We don’t yet know the long-term impact on someone’s lungs when they vape. Or if the air quality where a person grows up puts them at higher risk for respiratory conditions later in life. These issues, and much more, will be examined in a large, first-of-its-kind longitudinal study of lung health led by Northwestern Medicine scientists in partnership with the American Lung Association.
First federally funded U.S. community-based cohort study of millennials
The study, titled “The American Lung Association Lung Health Cohort,” is funded by a $24.8 million grant awarded June 16 by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
In this first federally funded U.S. cohort to study millennials, scientists will capture baseline lung health measurements of 4,000 healthy adults between the ages of 25 to 35 to identify an ideal picture of respiratory health and understand the key risk factors and biomarkers that are associated with impaired lung health.
“We’ve never taken a life-course view of how someone transitions from ideal respiratory health to impaired health to actual lung disease,” said principal investigator Dr. Ravi Kalhan, professor of medicine and preventive medicine at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and a Northwestern Medicine pulmonologist. “We want to come up with a framework to intercept chronic lung disease before it becomes a problem.”
4thChronic lung disease is the fourth-leading cause of death
Findings from the study will arm doctors with information to recognize respiratory problems early and intervene before patients develop chronic lung disease, the fourth-leading cause of death. The long-term goal of the study aims to identify who is at risk for developing chronic lung diseases such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease(COPD), emphysema and pulmonary fibrosis.
“This study of a millennial cohort is the first NHLBI-funded program that plans to look at factors influencing lung health through adulthood,” said James Kiley, director of the NHLBI Division of Lung Diseases. “It has the potential to critically inform the way we think about how lung health varies between individuals and changes as we age.”
Finding the equivalent of ‘cholesterol’ for the lung
It’s commonly accepted that high blood pressure and high cholesterol lead to cardiovascular disease, thanks to large longitudinal studies examining heart health. But lung health hasn’t benefited from this same level of research attention. This study will change that. It is the first federally funded community-based cohort study to focus on lung health.
“Primary care doctors can prevent heart attacks by proactively checking patients’ cholesterol levels, but we don’t do anything similar for respiratory disease,” Kalhan said. “We wait until it becomes a problem and then try to treat it. We hope this study helps us find the equivalent of ‘cholesterol’ for the lung.”
Some study participants will be smokers and some will not. Some will live in cities and others will live in suburban or rural areas. The aim is to recruit a wide range of healthy adults.
“By recruiting men and women from across the nation, we hope our findings ultimately will be relevant to the millions of adults in this generation,” said Mercedes Carnethon, chief of epidemiology in the department of preventive medicine at Feinberg.
The scientists will leverage the national infrastructure of the American Lung Association’s Airways Clinical Research Centers (ACRC) to recruit study participants from its 17 metropolitan centers across the U.S. Chicago is one of those centers.
Scientists will follow these individuals for six years after their initial interviews to track how their environment, lifestyle and physical activity habits affect their respiratory health. The goal is to renew the grant so the scientists can continue to follow the study participants for the rest of their lives.
Determining environmental, e-cigarette, other risk factors
Participants will be measured on their exposure to smoking, drinking and vaping; have a nutritional assessment; wear physical activity monitors and self-report symptoms such as fatigue and sleep disturbances.
The scientists will ask study participants where they lived at key times in their life (e.g. when they were born, started kindergarten, high school, etc.) and use satellite modeling that measures airborne particulates to determine an environmental measurement of their life-course exposure from birth to adulthood.
While the risks of smoking cigarettes has been well documented in epidemiological studies, vaping is a relatively new and understudied trend.
“It’s conceivable that someone who vapes a lot between the ages of 16 and 30, even if they stop, might have a lifetime of potential problems, but we just don’t know what those are,” Kalhan said.
Important to study younger generations
Lung health is believed to reach its peak when a person is between 25 and 35 years old, Kalhan said. By getting a baseline measurement of people in this age range, researchers will be able to identify the exposures and biomarkers that are associated with susceptibly of getting lung disease versus studying people in their 50s and 60s, which is when lung disease symptoms typically surface.
“The future health of the nation is predicated not on just studying baby boomers,” Carnethon said. “We need to study newer generations, current exposures and current risk factors. Everything that was relevant in 1978 is not necessarily relative to today.”
The scientists will request zip codes of where study participants lived in their childhood and teenage years to retroactively track their environmental exposure over their lifetime. Geocoding is currently used in studies but this will be the first time it is used to retroactively track data across an individual’s life-to-date to determine how their environment from birth to young adulthood influences lung health in adult life.
How often have you had bronchitis this year?
Participants will be asked how often they’ve had bronchitis that year and if they were born at full term or early, as premature birth is likely associated with impaired respiratory health, Kalhan said.
“A lot of people go to urgent care for bronchitis, and no one makes a big deal of that, but people who have respiratory symptoms are at increased risk of getting emphysema,” Kalhan said. “It’s not normal to have bronchitis three times a year.”
To track lung health, a person will blow into a breathing machine to see how much air they can produce. While this process indicates when someone has very abnormal results, it lacks the nuance needed to identify small abnormalities in a person’s breathing. This study will uselow-dose CT scans to track intermediate stages of lung injury and abnormalities in the windpipes.
“Why wait around for someone to blow into the machine and have it be grossly abnormal when we could be taking measures to attack their impaired lung health at the onset?” Kalhan said.
“In so many ways, the respiratory system is on the front lines of our health, yet much more research is needed to truly understand how environmental exposures and behaviors impact lung health throughout life,” said American Lung Association President and CEO Harold Wimmer. “This first-of-its-kind study will engage the broader scientific community in an effort to understand respiratory disease, and will serve as a pivotal step forward for the lung health and lives of all Americans. The Lung Association is proud that our Airways Clinical Research Centers Network serves as an integral part of this important work.”
Northwestern is the primary recipient of the NIH grant but scientists from Johns Hopkins Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, University of Michigan, University of Alabama-Birmingham, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and more also will be collaborating on the research along with other institutions from the ACRC.
Funding for this award will be provided by NIH grant 1U01HL146408-01.


The Scout Programs of Adventure Scouts USA have a Scout Code that our Scouts live by and use as aÂ guidepost in their life. Â But our Scouts are not the first to have a code!Â Codes are guidelines of conductÂ people choose to live their life by.Â Many of the codes we have today areÂ guidelines of conduct people choose to abide by.Â In the past, some codes were law.Â Â
In the modern world, living by a code has become less and less common.Â It may seem old-fashioned and quaint to live by a code of conduct, but upon closer examination, many codes, including those of the distant past, represent positive ethical standards we can live by today.
Below are some of the most famous codes people have chosen to live their lives by:Â
The Knightâ€™s Code
Â·Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Always have your armor on, except when you are sleeping.
Â·Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Defend the poor and help those who cannot defend themselves.
Â·Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Do nothing to hurt or offend anyone.
Â·Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Be prepared to fight in the defense of your country.
Â·Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â At whatever you are working, be honest and develop a name for yourself forÂ hard work and fair dealing.
Â·Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Never break your promise.
Â·Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Maintain the honor of your country.
Â·Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Chivalry requireth that youth should be trained to perform the most laborious and humble offices with cheerfulness and grace; and do good unto others.
The Cowboy Code
- The cowboy must never shoot first, hit a smaller man or take unfair advantage.
- He must never go back on his word or a trust confided in him.
- He must always tell the truth.
- He must be gentle with children, the elderly and animals.
- He must not advocate or possess racially or religiouslyÂ intolerant ideas.
- He must help people in distress.
- He must be a good worker.
- He must keep himself clean in thought, speech, action, and personal habits.
- He must respect women, parents, and his nation's laws.
- The cowboy is a patriot.
The Ten CommandmentsÂ
- You shall have no other gods beside Me.
- YouÂ shall not make a graven image.
- YouÂ shall not take the name of God in vain.
- Remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy.
- Honor your father and your mother.
- You shall not murder.
- You shall not commit adultery.
- You shall not steal.
- You shall not bear false witness.
- You shall not covet.Â
Below is a Code that was actually becameÂ law.Â The Code of Hammurabi is considered one of the oldest codes in existence.Â
The Code of HammurabiÂ
Hammurabi was a great king of Mesopotamia.Â We crafted a set of 282 laws for his people to live by.Â Amazingly some of those laws seem up-to-date, such as detailed instruction on what should be paid for certain service and goods, and laws of marriage, such as that a woman who was being treated unfairly could legally leave.Â
The Code of Ur-NammuÂ
The code of Ur-Nammu may actually have been written by his son Shulgi, a Sumerian, who ruled from 2094-2047 BC. Two stone tablets containing part of the Code remain and are kept in a museum in Istanbul. The Code of Ur-Nammu was also surprisingly modern with detailed instructions about how to do business, how people were compensated, how to deal with theft, fire and more.Â Â
Some of these laws are also amazingly modern, including laws that men and woman were to be treated equally.Â
Codes provide us a glimpse of how people used to do things and what values they had.Â Some of those codes are surprisingly valuable to us in the modern age, and offer a perspective to our Scouts that there are others who came before them who also chose to live by their own guidelines.


