On a scientific journey along the Gulf StreamThe world's largest solar boat is a catamaran named Tûranor (the name comes from Tolkien's Lord of the Rings, it means Master of the Sun) operated by the PlanetSolar Expedition. They've been roaming the oceans for a couple of years, completing a record-breaking 18-month, 37,000-mile trip around the world last year. This year, the PlanetSolar crew are tracking the Gulf Stream, all the way from Miami, Florida, to Bergen in Norway, taking all kinds of water and air measurements along the way, hoping to advance the scientific understanding of this important ocean current and its impacts on the planet's climate.
This week they are stopped in New York City (if you are there, go have a look!), and will stay until June 20th.
Here's their trip from the south of France to NYC.
For more details on PlanetSolar, check out our previous posts:


The Concept of Systematic Corruption in American Political and Economic History
The critical role of governance in the promotion of economic development has created intense interest in the manner in which the United States eliminated corruption. This paper examines the concept of corruption in American history; tracing the term corruption to its roots in British political philosophy of the 17th and 18th century, and from there back to Machiavelli, Polybius and Artistole. Corruption was defined prior to 1850 in a way that was significantly different from how it was defined in the Progressive Era. "Systematic corruption" embodied the idea that political actors manipulated the economic system to create economic rents that politicians could use to secure control of the government. In other words, politics corrupts economics. The classic cure for systematic corruption was balanced government. Americans fought for independence because they believed that the British government was corrupt. The structure of American constitutions was shaped by the need to implement balanced government. Conflict and debate over the implementation of balanced government dominated the political agenda until the 1840s, when states began moving regulatory policy firmly towards open entry and free competition. By the 1890s, systematic corruption had essentially appeared from political discourse. By then corruption had come to take on its modern meaning: the idea that economic interests corrupt the political process. What modern developing countries with corrupt governments need to learn is how the United States eliminated systematic corruption.
John Joseph Wallis, 2006. "The Concept of Systematic Corruption in American History," NBER Chapters, in: Corruption and Reform: Lessons from America's Economic History, pages 23-62 National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.


“We should realize that the problems of racial injustice and
economic injustice cannot be solved without a radical redistribution of
political and economic power.” – Martin Luther King, Jr.
The Poor People’s Campaign was a 1968 effort to gain economic
justice for poor people in the United States. It was organized by Martin
Luther King, Jr., and was the last campaign he was working on before he
was assassinated in April 1968. King shifted his focus to these issues after observing
that gains in civil rights had not improved the material conditions of
life for many African Americans.
The Poor People’s Campaign was a multiracial effort—including
African-Americans, Asian-Americans, Mexican-Americans, Puerto Ricans,
Appalachian White people, and Native Americans—aimed at alleviating
poverty regardless of race. Just as King began his multiracial campaign for economic justice he was murdered.


Battle of the Books
Who: Any 4th and 5th Grade Students
What: Read the CESA 12 list of 20 books and compete in a “Knowledge Bowl Style” competition
When: September– April: Students will meet for 30 minutes a week to prepare for the competitions that take place beginning in February until the regional competition in late April
Why: This is a program designed to get students reading a variety of books, while working on their comprehension! Students will individually complete worksheets and create questions for all 20 books.
About the Books


The UK Government’s Health Committee recently released their report “Childhood obesity – bold and brave action”. It calls for urgent action on treating obesity and it’s consequences, which costs the government £5.1bn every year, and has suggested a number of recommendations.
New UK Government on childhood obesity
Did you know that one fifth of children are overweight or obese when they begin school, and this figure increases to one third by the time they leave primary school?
The report goes onto highlight that the most deprived children are twice as likely to be obese than the least deprived, therefore childhood obesity is a significant contributor to health inequality.
Recommended actions to tackle childhood obesity
The report calls on a number of areas where further action is required from the top to reach the most vulnerable individuals:
⦁ Tougher controls on price promotions and advertising of unhealthy food and drink
⦁ Taxation of high sugar and fat food
⦁ Product reformulation of foods high in fat, salt and sugar
⦁ Nutrition standards in schools (which is already happening – see Scottish school nutrition regulations)
⦁ Greater powers for local authorities to help families affected by obesity
⦁ Improved education and information on the importance of a balanced diet
This is just a quick summary of some of the recommendations and for anyone that is interested in the detail you can download the report for some bedtime reading.
Our thoughts to tackle childhood obesity
At Eat Balanced, if we were to support one of these initiatives it would be product reformulation of high fat/salt/sugar food and drinks. We aim to improve children’s nutrition by reinventing kid’s favourite foods, like pizza, into tasty, balanced meals.
What do you think?
If you’re involved in the food and drink industry, we’d love to hear you’re thoughts @eatbalanced and tell us what how you would go about tacking childhood obesity.


