The class is titled "The Future of Learning and Technology." The course covers many concepts such as classroom design, technology in the next 50 years and implementing technology within a classroom setting. The focus of this class is a passion of mine as I see firsthand the difference technology can make in the lives of students. There are many aspects of this course that spark interest and motivation, but my favorite activity has to be the opportunity to put technology in the hands of educators. One of the days we focused on coding in the classroom. Coding has become the most discussed technological advancement as there is great demand for coding in the work force. Some of the hands-on tools that we used were Sphero, Osmo, Bloxels and Makey Makey. We also discussed Scratch, Scratch Jr. and Code.org. We had a great discussion about coding and how it could be implemented within the classroom, but the true learning and collaboration did not occur until I stepped away as an instructor. After the discussion, I went to each group of educators and handed them a Makey Makey kit. Makey Makey is an invention kit that turns everyday items such as bananas into touchpads that can be combined with the internet. I then stood in front of the educators and said something that we don't say enough as instructors, "You have to figure this one out on your own." At that point, some of the educators looked at me in disbelief. The previous day we discussed strategies to figure out new technologies that they were not familiar with, so it was interesting to observe the problem solving techniques implemented. Some of them went straight to the Makey Makey website. Others chose a different route by going to Twitter, YouTube or just plain Google. Stepping away from the students can be very difficult at times, but at the same time can be very rewarding. I have learned from teaching my fourth graders that being "a guide on the side" is very important for learning to occur. Also "play" is a very important aspect of learning. As I watched the educators with their Makey Makey sets, learning and collaboration was occurring. Even the less tech savy educators were becoming the leaders in their group. They were taking accountability for their learning, and they were enjoying it. Creativity was flowing through the room! The educators that did not feel they had anything to contribute were the ones that were stepping up in their group. Authentic learning was occurring! By the end of activity, it was very evident that the educators were more confident and willing to take a chance with technology. They were encouraged to take the driver's seat in regards to their learning which in turn helped to promote problem solving skills. They were also very proud to share their creations and projects. It definitely was a great week of learning and discovery!


Notes from Cousera course that claims to 'teach powerful mental tools to help master tough subjects'. My interest in this is actually pedagogical and cross referencing the techniques with my own experiences and teaching style.
"You must plant the seed for diffused mode by doing focused mode work first"
- research from Neuroscience and cognitive psychology
- diffused mode and focused mode - learn little bit every day to build neuro structure (similar to weight lifting to build muscular structure). Build neuro scaffolding to hang your new learning on.
- Synaptic changes in the brain happen regularly, new ones form and old ones fade away
- Default Mode Network is the part of the brain most active when the brain is not doing anything specific [also mentioned in the science of meditation class].
- Anatomy and cycle of procrastination - before starting a hard task your brain may sense 'nueral discomfort' so it turns attention away to something pleasant (social media, etc.). The secret is that few minutes after starting the 'unplesant' hard task the discomfort feeling actually goes away.
- Math and science learning is bit more difficult because the ideas are abstract. There are no integrals you can point to in the real world. [Same for programming, useful work is done on top of abstracted ideas. I make ideas concrete when I teach with examples, analogies and stories]
- Practicing abstract ideas creates nuero thought patterns that are real and concrete in your brain. Practice makes permanent. [conversely with use-it-or-loose-it if you don't practice an abstract idea for a long time the nuero patterns would fade]
- Long term memory and short term / working memory - researchers used to believe that you can hold at most 7 things in working memory now it's more like 4
- To move new concepts into long term memory it takes time and practice. The idea behind Spaced Repetition System of course. [what mom did with us when teaching us things as children by quizzing us from time to time. Also what I did intuitively when I made study schedule for final exams where I spent more time on what was covered at the beginning of the semester vs. at the end]
- Sleep and memory - visualization: during sleep the brain cells get smaller which allows fluid to flow and clean out the metabolic toxins that are floating around in the brain while awake.
- If you go over what you're learning right before going to sleep and set the intension that you want to dream about it, you increase the chances of dreaming about it and consolidating your learning in easier to grasp chunks [I can try this with my coding students and we already do evening coaching sessions]
Interview with Dr. Terrence Sejnowski:
- Hippocampus (brain area for learning and memory) - Scientists believed that the nuerons you're born with are the ones you have. But in the hippocampus new nuerons are born all the time. Though in a rich environment.
- In the absence of a rich environment exercise will also increase the number of new nuerons that are being born and survive.
Beeny Lewis, Language Learning:
- Book - Fluent in 3 months
- Advantage that children have when learning language - they are very okay with making mistakes. For example communicating vs. forming complete grammatically correct sentences is the goal.
- mnemonic devices for memory and recall, spaced repetition, flash card apps
Robert Bilder, Biology of Creativity:
- Creativity and originality question - even if something has been said or done before, if you haven't done it the connections have not formed in your brain. It is still creative if it's new and valuable for you.
- Personality types and connection to creativity - Openness, Conscientiousness, Extroversion, Agreeableness, Neurotic. Openness is positively correlated with and agreeableness is negatively correlated with creativity. Lack of agreeableness interpreted as non-conformity, questioning things, not believing or taking the status quo at face value.
- Creativity definition - doing something novel or new to you but that others also find valuable or useful. So there is a balance that can time and feedback cycles to achieve.
- New Word sesquipedalian - characterized by long words; long-winded
- Problem solving technique of zooming in and zooming out [commonly required in computer science problems]. Also the 10 second video mentioned
Daphne Gray-Grant, Writing Coach:
- Diffused mode is the writing mode and focused mode is the editing mode. Often we try to write with focused mode.
- Mindmapping or clusttering technique works to engage the diffused mode while writing (mindmapping != outlining)
- Mindmapping can be done right after you interview someone, and your brain will remember the interesting things. [My virtual meetings would be a great place to experiment with this. Also I could publish my mind maps of books I read...kinda like the RCAnimate series. I could also do mind map of my dev dictionary topics and then ask my subscribers to vote on which one I should write next]
- Mindmapping = inspiring yourself to write. If something is interesting or important to you, you're going to remember it.
- "We're downplaying memory in current education". We're weary of having to memorize anything. [From personal experience, I recall hesitation before commiting to memorizing the mathematical symbols used in number theory proofs. I was glad to have made that decision, but initial thought was memorizing = bad]
- Editing while you write = bad. Just type don't edit. Tricks to make this a habit - touch typing with screen covered with a towel, set timers, apps.
- When writing all of us hear that editing voice. One trick is to actually talk to that voice and say 'Nope, not right now, I'll talk to you when I am in editing mode'
These are my notes from this Cousera course. If you're intrigued my these notes and decide to take the course, send me a message. I'd be curious to hear other's thoughts and observations!


