All Warí photos courtesy Beth Conklin
Being a cannibal -- defined to mean any human consumption of the human body -- no longer appears on many resumes. Yet until recently, cannibalism was a requirement among a tribe in the Amazon rainforest, up where Brazil meets Bolivia.
During the 1950s, the Wari' (pronounced wha-REE), who now number about 2,000, became one of the last native tribes in the world to be contacted by outsiders.
Beth Conklin, who's now at Vanderbilt University, started studying the tribe in 1985. She says outsiders brought industrial products, foreign diseases, and a visceral hostility to eating human flesh. The manufactured tools were useful, the diseases caused hundreds of deaths, and the visceral hostility ended cannibalism.
Before about 1960, the Wari' ate defeated enemies (other warriors, and, in the 20th century, intruding Brazilian settlers and their hired gunmen).
The Wari' also ate relatives after death.
It's rare to find both types of cannibalism in one tribe, and the motivations were different, Conklin points out. "Killing and consuming the enemy outsider was partly equating the victim with animals that are hunted -- the manner of eating was explicitly similar to the eating of animals." It was, she says, a way of "marking human dominance over the victim." In contrast, the funeral cannibalism was intended to start emotional healing after a death.
Cannibalism as grief management
In culinary terms, the "meal" left something to be desired. "The flesh was partly decomposed," Conklin explains (three days is quite a while in the Amazon!). "The Wari' are horrified by decay and decomposition, so they had to force themselves to eat it. No-one every really got over the revulsion they felt about eating decaying flesh."
Cannibal: Heal thyself
The repellent rituals regarding victuals were actually performed by in-laws, while the closest relatives, figuratively speaking, left their forks on the table. "We tend to assume that motives are located in the people who do the eating," says Conklin. "But clearly, the people who were doing the eating were revolted, were forcing themselves to eat ...because they believed it was so important to the family of the dead."
Emotionally, she says, the eating showed that the "person who had died was no longer one of the eaters, but was in the process of transformation to a different form, to one of the eaten. ... You can hardly think of a more dramatic way of making that point ... than by confronting the close relatives with this image of seeing the loved ones dismembered, roasted and consumed in front of their eyes."
If readers find this repulsive, the tribe was equally appalled when churches and governments imposed western funeral practices 40 years ago. The Wari' "traditionally thought of burial with as much horror as we think of cannibalism," says Conklin. "The ground is wet, cold, dirty, polluting, and the idea of putting the body of a loved one in the dirt and leaving it to decompose is horrific, something you would never do to someone you care about."
Learning to love the cannibals?
Is it possible to transcend the instinctual "Gross!" response to cannibalism, and view it without familiar cultural lenses? Can we accept that cultures have internal logic and justice, which outsiders judge at their peril?
That can be a tough order with cannibalism, and it did indeed challenge Conklin (who arrived in Wari' country as a vegetarian). But she succeeded well enough to write the book "Consuming Grief" (see bibliography) about it.
We read the book, and had to ask the obvious question. "Did you learn to love the cannibals?" No, she answered, and yes. "I don't think of them as cannibals -- they don't see that as the primary factor in their identity. I think of them as my friends. ...They treat each other with a lot of respect, gentleness, with a kind of generosity among friends and close relatives that's really meaningful; they are some of the nicest people you would care to meet."
A harmful stereotype
Wari' funerary cannibalism, she insists, "has to do with compassion, and a kind of cycling and renewal of a life-supporting relationship." After death, she notes, the deceased is thought to return to the family as a peccary - a forest pig and dietary mainstay. As the wheel of life turns, the deceased feeds the family in fact and in perception.
The Wari' were among the last to abandon cannibalism. Nowadays, younger Wari' consider the mourning rituals as "folklore, a quaint custom from the old days," Conklin says. "It's not part of their identity. Every one knows it's a practice that horrifies outsiders, a practice that they would never revive; they know the condemnation, the interference that would result."
Still, the loss of tradition has its price. "Older people say that now that bodies are buried, it's harder to let go emotionally. They say their thoughts constantly return to the loved one's body lying in the dirt... They say it really was easier in the old days, when bodies were consumed."
For more on "compassionate cannibalism."
These cannibals aren't compassionate. And they're still killing...
©2002, University of Wisconsin, Board of Regents.


by Aditya Ayachit
Mental disorders are complex physiological infirmities of the nervous system. While they continue be the tough riddles in the field of medical research, they pose even more daunting challenges in the socio-economic and legal contexts. In recent times the mental health laws across the world have undergone a significant change. A policy of segregation has been abandoned in favor of a policy of integration and protection. The prima facie reason for this shift appears to be the increasing influence of the Human Rights discourse over laws and policy making. Thus, a new mental healthcare paradigm has emerged which advocates that the mentally ill are not objects of charity or social protection but are subjects with rights and States and the International bodies are under an obligation to provide them with the means of enforcing these rights.The international consensus about the new paradigm was strongly conveyed by the near unanimous acceptance of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities 2006(commonly known as the Disability Convention’) and Principles for the Protection of Persons with Mental Illness and the Improvement of Mental Health Care (or simply the MI Principles).
India is a signatory to the Disability Convention. However, it has failed to bring its laws and institutions in tune with the standards set by the convention. To fulfill its commitments under the Disability Convention, 2006 and MI principles of 1991, India needs a major overhaul of its disability laws and policies dealing with mental health care. The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MHFW) recently came out with the Mental Health Care Bill 2012 responding to this formidable legislative challenge. The reactions to this bill were mixed with some groups lauding provisions decriminalizing attempted suicide by a mentally ill person, ensuring the availability of insurance for treatment of mental illness at par with physical illness and prohibition of certain medical procedures like the Electro Convulsive Therapy (in case of minors), Sterilization and Chaining, while others opposing the bill on the ground that its provisions curtailed patient autonomy and liberalized the laws for involuntary admissions to mental institutions. This post does not aim to comprehensively review the bill. Rather, it attempts to map the issues that the Bill appears to address and contrasts the status quo with the regime the bill seeks to establish.
Few Mental Health Practitioners and Institutions in India
A recent statistic from the MHFW indicates that about 7 percent of the Indian Population suffers from some form of mental disorder. Another startling statistic is that 90 percent of these disorders remain untreated. The leading cause behind this paradox is the acute shortage of mental health institutions and qualified mental health practitioners in India. Our large and populous country of 1.2 billion people has about 40 mental health institutions, 3,500 psychiatrists, 500 clinical psychologists, 300 psychiatric social workers and 1,000 psychiatric nurses to treat its mentally ill citizens. In addition to this, most of the institutions and practitioners are located in urban areas. This creates a serious problem in a country like India where over 70 percent of the population lives in rural areas.
According to the National Family Health Survey, the private medical sector remains the primary source of health care for the majority of households in both urban areas (70 percent) and rural areas (63 percent) of India. While private players contribute immensely to the health care industry, it remains the case that they generally shy away from investing in mental health institutions. This is mainly due to low policy priority given to mental health sector, strict licensing requirements under the Mental Health Act 1987 and the lack of any special incentive for investing in this sector. Today in India, government health policies mainly focus on communicable diseases like HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis or on child malnutrition or on reproductive healthcare. Mental healthcare rarely finds mention in the policy. This underscores the importance of this sector and makes the investment environment in such services unattractive and discouraging.
Another factor that reduces the likelihood of private investment in mental health care is the strict licensing regime set up by the Mental Health Act 1987; the legislation that currently governs the mental health sector. This Act lays down a complicated procedure of issuing a non-transferable and non-heritable license to a person who wishes to open a mental healthcare institution. The act further discriminates between government established institutions and privately maintained institutions by exempting the government institutions from the statutory requirement of obtaining a license. If private participation is to be encouraged, this system of licensing needs to be rationalized.The Mental Health Care Bill 2012 goes a long way in this regard. The bill replaces the stringent licensing system with a simpler system of registration. The registration unlike a license is not linked to a particular person and is freely transferable for instance on the sale of the institution. It also allows the institution an appeal to the High Court if the grant of registration or renewal of registration or cancellation of registration is refused by the appropriate authority. While the bill seeks to relax the laws governing the setting up of mental health institutions it must ensure via its provisions that this does not in any way affect the quality of health care provided in these institutions. The issue of quality of health care will be taken up further in this post.
To ensure that rural areas also benefit from private investment, the incentives given to invest in rural areas could be greater than those given for investment in urban areas. Another way in which the presence of mental health facilities in rural areas can be increased is by proper implementation of the District Mental Health Program which was initiated by the Government of India in 1996. Currently, the program is under implementation in only 123 of the total 657 districts of the country. A proper implementation of the program would go a long way towards ensuring that rural areas have adequate mental care facilities in near vicinity.
Poor Quality of Mental Health Institutions
The second core issue in this area is the unacceptable quality of medical care provided to the mentally ill in the existing mental health institutions in our country. It would not be an overstatement to say that the patients who receive mental health treatment in India are treated in a most inappropriate and inhuman way in our mental institutions. The institutions usually resemble prisons where the mentally ill are debased and deprived of their dignity. They are made to live in unacceptable living conditions and are shackled down in chains for long hours. They are fed unhygienic prepared unwholesome meals, are subjected to painful medical procedures without their consent, are regularly beaten and in some cases are also subjected to sexual assault. Sometimes they are sterilized on the basis of a medical myth that sterilization cures mental disability. In essence, the patients never receive adequate treatment. Rather the treatment aggravates their condition and makes them sick and infirm for life completely eliminating any hope of rehabilitation or a chance of leading a normal life (see here and here for more). Any mental health care legislation must develop a structured mechanism for ensuring that our mental health institutions do not fall short of the internationally accepted standards of treatment and care. The Mental Health Act 1987 and the State Mental Health Rules 1990 provide detailed safeguards to ensure that the health institutions meet the statutory standard. While building upon this legacy, any new legislation must incorporate the minimum standards laid down in the Disability Convention of 2006 and the MI Principles of 1991. Further, steps must be taken to bring government maintained institutions under the purview of these regulatory procedures. It may be noted here that the Mental Health Act 1987 is quite inconsistent with the principles and safeguards laid down in the aforesaid international instruments and as government hospitals are deemed to be licensed institutions under the act, it is unclear whether the procedures laid down for revocation of license in cases of non-compliance are applicable against government facilities.
Consent of the Mentally Ill Patients
Another aspect that would have to be substantially addressed in mental health legislations is with respect to consent of the patient to receive treatment. It is a cardinal principle of medical science that no one may be subjected to any medical procedure without his/her express consent and such procedure may not continue after the person has withdrawn his consent. Mental Healthcare raises complex questions regarding consent. The Mental Health Care Bill 2012 provides innovative solutions to the problem of consent. The bill allows persons to register an ‘advance directive’ with the appropriate mental health board. An ‘advance directive’ is a legal document containing details of the kind of treatment a person wishes to receive or does not wish to receive in the event of mental illness. It also contains the details of the person’s nominated representatives who are entitled to give consent on the person’s behalf when he is not in a position to give consent. The bill provides procedures for amendment or cancellation of advanced directives and also gives powers to the Central or State mental health board to review advance directives and to suspend or amend them in some special cases (for instance when the advance directive has been made under force, coercion, undue influence etc. or when it was made without proper knowledge). While many groups are touting advance directive as a foolproof solution to the problem of consent, it remains to be seen how this statutory tool would operate in real life. This provision has been opposed on the grounds that it would be susceptible to gross misuse especially in rural areas where the patients are illiterate and are not aware about their rights.
Rehabilitation and Social Awareness
Another issue that the bill attempts to address is rehabilitation and social awareness. These concepts are inter-related. The extent to which a patient can be restored back in his life (family, community and occupation) depends on the social understanding of mental illness and the attitude of the society towards the mentally ill. A society which rejects the mentally ill or which despises them cannot possibly assist in rehabilitation of the patient. As societal attitudes are shaped to a large extent by education, an awareness program which aims towards creating social understanding about mental illness can directly assist in making the society more suitable for rehabilitation of the patient. Mental Health Act 1987 does not contain any provisions regarding social education or patient rehabilitation. The Mental Health Care Bill 2012 addresses this lacunae and creates an obligation on the Central and State governments to spread awareness about mental illness and its appropriate treatments. The Bill lays emphasis on lowering the stigma associated with mental illness so that a patient’s rehabilitation in the society may be facilitated. It may be noted here that a proper implementation of the aforesaid provisions may go a long way in debunking the long standing myths about mental illness (like mental illness is caused due to demonic possession or that mental illness is incurable) and make the society a better place for the mentally ill.
Human well-being in a country cannot be ensured unless its citizens are physically and mentally fit. Mental health is prone to neglect because it is difficult to detect, difficult to cure and also difficult to explain to the people. The Mental Health Care Bill 2012 appears to be a commendable effort towards addressing the long standing problems encountered by patients and practitioners alike in the sector of mental healthcare and restoring the long lost dignity of the mentally ill.
(Aditya Ayachit is an Assistant Editor with the Journal of Indian Law and Society)