As a result of activities at local, national and international levels, these rights are finally being recognized and included on the political and legal agendas of national governments and regional and international human right bodies. This article focuses on one of the international activities which contributed to this growing momentum: an international conference on women’s rights to land and property during conflict and reconstruction.
The government of Rwanda took an important step toward the realization of women’s rights to land, property and housing in February 1998 by hosting a four day Inter-Regional Consultation on Women’s Land and Property Rights During Situations of Conflict and Reconstruction in its capital city, Kigali. The Consultation was co-sponsored by a number of UN agencies1 and was attended by more than 100 participants from Africa, Asia, Latin America, Europe, the Middle East and the Caribbean. The Consultation was specifically organized to augment and support the Women for Peace Network, the motto of which is ‘No Homes Without Peace, No Peace Without Homes’.2
Recognizing that a broad range of actors needed to be engaged, the Consultation gathered grassroots women, NGOs, activists, legal experts, government ministers and parliamentarians, and representatives of a number of UN agencies to interact, to discuss the status of women’s rights to land, property and housing in countries experiencing conflict, and to develop strategies for the future. The Consultation devoted equal time to an exploration of women’s experiences with respect to land, property and housing, and to the development of plans of action to address these experiences.
Throughout the world, women’s relationship to land, property and housing during conflict and reconstruction is characterized by their ongoing displacement, often beginning at the onset of conflict and continuing indefinitely.
Sabine Sabimbona from the Association of Women Lawyers in Bujumbura described this phenomenon in the context of Burundi. As in so many wars, economic hardship and the fear of violence forced thousands of Burundi women to take their children and abandon their land. With nowhere to go, these women joined the internally displaced and sought refuge in camps. Most of these women will not be able to return to their original homes even if peace and security are restored because, under customary law, as applied in Burundi, a widowed woman cannot inherit land from her husband, and her brothers and sisters-in-law will not welcome her back.
According to participants at the Consultation, this experience of customary law as a barrier to land and property ownership is shared by women in many parts of Africa, Asia and the Middle East, whether during peace, conflict or reconstruction. Under most systems of customary law, women are prohibited from owning, renting or inheriting land, property and housing in their own names, and access to and control over land, property and housing commonly depends on their relation to male relatives. In several African countries, for example, customary land and housing registration systems require proof of a husband’s authorization for a woman to acquire title independently of her husband and single women or single parent women are obstructed from acquiring loans to secure housing, land and property on the basis that there are risks in lending outside of marriage or without the support of their husbands or male relations.3 While this greatly constricts women’s rights to land, property and housing during times of peace, in the post-conflict situation - upon the death of a husband or male relative - these limited land, property and housing rights are eliminated. Furthermore, though traditionally widows were permitted to stay on the matrimonial land and in the home until death or remarriage, today male heirs prefer to sell off the land and housing for their own economic gain, leaving widows landless and homeless. This shift is a reflection of the move away from customary land titling systems toward a market-based, private property system which is common in the post-conflict period as it is often a pre-condition for receiving financing from international financial institutions for reconstruction.
A participant from Rwanda, Concessa Nibogore, told the Consultation of her efforts to claim land upon the death of her father and mother during the 1994 genocide:
My life has been very bad since my parents died. Since their death I have not had access to my forest or to my fields. When I went to court, I was told I had lost even before they started my case. I was not given a chance to speak. I couldn’t even cut a tree on my property or grow a potato.
After several confrontations with her nephews, some of which resulted in her being physically attacked, Ms Nibogore applied to the Ministry of Gender for assistance. When a representative went to investigate, he was told by her nephews that Ms Nibogore had to go, stating “no woman has ever inherited land”.
A participant from Palestine exposed the impact of the intersection of armed conflict and customary law on women’s rights. On the one hand, for Palestinian women living under occupation, their rights to land, property and housing are violated in a number of ways by Israeli forces who routinely confiscate Palestinian land and carry out house demolitions and forced evictions, and who raid homes and villages, terrorizing and injuring women. At the same time, because of the tremendous social pressure on women to renounce inheritance rights, Palestinian women’s rights to land, property and housing are also threatened, especially upon the loss of a husband or father to the conflict. In turn, security of tenure and access to and control over land, property and housing for many Palestinian women depend on the benevolence of their brothers or husband’s male kin.
Successes and lessons learned
Alongside stories of injustice, the Consultation included stories of hope and progress. Though women experience extreme trauma and hardship both during and following conflict, such situations can offer women new opportunities and roles in relation to land, property and housing which may be the germinating seed for structural change and the realization of their rights.
One of the most inspiring examples presented was that of Guatemalan women in refugee camps in Mexico. Despite incredible barriers – a lack of a lingua franca and the practical demands of everyday camp life – Guatemalan refugee women managed to unite and establish women's organizations. In the camps, with the assistance of the UNHCR local staff, the refugee women’s organizations undertook a variety of activities to empower themselves and improve living conditions for all within the camps.4 After the signing of the 1992 Peace Accords, the refugee women's organizations analyzed the Accords and discovered that married women or those in common law relationships were not being granted independent title to land and housing. By this time, the refugee women’s organizations were well established and in a good position to undertake political activities; they started a campaign for co-ownership of land and housing upon their return to Guatemala and, as a result of their efforts, these rights were formally recognized in law.
The Consultation also highlighted that, in a number of countries, steps had been taken during reconstruction to amend existing laws or enact new laws to protect women’s rights with respect to land and property. For example, in Eritrea, during the transition to a constitutional government, the central government enacted new amendments to the Civil Code which fundamentally alter the status of women in Eritrea. Women are now granted the legal right to own and inherit land and housing, and married partners have equal rights within the family to land, property and housing.5
In post-apartheid South Africa, the new Constitution is formally committed to gender equality, the right to housing and to land reform. Within the land reform legislation there is specific commitment to gender equity and the Department of Land Affairs has established a sub-directorate responsible for gender affairs.6
The 1994 Ethiopian Constitution also recognizes women’s rights to use land on the same basis as men, stating that “any Ethiopian who wants to earn a living by farming has a right, which shall not be alienated, to obtain, without payment, the use of land … ”7
In Mozambique, the new Land Law of 1997 confirms the constitutional principle that women and men have equal right to occupy and use land. It also states that women have the right to inherit land. For the first time since national independence, it recognizes the right of local communities to secure a collective title to their lands, including cultivated, grazing and common lands, and it foresees that such land may be governed according to customary law, so long as these laws do not contradict the Constitution of Mozambique. Men and women have joined forces and are working together in Mozambique through the National Peasant’s Movement to ensure that these laws are implemented and enforced.8
Of course many of the success stories were accompanied by cautionary tales.
Participants from Guatemala indicated that though they had achieved formal recognition of co-ownership rights to land, property and housing, having these rights recognized in practice has proven difficult.
Representatives from South African NGOs also warned that formal recognition of women's equality and rights to land, property and housing in law and policy is not always unproblematic. Participants at the Consultation were surprised to hear that, despite the formal commitment to gender equality and the right to housing and to land reform in the new South African constitution, women's rights to land, property and housing are not adequately protected and promoted. Though the post-apartheid South African government developed what appears to be gender sensitive legislation, the NGO representatives at the Consultation expressed concerns. They noted, for example, that the legislation is based on an inadequate understanding of gender, with the term ‘gender’ being used interchangeably with ‘women’. That is, they have failed to understand that ‘gender’ refers to the socially prescribed, structurally reinforced roles for women and men, whereby the term ‘women’ merely refers to their sex. South African women fear that without this basic understanding of the term ‘gender’ and its significance to women’s disadvantage, it is unlikely that the structural causes of inequality between men and women will be adequately addressed. They also noted that a concern for gender is not integrated throughout the policy: it is restricted to those sections dealing with objectives and principles but is not referred to in those sections on implementation, monitoring, evaluation, economic considerations and constraints to land reform.
To move the Consultation from contextual overview toward the development of plans of action, participants were divided into three regional groups: Africa (subdivided into anglophone and francophone groups), Asia/Europe, and Latin America/Caribbean. The regional groups agreed that all actors – men and women, grassroots organizations, women's groups, lawyers, government officials, judges – should be educated about the importance of rights to land and property for the survival of women, families and communities. In particular, it was suggested that government officials and politicians be further encouraged to develop the political will necessary to draft and adopt laws and policies which promote and protect women's rights to land and property. Each of the regions also highlighted the role of women and women’s organizations in promoting conflict prevention and resolution and in ensuring that their own interests are included on legal and political agendas. In turn, all agreed that the establishment of women's organizations should be fostered and that existing organizations require ongoing moral and financial support. Each of the regional groups also suggested that organizations working on women's land and property rights could learn from the experiences of others and that this could be facilitated through inter-regional exchanges and the dissemination of information between regions. It was also agreed that international campaigns, networks and support can provide benefits to local struggles and therefore should be utilized where possible and appropriate.
There has been some follow-up since the Consultation. At the international level, human rights and women’s rights groups have been lobbying since 1999 to have a resolution on women’s rights to land, property and housing adopted by the UN Commission on Human Rights. Such a resolution would be the first pronouncement by this important human rights body on women’s rights to land, property and housing and would reinforce resolutions on this same issue adopted by its sister body, the UN Sub-Commission on the Protection and Promotion of Human Rights.9 According to the UN Centre for Human Settlements, at the national level, many individuals and organizations that participated in the Kigali Consultation continue to struggle to have women's rights to land, property and housing recognized and enforced. Activities have included political lobbying and advocacy, and education and training. In Colombia, for example, an open letter was written (to organizations such as NGOs, human rights institutions and other civilian bodies), encouraging the inclusion of women guerrillas in the peace dialogue. Now that the Secretariat of the Women for Peace Network has established its Secretariat in the Arias Foundation in Costa Rica, we can expect to see more regional and international networking and exchanges.
The four days in Kigali devoted to women's rights to land and property during conflict and reconstruction were an important contribution to women's struggle for equality. Those who attended were aware that this was a rare opportunity to focus on an issue that has received scant attention, despite its relevance to women's lives and livelihood, particularly in the post-conflict context. Perhaps it was this awareness that motivated participants at the conclusion of the Consultation not only to contribute to the development of national and regional plans of action but also to undertake personal commitments to promote women's rights to land and property.
To synthesize and expand upon the issues raised at the Consultation and to encourage future action, a paper was commissioned by the UN Centre for Human Settlements entitled, Women’s Rights to Land, Property and Housing: A Preliminary Inquiry. This paper will be published and released at the 56th Session of the Commission on Human Rights in April 2000 and is available on the UNCHS website.10
Leilani Farha is the Women’s Housing Rights Programme Coordinator for the Centre on Housing Rights and Evictions.
UNHCR, UNIFEM (UN Development Fund for Women), the UN Commission on Human Settlements (Habitat), and UNDP (UN Development Programme).
This Network was originally founded by six NGOs at the UN Second World Conference on Human Settlements, Habitat II, in Istanbul, 1996. It was established to respond to the need for specific measures to protect women’s lives and livelihood in war situations, in particular, rights to land, property and housing.
See Beyani’s paper as listed below.
A number of projects were undertaken such as: a literacy campaign designed with women's organizations as a tool for raising women's self-esteem and contact with one another; training in communication skills and radio access for refugee women as a vehicle for spreading information and increasing women's capabilities; and protection and rights training covering human rights, women's rights, land rights and sexual and domestic violence including education on mechanisms to report violations of these rights to UNHCR. See Worby’s paper as listed below.
See Tekle’s paper as listed below.
See Mhago and Samson’s paper as listed below.
See Mwagiru’s paper as listed below.
See Ossemane’s and Waterhouse’s paper as listed below.
Resolution 1999/15, Women and the right to development; Resolution 1998/15, Women and the right to land, property and adequate housing; and Resolution 1997/19, Women and the right to adequate housing and to land and property.
The following resources are, firstly, a summary report and a publication of the Consultation and, secondly, those papers written for the Consultation. All are on file with UNCHS. Contact: Sylvie Lacroux, Land Management Programme, UNCHS (Habitat), PO Box 67553, Nairobi, Kenya. Email: Sylvie.email@example.com See also UNCHS website at www.unchs.org
Summary Record of Proceedings entitled Peace for Homes, Homes for Peace, Inter-Regional Consultation on Women’s Land and Property Rights in Situations of Conflict and Reconstruction. UNCHS. Kigali, 16-19 February 1998.
Women's Right to Land Housing and Property in Post-conflict Situations and During
Reconstruction: A Global Overview. UNCHS. (text available at www.unchs/tenure – click publications)
Arias Foundation for Peace and Human Progress Land and Property Rights of Women in Situations of Reconstruction: The Central American Experience
Dr.Chaloka Beyani Women's Land and Property Rights Under Situations of Armed Conflict and Reconstruction: Summary Paper on Key Issues
Edna Calder Chaves Working with Populations Affected by the Civil War in Guatemala.
Jeanette Ebba-Davidson Lobbying for Legislation to Overcome Discrimination Against Women in Inheritance in Liberia.
Maria Garcia Hernandez Implementation of the Guatemalan Peace Accord with Special Reference to Women Returnees from Mexico.
Jasna Lojo Women's Land and Property Rights in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Fanelwa Mhago and Melanie Samson A Gender Analysis of Recent South African Land Reform.
Makumi Mwagiru Critical Issues on Women's Land and Property Rights in Situations of Conflict and Reconstruction in the Horn of Africa: A Review and Evaluation.
Anette Occeus The Role of Women Farmers in Influencing Land Legislation in Haiti.
Ismael Ossemane The Role of the Union of Peasant Farmers in Securing Land for Returnees in Mozambique.
Mariam Hussein Owreeye Women's Rights to Land and Property in Somalia.
Asteya Santiago The Socio-Economic and Cultural Factors Affecting Women's Rights to Land and Property in the Asia Pacific Region.
Tsehainesh Tekle Women's Access to Land and Property Rights in Eritrea.
Rachel Waterhouse Women's Land Rights in Post War Mozambique.
Paula Worby Organising for Change: Guatemalan Refugee Women Assert their Right to be Co-Owners of Land Allocated to Returnee Communities.
Other relevant resources:
Susana Lastarria-Cornhiel ‘Impact of Privatization on Gender and Property Rights in Africa’, World Development, 1997, Vol 25, No 8, p1317.
Shamim Meer (ed) Women, Land and Authority: Perspectives from South Africa, 1997.
Sub-Commission on the Prevention of Discrimination and Protection of Minorities, Resolution 1997/19, ‘Women’s Rights to Adequate Housing and to Land and Property’, E/CN.4/Sub.2/RES/1997/19 (1997).
Sub-Commission on the Prevention of Discrimination and Protection of Minorities, Resolution 1998/15, ‘Women’s Rights to Land, Property and Adequate Housing’, E/CN.4/Sub.2/RES/1998/15.