What is a drivetrain?
Before we take a look into what a drivetrain does, and the different types, we thought we'd take the opportunity to explain what a drivetrain actually is, to avoid any doubt.
In simple terms, a drivetrain is the sum of components used to drive the wheels, excluding the engine or the motor. This could be either:
The coolest Ford cars from the '80s inlcude:
Below we will take a look at the different drivetrains available, whilst taking a look at their advantages and disadvantages.
Front-wheel Drive (FWD)
Like all drivetrains, the clue is in the name. Therefore, front-wheel drive cars ensure drive via the front wheels, effectively pulling the car along. Hatchbacks and city cars tend to come with front-wheel drive.
- Familiar - Many cars default with front-wheel drive, so are familiar with many drivers.
- Affordable - Most cars come with this drivetrain, as it's affordable to produce.
- Simple - Most FWD cars use less components, making the car lighter and therefore more likely to have good economy - hence why most economical cars are front-wheel drive.
- Limited grip - As only the front wheels have the power, grip is reduced on the rear wheels. Although the weight of the engine over the front axle helps in some instances.
- Not the best handling - Front-wheel drive cars can suffer from understeer when pushed hard.
Rear-wheel Drive (RWD)
The driver-focused favourite. Rear-wheel drive cars effectively push the car along, as power is sent to the road via the rear wheels, meaning all the front wheel have to focus on is steering. These cars tend to be performance cars, or driver-focused cars.
- Driver-focused - Rear-wheel drive cars tend to be very driver-focused, with many performance cars (listed above) having this set up.
- Handling - Tends to be better than other drivetrains.
- Not very good in winter - Rear-wheel drive isn't ideal for winter conditions, especially when snow and ice is involved, as not much weight sits on the back axle.
- Harder to control - Some rear-wheel drive cars are notorious for 'getting the back end out' which can catch some drivers out.
All-wheel Drive (AWD)
As you've probably guessed, an all-wheel drive drivetrain is just that, all the wheels provide power to move the vehicle. These cars tend to be high performance cars or premium SUVs. They can transfer power to the wheels when prompted, therefore if a rear or front wheel loses traction, the drivetrain can send power to ensure grip and stability.
- Enhanced grip - Superior traction in all weathers.
- Performance - Helps with launches in performance cars.
- Variety - Usually available on a wide range of SUVs and performance cars.
- Handling - Can promote understeer.
- Cost - Tend to be more expensive due to the complexity.
Four-wheel drive (4WD)
Just like all-wheel drive, four-wheel drive powers all four wheels too, but it does so in a slightly different way.
4WD sends power to each of the independent wheels equally, whilst AWD vehicles can send different levels of power to each individual wheel. 4WD vehicles tend to be SUVs of a certain era or style.
- Off-road ability - Great for tricky terrain.
- Popular - These cars are popular with people who live in rural areas.
- Practical - These cars tend to offer great practicality and space.
- Economy - It isn't usually the best.
- High maintenance - On some specific 4x4 models.
- Competition - All-wheel drive tends to be more popular.
Which drivetrain is best?
There is no such thing as the best when it comes to drivetrains, it will all depend on your particular circumstances and needs of the vehicle.
For example, you don't really need anything more than front-wheel drive for a city car, but this doesn't stop SUVs with their AWD/4WD drivetrains being used a lot in the city too.
Of course, on the flip side, you'd want the AWD/4WD SUV if going down farmers tracks and the like, as opposed to the FWD city car.
Manufacturers like Ford and Mercedes-Benz now produce many of their performance cars with all-wheel drive, so their performance can be enjoyed all year round.
Find your perfect car at Evans Halshaw
No matter what car drivetrain you're looking for, you'll be able to find it at Evans Halshaw where we have a comprehensive selection.
Why not browse our selection of brand-new and used cars?
Alternatively, if you enjoyed this article, why not have a browse of our blog section for more.


In a blog post, Robert Krulwich of the public radio show Radiolab noted that there is no pink in the colors of the rainbow. Pink is actually a combination of red and violet, two colors, which, if you look at a rainbow, are on the opposite sides of the arc. Remember the old colors of the rainbow mnemonic ROYGBIV? The R (red) is as far as it can get from V (violet). That’s where the trouble lies. Pink can’t exist in nature without a little rainbow-bending help, which would allow the shades of red and violet to commingle. This is leading scientists to believe, as Krulwich puts it, that “pink is a made-up color.” Krulwich explains:
I know, of course, that all colors are just waves of light, so every color we “see,” we see with our brains. But what this video says is that there is no such thing as a band of wavelengths that mix red and violet, and therefore, pink is not a real wavelength of light. That’s why pink is an invention. It’s not a name we give to something out there. Pink isn’t out there.
(MORE: Hues You Can Use)
So there you have it. Pink, the color, is just the wishful thinking of our brain blending the red and violet wavelengths together to create the color of many little girls’ birthday parties. But as compelling as Krulwich’s argument is, there are plenty of scientists (and probably My Little Pony fanatics) who disagree with him. In a blog post aptly named Stop This Absurd War on the Color Pink, Scientific American blogger Michael Moyer points to research that indicates that all color, whether in the rainbow or not, is a fabrication of our brains. He quotes biologist Timothy H. Goldsmith as noting that, “Color is not actually a property of light or of objects that reflect light. It is a sensation that arises within the brain.” He concludes by stating that, “Pink is real—or it is not—but it is just as real or not-real as red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet.”
We will leave the debate over the color pink to the experts, because we know one Pink who definitely still exists. (Although she has been going by her given name of Alecia Moore a lot lately. Perhaps she knows something we don’t.)
PHOTOS: Color My Dog!
PHOTOS: Color in the Midst of Protest