As previously stated, coal-fi red electricity is a major source of power generation around the world—especially in North America, India and China. Globally, power plants alone emit 63% of industrial emissions. Not only are the treaties of Kyoto and upcoming Copenhagen important in trying to fi nd global frameworks for industrial and GHG emissions, but nationally many countries must implement very soon their own internal guidelines for emission restriction.
The US’ Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is now embarking, along with state legislatures, upon more stringent emission guidelines which must be adhered to within the next 2-5 years, depending upon each individual state. Along with all the aforelisted zeolite applications, the ZEOX relevant applications which are to be affected by the introduction of the more onerous EPA guidelines include :
■ Mercury Removal from Coal Flue Gas This alone is estimated to be a $500 million per year market ; The Mercury Removal market may be even bigger than the water treatment market
Likewise, market research studies show that Activated Carbon demand is set to grow 5% per year up through 2012. Which logically implies that zeolite demand will grow at least equally to AC. Main areas are water treatment, power plant fl ue gas and auto emissions. > Specifi c zeolites currently show great promise in being able to remove mercury in coal fi re plants.
■ Cement Usage Zeolite has a distinct advantage over Powder Activated Carbon as it is neutral on fl y-ash ; States must ensure mercury removal by 2010 A percentage of fl y ash from US power plants is to be used for cement substitutes in concrete ; This is a by-product credit for power plants and can be cash-flow positive


The Power Of Nature In Restoring Personal And Community Wellbeing
Over time, researchers have shown how powerful natural environments are powerful in relation to our wellbeing. From what we see smell and hear to more importantly, how we think, sense, and feel in places such as our own backyards as well as community gardens, parks, woodlands, beaches and dense forests, mindful time spent in nature is beneficial to our body, mind, and soul. Such experiences are also important when considering our stress levels as well as our sense of connectivity with each other and the other-than-human world.
In the current pandemic situation, the time people are spending on screens has rapidly increased, which means exposing ourselves to nature is even more critical to our emotional and physical wellbeing than ever. It’s also an opportunity to support and bring communities together.
Here are a few organizations aiming to get people safely outside.
The Woodland Presents is an environmental not-for-profit in Southwest England responding to the neglected state of British woodlands and working to connect people to trees and timber in meaningful ways. They have built various community wellbeing hubs, setting up a maker-space for woodworkers, an outdoor woodland venue for courses and events, and created a reforestation community benefit society that aims to plant over 10,000 trees a year.
One project, launched in response to the pandemic, is named ‘Woods for Wellness’. As Sylvia Mohabir, one of the organization’s co-directors says “our Woods for Wellness project was created to help those struggling during COVID-19, to increase health and happiness, and combat isolation, loneliness, and other wellbeing issues the pandemic may have caused.” The project brings people together to help restore and connect with woodlands, slow down, learn and share skills, and discover transformative experiences in a natural environment.
Another UK mental health not-for-profit organization Mind shares that “ecotherapy involves getting outdoors and getting active in a green environment as a way of boosting mental wellbeing. Whether it’s taking regular walks in the park, flying a kite, or participating in a gardening therapy project, green exercise is proven to have huge benefits for mental health”.
In a study run by the initiative, 95% of those interviewed reported their mood improved after spending time outside, changing from depressed and anxious to more calm and balanced as nature has a soothing effect on people’s nerves.
Aligned with that philosophy, forest bathing (also known as Shinrin-yoku) originated in Japan in the early 1980s and is regarded as a form of nature therapy that supports our body, mind, and soul, helping us cope with pain, suffering, and discomfort. Immersing oneself in a forest and just being is a simple and yet, very significant act of self-care, and some believe it works as preventative medicine.
And honoring this ethos, whilst attempting to boost the immune system, better our sleep, and lower blood pressure, as well as depression, social prescribing of forest bathing is a movement gaining strength due to how effective, inexpensive, and beneficial it is. The non-medical therapy provides patients with an opportunity to attend to their health and overall wellbeing by getting involved in social activities, such as gardening, connecting with and befriending those who are most vulnerable, practicing a sport or simply forest bathing.
Another growing global movement, ecotourism, aims to provide people with an opportunity to enjoy the natural habitats whilst preserving them.
In Lisbon, for instance, Breath Portugal, is a project offering “healing experiences in nature”. Focused on ecology, mindfulness, and mental health, the agency is popular among those wanting to relax, as well as being creative.
Richard Louv, the bestseller author of the book ‘Last Child in the Woods’, defends why we need more nature where we live, learn, work and play. Bringing attention to the term ‘nature-deficit disorder’, Louv documents how the decrease in the exposure of children to the natural environment has contributed to obesity rates, lower self-esteem, social anxiety, and many other issues related to physical and emotional wellbeing, and how addressing such issues can support one’s creativity – and sense of freedom.
Considering the effect on people’s quality of life in urban environments, a US study set out to investigate how people who live in two Chicago public housing developments, surrounded by trees and green spaces, were affected by it. Unsurprisingly, the researchers found that “natural elements such as trees promote increased opportunities for social interactions, monitoring of outdoor areas, and supervision of children in impoverished urban neighborhoods.”
These findings are now influencing public policies around housing developments as well as green spaces for the benefit of people – and the wildlife. Ecological corridors are a way to support and connect spaces separated by human activities or structures, so the fauna has a better chance to survive – and thrive – especially in densely populated areas.
The nonprofit, Tress for Life is also working to revitalize wild forests in the Highlands of Scotland, “providing space for wildlife to flourish and communities to thrive.” Relying on volunteers, the organization has planted an impressive two million trees as well as developed a number of projects that help conserve and restore the Scottish Highlands wilderness.
In Brazil, Reconexão Amazônia (Amazon Reconnection) is an initiative offering spaces to educate Brazilians about the largest forest in the world, which inhabits 59% of the tropical country. The organization’s founder, Karina Miotto, uses the principles of deep ecology, which at its core considers human life as just one of many equal components of a global ecosystem, as the starting point to reconnect people to the wonders of nature, and says “the human soul longs for freedom and nature is our ally on this path.”
The recently launched documentary ‘The Beginning of Life 2: Outside’ offers insights on the importance of experiences in the natural environment throughout childhood. Claiming that “genuine connections between children and nature can revolutionize our future”, this film shows how such connection can be “part of the cure for the biggest challenges facing humanity today and the construction of a happier life with a greater level of wellbeing.”
Bearing in mind how many people might not have access to a garden or a park nearby, it’s important to report that researchers have also found that even having a plant, an inspiring picture of a landscape around or simply listening to the sounds of nature can bring benefits, and support people to relax. For instance, Tree FM is a free online resource that allows people to listen to sounds from forests all over the world.
After all, reconnecting with nature is like resetting our brain. As author Eckhart Tolle shares “nature can bring you to stillness, that is its gift to you.”
Mirella Ferraz coordinates the Network of Wellbeing’s community work in Totnes, U.K., where she’s helped set up the Share Shed – A Library of Things and regular Community Potlucks, as well as organise a ShareFest to promote and celebrate all things related to sharing, making, repairing and swapping.
This article is reprinted with permission from Shareable.