What is it?
- Hives — also known as urticaria — are raised, red, itchy welts (wheals, or swellings) of various sizes that seem to appear and disappear on your skin. Angioedema, a type of swelling, causes large welts deeper in your skin, especially near your eyes and lips.
- In most cases, hives and angioedema are harmless and don't leave any lasting marks, even without treatment. The most common treatment for hives and angioedema is antihistamine medications. Serious angioedema can be life-threatening if swelling causes your throat or tongue to block your airway and leads to loss of consciousness.
Signs and symptoms of hives include:
- Raised, red or white welts (wheals, or swellings) of various sizes
- A single welt or group of welts that can cover large areas of skin
- Welts that resolve while new welts erupt, making it seem as if the condition "moves"
- Burning or stinging in the affected area
- Itching, which may be severe
Hives can be either acute or chronic. By definition, acute hives can last from less than a day to up to six weeks, whereas chronic hives last more than six weeks — sometimes occurring for months to years at a time.
Angioedema is similar to hives but occurs deeper in the skin. Signs and symptoms of angioedema include:
- Large, thick, firm welts
- Swelling of the skin
- Blisters (bullae) in areas of severe swelling
- Pain or warmth in the affected areas
- Difficult breathing or swallowing, in severe cases
Angioedema often appears near your eyes or lips, but can also develop on your hands, feet, genitalia or inside your throat. Angioedema and hives can occur separately or at the same time.
Hereditary angioedema is a more serious — yet uncommon — condition that can cause sudden, severe and rapid swelling of your face, arms, legs, hands, feet, genitalia, digestive tract and airway. Signs and symptoms of hereditary angioedema include:
- Sudden and severe swelling of the face, arms, legs, hands, feet, genitalia, digestive tract and airway
- Abdominal cramping as a result of digestive tract swelling
- Difficulty or obstructed breathing due to swelling of the airway
Hives and angioedema are caused by inflammation in the skin. In some cases, hives and angioedema are triggered when certain cells (mast cells) release histamine and other chemicals into your bloodstream and skin.
Allergic reactions to medications or foods can cause acute hives or angioedema. Many allergens have been identified. Examples include:
- Foods. Many foods can cause problems in sensitive people, but shellfish, fish, nuts, eggs, chocolate and milk are frequent offenders. Food additives, such as salicylates and sulfites, are other potential allergens.
- Medications. Almost any medication may cause hives or angioedema; common culprits include penicillin, aspirin, ibuprofen and blood pressure medications.
- Other allergens. Other substances that can cause hives and angioedema include direct contact with pollen, animal dander, latex and insect stings.
Additional triggers that may produce hives or angioedema include:
- Physical factors. Environmental factors can result in the release of histamine with subsequent hives or angioedema in some people. Examples of these factors include heat, cold, sunlight, water, pressure on the skin, emotional stress and exercise.
- Dermatographia. The name of this condition literally means "write on the skin." When pressure is applied to the skin or the skin is scratched, raised lines appear on those areas due to histamine-based angioedema that leads to swelling beneath the skin.
In addition to these triggers, hives and angioedema sometimes occur in response to your body's production of antibodies. This may occur because of blood transfusions; immune system disorders, such as lupus or cancer; certain thyroid disorders; infections, such as hepatitis; or even a cold.
Hereditary angioedema is an inherited form of angioedema and is related to low levels or abnormal functioning of certain blood proteins (C1 inhibitors). These inhibitors play a role in regulating how your immune system functions.
You may be at greater risk of hives and angioedema if you:
- Have had hives or angioedema before
- Have had other allergic reactions
- Have a disorder associated with hives and angioedema, such as lupus, lymphoma or thyroid disease
- Have a family history of hives, angioedema or hereditary angioedema
Hives and angioedema can cause:
In more serious cases — such as when swelling occurs inside your mouth or throat — complications can include:
- Difficulty breathing
- Loss of consciousness
- Anaphylactic shock
Anaphylactic shock (anaphylaxis) is a serious allergic reaction involving your heart or lungs. Your bronchial tubes narrow, it's difficult to breathe, and your blood pressure drops, causing dizziness and perhaps loss of consciousness or even death. Anaphylactic shock occurs rapidly, and requires immediate medical care.
Your doctor will begin by asking you about your medical history. This may include asking you to create a detailed diary of exposure to possible irritants. It's important to tell your doctor about all medications you take, including over-the-counter (nonprescription) drugs and herbal remedies, even if you don't take them every day.
If the cause of your hives or angioedema isn't apparent or if your symptoms recur often, your doctor may recommend an allergy skin test.
- Puncture, prick or scratch test (percutaneous). In this test, which is the type of skin test most commonly performed, tiny drops of purified allergen extracts are pricked or scratched into your skin's surface. This test is usually performed to identify allergies to pollen, animal dander, foods, insect venom and penicillin.
- Intradermal test (intracutaneous). Purified allergen extracts are injected into the skin of your arm. This test is usually performed if your doctor suspects that you're allergic to insect venom or penicillin.
- Patch test (epicutaneous). An allergen is applied to a patch, which is then placed on your skin. This test can identify substances that cause a reaction when coming in contact with your skin. Tested substances may include latex or medications.
If your doctor suspects hereditary angioedema, he or she may ask for blood tests to check for levels and function of specific blood proteins.


Strains of Stenotrophomonas maltophilia and a related bacterium, proposed as Lytobacter mycophilus gen. nov., sp. nov., are capable of controlling summer patch, a turfgrass disease caused by Magnaporthe poae. Strains of these bacteria produce an abundance of extracellular enzymes that have the potential to degrade fungal cell walls, and are capable of colonizing the turfgrass rhizosphere. Growth chamber studies indicate repeated application of S. maltophilia improves disease suppression compared to standard applications. S. maltophilia populations are reestablished above 107 colony forming units/g rhizosphere sample following each repeated application, suggesting these higher populations are critical for disease suppression. Field studies indicate that S. maltophilia populations can be established in turfgrass at these levels, providing support that disease control in the field can be achieved.
All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes
- Chemical Engineering(all)


a. Mechatronics: Mechatronics has ever increasing applications in several fields. Using electronically controlled engines instead of traditional controllers (carburetor) in automobile industries leads to better engine performance and reduction of fuel consumption and air pollution. Anti-lock brake Systems, automatic air conditioning system, electro-hydraulic steering wheel, and electrical-hybrid cars are other applications of mechatronics in automobile industry.
b. Signal Processing: Quantities such as acceleration, temperature, humidity, etc vary during the time. Thus through sampling of the quantities in different time periods we can create a signal. Signal processing is a branch of science that deals with analyzing the signals.
c. Telecommunication and Computer Networks: What is concluded from old telecommunications networks, including linear or radio, analog or digital networks is lack of comprehensively in offering desirable service as well as required capacity, and high costs with regard to their geographical and population distributions. Thus, such networks are currently considered inefficient. On the other hand, because of the old criteria and technical basis of these networks and not being matched with rapid advances in technology and telecommunication (specially information processing), considerable increase of capacity, large volume of exchanged data in the shortest possible time, and minimizing the costs of the projects made the exerts think about a replacement and changing the telecommunication networks in such a way that the best networks be used according to capacity, transmission quality, extend distance, environment and area of operation, speed and value of design, construction, installation, and maintenance.
The most common telecommunication networks are linear and radio networks.


- This article is about the organization. You may be looking for the memory.
The Black Office (French: Cabinet noir) was a secret service in France responsible for scrutinizing letters sent by individuals held under suspicion by the state.
Operating as an official service since the reign of King Louis XV, the Black Office was responsible for censoring and inspecting mail through systematic espionage. Intercepted letters were placed in a small red leather portfolio and concealed under the neutral term "foreign gazettes".
The premises of the Black Office were connected to the office of the post office director general, who oversaw the secret service. Letters that needed to be examined were pushed through a hatch to a specialized agent, who opened them and copied those of probable interest to the king. If necessary, he would also forward them to the king's ministers.
After the French Revolution broke out, the National Assembly attempted to diminish the operations of the Black Office, although the institution's services proved too valuable. The Black Office went on to serve the Committee of Public Safety, notably keeping tabs on the activities of captain Napoleon Bonaparte.
The Assassin Council of the Parisian Brotherhood took note of the organization, sending Arno Dorian to investigate the Place Vendôme post office in order to determine whether or not the Black Office even existed. Arno confirmed this and assassinated three of the service's spies.
Around this time, the actress Mademoiselle Montansier also became an informant for the Black Office, using courtesans in her employ to secure valuable intelligence on powerful figures, including members of the Committee of Public Safety. Arno later stole Montansier's diary, in which the intelligence was kept, and gave it to Pierre Beaumarchais, who planned to use the information to influence the revolution in what he believed would be a more beneficial direction. The Black Office continued to function as a spy service through the reign of Napoleon.


