Physical disabilities: technology
If you have a physical disability or experience reduced mobility in later life, assistive technology (AT) can help you to reclaim your independence and lead a more fulfilling life. The term AT covers a diverse range of equipment—everything from mobility aids, drinking mugs, cutlery and gardening tools with adapted handles to environmental controls that enable you to operate computers, door openers and other domestic fixtures...all from a single device designed to meet your needs.
The good news is that the cost of certain types of AT has declined and the power of personal computers has increased. Meanwhile, smartphones and tablets provide easy access to a wide variety of apps designed to make daily life a little bit easier. There are apps that help you to stay in touch with loved ones, plan your day, find your way around an unfamiliar place and even speak on your behalf.
However, choosing the equipment or software applications that match your needs can still be a challenge. Simply knowing that a problem you are experiencing could be resolved by AT can be an obstacle. And being aware of the possible benefits of AT may not be enough.
There may be many products that can meet your needs. Some products are very expensive. Occasionally, you might need to talk to an expert before buying new equipment.
But the benefits of the right piece of equipment can be huge, especially if technology can open doors to a more active social life as well as educational and employment opportunities.
Types of AT
There are so many different types of physical disabilities that it's not surprising that the range of AT is equally broad. There are a number of key categories of equipment that you should know about.
Mobility aids are possibly the most instantly recognisable form of AT. Wheelchairs come in many shapes and sizes, but one important feature is that they can either be manual (meaning that you can either be pushed or propel yourself using your upper body strength), or powered, allowing you to be in the driving seat regardless of any limited movement or coordination issues that might be caused by your disability.
Walking sticks and Zimmer frames represent another type of mobility aid that will allow you to walk if you require support.
Hoists are perhaps a less obvious member of the mobility aid family. These can help carers to lift you from, say, your wheelchair to your bed in a safe and dignified way.
Products that enable you to access computers have made much progress in recent years. With the help of adaptive switches, specialist joysticks, speech recognition tools or eye tracking devices, it is now possible to make the most of the digital age whatever your impairment. By combining accessible hardware with onscreen keyboards and other software programmes that let you control the cursor and navigate the screen by alternative means, you are free to send emails, surf the Internet, watch movies and even play games.
Computer technology can also make you more independent by giving you control over your surroundings and helping you communicate with others. For example, telecare equipment can support you to live at home without the constant presence of a care assistant by providing you with ways of getting in touch with family, friends and support workers, if you need help.
There are also environmental control devices that allow you to operate everyday equipment in your immediate vicinity. This means you can control things like televisions, windows and curtains using a single control unit.
With so much sophisticated technology available, it is easy to become fixated on the flashiest pieces of kit. Fortunately, AT is not always big and expensive. Daily living aids such as grab rails for toilets and shower rooms, adjustable furniture and beds and adapted kitchen utensils and gardening tools are examples of the low-tech products that fall squarely into the AT camp.
Searching for AT
Finding the best place to go to purchase AT can be tricky. Not only are there many different types of equipment on the market, but there are also lots of different organisations and companies that supply their own range of products. Luckily, there are some useful resources you can turn to in your search.
Independent Living is a website that provides a catalogue containing a full range of aids to daily living, mobility and independence. It also sends out a free newsletter covering the latest developments in independent living.
The Disabled Living Foundation (DLF) is a national charity that gives advice, information and training on independent living issues, including AT. It offers a range of online resources designed to help you navigate the different types of equipment, providers and sources of charitable funding. For more sites that can help, visit our Physical disabilities: at home page and scroll down on the page to check out what other home accessories are available.
If you own a Facebook account, the learning disability charity Norwood maintains a group that shares news and advice about AT. Just search Facebook for Norwood Assistive Technology—PATHWAYS.
Publicly funded AT providers
Central and local government finance services are mandated to provide you with AT under certain circumstances. These services offer access to expert assessors and take the financial burden of acquiring and maintaining the equipment off your shoulders.
The NHS is required by law to ensure that you have access to certain AT if you need it. The NHS can provide wheelchairs, specialist communication aids and environmental controls as long as you meet the relevant non-means-tested eligibility criteria. You can ask your GP for a referral to these services.
Charities that can help
There are a number of organisations operating around the UK that can support your access to AT.
AbilityNet is a national charity dedicated to helping disabled people access digital technologies at home and in the workplace by offering free services to disabled individuals and their families, friends, carers, teachers and employers.
Similarly, the Aidis Trust exists to help empower disabled people by using AT to help them communicate, become more independent and less socially isolated. It can support you to access computer technology through its training services.
Sometimes you will struggle to find anything on the market that does exactly what you want. A handful of charities employ creative engineers who will design and build a custom-made device that serves your specific set of requirements, usually free of charge.
One such charity is Demand, an organisation that will work with anyone with a disability to create, modify or refurbish equipment that makes their lives easier or helps them to enjoy sports and leisure activities. Special Effect also helps to create customised devices but focuses on enabling disabled people to play video games. Designability also engineers bespoke AT, but prefers to do so when there is likely to be wider demand for the resulting product beyond your own situation.


October 13, 2022
On this episode, we look at how bias in data gathering can impact representation of communities. Our correspondent, Emily Rendell-Watson, speaks with three incredible community members with experience in data research, urban planning and activism.
ECF has been exploring the history of racism in this year’s Vital Signs topic. Vital Signs is a check-up to see how the community is fairing on various issues. This work is done in collaboration with Edmonton Social Planning Council and with guidance from a dedicated committee made of people with lived experience.
Through this work, the Committee working on this project learned that there are still many people and communities who are not included in a meaningful way through typical data gathering processes. These gaps can leave people feeling unheard and unseen.
Check out Edmonton Social Planning Council’s report, Confronting Racism with Data: Why Canada Needs Disaggregated Race-Based Data.
Listen to Scratching the Surface to learn more about the history of racism in Alberta.
Read our Vital Topic: A look at the history of
Racism towards Indigenous & People of Colour in Edmonton.
Find out more about our wonderful guests:
– Sydny Sheloff, the Strategic Research Coordinator at Edmonton Social Planning Council
– Lucenia Ortiz, former planner with the City of Edmonton
– Adora Nwofor, activist, writer, comedian and producer in Calgary.


Electrical and electronic drafters, architectural and civil drafters, and mechanical drafters are all drafting and design technologists. Civil, mechanical, and electrical and electronic engineering technicians also fall within this career category. Drafting and design technologists are required to have a certificate or associate's degree in drafting before entering the field.
Drafting and design technologists make schematics used in construction and manufacturing. They can specialize in mechanical device production, civil engineering projects, and architectural construction. Most drafters hold certificates or associate's degrees in drafting. Salaries vary, depending on the industry, with electrical drafters making the most money. Some are called engineering technologists, and salaries are comparable.
|Required Education||Certificate or associate's degree in drafting|
|Projected Job Growth (2014-2024)*||-3% for all types of drafters|
|Median Salary (2015)*||$59,520 for electrical and electronic drafters; $50,710 for architectural and civil drafters|
Source: *U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS)
Salary Information for Drafting and Design Technologists
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported in May 2015 that architectural and civil drafters earned a median annual salary of $50,710 (www.bls.gov). Mechanical drafters earned a median of $53,520 that same year, stated the BLS. Electrical and electronic drafters had the highest median wage at $59,520 in May 2015, while the median for drafters working within other industries was $49,650, according to the BLS.
According to the American Design Drafting Association, design technologists can also be known as engineering technicians. In May 2015, the BLS reported salaries for engineering technicians to be comparable to their drafting counterparts. The median wage for civil engineering technicians was $49,260. Mechanical engineering technicians earned $53,910, while electrical and electronic engineering technicians made $61,130.
Find schools that offer these popular programs
- Architectural Drafting and Design
- CAD Drafting and Design Technology
- Civil Engineering Drafting and Design
- Mechanical Drafting and Design
Career Information for Drafting and Design Technologists
The BLS projected overall employment of drafters to decrease by three percent between 2014-2024; however, mechanical drafters were expected to see a 7% decline in job opportunities at that same time. Employment for architectural and civil drafters is expected to decline 3%, while electrical and electronics drafters should see average growth of 5%, stated the BLS.
Drafting and design technologists typically complete formal education program in design technology at a community college or four-year university. Program coursework covers computer-aided drafting, drawing, design, computer technology, and drafting theory.
Job Description and Duties
Drafting and design technologists create technical drawings and schematics based on the work of architects, design engineers, or scientists. These drawings, created using computer-aided design (CAD) software, act as guidelines and instructions for construction crews and manufacturing workers. In some cases, CAD schematics are used to program automated manufacturing systems.
Drafting duties include making dimension, weight, and stress calculations, identifying materials, and noting construction procedures. Design technologists have additional duties such as testing concepts and prototypes, performing surveys or inspections, and evaluating finished products.
Drafting and design technologists produce technical drawings used in construction and manufacturing. Electrical and electronic drafters and engineering technicians earned the highest median salaries in 2015. Electrical and electronic drafters are expected to experience a job growth rate of 5% from 2014 to 2024, while jobs for mechanical and architectural and civil drafters will decline.