Resolutions and Jan. 1 have a fatal attraction for one another—much like beer and pizza. The vow most often cited, “to go on a diet,” also happens to be the one most quickly abandoned. According to a 2013 British study, two out of five dieters don’t make it beyond the first week.
The problem isn’t that people are lazy or spoiled. It’s that the purpose of a diet has become divorced from its original intentions. The ancient Greeks were largely responsible for the concept. “Diatia” means “way of life” or “regimen.” How a person approached the business of eating was as important as what entered his stomach. Balance, self-control and proper order were thought to be three key aspects to living the good life. Only barbarians, such as the Persians, gorged on luxuries.
The two greatest doctors of the classical world, Hippocrates (around 460 to 375 B.C.) and Galen (A.D. 129 to about 216) had strong ideas about the kind of diatia everyone should follow. They argued that the mind and body were controlled by four humors: blood, phlegm, black bile and yellow bile. The goal was to keep them in equilibrium. A surplus of phlegm, for example, could make a patient lethargic, requiring more citrus in the diet. Too much black bile, on the other hand, made a person melancholic—which, Galen thought, required bloodletting or purging to remove the noxious humors from the body.


Using super-resolution video, scientists have for the first time captured the swarming madness inside a single living cell. Yet something about the elegantly crazed motion strikes me as familiar.
An individual cell possesses somewhere on the order of 10,000 types of proteins and over 10 billion molecules.
Think about that.
All these bits of material in just one cell. And what’s more, all the molecules and minute structures are in constant, high-speed motion around each other performing highly-coordinated activities. Their insanely intricate dance–equal parts chemistry and shimmering–enables all of Life. And yet so little about the phenomenon is truly understood.
Of course I can’t even pretend to comprehend such complexity. But I did notice a very interesting similarity between the motions inside a cell and those inside the swarming cloud of mayflies I filmed for an earlier Wonderchew.
Might there be a connection?
It is tempting to think that the organizing factor for interactions of such dizzying complexity might be something akin to musical counterpoint. Wherein the motions of Life itself–from protein assembly to flocking starlings to galactic orbits–revolve around and align themselves with a central force, a universal rhythm. And from this guidance, take their particular form and shape.
Seeing the similarities between the swarming within the cell’s interior and the glistening mayflies does make me wonder if such a scheme might be at work somewhere behind it all–from the minute to the astronomical.
I’ll place both videos below so you can compare for yourself. (More comparisons to follow in future Chews.)
In the video below, Actin proteins (red) help a monkey cell create surface pockets (green) by which they can engulf nutrients from outside.
Credit: Li et al. (SCIENCE 2015)
Compare the proteins’ dives and swirling above to those of the flies in the video below:
Photo Credit: time lapse of night sky, Astrophotographer and David Malin Awards finalist Matthew Vandeputte
Copyright © 2018 Wonderchews. All rights reserved.


The Problem: plastic bottles and containers, harsh chemicals, palm oil
The Solution: solid bars, natural ingredients, refillable or recyclable packaging
- Try a facial soap bar instead of a chemical cleanser. Again, this may avoid harsh chemical palm-oil derived surfactants which can be troublesome for skin. Soap bars last for ages and buying one locally can support small businesses.
- Invest in some reusable face cloths instead of disposable cotton pads, wipes or swabs. You can find organic cotton or bamboo cloths which can be washed again and again, lasting for years. Wipes often contain plastics which will not biodegrade and this is such an easy switch.
- Tissues use up huge amounts of wood, causing strain on natural resources. Using handkerchiefs to blow your nose is a more sustainable option as they can be washed again and again. You can make handkerchiefs out of any scraps of fabric or buy organic cotton ones online or in some clothing brands, such as Seasalt.
- Use a natural moisturiser in a jar or a refillable tub- Lush has a closed loop plastic recycling system, as do many online shops. Moisturisers often contain microplastics and many synthetic chemicals. Luckily, there are countless natural and organic brands, which often package their products in glass jars which you can repurpose afterwards.
- Find some plastic-free or refillable make up brands and try out some more natural products, avoiding those with squalene (a shark-derived product) and microplastics (PEGs) in the ingredients. There are many products which are packaged in bamboo or glass or have closed loop recycling systems. Again, be patient and find something that is right for you. There is loads of information and reviews online.