Organ Transplantation: Current Challenges and Solutions
Transplantation has become one of the miracles of modern medicine. The World Health Organization estimates that more than 120,000 patients benefit from organ transplantation annually across the world. Although the activity is impressive, it barely covers 10% of the global transplantation needs of patients. As a result of organ shortage, many patients die or endure a poor quality of life while waiting for an organ. Organ shortage is therefore the main limitation to the expansion of transplantation therapies.
Since the creation of the Spanish Organización Nacional de Trasplantes (ONT) back in 1989 and the implementation of the so-called Spanish Model on Organ Donation and Transplantation, Spain has been a worldwide leader in organ donation and transplantation activities. The key for success of the Spanish system is an appropriate management of the process of deceased donation — since the identification of donation opportunities to the successful transplantation of organs in patients in need. Donor coordinators with the most appropriate profile (intensive care physicians) are designated in every hospital with a potential for organ donation. National and regional health authorities guarantee adequate guidance and continuous training of the donor coordination network. There is also a constant evaluation of performance in deceased donation through a Quality Assurance Programme. A specific relationship with the mass media has replaced any public campaign in support for organ donation. Hospitals are reimbursed to cover all resources required for donation, procurement and transplantation activities. The Spanish model on Organ Donation and Transplantation has been partially or completely reproduced by other countries with successful results.
The Spanish system has also adapted to a scenario where mortality relevant to organ donation is decreasing, neurocritical care improves and important changes have occurred in the care of patients at the end of life. Novel strategies to increase donation opportunities include intensive care to enable organ donation, the use of organs from expanded and non-standard risk donors, and donation after circulatory death.
The progress towards self-sufficiency in transplantation does not only entail increasing the availability of organs, but also decreasing the needs through preventive strategies that reduce the occurrence of with chronic –or acute—diseases treatable through transplantation. A recent example of public health policies impacting upon the need of transplantation is that of Direct-Acting Antivirals for the treatment of hepatitis C virus infection. Action in terms of reducing the incidence of acute – and chronic rejection – or inducing tolerance in transplanted patients can also contribute to reduce the need for re-transplantation.
The creation of human organs by 3D printing or by chimerism whereby animals can “incubate” human organs is a current area of active research. Although the future in clinics of these initiatives is still to de delineated, not only they could help to confront the shortage of organs for transplantation, but also prevent the rejection of organs that are created with recipient`s own cells.
KEYWORDS & TOPICS
Organ donation and procurement; Transplantation; Intensive Care; Donation after Circulatory Death; Cell therapy
Speaker: Beatriz Domínguez-Gil González
Institution: Organización Nacional de Trasplantes


Forced Induction: Understanding Turbochargers, Intercoolers and Superchargers
Car racing, especially during the 80's, has had many influences on the automobile industry, including developing better ways to squeeze every ounce of performance out of engines and combustion elements. One of the most effective areas to "tweak" in automotive performance is to maximize the intake of air into the engine. The everyday "naturally aspirated" internal combustion engine relies on the negative pressure or vacuum that is caused by the pistons as each one moves down, sucking a mixture of air and fuel into its cylinder. As elegant and ingeniously simple as this method is, it leaves a lot of room for improvement.
Forced induction encompasses a variety of methods that can be employed to boost the performance of the internal combustion engine. In all cases, the goal of the device is to force more oxygen-laden air to mix with the fuel before being ignited. In the world of forced induction, turbochargers and superchargers dominate the field.
Turbochargers are air compressors linked to and driven by exhaust-powered turbines. It is the exhaust gases from the engine's combustion processes that drive the turbine's wheel. When the wheel of the turbine rotates, it concentrates the mass of the air entering the engine. The "boost" or pressure in psi, pounds per square inch inside the compressor, is proportional to the increase in power an engine will achieve.
Supercharged cars step the aspiration process up by utilizing a compressor that is directly driven by a belt, chain or gear/shaft combo spun by the engine's crankshaft. Superchargers are often referred to as blowers and you will hear them when they engage - a droning, winding, humming sound is produced. The result, as with a turbocharger, is an increased amount of per-cylinder oxygen which is one of the 3 components needed to create combustion. The other two are a spark from the plugs and fuel (gasoline).
The Combined Gas Law is a mathematical law that states that compressing air raises its temperature. When a turbocharger or supercharger is used to increase engine power, the increased volume of oxygen entering the air intake manifold is less concentrated. This thinner air delivers less air and fuel mass to the engine. The colder the air, the more mass it has, and the more power it can deliver, thus the purpose for intercooling.
Aftermarket and Manufacturer Installed:
To increase power and performance, or to just increase fuel efficiency, devices such as turbochargers are being installed in today's production cars. The 2008 BMW 328i Coupe offers a naturally aspirated 3.0 Liter 6-cylinder engine which produces 230hp. For those who do not mind paying a few extra installments on their auto loan, the 2008 BMW 335i Coupe offers a twin-turbocharged version of the same engine which produces 300hp. Many production performance vehicles and luxury performance vehicles offer a turbocharged trim level with a significant horsepower uptick. For those who possess the funds and the motivation, aftermarket outlets are well-stocked with supercharger, turbo and intercooler kits to quench your thirst for power.
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Friday December 27, 2013
Under Prime Minister Erdogan, Turkey became directly involved in the Syrian crisis as his support for the Muslim Brotherhood brought an ideological context to Turkey’s hostile stance against Assad’s government.
At the beginning of 2011, continuing protests against Assad finally led to the end of the 48-year state of emergency in Syria and an amnesty for political prisoners, not without US and EU pressure. But several months later a well-known US whistleblower Sibel Edmonds claimed that the US and Turkey have been giving logistic aid and military training to the Syrian armed opposition since “April-May 2011”. Edmonds even declared that the US Air Force base in İncirlik (Turkey) was used as a training facility for the so-called Free Syrian Army and other opponents of the Damascus regime – in her own words, “the dissident base in Syria.”
In June 2011, the Assad government declared that 120 members of its security forces were killed by “armed gangs” in the northwestern town of Jisr al-Shughour, located about 16 kilometers from Turkey’s Hatay region. Assad’s troops laid siege to the town and more than 10,000 people subsequently fled to Turkey.