Most of Morocco became a French protectorate in 1912, while a smaller Spanish protectorate was instituted in the north and far south of the country. Spain also retained control of Spanish Sahara (now Western Sahara). A nationalist movement developed during the 1930s and 1940s, leading to eventual independence in 1956. The first head of state was Sultan Mohammed V, who had been a key supporter of the independence movement and took the title of king in 1957. After Mohammed's death in 1961, his son Hassan II was crowned and became head of government. On 23 July 1999, King Hassan died of illness and was replaced by Crown Prince Sidi Mohamed, who became known as Mohamed VI.
Morocco is a constitutional monarchy where power is theoretically shared by the king, the government, and a bicameral Parliament. In reality, however, most power is concentrated in the hands of the monarch. The current Constitution, which was adopted by referendum in 1992 and amended in 1996, gives executive powers to a government that emanates from Parliament and is approved by the king. While the legislative body initiates legislation, the king must agree before any law takes effect. He can dissolve Parliament by decree and call for new elections, and propose his own legislation for popular approval by means of referendum. The monarch signs and ratifies international treaties, can declare a state of emergency, and can rule by decree. He appoints the prime minister and his cabinet, and presides over meetings of the Supreme Judicial Council.
Morocco has a multiparty system with 28 parties, the most important of which is the Union Socialiste des Forces Populaires (USFP). None of these parties challenges the supremacy of the king, and all have joined coalition governments formed under the control of promonarchy formations. The 1993 parliamentary elections caused a major political malaise in the country after the state was accused of having manipulated the results in order to deny the opposition a victory. To end the political crisis, the Constitution was amended, and new elections took place in the fall of 1997. In these elections, three major party blocs, the Koutla (traditional left opposition), the Wifaq (monarchists), and the center received an almost equal number of seats each (102, 100, and 97, respectively). The USFP of the Koutla bloc won the largest number of seats (57) in the Lower House, and its leader, Abderrahman Youssoufi, was appointed prime minister at the head of a coalition government. This event constituted a major departure from past practices but did not fundamentally alter the political map and political process. However, for the first time, members of moderate Islamic movements were allowed to run for office. Nine members of the al-Tawhid Wal Islah (Unity and Reform of Abdelilah Benkirane) movement and the Popular Democratic and Constitutional Movement (MPDC) were elected.
The first elections of King Mohamed VI's reign took place September 26, 2002. The Prime Minister touted these elections as the "first transparent elections in Morocco based on voting by list." The 2002 election did in fact change the political temper of the country, for it resulted in a dramatic increase in both Islamic representation and women's participation in the government. Twenty-six parties took part in the election, with 22 winning seats. The largest number of seats were won by the USFP (social-democrat, 50 seats), Istiqlal/Parti d'Independence (social-democrat, 48 seats), Parti de la Justice et du Developpement (Islamist, 42 seats), and Rassemblement National des Independents (conservative, 41 seats).


Biotin And Tinnitus
Want to know more about “biotin and tinnitus”?
In this article, we’ll be going over exactly that topic.
What Is Tinnitus?
Tinnitus is the conscious understanding of a sound in your ears or head, not brought on by exterior noise.
Tinnitus is not a condition, it is a symptom of an underlying problem, such as a nerve system problem, hearing loss, or an ear injury.
Too often associated with hearing loss, the fact is greater than 50 percent of individuals living with tinnitus do not have measurable hearing loss. Because there are several causes, tinnitus can be associated with a range of health problems.
The American Tinnitus Organization estimates the following:
-50 million Americans experience tinnitus to some degree.
-16 million have signs and symptoms severe sufficient to require treatment.
-2 million are so seriously crippled, they can’t operate on a day-to-day basis.
This disorder can happen in one or both ears, variety in pitch from a reduced holler to a high squeal, and also might be continuous or erratic.
Tinnitus is a signs and symptom associated with many forms of hearing loss and also can additionally be a sign of other illness.
What Causes Tinnitus? Biotin And Tinnitus
Tinnitus can be caused by a variety of different causes, and also it differs drastically from person to person.
A few of the reasons result in long-term tinnitus that might require treatment, while others result in short-term tinnitus that vanishes by itself.
Common root causes of tinnitus include:
* Blocked ear network with earwax. Earwax secures ear channel by trapping dust and reducing the growth of microorganisms.
When too much earwax builds up, it comes to be too difficult to wash away normally, causing hearing loss or irritability of the eardrum, that might cause tinnitus
* Ear infection.
* Hearing loss associated with growing older. For lots of individuals, hearing worsens with age, commonly beginning past age of sixty. It is listening to loss that causes tinnitus.
* Exposure to loud noise. Loud noises, such as those from heavy devices or long direct exposure to mobile music gamers such as MP3 players or iPods could also begin tinnitus.
* Ear bone improvements or otosclerosis. Stiffening of the bones within your center ear may influence hearing as well as bring tinnitus.
This condition is attributable to malfunctioning growth of the bone and also in lots of instances is inherited.
* Medications that causes tinnitus.
In all instances, tinnitus includes the mind‘s acoustic cortex, which is in charge of hearing. Particular nerve cells as well as neural circuits are “tuned“ to a details pitch, like keys on a piano.
When we experience listening to modifications, our minds attempt to make up, setting the cycle of tinnitus into movement.
What are some of the Tinnitus treatments?
Biotin And Tinnitus: Sonus Complete
Sonus Full is a wellness supplement by Gregory Peters that is particularly created to offer alleviation to individuals that struggle with constant humming in the ears.
All active ingredients added in this supplement are 100% natural that makes it risk-free to eat without any anxiety of adverse effects.
The formula is based on 3 major classes of elements which include berries, vitamins, and also oils.
Vitamins consist of a major part of this dietary supplement. It includes Vitamin C, Vitamin B3, Vitamin B6, as well as Vitamin 12.
• Vitamin B3 help in raising the flow of blood to the inner ear which is found faulty in tinnitus. The increased blood circulation reduces the swelling as well as discomfort and likewise relives the stress and anxiety in muscular tissues around the ear.
• Vitamin B6 as well as B12 work to improve the high quality of hearing when they are present in a enough amount in the body.
• Vitamin C enhances bone health. It aids in iron absorption and increases erythrocytes in the blood.
The berries included the formula to produce Sonus Full have an intense beneficial impact on the body. These berries are recognized to be used for many years by Chinese in conventional solutions.
• Hawthorn and Hibiscus Berries are incorporated. This combination targets the anxiety and stress levels as well as calms the brain while causing a rapid recuperation from the constant buzzing.
• Bearberries additionally called Uva Ursi, eliminate swelling, and also increase immunity. They collaborate with juniper berry, vitamin C, as well as green tea to prevent memory loss.
• Juniper berry functions as a driver with bearberries to boost the wellness of the mind.
• The antioxidant effects of olive oil play a vital function in comforting the signs of tinnitus. It assists prevent loss of memory and minimizes the humming heard to a fantastic degree.
These components used in this supplement also help in the improvement of tinnitus
• Garlic extract assists cause a peaceful rest considering that the majority of people going through this anguish experience not being able to rest properly due to the consistent humming.
It additionally aids to manage the wooziness which normally comes along with a tinnitus attack.
• Eco-friendly tea essence possesses antioxidant homes that aid in reinforcing the neural connections of the nerve system as well as assists soothe brain fog triggered by tinnitus.
That would be all regarding biotin and tinnitus, hopefully that was able to help you out.
If you need more information on biotin and tinnitus, make sure to check out Sonus Complete, on the link below.


The Cool Hunter applies a sociological research approach based on the visual exploration of the changes in human taste, thought and lifestyle and their translation into possible consumption scenarios. The Cool Hunter must identify, analyse and translate new trends and contemporary dynamics into clear concepts to be used as tools for designing fashion products.
The aim of the workshop is to understand fashion as a flow of trends and as a dimension in which consumers play the increasingly active role as indicators of emerging needs. The workshop is an educational experience that will allow students to learn a research approach through the method of the learning by doing and will lead them to develop a cool hunting research with the support of the teacher. The trends analysis implies an ability to observe the surrounding reality as well as an insightful and curious spirit, which will be stimulated through iconographic research.
Language: The lessons are held in Italian language; to attend the course, is required a good knowledge of Italian language reading and oral comprehension.
Under Pressure is first and foremost a 3-year training programme aimed at IED network’s students where they were asked to find 100 questions in urgent need of action. The results will be exhibited during the 2019 Fuorisalone.
The teaching method consists in traditional lessons and practical sessions aimed at gaining a deeper understanding of the course’s theoretical contents through direct experience. The students will be encouraged to participate in and contribute to the learning process through continuous in-depth research on specific topics covered throughout the course, to be presented or discussed during the lessons.
Course Program: Lesson 1 What does cool hunting mean? It means analysis of the possible scenarios, tools and methods to be used for research. Understanding of the fashion trends’ hierarchies and of the relationships between macro-trends and sectorial trends. Launch of the project brief. Lesson 2 Analysis of the theories on the relationship between fashion and sociology: by looking at the contemporary age, the lesson will investigate on the role of fashion within a social context. How the interpretation of a social behaviour can help translate it into a fashion product. Monitoring of the project development. Lesson 3 Image and imagination communication. How to look at trends, how to develop a concept and a visual perspective. Trends as tools for analysis and for creative hypotheses. Monitoring of the project development. Lesson 4 Analysis of the consumer, of his needs and of the possible responses to such needs. Tools and methods of the consumption models. Identification of a target and making of a story. Educational trip. Lesson 5 Presentation and exhibition of the research project carried out during the course.
Remarkable is that teacher who accomplishes himself what he teaches to others. (Italian proverb)
IED faculty are professionals that daily face the market. Here you can read their bios.
Sociologist and Visual Communication Consultant, she has been working in fashion and communication for over twenty years. She is currently collaborating with one of the major international bureaux de style making trend forecast for specific areas in many different sectors.