Parallel to the institutionalised school system, in which no change in pedagogical attitudes has taken place (Einhorn 2015), there is a growing demand for learning languages in non-formal contexts, including out-of-school courses that not only complement students’ studies in formal education but also seem to make the process of learning languages as well as giving academic support to students more effective. The present study aims to explore the international and Hungarian literature on shadow education, which is widespread in Hungary but has little literature (Varga 2015), by presenting the characteristics of the phenomenon and highlighting its shortcomings. A qualitative study is also presented in order to examine the expectations and experiences of the students (and their families) participating in private tutoring. Data gleaned from interviews with students and their parents are analysed to identify their motives, expectations, the development of students’ additional skills and competencies, their career aspirations and the families’ financial background. The results of the study shed light on some characteristics of shadow education that have not been visible yet. Some factors that can potentially enhance the effectiveness of language teaching in the state school system will also be highlighted. Although the study is based on a rather limited sample, the results help us gain important insights into the hidden aspects of shadow education.


What is a root canal?
Root canal refers to the central cavity inside the tooth that houses the soft nerve pulp. This section contains nerves and blood vessels and is responsible for sensation in the tooth. This includes sensing hot or cold and even pain when pressure is applied on cracked enamel. This sensation is not really medically essential to everyday life and therefore to avert tooth decay, this region can be evacuated and filled with artificial fillings. The process is known as root canal treatment.
Root canal procedure
Root canals are a common dental procedure for treatment of a decaying tooth causing nerve damage and sensitivity. It helps get rid of all forms of sensitivity and pain as well as save the dying tooth. It is pretty straightforward procedure with virtually no pain and is complete with just a couple of visits to the best dentist in Las Vegas NV. It is one of the scary procedures people dread because of the nature of the work but it is minimally painful to no pain at all. Yes the dentist will take a miniature drill to your affected tooth but you will barely feel a thing under anesthesia.
Here are the steps carried out on your sore tooth.
- The first step I to put you under local anesthetic so you don’t feel the pain
- Using a miniature drill, the dentist will then access the interior of the tooth
- Using small files, all the infected pulp will be removed
- The interior of the cavity is then reshaped while removing all remnant pulp
- A rubber like material can then be filled into the cavity
- The open cavity is now readied for crowning after a few weeks of healing.
- During the second visit, the permanent enamel is placed made of porcelain or gold.
- The restored tooth could last a lifetime and can be refilled if need be.
- All sensation is lost in the tooth after a short period of healing and the pain goes with it. if the porcelain or other material used to make the enamel is strong enough, refilling will not be necessary.
When you are suffering from a sore tooth, you will definitely not know peace until you see a doctor. Plucking teeth is not a viable solution in this day and age of technological advancement. Instead, the dentist will remove the infected nerve pulp and sever the nerve preventing further sensation in the tooth. Next they clean the cavity and fill it up with a suitable artificial material. As earlier mentioned, this takes only two to three visits to your dentist and you can drive home after each, no big deal.
Why you need a root canal?
Failure to treat an aching tooth will cause spreading of the infection to the root and cause an abscess. Ultimately, the tooth will be lost after a great deal of pain. With teeth checkups, the sooner a problem is discovered and addressed the better. The root canal procedure is simple and effective with fewer chances of complications and longer lasting effects. A refilling might be required at some point but otherwise you can use your tooth normally hassle free for decades. The best part is that you get your tooth restored to prime condition and avoid having to pluck it out.
Causes of tooth ache and infection
The tooth has a natural filling that can be compromised by acids released by bacterial that inhabit the mouth feeding on food remains. When this outer layer is compromised, the tooth may begin to decay and produce a bad odors and ache.
How to tell if you are a candidate for a root canal
If you are experiencing persistent tooth ache when chewing or drinking hot liquids, it probably time you get checked out at a dental office. The doctor will obviously take more scans to before recommending root canal. Depending on the stage of infection, the pain can be unprovoked and spontaneous. Facial swelling and odor or pus from the affected tooth is also a possibility.
The most important point to not here is that if you are experiencing some level of discomfort in a tooth, it cannot heal on itself even if the pain suddenly subsides. The most likely scenario is that he nerves die and infection becomes worse. Once infection spreads to the root it causes abscess and high level of pain.
When does is tooth removal necessary?
Tooth extraction is not a dentist’s favorite task. If a diseased tooth is beyond saving then it is worth sacrificing to save the remaining ones. Extraction is therefore a last resort. Seeing your dentist about a tooth ache sooner than later will decrease the likelihood that you will lose the tooth. Sadly, most people will not take a tooth ache seriously until it is in the full blown stage where it causes swelling on the face.
Recovery period after root canal treatment
After your root canal, it is prudent that you observe better oral hygiene. Your doctor may recommend further checkups to ascertain that all issues have been resolved correctly. As earlier noted, you can walk or drive home after the procedure. However, you might have to stay away from extremely hot or cold foods on that jaw until healing is complete.
Even though it only takes two to three visits, as with most dental procedures, root canal will take several weeks to heal depending on your specific case.
Where to get quality root canal treatment
While there are so many root canal options, finding one that is certified and gives credible results should be pretty easy. Walk into Willow Springs Dental on the way from work and book appointment. From there you should know what to do after the initial consultation. Other factors to consider include the medical equipment and technology embraced by your care giver and whether or not they offer flexible payments including your insurance plan.


One fun fact about pigs is that they are extremely intelligent, smarter than both dogs and 3-year-old humans. Another fun fact is that, contrary to popular belief, pigs are actually quite clean.
Studies show that pigs have very high cognitive abilities, far beyond those of dogs and very young humans. Research conducted by Stanley Curtis of Penn State University found that pigs are even capable of playing video games with a joystick. Pigs possess a strong sense of direction and are capable of finding their way home over long distances. A study conducted by Suzanne Held at the University of Bristol found that pigs are very good at remembering where food is located. They also communicate constantly with each other, and researchers have identified 20 different pig vocalizations that are used under different circumstances.
While pigs are commonly perceived to be dirty animals, they actually enjoy being clean. If they have enough space, pigs make sure not to dirty up the areas where they eat and sleep. Pigs don’t sweat and they enjoy bathing in mud and water to keep cool. Pigs actually prefer water to mud, according to PETA. The organization reports that one woman even built a shower for her pigs, who then learned how to turn the device on and off by themselves.


This study, examined influence of carrot (Daucus carota) and red pepper (Capsicum annuum) as natural pigment material on colouration of cichlid (Cichlasoma severum sp. Heckel, 1840). Mean weight of 120 fish were 1.16+/-0.22 g and they were divided into 3 groups with duplication each. Three types of experimental feed were prepared; the first group was added carrot, second one red pepper to provide 50 mg of total pigments kg(-1) in diets and control feed do not have any pigment material. Fish were fed by 1% of their live weight and trial lasted for 50 days. Early in the trial, total carotenoid quantities were measured in carrot and red pepper, fish and their feeds and the end of it only in fish. Carotenoid amount in the fish samples by fed with red pepper and carrot diets were 5.25+/-0.90 and 5.60+/-0.29 mg g(-1), respectively. Consequently a significant difference was found between individuals fed by natural pigment material and those by unpigmented feeds (p <= 0.05). It was demonstrated that natural pigment substances have an impact on coloration of cichlid and the groups did not exhibit any distinctions in feed conversion and growth rates.


Liquid or Solid Expansion Steam Traps (Wax Capsule Steam Trap) are thermostatic steam traps actuated by temperature sensitive devices, responding to changes in condensate temperature.
Thermostatic steam traps respond to changes in temperature and therefore discriminate very well between steam and cooler non-condensable gases. They can rapidly purge air from a system, especially on a cold start-up, and can be installed in various positions. Most frequently, actuation is by means of a bimetallic element or a bellows-like capsule filled with a vaporizing liquid.
Bimetallic actuated devices are characterized by their high resistance to damage from freeze-ups, water hammer and superheat. They are relatively small in size and lend themselves to high pressure designs. The condensate discharge temperature, however, does not follow the saturation curve very well, and the bimetallic elements are subject to corrosion with some reduction in closing force over time.
Bellows actuated steam traps, on the other hand, discharge condensate at a temperature which follows the saturation curve. The weak point is the bellows itself which can be damaged by superheat, water hammer or freeze-ups.
Thermostatic traps respond slowly to changing conditions even though the cause is usually misunderstood. It is not the heat sensitive element that is slow to respond. Rather it is the heat energy in the condensate inside the trap, which is slow to dissipate, that causes the time delay. Insulating thermostatic traps reduces their responsiveness even more. Mounting the trap at the end of a cooling leg in an area where air can circulate improves responsiveness and is the basis for installation instructions recommending a cooling leg at least three feet in length.
Liquid or solid expansion steam traps are not widely in application in the industry. The opening and closing of these traps is a function of temperature and balanced return spring forces. Elevated temperatures cause an expansion of the thermostatic element which closes the valve, while low temperatures cause a contraction of the element, aided by the spring, which results in opening the valve.
Traditionally, the thermostatic actuator has been in the form of a metal rod, having a high thermal coefficient of expansion, or an elastic metallic capsule (bellows) filled with a liquid which expands when heated. In the past, design innovation has introduced a small diaphragm actuator filled with a wax-like substance which expands rapidly at a pre-selected temperature. This has significantly reduced trap size and increased the speed of response relative to the more traditional design. Above figure shows the working internals typical of a newer wax capsule expansion trap.
Regardless of design variations, these steam traps have one characteristic in common. The temperature of the condensate they discharge remains constant at a predetermined point and is not a function of steam supply pressure. All other steam trap types have a condensate discharge temperature that increases with steam supply pressure.
In general, these constant discharge temperature traps respond slowly to changes in temperature and should only be specified where subcooled discharge with resultant condensate back-up is desired.
Prior to selecting a steam trap for your application, review steam traps selection with its advantages versus disadvantages and additional steam trap types: Disc Steam Traps, Piston Steam Traps, Lever Steam Traps, Closed Float Steam Traps, Inverted Bucket Steam Traps, Open Bucket Steam Traps, Bimetallic Steam Traps, Bellows Steam Traps and Orifice Steam Traps.