Twitter: @rodgermitchell; Search #monetarysovereignty
Facebook: Rodger Malcolm Mitchell
●Those, who do not understand the differences between Monetary Sovereignty and monetary non-sovereignty, do not understand economics.
●The more federal budgets are cut and taxes increased, the weaker an economy becomes. .
●Liberals think the purpose of government is to protect the poor and powerless from the rich and powerful. Conservatives think the purpose of government is to protect the rich and powerful from the poor and powerless.
●The single most important problem in economics is the gap between rich and poor.
●Austerity is the government’s method for widening the gap between rich and poor.
●Until the 99% understand the need for federal deficits, the upper 1% will rule.
●To survive long term, a monetarily non-sovereign government must have a positive balance of payments.
●Everything in economics devolves to motive, and the motive is the Gap.
I just thought you should know. Lunch really can be free.
This means, the U.S. government, including all federal agencies, never unintentionally can run short of dollars.
“In the beginning,” there was no dollar. Think of the U.S. government as the God of the dollar. The government originally produced from thin air, the laws that, in turn, created the very first dollar. Like God, the government continues to rule the laws that create dollars from thin air.
Because the dollar is the result of laws, and the U.S. government has 100% control over those laws, the federal government cannot unintentionally run short of dollars. Even if all federal taxes fell to $0, the government would not run short of dollars.
That is why, in a narrow sense, the U.S government always has been Monetarily Sovereign. But during the past 200+ years of our life, the government arbitrarily has passed laws that temporarily limited its functional sovereignty over the dollar.
Functional Monetary Sovereignty is not an absolute; it is a comparative. We can function as more or less sovereign.
The most notorious of such limiting laws tied the dollar to gold and silver. During the gold and silver periods, the U.S. functionally was not as Monetarily Sovereign as it is today, though being God of the dollar, it always retained the right to make itself more or less functionally sovereign over the dollar.
On August 15, 1971, the government (President Nixon), arbitrarily decided to eliminate the last vestiges of laws tying the dollar to gold, and since that day, the U.S. has been far more functionally sovereign over the dollar.
Yet, some restrictive laws remain, particularly the debt limit laws and certain borrowing and accounting laws, which reduce functional sovereignty. Still, the U.S. government, being the God of the dollar, can do anything it wishes with the dollar, merely by changing its own laws.
Compare this with the euro nations. Greece is not Monetarily Sovereign. It is not sovereign over the euro. It did not create the euro and cannot pass laws changing the euro. Greece is monetarily non-sovereign, because it has no sovereign currency. Greece is not God of its currency.
Similarly, Illinois, Boston, Microsoft, banks, you and I are not Monetarily Sovereign. None of us has a sovereign currency. Though we have been given the right to create and destroy dollars (by borrowing and lending), we do so at the mercy of the federal government, which arbitrarily can change the laws at any time it chooses. We are not Gods of the dollar.
Visualize the game of Monopoly in which I both am a player and the rules maker. I would be the God of the Monopoly dollar.
To pay for a Monopoly property, I arbitrarily might decide to take scraps of paper and write on them $1 or $10 or whatever I choose, and give these scraps to the property owner. I can do anything. I am Monetary Sovereign over the Monopoly dollar.
For any reasons I choose, I might decide to create a rule limiting myself to creating no more than $10 on any turn. I’m still Monetarily Sovereign, but functionally less so.
However, if I find myself running short of Monopoly dollars, I simply could change my own rules, and give myself the right to create more dollars. I can do anything. I am Monetarily Sovereign. I am the God of the Monopoly dollar.
Had the U.S. government decided not to create dollar bills, but rather decreed dollars would be represented by turnips, today we all would use turnips. The government would remain Monetarily Sovereign – the God of the dollar – but dollar creation would be limited by the turnip supply.
Always through its history, the federal government has pretended it is not the God of the dollar. Why? Economists wrongly have told the government that exercising its rights as God of the dollar, would lead to instability and inflation.
But, being the God of the dollar, the government not only has the power to create and destroy dollars, it has the power to set the value of dollars, i.e. to end or create inflation at will.
Many Monetarily Sovereign governments have exercised their God-like power over the value of their sovereign currency, simply and arbitrarily by changing its exchange value. Years ago, the UK did it; Mexico did it; many Monetarily Sovereign countries have done it.
Greece, France, Italy, Spain and other euro nations can’t do it. They are not Monetarily Sovereign. They are not Gods of the euro.
Believing the economists, that without restrictions, the dollar would be unstable and subject to inflation, the U.S. government always has restricted its God-like powers. These restrictions have made people – even people in the government – wrongly believe the government was less God-like – less Monetarily Sovereign – than it really is.
We see evidences of this, everywhere. The federal government unnecessarily levies taxes to obtain the dollars it can create at will, even though it neither needs, nor uses, those taxes.
The government even has created a complex, convoluted accounting system to track those taxes – a system which gives the false impression that somehow those taxes actually support government spending.
The twin facts that the Monetarily Sovereign government – the God of the dollar — can create dollars at will, and also being the law-maker, can change the accounting system at will – these twin facts seem lost to the public consciousness.
Today, most of the government pretends, and most of the public believes, that the federal government is monetarily non-sovereign, that it needs to tax and needs to borrow dollars, that it needs to “live within its means,” and that it is “broke” and that, for all the wrong reasons, needs to starve our economy for dollars.
Slowly and agonizingly, we try to recover from a recession caused by, exacerbated by and continued by a shortage of money. America has the people; we have the technology; we have the brains and physical resources – we have everything we need to create a vibrant, wealthy economy – we have everything but sufficient dollars.
Our Monetarily Sovereign government, the God of our dollar, levies unnecessary taxes, restricts spending, impoverishes the middle and lower classes, and brainwashes the public into believing these restrictions are prudent.
With the passage of a few laws and the press of a computer key, our government instantly could make American citizens the wealthiest people the world ever has known, now and forever.
It might seem too easy; it might seem to be too good to be true; it might seem like the proverbial free lunch.
But in this case, easy really is easy, and too good to be true really is true, and lunch really can be free.
I just thought you should know.
Rodger Malcolm Mitchell
Ten Steps to Prosperity:
1. Eliminate FICA (Click here)
2. Federally funded Medicare — parts A, B & D plus long term nursing care — for everyone (Click here)
3. Provide an Economic Bonus to every man, woman and child in America, and/or every state a per capita Economic Bonus. (Click here) Or institute a reverse income tax.
4. Free education (including post-grad) for everyone. Click here
5. Salary for attending school (Click here)
6. Eliminate corporate taxes (Click here)
7. Increase the standard income tax deduction annually
8. Tax the very rich (.1%) more, with higher, progressive tax rates on all forms of income. (Click here)
9. Federal ownership of all banks (Click here)
10. Increase federal spending on the myriad initiatives that benefit America’s 99% (Click here)
10 Steps to Economic Misery: (Click here:)
1. Maintain or increase the FICA tax..
2. Spread the myth Social Security, Medicare and the U.S. government are insolvent.
3. Cut federal employment in the military, post office, other federal agencies.
4. Broaden the income tax base so more lower income people will pay.
5. Cut financial assistance to the states.
6. Spread the myth federal taxes pay for federal spending.
7. Allow banks to trade for their own accounts; save them when their investments go sour.
8. Never prosecute any banker for criminal activity.
9. Nominate arch conservatives to the Supreme Court.
10. Reduce the federal deficit and debt
No nation can tax itself into prosperity, nor grow without money growth. Monetary Sovereignty: Cutting federal deficits to grow the economy is like applying leeches to cure anemia.
Two key equations in economics:
1. Federal Deficits – Net Imports = Net Private Savings
2. Gross Domestic Product = Federal Spending + Private Investment and Consumption – Net Imports
THE RECESSION CLOCK
Vertical gray bars mark recessions.
As the federal deficit growth lines drop, we approach recession, which will be cured only when the growth lines rise. Increasing federal deficit growth (aka “stimulus”) is necessary for long-term economic growth.


I like sense-of-wonder science, like Carl Sagan’s assertions that we are “starstuff”. This sounds as if it’s going to be in that vein, and in a way it is — certainly it brings home that it’s only possible for us to have iron in our blood because of ancient fusion in the hearts of stars — but on a more banal level, it’s the perfect way of revising what you’ve learnt in the Open University’s introduction to science module, S104. If you can follow and understand everything here, you’re okay on at least the first and second book of that course.
It’s fairly simply written, not going too much into depth about the technical details, but more providing a survey of some important scientific discoveries. Though the title The Universe Within may imply that it’s more about our own bodies, it actually goes into a lot of Earth science, touching on continental drift, global warming, even the formation of planets and the existence of water in the solar system.
It’s an easy enough read, and not a bad way to check your understanding.


View Historical Changes in Local Government Employment
How has local government employment changed? View historical data to see employment for various job functions.
Employment for different sectors of local government has fluctuated, but generally climbed over the past few decades.
The U.S. Census Bureau conducts an annual survey of government agencies measuring employment and payroll. Governing compiled U.S. totals dating back to 1993, viewable in the chart below.
The most recent 2010 estimates showed local governments employed about 12.2 million full-time equivalent workers across the country, a nearly 28 percent jump since 1993. Population increased about 20 percent over the 17-year period.
Of course, local government employment has more recently declined. Along with the 2010 cuts shown in the chart, the Labor Department estimates local governments shed 181,000 jobs from payrolls in 2011.
Figures reported from the Census of Governments are listed for 1997, 2002 and 2007; other yearly figures represent survey estimates. The bureau's governments division said historical data is comparable.
It's also important to note the census figures do not include government contracting, which continues to grow considerably for some functions of local government.
A few areas of government experienced significant historical shifts in employment. Yesterday's story examines changes in local library staffing levels.
Are there are any numbers or trends in the chart you find particularly interesting? Let us know in the comments section.
How estimates were compiled: Read the Census Bureau's methodology
Join the Discussion
After you comment, click Post. You can enter an anonymous Display Name or connect to a social profile.
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n. Any of various odd-toed ungulates, of the family ''(taxlink Chalicotheriidae family noshow=1)'', from the Eocene and Pleistocene periods
Chalicotheres (from Greekchalix, "gravel" + therion, "beast") were a group of herbivorous, odd-toed ungulate(perissodactyl) mammals spread throughout North America, Europe, Asia, and Africa during the Middle Eocene to Early Pleistocene subepochs living from 46.2 mya—781,000 years ago, existing approximately .
They evolved around 46 million years ago from small, forest animals similar to the early horses. Many chalicotheres, including such animals as Moropus and Chalicotherium, reached the size of a horse. By the late Oligocene, they had divided into two groups: one that grazed in open areas and another that was more adapted to woodlands. They died out around 781,000 years ago, Nestoritherium being the most recently dated chalicothere. Chalicotheres are related to the extinct brontotheres, as well as to modern day horses, rhinoceroses, and tapirs.
Usage examples of "chalicothere".
Most of these remains were actually of rhinos, giraffes, elephants, lions, and chalicotheres, the huge mammals of the Pleistocene brought to light by the tectonic churning of this place, where Africa drove slowly north into Eurasia.
For a heartbeat he stood upright, peering out into a world beyond the primates' reach, out into the green emptiness where animals walked, the antelopes, elephants, and chalicotheres grazing the abundant grass.