Violence against women is a major human rights problem that has special significance for HIV and AIDS. Violence in sexual encounters greatly increases the possibility of HIV transmission, both at the time of the assault and in subsequent life. This is the situation with numerous women and several children. Fear of subsequent violence also inhibits women from seeking HIV treatment and thereby leads to a worsening of the AIDS situation. Because of its wide-ranging extent and implications, gender-based violence is one of the reasons why women are more vulnerable to HIV infection than men. Violence against women is the most pervasive of all human rights violations. Up to half of all adult women are reported to have experienced violence at the hands of their intimate partners. Systematic sexual violence against women has characterized almost all recent armed conflicts and is used as a tool of terror and ‘ethnic cleansing’. Moreover, apart from the direct role of coerced sex inside and outside marriage and in conflict situations, fear of possible violence reinforces the domination and control that underpins women’s subordination (UNDP, 2005: 42).The statistics make bleak reading:
1. Some 30 percent of women are forced into their first sexual experience.
2. One in three women worldwide will experience violence in her lifetime.
3. One in five women worldwide will survive rape or attempted rape.
4. A high proportion of young people (up to 60 percent in some areas) believe that forcing sex with someone known to you is not sexual violence.
5. Women who have experienced violence may be up to three times more likely to acquire HIV than those who have not.
6. Twenty percent of girls and ten percent of boys experience sexual abuse during childhood.
7. Almost half of all sexual assaults in the world are against girls aged 15 or younger.
8. Violence against children takes place in the home, school, and community – perpetrators are frequently individuals that children know and trust.
9. Sexual abuse in childhood may have long-term HIV infection consequences as lower self-esteem leads many victims of abuse to take greater sexual risks.
(Global AIDS Alliance, 2006: 6,7).
It also happens that justice systems may not be victim-friendly, resulting in women and girls being blamed for rather than protected from gender-based violence. Regrettably, the attitude of the legal and law enforcement agencies frequently reflects the way of thinking of a male-dominated society. “The courts often do not take (the) case seriously and, in the case of an older girl with a complaint of sexual abuse, the case may hinge on whether or not the judge believes she ‘asked for it’” (Human Rights Watch, 2003: 60). The poor protection offered by the courts increases the reluctance of families to seek justice for crimes of sexual abuse against women and children. The light sentences that courts frequently hand down also proclaim the very degrading message that these are not regarded as serious offences and that officially the state takes them quite lightly.
The challenge to the Church
The female face of HIV and AIDS refers to two issues, the more extensive and severe impact the epidemic has on women and girls than on men and boys, and the role of women and girls at the forefront of household and community responses. Both constitute a significant challenge to the Church.
In the situation of HIV and AIDS the Church has played a significant service role, being responsible for about one-third of global AIDS care and for a wide range of dynamic responses to orphan needs. It has also played a significant role in HIV prevention through its unfaltering commitment to abstinence before marriage and fidelity within marriage. What is needed now is that it should maintain these responses, but also go beyond them.
The female face of the epidemic is a real challenge to it to do so. In the context of AIDS, the Church as a multi-sectoral, ministering and healing community must manifest a clearer feminine profile and more distinctly feminine features (Orobator, 2007: 124). Because our Mother the Church herself has AIDS, because our sisters are carrying the brunt of the epidemic and at the same time providing the most significant response, HIV and AIDS challenge the entire Church to move more boldly towards affirming the participation and contribution of women. The feminisation of AIDS calls for the feminisation of ecclesial identity, with an equal role for women in the exercise of ministry, authority and decision-making. Having voiced his concern about “the mindset persistent in some cultures, where women are firmly subordinated to the arbitrary decisions of men”, Pope Benedict called for this form of discrimination to be overcome. Clearly this has to occur as much in the Church as in secular cultures.
The moment of AIDS is undoubtedly a moment of monumental human suffering and anguish. But it is more. It is a moment of special grace, a unique kairos moment when God calls us to move from our set ways and be converted personally and structurally. The epidemic impels us to a new kenosis, a new emptying away of gender stereotypes and discriminations so that, inspired by what HIV and AIDS are doing to women and what women in their turn are doing to the epidemic, we work collectively towards a Church that
• Actively values the contributions of women in every situation, especially those of HIV and AIDS.
• Gives women more freedom in representing to the rest of society the reality of the Church as Mother.
• Strives to dismantle the structures of gender-based discrimination in both Church and society.
• Works to promote the active empowerment of women in Church and society, as the full equals of men.
In this way the feminisation of AIDS may help bring the Church closer to the vision of Saint Paul, neither male nor female, but all one in Christ (Gal., 3:28).
Trócaire’s Lenten Campaign stresses the importance of making the essential equality between women and men a lived reality. The vicious assault of HIV and AIDS on women is a further compelling reason for concern and action. It is not enough that we take note of the persistent inequalities that Pope Benedict laments. We should also do something about them. Hence, each one should constantly ask:
• What have I done in order to overcome the persistent inequalities between women and men?
• What am I doing about this right now?
• What more can I do in the future?
Anything one can do in this sphere will hasten the day when the full equality between women and men will be recognised not just in principle but also in practice. It will also hasten the day when the stranglehold of HIV and AIDS will be loosened so that men, women and their children can experience a life of dignity and fulfilment.


of the intrafusal fiber is pulled toward the ends in response to stimulation by gamma motoneurons. As a result, the spindle is tightened. This effect of gamma motoneurons, which is sometimes termed active stretch of the spindles, serves to increase the sensitivity of the spindles when the entire muscle is passively stretched by external forces. The activation of gamma motoneu-rons thus enhances the stretch reflex and is an important factor in the voluntary control of skeletal movements.
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This ebook provides an introductory explanation of the workings of the human body, with an effort to draw connections between the body systems and explain their interdependencies. A framework for the book is homeostasis and how the body maintains balance within each system. This is intended as a first introduction to physiology for a college-level course.


|1559 - 1598|
Council of Princes
|Extinct; to the Palatinate||1598|
Palatinate-Simmern-Sponheim was created in 1559 when Frederick II of Palatinate-Simmern inherited the Palatinate and gave both Simmern and Sponheim to his younger brother George. George died in 1569 and was succeeded by another younger brother, Richard. After Richard's death in 1598, Palatinate-Simmern-Sponheim passed back to the Elector Palatine.
|George||1559 - 1569|
|Richard||1569 - 1598|


About this book
Master the command line and Raspbian Linux as well as the physical connections of the Pi. With this book you’ll develop skills applicable to other real world applications in both hardware and software development all while working on simple and fun IoT projects that you can do yourself.
You'll learn to build programs on the top of Raspbian OS in Raspberry Pi boards. Start by using Raspbian shells to develop programs.Then follow projects and samples step-by-step to get new experiences in Raspbian OS development. You'll also learn the Wolfram Language and Mathematica, Scratch, IoT programs and IoT middleware, Node-RED, Interactive Data Visualization with Jupyter Notebook, and more.
There are many features in Raspbian OS and on Raspberry Pi boards perfect for building an IoT program to suite various scenarios. The GPIO pins on your Raspberry Pi allow it to scale further to accomplish all kinds of projects and tasks. Raspbian OS Programming with the Raspberry Pi is your pathway to exploring all of this.
raspbian raspberry pi internet of things iot scratch jupyter notebook node-red
- DOI https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4842-4212-4
- Copyright Information Agus Kurniawan 2019
- Publisher Name Apress, Berkeley, CA
- eBook Packages Professional and Applied Computing Professional and Applied Computing (R0)
- Print ISBN 978-1-4842-4211-7
- Online ISBN 978-1-4842-4212-4
- Buy this book on publisher's site