Tirgan 2010 in Kooshk Varjavand, Tehran
|Also called||Jashn-e Tiregān (Persian: جشن تیرگان)|
|Observed by|| Iran
|Date||June 30, July 1|
The feast of Tiregan is an ancient Iranian celebration, which is still celebrated among Iranian Zoroastrians, Parsis of India and some Iranian Muslims in various parts of Iran, including Mazandaran and Arak provinces. The celebration is widely attested by historians such as Abu Saʿīd Gardēzī, Biruni and Al-Masudi, as well as European travellers to Iran during the Safavid era. This event is celebrated on the 13th day of the month of Tir, (the 4th month of the Persian calendar) which equates to the 2nd or 3 July in the Gregorian Calendar. The celebration is experiencing a resurgence amongst Iranians. Today, some Iranians celebrate this occasion with dancing, singing, reciting poetry and serving spinach soup and sholeh zard. It has also been observed that during this celebration children and adults rejoice by swimming in streams and splashing water on each other. The custom of tying rainbow-colored bands on their wrists, which are worn for ten days and then thrown into a stream, is also a way to rejoice for children.
Theme of the Festival
This event is celebrated on the 13th day of the month of Tir, (the 4th month of the Persian calendar) which equates to the 2nd or 3 July in the Gregorian Calendar and refers to the archangel Tir (arrow) or Tishtar (lightning bolt) who appeared in the sky to generate thunder and lightning for much needed rain. Legend says that Arash Kamangir Amoli was a man chosen to settle a land dispute between the leaders of two lands, Iran and Turan. Arash was to loose his arrow on the 13th day of Tir and where the arrow landed, would lie the border between the two kingdoms. Turan - which had suffered from the lack of rain - and Iran rejoiced at the settlement of the borders, then rain poured onto the two countries and there was peace between them.
Celebrations in various regions of Iran
In Mazandaran, where Arash is supposed to have come from, and in Farahan people go to a river, play traditional music, and splash water on each other. Amongst Zoroastrians, it is a celebration of both religious value as well as a joyous occasion.
Description from historical sources
|“||On the 13th or Tir-Roz, there is a feast called Tiragan, so called on account of the identity of the name of the month and the day. Of the two causes to which it is traced back, one is this, that Afrasiab after having subdued Eranshahr, and while besieging Manuchehr in Tabaristan, asked him some favor. Manuchihr complied with his wish, on the condition that he (Afrasiab) should restore him a part of Eranshahr as long as and as broad as an arrow shot. On that occasion, there was a genius present, called Isfandarmadh; he ordered to be brought a bow and an arrow of such a size, as he himself had indicated to the arrow-maker, in conformity with that which is manifest in the Avesta. Then he send for Arash, a noble, pious, and wise man, and ordered him to take the bow and to shoot the arrow. Arash stepped forward, took off his clothes, and said: "O king, and ye others, look at my body. I am free from any wound and disease. I know when I shoot this bow and arrow I shall fall to pieces and my life will be gone, but I have determined to sacrifice it for you." Then he applied himself to the work, and bent the bow with all the power God had given him; then he shot, and fell asunder into pieces. By order of God the wind bore the arrow away from the mountains of Ruyān and brought the utmost frontier of Khurasān between Farghāna and Tabaristan (Tokharistan?); there it hit the trunk of a nut-tree that was so large that there had never been a tree like it in the world. The distance between the place where the arrow was shot and that where it fell was 1,000 Farsakh. Afrasiyab and Manuchehr made a treaty on the basis of this shot that was shot on this day. In consequence people made it a feast-day.
During the siege Manuchehr and the people of Eranshahr had been suffering from want, not being able to grind the wheat and to bake the bread because the wheat was late in ripening; finally they took the wheat and the fruit, unripe as they were, ground them and ate them. Thence it became a rule for this day to cook wheat and fruits. According to another report, the arrow was shot on this day (i.e. Tir-Roz, and the festival of this day is the small Tiregān; on other hand the 14th or Gosh-Roz, is the great Tiregān, the day on which the news arrived that the arrow had fallen. On Tir-roz, people break their cooking-vessel and fire-grates, since on this day they were liberated from Afrasiyab and everybody was free to go to work.
The second cause of the feast Tiregān is the following: The Dahufadhiyya, which means "The office of guarding and watching over the world and reigning of it," and Dahqana which means "the office of cultivating the world, of sowing it, and of distributing it"–these two are twins on whom rest the civilization of the world, and its duration, and the setting right of anything that is wrong in it. The Kitāba (the office of writer) follows next to them and is connected with both of them.
The Dahufadhiyya was founded by Hushang, the Dahkhana by his brother Waikard. The name of this day is Tir or Mercury, who is the star of scribes. Now Hushang spoke in praise of his brother on the same day, and gave to him as his share the Dahqana, which is identical with the Kitāba. Therefore people made this day a feast in praise and honour of him (Waikard). On this day he (Hushang) ordered people to dress in the dress of the Scribes and Dihqans. Therefore the princes, Dehqan
Another Iranian Muslim historian, Abu Sa'id Gardizi has given a similar description to Biruni. He notes however that the arrow of Arash fell in the area of Farghana and Tokharistan.
- Tirgan Festival
- C. Eduard Sachau (trans.), The Chronology of Ancient Nations: An English Version of the Arabic Text of the Athâr-ul-Bâkiya of Albîrûnî, or 'Vestiges of the Past', Collected and Reduced ... by the Author in A. H. 390 - 1, A. D. 1000 (1879). Google books link.
- Garzidi, Biruni, Masu'di.
-  (report on celebrations in Farahan)
-  another report on the celebrations in Arak province
-  celebrations in Mazandaran
- C. Eduard Sachau (trans.), The Chronology of Ancient Nations: An English Version of the Arabic Text of the Athâr-ul-Bâkiya of Albîrûnî, or 'Vestiges of the Past', Collected and Reduced ... by the Author in A. H. 390 - 1, A. D. 1000 (1879). Google books link . Note the book was translated in 1879 and copy right has expired. Quote taken from pages 205-206.
- Tārīkh-i Gardīzī / taʾlīf, Abū Saʻīd ʻAbd al-Ḥayy ibn Zahāk ibn Maḥmūd Gardīzī ; bih taṣḥīḥ va taḥshiyah va taʻlīq, ʻAbd al-Ḥayy Ḥabībī. Tihrān : Dunyā-yi Kitāb, 1363 [1984 or 1985]. excerpt from page 520.
- "The Chronology of Ancient Nations: An English Version of the Arabic Text of ... - Muḥammad ibn Aḥmad Bīrūnī - Google Books". Books.google.com. Retrieved 2013-07-06.