Farming is the process of growing Food or other resources to aid in survival. In general, it requires a permanent base camp where the crops can be planted and grown. There are several types of farming including Farms, transplanted items such as Berry Bushes, and Ranching.
Farms are made by creating Basic or Improved Farms which are fertile patches of ground where Vegetables can be grown. Once built, Seeds can be planted in them which will grow into random vegetables, or Crop Seeds for specific crops. Some Vegetables grown from regular Seeds appear more frequently than others (see table, below).
Farms can be used to grow 20 (basic) or 30 (improved) vegetables before they lose fertility and require additional fertilizing. Crops will only grow if they have light and when the temperature is above 5 degrees; growth stops any other time. When temperature is above 28 degrees crops grow 100% faster; when it's Raining crops grow up to 300% (depending on precipitation rate, which will vary over the course of the rain) faster. This means that when it is hot and raining heavily, crops grow up to 400% faster.
|Basic Farm||Improved Farm|
|8 Grass, 4 Manure, 4 Logs
Growth Time: 4 days of light
20 uses before re-fertilizing
|10 Grass, 6 Manure, 4 Stone|
Growth Time: 2 days of light
30 uses before re-fertilizing
Specific vegetables can be grown in Farms by using Crop Seeds. These seeds are produced by feeding a Bird imprisoned in a Birdcage any vegetable or fruit; except for Mandrakes or Berries. The Bird will drop 1 or 2 Crop Seeds of the selected type, plus an occasional regular Seed (total of 3 possible seeds). Once planted, Crop Seeds will grow into their corresponding crop.
The following crops can be grown in Farms:
Items such as Guano, Manure, Rot, and Rotten Eggs can be used as fertilizers. When placed on the sprout in a Farm, fertilizers will advance its growth. The amount of fertilizer needed to fully grow a newly planted crop depends on the type of Farm and the type of fertilizer.
Guano substitutes 1.5 days, Manure substitutes 1 day, and Rot/Rotten Egg substitutes 0.25 days. Thus, Basic Farms need 3 Guano, 4 Manure or 16 Rot/Rotten Eggs, and Improved Farms need only 2 Guano, 2 Manure or 8 Rot/Rotten Eggs to fully grow a newly planted crop. Fertilizers do not advance crop growth when it's below 0 degrees in Winter, and using a fire to warm the area will not change this.
Fertilizers are also needed when a Farm loses fertility, which happens after 20 or 30 uses depending on the type of Farm. When a Farm is depleted, it will turn a lighter shade of brown and cannot be used for growing anything until fertilizer is added. Guano will rejuvenate a Farm for 12 additional uses, Manure for 10 and Rot/Rotten Eggs will only provide 2.
Fertilizers are also needed for transplanted plants. Berry Bushes and Grass Tufts that are dug up with a shovel and replanted must be fertilized before they will start to grow again. After a Berry Bush has been harvested 3-5 times or a Grass Tuft 20 times, they will require additional fertilizer. Naturally grown Bushes, Grass, and Saplings never need to be fertilized.
In Reign of Giants, Glommer's Goop substitutes 1 day, so 4 are needed for a Basic Farm and 2 are needed for an Improved Farm. Additionally, Glommer's Goop rejuvenates a Farm for 8 additional uses when used on an empty farm bed.
The Bucket-o-poop acts like regular Manure, substituting 1 day and rejuvenating 10 additional uses on a farm.
Crops no longer get a 100% bonus growth rate from heat and can wither in extreme heat. Spring gives a 25% bonus on a crops' growth rate when it is not raining.
Berry Bushes, Grass Tufts, Saplings, and Spiky Bushes can all be dug up with a shovel and replanted anywhere. Typically, this is done to move them closer to a base camp for easy harvesting. Tufts and Bushes will need to be fertilized after being planted. Replanted Saplings and Spiky Bushes do not need to be fertilized. During winter, with the exception of Spiky Bushes, these plants will grow so slowly, they will seem not to regrow at all.
Using Pine Cones, Evergreens can be grown anywhere and will be active in both seasons. They can provide a constant and renewable source of Logs, but caution should be taken with any spawning Treeguards.
Planting these items close together will make them easy to quickly gather, but it leaves them vulnerable to Lightning strikes, which can set the entire patch ablaze. This can be mitigated by planting in groups with gaps or building a Lightning Rod. Having them close together also leaves them vulnerable to a mass Fire, whether from Willow's Insanity, a Red Hound dying, Summer heat, or other reason.
Lureplants do not spawn their Eyeplants on Rocky Turf, Cave Rock Turf, Cobblestones, and Wooden, Carpeted or Checkerboard Flooring. This means that surrounding the Lureplant with these types of turf will make it safe to harvest its Leafy Meat.
The Leafy Meat can be eaten, given to Pigs to befriend them, or given to a caged bird for a fresh Egg. Once harvested, the Lureplant takes two days to spawn another Leafy Meat. To harvest the Leafy Meat without hitting the plant, the player must unequip any weapon and then click on the Lureplant. If the player doesn't farm the Lureplant for a few days, and then go to the plant and try to take the Meat, it will count as if it already spoiled and the player does not get anything.
Since Lureplants are inactive in Winter, Leafy Meat will be unavailable for the season.
The slime can be farmed by luring the Snurtles or Slurtles with a container on the ground containing a bunch of mineral items. The critters will stick around to eat the rocks and produce slime. Building Walls can keep them in one place.
Ranching is the farming of animals such as Butterflies, Pigs, Rabbits, and Beefalo. Generally, ranching can only be done with animals that can respawn. Each type of animal requires its own way of ranching.
Butterfly farms can be produced by catching butterflies in a Bug Net. Once captured, they can be planted as Flowers anywhere. Flowers require no maintenance and can spawn additional Butterflies as soon as they are planted. When the Butterfly population is high enough, they can be killed for their Wings or Butter. Butterflies will spawn in all seasons except for Winter. As with most farms, building a Lightning Rod should be the only necessary defense.
One can plant Butterflies that are caught near Beefalo herds. The Beefalo will attack any Butterflies that spawn from Flowers during their mating season. Any items that the Butterflies drop can be safely collected while wearing a Beefalo Hat.
Another way to farm butterflies, exclusive to Don't Starve Together, is to plant a Flower near Magma. The spawning butterflies will die due to the fire damage. However this method is risky if the Dragonfly is nearby.
In Shipwrecked DLC, planting flowers around an Elephant Cactus will make for an efficient and resource-friendly butterfly farm. Players will need to wear a Cactus Armor to be able to harvest the drops safely.
Moleworms can be farmed by releasing several placed Moleworms in an enclosed area. Moleworms will be moved out of their Burrows when hit with a Hammer or when their Burrows are dug out with the Shovel. Once placed in an enclosed area, the Moleworms will create new Burrows from which they'll respawn after being killed.
Catcoon may be farmed for its gifts. This can be done by creating an enclosed wall around a Catcoon and flowers. Catcoon will use the butterflies from the flowers to spit out gifts.
In order to have more than one Catcoon in an enclosed wall, a new space must be created, as the wild Catcoon and the befriended Catcoon are aggressive towards each other. After some time, befriended Catcoon will become wild Catcoon, and it will be safe to conjoin the two. Note, player should only befriend one Catcoon at a time, since if more than one befriended Catcoons are to reach the player, the Catcoon that first spits out the gift will start attacking the other Catcoon.
Bees and Honey
A Bee Box will spawn a Bee every 2 minutes, up to a maximum of 4. If any of these Bees are caught or killed, another one will spawn after the 2-minute cooldown. The Bees can be caught with a Bug Net and then be either murdered for Stingers and Honey or used to make Bee Mines. If a Bee is caught, all Bees still inside its box will become Killer Bees and attack the player, and homeless Bees outside will often join them.
When Bees successfully visit 6 Flowers, they will return to their box and increase the amount of Honey contained in it by 1, up to a maximum of 6. Honey can then be harvested at the Bee Box, but the Bees inside the box will come out as hostile regular Bees. A Beekeeper Hat is advised to tank the damage, or the player can just run away until the Bees lose interest. Harvesting Honey while all 4 Bees are outside the box will result in no bees attacking. If the player wanders too far away from the Bee Boxes, the game will hibernate the boxes and decrease the speed at which Honey is produced by several times.
Bee Boxes are dormant in Winter: Bees don't leave their homes, and the Honey stays on the boxes until the player gathers it. Gathering honey this way during winter is easier, since the bees do not come out to attack when the player collects their honey. The game's hibernation system actually assists the player in winter, as Bee Boxes far enough from the player will still produce honey at hibernation rates regardless of the bees' lack of activity.
Pigs spawn from Pig Houses. Each house will spawn one Pig at a time. If the Pig dies, another will respawn after 4 days. Pigs sometimes drop Pig Skin when killed, which is required to make additional Pig Houses. Pigs can be convinced to fight and chop trees for the player by giving them meats, and they produce Manure when fed vegetables.
Pigs left outside during a full moon will transform into Werepigs, and become hostile towards everything. Feeding a Pig 4 pieces of Monster Foods ( ) will automatically transform it into a Werepig. They drop 2 Meat and 1 Pig Skin when killed. Werepigs will quickly eat any food lying on the ground. Normal Pigs in the area will not target the player attacking a Werepig, making them a good option for farming regular meat.
Bunnymen are the Cave counterparts of Pigs. They spawn from Rabbit Hutches and function similar to Pigs, but several traits make them more difficult to recruit and use as allies. They're suited for nocturnal protection at which Pigs fail and can be used to farm Spiders. Their Bunny Puffs can be used to make a Fur Roll or more Rabbit Hutches.
A way to create more beefalo herds is that find any Baby Beefalo or Teen Beefalo who has not yet grown up, and deport it to the an location you want, maintain before nightfall do not let it return to the original group, and it will sleep on the spot at night, players must build the wall around it at this timmer (also use Wood Fence in Don't Starve Together), when it grows up, it will use it as its own territory, you can free it, it will start to increase the number of Beefalo after the next estrus.
Spiders spawn from Spider Dens, objects that may be spawned by planting Spider Eggs. Spider Eggs can be obtained by killing a Spider Queen or destroying a tier 3 den. The higher the tier of the den, the more Spiders and Spider Warriors spawn from it. Spiders, when killed, will drop either Monster Meat, Silk or Spider Glands.
A simple method to farm spider drops is by placing Traps near the den. Step on the Sticky Webbing to get the spiders to come out, then lead them to the Traps. Repeat until the den is empty. It is a simple but time-consuming method.
The player may build Pig Houses or Rabbit Hutches around the den to kill stray Spiders, but surviving Pigs will eat Monster Meat on sight (possibly turning into Werepigs) and Bunnymen will attack a player gathering Monster Meat.
(Not to be confused with Bunnymen) A good spot to farm Rabbits would be an area with at least three Rabbit Holes near each other. Place Traps directly on top of the Rabbit Hole, so when the Rabbit comes out, it will instantly be trapped. Rarely, the Rabbit may trigger the Trap without being caught. The best time to check traps is before dusk. Rabbits will hibernate during Spring, but caved-in Rabbit Holes can be dug up with a Shovel. This will disrupt hibernating Rabbits, making it possible to trap them. However this approach will destroy the Rabbit Hole, preventing more Rabbits to spawn from it.
Captured rabbits may also be relocated to a penned-in area for later slaughter. Simply drop the rabbit from your inventory in the pen while it is still alive. Since the rabbit holes will spawn new rabbits periodically (even if the original is still alive somewhere), this is a good way to stockpile food for Winter.