Note that grammar and spell-check programs (including the ones built into word processing software like Microsoft Word and applications like Grammarly) do a good job of identifying potential errors—but they won’t catch all problems, nor will they always suggest the ideal fix. Algorithms simply aren’t sophisticated enough to understand the context or situation you are writing within (remember, grammar is a situated practice!). Let’s see what happens when a few spelling and grammar algorithms are asked to fix a sentence:
According to Microsoft’s spelling and grammar program, the only problem here is the word “uum ali,” which is actually an accepted spelling of the name of an Egyptian version of bread pudding. According to Google Docs, “ali” is fine, but “uum” is misspelled; additionally “were eating” might be changed to “ate,” and “hole” might be changed to “whole.” No program catches that the second sentence needs to be corrected to “Neither Carlos nor Silas has” since the neither/nor construction sets up a singular subject. The opening “sentence” is actually a dependent clause, not really a complete English sentence according to the rules of formal written English. “Desert” is a perfectly spelled example of the English word for a dry, empty place, but probably doesn’t apply to “pie” or “uum ali” (which are examples of dessert, a sweet food customarily eaten at the end of a meal). And the phrase “a friend who stuffed” may not be grammatically incorrect, but it doesn’t make much sense.
Instead of using grammar and spell-check programs to find and fix all of the errors in your writing, think of them as useful tools, but not replacements for your keen eye. Sometimes they will point out that a word is misspelled or a sentence that is badly formed. Even in those cases, you will need to think critically about the program’s evaluation and suggestion—is it right or wrong? In addition, you will still need to have human readers—including you!—work their way through the text.
Online translation programs have similar problems of not being able to tell when a word or phrase isn’t right. The opening lines of Lawrence Hill’s The Book of Negroes are as follows:
I seem to have trouble dying. By all rights, I should not have lived this long. But I still can smell trouble riding on any wind, just as surely as I could tell you whether it is a stew of chicken necks or pigs’ feet bubbling in the iron pot on the fire.
Running this chunk of text through a translator into French and then Japanese and then back into English yields this:
I have a hard time dying. Obviously, I shouldn’t have lived so long. But you can feel the problem no matter how you ride it, as you can clearly see if it’s a chicken neck stew or a pork leg is frothing in an iron pan.
The first two sentences are more-or-less comparable to the first two sentences of the original excerpt. But you can see that by the third sentence, something has gone awry. In the original, the first-person narrator is suggesting that their senses are still sharp despite their age: their eyes and nose can differentiate between two similar types of food simmering over a fire. In the translation, the metaphorical language has been misinterpreted in such a way that the narrator appears to be suggesting something quite different: that a chicken neck stew and a frothing pork leg are somehow “problems” in need of solving. The resulting sentence is virtually nonsensical.
The above isn’t an isolated case. The opening lines of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel The Great Gatsby provides another good example of the phenomenon described above:
In my younger and more vulnerable years my father gave me some advice that I’ve been turning over in my mind ever since. Whenever you feel like criticizing anyone, he told me, just remember that all the people in this world haven’t had the advantages that you’ve had.
Running this second chunk of text through a translator into French and then Japanese and then back into English yields this:
The grammar doesn’t go wrong until the second sentence here (“remember that he told me”), but the sense is certainly different. “Perks” and “advantages” are actually quite different concepts. Not to mention “remember that he told me” simply does not make sense.
To date, no algorithm is as effective as real human beings at reading a piece of writing and finding places where the language needs to be adjusted for correctness or clarity. It’s normal to have difficulty spotting errors in your own writing because you get used to looking at your work, eventually seeing past any mistakes and perceiving only what you meant to write. It’s a type of tunnel vision. That’s why even professional academic writers who submit an article or book chapter for publication will regularly get a set of corrections sent to them by a copy-editor whose job it is to catch and suggest fixes for errors and inconsistencies. Even so, an eagle-eyed reader will sometimes spot a spelling or punctuation mistake that made it into print!
While you will never learn to improve your own writing if you let others fix mistakes for you—that is, if you have someone edit your writing—it’s a great idea to ask a classmate, roommate, family member, or writing centre staff to help you find places in your text that seem like errors or just not-the-best-way-of-expressing-an-idea. You are then completely responsible for figuring out what’s wrong (if there really is something wrong!) and coming up with a good solution. The best way to make sure you’re not getting the wrong kind of help is to ensure that no one else actually writes or types into your writing assignment. Writing Centre staff, course instructors, and teaching assistants have experience and training that makes them especially good at identifying examples of one type of error, explaining why it’s a problem, and demonstrating how you might address that problem.
Sometimes trying to edit your own work can be intimidating. Where should you start? We’ve provided a few tips to get you started. We can’t stress enough how important it is to read through your own work slowly and carefully. Sentence by sentence, go through your work and see if you can find any errors. Whether you spend hours or fifteen minutes before your assignment is due, you may save yourself not just precious marks but you may just build credibility as well. You might be wondering how you should go about editing your own work. We definitely have some ways you can approach this task:
Some people like to print out a hard copy of a written text and mark errors by hand with a pen or pencil. If you’re looking for sentence-level problems, it can be very effective to read an essay draft out of order—from the last sentence to the first sentence or from a middle paragraph to the first paragraph—to stay focused on mechanics rather than getting caught up in ideas.
Other people find it helpful to read their work aloud to themselves or to have their computers read the text aloud—it can be easier to hear when something is “wrong” than to see it on the page.
Still others read a text several times looking for a different type of grammar or punctuation issue each time, starting with basic mechanics like whether every sentence starts with a capital letter and ends with a period and moving up to sentence-level concerns.
Experiment with different strategies, and eventually you will find you have the ability to write with style while staying in control and making choices about correctness.


