About Iguazu Falls / Iguassu Falls
Iguazu Falls (or more accurately Iguazú Falls) is the Spanish name for this mammoth waterfall.
You might also see it referred to as Iguassu Falls or Iguaçu Falls if you favor the Portugese name.
Moreover, you might also see it referred to as Yguazú Falls, which I believe is in the native Guaraní language.
In fact, the meaning of the name (originally Guaraní) is said to roughly translate to “big water.”
The photo you see above (as well as in the rest of this page) certainly attests to its grand nature.
But no matter how you spell or say its name, we have to say that it is indeed a crazy waterfall.
How crazy, you might ask?
Consider a network of 275 different waterfalls spanning an area 3km wide (2km of which is the upper rim of the waterfall) during its normal flow of around 1000 cubic meters per second.
It is such a natural wonder that UNESCO designated the falls as a World Heritage Area in 1986.
Yet as a result of its grandeur, Julie and I were so overwhelmed with the raw human emotion of excitement and wonder during our visit that even the implications of these gaudy numbers seem to be dwarfed.
Indeed, it’s one of those waterfalls that you just have to experience for yourself!
Sitting on the Iguazú River, it is shared by Argentina and Brazil as both countries are separated by the river.
Catwalks are built on both sides providing closer (often times mistier and wetter) views of the great waterfall.
Paraguay is also near the falls so this region is often referred to as the Triple Frontier.
Throughout the year, Iguazu Falls can be seen in various states depending on its waterflow as well as how the seasons can affect its surroundings.
We made an attempt to summarize our findings in a separate writeup.
Components of Iguazu Falls
From what we could tell, during normal flow, the Iguazu River consists of two main parts.
These components are the Devil’s Throat section and what I’m calling the Argentina section.
The Devil’s Throat (La Garganta del Diablo) is the narrow horseshoe part of Iguazu Falls with the largest volume of water.
This is the portion of the falls that is split between Argentina and Brazil.
It is also the most recognizable and powerful section of this world attraction.
The Argentina section is the part containing numerous segmented waterfalls as a result of islands (the largest of which is the San Martin Island, or La Isla San Martín) splitting up the river.
And as suggested by the name I made up for this part, all of these islands are on the Argentina side.
Most of these segmented waterfalls and cascades have names.
Just to give you an idea of how many named waterfalls make up this Argentina section, we’ve identified signs identifying:
- Salto San Martín
- Salto Eva
- Salto Adán
- Salto Bossetti (very impressive)
- Salto Dos Hermanas
- Salto Alvar Nuñez
- Salto Guardaparque Bernabé Mendez
- Salto Mbigua
- Salto Chico
- Salto Rivadavía
- Salto Escondido
- Salto Lanusse
I’m quite sure that there are others not even mentioned in the above list!
As far as we were concerned, what made this mega waterfall so special was that it felt like it was in Nature where it belonged.
Indeed, there was a heavy presence of trees and bush, which made it clear to us that we were in a subtropical rainforest where the Nature was more or less allowed to flourish.
We even saw some wildlife such as the banded-tailed coaties (they seemed to have become accustomed to being fed or digging for trash), birds like various species of parrot and toucans, and butterflies of many different colors.
I understand that there are even predatory cats like the Jaguar as well as the Puma and Ocelot though I’d imagine sightings of these majestic lords of the jungle would be pretty rare.
Sure the catwalks and jet boat tours (along with Brazilian helicopters) could take away from the Nature.
However, it was certainly more natural than one of the rival waterfalls like say Niagara Falls, where it could be argued that it resulted in a Frankenstein-like mix of Las Vegas and natural world wonder.
Activities at Iguazu Falls
Still with that being said, there was certainly no shortage of activities to do here besides walking the catwalks and soaking in the overlooks.
Julie and I have engaged in a couple of of these excursions (including a thrilling boat ride).
We’ve discussed our accounts of such excursions in a separate write-up, which you can read about to delve further into the details.
Speaking of catwalks, they afforded us various ways to view and experience Iguazu Falls.
Catwalks at Iguazu Falls
Argentina had most of the catwalks while Brazil’s walks mostly focused on panoramas of the Argentinean side as well as closeups of the thunderous Devil’s Throat.
We spent a good deal of time walking the main catwalk trails, which were called Paseo Superior (the upper catwalks) and Paseo Inferior (the lower catwalks).
We even caught a short train ride that took us to a catwalk to the brink of Devil’s Throat (known as El Paseo de La Garganta del Diablo).
On the last day of our visit, we had some limited time exploring the catwalks and trails on San Martin Island after taking a short boat ride.
Although we were based on the Argentina side during our three day visit, we did give ourselves enough time to spend at least a half-day visiting the Brazil side.
It was here that we got to look across the Iguazu River while also getting a closer and more frontal look at the turbulent and impressive Devil’s Throat.
Perhaps, you may have a preference on which side to spend most of your visit or to stay.
Since Julie and I have been to both sides, we’ve documented our experiences and made an evaluation of the two sides.
Indeed there is much to say about Iguazu Falls.
What we’ve managed to do here merely scratched the surface of the many ways to experience the place.
Heck, if the timing’s right, you could even do special tours of the falls by moonlight (something I wish we could’ve done)!
So check out the photos and videos below as well as the links to our other write-ups and get ready to experience our favorite waterfall in the world!
Iguazu Falls (or Iguassu Falls) resides near Puerto Iguazú in the province of Misiones on the Argentina side and near Foz do Iguaçu in the state of Paraná on the Brazil side. To my knowledge, there doesn’t appear to be an official governmental authority directly managing either side of the falls. Instead, each side seems to have delegated management responsibilities to the primary concessioners or local tourism offices on behalf of their respective countries.
So for information or inquiries about the area as well as current conditions, you can try visiting Iguazu Argentina website or Brazil side of Iguassu Falls website. I don’t think either source are sanctioned by their respective governments as authoritative sources of information, but it should get you started on any further inquiries you may have.
There are many ways of getting to Iguazu Falls.
We’ve composed a write-up of our accounts of how we managed to get to the falls as an international destination.
And at least for foreign visitors like us, we also wrote up a guide detailing the logistics of how we managed to handle some of the less glamorous aspects of enabling a visit to the falls such as Visas, money changing, etc.
As far as the accommodations were concerned, Julie and I actually stayed within the park at the Sheraton Iguazu.
That way, we didn’t have to spend as much valuable time on transport logistics on the Argentina side.
Finally, for a bit of geographical context, the closest town on the Argentina side is Puerto Iguazú (within walking distance or a short shuttle to the falls). It’s roughly a 6.5-hour flight from Buenos Aires.
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|12 December 2005
'Hobbits' may be earliest Australians
The tiny hobbit-like humans of Indonesia may have lived in Australia before they became extinct about 11,000 years ago. The startling claim comes from archaeologist Mike Morwood, leader of the team that in 2003 uncovered remains of the 1m-tall hominid at Liang Bua cave on Indonesia's Flores island.
They believe the pint-size person - known officially as Homo floresiensis and unofficially as the 'Hobbit' - was wiped out by a volcanic eruption that spared their Homo sapiens neighbours. Speaking at a public lecture in Perth, Professor Morwood from the University of New England in Armidale, NSW, raised the prospect that Hobbits colonised Australia before Aboriginal settlers arrived about 60,000 years go. He suggested that the Hobbits may have been pushed out by the bigger people, in part because their population was too small to compete. He suggested that further field work at sites in Indonesia and northern Australia could provide answers.