The primary aim of community health workers is to help people in their community understand health behaviors, recognize health options, think for themselves, and make decisions that will improve their health.
Community health workers assist community members to gain awareness of health outcomes that result from individual choices. Community health workers also are often active leaders in their communities who serve as advocates for community members.
They are fluent in and sensitive to the language and culture of the audience that health care programs want to reach with positive health messages.
They develop partnerships and serve as a bridge between providers of health care services and community members.


Trading Partner: FEDECARES
- Total Population: 9,956,648 (2011)
- Life expectancy at birth: 77 years (2011)
- Per capita income (purchasing power parity): $8,600 US (2010)
- Exports: ferronickel, sugar, gold, silver, coffee, cocoa, tobacco, meats, consumer goods (Tourism is the country's largest industry)
- Language: Spanish
Known for its talented baseball players and its playful merengue rhythm, the Dominican Republic is also an extremely popular vacation destination for North Americans. But beyond the all-inclusive resorts and colorful hotels, a lively, hard-working, and friendly culture waits to be explored.
The Dominican Republic is a middle-income developing country primarily dependent on trade and services, especially tourism. Although the service sector has recently overtaken agriculture as the leading employer of Dominicans, agriculture remains the most important sector in terms of domestic consumption and is in second place (behind mining) in terms of export earnings. According to the 2005 Annual Report of the United Nations Subcommittee on Human Development in the Dominican Republic, the country is ranked # 71 in the world for resource availability, # 94 for human development, and # 14 in the world for resource mismanagement. These statistics emphasize the national government corruption, the foreign economic interference in the country, and the rift between the rich and poor.
The Dominican Republic is located on the island Hispanola which it shares with its French-speaking neighbor, Haiti. Though the island was originally occupied by the Tainos, an Arawak-speaking people, their population was reduced from one million to about 500 in the first decades of colonial rule. The Dominican Republic was the first European settlement in the New World and became the first point of colonisation in the Americas from explorers from Europe. Beginning in the early 1500s, African slaves were imported to serve the Spanish empire on vast plantations spread over the island. In 1697, Spain recognised French dominion over the western third of the island, which in 1804 became independent Haiti after a slave rebellion.
The Haitians conquered the whole island in 1822 and held it until 1844, when forces led by Juan Pablo Duarte, the hero of Dominican independence, drove them out and established the Dominican Republic as an independent state. The United States ruled Dominican territory with a military government from 1916 to 1924. From 1931 to his assassination in 1961 dictator Rafael Leonidas Trujillo ruled the Dominican Republic. During this time, the nation experienced social and economic progress at the expense of democratic freedom and human rights.
The years following Trujillo's dictatorship were characterized by attempts at democracy, military coups, and US intervention. Throughout the 1980s, the DR suffered from a deeply ailing economy which directly impacted the country's population through high food prices and problems with the delivery of basic services - all of which culminated in a paralyzing nationwide strike in 1989. The 1990s brought neo-liberal reforms via IMF recommendations and in 2004, President Mejia signed a free trade agreement (CAFTA-DR) with the United States and five Central American countries. The current President, Leonel Fernández, works closely with the United States on law enforcement and immigration and counter-terrorism matters.
More Info on Dominican Republic
For general information about the Specialty Coffee production in Dominican Republic, like its history see this link.
Roast Magazine created a whole profile dedicated to coffee production in the Dominican Republic.


1.Cats were considered so sacred that killing one was punishable by death.
2. When a cat died the owner would often shave their eyebrows in mourning.
3. If you take the perimeter of the pyramid, and divide it by two times the height, you get a number that is exactly equivalent to the number pi (3.14159...)
4. Cats were often buried with mummified mice to accompany them to the afterlife.
5. The brain was considered the least important organ in the body.
6. The Great Pyramid has a base as big as eight football fields.
7. Children of the pharaoh swam in their own swimming pools. Other Egyptian children swam in the Nile River with the crocodiles.
8. In ancient Egypt, priests plucked every hair from their bodies, including their eyebrows and eyelashes.
9. "Death will slay with his wings whosoever disturbs the peace of Pharaoh." This was an inscription found on a clay tablet in Tut's tomb. Twenty people associated with the discovery died shortly after the tomb opening.
10. In the event of a fire, cats would be rescued from the building before any humans.


Tales of the TailsAldabra Cadabra
May 21, 2018
They’re hairless, heavy and never in a hurry; gregarious and gargantuan. They’re educational and ectothermic. They’re reptiles and are the second largest tortoise species in the world. They’re Aldabra tortoises!
How big are Aldabra tortoises? Aldabra tortoises are only slightly smaller than Galapagos tortoises, but can still weigh more than 600 pounds and live to be up to 180 years. They are dark gray in color and have a large domed carapace, or shell. Male Aldabra tortoises are significantly larger than females, growing to weigh more than 500 pounds, while females only reach up to 350 pounds.
Where are Aldabra tortoises from? These gentle giants can be found on Aldabra Island, part of the Seychelles northeast of Madagascar, in the Indian Ocean. The species’ habitat includes scrub and mangrove swamps with heavy vegetation, as well as grassy plains.
What do they eat? Aldabra tortoises have been known to change their habitats by eating large amounts of the vegetation and even knocking over plants and small trees while trying to reach their leaves, creating new pathways for other animals. They also disperse seeds back into the environment after they travel through their digestive system, providing food for other animals. Their diet typically consists of grasses, woody shrubs and plants, but some will eat other dead animals to survive.
The tortoises here at the Zoo are fed a diet developed to help keep them healthy, with a mix of produce, browse, a commercial tortoise diet, and grass hay. Although it might be tempting for visitors to try and feed them vegetation found near their exhibit, it is safer for both you and the tortoises to just observe and not touch or try to feed them – unless you are on one of our Behind-the-Scenes Tours with the help from one of the reptile keepers!
What about Aldabra tortoise reproduction? Aldabras are one of the more social tortoise species. Males will fight with one another for breeding rights and territory, and then the dominant male will breed with the females. The breeding season extends from February to May and the females carry the eggs for about ten weeks, after which they are buried in the ground. A clutch size is nine to 25 eggs, which are the size of tennis balls, but not all of them develop and hatch. At this point, none of the Virginia Zoo’s tortoises have laid eggs.
When are they most active? Aldabras sleep more than half of the day. They will often wallow in mud to protect themselves against mosquitoes, then sleep for an average of 18 hours in a 24-hour period, although this amount varies among individuals.
Who are the Virginia Zoo’s Aldabra tortoises? The Virginia Zoo has five Aldabras: males AJ and Jackson, and females Dottie, Lyn St. James and Bubbles. They all arrived in 2010 and can be found in their yard just outside of the Africa- Okavango Delta.
AJ is the oldest living animal at the Zoo. Although his exact age is unknown, Keepers estimate he is around 85 years old. AJ hatched in the Seychelles Islands, and then lived at the Indianapolis Zoo before arriving in Virginia. AJ likes to eat bright foods and prefers to sink into the mud any chance he can get, and is very territorial about his mud wallow. He weighs 507 pounds and is also the largest of the five tortoises.
Jackson is the smaller of the two males and just turned 12 years old on May 3. Jackson was hatched at the Tulsa Zoo. He also prefers bright foods and enjoys climbing over the rocks and logs in the tortoise yard. Even though Jackson is 12, he is not old enough to breed as Aldabra tortoises usually reach maturity around the age of 25. Jackson weighs 160 pounds, making him the second largest of the creep, or group of tortoises.
Lyn St. James is the oldest of three females, and Keepers estimate she is around 78 years old, and weighs 146 pounds. She was hatched in the Seychelles and then lived at the Indianapolis Zoo before coming to the Virginia Zoo. Lyn enjoys interacting with her Keepers, but tends to only do so inside of the tortoise barn. Keepers say she is almost always the first to head outside when the door opens and can often be seen napping more than anything else.
Bubbles is 12 years old and weighs 117 pounds. She was hatched at the Tulsa Zoo on February 5, 2006, before coming to the Virginia Zoo in 2009. Keepers say Bubbles is the first in line at feeding time and when she isn’t eating, she spends her time napping. She prefers to be inside the tortoise barn instead of in the yard.
Dottie is the youngest female at the Virginia Zoo, as she turned 12 on April 5. Keepers say Dottie is the shyest out of the other tortoises, but can often be seen climbing on the hill in the tortoise yard. Like most of the other tortoises, her favorite food is anything brightly colored. She last weighed in at 119 pounds.
Even though they are one of the largest tortoise species in the world, Aldabra tortoises are vulnerable to extinction due to hunting, habitat loss, the illegal pet trade and introduced predatory species that will eat tortoise eggs and babies. Conservation organizations such as the Turtle Survival Alliance have practices in place to help turtle and tortoise species from going extinct. The Virginia Zoo is proud to work with the TSA and donates funds to the organization every year.
Be sure to come see our Aldabra tortoises creep around their exhibit, especially on May 23: World Turtle Day! You can even schedule a Behind-the-Scenes Tour to meet the Tortoise Five in person!