If you’ve not ridden an electric bicycle yet, chances are you know someone who has. Or maybe someone rode past you on one and you thought it was a conventional bike. Changes in permitted power output means you’ll likely be seeing more, and better, electric bikes coming your way (or riding past you).
If you’ve been lured by an electric bike, my colleagues and I would like to hear from you, as I’ll discuss a little later. But first, for the uninitiated, let’s start with the basics: what is an electric bike?
An electric bike has motorised assistance that allows the cyclist to ride further with less effort. Think of it as having a reliable tailwind to help you on your way up hills.
The distinct difference is how the motorised assistance works: pedal assist or handlebar throttle. Confusion arises because both pedal assist and handlebar throttle are often referred to as electric bikes, or e-bikes for short.
Pedal-assist or pedelec bikes require the rider to pedal to gain the advantage of the electric model. Put simply, for a pedal-assist bike, no pedalling equals no power.
In contrast, an e-bike with a handlebar throttle, a simple flick of the switch or twist of the handlebar will propel the bike forward – without pedalling.
Electric bike manufacturers and retailers have been building and importing powered bicycles in Australia for more than two decades but a change is in the wind thanks to new government regulations.
A change of gear
In May, the Australian government amended the Australian Design Rules to adopt the European rule (EN 15194:2009), and this changed some of the rules around electric bikes. The biggest change was the increase to their permitted power output from 200 to 250 watts.
Motorised assistance will cut out at 25km/h. You can go faster than 25km/h, but you need to be pedalling – the battery will not provide any extra push.
While some countries, and some states of the US, allow electric bikes of up to 1,000 watts, any bicycle powered by an auxiliary motor that exceeds 250 watts in Australia will be classified a motorbike and must be registered and ridden by a licenced rider.
In addition to further clarifying the definitions of electric bikes, the government’s changes to permitted power outputs have brought Australia inline internationally.
While 50 watts more may not seem a big increase, it’s potentially a game-changer for electric bikes.
For riders, it means going up hills will be a little easier, with extra torque, although the top speed will still cut out at 25km/h and the distance you can ride with electric motor assistance will be about the same.
The real improvement is the variety of electric bikes that can now be sold in Australia.
Out with the old
Internationally, 250 watts is a common standard power output; subsequently, many electric bikes being designed and manufactured globally have 250-watt motors.
As a result, the electric bikes available in Australia until now have been a mixed bag. At one end, small businesses that specialise in custom-built electric bikes offered a quality product that has improved with each new generation of bike, better battery technology and advancements in design.
But the market has been flooded with cheap electric bikes, sold over the internet or imported in containers and sold from warehouses in cardboard packing boxes.
While initially inexpensive for the consumer – in the region of A$1,000 – these products lack after-sales service and support. When something (inevitably) does go wrong, the consumer is left with a very heavy bike.
In with the new
The amended Australian Design Rules mean sophisticated new electric bike designs with the latest technology are legally available, and what was once a boutique industry with a discrete custom market share is about to go mainstream.
Quality electric bikes with excellent after-sales service and support range from A$2,000-A$3,000. More expensive than a standard pushbike, electric bikes are significantly cheaper than many high-end bicycles, which range from A$5,000-A$10,000 and beyond.
Electric bikes are already mainstream in one Australian company – Australia Post. While some companies are replacing one fleet vehicle with e-bikes for short trips made by staff, Australia Post is the poster child for electric bikes with more than 1,000 electric bikes in their fleet.
Australia Post has worked with bicycle designers and manufacturers to improve the design of the bicycle to maximise the safety and efficiency for posties en route – and this has impacted the geometry of the bikes and their luggage capacity.
Each generation of battery also further improves the distance the e-bikes can travel on a single charge.
Get in touch
Our study at the Institute of Transport Studies at Monash University is investigating what influenced people to buy an electric bike and what their experiences have been using them.
Our findings will assist to develop future policies aimed at increasing the safety and sustainability of the transport system, including electric bikes.
Whether the electric bike provides a stepping stone from the car to a pedal bike remains to be seen. But the individual benefits that can be gained by reducing people’s reliance on cars and increasing their physical activity will also help reduce congestion and vehicle exhaust pollution on our roads.
While some bicycle models are clearly electric bikes with a battery pack plain to see, many of the models are not visibly electric and are difficult to differentiate for other road users.
As with all cycling activity, the question of safety also impacts electric bike riders and feeds into the issue of adequate and connected bicycle facilities on and off roads, as well as behavioural issues with other road users.
So you ride an electric bike, or know someone who does? Do let us know and, of course, safe riding!
You can participate in this study online.


A doctoral degree usually is required for independent practice as a psychologist, and a master’s or specialist degree is required to work as a school psychologist. A bachelor's degree in psychology, however, can open the door to assisting psychologists and other professionals in community mental health centers, vocational rehabilitation offices, and correctional programs.
Bachelor's degree holders may also work as administrative assistants for psychologists. A graduate with a bachelor’s degree in psychology may also find employment in fields such as sales, service, or business management.
Bachelor's Degrees in Psychology
Bachelor's degree programs in psychology typically begin with current theory, as well as the historical contributions theorists such as Freud, Adler, Jung, and many others. Some more specific subjects of study include self-analysis, dream theory, free association, and transference theory. There is also a strong focus on correct medical procedure and the importance of the adherence to a strong code of ethics. Social and political influences on the field of psychology are also discussed.
The following courses are commonly included in bachelor's degree programs:
- Introduction to Psychology
- Psychology Statistics
- Conditional Learning
- Physiological Psychology
- Abnormal Psychology
Undergraduate elective courses may include:
- Sensation and Perception
- Motivation, Health Psychology
- Psychology of Stress
- Approach to Human Communication
What Can You Do With a College Degree in Psychology?
Psychologists provide mental health care in many different facilities, such as hospitals, clinics, schools, or private settings. Psychologists use techniques such as interviewing and testing to help people deal with problems on a daily basis.
The academic and private segments of the field offer the most opportunity for those who wish to pursue a career in psychology. Many graduates of advanced psychology degree programs choose to pursue a career in academics, teaching future psychologists and extending their own education through research and collaboration with students and colleagues. Those who choose an academic setting are able to draw on their educational backgrounds each day. University psychologists usually have to fulfill teaching, administrative, and research responsibilities. Some psychologists employed in academia also maintain a part-time consulting practice.
Psychologists who choose to go into private practice have a direct impact on their patients' daily lives. The relationship between the psychologist and the patient is highly personal. The psychologist must uphold the doctor-patient contract of confidentiality. Psychology students are taught about the importance of communication and trust. Those in private practice must learn how to separate their professional lives from their personal lives and ensure that they don't "bring their work home." Separation and compartmentalization techniques are vital to the success of professionals in the mental health field.
Mysteries Of The Brainy Kind: Are brains of females and males different? At a major conference in Japan a young female brain researcher faces a challenge ... fiction : fiction meets science. Book 6)
You might also like:


With a vision and the collaboration of many volunteer hours, our school Library has expanded beyond just a place to access books to a multimedia learning space designed to accommodate all our students’ needs and address multiple learning styles and levels in a single location. Learning Commons provides our students with differentiated resources, equipment, and modular furnishings to foster the essential skills of critical thinking, communication, collaboration, and creativity.
All grades have access to Learning Commons to increase their technology skills and be engaged in the learning process. Like our Technology Lab, Learning Commons empowers students to share and participate in the instructional process. Comfortable, flexible furniture encourages cooperative learning and allows students to customize the area to suit their needs for both individual and group study. Students also have access to a multitude of wireless devices, books, and an interactive whiteboard.
In addition to using Learning Commons with their teachers, our students also visit the library once per week. Students may request to borrow a book from the library. A book must be signed out by the teachers and returned in the same condition it was in. Reimbursement must be made for lost or damaged books. Our library collection of books, chosen for their educational, recreational, or spiritual value, is constantly updated and expanded.


Fedor Aleksandrovich Golubinskii
Golubinskii, Fedor Aleksandrovich
Born Dec. 22. 1797 (Jan. 2, 1798), in Kostroma: died there Aug. 22 (Sept. 3). 1854. Russian idealist philosopher.
Golubinskii received his master’s degree from the Moscow Divinity School in 1818 and was professor ordinarius at the school from 1842. Criticizing Hegel’s idea of the mutability of the absolute. Golubinskii endeavored to build his own philosophical system, upon which Orthodoxy could be based. The central concept of his philosophy was the idea of eternity—an idea existing only in the mind and attesting to the presence of a creator. Golubinskii considered the philosophy of Plato to be the one closest to the truth.
WORKS“O konechnykh prichinakh” (Letter I). In Pribavleniia k izdaniiu Tvorenii sviatykh ottsov, part 5. Moscow, 1847.
Lektsiifilosofii, parts 1–4. Moscow, 1884–86.


||"Witch craze" (also known as "witch-hunts") in this thesis connotes the witch craze and witch-hunts that raged throughout Europe from the 16th to 18th century and New England in the 17th century, as well as the much later feminist craze for the female subject through research into that period of witch-hunting, often centering upon the misery of the hunted woman victims, brutality of male hunters, and, most important of all, patriarchal injustice to women.
As “witch-hunt” has already been generalized into a label that could be easily applied to any (self-proclaimed?) oppressed group, especially to women as a group, the present thesis would like to examine the formation of this witch-hunt discourse and re-consider the terms being constructed. This thesis also hopes to present the diversity among the different subjects who had come to share the same label of the “witch,” and to find different definitions for the witches and witch-related subjects under study by so-called “gender-blind” male researchers. Such a survey of witch-hunt researches as well as historical documents may provide us with a better understanding not only of the witch as one of the most mysterious historical subjects, but also of the various roles women have played and are still playing in witch-hunts and other similar historical events.