Are you looking for a fulfilling career with plenty of opportunities? Perhaps you’d like to use your skills to save lives?
The job market is filled with jobs that save lives every day. The list below includes some rewarding professions that also have the potential to save someone’s life every single day.
Moreover, these positions usually come with decent pay and benefits packages that include health insurance and paid time off. It is just another reason they’re worth considering if you’re in the market for your next big move.
Urgent Care Providers
Urgent care is a medical unit that treats people with minor injuries and illnesses. Providers in this department examine patients, administer treatment, and perform tests to determine the cause of a disease or injury. These professionals also educate patients on staying healthy in their homes and communities.
Job responsibilities vary by state and region but usually include triaging and treating patients according to their medical needs. They also coordinate referrals to other facilities or physicians when necessary.
Prospective employees typically must complete a certification course and pass a qualifying exam.
EMTs and Paramedics
Emergency medical technicians (EMTs) and paramedics help save lives by providing emergency medical care and transportation to hospitals and other medical facilities.
Emergency medical technicians (EMTs) and paramedics play a critical role in the healthcare system. They provide emergency medical care and transportation to hospitals and other medical facilities. It can include performing CPR, providing first aid, and using life-saving equipment.
EMTs and paramedics are often the first line of defense in an emergency. They help stabilize patients until they can be transported to a hospital. It can mean the difference between life and death for many people.
Firefighters are often the first responders to emergencies. They provide life-saving assistance to those in need and work to minimize damage caused by fires. They also play a critical role in educating the public about fire safety.
Firefighters typically undergo rigorous training before becoming a firefighter. This training can last anywhere from several months to several years. Firefighters need to think on their feet and make quick decisions in emergencies.
Firefighters often work long hours and may be called to respond to emergencies at any time of the day or night. They also work weekends and holidays. While it can be a demanding job, it is gratifying to work.
Critical Care Nurses
Critical care nurses provide hands-on assistance in a hospital setting. They help monitor and support patients with life-threatening illnesses or injuries, such as those who have suffered from heart attacks or major surgery.
This job requires special skills and training to provide the best possible care for their patients. They must think on their feet and make quick decisions in emergencies. They also need to be able to handle stress and manage difficult situations.
Critical care nurses play a vital role in the hospital setting. They help ensure that patients receive the best possible care and support. They work long hours and often have to deal with stressful situations. However, it is also a gratifying career.
Surgery is often the only solution to treat specific injuries and illnesses. It means that surgeons are responsible for saving peoples’ lives regularly. Surgeons perform operations and other surgeries in emergency health situations.
Those thinking about surgery as a career should enjoy helping people, deal with pressure, and have excellent motor coordination skills.
Surgeons are responsible for using their skills and training to perform operations or other surgeries in emergency, life-threatening situations. They often have an excellent bedside manner and are dedicated to their work.
Police officers protect and serve their communities. They respond to emergencies, direct traffic, and investigate crimes.
For those looking for a career as a police officer, previous experience in law enforcement or the military can be very helpful. It may also help if you have an interest in administration or management.
This job requires strong interpersonal skills as well as excellent physical health. Those considering this job should be able to handle the pressures of emergency response situations, depression, and danger. Police officers work long hours, including nights, weekends, and holidays. They also need to be on their feet most of the day.
Emergency dentists are only called in extreme cases when toothache seems unbearable. These professionals help relieve pain, stop tooth decay, and perform dental surgery.
To become an emergency dentist, you need to have excellent oral skills and the ability to deal with stressful situations. You should be able to think on your feet and make quick decisions.
Are you looking for a career that is both challenging and rewarding? Perhaps consider one of the jobs mentioned above. These professions can be life-saving for those in need. They require special skills and training and a dedication to helping others.


In 2007, a group of 81 people met in Vietnam to begin to develop global standards for the pangasius aquaculture industry. Over a three-year period, 550 more people joined the discussion. Their work ended in August 2010, when the first set of credible global standards for the pangasius aquaculture industry was published. WWF led this initiative.
The group – called the Pangasius Aquaculture Dialogue – was motivated by the need to minimize the potential negative impacts pangasius farming can have on the environment and society. The impacts associated with this type of farming, which usually is done in a man-made pond, include water pollution, the destruction of natural habitat and unfair wages for farm workers.
The final standards will help transform one of the fastest growing aquaculture industries in the world. In Vietnam, where most farmed pangasius comes from, more than 1 million tons of farmed pangasius is produced annually, up from 110,000 tons in 2000. Most of the fish is exported to the European Union, United States and Russia.
Pangasius farmers who adopt the standards will earn a label from a new entity, the Aquaculture Stewardship Council, certifying that their seafood was raised in an environmentally-friendly and socially-responsible way.
Click here to watch the video


You can engage them, or you can lose them. Guidance departments do a brisk business during the first week of school changing schedules. The first day, the first week, is critical for the beginning Latin student. Many of your students are already worried that they aren't smart enough to take this class. They are wondering if they should have taken Spanish. They have a lot of friends in Spanish. Perhaps they have an older brother or sister who took Latin. But he or she was the smart one as they are sure all their teachers already know.
If you want to thin out your class, you should list all the cases in order and then put the first declension endings on the board. Or you can explain that there are three genders in Latin that have different endings except when two of them have the same endings in the third declension and then put all those endings on the board. Either way, if you begin this way on the first day or the first week, you will likely convince some of them that their initial fears were correct. The line at guidance will get longer.
Do not begin by reading the syllabus, the class rules, the weights for formative vs. summative assessments, late policy blah, blah blah. Your students have already heard this at least once and maybe four times depending on what hour in the day you see them. No one is listening. Students rarely get into trouble in the first week anyway and you can be sure that any student who does, would not have been deterred by a recitation of the class rules. Yes, this is necessary information but save it for the second week.
I suggest an alternative. I constructed this little "Survey" for the first day of Latin ever and it has served me well. In the drive are two versions, a middle school and a high school version. I explain that it's not real survey but a way to talk about all the cool things that are Latin. It will not be graded and it will not be collected. Guessing is encouraged. They take it and then we discuss the answers. The whole process takes 50 minutes. There will be some giggling. At some point, a few students will reveal shyly to you that they read mythology on their own or that they have seen Gladiator on TBS three times. They will leave relieved. So far, Latin is okay. Later, they will tell someone about that crazy Roman emperor who made his horse president of Rome. Oh, and the Latin teacher is nuts too.


It is believed that this ancient city is part of an even larger structure of 10,000 square kilometers. The organized nature of this ancient community and a road network connecting it to the terraced agriculture suggest that the metropolis was home to a highly advanced civilization.
The geology of the site is quite interesting too because of the numerous gold mines located in the area. According to researchers, this ancient civilization could have practiced gold mining.
What is quite curious, no one has ever wondered about the origin and the age of these stone circles before, despite the fact that local residents have encountered them multiple times. In 2007, Michael Tellinger, researcher and writer passionate about human origins, and Johan Heine, a local fireman and pilot, decided to explore the site. Later, the results of their research inspired Tellinger to write a book titled Temples Of The African Gods.
Tellinger believes that this ancient African metropolis is the oldest structure built by human on Earth.
In fact, he thinks that the Sumerians and the Egyptians inherited knowledge from this advanced civilization. This hypothesis is based on the fact that there are carvings of the Egyptian Ankh on the rocks of the ancient city. How could there possibly be an image of the Egyptian god thousands of years before the Egyptian civilization emerged? “These discoveries are so staggering that they will not be easily digested by the mainstream historical and archaeological fraternity, as we have already experienced. It will require a complete paradigm shift in how we view our human history,” Tellinger said.
Tellinger’s findings raise more questions than answers, but we can hope that this incredible ancient city will attract more researchers in the future and that one day more light will be shed on this lost civilization and the unknown aspects of human history in general.


Epistemology: the study or a theory of the nature and grounds of knowledge especially with reference to its limits and validity
Humility: a modest or low view of one’s own importance
One day of the EcoFaith Youth Camp was spent at the Eloheh Farm in the company of Randy and his family. We spent time hearing the story of how they came to Oregon and got started on their farm here. There were many profound things shared during the conversation we had. A few things really stood out. One was in the mission of the farm. Eloheh is about harmony. Being in harmony with the land they are working is paramount to the mission of the farm. When they first bought the land, Randy went to the local Native American elders to find out how they could best honor the land they wanted to use. The answer was simple: to plant huckleberries. Huckleberries once were prevalent in the local land and planting some would honor that history. I think it is very important to remember what we have gotten from the land and how it continues to serve us, even as in many cases, we work toward its destruction. Simple acts like this are a reminder of the rich history and how it is important to remember it and honor it always.
The second idea that really stood out was a phrase Randy used: epistemological humility. This is the idea of understanding that you donÃ¢â‚¬â„¢t know everything and how you would go about learning something is not the only way it can be done. I think this is a very important phrase to keep close to the heart. I know that there have been many times in my life where I have gotten stuck in the idea of, Ã¢â‚¬Å“ThatÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s not how I would have done it.Ã¢â‚¬Â Sometimes that idea even sticks around after the task has been done successfully because I often think that my way would have been more efficient or effective compared to what was done. It is sometimes a hard lesson to learn that you arenÃ¢â‚¬â„¢t the smartest person around.
There are many ways to approach a problem or task and just because you had one idea about it doesnÃ¢â‚¬â„¢t mean that itÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s the best. Listening to Randy speak was a revelation. He is a college professor and he speaks about learning from everyone around him. His job is to teach, but even with that he understands that just because he has one approach, it doesnÃ¢â‚¬â„¢t mean that others are less valid. I think that is the mark of a true teacher. It definitely reminds me of one of the phrases that was used constantly as I went through my student teaching program. My professors would always say that the goal was to be and to develop Ã¢â‚¬Å“Lifelong Learners.Ã¢â‚¬Â It wasnÃ¢â‚¬â„¢t about teaching kids something, but helping to spark in them the desire to know more themselves.
Learning doesnÃ¢â‚¬â„¢t stop when you are done with school. I am constantly learning new things whether itÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s from a class IÃ¢â‚¬â„¢m taking or from the kids I coach. Sometimes I am left scratching my head when I see how the kids I coach approach a problem. The way they attempt to understand doesnÃ¢â‚¬â„¢t make logical sense to me in many cases. To them it does though. Understanding that what works for me doesnÃ¢â‚¬â„¢t necessarily work for others and that I have to be adaptable will make me a better coach and help the kids I am coaching learn those lessons as well. I will strive to remember epistemological humility and to take to heart its lessons and live them out.
Please feel free to share this post with others and use the Ã¢â‚¬Å“commentÃ¢â‚¬Â field below to post your thoughts on this topic. Thanks!