We bloggers are so tied to our laptops that we often times take them, and our constant connection to a never ending flow of information, for granted. We write and read about some amazing eco-friendly and environmentally-conscious design initiatives. But often times the socially-focused projects have the most potential to incite change, like Fuseproject’s XO computer designed for the One Laptop Per Child program, which provides not only an ingeniously designed piece of technology, but a plan to deliver said technology to an otherwise technologically underprivileged demographic. The cleverly-designed, fully-loaded XO laptop will be delivered in mass quantities to developing countries for about $130 each, giving thousands of children access to the web and other educational applications. This past July, Nigeria placed the first hefty order of one million units. And just last month, XO was honored with Popular Science magazine’s “Best of What’s New” Award.
In development for over a year now, the One Laptop Per Child design and program has come a long way. The initiative began as a non-profit organization, spearheaded by Nicholas Negroponte of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and has received sponsorship and support from many parties including the United Nations Development Programme and technical support from Google, Skype, and Linux RedHat.
After multiple rounds of prototyping, the designers at FuseProject have produced a compact, highly-functional, and engaging final product. The device boasts a slew of streamlined features, from its Wi-Fi antenna “rabbit ears” and energy-efficient LCD to the digital writing tablet and integrated video camera. Networking capabilities allow children to connect to each other, their school, their teacher, and the Web. And if that weren’t enough, the machine runs off of power from a variety of sources- from rechargeable batteries to hand cranks, and eventually solar energy. When closed, the laptop features an integrated handle and is completely protected from dust and dirt, allowing each student to transport their laptop to and from school. Aesthetically, the XO is simple yet kid-friendly, engaging, tactile, and even anthropomorphic.
Despite the forward-thinking design, the laptop and OLPC program has received some criticism surrounding a variety of issues. Questions raised include skepticism as to how the machines will actually be used in classrooms, doubts about the efficacy of the software and technical configurations, worries that the program will vastly increase the amount of material waste in the developing world, and if the laptop itself could be “greener.” Others wonder if a laptop is the appropriate device to bridge the digital divide, and worry it may follow in the footsteps of the somewhat disappointing Simputer.
At the end of the day, and amidst the constant debates, we think the One Laptop Per Child program is a wonderful thing, and a brave step in the right direction. At the risk of sounding overly-idealistic, the continued, if controversial, discussion should be encouraging, proving that we’re committed to doing things better and finding efficient ways of delivering resources to those who need them. Congratulations to FuseProject on an ingenious design for a global problem. As for the actual implementation, only time will tell how effective and influential the program will prove to be. In the meantime, we’d love to hear your thoughts…


The Yalta conference was followed by the Potsdam conference after Germany had surrendered unconditionally and Japan continued to fight. Churchill was replaced by Clement Atlee as the prime minister of Great Britain in the middle of the conference. Stalin was joined by the United States’ new president, Harry Truman, Clement Atlee and Winston Churchill at the beginning of the Potsdam Conference. This time the United States established the United Nations. An establishment of a council of foreign ministers, a way to rid the German navy and merchant marine, conclusion of peace treaties and admission into the UN was agreed upon too. At this meeting, the three countries were drawing up an ultimatum for Japan to either surrender unconditionally or prepare for th...
... middle of paper ...
...nullify the hostility between both countries.
"Yalta Conference." World History: The Modern Era. ABC-CLIO, 2014. Web. 20 Mar. 2014.
"Korean War." World History: The Modern Era. ABC-CLIO, 2014. Web. 31 Mar. 2014.
"Truman Doctrine (1947)." World History: The Modern Era. ABC-CLIO, 2014. Web. 1 Apr. 2014.
"Potsdam Conference." World History: The Modern Era. ABC-CLIO, 2014. Web. 1 Apr. 2014.
"Marshall Plan (1947)." World History: The Modern Era. ABC-CLIO, 2014. Web. 1 Apr. 2014.
Willbanks, James H. "Berlin airlift." World History: The Modern Era. ABC-CLIO, 2014. Web. 1 Apr. 2014.
"North Atlantic Treaty Organization." World History: The Modern Era. ABC-CLIO, 2014. Web. 1 Apr. 2014.
"Korean War." World History: The Modern Era. ABC-CLIO, 2014. Web. 1 Apr. 2014.
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- Freedom After World War I The years following World War I were very different than the ones leading up to it. Between the years of 1920 and 1953, America was undergoing many different changes in its society. Beginning with the Roaring Twenties and the Great Depression, moving into the New Deal Era, and finally the wartimes, the meaning of freedom changed frequently for the people living on the American land. The boundaries of peoples' freedoms changed as well. For the better or for the worse, due to changes in the American society and ways of life, people living in America during these 33 years experienced living differently than they had lived years prior to these.... [tags: American History]
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Over the past several weeks, we have discussed how to move the story along through transitional means of scenes and chapters. This week, we’re going start looking at what goes into each scene. We’ll assess each scene and build them to appear realistic and draw the reader into story.
Imagine the story is part of a scene of a play. You have well developed characters in the wings ready to act out the story lines that you have ready for them. However, the stage is still bare, and the props have not yet been gathered. The characters also do not have their scripts. By the end of this month, your characters will have all of these.
This week our focus will be on the setting so get out your paint brushes and get ready to develop your story’s backdrop.
Setting is the place of story and answers the questions where and when. Writers and readers expect a story to take place somewhere and at some time. Setting includes locations (indoors and outdoors), cities or countries or planets, era or age, time of day, and cultural milieu.
Since you have written the first draft and have developed your book this far, you have, at least, a general idea of the details of your setting. Setting is a necessity, but it doesn’t affect readers the way plot and character do, and readers aren’t drawn into the novel because of the story’s setting. However, setting does effect mood and event possibilities and character temperament. Change the novel’s setting and you create a new story.
Setting influences character type, word choice, pace, tone, even genre. Setting enhances story by enfolding plot and character in a place where they fit, where their strengths can best be highlighted. Setting helps characters and events shine, it gives them a backdrop that allows them to show what best fits the story and hide what doesn’t belong.
Writers can use setting to bolster their weak areas—bring depth to a plot-first story by introducing a setting that heightens the characters’ strengths and weaknesses. Setting can be used as a jumping off place for a dramatic action scene.
Scenes in plays are similar to scenes in novels. If you write a short section in which something significant happens in a single setting, then it is a scene. The scene directly affects what happens later. “What happens later” is the sequel. Here is a good article on how to write perfect scenes.
Action launches tend to energize the reader’s physical senses. To create an action launch:
1. GET STRAIGHT TO THE ACTION. Don’t drag your feet here. “Jimmy jumped off the cliff” rather than “Jimmy stared at the water, imagining how cold it would feel when he jumped.”
2. HOOK THE READER WITH BIG OR SURPRISING ACTIONS. An outburst, car crash, violent heart attack or public fight at the launch of a scene allows for more possibilities within it.
3. BE SURE THAT THE ACTION IS TRUE TO YOUR CHARACTER. Don’t have a shy character choose to become suddenly uninhibited at the launch of a scene. Do have a bossy character belittle another character in a way that creates conflict.
4. ACT FIRST, THINK LATER. If a character is going to think in your action opening, let the action come first, as in, “Elizabeth slapped the Prince. When his face turned pink, horror filled her. What have I done? she thought.”
5. SAVE TIME BY BEGINNING WITH SUMMARY. Sometimes actions will simply take up more time and space in the scene than you would like. A scene beginning needs to move fairly quickly and, on occasion, summary will get the reader there faster.
6. COMMUNICATE NECESSARY INFORMATION TO THE READER BEFORE THE ACTION KICKS IN. Sometimes information needs to be imparted simply in order to set action in motion later in the scene. Opening sentences such as, “My mother was dead before I arrived,” “The war had begun” and, “The storm left half of the city underwater,” could easily lead to action.
7. REVEAL A CHARACTER’S THOUGHTS OR INTENTIONS THAT CANNOT BE SHOWN THROUGH ACTION. Coma victims, elderly characters, small children and other characters sometimes cannot speak or act for physical, mental or emotional reasons; therefore the scene may need to launch with narration to let the reader know what they think and feel.
8. ENGAGE WITH SPECIFIC VISUAL DETAILS. If your character is deserted on an island, the reader needs to know the lay of the land. Any fruit trees in sight? What color sand? Are there rocks, shelter or wild, roaming beasts?
9. USE SCENERY TO SET THE TONE OF THE SCENE. Say your scene opens in a jungle where your character is going to face danger; you can describe the scenery in language that conveys darkness, fear and mystery.
10. REFLECT A CHARACTER’S FEELINGS THROUGH SETTING. Say you have a sad character walking through a residential neighborhood. The descriptions of the homes can reflect that sadness—houses can be in disrepair, with rotting wood and untended yards. You can use weather in the same way. A bright, powerfully sunny day can reflect a mood of great cheer in a character.
Scene launches happen so quickly and are so soon forgotten that it’s easy to rush through them, figuring it doesn’t really matter how you get it started. Don’t fall prey to that thinking. Take your time with each scene launch. Craft it as carefully and strategically as you would any other aspect of your scene. Remember that a scene launch is an invitation to the reader, beckoning him to come further along with you. Make your invitation as alluring as possible.
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Many countries in Europe have instituted lockdowns with the aim of reducing coronavirus transmissions enough to allow their populations to have a semblance of a normal Christmas. In the U.S., the problem of family get-togethers is a whole month earlier, with Thanksgiving, which falls this year on Thursday 26 November.
With COVID-19 infections spiking all over the country, which has already seen 250,000 deaths from the virus, the Centers for Disease Control are asking Americans to severely limit their Thanksgiving celebrations this year. Yet a survey by Ohio University found that 40% of Americans plan to participate in a Thanksgiving gathering of more than the recommended 10 people. On what is usually one of the busiest travel weekends of the year, about 50 million people are still expected to travel, down from 55 million last year, but with a massive drop in those travelling by plane, train or bus.
The Canadian Example
The U.S. need look no further than its northern neighbour to see what could happen. The Canadian version of Thanksgiving fell on 12 October this year, when the virus was already far enough out of control that lockdown measures had been reinstated in the two worst-affected territories, Quebec and Ontario. Yet, two weeks later there was a spike in COVID infections: from 2300 new cases per day at Thanksgiving to 3000; and they have now reached 4000.
Taking Safety Precautions
The CDC site has good, clear, illustrated advice on being as safe as possible over the festive season. And they come in handy downloadable leaflets that would be great for class use.
When the Going Gets Tough, Get Creative!
The Harvard Family Dinner project’s entire purpose is to encourage families to get together more often for meals and meaningful conversation. Not to be deterred, they have come up with a Virtual Thanksgiving Dinner Party Guide and Care Package you can download. The dinner party guide includes a handy selection of services for video calls, with the plus points and negatives, which would be useful for any occasion. It has tips on how to organise food (everyone cooks their own, or all the same.) It can be hard to keep up momentum in a group chat, so they have downloadable place mats with conversation starters (you can also generate random ones online), and lots of games to keep everyone involved. Many of these would be great classroom activities.
StoryCorps has been running The Great Thanksgiving Listen for several years, encouraging young Americans in particular to record interviews with their elders at Thanksgiving. This year, they have launched a challenge to middle-school students to record virtual interviews with grandparents or other older people who are particularly at risk of isolation during this coronavirus-hit holiday season.
All the interviews will preserved in the Library of Congress’s American Folklife archive.
© Inspired By Maps/Shutterstock
Official White House Photo by Joyce N. Boghosian
> Thanksgiving Dinner in Space
> Thanksgiving Stories
> Thanksgiving on the Web
> Audio and Video Resources for Thanksgiving