1773, Captain James Cook and his crew became the first men to cross
the Antarctic Circle. In January, 1775, on his third voyage, Cook
sailed past South Georgia and discovered the South Sandwich Islands
two weeks later.
Russian Fabian Gottlieb von Bellingshausen, was the first person to
see the Antarctic continent, January 27, 1820. Nathanial Palmer, an
American sealing captain and Edward Bransfield, a British naval
officeralso have claims to being the first to see the continent.. Both
Palmer and Bransfield mapped sections of the Antarctic peninsula.
Clark Ross (1800-1862) sailed from Hobart, Tasmania, November 12,
1840. In January he passed through the ice pack and entered the sea
now called by his name. At latitude 100° 41´ S he sighted land 100
miles south, blocking the course he expected to follow in his search
for the South Magnetic Pole. On January 28 he sighted the active
volcano which he named Erebus after one of his ships. After reaching a
position of 78° 4´ S he returned to Tasmania on April 4, 1841 to avoid
The House of Commons ordered the publication of his
chart of the voyage on September 6, 1841. This chart was adapted for
the background of the stamp honoring Ross. The entire course of his
outbound voyage is shown, but only a part of the return route.
Roald Amundsen, a Norwegian,
and four team members reached the South Pole on December 14, 1911.
They discovered a new route which took only 57 days.


When thunder is heard, it’s important to remember that the louder it is, the closer it is. It can also be tricky to gauge just how loud a clap of thunder actually sounds- on average it registers at about 120 dBA.
What does a close lightning strike sound like?
When a lightning bolt hits the ground, it creates an electric shockwave that travels through the air. This sound is called thunder and can be heard up to several miles away.
The closer the lightning strike, the louder and more intense this sound will be.
How close can you hear lightning?
If you are outside during a thunderstorm, be sure to keep away from tall objects that could become lightning rods. If indoors, protect your body with a shield if available and avoid looking up into the sky.
What happens if lightning strikes close to you?
If you are struck by lightning, be sure to seek medical help immediately.
Does loud thunder mean lightning is close?
Listen for the sound of thunder, look up in the sky and stay indoors if you see lightning. If it’s close to your home, leave immediately.
How Close Can lightning be to shake a house?
You are always at risk when striking a home. If lightning is close enough to shake the house, it can cause mischief or even damage. No one knows for sure how often direct strikes happen, but indirect strikes occur 2000 times more frequently than direct ones.
It’s important to take safety precautionary measures in your home and make sure you stay away from areas that may be struck by Lightning.
What lightning smells like?
You can smell the electricity when you experience a lightning strike. This is because of ozone, which is created by the light from a lightning strike.
Why does thunder sound like a bomb?
Thunder can be heard as a bomb-like noise when the air pressure inside the lightning bolt exceeds atmospheric pressure.
Can a person hear lightning?
Some people believe that if you see or hear lightning it’s meant for you. So, don’t be afraid – even though it can sound scary.
Why was the thunder so loud?
Strong winds can cause thunder, which is usually louder closer to the ground. Air heated by the sun rises faster than colder air, and this difference in pressure causes a sonic boom when it hits the ground.
Weather extremes like tornadoes or intense lightning storms can also cause more thunder. Buildings and other structures might amplify sounds made in nature, so be sure to listen for it outside.
Is it safe to poop during a thunderstorm?
Pooping during a thunderstorm is not recommended – it can be dangerous and you may experience an explosion if something goes wrong with the toilet. If you decide to do it, make sure that it’s covered by insurance.
There is a high chance that something will go wrong, so keep an eye on your surroundings and remember to avoid loud noises while pooping.
What causes lightning to hit a person?
If you are ever in a situation where lightning is striking someone, it’s important to stay away from metal objects. touching an object that is conductive to electricity could spark and fire.
If you can’t avoid contact, try the strategies listed below to minimize your risk: move quickly if possible, cover yourself with something heavy (like a curtain or door), and wait for help.
Why is it safe to sit inside a car during lightning?
When it comes to lightning, metal is a good conductor and the metal cage around people in cars directs the electricity around the vehicle and safely into the ground.
So while you may not feel safe inside your car during a storm, by staying inside you’re taking all of these safety precautions into account.
Can you hear lightning crack?
While you may not be able to hear the crack of lightning in real life, it’s possible if you’re close enough. The louder part of the sound comes from the main stroke, so it’s heard first.
Sometimes there are more breaks than one at a time. This sound is caused by sparks from the lightnings himself and sometimes there are more cracks than one at a time.
What does it feel like before lightning strikes?
You may feel the electricity before a lightning strike. The clouds will grow dark and become colder as time goes on. Temperature is increasing rapidly, so it might be best to stay indoors until things calm down.
What is the 30 30 Rule of lightning?
The 30-30 Rule of Lightning is a rule of thumb that dictates how close to danger you should get before leaving your home. If you see lightning, follow the 30-30 rule and seek cover as soon as possible – if it’s closer than 30 seconds, it’s safe to leave and don’t worry about the storm.
Although thunder can be scary, remember that following the 30-30 rule will help protect yourself from harm in case of an emergency. Breaking this rule may lead to serious injury or even death if you’re not quick enough.
How do you sleep in a thunderstorm?
If you’re anxious about sleeping in a thunderstorm, make sure your windows are closed. Get a good night’s sleep by avoiding loud noises and getting comfortable in your bed.
If the thunder is too loud for you, open the window and put in earplugs.
Why do most people survive a lightning strike?
Most people survive a lightning strike because they are at the greatest risk if they are close to the person struck by lightning. The current passing over their skin is more deadly than if they were not nearby.
Survival tips for people who are struck by lightning include knowing how to protect oneself and staying calm.
What is the strongest color of lightning?
When it comes to the color of lightning, white is definitely at the top of the list. This color represents both a low concentration of moisture and a high concentration of dust in air – making it incredibly dangerous if you are struck by it.
Make sure to be very careful when outside during thunderstorms, as white light can also cause blindness.
Does being struck by lightning leave scars?
Electric shock can leave scars on the skin. This is because many causes can lead to scaring, such as being hit by lightning or getting injured in a car crash.
If you are pregnant, your baby may also suffer from electric shock damage.
Does lightning clean the air?
Are there any dangers to using lightning as a cleaning tool? Lightning can clean the air of pollutants, but it should be used with caution. During storms chasing airplanes that have shown evidence of large amounts of oxidants from lightning strikes, it is possible for this to cleanse the atmosphere in addition to saving lives.
Should you shut your windows in a thunderstorm?
If you’re considering shutting your windows during a thunderstorm, make sure to take exceptional precautions. Shuttering your windows could cause electrocution – be careful not to touch anything else while power is out.
If there’s an electrical storm near by, stay away from window and door foes and use surge protectors if possible.
If you experience sudden heating, be careful not to open windows. Metal expands in response to sudden heat and can cause cracks in windows.
You can use the “/summon lightning_bolt” command to create a bolt of lightning that will strike a specific location. The range is 320 blocks away from your position, and it will drop down 330 blocks if it exceeds that distance.
How do you summon lightning in a player?
To summon lightning in a player, type “/summon” and provide X Y and Z coordinates.
When you don’t have the right DLC, your game installation is incomplete. One or more mods are invalid, and you’re missing some files.
If you’re looking for a Trident to channel the power of thunderstorms, then you need one with an enchantment. A thunderstorm must be occurring in that specific area for the enchantment to work.
How do you strike a friend with lightning in Minecraft?
To strike a friend with lightning in Minecraft, type “/execute @e ~ ~ ~ /summon lightning_bolt”.
You can summon lightning using the “/summon lightning_bolt” command in Minecraft. You must provide coordinates where you want the bolt to appear.


THE peach (Amygdalus persica, L.), is one of our most important and best-known fruits.
It is not found in the wild state, in its present form, though in some localities it propagates itself, having escaped from cultivation.
It is probably a native of China, where it has been cultivated for centuries and where it is said to reach its greatest perfection, although Darwin holds that the evidence seems to indicate that the wild almond of Persia is the original source of the cultivated almond, the peach, and the nectarine. The specific name persica, has its origin in the fact that the peach was obtained from Persia, both by the Romans and the Greeks.
Dr. Willis tells us that "it was introduced into Italy from Persia by the Romans, in the reign of Claudius Caesar. It was introduced into Great Britain during the sixteenth century, and thence brought in 1680 by the settlers of Virginia to America."
The number of varieties seems to be unlimited. Over four hundred have been catalogued, though less than one 'hundred of these are constant. The nectarine is considered a variety and closely related to the peach and the plum, the apricot, and the cherry.
The tree itself, when bearing its beautiful rose-colored, five-petaled flowers, is highly ornamental. It seldom grows higher than twenty feet and its branches form asymmetrical top. One very ornamental variety produces double flowers and bright, shining leaves, but no fruit.
This valuable plant is generally placed in the family Rosaceoe, which includes many species of economic and ornamental importance. Besides those already mentioned, here belong the rose, the strawberry, the raspberry, the blackberry, the apple, the pear, and the quince, as well as many beautiful wild forms.
The thousand or mote species usually classed in this family may be readily separated into distinct groups, to which are given distinct family names by some authorities. Thus, the peach, the cherry, the plum, and the almond, which resemble each other in regard to the structure of their fruits and in their chemical constituents, may be placed in a family by themselves.
It is of interest to note that this luscious fruit was not always considered free from noxious qualities. Pliny states that it was considered by some that its presence in Egypt was due to its introduction there by the Persian king for the purpose of poisoning his enemies.
The Chinese writings refer to the peach as early as the fifth century before Christ, and it is given the name "tao" by Confucius. We are also told that in these writings "the peach tree holds the same place that the tree of knowledge does in the sacred scriptures, and that the golden Hesperides, apples of the heathen, hold among the western nations."
In Chinese mythology a peach tree is mentioned which was thought to possess the power of causing immortality but which produced its fruit but once in a thousand years, and another, which grew on a mountain and which existed in the early history of China, was said to be guarded by a number of demons.