But one of Professor Morwood's colleagues on the discovery team was surprised by the notion of Hobbits in Australia. "It's the first I've heard about it," said Bert Roberts, a dating expert with the University of Wollongong.
"Call me a wet blanket, but I'm not sure where Mike thinks he's going to excavate." Professor Roberts said conditions during the north Australian wet season meant that small, ancient remains were unlikely to have survived.
He noted that no early human remains have been unearthed in northern Australia and said that even the remains of the giant prehistoric animals, the mega-fauna, were scarce.
"Realistically, there's one cave on the planet with the remains of this species. How about looking some place close to Liang Bua cave," Professor Roberts said. There is also the troubling question of how the Hobbits would have travelled south from their Indonesian homeland. To date, there's no hard evidence they could sail or raft.
Professor Morwood's surprising suggestion follows a recent report in the journal Nature that the team has been denied exploration permits to excavate at Liang Bua cave, although other sites are approved. "We're waiting for the dust to settle," said Professor Roberts, referring to a long-running dispute with Indonesia's senior paleoanthropologist, Teuku Jacob of Gajah Mada University in Yogyakarta. Professor Jacob, who temporarily snatched the Hobbit remains, claimed the creature was a deformed human and wished to work at the cave to prove his point.
Source: The Australian (8 December 2005)
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Perhaps this should be the biggest evolutionary step. In respect of agriculture, there is also a threat to the Indian farmers from the trading provisions of WTO. For example, the western culture is adopting traditional meditation practices of the east. People get the opportunity to exchange ideas and adopt better means of living.
These aspects of human life include social, political and economical aspects.
This allowed other countries to experience foreign music. This has increased the stress on environment, which impacts the cycles of ecology.
The first lesson, it would seem, is that short-term and long-term capital flows are two disparate phenomena with very little in common. Television and cinema are other forms of media which greatly helped English reach so far. They also donate on health programs. Considering the present trend of threat appearing out of globalisation, Indian industrial firms, who initially welcomed the multi-nationals, have now started to develop second thoughts on unrestricted entry of foreign capital.
Foreign investment and international flow of capital and trade were held high in the globalization chart. Globalisation of Indian Economy: As a result of globalisation industrialised states are getting more benefit as compared to that of less industrialised and agriculturally based states leading to a geographical skewed pattern of growth attained during this post-globalisation period.
It also leads to creation of a new world order with no national boundaries. This would result trickle-down effect to reduce the proportion of population living below the poverty line.
Globalization has led to industrialization. This paper will examine both positive and negative contributions of globalization to economic, social, political, and biotic environment in the world.
Here the apprehension of Indian farmers cannot be ignored. Forests have been cleared to pave way for agricultural activities and construction of firms and industries.
For instance, many countries of minority languages are becoming more active in self-preservation of their own mother tongue, even at the expense of rapid English development.
Thus as a result of globalisation India has taken a strategy to reach international standards in productivity and thereby competing in the global market effectively with reputation. They also want to invade the economies of developing countries by adopting the path of globalisation.
The adoption of the policy of globalisation in India has resulted initially the following mixed impacts on its economy: Primarily, some people argue that a global language such as English makes life in terms of communication considerably easier. In this collection these questions are explored by Poet Benjamin Zephaniah, writer Sindiwe Magona, and author Jung Chang amongst others.
But the volume of imports in India as percentage of GDP rose from 8. Unfortunately, things are not moving in that direction. Another characteristic of globalisation is the control of economic activities by domestic market and international market. Thus the paradox of attaining higher growth rate of GDP and lower rate of poverty reduction is mostly resulted from unequal distribution of income between the richer section and the marginalized section of the population.Globalization and the English language.
Print Reference this English has to exist as a global language which makes communication easier between different people from different backgrounds but “should it be too compulsory to an extent where it drives out the knowledge?” English Language Essay Writing Service Free Essays More English.
Essays on Globalization – also outlines the summaries of each essay. The first essay examines trade and aid policies in Mozambique. The essay analyses the impact of a number of alternative options available to Mozambique, including trade agreements, aid and trade facilitation.
The results suggest that. Globalization is a process and this process makes developments in these countries. First of all is the independence of each of developing countries.
The development in industry, economy, culture and polity gives solutions to social problems. Globalisation Of The English Language Essay Sample “Globalisation” is a term which may be defined in different ways.
According to the website bsaconcordia.com “the political and economical views describe globalisation as the process of denationalization of markets, politics and legal systems, i.e.
the rise of the so-called global economy. Impact Of Economic Globalisation On Communication English Language Essay. Print Reference this. Disclaimer: Globalisation has a great. Effects of Globalisation, as mentioned, can be seen in economy, but also in politics and culture. English Language Essay Writing Service Free Essays More English Language Essays Examples of Our.
Globalisation has influenced the evolution of the English language the most, according to Dr Maria Leedham, in this short piece based on the transcript of a phone interview. Globalisation and the English language - OpenLearn - Open University.Download


A term paper is an essay written by students for an educational subject, typically accounting for around half of a grade. Merriam Webster defines it as “an essay written on a particular subject, especially one that deals with mathematics”. It is commonly referred to as a term paper. These papers are designed to present research findings and should be written in a the most concise and clear format.
A lot of term papers are assignments that are sent to a teacher, who uses the rubric of their grading to decide the grade of the student. Students are able to edit or rewrite the term paper in order to earn extra credit. Many students are able to benefit from the option of revising their work or taking it to another class boosts their motivation to finish their assignments. Therefore, when creating a term paper, it is best to take several quiet and productive hours contemplating your topic, and coming up with an original and unique approach then writing it down.
In addition to analyzing your topic, term papers also require a thorough study. Students need to be able to comprehend academic terms, collect relevant data and analyze the data and interpret the results in a unique and interesting manner. Your term paper will not be very good if it’s not founded on original research. Therefore, spending several quiet and productive hours researching your term papers is advised.
Before beginning your research, it is important to select an outline. The outline should define the principal purpose of your paper, or a brief summary. Your outline should include information about the method you intend to use to write the essay and the steps that you took to write it, as well as the reason you decided to use a certain method, approach or format. Additionally, a literature review is a good idea. A literature review is a list of research papers that match your topic along with their corresponding titles.
Once you have an outline and a literature review in place, you can begin writing. But, prior to writing your term papers, it https://www.affordable-papers.net/ is highly recommended that you read through your previous outline and review of literature. In this way, you’ll be able to concentrate on each term paper at a faster pace. While you are working through the essay, you should also read comments on your work throughout the entire process. If you aren’t sure what you should read about you might need to refer to your outline to ensure that you are following a particular style or format.
When you write term papers that have an argument, it is highly recommended that you go through the papers that were assigned to you in order to determine which claims are the closest to yours. You should also read other papers similar to yours. It will help you understand the kinds of topics that other students have covered in their essays. This will help you understand what types of topics are typically covered in writing. As a result, it will be easier to come up with a thesis statement that is unique.
Alongside discussing your subject with other students, it is strongly recommended that you take time to research your subject. In general term papers are required to include five to eight paragraphs on a single main idea. It is suggested that you read several term papers on similar topics to the one you are writing about to ensure that you’ve done all the relevant research and written well. You’ll also be able apply the knowledge you learnt from these papers to help you write your essay.