UNESCO Uses ZyGEM PDQeX to Study Pathogens Affecting the Safety of Food, Water and Crops
The University Twinning and Networking Programme (UNITWIN) of the United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) has announced a collaboration to study pathogens that affect people, livestock and agriculture in the Pacific Small Island region. Working with Massey University of New Zealand, the partnership is using the ZyGEM PDQeX, along with the Diagenetix BioRanger LAMP, to detect and quantify pathogens in food, water, humans, animals and crops in the Pacific Islands. The goal is to quickly respond to biological hazards that may affect the safety of food, water and crops and, ultimately, to protect the livelihoods of communities and promote better health and economic prosperity.
Professor Peter Lockhart, a biologist from the Institute of Fundamental Sciences at Massey, is using the PDQeX for on-the-spot DNA testing of pathogens on a range of species such as kauri trees and shellfish. Leveraging the device’s small size, low cost and time savings, Prof. Lockhart and his colleagues are developing a DNA diagnostic for Phytophthora, a fungal-like organism affecting kauri forests and crops such as taro, avocado and cocoa.
The team expects to evaluate the potential of the device to make DNA diagnostics more readily field deployable. “These devices have the potential to be used by non-specialists to obtain information that could be useful for everyday decision-making, such as on farms, by businesses and communities,” explained Lockhart.
Read the entire article here.


The very reason the Crusades are linked with colonialism and the present is that Arabs developed a historical topic called the Crusades (or "Wars of the Cross," rather) during the 19th century - before then what European historians see as the Crusading movement was not taken as a unit in and of itself. The "Crusades" concept entered the Arab intellectual landscape via the colonial education system, and it became natural for Arab intellectuals to see in these events historical lessons for their own time, and from there of course it's an easy link from colonialism to neo-colonialism.
What you could add, of course, is the moral lessons drawn from history. The lesson of World War II for the West was about appeasement, which we have heard endless doses of concerning Iraq. With the Crusades, a key lesson is patience. Israel is seen in the Arab world as a modern Crusader state, and people remind themselves that it has only been around for a little over 50 years, when the Kingdom of Jerusalem lasted 88.
Another issue that came up was possible historical analogies for the rebuilding. I can think of some ideas, but I'll save them for later. One that's been making the rounds in the Arab world, though, is Beirut in 1982. Shi'ites anxious to be liberated from the PLO threw flowers on Israeli tanks as they crossed the border. However, the Israelis dream of setting up a pro-Israeli Maronite republic was not accepted by the majority Muslim population, and we wound up where we are today. I doubt that's my analogy, but its another important viewpoint, and perhaps a warning.