(Infection, Kidney; Pyelonephritis)
by Diane Savitsky
Kidney infections may occur in one or both kidneys. The kidneys remove waste from the body through urine. They also balance the water and mineral content in the blood. An infection can cause pain and swelling which may stop the kidneys from working as needed.
Kidney infections are caused by a bacteria. The bacteria often enters the lower part of the urinary tract first. It can then grow and cause a UTI. If the UTI is left untreated it can spread up into the kidneys. Most UTIs are caused by a bacteria that normally live in the colon or vagina. It gets passed to the opening of the urinary tract during everyday activities.
Problems with the shape of the urinary tract may also slow or block the flow of urine. This may make it easier for infections to develop.
Women have a higher risk of kidney infection than men. Factors that may increase your chance of a kidney infection include:
Some conditions may increase the chance of a kidney infection include:
Symptoms of kidney infection may include:
Your doctor will ask about your symptoms and medical history. A physical exam will also be done. A sample of your urine will be studied for blood and pus. Sometimes the urine will be tested to look for the exact type of bacteria.
A UTI may be suspected based on the symptoms alone. It may not be important to know exactly where the infection is. Images of the kidney may be needed for severe symptoms. Options include:
A kidney infection can be treated with antibiotics. It is important to take all of the medication as recommended. A hospital stay may be needed with a severe kidney infection. This will allow the antibiotics to be delivered through IV.
If the shape of the urinary tract was causing the infection other help may be needed. This may include a surgery to fix the problem.
Poorly treated or untreated kidney infections can lead to:
To help decrease the risk of a urinary tract infection (UTI):
National Kidney Foundation
Urology Care Foundation
The Kidney Foundation of Canada
Women's Health Matters
Complicated urinary tract infection (UTI). EBSCO DynaMed Plus website. Available at: http://www.dynamed... . Updated January 26, 2017. Accessed September 7, 2017.
Kidney infection (pyelonephritis). National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases website. Available at: https://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/urologic-diseases/kidney-infection-pyelonephritis. Accessed August 17, 2015.
Uncomplicated urinary tract infection (UTI) (pyelonephritis and cystitis). DynaMed Plus website. Available at: https://www.dynamed.com/topics/dmp~AN~T116894/Uncomplicated-urinary-tract-infection-UTI-pyelonephritis-and-cystitis. Updated March 15, 2017. Accessed November 30, 2017.
Urinary tract infection (UTI) in men. EBSCO DynaMed Plus website. Available at: http://www.dynamed... . Updated January 26, 2017. Accessed September 7, 2017.
Last reviewed September 2018 by EBSCO Medical Review Board Adrienne Carmack, MD
Last Updated: 3/2/2018
EBSCO Information Services is fully accredited by URAC. URAC is an independent, nonprofit health care accrediting organization dedicated to promoting health care quality through accreditation, certification and commendation.
This content is reviewed regularly and is updated when new and relevant evidence is made available. This information is neither intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider prior to starting any new treatment or with questions regarding a medical condition.
To send comments or feedback to our Editorial Team regarding the content please email us at firstname.lastname@example.org. Our Health Library Support team will respond to your email request within 2 business days.


A new website has been unveiled this week that offers users a unique interactive timeline of Saskatchewan's health-care history — from the first hospital in what would later be Saskatchewan, which opened in 1781 in Cumberland House, to the birth of medicare and eHealth — but also looks at inequalities in the province's health-care system.
The History of Health in Saskatchewan interactive timeline is the the creation of professors and researchers from the Saskatchewan Population Health and Evaluation Research Unit, or SPHERU, a health research unit based at the Universities of Regina and Saskatchewan.
Their goal was to analyze the inequalities of the health-care system in Saskatchewan, and how past decisions have had an impact on the health of different populations in the province.
"We know health inequalities exist," said Tom McIntosh, a professor in U of R's department of politics and international studies and a member of the SPHERU team.
"We can find all the data, like who lives longer and who doesn't … as in Indigenous [compared] to non-Indigenous, north, south, rural and urban," McIntosh said.
"What we didn't know was where these things arose historically."
McIntosh and his team have reviewed the historical patterns and outcomes of those different populations, and looked at factors like policies around social services.
The goal of the project was not only to illustrate the history of health care, but also how it transformed over the years.
The project began by compiling the research group's data, and they found themselves with a vast amount of information.
It was suggested by a member of the group that an interactive timeline would be an easy way for the general public to access all that information.
The process then began of digitizing all the data and putting it into a format that was user friendly.
"Our thought was if we did this right it would be a really interesting way to teach people both in high school and in university about the history of health and why it's important to look at health in this broad way, in terms of the economy, social relationships and geography, and all of those different things," said McIntosh.
SPHERU is now hoping to make the timeline an open-access educational tool that could be utilized in the future.
McIntosh said they also looked at how the health-care system was influenced by policy and other factors, such as the doctors strike in the 1960s and the change in Saskatchewan's mainly agriculture-based lifestyle.
Factors like these affected how health care was delivered to the population, and in some cases how it was served.
There are currently 317 entries on the timeline, with hopes that it will become a living document to which the public can also contribute.
"We are only beginning to scratch the surface of what we could put in there," said McIntosh.
"There is a whole bunch of data around various points in time that aren't there yet, there are whole histories of different institutions that aren't there yet. And so we are slowly hoping to fill it in."
Currently, SPHERU is looking to keep the project going by finding funding to add more information as new information comes up, or as the health care landscape changes.