Correctly described as a work of realism, John Steinbeck’s 1939 novel The Grapes of Wrath was quickly snapped up by Hollywood and released to much acclaim in 1940. Set during the Great Depression of the 1930s, Steinbeck’s Pulitzer Prize winning work focuses on the Joads, an underprivileged family of tenant farmers who hail from the south-central state of Oklahoma. The historical context which relates to the term ‘Okie’ is significant here and will serve to inform any first-time viewing of this superb film directed by the legendary John Ford and produced by Darryl F. Zanuck. In 1930s America, the word and its usage took on a distinctly derogatory tone. ‘Okie’ was used to describe migrant workers from the state of Oklahoma who traveled largely to California in the hopes of much-needed work and better prospects. The journey westward was arduous and many a dream came to grief in transit or at the point of destination in the so-called promised land. It’s interesting in this respect to note how John Ford – the director most associated with the Western genre in film – was chosen for this project and captured the tenor of Steinbeck’s novel so effectively. A conservative with respect to his political leanings, Ford was an atypical choice for the adaptation, but the direction and aesthetic style which he imposes on the film is unmistakable and deeply-felt to this very day. The completed work earned him one of the four Oscars he won for Best Director during his lifetime.
The film version of The Grapes of Wrath opens quite starkly with the image of a solitary man walking on a deserted road. Plainly dressed, he comes to a store named Cross Roads (quite appropriately) where he hitches a ride from a reluctant truck driver. The familiar face of Henry Fonda leaves us the viewer in little doubt as to the central character of the piece. The man’s name is Tom Joad; he has recently been released from the penitentiary having served four years for the crime of ‘homicide.’ Joad explains to the driver that his father is a sharecropper. We get a sense that he may be out of touch with the social and economic situation on account of the time he has served behind bars. This proves to be the case indeed when Joad encounters the character of Jim Casy (John Carradine) close to his parents’ home. A despondent Casy informs Tom that he is no longer a preacher – ‘Lost the spirit…maybe there ain’t no sin and there ain’t no virtue. It’s just what people does.’ Surprised perhaps at the forthright nature of this revelation, Tom expands somewhat on the details of his previous misdemeanour – he killed a man in a dance hall and hasn’t seen any of his family members since then. Tom and Casy approach the former domicile of the Joad family with an appreciable sense of foreboding. The first-time viewer will be struck by the many night-time scenes which seem to dominate Ford’s film. The director of photography Gregg Toland was famed for his innovative approach (most especially with regard to deep focus) and would cement his reputation just a year later with his work on Orson Welles’s Citizen Kane.
Tom and Casy are informed by a man named Muley Graves (John Qualen) that the Joad family have been forced from the land and are intending to make the long journey to sunny California. Graves is unreserved with regard to whom he blames for his own plight and that of many others including the Joads. In a pointed flashback, we see Graves being handed the written order to abandon his own sharecrop by the deed holders – ‘They came and pushed me off…there ain’t nobody ever coming back.’ A note of cautious optimism is struck the following day when Tom finally catches up with his family. Reunited with his parents, the bond with his mother (Jane Darwell) is especially of note and develops into perhaps the most affecting relationship in the story and film. The relatively happy scene is disrupted as a superintendent appears and reminds Tom’s Uncle John (Frank Darien) that he too must quit his property on the following day. The family of twelve, with Casy in tow, prepare to leave the environs of the Dust Bowl for good, but have to prevail upon the character of Grandpa Joad to accompany them. The elderly man – who had previously spoken of the oranges and grapes in California – has a sudden change of heart which is in keeping with the themes of uprooting and displacement – ‘I ain’t going to California. This is my country and I belong here.’ A cup of coffee laced with soothing syrup renders the aged man docile, but he becomes the first casualty of the journey as he soon passes away on the road.
The first inclination that all may not be quite rosy in the promised land of California comes when the family spends the night in a camp surrounded by fellow travelers. The notion that the western state will provide sustenance and alleviate hardship is scoffed at by an embittered man who has lost his wife and two children due to poverty. The handbill which Tom’s father clutches is viewed as little more than a piece of false publicity; its promise of a robust future is a falsehood designed to lure these people in and exploit them to the nth degree. Fearing that his film might be perceived as pro-Communist, Darryl F. Zanuck hired private investigators to help him legitimise the film and its attendant themes. Upon being informed that the plight of the Okies was indeed severe, the All About Eve producer felt that he could duly defend the film. He was also helped by the fact that the on-going world war (which America would become involved in following Pearl Harbor) amounted to a brief respite for Communism from American demonising. The rickety 1926 Hudson Super Six sedan bearing the Joad family passes through the state of Arizona where we see signs for the Will Rogers Highway and the Colorado River. As they lay eyes on the state of California for the very first time, the mood of the clan is still generally upbeat and infused with hope. Tom’s father refers to it as the ‘land of milk and honey.’ The biblical allusion here is quite clear – having been exiled from their own country, the displaced people now hope for the riches of the promised land where abundance will supplant destitution. In a visual context, Ford and Toland represent this with a vista of orange trees and haystacks. The passing of Grandma Joad at this particular juncture is presented as somehow fitting in this regard. ‘She got to lay her head down in California after all’ Tom’s mother remarks in a decidedly philosophical way.
The family’s change of location does not amount to a change in their collective fortune however and we are reminded of this as they pass another night in a transient camp. ‘None of them look too prosperous’ Tom says; such a remark is further underlined as Ma Joad allows some poverty-stricken children to have the remains of the family’s dinner. Trouble soon ensues as a dodgy land employer shows up at the camp with the sheriff and has an argument with a man who has been conned into labour without pay in the recent past. Attempting to intervene, Tom is reminded that he is still on parole and should lay low. Casy takes sole responsibility for having knocked out the lawman and is taken away by the authorities. Upon learning that some men in the local town plan to burn down the camp, Tom prevails on his other family members to quit the place immediately. As they depart, the family is confronted on the road by an angry mob who tell them they want no more ‘Okies’ in the town or the vicinity for that matter. Again, a false dawn comes to pass in the narrative as the family learns of a ranch (named the Keene Ranch) where they will be hired for picking peaches. The large presence of police outside the ranch does not bode well and the Joads are informed that they will earn a paltry five cents a box. Circumstances inside this settlement are even more inequitable given that the local store charges exorbitant prices for its food and products. An increasingly exasperated Tom meets Casy who is now staying in a tent on the ranch. Casy informs Tom of an impending strike which is due to take place arising from the unfair working conditions therein. The secret meeting of the so-called agitators is broken up as the camp guards descend upon them. At the very end of his tether, Tom kills one of them after Casy has been mortally wounded by the same man. The following morning Tom learns from his mother that the authorities are looking for him – ‘We’re cracking up Tom. We ain’t no family now’ she tells him as she bemoans the gradual demise of their once closely-knit family unit. The Joads decide to leave the ranch when they learn that two-and-a-half cents is as much as they will be paid now per box. They arrive at another camp which is run by the Department of Agriculture. The conditions here are much better than in previous settlements and the family soon adapt to the idea of indoor toilets and showers, facilities which the younger members of the clan had never seen before.
The men, including Tom, are warned of some impending trouble involving the ‘reds’ and so it comes to pass at a dance the following Saturday night when some men attempt to provoke a riot in the camp so that the powers-that-be will be forced to intervene. The savvy Okies manage to avoid such trouble, but their adversaries persist in their efforts to create it. Fearing that he will be eventually found and arrested, Tom decides to leave. Telling his mother that he is determined to find a solution to their overall problem, he says goodbye in one of cinemas most memorable farewells – ‘I’ll be all around in the dark. I’ll be everywhere. Wherever you can look. Wherever there’s a fight so hungry people can eat, I’ll be there. Wherever there’s a cop beating up a guy, I’ll be there. I’ll be in the way guys yell when they’re mad. I’ll be in the way kids laugh when they’re hungry and they know supper’s ready. And when the people are eating the stuff they raise, living in the houses they built, I’ll be there too.’ Following Tom’s departure, the family move on once more in the hopes of better things to come. The more upbeat ending to the film contrasts to the original novel which was distinctly bleak in its denouement. Given that Steinbeck’s book concluded with Rosasharn delivering a stillborn baby and, later, offering her milk-filled breasts to a starving man, it’s little wonder that the filmmakers decided to omit such a pessimistic and graphic ending. Bear in mind that these were still the days of the Hays Code in Hollywood. Powerful and influential as they were in the industry, neither Ford nor Zanuck would have managed to get this particular image up on the big screen. The screen adaptation of The Grapes of Wrath ends with Ma Joad declaring quite emphatically that she won’t ever ‘be scared no more.’ The remainder of her speech is in keeping with the defiance and determination expressed by Tom previously – ‘We keep a-coming. We’re the people that live. They can’t wipe us out. They can’t lick us. We’ll go on forever Pa because we’re the people.’ The final image that Ford leaves us with is that of a sun-drenched road in California as a caravan of Okie automobiles continue in their quest for an improved existence and a sustainable future.
Released in January 1940, The Grapes of Wrath opened to universal acclaim and its sizable reputation remains fully intact to this very day. Ford’s film is a telling social document – in the same vein as the novel on which it is based – and there are themes and vignettes which have a relevance no matter what generation or epoch. Watching it again, I was struck by elements such as the artistic endeavour of Ford and Toland in crafting images of a landscape and countryside which are in part benign, but also quite unforgiving. The night-time sequences (and there are quite a few of these as I have noted) seem an extension of the director’s notable interest in German Expressionism. Gregg Toland – who died at the far-too-young age of 44 in 1948 – was the perfect complement to John Ford in this respect. Even the day-time scenes are infused with a sort of desolate poetry. The Dust Bowl which the Okies leave has proven to be unremitting in its particular cruelty; the sun-beaten vistas of California similarly have an arid quality to them. A great film truly becomes a classic based on its leading performances and, in this respect, the two stand-outs in the cast are Henry Fonda as Tom and Jane Darwell as Ma Joad. Fonda was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role (he lost out to James Stewart in The Philadelphia Story) and Darwell won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress. The film’s only other Academy Award was bestowed on John Ford (who won again the following year for 1941’s How Green Was My Valley). The Grapes of Wrath was one of ten films nominated for Best Picture at the 13th Academy Awards and, although it did not win (the winner that year was Alfred Hitchcock’s Rebecca), its place and standing in classic Hollywood has long since been secured. An utterly absorbing melodrama which is poignant, powerful and socially engaging with respect to its headline themes.