What is hepatitis B?
Hepatitis is the term used to describe an inflammation of the liver, which in some cases can cause serious long-term damage that may lead to liver failure and liver cancer. Some of the symptoms of hepatitis include yellowing of the eyes and skin (jaundice), itchy skin, and vomiting. Hepatitis is most commonly caused by viral infections, but can also be caused by other factors such as alcohol abuse, certain drugs, and autoimmune diseases.
Hepatitis B is a contagious viral liver infection, and is caused by the hepatitis B virus. The hepatitis B virus lives in the blood and bodily fluids of an infected person, and commonly spreads between people during unprotected sex. The virus can also spread if you’re using unsterilised needles, for example during medical procedures or tattooing and can even be transmitted to babies during childbirth if their mothers are infected with hepatitis B.
Hepatitis B is usually asymptomatic in adults, which means that most people won’t show any obvious symptoms of hepatitis B if they are infected. Most adults will be able to fight off the virus without even realising they are infected. However, children are at a higher risk of developing symptoms and complications of hepatitis B, and have a higher chance of developing a chronic infection that could be lifelong.
What are the symptoms?
- feeling and being sick
- feeling tired
- stomach pain
- yellowing of eyes and skin (jaundice)
- itchy skin
- dark yellow urine
- pale or “clay-coloured” faeces (poo)
For more in-depth information, please visit our page specifically about the symptoms of hepatitis B.
Is hepatitis B serious?
While adults with hepatitis B may not display any symptoms at all, hepatitis B can cause slow but serious damage to the liver over a very long period of time – in some cases the complications start to appear 30 years after becoming infected. Up to 25% of people with chronic hepatitis B will develop serious liver conditions over their lifetime, such as cirrhosis, liver failure, and liver cancer. According to the World Health Organisation, there were 887000 deaths from Hepatitis B in 2015, which was mainly due to complications of the virus, such as cirrhosis and liver cancer.
How do you get hepatitis B?
Hepatitis B spreads when a healthy person is exposed to the blood, semen, or other bodily fluids of someone infected with the hepatitis B virus. The hepatitis B virus can survive outside of the human body for at least 7 days, so it can be picked up from contaminated surfaces or objects if they are not sterilised. Unlike hepatitis A, hepatitis B is not spread through contaminated food and water. The hepatitis B virus also cannot be transmitted just by touching someone with the virus, or through kissing, coughing, or sneezing.
Sex – hepatitis B can spread easily during sex due to the exchange of bodily fluids, especially during unprotected sex. While all kinds of sexual activity has a risk of transmitting hepatitis B, people who have anal sex are at a higher risk of catching the hepatitis B as the virus is transmitted more effectively during anal sex than other types of sexual activity. It is important to note that while condoms can reduce the rate of transmission, it is not 100% effective in preventing the spread of hepatitis B.
Sharing drug preparation equipment – hepatitis B can also spread through shared or unsterilised needles, which could be contaminated with infected blood or other bodily fluids. Other shared drug preparation equipment, such as straws or rolled notes used to snort drugs, can also risk transmission as they may be contaminated with blood.
Tattoos and piercings – activities that involve piercing the skin, including tattoos, piercings, and acupuncture, all have a risk of transmitting hepatitis B if done so in an unsanitary environment. Equipment that is not properly cleaned and sterilised between uses may be contaminated with infected blood, so if you are unsure about how clean or safe the establishment is, it’s best to look elsewhere.
Living with someone with hepatitis B – while hepatitis B is not a virus that can spread through the air, prolonged close contact with someone who has an infection increases the chances that you will be exposed to the virus. Accidental exposure to contaminated fluids can happen when sharing common household items like nail clippers and razors.
During childbirth – pregnant women infected with hepatitis B can pass the virus onto their unborn baby during the pregnancy, or can transmit it during childbirth. This could potentially result in a lifelong infection, as babies are particularly vulnerable to chronic hepatitis B.
Exposure to blood and bodily fluids at work – hepatitis B can easily spread in healthcare settings, especially for healthcare workers that are regularly exposed to the blood or other bodily fluids of patients. Some healthcare professions, where exposure to blood and bodily fluids is common, may require staff to be vaccinated against hepatitis B to make sure they do not catch the virus and spread it to vulnerable patients.
Unscreened blood transfusions – if donated blood is not screened before being used in a blood transfusion, then it is possible that a patient could receive blood from somebody infected with hepatitis B and become infected themselves. Fortunately, all blood donations in the UK are thoroughly screened for bloodborne diseases, though there are some countries where is is not the case.
Who is at risk of hepatitis B?
Hepatitis B is a particularly virulent condition, and it is estimated that around a third of the global population (2 billion people) have been infected with hepatitis B at some point in their life, with 30 million new infections happening every year.
Those at high risk of hepatitis B include:
- People who are sexually active, especially those who have anal sex
- Healthcare workers
- Drug users, especially those that inject or snort drugs
- People who get tattoos or piercings in unsanitary parlours
- Close contact with somebody infected with hepatitis B
- Pregnant women and their babies
- People with a weakened or compromised immune system
- People born or raised in a country with a high-risk of hepatitis B
Where is hepatitis B found?
The hepatitis B virus can be found in every country across the globe, though the risk of becoming infected is higher in some countries. Most new cases of hepatitis B in the UK are not caught in the UK, but are actually brought in by people who caught the virus while they were travelling or living in high-risk areas.
Areas with a high risk of hepatitis B include:
- the Middle East
- the Indian subcontinent
- South America
How can I protect myself against hepatitis B?
Get vaccinated – the hepatitis B vaccine offers immunity to the virus after 3 doses, which is known to last for 30 years or more. The hepatitis B vaccine is inactivated, which means that it cannot cause an infection as it doesn’t contain any of the live hepatitis B virus. You can get the hepatitis B vaccine from any Superdrug Health Clinic in the UK.
Practise safe sex – hepatitis B can spread during sex, especially anal sex, so it’s best to use protection. This is especially important if you do not know the sexual health status of your partner. Condoms can help to reduce the chance that you will catch hepatitis B from an infected partner, but they are not 100% effective.
Visit reputable tattoo parlours – before getting a tattoo or piercing, make sure that the parlour has high hygiene standards and that all of the equipment used is properly sterilised between uses.
Avoid sharing shaving equipment – razor blades can easily cause small cuts that can draw blood, which then contaminate the blade. If these blades are shared then it is easy to transmit bloodborne diseases, such as hepatitis B. Viruses and bacteria can also live in the spaces between and under the razor blades, so you could also catch other diseases by sharing razor blades.
Consider taking sterile medical equipment kit – access to medical equipment may be limited, particularly if you are travelling to resource poor areas. Making sure that you have a first aid kit with sterilised equipment reduces that chance that you will pick up an infection if you are injured while travelling.


Etymology: Campanula: Latin campana for "little bell"
Plants: erect, annual/biennial, 3'-6' tall forb; stout stems with milky sap
Leaves: thin, stalked, toothed
Flowers: blue with a pale center ring, 5-parted, 1" wide, wheel-shaped; long, curving, white, protruding style; inflorescence solitary or in a small, mostly stalkless cluster from the leaf axils forming a long, terminal spike; blooms July-Sept.
Habitat: moist; woods, streambanks
Conservation Status: Native
Floristic Rating: Coefficient of Conservatism = 4, Wetland Indicator = FAC USDA Plants Database: Federal Distribution and detailed information including photos Dan Tenaglia's The Missouri Flora: Fabulous photographs; detailed descriptions; color and leave arrangement key. USDA Agricultural Research Service (ARS): Images of seeds, fruits, embryos, etc. Southwest School of Botanical Medicine: Britton & Brown Illustrated Flora - 2nd Edition (1913) "An Illustrated Flora of the Northern United States and Canada" Illinois Wildflowers: Wonderful photographs; detailed descriptions; color and leaf arrangement key


Dr. Ali Zentner, MD, FRCPC, Internal Medicine, Obesity, discusses how obesity needs to be viewed as a multi-faceted chronic disease where patients need to be involved in treatment decisions.
Loading the player...Managing Obesity as a Multi-Faceted Chronic Disease Dr. Ali Zentner, MD, FRCPC, Internal Medicine, Obesity, discusses how obesity needs to be viewed as a multi-faceted chronic disease where patients need to be involved in treatment decisions.
Featuring Dr. Ali Zentner, MD, FRCPC, Internal Medicine, Obesity
Duration: 2 minutes, 33 seconds
We know that obesity is as much a disease as schizophrenia, or depression, or high blood pressure. And telling someone who carries extra weight to eat less and move more is like telling a schizophrenic to just ignore the voices. It’s like telling a patient with depression to cheer up, or asking someone with high blood pressure to just cut out salt.
There are a host of different factors that go into why one person carries extra weight, and gains weight, and under the exact same circumstances another person might even lose weight or maintain. There’s genetics, there’s body chemistry or physiology and then there’s environment.
Genetically speaking, some of us are very predisposed to weight gain. Body chemistry plays a huge factor in how hungry we are and how full we are. And whether something that we eat causes us to gain weight or not.
There are a variety of different hormones involved in how our body regulates fat metabolism and energy storage, and sometimes that system breaks. And then finally you and I live in a world that makes weight gain not just easy, but it’s the default.
If we go ahead and we live our lives and we mind our own business, most of us will gain weight. And so the big question here is how to help patients. Genetically speaking, we have no say. Body chemistry is something that sometimes we can often very much manipulate, whether it’s sometimes with medications or even with surgery for obesity.
And then finally environmentally speaking, there are a variety of different factors that we can do, from small changes to grand gestures, and everything in between to be healthier, to be higher functioning, to be fitter and stronger, and achieve not a goal weight per se, but a best weight that is comfortable, that is healthier, and that is maintainable long term.
Remember that this disease isn’t your fault, but it’s your responsibility, but it’s also the responsibility of your health care team. And it’s important as doctors and nurses that we educate patients, but it’s equally important for our patients to educate us.
My call to action is that patients out there educate their health care providers about what they need from us to better manage their obesity.
Local Practitioners: Family Doctor
Looking at Obesity as a Multi-Faceted Disease ( 325 engaged.)
Open and print the Health Choices First Action Plan for discussion with your Healthcare Professional or for personal information purposes.
This content is for informational purposes only, and is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified healthcare professional with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.


Poppy is narcotic plant which was brought in Europe 4000 years back and
ancient Greek used it as a soothing agent.
Poppy is widely found in china and Afghanistan where it was introduced
in 17 century.
Poppy consist of several species and colours like red, white, blue,
pink etc. the cultivation is generally done commercially due to its
The plant is erect and grows to 1.2 m in height.
The leaves are lance shaped, 5 cleft and the segments being cut-toothed.
The capsules are ovate, small, sooth and truncate containing numerous
It is traditional symbol of United States and abundantly found here in
the fields and gardens.
Red poppy is cultivated in temperate regions of Asia, United States,
North Africa and Europe.
Being an ornamental plant it is found in gardens and fields bearing
Flowers and Seeds.
Poppy contains alkaloids like papaverine, rhoeadine, isorhoeadine;
meconic acid, mekocyanin, mucilage, and tannin.
Red poppy is being used as mild sedative, analgesic and widely used as
herbal remedy in European countries.
It is also capable of curing cough, and also used as pain reliever; for
asthma, insomnia, and nervous irritability.
Above medicinal uses poppy is being used as opium in china and
Afghanistan where it is cultivated commercially for this purpose.