Escalating numbers of Europeans now rely on food aid according to the Red Cross, which says failing welfare services and high unemployment mean nobody knows who may need to ask for help next.
"It is not just Eastern or Southern Europe; it is across the European Union, people in Luxembourg and Finland... Public support services begin to fail and people run out of all support mechanisms, so they come to the church or the Red Cross," said Eberhard Lueder, who heads the Red Cross's European Union unit.
"Nowadays, nobody knows who is going to be hit next… Many people who would have considered themselves safe — middle class — find themselves in a situation where they cannot finance their own needs."
Roughly 40 million Europeans are suffering "severe material deprivation" according to data from the European Commission, with the same number unable to afford a meal with meat every second day. In total, 116 million EU citizens are judged "at risk of poverty or social exclusion."
"There is definitely a lack of awareness of the number of people who cannot afford to have a proper meal every day. In most countries, what we consider to be poverty is quite hidden, although that is beginning to change in some countries which are hit hard by the crisis," said Lueder.
Food aid projects are operated across Europe by charities, welfare organizations and religious groups, and take different forms. In high-density cities in Austria and Germany for instance, groups collect goods nearing expiry from supermarkets and then sell them for a token fee. In Belgium and France, there are shops where people can buy food (and clothing) for heavily reduced prices.
Jorge Nuno Mayer, the secretary general of Caritas Europa, a Catholic welfare charity, said people turn to food aid when difficulties in paying for utilities such as housing, water and electricity, mean they have no money left for food purchases.
"The information we are getting from Caritas organizations all over Europe shows that more and more people are asking for food aid. The main reasons are increasing unemployment and long-term unemployment, increasing in-work poverty, and austerity measures that affect social protection schemes," Mayer said.
Core vs. Periphery?
The European Union currently funds a 500 million euro food aid program, from which 18 million people in 19 member states benefit. However, this will be cut in 2014 to 335 million euros, and is only guaranteed to continue for a further seven years afterwards.
"This is a 30 percent cut, when more member states are applying each year to answer the basic needs of their citizens," Aude Alston, the secretary general of the European Federation of Food Banks, wrote in a press release in response to the news. "The European food aid program is more needed than ever."
Welfare organizations agree that those countries worst hit by Europe's economic crisis— peripheral Europe (Greece, Spain, Portugal, Ireland and Italy), the Baltic States and Eastern Europe — are those most in need of food aid programs.
One country hard hit is Spain, where unemployment reached 24.6 percent in the second quarter. This October, the Spanish Red Cross launched its first-ever appeal to support impoverished Spaniards, with previous fundraising drives always targeted at Third World countries.
"Our members in Spain identify both migrants and Spanish-born nationals as requesting food aid, and they also see a large number of homeless people looking to access food aid," said Heather Roy, secretary general of Eurodiaconia, a federation of European Christian welfare groups.
Meanwhile, organizations also notice increasing numbers of people asking for handouts in "core" European countries, such as France.
"France used to have a really good system of social benefits for everybody, but the government system has an increasing number of gaps which people fall through, and that puts them in serious difficulties. Welfare organizations then increasing feel the pressure," said Lueder.
Across Europe, elderly people and families with children are often most likely to fall into poverty.
"Our Italian Red Cross says one of the biggest groups asking for food aid is pensioners with minimal income. They ask family and neighbors, but they also go to the Red Cross. They cannot compensate by taking another job," said Lueder.
"Elderly people, and those with low or no income, low qualifications, or no job, were already affected before the crisis," added Mayer. "Most affected among the 'new poor' are large families and single-parent families with low or no income, so children are in our focus of concern."
Mayer is pessimistic the situation will improve in 2013, while one-third of Eurodiaconia member organizations forecast increasing demand for food aid next year.
Roy warned however that European governments should not rely on food aid programs as a solution to increased poverty. "It does meet short-term emergency needs, but these are needs that in Europe should be met through adequate social protection systems and social welfare transfers, alongside adequate salaries," she said.
— By CNBC.com's Katy Barnato


Myopia is commonly known as short-sightedness. It means that the eye is unable to focus on distant objects, making them seem blurred. Most forms of myopia are considered a variation from normal vision, rather than a medical condition. Vision can usually be corrected with glasses or
contact lenses, or in some cases, with laser eye surgery.
The eye and myopia
Light coming into the eye is focused onto the retina – an area on the rear wall of the eyeball. Seventy per cent of light entering the eye is focused by the cornea (a clear dome which forms the outer covering of the pupil). The rest is focused by the lens, which sits behind the cornea. If the light is focused properly on the retina, we see a clear image. If the light focuses in front of the retina, the image is fuzzy. See the illustration on the right . With myopia, the cornea is too curved or the eyeball too long. This means that images are focused in front of the retina rather than directly on it.
Who gets myopia?
Myopia most commonly develops in childhood or early teens (between 8 and 14). The risk of developing myopia is increased if there is a family history of it. There may also be a link between myopia and prolonged close-up work, such as reading or sitting close to the television, although there is little scientific evidence for this. Myopia can be associated with certain types of cataracts, where the lens becomes cloudy. It can also be caused by a condition called keratoconus, in which the cornea thins and becomes more curved. Temporary short-sightedness, called pseudomyopia, can be caused by a number of diseases or certain drugs. For example, myopia may be the first sign of type-2 (non-insulin-dependent) diabetes. Symptoms of pseudomyopia usually clear up if the underlying cause is treated.
Effects of myopia
To a short-sighted person, distant objects seem blurred, while near objects can be seen more clearly. Other symptoms can include headache and tired eyes . Myopia develops as the eyeball grows, so it starts in childhood and may worsen during the teens. It normally stops getting worse in adults.
Children younger than eight may not realise they have blurred vision. Parents or teachers may suspect a child has myopia if they squint or frown a lot, hold books close to their face, or have trouble seeing a blackboard, television or cinema screen.