12 August 2016
on course website
Dutch Culture in a European Context
During the first two weeks you will analyse Europe?s cultural pluralism and its varied identities that still exist today. The topics we will study, will help you to understand the complicated structure of Europe and may shed some light on the motives for integration as well as the obstacles on the way to European unity. Lectures will focus on the history, social and economic structures, culture, and current political and social debates within the wider European community. In light of these last topics we will organize a field trip to the Royal Museum of Fine Arts and the European Parliament in Brussels.
After two weeks students will focus more specifically on the Netherlands and Dutch identity. Students will be introduced to the rich cultural traditions that the Netherlands developed from the Dutch Golden Age to the present day in painting, literature, poetry and filmmaking. The two courses on the Netherlands will be devoted to specific themes, a theme for each week, of which the first will be Dutch identity and history. The lectures that will give you insight in the distinctive historical periods of Dutch history. Topics that will be discussed are the productive Golden Age of the 17th Century, as well as Dutch-American relations or Dutch traditions of tolerance and accommodation. The second theme (week 4) will give you the historical context of the preceding topics, and you will be introduced to the cultural expressions and traditions that support the Dutch in their claim to international fame as a cultural nation. During excursions you will visit some of the most world renowned paintings of Rembrandt and Van Gogh.
We then will proceed with the third theme, society. Lecturers will discuss the most characteristic institutions and arrangements of Dutch society such as the welfare state and the polder model. You will learn about the real role of the windmills, but also about other factors that contributed to the economic success and international orientation of the Netherlands. Finally, we will end with the theme of ?contemporary Issues?. Topics discussed are the contemporary religious diversity and secularization, immigration and integration and Dutch traditions of cooperation reflected in the Peace Palace and the International Criminal Court. This course includes a full day excursion to The Hague, including a visit amongst others to the Dutch Parliamentary building (Binnenhof).
You will experience an intensive six-week programme with lectures and seminar groups. Together with other students you are expected to work on group presentations and assignments.
This special track consists of:
European Cultures and Identities
Dutch Culture: History and Art
Dutch Culture: Society and Current Issues
dr. Jaap Verheul
The programme is open for participants from all disciplines, although the course will focus on the humanities and social sciences.
This course introduces students to the history, society and culture of Europe and the Netherlands. By studying Dutch society and culture in an international context, the programme offers the participating students an incentive to reflect anew on their own culture and society in an international atmosphere.
EUR 2725: Course + course materials + housing
EUR 1775: Course + course materials
on course website


Module 1 - Sexual Victimisation
Please, keep in mind that the current course is introductory. It has been designed for kindergarten and elementary school teachers in Europe working with children from 3 to 12 years old with no previous training in violence against children. If you wish to find out about more specialized or advanced courses for other type of professionals, contexts or students, please visit the extra resources proposed at the end of the course.
- Introduction To Child Sexual Victimisation
- Real story
- Definition Of Child Sexual Victimisation
- What can you do to tackle child sexual victimisation?
- What can you do about a suspected case of child sexual abuse?
- What is the procedure in your country?
Module 2 - Physical And Emotional Maltreatment
Module 3 - Bullying Victimisation
Module 4 - Resilience
Promoting resilience is increasingly central to strengthening child mental health and wellbeing (Patel, Flisher, Nikapota & Malhotra, 2008). Preventative approaches involve removing and reducing the impact of risk factors for child abuse and neglect and bolstering protective factors in the child’s environment (Wilkins, Myers, Kuehl, Bauman & Hertz, 2018). Schools are a key target for preventative initiatives and can provide students with positive experiences and interactions which promote and protect their wellbeing (Dorado et al., 2016). Teachers can help students in their care develop these important coping and social skills through classroom-based coping skills instruction. Providing education on risks and raising students’ awareness of available social welfare and community-based supports and building relationships with families are also useful strategies to preventing trauma and adversity (Dorado et al., 2016). Further information is provided later on the procedures for reporting and accessing child welfare supports in your country. Importantly, teachers can play a central role in building children’s social and emotional skills and their capacity to deal with trauma, adverse or challenge life circumstances and even day-to-day worries and stress. Indeed, positive teacher-student relationships and positive experiences in the classroom and school setting can have potentially far-reaching benefits, promoting long-term emotional adjustment and better outcomes in adult life (Hamre & Pianta, 2001).


How to Write an Essay
Writing an article is a test of this writer’s capacity to use and interpret data effectively. The various kinds of composition writing comprise: the college essay writing servicessis, report, story, and critical article. An essay is not a random collection of words; it’s a well-defined plan which describes how a writer viewpoints on a specific issue or advice.
In order to make an essay, the author should have a strategy and target in mind. The topic of the article has to be determined . This measure is vital because the author will have to ascertain what the total purpose is for the essay. After selecting this issue, the writer is now able to select the suitable format for the article.
If the reader desires to find out more about the topic, an essay should be prepared from the beginning by drawing the numerous elements which are involved with the problem or information. The writer may also start the outline with a timeline outlining the occasions or business of this story or topic. As a result of this, the reader can better associate the events being explained to the overall event. As an example, if a young child is diagnosed with leukemia, a timeline could list the events that resulted in the diagnosis.
A timeline may also contain key parts of the primary thoughts or story. These key ideas are frequently what are called highlights or sub-points. Many times, this segment can be viewed as the culmination of the whole essay. The essayist can additionally use a deadline to explain their justification for their view.
After having written a deadline or debut, the essayist may now proceed with the writing of the actual essay. To do this, they start by selecting a design for the article. There are numerous styles of writing an article and these fashions could include the following: casual, formal, as well as Profession. The writer will decide which type of writing will best suit their requirements.
When writing an article, there are a few techniques that help the writer develop their writing abilities. The first aspect to think about is the arrangement. The type of paper chosen will be based on the topic. For instance, if the topic is going to be a report about a new restaurant opening in the town, then it would be best to create the paper into a report as opposed to an essay.
Another factor to take into account is the number of paragraphs and the logic of the essays, which can be generated from the logical arrangement of this topic. Using paragraphs is a fantastic way to introduce important information to the reader. However, there are two distinct styles of composing an essay, formal and casual. The author can also combine both formal and informal styles within a single topic. By combining both styles, the writer can show that they are both unique and innovative.
Since there are so many styles and formats to composing an article, the writer should always have an overall idea in mind before beginning to write the item. The topic should be clear and specify the essay subject. Then decide the ideal sort of essay, which can be either how to write a narrative essay about yourself a thesis announcement or a report on a certain topic.