Gas dwarf (Science News)
In our solar system, there are two clearly distinct classes of planets, the rocky little "terrestrial planets" with thin atmospheres (Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars), and the big "gas giants" with deep, thick atmospheres (Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune) (and then there's Pluto and the dwarf planets, but let's not go there). Now, data from the late lamented Kepler telescope has shown us KOI-314c, a planet 200 lightyears away in Lyra. It's no more massive than Earth, but is 60% wider. That has to mean it has a thick, deep atmosphere like a gas giant, only it's no giant. It's a new class of planet.
Starfish eyes (Science News)
We've known for over a century that starfish have eyespots on the tips of their arms, but it turns out that they are more than just light-sensitive spots. They can actually form images, though not with much high definition. Biologists determined this by the gruesome process of collecting a bunch of starfish and clipping the arm-tips (and eyes) off half of them, then dumping them on the sea-bed some distance from their reef. Only the ones with eyes could see the reef and head toward it. (I am happy to say that starfish recover from treatment like that, and grow everything back.)
The Big Five and you (BBC)
The Big Five is the current favorite personality test among psychologists. The five traits it measures are Openness, Conscientiousness, Extroversion, Agreeableness, and Neuroticism. (The first four correlate, roughly, with the four scales of the Myers-Briggs personality system.) The BBC has conducted a personality inventory on a large number of people and come up with some trends in the population:
- Men trend higher on Openness.
- Women trend higher on Agreeableness, Conscientiousness, and Neuroticism.
- Extroverts like jobs with lots of social contact. Duh.
- Open people like jobs using creativity and abstract thinking.
- Agreeable people like service and education jobs.
- Conscientious Extroverts usually like their jobs, whatever those jobs are.
- Agreeable people have better health.
Most of which is interesting, but in an "I always thought so" kind of way.
Gordon Bell, lifeblogger (New Scientist)
Gordon Bell, major computer engineer and leading light of the former Digital Equipment Corp., records his life as he goes along, electronically. "Lifeblogging," he calls it. He says cell phones have made it way easier, but raise privacy issues, since not everyone around him wants their life blogged...


Why the U.S. Census Matters for Our Work and Our Clients
At Freese and Nichols, our various planning groups regularly use U.S. Census Bureau data to forecast clients’ needs for water, transportation, utilities, land use and development. The 2020 Census count takes place this spring, and we encourage you to take the time to complete it and encourage anyone within your influence to do the same (your data is confidential).
Why the Census matters
The U.S. Constitution includes that a count of the population take place once a decade. The data collected will have enormous impact for the next 10 years:
- Helping the federal government decide how to distribute billions of dollars in funding and assistance to states and localities
- Determining the number of seats each state has in the U.S. House of Representatives
- Influencing the drawing of lines for congressional and state legislative districts
Census results directly impact our public sector clients. For example, the data was used to distribute more than $675 billion in federal funds to states and local communities for infrastructure, education, health and housing programs during Fiscal Year 2015. Accurate counts ensure that funding is equitably distributed for programs such as highway planning and construction, special education grants to states, the National School Lunch Program, Head Start and Medicaid. (Source: https://www.prb.org/importance-of-us-census/)
How the Census influences local decision-making
- Local government leaders use the data to plan a variety of local or regional public safety projects, including new city/county roads, primary schools or hospitals.
- Real estate developers and city planners use the data to target areas for building new homes or making neighborhood improvements.
- Businesses use the data to decide where to build factories, offices and stores, which ultimately helps create jobs.
- First responders and disaster recovery personnel use population information to help identify where and how much help is needed during emergencies and disasters.
- Public health officials use demographic data to track disease outbreaks and epidemics and target child health education.


Common chickweed, also known as Stellaria Media, is a small delicate plant that is often overlooked as a weed. But this little plant is actually edible and has been eaten by cultures for many generations. Let’s talk about “Chickweed: Benefits and Uses”.
Chickweed is a common weed that is often considered a nuisance. Actually, most of my research on the internet about it turned up articles about how to kill it, rather than articles about how to forage for and consume it!
What a shame.
Chickweed is not only edible, but is also said to have medicinal properties.
The leaves and stems are high in vitamins C and A, as well as iron.
Chickweed is a well-known favorite to herbalists because of it’s anti-inflammatory properties, that can be used to treat skin conditions such as eczema, psoriasis, and rashes. Made into an ointment, it can be applied to the skin to relieve itchiness and inflammation, see herbal salve recipe below!
- It’s very effective drawing agent for pulling splinters, infections or inflammation.
- It can be used as a lymphatic cleaner and is often used for help with hypothyroidism. It can be useful for those with high cholesterol and can help support kidney health.
- It can also be taken internally for respiratory problems such as bronchitis and congestion.
(Always consult your health care professional before using chickweed!)
Ways to Eat Chickweed
Chickweed can be used in salads, soups, and other dishes.
Personally, I like to use it as a sprout or lettuce substitute on sandwiches. I also like to toss some in a smoothie for some extra nutrition, as well as with a salad.
-Use it as a garnish on soup or other dishes.
-Make a pesto out of chickweed, olive oil, and nuts or seeds of your choice.
-Chop up and use it as a filling for tacos or burritos.
-Mix into scrambled eggs or omelets.
-Sauté with garlic and other vegetables.
-Add to homemade bread or muffin recipes.
How to Identify Chickweed
Chickweed is a small, annual herb that commonly appears in gardens and yards. It has small, white flowers and long, slender leaves. The stem of chickweed is often hairy and can grow up to 20 inches in length. This weed can spread quickly, so it’s important to identify it early and take steps to control it if you don’t want it in your garden.
To identify chickweed, look for the following characteristics:
-Small, white flowers
-Long, slender leaves
-Tendency to spread quickly
If you suspect you have chickweed in your garden, pull up a few plants and examine them closely to look for these identifying features. Investing in a field guide can be very helpful!
How to Make Chickweed Salve
Chickweed salve is a natural remedy that can be used to treat a variety of skin conditions. The chickweed plant contains properties that make it an effective healing agent for wounds, burns, rashes, and other skin problems. This salve is easy to make at home, and only requires a few simple ingredients.
To make chickweed salve, you will need:
-1/2 cup chickweed leaf (fresh or dried)
-1/4 cup olive oil
-1/4 cup beeswax
-10 drops lavender essential oil (optional)
First, infuse the herb in the olive oil by heating the two ingredients together on low heat for 30 minutes. Then strain the herb out of the oil and add the beeswax to the oil. Heat the mixture until the beeswax is melted, then remove from heat and stir in the lavender essential oil (if using). Pour the salve into a small jar or container and allow it to cool completely before using.
To use chickweed salve, simply apply it to the affected area as needed. The salve can be stored at room temperature for up to 6 months.
I hope you’ll keep an eye out for chickweed in your unsprayed areas and find ways to enjoy it! Share about it in the comments!