If you take the time to look into the various topics that are included in term papers, you will be able write a more original paper. Originality is what students want and it is essential to research the topic you are writing about. Reviewing the various other papers that have been written on this topic will allow you to develop an original concept. With the advice in this article, you will be competent enough to write an essay that will impress your peers and enable you to receive high grades.


Count The Traffic (CTT) is a cheap and simple method to gather such data. It gives a good numerical picture of how library users actually use the various parts of the library. CTT reveals both the quality – or the kinds of activity – and the quantity of use. Combined with data on the number of visitors it will also indicate the average length of stay.
The study presented below is the first of its kind in the county of Troms. I am happy to report that it was initiated by a “graduate” from our three week statistical training workshop Statistics in Practice (SIP): Tanmayo Olsen, from Troms County Library. SIP itself was financed by a grant from ABM-utvikling – and directed by Jannicke Røgler from Buskerud County Library and myself.
Tours of observation
CTT is based on regular “tours of observation” through the public areas of the library, normally once an hour, during one or two weekly cycles. Data gathering and analysis can be carried out by the library’s own staff rather than by hired observers and consultants.
To carry out a CTT, you need:
- A time plan, with dates and times for all observation rounds (”sweeps”)
- A floor plan covering all the public areas of the library
- The plan should be divided into functional zones: reception area, newspaper section, children’s books, etc.
- A list of activities to be observed
- We recommend using – or adapting – the standardized CTT list (revised March 2012)
You can test out the method for yourself in a couple of hours by
- sketching a floor plan with zones
- making one copy of the list of activities for each zone
- doing a single tour of observation, noting the number of people engaged in different observable activities as you pass.
- putting the numbers in a spreadsheet
- finding the distribution of users by zone
- finding the distribution of users by activity
A model study
A full scale CTT study should cover at least one – and preferably two – full weeks. If you want reliable quantititative data, the counting days should be spread out as much as possible. The ideal sampling plan would be one day a month through one full year. A decent alternative, however, is to
- do a one week study (in a typical, routine, ordinary week)
- register the number of visits on monthly, a weekly or even a daily basis for a year
- repat the one week study a year later
The total traffic will probably vary quite a bit through the year. By counting the number of visits on a regular basis, you get data on these fluctuations. The actual usage pattern – how traffic and activities are distributed between zones – is likely to be more stable.
Comparing the first and the second CTT study will give a good idea of the actual pattern of usage and its degree of stability.
Tromsø, with about seventy thousand inhabitants, is the biggest Norwegian city north of the Polar Circle (See the entry on Tromsø in Wikipedia). The city built an impressive new central library a few years ago. In November 2011 the library carried out a one week CTT study.
Below we present the main findings. The full data set is available as a Google Docs spreadsheet at Traffic. Tromsø bibliotek. November 2011..
- PL 51/10: Student behavior in academic libraries. Systematic observation using CTT
- PL 50/10: Count The Traffic 2010. Revised presentation of the CTT method – with new data from public libraries.
- PL 47/10: Children who “live” at the library. Average visit lasts nearly an hour
- PL 30/10: Lecture notes on CTT. A brief introduction to traffic counts in libraries
- PL 29/10: New fact sheets. Traffic data – and a bit of context – from individual libraries
- PL 23/10: Responses to CTT – from participants in Finland
- Count the traffic. IFLA paper 2009
Tromsø traffic study
Usage during the day
The traffic is low in the morning, high in the middle of the day and moderate in the late afternoon. There are two pronounced “dips”, after 12 AM and after 2 PM. The dip at noon may reflect lunch.
The basic traffic data were:
- The average number of visitors: 113 persons
- The average duration of a library visit: 36 minutes
Opening hours and observation rounds
In 2011 the opening hours were:
- Monday through Thursday: 9 AM – 7 PM
- Friday: 9 AM – 5 PM
- Saturday: 11 AM – 3 PM
- Sunday: 12 AM – 4 PM
Since this is a large library, observations were carried out every other hour (rather than once an hour):
- Monday through Thursday at 10 AM, 12 AM, 2 PM, 4 PM and 6 PM
- Friday at 10 AM, 12 AM, 2 PM, and 4 PM.
- Saturday at 12 AM and 2 PM,
- Sunday at 1 PM and 3 PM
A total of 28 observation rounds were carried out, resulting in 3163 separate observations (instances of activity)
Usage during the week
When we look at the weekly pattern we must remember the differences in opening hours.
- From Monday through Thursday the library is open from 9 AM till 7 PM. Traffic (dark green) increases from Monday through Wednesday, but goes down on Thursday.
- On Fridays, the library is open from 9 AM tilL 5 PM. In order to compare like with like, we look at the number of persons present – on the average – during this period (middle green). The decline on Thursday is temporary. Friday is almost as busy as Wednesday.
- On Saturdays, the library is open from 11 AM till 3 PM. For these hours, the light green line shows the samme pattern as before: increase from Monday through Wednesday, decline on Thursday, big increase on Friday – and the same high level on Saturday.
- On Sundays, the library is open from 12 AM till 4 PM. During this part of the day, Wednesday and Friday have the highest traffic (blue line).
The average length of stay was
- about 36 minutes on Monday through Thursday
- about 30 minutes on Friday and Saturday
- about fifty minuutes on Sunday
Three main activities
Users spend about four percent of their time in contact with staff, about one percent waiting for staff (or in other queues), and about two percent on activities that are not specified in our list of activities. Half the staff contact time occurs in the class room.
The remaining 93 percent of the observations fall into three broad categories:
- standing or walking around
- sitting down – with or without media (excluding computers)
- sitting down with (active) computers
The three main activities can be carried out alone or in groups.
Clearly, individual users have a higher tendency to use computers.
The standard list of activties divides each of the main activities into two subgroups. The next diagram shows the differences between individuals and groups with respect to these six activities:
- Sits with stationary (library) PC
- Sits with portable PC (lap top)
- Sits with other media
- Sits without using media
- Browsing (walking while looking at media)
- Standing or walking without using media
We see that the relative importance of groups increases as we go
- from stationary to portable PCs
- from PC use to interacting with other media
- from interaction with media to “non-interaction”
The trends look reasonable – once we have the data at hand. But I suspect computers are becoming more social with time.
Note that the revised standard list, from March 2012, makes a distinction between individual and group contact with staff, but this has not yet been implemented.
Activities hour by hour
The pattern of activities changes somewhat during the day. The bar diagram below makes it possible to study these changes.
Notable changes during the day include:
- a dip in individual use of library PCs at noon – see ALPC
- a peak in groups using media around 2 PM – see GRMD
- a decline in collective standing or walking through the day – see GRUP
- a decline in group browsing through the day – see GRBR
- a peak in groups (just) sitting at noon, followed by a dip at 2 PM – see GRSI
- an increase in contact with staff through the day – see STAF
- an increase in queuing through the day – see QUE
Usage by area
The pie diagram reveals how much of the users’ time at the library was spent in different functional areas (zones).
About sixty percent of the users’ time was spent in the three main sitting areas:
- work places (chair + table) without library computers (light green)
- other types of seating (middle green)
- work places (chair + table) with library computers (dark green)
Nearly one quarter of the time was spent in areas designed for standing or walking:
- open space – which includes open floor space, corridors, stairs, elevators and toilet areas
- shelf areas
In Tromsø, 84% of total usage in November 2011 occurred in these five areas.