A country, one of the sixteen Mahājanapadas (D.ii.200; A.i.213 etc.). Frequent references to it are found in the Pāli Canon. It is said that Kuru was originally the name of the chieftains (rājakumārā) of the country and that their territory was later named after them. Buddhaghosa records a tradition (DA.ii.481f; MA.i.184 etc.) which states that, when Mandhātā returned to Jambudīpa from his sojourn in the four Mahādīpas and in the devalokas, there were in his retinue a large number of the people of Uttarakuru. They settled down in Jambudīpa, and their settlement was known as Kururattha. It had many towns and villages.
The country seems to have had very little political influence in the Buddha's time, though, in the past, Pañcāla, Kuru and Kekaka were evidently three of the most powerful kingdoms (See, e.g., J.ii.214). According to the Jātakas (E.g., J.v.57, 484; vi.255. Also Mtu.i.34; ii.419), the kingdom of Kuru was three hundred leagues in extent and its capital, Indapatta, seven leagues in circumference. The ruling dynasty at Indapatta belonged to the Yudhitthila-gotta (J.iii.400; iv.361).
Among the kings of the past, Dhanañjaya Koravya is mentioned several times (J.ii.366; iii.400; iv.450; vi.260 etc.) and reference is also made to a king called Koravya (J.iv.361; v.457) whose son was the Bodhisatta Sutasoma. During the Buddha's time, also, the chieftain of Kuru was called Koravya, and his discussion with the Elder Ratthapāla, who was himself the scion of a noble family of the Kurus, is recounted in the Ratthapāla Sutta (M.ii.65ff). Perhaps at one time the Kuru kingdom extended as far as Uttarapañcāla, for in the Somanassa Jātaka (J.iv.444), Uttarapañcāla is mentioned as a town in the Kururattha, with Renu as its king.
Koravya had a park called Migācīra where Ratthapāla took up his residence when he visited his parents (MA.ii.725).
The people of Kuru had a reputation for deep wisdom and good health, and this reputation is mentioned (MA.i.184f; AA.ii.820; they were also probably reputed to be virtuous; see the Kurudhamma Jātaka) as the reason for the Buddha having delivered some of his most profound discourses to the Kurus, for example, the Mahānidāna, and the Mahāsatipatthāna Suttas. Among other discourses delivered in the Kuru country are the Māgandiya Sutta, the Anañjasappāya Sutta, the Sammosa Sutta and the Ariyavasā Sutta. All these were preached at Kammāssadhamma, which is described as a nigama of the Kurūs, where the Buddha resided from time to time.
Another town of the Kurūs, which we find mentioned, is Thullakotthika, the birthplace of Ratthapāla, and here the Buddha stayed during a tour (M.ii.54; ThagA.ii.30). Udena's queen, Māgandiyā, came from Kuru (DhA.i.199), and Aggidatta, chaplain to the Kosala king, lived on the boundary between Kuru and Ariga and Magadha, honoured by the inhabitants of all three kingdoms (DhA.iii.242).
The Kuru country is generally identified as the district around Thānesar, with its capital Indapatta, near the modern Delhi (CAGI.379f).
See also Uttarakuru.


Kindergarten: Learning and Working Now and Long Ago
Kindergarten students studying the life, work, and philosophy of César E.
Chávez will learn that being a good citizen involves acting in certain ways,
and that the personal qualities that Chávez possessed reflect good civic behavior.
They will also have the opportunity to learn about the work that people must do to
grow food, to harvest the crops, and to transport the food to locations for people
to buy. Kindergarten students will learn about César E. Chávez,
the man for which California named a holiday.
Kindergarten: History-Social Science Framework
Students in kindergarten begin their formal education by learning to understand the
character traits that are necessary for good civic behavior. They will listen to
stories of times past and about men and women who have made a difference. They will
learn how it might have been to live in other times and places and how their lives
would have been different. They will observe different ways people lived in earlier
days; for example, getting water from a well or growing their food. (Pp. 27-29)
Kindergarten: History-Social Science Standards
Standard K.1 Students understand that being a good citizen involves acting in
K.1.2 Learn examples of honesty, courage, determination, individual
responsibility, and patriotism in American and world history from stories and folklore.
Standard K.3 Students match simple descriptions of work that people do and the
names of related jobs at school, in the community, and from historical accounts.
Standard K.6 Students understand that history relates to events, people, and
places of other times.
K.6.1 Identify the purpose of, and the people and events honored in,
commemorative holidays, including the human struggles that were the basis for
the events (e.g., Thanksgiving, Independence Day, Washington’s and
Lincoln’s Birthdays, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Labor Day, Columbus Day,
K.6.3 Understand how people lived in earlier times and how their lives
would be different today (e.g., water from a well, growing food, making clothing,
having fun, forming organizations, living by rules and laws).
César E. Chávez: An American Hero
- Students will be able to identify a photograph or
portrait of César E. Chávez
and orally state one reason why he is an American hero.
César E. Chávez and His Family
- Students will be able to state what César E. Chávez learned from his
mother, father and grandmother.
César E. Chávez and the Community
- Students will be able to describe and model good citizenship.
Students will be able to state why César E. Chávez was a good citizen.
César E. Chávez Making Change
- Students will be able to explain how César E. Chávez helped farm workers.
Students will be able to explain how the life of a farm worker changed
because of Chávez’s work.
Students will be able to show how nonviolent action can lead to a peaceful resolution.
The Memory of César E. Chávez
- Students will plan and complete a service learning project.
Grade One: A Child’s Place in Time and Space
Students studying the life, work, and philosophy of César E. Chávez in
grade one will learn how he worked to resolve problems peaceably. By examining the
life of Chávez, they will understand how his cultural experiences influenced
his politics, family life, education, philosophy, recreational activities, and his
Grade One: History-Social Science Framework (Revised 2000)
Students in grade one will learn more about the world they live in and their responsibility
to other people. They will be ready to develop a deeper understanding of cultural
diversity and to appreciate the many people from various backgrounds. They will gain
a beginning understanding of economics and how goods and services are exchanged for
money. They will be ready to examine their neighborhood's many geographic and economic
connections to the larger world. Students will hear stories to discover the many ways
in which people, families, and cultural groups are alike as well as those ways in which
they differ. (Pp. 32-34)
Grade One: History-Social Science Standards
Standard 1.2 Students compare and contrast the absolute and relative locations of
places and people, and describe the physical and/or human characteristics of places.
1.2.4 Describe how location, weather, and physical environment affect
the way people live, including the effects on their food, clothing, shelter,
transportation, and recreation.
Standard 1.4 Students compare and contrast everyday life in different times and
places around the world and recognize that some aspects of people, places, and
things change over time while others stay the same.
1.4.3 Recognize similarities and differences of earlier generations
in such areas as work (inside and outside the home), dress, manners, stories,
games, festivals, drawing from biographies, oral histories, and folklore.
Standard 1.5 Students describe the human characteristics of familiar places and
the varied backgrounds of American citizens and residents in those places.
1.5.2 Understand the ways in which Native Americans and immigrants
have helped define Californian and American culture.
Standard 1.6 Students understand basic economic concepts and the role of
individual choice in a free-market economy.
1.6.2 Identify the specialized work that people do to manufacture,
transport, and market goods and services, and the contributions of those who
work in the home.
- Lesson 1
- Students will be able to explain how a nonviolent action can cause change in the
cycle of a free-market economy. Students will be able to create imagery that conveys
a nonviolent message of change.
- Lesson 2
Chávez Time Line
- Students will be able to put a time line in order. They will identify factors
of change and similarities and differences between the life of Chávez.
Students will be able to understand how Chávez changed the world he lived in.
- Lesson 3
- Students will be able to see how a cultural song can invoke visions and emotions.
Students will be able to identify reasons that Chávez would play this song at meetings.
- Lesson 4
Farm Worker Inspired Poetry
- Students will be able to recognize the role farm workers play in the marketing of goods.
Students will be able to use words to invoke the feelings of this individual group of people.
- Lesson 5
Similarities and Differences
- Students will be able to identify the similarities and differences in the life of Chávez.
Students and teacher pick out similarities and differences to create a list.
- Lesson 6
Violence Versus Nonviolence
- Students will see how violence does not reach a given goal and how nonviolence
and unity does. Students are able to explain why to choose nonviolence over violence.
Grade Two: People Who Make a Difference
Students studying César E. Chávez will learn about his role in
improving the lives of farm workers. They will learn about Chávez as a
family man, as a husband, as a father and grandfather. They will learn about
the role that religion played in Chávez’s life. They will learn
about his role as an organizer, a labor leader, and as an environmentalist.
Most importantly, they will learn about him as a civil rights leader and as
an advocate for social justice and nonviolence.
Grade Two: History-Social Science Framework
Students in grade two will learn about people who made a difference in the past.
They will learn about those who supply the goods and services that are necessary
for daily life. Their studies will emphasize those who supply food: people who
grow and harvest food, vegetable farms, fruit orchards, and the processors and
distributors who move food from farm to market. Students will also learn to
use maps that extend to regions beyond their neighborhood to the farmlands and
to the places where people work to produce their food. They will also learn to
explore geographic questions such as: How does climate affect the crops that a
farmer can grow? Why are some areas more fertile than others are? Why is water
such an important resource for farmers?
They will also understand and appreciate the many ways that parents, grandparents,
and ancestors have made a difference. This will help them develop a beginning
sense of history. Teachers will ask students: Where did the family come from?
What was it like to live there? Who was in the family then? Do photos or
letters from that time still exist? Reading literature helps children acquire
deeper insights into the cultures from which families came; the stories, games,
and festivals parents or grandparents might have enjoyed as children; the work
that children as well as their families were expected to perform; their religious
practices; and the dress, manners, and morals expected of family members at that time.
Comparisons will be drawn with children’s lives today to discover how many of these
family traditions, practices, and values have carried forward to the present and
what kinds of changes have occurred.
They will also learn about those extraordinary men and women who have made a
difference in our national life and in the larger world community. Children
will meet those men and women whose contributions can be appreciated by seven-year-olds
and whose achievements have directly or indirectly touched their lives or the
lives of others. They will learn about leaders from all walks of life who have
helped to solve community problems, worked for better schools, or improved
living conditions and the lifelong opportunities for workers, families, women,
and children. They will learn about those who have been honored locally for
the special courage, responsibility, and concern they have displayed in
contributing to the safety, welfare, and happiness of others. (Pp. 38-41)
Grade Two History-Social Science Standards
Standard 2.2 Students demonstrate map skills by describing the absolute and
relative locations of people, places, and environments.
2.2.4 Compare and contrast basic land use in urban, suburban, and
rural environments in California.
Standard 2.4 Students understand basic economic concepts and their individual
roles in the economy and demonstrate basic economic reasoning skills.
2.4.1 Describe food production and consumption long ago and today,
including the roles of farmers, processors, distributors, weather, and land
and water resources.
2.4.3 Understand how limits on resources affect production and
consumption (what to produce and what to consume).
Standard 2.5 Students understand the importance of individual action and
character and explain how heroes from long ago and the recent past have made
a difference in others' lives (e.g., from biographies of Abraham Lincoln,
Louis Pasteur, Sitting Bull, George Washington Carver, Marie Curie, Albert Einstein,
Golda Meir, Jackie Robinson, Sally Ride).
The Food We Eat
- Students will be able to name the major crops grown in California’s
Students will list where the products of the central valley are exported.
Students will trace one of California’s major crops from the farm
- Students will be able to state why farm workers are an
important part of the farm economy.
Students will be able to explain the crop cycle in California
and why farm workers are migrant workers.
Students will state that César E. Chávez was an important
migrant farm worker.
- Students will explain the reasons that farmers need to use pesticides.
Students will list the dangers of using pesticides.
Students will understand that limits on resources affect production and consumption.
Students will understand that the general public does not
want to eat products that are harmful.
The Importance of Farm Owners and Farm Workers
- Students will be able to state why farm owners are an important part of the farm economy.
Students will be able to state why farm workers are an
important part of the farm economy. Students will state why César E.
Chávez became interested in improving the lives of farm workers.
Grade Three: Continuity and Change
Students in grade three studying César E. Chávez will learn about his
relationship with immigrants. Students will learn about Chávez’s
work with Fred Ross, as well as his work in his own local community. They will
learn about Chávez’s work as a civil rights leader and the
connection between his ideas and his actions and behavior. Students will learn
how César E. Chávez was taught to organize people to solve their
problems and to fight for justice.
Grade Three: History-Social Science Framework
Students in grade three will continue their study of community by examining continuity
and change. They will differentiate between major landforms and landscapes.
They will consider the impact of new groups of people on those that came before.
They will use historical photographs to observe the changes in the ways families
lived and worked. They will have opportunities to role-play being an immigrant
today and long ago; discover how newcomers, including children have earned their
living, now and long ago; and analyze why such occupations have changed over time.
They will compare the past to changes underway today. (How do people today earn a
living? How are people working to protect their region’s natural resources?
How do people in this community work to influence public policy and participate
in resolving local issues that are important to children and their families?)
Children will listen to biographies of the nation’s heroes and of those who
took the risk of new and controversial ideas and opened new opportunities for many.
These stories will help children to understand today’s great movement of immigrants
into California as part of the continuing history of their nation. (Pp. 44-47)
Grade Three: History-Social Science Standards
Standard 3.1 Students describe the physical and human geography and use maps,
tables, graphs, photographs, and charts to organize information about people,
places, and environments in a spatial context.
3.1.1 Identify geographical features in their local region (e.g.,
deserts, mountains, valleys, hills, coastal areas, oceans, lakes).
3.1.2 Trace the ways in which people have used the resources of the
local region and modified the physical environment (e.g., a dam constructed
upstream changed a river or coastline).
Standard 3.4 Students understand the role of rules and laws in our daily lives
and the basic structure of the U.S. Government.
3.4.2 Discuss the importance of public virtue and the role of citizens,
including how to participate in a classroom, in the community, and in civic life.
3.4.6 Describe the lives of American heroes who took risks to secure our
freedoms (e.g., Anne Hutchinson, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln,
Frederick Douglas, Harriet Tubman, Martin Luther King, Jr.).
Standard 3.5 Students demonstrate basic economic reasoning skills and an
understanding of the economy of the local region.
3.5.1 Describe the ways in which local procedures have used and are
using natural resources, human resources, and capital resources to produce goods
and services in the past and the present.
- Lesson 1
We Depend on the Land: Agriculture in California
- Students will be able to color and label a map of California by geographic region.
Students will be able to identify the agricultural regions of California
and describe why they are conducive to farming.
Students will be able to graph data of California’s major crops
and write/say fact statements about the state's agriculture.
Students will write/say sentences comparing and contrasting agriculture
now and in California’s past.
- Lesson 2
César E. Chávez: An American Hero
- Students will be able to create and interpret a time line of César’s life.
Students will be able to state and analyze several causes and effects of
César’s actions to help migrant farm workers.
Students will be able to compare and contrast conditions of migrant workers now
and in the past.
- Lesson 3
Understanding a Democratic Society
- Students will be able to state examples of local laws and explain why they exist.
Students will be able to describe who makes the laws in a democratic society.
Students will be able to distinguish between the roles of local, state and federal government.
- Lesson 4
César E. Chávez: An Instrument of Change in a Democracy
- Students will be able to describe a day in the life of a migrant farm worker in the 1960s.
Students will be able to summarize why Chávez was an important person in American history.
Students will be able to state the nonviolent methods used by Chávez and explain their effects.
Students will be able to develop an action plan to solve a community problem.
- Lesson 5
Agriculture and the Economy
- The students will be able to demonstrate an understanding of the impact that
farm workers have on the economy of the state and the country.