While China has increasingly adopted Western influences, the traditional family structure is still highly valued and holds a prominent position in Chinese culture. Both traditional and modern Chinese families have similar values and morals, and these have been a part of daily life for many centuries.
Traditional Chinese family values clearly distinguish different roles and rights for men and women. While these are rapidly changing, the original values are still evident on some levels.
Role of Men
In the traditional Chinese family, the man is responsible for maintaining, providing for, and protecting his family. He is also given all the decision-making power when it comes to his wife and other family members. He is responsible for supporting his children's education until they are married. In modern families, the family members consult elders about important decisions, but the father no longer has the final say with regard to his adult children's lives.
Role of Women
Women have traditionally served in a subordinate position within Chinese culture. Traditional Chinese mothers usually stayed in the home to take care of the children, the home, and the rest of the family. However, the role that women play within society is ever expanding. According to the 2020 United Nations Development Programme's Human Development Report, 69 percent of women participated in the labor force in China. Due to increased opportunities, women are seeking careers in addition to their traditional child-rearing role. However, there is a gender wage gap in China, and fewer females than males in higher paying, higher power positions.
Traditional Chinese families honor the patrilineal descent system. This means that a child's lineage is calculated from his father only. In this type of system, men are the only ones who can inherit family membership and family land or other inheritance.
Importance of Family
That statement 'family is life' holds true in Chinese culture. Family is very important. So important, in fact, that the family is the base of Chinese culture. Several Confucian thoughts are based on family. For example, three of the five important relationships are parent and child, husband and wife, and elder and younger siblings. There are specific responsibilities and duties delineated to parents, children, and grandparents in China's 1981 marriage law. However, this law has been updated over the years to reflect societal changes, such as legalizing interracial marriage. As such, the role that family is playing in Chinese culture is an evolving one, with some young adults breaking off from traditions and starting their own.
Views on Children
In order to combat overcrowding and overpopulation, the People's Republic of China mandated a one-child-per-household policy in the late 1970s. This law often only applied to urban families, while some rural families could get away with having more than one child. This policy influenced how children were viewed, and led to female infanticide because females wouldn't be able to carry on the family name or inherit the family land. However, due to a declining birthrate, this was changed to a two-child-per-household policy in 2016, followed by a three-child-per-household policy in 2021.
Obedience and the Family Unit
In traditional families, all children are expected to obey their parents without discussion, and parents could legally kill their children if they disobeyed them or refused to show unquestioning obedience. In modern China, both girls and boys are usually treated equally. However, many Chinese parents are strict, since the choices of the children reflect on the parents. This comes back to the family being seen as a unit rather than individual people.
Marriage, family, and children are also very important in Chinese culture. Because such a large portion of the population lived in rural environments for so long, getting married and having children meant that you'd have workers and be able to create and maintain a homestead. Traditional marriages were arranged by the parents of the bride and groom. Many couples never even met one another until their wedding day. Arranged marriages were prohibited in the 1950 marriage law. Modern Chinese couples choose their own partners, but many still ask for their elders' approval.
Respect for Elders
As in many Asian cultures, the elders of the family are revered for their wisdom. This is founded in Confucianism through the concept of filial piety, devotion, and respect for elders. In both traditional and modern families, elders are respected, taken care of, and revered by the rest of the family. In traditional families, including those living in a rural environment, many households include five generations living together. Even in modern households, many grandparents live with their children and their kids. They typically play a large role in the raising of their grandchildren. When Chinese elders pass away, they are traditionally honored by ancestor altars in homes that feature candles, photographs, and their favorite items. More recently, however, the rapidly aging population in China has led to fast-expanding institutional care.
The Chinese culture has undergone many dramatic changes in recent years, but the family structure and the importance of family values remain a focus. Families are still cherished, honored and respected, whether you live in the traditional, rural environment, or a modern, urban city.


Public Records Information
The District of Columbia, or Washington DC, was officially founded on July 16, 1790, and has since served as the permanent national capital. As such, it is not officially part of any state government but is overseen instead by the federal government, with the U.S. Congress having ultimate authority over the city. The number of persons residing in D.C. is approximately 600,000, with it’s ranks swelling to over 1 million with the influx of commuters entering the city during the work week. The city government consists of a mayor and a 13 member city council. On the national level, the city is represented by one at-large congressional delegate without voting authority, and has no senate representation. Located within the city are the centers of all three branches of the federal government. There are 176 foreign embassies and headquarters for several world organizations such as the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank, the Organization of American States and the Pan American Health Organization. Washington D.C. is also home to many national monuments and museums.
D.C is, as are other states, bound by the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). This act provides the right of any person to request access to public records and documents. All records may be requested; however, there is also a provision for exemptions from FOIA disclosure. The information that is not restricted by the D.C. FOIA may be accessed by a direct link from the PublicRecordCenter. Also contained on that same link are instructions on how to request existing information, applicable fees, and appeals process information.
As there is so much information regarding government public records and documents in the city of Washington D.C., PublicRecordCenter is especially helpful for locating web sites which contain these vital records and documents. A single page presents a listing of direct links to web sites containing specific record categories, allowing easy access to particular areas of interest. By following these well organized links, a researcher will be able to eliminate accessing confusing and incorrect sites and focus on the desired information.
Criminal histories and records for Washington D.C. residents are maintained by the Metropolitan Police Department. Those seeking criminal histories for the purposes of employment, licensing, adoption, apartment rental applications, or passports and visas, may apply in person at the Arrest and Criminal History Section of the police department. Request forms are available there and are then processed in about twenty-four hours. Instructions for requesting criminal history information by mail are available on the web site for those unable to make the request in person.
Search the PublicRecordCenter page regarding asset searches to obtain information regarding public inspection of land records, professional license verification, business ownership records, and multiple documents concerning personal and corporate assets. The office of the Chief Financial Officer offers a database search of unclaimed property. Search also for bankruptcy information, liens and UCC judgment filing records.
Court records in Washington D.C. are also a matter of public information. The D.C. court system is aligned by the various courts and the services they provide. Each individual court maintains a web page providing details of that particular court’s jurisdiction and purpose. Some of the courts would include the Superior Court, Appellate Court, Bankruptcy Court, Family Court, Probate Court, and Small Claims Court, just to name a few. Information concerning case records and documents can be obtained from the individual court web sites. PublicRecordCenter offers quick searches for accurate, official information on recorded documents.
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This issue of Options looks at the transition to a low-carbon economy, spurred principally by the need to mitigate global warming. As we enter what is being hailed as the biggest paradigm shift since the industrial revolution, it looks at the work being carried out by scientists at IIASA and its worldwide network of partners and collaborators in the field of renewable energy, advanced environmental forecasting and monitoring, sustainable water management, and many other key areas.
Options Magazine, Summer 2010: Society is now at a stage in history in which one pulse is ending and another beginning. More
Options Magazine, Summer 2010: A new blueprint indicates that, while the vision of a Europe powered by renewable energy is technologically feasible, new policies and investment behaviors will be needed to achieve this. More
Options Magazine, Summer 2010: IIASA scientists are working closely with space agencies and research institutions to develop and verify the way satellites collect and process information about the global carbon cycle. More
Options Magazine, Summer 2010: Tackling the world’s energy challenges will help achieve many of the Millennium Development Goals, says IIASA’s Nebojsa Nakicenovic. More
Options Magazine, Summer 2010: Nitrogen fertilizer can boost crop yields, but overuse leads to harmful environmental consequences. More
Options Magazine, Summer 2010: Improving the management of green water has enormous potential to produce more crop per drop of water. More
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||[Dec. 13th, 2015|08:16 pm]
It’s fairly well known that Peter III (of Russia) had a “toy” fortress at Oranienbaum. (Although “toy” isn’t really the most appropriate word. The structure was used for training and drilling perfectly real troops.) What is far less known is that there were actually TWO such fortresses built. The one most people think of is Peterstadt (originally St. Peter when it was first built in ~1756). But long before this there was another fortress, This one was built in ~1746, about a year or so after Peter’s marriage to Catherine. He was 18. Allegedly he drew up a lot of the plans and calculations for the structure himself (not unreasonable, since fortification was more or less Peter’s favorite subject). And then he named this pet project of his. He named it Ekaterinburg, in honor of his wife, Ekaterina Alexeyeva (Catherine).


Description: The Ornate hawk-eagle has a tall, distinctive, black crest that can be erected when excited. The throat is rimmed with black-tipped feathers and each side of the head and neck is chestnut. They have black upperparts and white underparts barred with black. The flight feathers are marked with white and black bars. The feet and cere are yellow and the eyes are orange. The juvenile has a different appearance. The upperparts are dark brown, with pure white underparts on the head and neck, except for black tips to the crest feathers. The hooked sharp beak and strong yellow feet with long talons make this hawk-eagle a formidable predator.
Size: The Spizaetus ornatus grows to 23-26 inches (58-66 cm) in body length (with the female being approximately 25-40 percent larger than the male); has a wing span of 3-4 feet (0.9-1.2 m) and weighs 2-3.5 pounds (0.9-1.6 kg).
Behavior: Ornate hawk-eagles are beautiful, powerful raptors that hunt by stealth within and below the canopy. They stalk their prey and then attack from a short distance, using their formidable talons with precision. Prey can be taken on the ground, from a tree branch or in flight. The Accipitridae family uses their senses for hunting, particularly sight, which may be up to eight times better than that of humans; most have excellent hearing and a poor sense of smell.
Diet: Their diet consists mainly of medium to large- sized birds, such as guans, little blue herons, parrots, macaws, toucans, chachalacas, small tree-dwelling mammals, and on occasion, some reptiles. They are known to be quite aggressive.
Communication: A clear, thin, high-pitched whistle or scream is heard, along with a call that alternately accelerates with a laughing series of notes and then decelerates with an excited sounding set of notes that rise and fall in small crescendos. It can also utter a cry that sounds like the snarling growl of a large cat.
Reproduction: To prepare for egg laying, a nest made of sticks is built high in the fork of a tree. Courtship begins one to two months before egg laying and includes high pitch screaming calls and soaring through the air together. The male will perform a diving display while the female is perched. Only one egg is laid and incubation time is approximately 48 days. Fledgling (acquiring the feathers necessary for flight) takes approximately 66-93 days. One parent, usually the male, feeds the young while it stays close to the nest for up to one year after fledgling.
Habitat/range: They are found in humid tropical and subtropical forests from Central Mexico to northern Argentina and Paraguay. They are also found on the islands of Trinidad and Tobago, occasionally as high as 8,000-9,000 feet (2,438-2,743 m).
Status: It is listed by IUCN as Near Threatened (NT); CITES Appendix II.