The library is big. The public has access to five floors:
- Basement (Plan U)
- Ground floor (Plan 0)
- First floor (Plan 1)
- Second floor (Plan 2)
- Third floor (Plan 3)
The distribution of zones between floors is given in the table below. In our analysis we have combined observations from similar zones on different floors. The original data makes it possible to do a floor by floor analysis as well, however.
English and Norwegian terms
- PC seats (arbeidsbord med PC)
- Work places w/o PC (arbeidsbord uten PC)
- Informal seating (sitteplasser)
- Shelves (hyller)
- Service desk (skranke)
- Walking area (gangareal)
- Stairs (trapp)
- Lift/Toilets (heis/toaletter)
- Automats – lending and return (utlån- og innleveringsautomater)
- Group room (grupperom)
- Class room (undervisningsrom)
- Local collection/Arctic (lokalhistorie/arctic)
- Gaming (TV-/dataspill)
- Fairy tale area (eventyrrom)
- Play tables (lekebord)
We have defined:
- Open space = Walking area + Stairs + Lift/Toilets
The diagrams below show the pattern of use in the five areas with most traffic:
Work places without computers
Work places have chairs with tables. Individuals use this space for
- working with ordinary media (56% of the time spent in this zone)
- using their lap tops (39%)
Groups also use this space for just talking:
- working with ordinary media (46%)
- using lap tops together (32%)
- sitting together without using media (21%)
Individuals mainly use this space
- to read (other media, 77% of the time spent)
- sitting together without using media (55%)
- working with ordinary media (34%)
Work places with computers
The dedicated PC areas are totally dominated by individual and collective use of stationary PCs
- individual use of library PCs (96% of time spent)
- group use of library PCs (93%)
The open spaces are equally dominated by people and groups standing or moving around:
- individuals who stand or walk without looking at media (98% of time spent)
- groups that stand or walk without looking at media (92%)
Shelf areas and browsing
People and groups who enter the shelf areas are, of course, mainly looking at books and other media:
- individual browsing (88% of time spent in the zone)
- group browsing (89%)
The amount of browsing beyond the shelves is very limited:
- Browsing in shelf area: 232 observations = 91% of all browsing
- Total browsing: 256 observations = 9% of all time spent at the library (excluding STAF, QUE and ETC)
It is worth noting that collective rather than individual browsing is fairly common
- Browsing in groups in shelf area: 86 observations = 37%
- Total browsing in groups: 93 observations = 36%


Perpendicula, the magnificent princess of the rectangle, is admiring her magnificent new bathroom. It's rectangular of course; 10m wide and 20m long. It still needs tiling, though, and Perpendicula has ordered tiles of pure gold to mirror the dimensions of the bathroom: they are 1m wide and 2m long.
There is a problem though: water, milk and honey pipes need to be fitted in two diagonally opposed corners of the bathroom. This means that in each of these two corners a square area of 1m×1m has to remain untiled. Can the rest of the floor area be tiled without cutting any of the 2m×1m tiles?
Think of the pricess's bathroom as a rectangular chess board consisting of 1m×1m tiles which are alternately black and white. Now remove two diagonally opposed squares. The problem is whether we can tile the remaining area by our 2m×1m tiles.
The clue lies in the colours: say that we have removed the top left and bottom right square, and assume that the top left square is black. Since the number of squares in a row is even (there are ten 1m squares) we know that the top right square is white. The number of squares in a column is also even (twenty 1m squares), so the bottom left square is black. We have therefore removed two black squares. Originally, our board had the same number of black and white squares (100 of each), so the remaining areas has two more white squares than black squares. But each of our 2m×1m tiles covers one black and one white square, so we cannot possibly cover an area with less black squares than white ones — the princess will have to cut the tiles!
This, incidentally, is quite a well-known puzzle which usually goes by the name of the mutilated chess board problem. It's of great interest to computer scientists because it's a classic example of a problem whose solution becomes simple once you've discovered a trick — in this case, the trick is to think about colours. At the moment only humans have the ability to come up with such tricks. Computers can only follow a set of mechanical instructions. The mutilated chess board problem has therefore been a focus of artificial intelligence research — is it possible to program a computer to think creatively?
Back to main puzzle page


Environmental Issues: Wildlands
All Documents in Wildlands Tagged renewable energy/clean energy
- Strip Mining for Oil in Endangered Forests
- Big oil interests are scraping away hundreds of thousands of acres in North America’s Boreal forest to produce tar sands oil, and in the process consuming large amounts of natural gas and generating three times as much global warming pollution as conventional crude oil production. Greater efficiency and renewable fuels are far better, cleaner ways to meet our energy needs. Get document in pdf.
Documents Tagged renewable energy/clean energy in All Sections
- Costa Rica: Setting the Pace for Reducing Global Warming Pollution and Phasing Out Oil
- Already a world leader in renewable energy use and tropical forest conservation, Costa Rica has declared the goal of becoming the world’s first carbon neutral country. To achieve this goal, Costa Rica must reduce its dependence on oil and increase investment in domestic renewable energy production and demand reduction strategies. Get document in pdf.
For additional policy documents, see the NRDC Document Bank.
For older publications available only in print, click here.
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- Q&A: Documentary Filmmaker Ken Burns on National Parks
- Ken Burn spoke to OnEarth about his motivation for his new documentary series on America's national parks.
- In the Canadian Boreal Forest, a Conservation Ethic at Work
- After fighting successfully for years to keep destructive logging, hydropower and mining projects out of their traditional territory, the people of Poplar River are now working to secure permanent protection for their boreal forest homeland.


When analyzing optimized code, you can:
Stop execution at the start of any function (stop in function command)
Evaluate, display, or modify arguments
Evaluate, display, or modify global, local, or static variables
Single-step from one line to another (next or step command)
When programs are compiled with optimization and debugging enabled at the same time (using the -O -g options), dbx operates in a restricted mode.
The details about which compilers emit which kind of symbolic information under what circumstances is considered an unstable interface and is likely to change from release to release.
Source line information is available, but the code for one source line might appear in several different places for an optimized program, so stepping through a program by source line results in the “current line” jumping around in the source file, depending on how the code was scheduled by the optimizer.
Tail call optimization can result in missing stack frames when the last effective operation in a function is a call to another function.
Generally, symbolic information for parameters, local variables, and global variables is available for optimized programs. Type information about structs, unions, C++ classes, and the types and names of local variables, global variables, and parameters should be available. The C++ compiler does not provide symbolic type information about local variables; the C compiler does.
Information about the location of parameters and local variables is sometimes missing for optimized code. If dbx cannot locate a value, it reports that it cannot. Sometimes the value might disappear temporarily, so try to single-step and print again. If you stop at the first instruction of an optimized function, dbx can print the values of parameters, because the values will be in ABI-conforming registers or stack locations.
The Sun Studio 12 Update 1 compilers for SPARC based systems provide the information for locating parameters and local variables. Newer versions of the GNU compilers also provide this information. The Sun Studio 12 Update 1 compilers for x86 based systems, and compilers in the Sun Studio 12 release and older Sun Studio releases do not provide this information.
You can print global variables and assign values to them, although they might have inaccurate values if the final register-to-memory store has not happened yet.
The sections Inlining of Functions and Parallelization in Chapter 8 of the Sun Studio Performance Analyzer manual contain information that might be helpful when debugging an optimized program.
For OpenMP programs, compiling with the -xopenmp=noopt option instructs the compiler not to apply any optimizations. However, the optimizer still processes the code in order to implement the OpenMP directives, so some of the problems described might occur in programs compiled with -xopenmp=noopt.