When the Republic of South Sudan broke away from its northern namesake in 2011 to become the world’s newest country after a lengthy and brutal civil war, southerners gained control of a vast territory rich in oil, forests, wildlife – and tribal discord. Over the last year and half of independence, South Sudan has seen severe outbreaks of tribal violence that have left thousands dead.
My friend Matthew LeRiche, whom I first met on a Nile River barge while writing my book The Black Nile, has spent the last decade criss-crossing South Sudan to research its 50-year struggle for freedom. LeRiche follows warfare, humanitarianism, and how opposing communities can find their way out of conflict. In this slideshow LeRiche, a fellow at the London School of Economics and co-author of South Sudan: From Revolution to Independence, narrates a series of photos by photojournalist Ally Ngethi, on a government program that uses traditional wrestling matches as a way of bringing together communities with histories of armed conflict. LeRiche writes:
“The event, in September 2012, was called ’Wrestling for Peace and Unity,’ and featured matches by two rival tribal groups, the Bor-Dinka and the Mundari. This was the first of a series of events planned in South Sudan with a focus on using the sport of wrestling to build relations between communities. Wrestling is popular among most tribal groups in South Sudan, and these matches have a long history as a customary method of resolving conflict. The goal is to use this sport to provide a space in which to build peace. It’s also a good business opportunity, considering how popular wrestling is.“


Bedding plants are often used to give a splash of color to a boring landscape. These plants, which can be annuals, perennials or biennials, can be grown from seeds in the ground or in containers. The University of Florida Extension recommends choosing only a few types of flowers for a flowerbed because too many flower forms can hinder a flowerbed’s overall appearance. Even one plant species is enough to create an attractive display.
The amaryllis is a popular bedding plant. Grown from bulbs, amaryllises produce solid or mixed blooms of pink, red and white. They need well-drained soil, so if a location fails to drain properly, create an elevated bed for better drainage. Amaryllises also need fertilizer for continued blooming. Florida Plants.com warns that although fertilizers with high concentrations of nitrogen make amaryllises fat, they cause fewer blooms. For the best results, feed amaryllises a fertilizer with a small amount of low-nitrogen fertilizer.
Marigolds, often grown in flower beds, come in colors including yellows, oranges, reds, creams and maroons, as well as combinations of these colors. These annuals have either rounded or flat heads. Because they need about 45 to 50 days to flower after they’re seeded, plant marigolds indoors in either late March or early April, suggests the West Virginia University Extension. Then transplant them outdoors following the last frost.
Pansies, also called Pink-eyed-Johns and various other nicknames, are common bedding plants that come in various sizes and colors. The Backyard Gardener warns that pansies can’t aren’t suited for hot weather and that faded, spent flowers should be removed. Pansies do well in partially shaded locations, but don’t thrive at all planted in dense shade.
The coleus, a popular North American annual, is one of the top bedding plant in the United States. Home Greenhouse Profits.com recommends growing them from seed for a wide variety of forms and colors. They don’t need shade, but require sufficient moisture when potted in small containers. They come in colors including deep red, plum, burgundy and purple-splotched greens, notes Canada.com. "Burgundy Sun," "Rainbow," "Volcano" and "Black Dragon" are among the leading coleus hybrids.
Perennials are ideal for bedding plants, since they return annually. Because they come in various heights, colors and textures, perennials produce flower beds that can be enjoyed for an entire growing season. Popular bedding perennials, such as daylilies, calla lilies, Shasta daisies and yarrow, do need some maintenance, such as deadheading which is removing worn-out bloom heads. Dividing these plants every few years also helps prevent overcrowding, notes Backyard Landscape Ideas. Perennials, such as delphiniums, need to be replaced every few years.


- The Himalayan Mountain ranges border South Asia to the north. Nepal is located along this border and is somewhat of a buffer state between India and China. Nepal has a high population growth rate. Most of its people work in agriculture. Deforestation is a major environmental concern and causes erosion of the landscape. Landlocked and poor, Nepal struggles to maintain a stable government and adequate public services.
- South Asia was colonized by Britain for ninety years. Colonialism brought a structured administration, a railroad system of transportation, and large port cities used for the export of goods from the interior. The political borders were established for South Asia by British colonizers, based on religious affiliation and economic advantages. The British elevated Sikhs from the Punjab to help rule over the Hindu and Muslim populations. English is widely used as a lingua franca.
- Conflicts continue in mountainous Kashmir and tropical Sri Lanka. Kashmir’s remote territory in the northern part of the realm is divided between Pakistan, China, and India. All three countries have nuclear weapons. Sri Lanka’s majority Buddhist population is Sinhalese and is based in the southwest, controlling most of the island. Sri Lanka’s minority Tamil population is Hindu and is based out of the Jaffna Peninsula in the northeast. The Tamil want their own country and have claims on the island.
- Port cities of South Asia are centers for international trade and development. There is a wide disparity between the rural poor and the affluent elites. India has been developing a strong economy based on a growing information sector, health care, and manufacturing. Motor vehicles and computer technologies are emerging in India and competing worldwide. Pakistan’s economy struggles under the high population growth and Islamic extremism in the country.
- Pakistan and Bangladesh were once under the same government. Bangladesh was formerly East Pakistan. These Muslim countries have extremely high population densities and have agrarian economies. The Indus River flows through Pakistan and the two rivers of the Brahmaputra and the Ganges flow through Bangladesh. Monsoon flooding is a serious concern for Bangladesh; earthquakes have caused serious damage in Pakistan.
- Hindu and Buddhist traditions first developed in South Asia. India has the most of the world’s Hindu followers. The concept of the caste system has created socioeconomic layers in the culture that are being tempered by high urbanization rates. Buddhism has a number of branches that can be geographically identified as eastern, northern, and southern. Bhutan and Sri Lanka have Buddhist majorities. South Asia is also home to Sikhism and Jainism. Islam is strong in South Asia: Pakistan is the world’s second-largest Muslim country, India has the world’s third-largest Muslim population, and Bangladesh is a Muslim country as well. South Asia is also home to a Christian minority in addition to various other minority religious groups.
This is a derivative of World Regional Geography: People, Places, and Globilization by a publisher who has requested that they and the original author not receive attribution, which was originally released and is used under CC BY-NC-SA. This work, unless otherwise expressly stated, is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.


On May 8, 1945 the shooting ended in Europe. But, shockingly, the war against Germany went on. Roosevelt, Stalin and Churchill had decreed that the German people must suffer—and suffer they did.
Driven from their homes, looted of their property, decimated by famine and disease, raped, robbed, and enslaved, millions of Germans—most of them women and children—bore the brunt of what Time magazine called “history’s most terrifying peace”.
Gruesome Harvest was one of the first books in America to sound the alarm against the victor’s postwar war against the Germans.
Bristling with contemporary documentation, burning with humanitarian and patriotic outrage, this informed, riveting classic dares to tell the shameful story of how American and Allied policy makers undertook the political, economic, and social destruction of the German people even as they presumed to instruct them in “justice” and “democracy.”
Today, as the propaganda war against the Germans wears on in the media and academic life, Gruesome Harvest, written in 1947 by a courageous American, when the decimation of the German race was still official U.S.-Allied policy, tells a vital story, one that must not be suppressed or forgotten.
“If war should come, whichever side may claim ultimate victory, nothing is more certain that victor and vanquished alike would glean a gruesome harvest of human misery and suffering.”–Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain, July 31, 1939, to the House of Commons.
Table of Contents
Chapter I: WAR DEVASTATION
Chapter II: EXTERMINATION BY OVERCROWDING
Chapter III: PULLING DOWN THE PILLAR OF LABOR
Chapter IV: THE ATTACK AGAINST GERMAN CAPITAL
Chapter V: BASTARDIZING THE GERMAN RACE
Chapter VI: THE PEOPLE HUNGER
Chapter VII: ECONOMIC TRIBULATION
Chapter VIII: TEACHING DEMOCRACY IN REVERSE
Chapter IX: THE KREMLIN’S PROGRAM
Chapter X: FACTS WE MUST FACE


2008 Canadian Computing Competition, Day 2
Day 2, Problem 3: Landing
Keep watching the skies! Alien spacecraft are due to land any day now to share all of their advanced programming secrets with us.
In preparation for this day, you've been asked with preparing a landing pad for our visitors in a given field. Unfortunately, due to environmental considerations, you will not be permitted to remove any of the trees which currently exist on the field. These trees are of immense scientific research, since they have zero radius and only grow at points with integer co-ordinates. However, this could be a blessing in disguise. For security reasons, the landing pad must be in contact with at least three trees. Security cameras will be placed at the tops of these trees.
Alien spacecraft are perfectly circular craft of various sizes, so the landing pad will also be circular. Since it would be polite to warn potential visitors ahead of time if their spacecraft is too large for our landing pad, you must now determine the size of largest circular region that we can place on the field which contacts at least three trees, but does not contain any trees within.
The first line of input consists of the number n of trees (3 ≤ n ≤ 100 000). the next n lines will each consist of a pair of integers x and y (-10000 ≤ x, y ≤ 10000), separated by a space, giving the co-ordinates of a tree. You may assume that no two trees are at the same co-ordinates.
Output the radius of the largest possible landing pad. If the correct answer is R, you should output number a such that
The above calculation is used to define an acceptable range or tolerance for the answer you find. You may also assume that r < 109. You may assume there exists at least one landing pad.
You may assume that 25% of the test cases will have at most 50 trees. You may assume that 95% of the test cases will have at most 1000 trees. All test cases will have at most 100 000 trees. Your solution must use at most 512MB of memory and run in at most 5 seconds.
Point Value: 50 (partial)
Time Limit: 1.00s
Memory Limit: 512M
Added: Apr 25, 2009
C++03, PAS, C, HASK, ASM, RUBY, PYTH2, JAVA, PHP, SCM, CAML, PERL, C#, C++11, PYTH3
Who am I? A <HACKER>! Don't worry about me. It's all good as long as I know about you!
getRecked = true;