CDC Offers New Stats On Disability Prevalence
More than 1 in 7 American children have a mental, behavioral or developmental disorder, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, but prevalence is far from steady across the country.
At the high end, 21.5 percent of kids in Arkansas and Kentucky have one of the conditions. By contrast, California logs the lowest rate in the nation at 10.6 percent.
The findings published this month in the CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report rely on statistics collected as part of the 2011-2012 National Survey of Children’s Health on more than 35,000 kids ages 2 to 8.
Advertisement - Continue Reading Below
Parents were asked if they had every been told by a doctor or health care provider that their child had attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, depression, anxiety problems, behavioral problems such as oppositional defiant disorder or conduct disorder, Tourette syndrome, autism spectrum disorder, learning disability, intellectual disability, developmental delay, or speech or other language problems.
Factors including poor parent mental health, difficulty living on the family’s income, child care issues and the lack of a medical home were all strongly associated with increased risk for developmental problems, the report found.
Officials with the CDC say the findings have important implications for public health.
“These data support the Institute of Medicine recommendation that resources directed toward improving health care and supporting families and communities are needed to prevent mental, emotional and behavioral disorders, and promote healthy development among all young children,” wrote Rebecca Bitsko of the CDC’s National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities and her colleagues.
“Such investments would require substantial collaboration across public health, pediatric and other agencies responsible for providing services to children, but could yield widespread benefits for early childhood and lifelong health.”


Art and Photo Journals
and Galleries Directory
Dedicated to the Preservation and Restoration of the Whole of Creation
Humans - Animals - Environment
"And God saw all that He had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day" (Genesis 1:31)
Wild Flowers of Sleepy Hollow Lake
- Few-leaved Hawkweed (Hieracium murorum) -
(click on the photos or links to enlarge)
(Few-leaved Hawkweed - 1) There are about fifty species of hawkweed in the United States. The few-leaved hawkweed is one of these. Some are native and others were naturalized from Europe. We were not able to find out whether the few-leaved hawkweed was native or European in origin.
(Few-leaved Hawkweed - 1a) At first glance, the few-leaved hawkweed bloom and basal rosette leaves look like those of a dandelion. The branching stem with a single composite flower at the end of each branch points to our recognizing this wildflower as a hawkweed.
(Few-leaved Hawkweed - 5) This is a close up view of the dandelion-like basal rosette leaves of the few-leaved hawkweed.
(Few-leaved Hawkweed - 2) Hawkweed are members of the Composite family, meaning that what appears to be a single flower with many petals is really a composite of many individual flowers. The saw-toothed ends of the ray flowers are a characteristic of the Hawkweed. The bloom of the few-leaved hawkweed has a very compact cyme or bloom.
(Few-leaved Hawkweed - 3) Few-leaved hawkweed, as well as the other hawkweeds, have been used in herbal medicine for the treatment of inflammations and digestive problems. Perhaps the three visiting insects are there to partake of some of its healing properties! Can you spot them? For comparison in size, the few-leaved hawkweed bloom is only about 3/4 inch across.
(Few-leaved Hawkweed - 3a) This is one of the insects (unidentified) that is visiting this few-leaved hawkweed (previous photo at 5:30). Another insect is located near the end of a ray flower at 8:00 and the third is located (partially hidden) midway between the center and the outer edge at 11:00.
(Few-leaved Hawkweed - 4) This enlarged photo of the few-leaved hawkweed gives us a "bee's eye" view of some of the ray flowers.
(Few-leaved Hawkweed - 4a) Because of its unusual and out of context characteristics, this is one of those photos you want to label, "What is it?" In reality it is the bright center of the few-leafed hawkweed: another creative wonder of the Lord our God.
| Wild Flowers of SHL | Art and Photos |
If you would like to contribute a photo and/or comment to
these series, please contact;
Frank L. Hoffman email@example.com
© 2001 - The Mary T. and Frank L. Hoffman Family Foundation. All rights reserved. May be copied only for personal use or by not for profit organizations to promote compassionate and responsible living. All copied and reprinted material must contain proper credits and web site link www.all-creatures.org .
| Home Page | Animal Issues | Archive | Art and Photos | Articles | Bible | Books | Church and Religion | Discussions | Health | Humor | Letters | Links | Poetry and Stories | Quotations | Recipes | Site Search | What's New? |
Thank you for visiting all-creatures.org.
The themes of these All Creatures Art and Photo Journals and Galleries Directory cover such subjects as - creation, earth, environment, ecology, plants, flowers, birds, trees, creature, animal, animals, fine arts, watercolor, painting, paintings, pic, pics, pictures, photos, photography, vegetation, restoration, preservation, vegetarian, vegan, cruelty free, love, joy, peace, kindness, compassion, humor, poetry, quotations, lifestyle, Bible, recipes, sermons, stories, human, animal rights, God, Jesus, Christ, Lord, Holy Spirit, Jewish, Christian, Judeo Christian, health, ethical living, meditation, wildflower, wildflowers, hawkweed, hieracium murorum (pic-b-4)