While most debugging support requires that a program be compiled with -g, dbx still provides the following level of support for code compiled without -g:
Backtrace (dbx where command)
Calling a function (but without parameter checking)
Checking global variables
Note, however, that dbx cannot display source code unless the code was compiled with the -g option. This restriction also applies to code that has had strip -x applied to it.
For full support, a shared library must also be compiled with the -g option. If you build a program with shared library modules that were not compiled with the -g option, you can still debug the program. However, full dbx support is not possible because the information was not generated for those library modules.
dbx can debug programs that have been completely stripped. These programs contain some information that can be used to debug your program, but only externally visible functions are available. Some runtime checking works on stripped programs or load objects: memory use checking works, and access checking works with code stripped with strip -x but not with code stripped with strip.


Benjamin Franklin - one of the founding fathers of America, scientist, inventor, author, musician, composer and deist.
George Whitefield - The Great Anglican Preacher, one of the founders of Methodism, major influencer of the Great Awakening, preached over 18,000 sermons, an average of 500 per year and 10 per week, could hold 20,000-30,000 people spell bound with his sermons. (No sound systems in his day).
George Whitefield was known as the man whose "voice startled England like a trumpet blast." Everyone in England and America knew of this powerful preacher. Even the deist, Ben Franklin could not stay away when Whitefield came to preach. Being the scientific minded, during a sermon, Ben walked away from Whitefield to measure and calculate how many people could hear Whitefield's voice; 30,000 people in open air.
More importantly, they struck up a relationship. Two men who have differing views about Jesus became friends. Ben published all of Whitefield's sermons. After one of Whitefield's sermons, Franklin noted the: "wonderful...change soon made in the manners of our inhabitants. From being thoughtless or indifferent about religion, it seem'd as if all the world were growing religious, so that one could not walk thro' the town in an evening without hearing psalms sung in different families of every street."(The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin)
We do not really know the full influence and outcome of this relationship whether Ben Franklin fully accepted the gift of salvation Jesus offered. But, it is very fascinating to me how important relationships are for Christians with non-Christians.
Jesus' reputation was a friend of sinners. "The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners.’"(Matthew 11:19)
How can we become more like our Savior?
How can we connect relationally and in deep conversation with our FAB 5?
Impacting the world for Jesus Christ together,


Today’s Teaser Tuesday excerpt from The Many Captivities of Esther Wheelwright features one of the more dramatic passages in the book–Esther’s clothing ceremony (or Vêture) in January 1713 at age of 16 that represented her formal admission as an Ursuline novice. The novitiate, characterized by the great scholar of French religious women in the early modern period, Diane Rapley, as a “military boot camp,” was designed to test the suitability of girls and young women for religious life. The Ursulines of Québec had a remarkably effective novitiate–16% of novices left before final profession, and there is no record whatsoever of a professed nun leaving the order after final vows.
Of course, with my enduring interest in clothing and material culture in history, the fact that this ceremony is called literally a “clothing ceremony,” I found it irresistible to write about it at some length. Even better, Abigail (Nabby) Adams Jr., our fugitive Latin scholar from last week, recorded in her travel diary a clothing ceremony she had witnessed in Paris in 1784 among the order that ran the school where Thomas Jefferson had enrolled his young daughters, Martha (Patsy) and Mary (Polly), when he was serving as the ambassador to France in the 1780s. In this ceremony, novices take the white veil, which distinguishes them from the professed nuns who in the Ursuline order wear the black veil as shown in Esther’s portrait on the cover of my book:
Much as she had been stripped and re-dressed as a Wabanaki captive, so she participated in the Catholic rituals of religious profession in which clothing was laden with symbolic and spiritual meaning. Nabby Adams describes the two novices she saw take their vows as dressed in “fine, white woolen dresses, made like a parson’s robes, loose and flowing; their veils were white . . . their hair shaved off; a white cap and veil.” Novices were dressed in white veils, to signal their special status; only when she took her final vows as a choir nun would Esther receive a black veil. As Esther removed her clothing, a new robe, wimple (loose, white fabric that covered the neck and breast), cap, and veil were brought to the grate and blessed by Father Bigot with a special prayer and sprinkled with holy water. While the cap, wimple, and robe, were for Esther to put on herself, Father Bigot continued with the blessing of the veil, with another special prayer and more holy water, before it was returned to Esther. Then the nuns sang a psalm until Esther returned in her new tunic and black robe, cap, wimple, and the candle she had been given earlier. When she appeared before the choir, the chantress began an antiphon which the other nuns joined in singing until Esther arrived once again at the grate. She was then left alone by the superior and the assistant at the grate to genuflect to the blessed sacrament and kneel again. Although the rite was much less violent than many Native ceremonies in which captives were beaten, stripped, and re-dressed, the principle was the same in
monasteries as among the Wabanaki: through her new clothing, Esther was completely transformed into a novice of the Ursuline order.
There were two elements of her costume that she was not permitted to put on herself, but rather were set aside for her superior to put on her during the Mass: the cincture, a leather strap that she would wear as a belt around her waist on top of her robe, and the veil, which along with a cap, linen band, and the wimple would cover most of her head and face, leaving visible only her eyes, nose, mouth, and chin. Upon her return, Father Bigot rose to make the sign of the cross over Esther and then turned to make the sign of the cross over the cincture and recited more prayers. The assistant handed the cincture to the mother superior, who then placed it around Esther’s waist as Father Bigot said: “When thou wast younger, thou didst gird thyself, and didst walk where thou wouldst: but when thou shalt be old, another shall gird thee. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.” Then the superior took the already-blessed veil and put in on Esther’s head while Father Bigot said, “Receive the white veil, the emblem of inward purity, that thou mayest follow the lamb without stain and mayest walk with him in white. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.” Thus with both her body and her mind symbolically enclosed within a cincture and under a veil, Esther was prepared to become the bride of Christ.
Taking a few steps back from the altar, Esther said, “I have chosen to be an abject one in the house of my Lord Jesus Christ.” Then, in the most dramatic moment of the ceremony, Esther prostrated herself on the floor of the Ursuline Chapel, making her entire body into the sign of the cross, and demonstrating complete submission. Nabby Adams describes this moment in the ceremony as “they laid down on their faces, and there was brought in, . . . a pall of black, crossed with white, which was held over them. . . . This was an affecting sight; I could not refrain from tears; everyone seemed affected around, particularly the French.” Adams went on to explain that “this ceremony lasted half an hour, while these poor girls were lying on their faces; and when they rise, it is called rising to the resurrection, after having been dead to the world.” The use of the funeral pall in fact indicated the nun’s symbolic death to the world, and her rebirth in her new conventual life.
Esther bowed and knelt again, and there followed more prayers, more holy water, and more solemn chanting and response between the new nun and her sisters. As she knelt to sing the hymn Veni Creator Spiritus, she was immediately aware of how constricting her new wardrobe was, enclosing her body and head in yards and multiple layers of stiff fabric. Muffling hearing and permitting almost no peripheral vision, the veil in particular encouraged her to turn inward, and her voice may have sounded particularly loud and solitary in the Mass. The other choir nuns continued Veni Creator Spiritus as Esther set aside her candle and then prostrated herself on the floor of the chapel in the form of a cross. After this and yet still more prayers, more calls and responses, and more holy water, Esther bowed to her superior and then to signify her entrance into the community, she in turn embraced each of the other nuns while they sang the uplifting hymn Ecce quam bonum. Then led by the cross bearer, all of the nuns including Esther departed the choir in reverse order of their entrance.