Those that live to restrict the fundamental freedoms of others do not restrict their efforts only to firearms, but often engage in the suppression of all weapons–or anything that might resemble one. Such is the case at North Dakota State University, a part of the country not generally known for a rarity of common sense. Townhall.com has the story:
“Fencing, an Olympic sport sponsored by more than 30 NCAA schools, involves two athletes engaging in what is effectively a sword fight with a foil, saber, or épée. The equipment is blunted and does not have any actual blades or sharp tips. Unfortunately, for the newly-formed club fencing team at North Dakota State University, fencing equipment counts as a weapon, and the club has been barred from practicing on campus.”
Is this policy a rational response to real potential threats, or an ill-considered overreaction? Full disclosure: I am the co-founder and first Vice President of the Wyoming Division of the United States Fencing Association. I also have many years of experience in Kendo and Iaido–Japanese fencing and sword drawing.
Fencing has its roots in Europe and because America never embraced fencing as part of its unique culture, it has never caught on as a popular sport, though Americans have done very well in international competition, including the Olympics. Part of the problem is that is so fast. The fencers face each other, there are several quick beats of their blades, a flashing lunge and a point is scored. Add four more points and a bout is over with the non-fencing audience having little idea what happened or how.
These are the three swords used in modern sport fencing. These are practice swords. Competition swords are “electric,” or wired to allow scoring that does not rely on the human eye. The top sword is a foil, which is the basic sword all fencers learn to use. It has a blade that is square in shape and very flexible. The entire sword is very light, and is wielded easily through wrist action. The blade is about 35” long.
The middle sword is the epee (eh-peh), which is modeled on the rapier (ray-peer) of the Renaissance. When Mercutio and Tybalt dueled in Romeo and Juliet, they would have wielded rapiers and perhaps parrying daggers. It is substantially heavier than the foil, has a larger handguard, and a much stiffer blade triangular in shape. While it is light enough to be manipulated by the wrist, much more of the arm is necessary to use it properly.


The Dodd-Frank Act – recent developments and the case for urgent action.
Read briefing document which seeks to clarify some of the most common misconceptions about the Dodd Frank Act.
For the past decade and a half, the trade in metals that power our laptops and make our cell phones vibrate has helped to fuel the devastating war in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. The Dodd Frank Act, passed by the US Congress in July 2010 with cross-party support, is a groundbreaking measure that aims to cut off a major source of cash for abusive armed groups in the region, including the Congolese army.
The Securities and Exchange Commission is expected to publish the final rules that set out exactly what companies will need to do to comply with the law. Business lobby groups are currently pulling out the stops to ensure that these regulations are delayed or diluted. Some media coverage of the law, including a recent piece by David Aronson in the New York Times, fails to acknowledge the Act’s positive impacts and inadvertently echoes industry efforts to delay the law’s implementation.
Click here to read Global Witness's response to Aronson in the NYT.
Taking the gun out of the supply chains that feed our electronics market will not singlehandedly solve a conflict that has been driven variously by ethnic, political and economic grievances. But wars need money, and the international community has direct influence over the mineral trade in Congo. It must use this leverage before the human cost rises further. Implementation of the Dodd Frank Act is one of the most effective ways that it can do this.
Global Witness is also urging companies to apply the due diligence guidance on minerals supply chain controls adopted by the UN and OECD at the end of 2010. Using these standards will help companies meet the due diligence requirements of the US law. It also provides them with a basis for trading conflict-free minerals from eastern DRC now.
International pressure generated by the Dodd Frank Act and UN and OECD initiatives has already persuaded the Congolese government to remove army units that were illegally occupying key mining areas. The most important example is the withdrawal of troops from the region’s largest tin mine, Bisie, which accounts for 70% of the tin ore produced in North Kivu Province. This paves the way for the establishment of a conflict free mineral trade that meets international due diligence standards and can foster peaceful economic development in the region.
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African American patients who are offered surgery to treat early-stage lung cancer are far more likely than white patients to reject the offer, researchers at Henry Ford Health System (HFHS) are reporting. The finding is significant, the researchers write in the November 2005 issue of Chest, because chances of 5-year survival are as high as 50 percent in patients with early-stage disease who are treated with surgery, whereas the median survival is less than 1 year for those who decline surgery.
The result was consistent with previous studies indicating that African American lung cancer patients are less likely to undergo surgery; as a result, their mortality rates are higher than those among whites.
The study was a retrospective analysis of 97 African American patients and 184 white patients treated at the Josephine Ford Cancer Center in Detroit who were enrolled in the center's lung cancer registry. Data from patients enrolled in the HFHS pulmonary clinic between 1995 and 1998 were analyzed. Of those who were offered surgery, 18 percent of African American patients declined, compared with only 5 percent of white patients. Surgery was offered to 78 percent of white patients and 70 percent of African American patients. Of that group, 74 percent of white patients underwent the procedure, compared with 58 percent of African American patients.
"Knowing blacks decline surgery at a higher rate than whites is the first step to decreasing lung cancer mortality among this population," said the study's lead investigator, Dr. Bruno DiGiovine.
The authors hypothesized that, in addition to factors such as lack of trust in the health care system, the higher rate of decline may be linked to reports in previous studies, which found that African Americans are far more likely than whites to believe that surgery to treat lung cancer can actually cause the disease to metastasize.
Screening and treatment are the two primary approaches against cancer that receive the most money and attention, but a new global meta-analysis shows that about 2.5 million cancer deaths each year can be attributed either to modifiable behavior or environmental factors. If societies were able to implement changes at the population level, a substantial proportion of these deaths could be prevented.
Addictive substances - smoking and alcohol - were the most lethal of the nine modifiable risk factors examined. The other seven risk factors were grouped by diet/physical activity (excess weight, physical inactivity, and low consumption of fruits and vegetables); environmental risks (urban air pollution and indoor smoke, primarily from burning coal); unsafe sex (which transmits human papillomavirus [HPV] infections that cause cervical cancer); and contaminated injections in health care settings (which can cause liver cancer).
Working from published meta-analyses and systematic reviews, researchers determined that 35 percent of the 7 million global cancer deaths in 2001 were attributable to all of the risk factors combined, with more than two-thirds of these occurring in low- and middle-income regions. Nearly twice as many men as women died from preventable cancers. Of all cancer deaths, 41 percent of men's deaths were attributable to the modifiable risk factors, compared with 27 percent of women's deaths.
In high-income countries, the most prevalent causes of cancer are smoking, alcohol use, and overweight/obesity; 52 percent of preventable deaths are from lung cancer, followed by 6 percent each from esophageal and stomach cancer. In low- and middle-income countries, the most common preventable deaths are caused by lung cancer (31 percent), liver cancer (14 percent), and breast and esophageal cancer (13 percent each).
Smoking alone causes 21 percent of all cancer deaths worldwide. Analysis shows that modifying risk factors could reduce three types of cancer by more than 60 percent: esophageal cancer by 62 percent and lung cancer by 74 percent; cervical cancer could be completely eliminated if safe sex practices stopped the spread of HPV infections.
The study was published in the November 19 Lancet by Dr. Majid Ezzati and colleagues at the Harvard School of Public Health, and is the latest result from the Comparative Risk Assessment Collaborating Group (Cancers), a worldwide network of expert working groups that has previously published comparable analyses for other diseases.
Results from many laboratory studies suggested that retinoids - vitamin A and its natural and synthetic analogues - have potential anticarcinogenic activity. However, clinical trials using these compounds to prevent lung cancer have shown universally disappointing results. Loss of retinoic acid receptors (RAR) during carcinogenesis and disruption of the RA cellular signaling pathway may confer some of the observed resistance.
Expression of receptors in the RARβ family is frequently decreased in lung cancer cells. A study, conducted by researchers at Wake Forest and Dartmouth Universities, funded in part by NCI, and reported in the November 16 Journal of the National Cancer Institute, uncovered a previously unknown isoform of RARβ that may play a major roll in lung cancer retinoid resistance. This isoform, named RARβ1', was expressed in normal lung cells and in an RA-sensitive immortalized human bronchial epithelial (HBE) cell line, but not in RA-resistant HBE cells, lung cancer cell lines, or clinical lung cancer samples.
After transfection of an RA-resistant lung cancer cell line with RARβ1', RA treatment suppressed cell growth. Nontransfected cells were not affected by RA treatment. Treatment of another RA-resistant cell line with exogenous RARβ1' also led to growth suppression. Again, control cells were not affected by RA treatment. Investigators concluded that RARβ1' likely plays an important role in retinoid signaling and loss of the isoform that contributes to lung carcinogenesis.
"RARβ1' repression, despite RA treatment, offers a mechanistic explanation for clinical retinoid resistance that has been reported previously," wrote the investigators. "Identification of pharmacologic approaches that restore RARβ1' expression would provide a basis for future retinoid-based combination strategies for lung cancer therapy or chemoprevention."
Nano-sized particles of iron oxide can be used as tags to label immune-stimulating cells for visualization with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), according to a new report in the November Nature Biotechnology. The research promises to speed development of cancer vaccines and other immune-boosting strategies, according to an international team of researchers.
Since the debut of immunotherapy for cancer in the mid-1990s, researchers have struggled with delivering dendritic cells to lymph nodes, which is critical for their ability to enhance an immune response. Until now, there has been no accurate way to monitor their location. The team of investigators found that they were better able to assess advanced melanoma patients whose injected dendritic cells reached the target site, utilizing the FDA-approved iron-oxide nanoparticles and MRI, compared with utilizing standard scintigraphic imaging. Using this new procedure may facilitate studies to optimize inoculation procedures, immune response, and vaccination schedules.
"We show that magnetic resonance tracking of magnetically labeled cells is a clinically safe procedure that, because of its high resolution and excellent soft tissue contrast, appears ideally suited to monitor novel experimental cell therapies in patients," says the study's first author, Jolanda de Vries, from Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Center in The Netherlands.