Most of the official reports about radiation have said that there have been no significant findings. There was a recent report of one high school student in Canada likes her sushi, but wanted to be safe. She convinced her father to buy her a Geiger Counter and she started testing her food.
Armed with a $600 Geiger counter bought by her dad, Delacruz studied a variety of seafoods – particularly seaweeds – as part of an award-winning science project that she will take to a national fair next month. “Some of the kelp that I found was higher than what the International Atomic Energy Agency sets as radioactive contamination, which is 1,450 counts over a 10-minute period,” she said. “Some of my samples came up as 1,700 or 1,800.” Delacruz said the samples that “lit up” the most were products from China that she bought in local grocery stores. Her results caught the attention of judges at the Peace River Regional Science Fair, who moved her project along to the Canada-Wide Science Fair in Windsor, Ont., in May.
If a high school student can find evidence of radiation over 100 cpm, which is regarded as a danger level, how hard can it be to find such problems? Maybe the officials who report no increased radiation do not want to find increased levels of radiation.
For a clear discussion of the dangers of nuclear power read this essay by Mitsuhei Murata, former Japanese Ambassador to Switzerland. In part he says:
Today mankind faces a crisis of civilization. The true cause is lack of ethics. Fundamental ethics would prohibit the abuse and exhaustion of natural resources leaving, permanently poisonous waste and enormous debt in its wake. Global ethics requires maternal culture, respecting the environment and interests of future generations.
There is a conflict now between the forces of destruction and the forces of life. The atom was split to create a powerful weapon of destruction. Although the promise was that nuclear reactors were to be safe, the reality of Mayak, Chernobyl, Three Mile Isalnd, and Fukushima has been that are not safe.
There was a report in Evacuate Fukushima about thyroid cancer in young people:
By February 2014, a whooping 75 children out of roughly 270 000 are either confirmed or suspected to have contracted the disease. Toshihide Tsuda, a professor of epidemiology at Okayama University: “The rate at which children in Fukushima Prefecture have developed thyroid cancer can be called frequent because it is several times to several tens of times higher” [Based on Japan’s cancer registration statistics from 1975-2008 which show an annual average of 5-11 people in their late teens/early 20s developed thyroid cancer for every 1 million people] “Because there is the possibility that the number of cases could increase in the future, there is a need to implement measures now.”
Seventy-five per quarter million works out to about 300 per million. Registry data shows one should predict about 10 per million. The observed rate is then 30 times normal. These findings are just three years after the event. The rate is likely to climb for years.
There was a recent report of followup of the disaster at Three Mile Island.
A professor with the University of North Carolina School of Public Health led a study of cancer cases within 10 miles of the facility from 1975-85. Dr. Steven Wing’s findings were published in the Journal of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences in November 2003.
According to his report, hundreds of local residents questioned the NRC’s position that high-level radiation exposure as a result of TMI was impossible. People who lived near TMI reported metallic taste, nausea, vomiting diarrhea, erythema, hair loss, deaths of pets and farm and wild animals and damage to plants………………………..Lung cancer and leukemia rates were two to 10 times higher downwind of the TMI reactor than upwind…………………….
The article said that the NRC has said that no one was injured at TMI. Hundreds of residents have reported illnesses consistent with radiation sickness occurring at the same time. This seems to be one more example in which the government is willing to collude with industry to lie to the people.


Eating a healthy diet is about feeling good, having more energy, improving your health and boosting your mood.
Good nutrition, physical activity and healthy body weight are essential parts of a person's general health and well-being.
Did you know that being physically active manages many health problems and improves mental health by reducing stress, depression and pain? In addition, regular exercise helps prevent metabolic syndrome, stroke, high blood pressure, arthritis and anxiety.
Maintaining physical activity through regular exercise and proper nutrition with a healthy diet can provide extraordinary benefits, including happiness, increased energy levels, improved health, and adding years to your life. Furthermore, a nutritious diet and exercise routine plays a crucial role in how you look and feel.
Developing healthy habits can seem daunting, but you will find that living a healthy life is not as difficult if you commit and stick to it. It's never too late to start building a better quality of life!
Here are some benefits of a healthy lifestyle:
If you are overweight, you can safely lose weight through a healthy diet and regular physical activity. If you do not have weight problems, physical activity and a healthy eating routine will help maintain your current weight and reduce the risk of putting on weight as you get older.
A healthier heart
Exercise and good nutrition can help reduce the risk of heart disease.
A longer and healthier life
When you practice healthy habits and exercise, you increase your chances of living longer. For example, studies show that those who only walk 30 minutes a day significantly reduced the stakes of premature death.
Millions of people around the world suffer from sleep deprivation. A healthy diet and regular exercise can positively affect your sleep habits. Note that it is not recommended to exercise or eat before bed, but proper healthy habits can help stop restless nights.
Exercise is often recommended for people suffering from anxiety or depression because physical activity can stimulate brain chemicals, such as serotonin, to produce a feeling of joy and relaxation. Eating a healthy diet with less sugar and simple carbohydrates also helps.
A stronger immune system
Your body is better prepared to deal with bacteria and stay strong when leading a healthy lifestyle and maintaining a healthy weight. Eating a diet rich in fruits and vegetables, as well as sticking to a regular exercise routine, will keep your immune system strong throughout the year.
Author: MSc in Kinesiology and Sport Science, Marijana B. from Sporty Delight
Do you need help to get started with a healthier lifestyle?
Get in touch with Marijana at Sporty Delight.


Georgia has ideal climactic and geographical conditions for filming. Most days during the year are sunny while various landscapes (mountains, glaciers, seaside, desert) can be reached from the capital in two to four hours. The country also has a unique architecture which has been influenced by both eastern and western cultures but also retains its own distinct features. There are old buildings and constructions built as far back as the 3rdor 4thcentury BC: they include fortresses, shrines, houses, cave cities and churches.
The history of film-making in Georgia dates back to 1908. Since then Georgian cinematography has enjoyed great success and established its own unique identity. There are currently many professional and experienced people in the Georgian industry who ensure that films are made to a high quality. This is evidenced by the success of several Georgian and foreign films on the international arena in recent years.