This was to be Esther’s final change of habit—at the age of sixteen, she submitted voluntarily to the discipline of her bishop, her priest, her superior, and her fellow Ursulines. Her hair was cut off shortly after the clothing ceremony. Upon taking her final vows, she would receive and wear a black veil, but otherwise her transformation was complete. The name she whispered to her superior was Marie-Joseph de l’enfant Jésus—the entire Holy Family.
Just as high-fashion gown- and mantua-makers used dolls to advertise and sell their latest creations, so Ursulines taught one another the correct garments and order of dress with wax dolls that featured exquisitely detailed miniature habits, veils, and even stockings, shoes, and undergarments. Imagine my pleasure when I discovered one of these dolls in the Ursuline museum collections, and they permitted me to use a photograph of it in my book!
Unfortunately, my editor didn’t like the crunchy and chewy informative caption I wrote, so I’ll publish a version of it here, alongside a miniature version of the doll photograph (which gets a full page in my book on p. 132–you should check it out):
According to Ursuline Museum experts, this late eighteenth-century doll was made in the Québec convent as the Ursulines had molds for wax dolls that date to that era. (The fact that this doll likely was made after the French Revolution also strongly suggests a Québec provenance, as religious institutions were in complete disarray in the 1790s.)
Used like secular wax dolls in this period, she demonstrated to novices the correct way to dress as an Ursuline. The detail in this doll’s costume is remarkable: she wears not just the visible cloak and outer gown, but underneath a wool petticoat lined with linen or cotton, and a chemise with pockets sewn into it that she could access through slashes in the petticoat. She also wears stockings tied up with purple garters and fine leather slippers.
Can’t get enough nun dressup action here? Check out this live action video–click here and then click on L’habit religieux des Ursulines de Québec. The narration is en français, bien sur–but even you monolinguals will get the point of the order of dressing.


Cardigan Welsh Corgi
Known as the Corgi with the tail, the Cardigan Welsh Corgi is the older of the two Corgi breeds. Like the Pembroke Welsh Corgi, the Cardigan is low set with moderately heavy bone and a deep chest. Originally used as a drover and farm dog, the breed is small and powerful, capable of great speed and endurance. Coat colors include red, sable, brindle, black and blue merle. White markings are common.
The Cardigan first arrived in Cardiganshire (its place of origin) with the Celts in 1200 BC. The breed became useful because the Crown-owned practically all land, and the tenant farmers were permitted to fence off only a few acres surrounding their dooryards. The rest was common land, on which the crofter was permitted to graze his cattle. Instead of herding the cattle, the Corgi would nip at their heels and drive them as far afield as desired.
The Cardigan can adapt to country life or city apartments but need some form of daily exercise. As a companion dog, they love to be with their people and are loyal, affectionate, and even-tempered. The breed's double coat requires regular brushing.
- Herding Group; AKC recognized in 1935.
- Ranging in size from 10.5 to 12.5 inches tall at the shoulder and 25 to 38 pounds.
- Cattle dog; all-purpose farm dog.
- Apartment is fine.
- Fairly active indoors.
- Daily moderate to extended exercise.
- Easy care.
- Daily light brushing.
- Seasonal shedding.


Pneumonia is swelling (inflammation) of the tissue in one or both lungs. It’s usually caused by a bacterial infection. Pneumonia is usually the result of a pneumococcal infection, caused by bacteria called streptococcus pneumoniae. Pneumonia is most commonly caused by bacteria and viruses, which are contagious. The germs that can cause pneumonia are usually breathed in. People… Read More Is pneumonia contagious?
What is Bronchitis? Bronchitis is an infection of the main airways of the lungs, known as your bronchi, causing them to become irritated or inflamed. The bronchi branch off on either side of your windpipe lead to smaller and smaller airways inside your lungs, known as bronchioles. The walls of the bronchi produce mucus to… Read More What is Bronchitis and Can Bronchitis Kill you?
A human head transplant will be a new frontier in science. Some people say it is the last frontier in medicine. It is a very sensitive and very controversial subject but if we can translate it to clinical practice, we can save a lot of lives.’ In 1970, Robert White led a… Read More Full Body Transplant or Head Transplant
Clinical Manifestations of Astrovirus Infections Astrovirus Infections is a major cause of acute diarrhea among children. Human astrovirus (HAstV), along with rotavirus and calicivirus, is recognized as a common cause of infantile acute gastroenteritis. Illness is characterized by diarrhea of short duration accompanied by vomiting, fever and, occasionally, abdominal pain and mild dehydration. Duration of Astrovirus… Read More Astrovirus Infections
Clinical Manifestations of Adenovirus Infections Adenovirus infections of the upper respiratory tract are common and, although often subclinical, can result in symptoms of the common cold, pharyngitis, tonsillitis, otitis media, and pharyngoconjunctival fever. Life threatening disseminated infection, severe pneumonia, hepatitis, meningitis, and encephalitis occur occasionally, especially among young infants and immunocompromised hosts. Apart from respiratory involvement,… Read More Adenovirus Infections
What are Ticks Experts predict that ticks and the diseases they cause will be more abundant due to warmer winter temperatures. Ticks are not insects, they are arachnids, like the spider, they have eight legs when they reach adulthood. Life begins as an egg, and then ticks develop through larval and nymphal stages before reaching… Read More Be Aware of Ticks
What is Lactose Intolerance? Lactose is usually the first things that we consume in the morning. But as we age, our bodies express less and less of the enzyme lactase that helps our bodies break down the lactose in milk and other dairy products. Around 75 percent of the global population will eventually develop lactose… Read More Lactose Intolerance
What is Prostate Gland? The Prostate Gland surrounds the urethra, which is the tube that carries urine from the bladder out through the tip of the penis. As the prostate grows larger, it may press on the urethra. This narrowing of the urethra can cause some men with prostate enlargement to have trouble with urination.… Read More Prostate Enlargement or Benign Hrostatic Hyperplasia (BPH)
Zika virus is spread to people through mosquito bites. Zika virus is a mosquito-borne flavivirus closely related to dengue virus. It was first isolated from a rhesus monkey in Zika forest, Uganda in 1947, in mosquitoes (Aedes africanus) in the same forest in 1948 and in humans in Nigeria in 1954. Zika virus is endemic… Read More Zika Virus
Cancer Update from Johns Hopkins: 1. Every person has cancer cells in the body. These cancer cells do not show up in the standard tests until they have multiplied to a few billion. When doctors tell cancer patients that there are no more cancer cells in their bodies after treatment, it just means the tests… Read More How to Avoid Cancer


Project-Based Learning or PBL is not the same thing as doing projects. There are usually projects involved in project-based learning but the emphasis is much more on the processes that students follow and use, the skills they develop and enhance, the problems they identify and solve and the people they collaborate and learn with.
Project-Based Learning challenges students to use Design Thinking processes to identify real-world problems and generate, develop, test and evaluate designed solutions.
At Makers Empire, we love to see students solving problems and making the world a better place. Plus, we think 3D design and printing provide an ideal platform to support project-based learning. So here are 12 of our favourite ideas for getting started with project-based learning initiatives, in which 3D design and printing are part of the solutions students can develop:
1. Recycle, Reduce, Reuse
Challenge: Calculate your carbon footprint and implement a plan to reduce it.