Height-in-picture emerges between 6 and 7 years of age in children's drawings as the first indication of portrayal of depth relationships, but can be promoted earlier by the use of a number of experimental manipulations. The present studies investigate whether changing, and hence drawing attention to, the child's viewpoint promotes use of height-in-picture. In the first study, 5/6- and 6/7-year-old children were asked to draw two blocks, arranged in depth. Following this, the child–array relationship was altered, either by moving the child through 90 degrees or by rotating the array through 90 degrees. Children then drew again what was now a left–right arrangement, whereupon the transformation was reversed and they made a final drawing. Only when children moved to a new standpoint was there a significant increase in vertical portrayal between first and third drawings. It was not simply the movement of the child that prompted use of height-in-picture because there was no such effect in conditions in which the child was moved but made an unrelated drawing from the new position. These results indicate that making viewpoint salient by asking for a drawing from a new position prompts young children to portray a simple depth relationship.


A wood on the flood-plain of the Crisul Alb river, dominated by Quercus. In places Robinia plantations have replaced native species. Salix scrub grows along the banks of the river. Hunting is of mammals only.
The site is important for a stable, mixed breeding colony of Nycticorax nycticorax, Egretta garzetta and Ardea cinerea.
BirdLife International (2022) Important Bird Areas factsheet: Socodor wood. Downloaded from http://www.birdlife.org on 18/08/2022.


Right-click your new Project in the Project window, and select New -> Object Type Definition from the popup menu.
The New Object Type Definition Wizard appears.
In Step 1 of the wizard, select the wizard type. In this case, select Oracle Database as the wizard type. Click Next.
In Step 2 of the wizard, specify the database connection information.
The connection information fields are:
Once you have entered the correct information in the connection fields, click Next.
In Step 3 of the wizard, select the types of database object you want to include in your project
For this example, select the following:
In Step 4 of the wizard, select the table for the project. Click Add. The Add Tables dialog box appears.
From the Add Tables dialog box, search for or enter the name of the database. For this example, use the DB_EMPLOYEE table. When the database appears in the Results selection frame, click Select, and click OK to close the Add Table dialog box.
Click Next. The wizard proceeds to Step 6, Add Prepared Statements. Click Add.
The Add Prepared Statement dialog box appears.
In the Add Prepared Statements dialog box, enter Select_ps as the Prepared Statement Name, and enter the following as the SQL Statement:
select * from db_employee where emp_no > ? order by emp_no
In this example, the SQL statement includes the ? placeholder for input. This placeholder represents the Where Clause.
Click OK to close the Add Prepared Statement dialog box, and then click Next.
In Step 7 of the wizard, enter a name for the OTD. In this example, use otdOracle. Click Next.
In Step 8 of the wizard, review your settings, then click Finish to create the OTD.


Climate neutral buildings from the period of promoterism - ways, potentials and possibilities of implementation
While in case of new buildings energy-saving measures are thought to be implemented already in the project, planning or construction phase, thermal insulation improvement of historic buildings can occur only afterwards. This becomes economically complicated in particular by the fact that the historic facades may not be changed due to the town planning restrictions or monument protection regulations.
Hence, the emphasis has to be placed on the inside insulation, which should be additionally treated in a constructional-physical way especially in terms of warm-bridge-effects (connection of the floor cover and dividing walls to the building envelope), than on the usually purposeful outside thermal insulation or core insulation of the building envelope.
The refurbishment of the building equipment is required to achieve the goal of a climate neutral building. Especially the generation and distribution of heat is connected with high losses of existing Gründerzeit houses. Thus the abatement of CO2- emissions to a minimum requires the usage of renewable energy sources and efficient building equipment.
Contents and Objectives
The goal of the project is the identification and demonstration of available most efficient technologies for the renovation of Gründerzeit houses with different architecture to lay the foundation for the utilization of the existing huge energy and CO2 emission reduction potential in the Austrian and international building sector.
The available refurbishment strategies will be demonstrated for defined building categories and further to real objects in a systematic approach. Based on these results the most ecologic and economic efficient refurbishment strategies will be developed. In order to make the results replicable the CO2 emission reduction potential will be collected and preliminary work for a future demonstration object is done.
Available technologies to reduce the CO2 emissions of Gründerzeit houses were collected and represented by literature researches, manufacturers and expert surveys.
The main building characteristics as e.g. open or closed structure, buildings with courtyards, protected facades, etc. were defined by structuring of common building categories.
Two workshops were used to promote the project results to relevant persons of refurbishments of Gründerzeit houses in order to promote future activities and identification of interests.
The identification and analysis of a reference group is used to show the current situation, the feasibility of strategies and to determine the potential of refurbishments in this sector. Based on these results the potential for Vienna, Austria and the Danube region is extrapolated.
The feasibility of the identified strategies is demonstrated at the end of the project for demonstration objects in order to prepare preliminary work for a potential demonstration project.
Energy-oriented refurbishments were carried out in urban regions, often punctual due to protected areas. The stimulation of refurbishments was often limited due to high expenses or restrictions by the conservation of historic monuments.
The reduction of the energy demand as well as the usage of renewable energy resources were the main parameters to reach the project goals. In general, there are many technologies for refurbishment of buildings available, but many of them are limited due to several conditions. From the constructional point of view internal thermal insulation has to be used in most cases, because many buildings are located in protected areas. There are many technologies for the energy supply of Gründerzeit houses as well. The usage of renewable energy resources is often limited to the space requirements of these technologies. The average heating demand of the reference group is about 128 kWh/m2a. Building categories were defined to classify the objects according to the building characteristics. The results of the heating energy demand show only small dependences on the building categories due to homogenous building characteristics in the categories. Larger deviations between the objects are caused by punctual refurbishments with realized thermal optimization. The largest savings can be achieved by the improvement of the thermal building envelop. An equal thermal improvement of street and courtyard located facades shows only small differences in the resulting heating energy demand in the reference group.
Due to the fact that many street located facades are protected the thermal improvement of the courtyard located facades show higher savings. In most cases box-type windows are integrated in Gründerzeit houses which only can be refurbished in case the object is located in a protected area otherwise a window replacement can be considered.
As the results of single actions, a thermal improvement of the facades offers the hugest energy saving potential. Thermal insulation of external construction components according to national building standards reduces the heating demand by 38%. Therefore a internal thermal insulation is required for street located facades in 80% of the objects. In most objects the courtyard located facades are cleared, whereby external insulation can be performed.
Further thermal improvements and the usage of controlled ventilation systems with heat recovery reduce the heating demand by 77%.
A modernization of the heat generation and distribution system reduces the CO2- emissions for heat supply by 60%. In case of ecologic orientated refurbishments CO2 emission savings of about 86% can be achieved.
The feasibility of the systematic approach was demonstrated by three selected objects. The estimated costs for the refurbishments were collected in order to evaluate the ecological efficiency as well as the economic efficiency using specific investment costs for the different refurbishment strategies. The highest efficiency from ecological point of view can be achieved by ecologic orientated refurbishments. Thus this strategy achieves the highest savings of the invested capital. From an economic point of view a refurbishment according to national standards achieves the highest efficiency due to the lowest investment costs.
According to the extrapolation of the project the share of final energy consumption in Viennese Gründerzeit houses is about 50% of the space heating requirement in private households of Vienna. The Austrian share of final energy consumption in private households is estimated by 16% and in the Danube region by 7%. Thus the refurbishment of Gründerzeit houses can achieve an important contribution to reduce CO2 emissions and therefore to fulfill climate protection targets. The project goal of a climate neutral energy supply of Gründerzeit houses can’t be fulfilled entirely. According to the rate of refurbishment savings of about 86% can be achieved. The remaining emissions can be compensated by climate reduction certificates in order to provide a climate neutral heat supply in Gründerzeit houses.
Prospects / Suggestions for future research
The results show the applicability and potential of available technologies for the refurbishment of Gründerzeit houses. The main focus of current refurbishments was the usage of economic single actions. Due to the fact that the refurbishment of historical monuments is not a standard product, in most cases a detailed planning process for refurbishment actions is required. This project gives systematic replicable approaches for future refurbishment projects for Gründerzeit houses. The project gives refurbishment strategies, costs and expectable results to involved persons in an early planning stage.
An extrapolation of the results for Vienna, Austria and the Danube region show a huge energy and CO2 emission reduction potential in this area.
Further the project show that refurbishment by factor 10 are punctually feasible in Gründerzeit houses but have to be elaborated individually for each object. The project results have an important contribution to promote the rate of refurbishment of Gründerzeit houses.
DI Dr. Klaus Reisinger
Project or cooperation partner
- DI Walter Prause, DI Heinz Feix
Zivilingenieurbüro für Bauwesen