At a raucous mountain festival high in the Peruvian Andes, a brass band and booming loudspeaker herald the arrival of the most eagerly awaited spectacle.
With the wings of an angel and the horns of a devil, the tonne of life that flaps and bucks and charges into the bullring at first resembles a strange mythological beast.
Snorting and kicking up dust, the hybrid – a raging bull with a condor strapped to its back – strikes awe in a watching crowd as it thunders into the arena, then excitement as it repeatedly attempts to gore a matador. The closer the enraged beast comes to a lethal connection, the louder the cheers of "Olé!".
The spectacle is dramatic, comic and tragic at the same time. While the bull provides the sound and fury, the Andean condor on its back cuts a ridiculous and pathetic sight as it flails wildly back and forth, beating its wings to retain balance on a bucking perch.
The ritual appears designed to show the triumph of indigenous culture over colonial influence. The Andean bird rides the symbol of Spanish virility and is then released, while the bulls are often slaughtered.
But there are accidents. The giant bird – the biggest in the western hemisphere – loses feathers and risks breaking bones or being killed if its mount crashes into the wall or stumbles on its side.
Such customs might barely register overseas if they were rare and the population of Andean vultures was abundant. But the opposite is true, which has created a mounting conservation concern.
"We know there are up to 55 Yawar fiestas a year, some of which use several condors. And some condors are dying.
Undoubtedly it is a threat to a species that is at a very much reduced population level," says Rob Williams, Peru co-ordinator for the Frankfurt Zoological Society, who estimates there may be just 300-500 left in the wild in Peru. "We are on a threshold and if we push the condors much further over this threshold, it will be very difficult for them to recover."
The origins of the fiestas are obscure. Locals say they date back before the Incas. But it's impossible that bullfighting took place before 1528, when Francisco Pizarro brought the tradition from Spain. Now the events marry those colonial influences with the Andean worship of the condor – considered a messenger between earth and the heavens.
At Ihuayllo, a village of several hundred people living at an altitude of 3,100 metres (10,000ft), the festival begins with a parade of their captive condor, which is dressed up and pulled through the streets by the tips of its wings to the accompaniment of a brass band and the cheers of dancing locals.
It is a noisy, two-day affair fuelled by the fermented maize drink chicha and marked by no little blood. One bull is dispatched in the arena and then has its throat cut and hooves carved off in the middle of the crowd. Soon after, a spectator is gored after stumbling drunkenly into the bullring. Bleeding from the groin, he is driven to the village clinic. Seeing him carted off, a local shrugs and says: "It's a festival. This is normal."
The gory glory of the Yawar was made famous by the 1941 novel of the same name, subtitled Fiesta de Sangre (Festival of Blood) by José María Arguedas, an author, anthropologist and champion of Quechua culture known as the Hemingway of the Andes.
His book barely mentions the condor, but an image of the bird is almost always on the cover. Partly as a result, communities that had never used a condor in their Yawar festivals now do so with increasing frequency.
"This has changed an awful lot in the past 40 years. Many people because of their beliefs in the importance culturally of the Yawar fiesta – because of Arguedes' book – have begun to do Yawar festivals," says Williams. "Many of these towns who say it is a very important tradition have actually only been doing it for 20, 30 or 40 years."
Peru's booming economy is adding to the pressures. With GDP growing at about 6% each year, more and more rural migrants are making it rich in the cities and then returning to their home villages with enough money to sponsor a Yawar fiesta – the ultimate status symbol.
Samuel Rojas, the patron of the fiesta in Ihuayllo, works for a trading company in Lima. He is proud to put up the fee for a condor – without which festivals risk turning into a damp squib.
"I feel so lucky that this year, my year, they managed to trap a condor," he says over a glass of chicha. "If a condor isn't trapped the people can be so disappointed that sometimes they don't even go to see the bull fighting."
The bindings for the condor are sewn into the hide of the bull. Agitated by the stitches in its back, the beat of wings above its head and the matador's provocations in front of its eyes, the enraged bull storms around the ring with the condor lolling from side to side.
There are no definitive figures on the mortality rate of condors at Yawar festivals, but environmentalists estimate 10% to 20% are killed during the fights, while others break or dislocate bones and are likely to struggle to survive after their release.
While other factors – hunting, habitat loss and the modernisation of farming – have also played a role in the decline of the condor, the festivals are seen as an illegal and growing threat.
The condor – one of the world's biggest birds, with a wingspan of up to three metres – is supposed to be protected by a 2004 presidential decree. But police, judges and village leaders join the festivals, which are regulated at a local level even though they are forbidden by national laws.
The sponsor's brother, Donato Rojas, says provincial authorities grant permission for Yawar fiestas to use condors, which are usually captured by using a dead horse as bait. "But if the bird dies in the fight, it can lead to fines or imprisonment."
Not long ago, the revered bird was also seen as a pest and a threat. Some herdsmen are still happier if condors are accidentally killed. "I prefer that they die because they harm my livestock. Every year they eat six or seven calves and that hurts me," says Victor Tello, a herdsman dressed, like many festival-goers, in brightly coloured Andean garb.
Drunken revellers try to pluck feathers from the birds while they are tethered close to the bullring before their fight, but the condors' handlers push them away.
The mayor of Ihuayllo, Bruno Guillen, emphasises that the regulations are designed to protect the bird. "The condor is a symbol of our region, Apurímac, and every year we have a festival with a condor," he says. "We limit its participation in the bullring to three occasions, then it is returned to those in charge of caring for it. Afterwards it is released in a farewell ceremony, with its crown and money, by way of thanks, and it returns to its home."
The ceremony takes place the day after the fights. At Ihuayllo, handlers give the condor a parting drink of chicha, tie a scarf and money around its neck, then the brass band plays as the bird stretches its battered wings, hops on to a rock, and waits for an updraft of air. Even in the wild, the heavy vulture-like creatures cannot support their own weight without the assistance of an air current. With the added trauma of captivity and bullfights, the released bird struggles to reclaim its freedom.
With a crowd watching, the condor twice fails to lift itself in the air, flaps frantically down the slope and crashes clumsily into a thicket before being dragged back again to higher ground. By the third attempt, the watchers are anxious. The band falls silent.
The sponsor waves his arms like wings urging the condor on, knowing a dead bird is not just bad luck but could result in a fine. This time, though, the condor lifts off and soars towards the peaks, prompting a volley of fireworks and the brass band to strike up a celebratory tune.
"El Cóndor pasa!" exclaims a joyous observer, looking up at the bird banking back and forth above the village.
How much longer the condor and the Yawar can continue to grace the Andes looks likely to depend on whether the festival can undergo another evolution to add that most modern of ideas – conservation – to the blend of local traditions and foreign influences that already constitute the Yawar fiesta.
Williams and others want to work with the central and local governments to change attitudes while maintaining traditional culture. "If we can't conserve the Andean condor here, then we can't conserve it anywhere," he says.


The modern world has been overwhelmed by a surge in diseases that seemingly are manageable but may not be curable. The inability to completely cure or prevent diseases such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s or conditions such as spinal cord injuries, diabetes, severe burns and bone marrow transplants for leukemia has amplified the need for stem cells, which beam in like a ray of hope. Stem cells have two main characteristics:1. Pluripotency–the unique ability of a stem cell to divide into another stem cell and 2.Differentiation–The ability to differentiate into any kind of specialized cells in the body. Thus, stem cells, the building blocks of human life, have not only attracted the collective attention of stem cell biologists and researchers but also governments and the media, across the world.
Research being conducted by Jubina Balan at the IITB-Monash Research Academy in Mumbai focuses a few steps ahead, on somatic cells that are tuned to result in stem cells by using a viral vector (a tool routinely used by stem cell biologists to transport genetic material into cells). The cells that are produced as a result of this process are called induced pluripotent stem cells (IPSCs). Their similarities in characteristics with embryonic stem cells present exciting new possibilities in the treatment of diseases.
The two conventional sources of stem cells have been adult cells (cells derived from the body tissue of an adult person) and embryonic cells (derived from embryos). Adult stem cells are useful in cellular therapy since the patient’s own body cells are used, circumventing the problem of immune rejection. But the derivation and maintenance of adult stem cells is a herculean task. Embryonic stem cells could have been the answer to the limitations associated with adult stem cells. They, however, are weighed down by ethical controversies, limiting their use. The discovery of induced pluripotent stem cells (IPSCs) in 2006 has accelerated the progress in the area of stem cell biology. Their similarity to embryonic stem cells offers many opportunities for basic and clinical research. However, their use in therapy will develop only if their molecular and functional equivalence to embryonic stem cells is proven. The IPSC technology is a simple and efficient way of generating an adequate amount of stem cells, without raising any ethical concerns as their embryonic counterparts do.
With the IPSC technology gaining increasing prominence, a question of paramount importance is whether IPSCs are indeed exact replicas of ESCs as they are claimed it to be. Jubina Balan’s research broadly aims to understand the functional equivalence of IPSCs and ESCs since, if the functional equivalence is not established, the implications are manifold. The research also examines the differentiation mechanism of both ESCs and IPSCs by making use of small molecules that induce differentiation.
The IPSC technology has garnered a lot of attention in the recent times for being efficient, easier and an inexpensive way to generate stem cells. All the controversies and complexities that have plagued embryonic stem cell research are not relevant to IPSC research. Jubina Balan hopes that induced pluripotent stem cells would eventually be used for the treatment of several diseases, testing novel drugs, differentiating into specific cell lineages or unraveling more details during embryonic development. Research in IPSC holds promises on several fronts:
- A patient’s cells could be converted to stem cells modeling the disease which can be used not only for testing new drugs but also for an increased understanding of the molecular mechanism of that specific disease.
- Since IPSCs can be generated from patients own body cells there would be no need for patients to take immunosuppressive drugs to counteract tissue rejection.
- In addition, IPSCs will be beneficial in unraveling the exact mechanism or molecules that guide the stem cells to differentiate into specific other cells used in replacing specific damaged cells or tissues in the body.
Jubina Balan reflects on her work saying “Induced pluripotent stem cells provide hope for the treatment of several chronic diseases in addition to the repair of diseased or damaged cells or tissues in the body. If IPSCs are established that they are exactly like embryonic stem cells in every which way, then this could be the Holy Grail in regenerative medicine, paving the way for ‘personalized medicine’”
Graduate research scholars of IITB-Monash Research Academy like Jubina Balan, study for a dually-badged PhD from both IIT Bombay and Monash University, spending time at both institutions to enrich their research experience. IITB-Monash Research Academy is collaboration between India and Australia that endeavours to strengthen scientific relationships between the two countries.
Research scholar: Jubina Balan, IITB-Monash Research Academy
Project title: Generation & characterization of induced pluripotent stem cells (IPSCs) and comparison of IPSCs with embryonic stem cells.
Supervisors: Dr Dulal Panda (IITB) & Dr Paul Verma (Monash)
Contact details: email@example.com
For more information and details on this technology, email firstname.lastname@example.org
The above story was written by Ms. Sheba Sanjay based on inputs from the research student and IITB-Monash Research Academy.


There are various different types of bullying.
Below are some of them:
Someone's appearance (e.g. hair colour or style, height)
Both males and females are capable of carrying out a vicious attack such as bullying on others.
Some bullies only do it to uphold their reputation and look “hard”.
Another reason would be either sex of a bully trying to maintain their superficial superiority.
Many bullies only bully others out of jealousy and many of the people who have been bullied go on to do great things with their life, like some famous people who have been bullied.
Page last updated: 5 June, 2013