Where 3D design and printing is used: to create designed solutions such as recycling devices, measurement tools etc.
2. Imagine, Reinvent
Challenge: Support a local business or charity to become more marketable to a younger demographic.
Where 3D design and printing is used: to find new, fresh ways of providing goods and services that appeal to young people.
3. Invent, Innovate
Challenge: Invent something that has never been invented before or innovate on an existing idea in ways that haven’t been thought of before.
Where 3D design and printing is used: as a platform for generating ideas, designing, experimenting, innovating and inventing.
4. The Best of Times
Challenge: Design the best possible society by drawing upon the best ideas from societies of the past.
Where 3D design and printing is used: to collaborate and create a co-constructed, researched-based model.
5. Changing the Universe
Challenge: Visually demonstrate what would happen if one element of a scientific phenomenon was changed e.g. the Earth was smaller, gravity on Mars.
Where 3D design and printing: is used to manipulate, test, evaluate and demonstrate scientific knowledge and understanding.
6. Cross-generational innovation
Challenge: Co-create a game with an elderly person that you can both enjoy and play together successfully, e.g. team up with a resident from a retirement village or aged care facility.
Where 3D design and printing: is used as a platform for collaborating, sharing experiences and skills and strengthening relationships.
7. Tell it like it is
Challenge: Retell a story in the most engaging way possible for a specific audience.
Where 3D design and printing is used: to deliver story telling in multiple modes such as props, characters, setting, interactive designs etc.
8. Bug School
Challenge: Prove that ants, snails or beetles can learn new tricks.
Where 3D design and printing is used: to design training apparatus or tests for observing, monitoring and changing behaviors of minibeasts e.g. mazes and obstacle courses.
9. Problem Detectives
Challenge: Make a positive difference in somebody else’s life.
Where 3D design and printing is used: to create designed solutions for problems identified by individuals.
10. Make it Concrete
Challenge: Define, analyse, visualize and communicate an abstract concept such as harmony, freedom, truth or memory
Where 3D design and printing is used: as a tangible mode for exploring, questioning, expressing and consolidating abstract ideas.
11. Life on Mars
Challenge: Collaboratively plan and design a Martian colony informed by current data and scientific knowledge about Mars.
Where 3D design and printing is used: to collaborate with others and interpret data to inform designed solutions.
12. Move it
Challenge: Enable an object to be moved from one place to another with only one touch from a human hand.
Where 3D design and printing is used: to design and create a connected system based on cause and effect principles such as a Rube Goldberg machine.
Makers Empire’s Lesson Ideas are free, quick and easy ideas to get you started with 3D design and printing. We hope you enjoyed this post.
Mandi Dimitriadis, DipT. is an experienced classroom teacher who recognises the power of technology to enhance teaching and improve educational outcomes. Mandi has extensive experience with curriculum development and learning, having previously developed programs for the Australian Government’s Department of Education. She is passionate about Design Thinking and how best to prepare today’s students for the future.


Vaccines, Blood & Biologics
H5N1 Influenza Virus Vaccine, manufactured by Sanofi Pasteur, Inc. Questions and Answers
On April 17, 2007, FDA licensed the first vaccine in the United States for the prevention of H5N1 influenza, commonly referred to as avian influenza or "bird flu." This inactivated influenza virus vaccine is for use in people 18 through 64 years of age who are at increased risk of exposure to the H5N1 influenza virus subtype contained in the vaccine. This vaccine is derived from the A/Vietnam/1203/2004 influenza virus. The vaccine is manufactured by Sanofi Pasteur Inc. of Swiftwater, PA and has been purchased by the federal government for inclusion within the Nation's National Stockpile.
This vaccine could be used in the event that the H5N1 avian influenza virus develops the capability to spread efficiently from person to person, resulting in the rapid spread of disease across the globe. Vaccines are critical to help counter the spread of influenza disease during a pandemic.
- Questions about H5N1 Influenza Virus and Vaccine
- Questions about Adverse Side Effects and Who Should Not be Immunized
- For More Information
What is avian influenza?
Avian influenza - the "bird flu" - is a virus that infects birds, particularly wild birds such as ducks and geese, but can spread to domestic poultry, such as chickens and turkeys. There are numerous different strains of avian influenza; however, most do not cause illness in people. H5N1 is a strain of avian influenza, and is a concern among the scientific and medical community with regard to its potential to cause a pandemic. The H5N1 strain can infect birds, other animals and people.
What is an influenza pandemic?
An influenza pandemic is a global outbreak of disease that occurs when a new influenza virus appears in the human population, causes serious illness, and spreads easily from person to person. It can sweep across a country and around the world in a very short time. People have little immunity to the virus that causes a pandemic. Like seasonal influenza many people get every year, pandemic influenza will probably spread by infected people coughing or sneezing or by touching something with the influenza virus on it and then touching their mouth or nose. An influenza pandemic will likely cause more severe illness, even death, and affect more people than seasonal influenza.
The H5N1 strain of the avian influenza virus has caused the largest number of reported cases of severe disease and death in humans of any avian influenza viruses and is a potential candidate for starting the next pandemic.
Wherever and whenever an influenza pandemic starts, everyone around the world is at risk for getting the disease.
Has anyone in the United States been diagnosed with avian influenza?
No cases of avian influenza occurring in people have been reported in the United States or North America, but there have been cases in other parts of the world such as Asia Africa, and the Middle East. According to statistics provided by the World Health Organization, from 2003 through February 2013, there have been 620 laboratory-confirmed cases in humans, of whom, 367 died. Each additional case provides the virus an opportunity to improve its ability for human-to-human transmission and develop into a pandemic strain.
Is H5N1 avian influenza more serious than seasonal influenza?
Yes. H5N1 avian influenza has some of the standard seasonal influenza symptoms such as high fever, headache, and muscle aches, but people quickly become seriously ill and pneumonia, difficulty breathing, and multi-organ failure have been common among people who have become infected with H5N1 influenza.
How well does the vaccine manufactured by Sanofi Pasteur work?
One multi-center, randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled, dose-ranging study in healthy adults, 18 to 64 years of age, investigated the safety and immunogenicity of the vaccine. A total of 103 healthy adults received a 90 microgram dose of the vaccine by injection, followed by another 90 microgram dose, 28 days later. In addition, there were approximately another 300 healthy adults who received the vaccine at doses lower than 90 micrograms and a total of 48 who received placebo by injection.
Of the various doses tested, the study showed that the 90 microgram dose had the better immune response, meaning that at this particular dose, the vaccine induced the most antibodies in the blood against the H5N1 influenza virus strain. The 90 microgram two-dose regimen produced levels of antibodies expected to reduce the risk of getting H5N1 influenza in 45% of those who received it. Although the remaining individuals did not develop this level of antibody, current scientific information on other influenza vaccines, suggests that less than optimal antibody levels may still have the potential to help reduce disease severity and influenza-related hospitalizations, and deaths.
Why didn't the clinical trial include more people?
FDA recognizes that a limited number of people were studied in the clinical trial. The study was designed by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) as an exploratory study to look at the amount of antibodies generated in people from various doses. Because the results showed promise for providing protection against the H5N1 influenza virus and helping with national preparedness for influenza pandemic, Sanofi Pasteur submitted a Biologics License Application to FDA.