By Sonya Auer, University of Massachusetts, Amherst
26 April 2013
(LiveScience) – Plants and animals in a given area form an ecological system of interacting species. Impacts on one, or just a few, species can ripple throughout the system and have indirect effects on other species within a larger community.
Many plants and animals are sensitive to shifts in temperature and precipitation and subsequently relocate to more suitable climates or reschedule their seasonal activities.
One of the most challenging tasks facing ecologists today is determining how species are responding to rapid changes in climate, and the consequences. In the high-elevation canyons along the southern edge of the Colorado Plateau in central Arizona, I worked with my colleague Thomas Martin of the U.S. Geological Survey to study how more than two decades of changing winter temperatures have hurt spring breeding success for birds. This harm results not just from changing temperature, but stem indirectly from climate impacts on elk, small predators and even the forest the birds inhabit.
As winter temperatures on the plateau increase, more precipitation is falling as rain rather than snow. Less snow means it’s easier for big animals like elk to hang around and find food, so they are now remaining at these high elevation sites throughout winter rather than migrating to lower elevations like they have done historically. But, elk opting to overwinter in the canyons is not boding well for the local plants and birds. [Warming Planet Pushing Species Out of Habitats Quicker Than Expected]
Elk eat plants, and they especially like the tender new shoots of trees like maple and locust compared with conifers, which have chemical defenses against herbivory. So, when elk hang around in the canyons all year, it’s harder for young saplings of these deciduous trees to grow large enough to then produce their own seedlings. Over time, this has led to big changes in the forest. Older maples and locusts are dying out and are not being replaced by the next generation, so they are becoming less and less abundant in the forest in these canyons.
What, then, do these effects of winter temperatures on snowfall and elk and plants mean for bird species like the Red-faced Warbler?
Each spring, Red-faced Warblers, along with two other related species — the Orange-crowned Warbler and Virginia’s Warbler — build cupped nests of grass tucked into the ground at the base of trees. There, they incubate their eggs and raise their young until they grow big enough to leave the nest.
In the past, the three warbler species did not choose the same kind of nest sites. Instead, each selected patches dominated by different tree species. Orange-crowned Warblers preferred nesting in clumps of maples, Virginia’s Warblers liked locusts, and Red-faced Warblers nested under small fir trees. But, now that maples and locusts are declining, Orange-crowned and Virginia’s Warblers have fewer preferred nest sites to choose from and are increasingly forced to nest in sites similar to those of the Red-faced Warbler.
So, why does this matter? Well, nest-site choices have consequences for nest survival and subsequent population numbers. When the birds divvied up their use of the different nest sites in the past, predation on their eggs and nestlings by squirrels and mice was lower. But, now that the forest has changed and the birds are nesting in similar sites, their nests are being detected more often by predators, which means fewer nests are fledging young. Fewer young can then lead to population declines. [more]
Need a happy?
- 60 Minutes: The Age of Mega-Fires
- Altered Oceans
- Apocadocs: Humoring the Horror of Environmental Collapse
- Calculated Risk
- Carbon Based Climate Change Adaptation
- Census of Marine life
- Climate Change: The Next Generation
- Club Orlov: Dmitry Orlov and the Collapsnik Party
- Converging Emergencies, 2010-2020
- Crisis Forums
- Dead Trees ... Dying Forests
- Deep Into Artlife West
- Ea O Ka Aina: For a self-sustaining Kauai
- Economic Undertow
- Fire Earth
- Grist: A Beacon in the Smog
- Hypoxia in the Northern Gulf of Mexico
- IUCN Red List of Endangered Species
- Information Is Beautiful
- International Programme on the State of the Oceans
- Jeremy Jackson: Brave New Ocean
- Jim Galasyn: State of the Oceans 2011 pdf
- Lend Me a Looking Glass
- Love Salem
- Marine Climate Change
- Mess Time
- Mongabay.com: Tropical Rainforest Conservation
- NASA Earth Observatory: Image of the Day
- NASA Visible Earth
- National Weather Service Climate Prediction Center
- Nature Bats Last
- Only In It For The Gold
- Ornery Bastard
- Other Voices, Other Choices
- Planet3.0 | Beyond Sustainability
- RealClimate: Climate Science from Climate Scientists
- Shades of Green
- Wit's End
- World Catastrophe Map
- World Disaster Report


By Will de Freitas |-
You may have seen a variant of this meme before. A map of North Africa is shown, with a surprisingly small box somewhere in Libya or Algeria shaded in. An area of the Sahara this size, the caption will say, could power the entire world through solar energy:
Over the years various different schemes have been proposed for making this idea a reality. Though a company called Desertec caused a splash with some bold ideas a decade ago, it collapsed in 2014 and none of the other proposals to export serious amounts of electricity from the Sahara to Europe and beyond are anywhere close to being realised.
It’s still hard to store and transport that much electricity from such a remote place, for one thing, while those people who do live in the Sahara may object to their homeland being transformed into a solar superpower. In any case, turning one particular region into a global energy hub risks all sorts of geopolitical problems.
The Imagine newsletter aims to tackle these big “what if” questions, so we asked a number of academics to weigh in on the challenges of exploiting the cheapest form of electricity from perhaps the cheapest and best spot on Earth.
What is Imagine?
Imagine is a newsletter from The Conversation that presents a vision of a world acting on climate change. Drawing on the collective wisdom of academics in fields from anthropology and zoology to technology and psychology, it investigates the many ways life on Earth could be made fairer and more fulfilling by taking radical action on climate change.
Sahara has huge energy potential
Amin Al-Habaibeh is an engineer at Nottingham Trent University who has researched various options for Saharan solar.
He points to the sheer size and amount of sunshine the Sahara desert receives:
It’s larger than Brazil, and slightly smaller than the US.
If every drop of sunshine that hits the Sahara was converted into energy, the desert would produce enough electricity over any given period to power Europe 7,000 times over.
So even a small chunk of the desert could indeed power much of the world, in theory. But how would this be achieved?
Al-Habaibeh points to two main technologies. Both have their pros and cons.
Concentrated solar power uses lenses or mirrors to focus the sun’s energy in one spot, which becomes incredibly hot. This heat then generates electricity through a steam turbine.
In this image the tower in the middle is the “receiver” which then feeds heat to a generator:
Some systems store the heat in the form of molten salt. This means they can release energy overnight, when the sun isn’t shining, providing a 24h supply of electricity.
Concentrated solar power is very efficient in hot, dry environments, but the steam generators use lots of water.
Then there are regular photovoltaic solar panels. These are much more flexible and easier to set up, but less efficient in the very hottest weather.
Overall, Al-Habaibeh is positive:
Just a small portion of the Sahara could produce as much energy as the entire continent of Africa does at present. As solar technology improves, things will only get cheaper and more efficient. The Sahara may be inhospitable for most plants and animals, but it could bring sustainable energy to life across North Africa – and beyond.
Solar panels could have remarkable impact on the desert though
Installing mass amounts of solar panels in the Sahara could also have a remarkable impact on the desert itself.
The Sahara hasn’t always been dry and sandy. Indeed, archaeologists have found traces of human societies in the middle of the desert, along with prehistoric cave paintings of Savannah animals. Along with climate records, this suggests that just a few thousand years ago the “desert” was far greener than today.
Alona Armstrong, an environmental science lecturer at Lancaster University, wrote about a fascinating study in 2018 that suggested massive renewable energy farms could make the Sahara green again.
A team of scientists imagined building truly vast solar and wind farms, far larger than most countries, and simulated the impact they would have on the desert around them. They found that:
- Solar panels reflect less heat back into space compared to sand.
- This means the surface would warm, causing air to rise and form clouds.
- This would mean more rainfall, especially in the Sahel region at the southern edge of the desert.
- And more vegetation would grow, which would absorb more heat, drive more precipitation, and so on
- It’s an example of a climate feedback.
This may be a nice side effect of a huge Saharan solar plant, but it doesn’t necessarily mean it should happen. As Armstrong points out:
These areas may be sparsely populated but people do live there, their livelihoods are there, and the landscapes are of cultural value to them. Can the land really be “grabbed” to supply energy to Europe and the Middle East?
Is this climate colonialism?
If we want to deploy millions of solar panels in the Sahara, then who is “we”? Who pays for it, who runs it and, crucially, who gets the cheap electricity?
This is what worries Olúfẹ́mi Táíwò, a philosopher who researches climate justice at Georgetown University. He mentions Saharan solar power as one of the possible policies involved in a Green New Deal, a wide-ranging plan to enact a “green transition” over the next decade.
He points out that exports of solar power could: “Exacerbate what scholars like sociologist Doreen Martinez call climate colonialism – the domination of less powerful countries and peoples through initiatives meant to slow the pace of global warming.”
- While Africa may have abundant energy resources, the continent is also home to the people who are the least connected to the grid.
- Solar exports risk “bolstering European energy security … while millions of sub-Saharan Africans have no energy of their own.”
What if we’re looking at the wrong desert?
All of this will be moot if Saharan solar never actually happens. And Denes Csala, a lecturer in energy systems at Lancaster University, is sceptical.
It’s true that much of the world’s best solar resources are found in the desert. Here’s a graph from his PhD research which shows how Saharan nations dominate:
But Denes says that we’re looking at the wrong desert. In fact, the countries of the Arabian peninsula are better placed to exploit the sun. He argues several factors work in favour of Saudi Arabia, the UAE and co:
- They have a history of exporting oil.
- In the energy market, worries over security of supply means countries tend to do business with the same partners over time.
- Ports, pipes and other infrastructure that have been built to ship oil and gas could be repurposed to ship solar energy as hydrogen.
[Energy security] would be the Achilles heel of a northern African energy project: the connections to Europe would likely be the continent’s single most important critical infrastructure and, considering the stability of the region, it is unlikely that European countries would take on such a risk.
It would be fair to say academics have mixed views about the idea of mass Saharan solar. While the energy potential is obvious, and most of the necessary technology already exists, in the long run it may prove too complicated politically.
Still think this is all fantasy?
Maybe Europeans should look closer to home. The UK Planning Inspectorate is currently examining the Cleve Hill solar farm proposal in Kent, which would involve installing nearly a million solar panels across a marshland site the size of 600 football pitches. To protect against flooding, the panels would be mounted several metres in the air. If built, despite opposition from locals and conservationists, Cleve Hill would be by far the country’s largest solar farm and about the same size as Europe’s largest, near Bordeaux.
Alastair Buckley from the University of Sheffield points out the project would be groundbreaking as, unlike other ventures of this kind, it doesn’t rely on subsidies. With solar power getting ever cheaper, Cleve Hill – if it happens – seems to mark the moment when solar may start paying for itself – even far from the world’s deserts.
- Lessons from Kenya about what’s holding back solar technology in Africa
- India wants to become a solar superpower – but its plans don’t add up
- How a solar farm in southeast England could bring a new dawn for renewable energy
- How sub-Saharan Africa can harness its big electricity opportunities