jumping shadow 260 from the series: the shadow and I
For a great deal of its history, the shadow is recorded in Western art on a basis of narrative need. The story of St Peter's shadow led to Masaccio's fresco; Murnau made much of the shadow in the film Nosferatu despite his source, Bram Stoker's Dracula being clear that the vampire did not cast a shadow. The works I find interesting are where the existence and depiction of the shadow goes beyond the narrative into a separate reality -- I should name Chamisso's story of Peter Schlemihl and Wilde's story of the Fisherman and the Mermaid.
In China and Japan the shadow of the person, 人影, is almost totally unknown in the classical media of brush and ink or wood block printing. I should like the opportunity to study this difference in more depth.


Cherokee Heritage Trails
“It’s always been my belief that we were put here in the beginning. This is our land. This is where our Creator wanted us to be, because this is where he put us. …”
– Marie Junaluska
From the serene peaks of the Balsams to the muddy banks of the Little Tennessee River, Cherokee Heritage Trails wind through the southern Appalachians, telling the story of the Cherokee people, Ani-Kituhwa-gi, who once commanded all of the Southern Appalachians. Although most of the Cherokee were forcibly removed to Oklahoma on the Trail of Tears in 1838, a small group remained in their homeland, becoming the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians. Today they own about 57,000 acres – the Qualla Boundary, a remnant of their ancestral lands.
This website provides a framework of the Cherokee Heritage Trails Guidebook, which includes descriptions of sites and events on the trails, words from Cherokee people, photographs, and maps. Along with a personal Cherokee Trail Guide, one can experience a glimpse of this great culture through driving tours, individual visits to sites, or extended outdoor experiences – hiking, camping, biking, fishing, canoeing, horseback riding and whitewater adventure.
Celebrating the rich heritage of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, this guide introduces readers to important sites throughout the Cherokee homeland in western North Carolina, eastern Tennessee, and north Georgia. The book presents Cherokee stories, folk arts, and historical information as well as visiting information for Cherokee historic sites. The Cherokee Heritage Trails Guidebook offers a journey into the lands and culture of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, introducing the vibrant world of Cherokee heritage, organized around the seven geographical hubs of the original Cherokee homeland.
The Cherokee Heritage Trails Guidebook ties everything together in a vast tapestry of life and history. Every site presented was chosen by the Cherokee people themselves to represent their heritage and will; help us in our understanding of Cherokee history and culture. Through their words and the imagery presented in the book, the Cherokee people themselves become your personal tour guide on these trails.
For an in-depth look at each one of the interpretive centers along the Cherokee Heritage Trails, including complete articles and quotes, detailed information on all the historical sites, amazing full color photography depicting the land and its people, stories from many of the Cherokee Elders and much more about the wonderful Cherokee culture, make the Cherokee Heritage Trails Guidebook a part of your personal library. Click here to find out more.