Although each 90 microgram dose required to stimulate the immune response is more than is used in Sanofi-Pasteur’s seasonal influenza vaccine, Fluzone, the manufacturing process and vaccine formulation for their H5N1 vaccine is the same as Fluzone, which has a long record of safety and effectiveness.
What are the risks associated with the vaccine?
The vaccine was generally well-tolerated by the recipients in the study, with pain and tenderness at the injection site, headache, general ill feeling, and muscle pain being the most common complaints. However, because the number of people studied was small, rare safety events may not have been identified, but given the potential risk of a pandemic, which can cause serious illness and death; its benefits outweigh its risks. In addition, Sanofi Pasteur has agreed to work with the U.S. government to gather additional information on the safety and effectiveness of the vaccine should it be used in the event of a pandemic.
How will FDA monitor the safety of a pandemic influenza vaccine if it is used
Once a pandemic influenza vaccine is distributed, the FDA and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) use the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) to look for new safety concerns (“safety signals”) which may emerge as many more individuals receive the vaccine. These adverse event safety signals are then evaluated in epidemiological studies to determine whether they are occurring more often than expected in people who receive a vaccine. FDA also examines electronic healthcare records to look for elevated rates of previously identified adverse events that could be related to a pandemic vaccine. In 1976, an elevated rate of Guillain-Barre syndrome, a neurological condition that causes muscle weakness, led to the suspension of a pandemic influenza vaccination campaign. Each year FDA monitors this condition with near real time seasonal influenza vaccine safety surveillance of healthcare data from the Centers for Medicaid & Medicare Services. This program will be adapted for pandemic vaccine monitoring, and surveillance plans for other health outcomes are currently being developed. FDA is also developing the capability to monitor Guillain Barre syndrome and other outcomes using healthcare data that can be accessed by the Post Licensure Rapid Immunization Safety Monitoring program, part of the FDA's Sentinel Initiative.
During the 2009 H1N1 pandemic, FDA and other federal agencies including the Department of Veterans Affairs, Department of Defense, and the CDC contributed to the monitoring the safety of the 2009 H1N1 influenza vaccine and would likely do so for any future pandemic vaccines that are used.
What if a pandemic is declared and the influenza virus strain of the pandemic is different than the influenza virus strain in this vaccine?
No one can predict which influenza virus subtype (strain) will cause the next pandemic. Several factors affect the effectiveness of influenza vaccines. One major factor is the degree to which circulating strains and influenza vaccine strains are similar. If the pandemic virus strain is substantially different from the H5N1 virus contained in the vaccine, it is unlikely that the existing vaccine would be effective. If the influenza pandemic strain turns out not to be a perfect match with the vaccine strain, it does not necessarily mean that the vaccine can't be used; studies have shown that influenza vaccine may provide some immunity against strains that are somewhat different. However, in the event of a pandemic, licensure of this H5N1 vaccine permits manufacture by Sanofi Pasteur of an H5N1 vaccine well “matched” to the pandemic strain as a strain change supplement – as also occurs with the yearly seasonal vaccine manufacture. It is possible that the next influenza pandemic will be caused by a strain of influenza that does not belong to the H5N1 subtype. This scenario would require development of a new vaccine.
The goal of pandemic preparedness is to develop additional vaccines and vaccination strategies that will be ready for use against various strains that have the potential to cause a pandemic.
Does the vaccine contain a preservative?
Yes, thimerosal, a mercury containing compound, is used as a preservative in the vaccine. Because the vaccine is supplied in a multi-dose vial; it is necessary to have a preservative to prevent the growth of bacteria and fungus in the event that the vaccine is accidentally contaminated with repeated puncture of a needle into the multi-dose vials.
Will the vaccine be available to anyone who wants it?
No, the manufacturer has stated that the vaccine won't be available to the public commercially, meaning it can't be obtained from a doctor's office. It has been purchased by the federal government for inclusion within the country's National Stockpile, for distribution by the Department of Health and Human Services in case it is ever needed.
Why is the vaccine for inclusion within the National Stockpile and not being made available to everyone?
The production capacity of the United States currently is not sufficient to make vaccine rapidly available for the entire population. Inclusion of this vaccine in the National Stockpile will ensure that when it is needed, those who are designated as priority recipients, will have vaccine available to them.
Even though it will be in the Stockpile, can people who may be at risk of exposure to H5N1 influenza virus, such as travelers to infected regions of the world, poultry workers, or first-responders get the vaccine?
At this time, immunization is not recommended for populations that may be at risk of exposure to H5N1 influenza virus.
Why does the approved indication not include children or elderly?
It is not uncommon for new vaccines to be tested in a healthy adult population and then once further information is gathered about benefits and risks, additional testing is done in other populations such as children and the elderly.
How is the vaccine administered?
It is administered as a two-dose regimen. One 90 microgram dose is given intramuscularly, in the upper arm, and a second 90 microgram dose is given in the same manner, 28 days later.
Is it possible to become infected with avian influenza from the H5N1 vaccine?
No. The vaccine is made from killed influenza viruses, and they cannot cause influenza infection.
Will the annual influenza vaccine protect people against pandemic influenza?
No, current annual influenza vaccines include influenza viruses to protect against A subtypes H1N1 and H3N2 and B viruses. A vaccine made from these viruses would not provide protection against a different influenza A subtype virus (such as H5N1).
It is important to continue to get vaccinated every year as this is the best way to prevent illness from the seasonal influenza virus.
Where can I get more information on avian influenza and actions that can be taken to prepare for a pandemic?
Information can be found at Flu.gov>. This website provides one-stop access to U.S. Government seasonal and pandemic influenza information and is managed by the Department of Health and Human Services.
Division of Communication and Consumer Affairs
Office of Communication, Outreach and Development
Food and Drug Administration
1401 Rockville Pike
Suite 200N/HFM-47Rockville, MD 20852-1448


Boost your children's reading, listening, and speaking skills with these Reader's Theater scripts. Includes 44 Christian poems by authors such as William Blake, Louisa May Alcott, and G.K. Chesterton that have been converted to Reader's Theater format.
If you’re looking for a fun activity that will bolster your students’ reading, listening, and speaking skills, you may want to try Reader’s Theater. With Reader’s Theater, students work together in small groups to present a play or piece of literature. It’s an opportunity for students to learn to read aloud with expression, improve comprehension, and boost reading fluency. Reader's Theater creates a purpose for reading and makes it into an enjoyable activity for children of all ages.
Reader's Theater: Christian Poetry is a delightful collection of 44 Christian poems which have been converted into easy-to-use scripts ready for homeschool group, church, or classroom productions. These scripts have been conveniently sorted into categories of two, three, four, and five or more readers. They are suitable for students working at a variety of reading levels which makes them perfect for differentiated instruction.
Reader's Theater: Christian Poetry includes a wide variety of poems on Christian topics such as prayer, angels, praise, and appreciation for God’s creation. Some of the titles you’ll find in this faith-based collection include "God is Good," "What Christ Said," "Robinson Crusoe's Hymn," and "Shepherd Boy's Song.” You’ll also find poetry written by well-known authors such as:
With Reader's Theater: Christian Poetry, your students can be reading aloud Christian poems in an entertaining way for your next class, church, or homeschool presentation.
Looking for more Reader’s Theater scripts? Check out this title:
Reader’s Theater: Classic Poetry, 2nd Edition


The early few years of a baby’s birth are demanding and risky. Babies go through an extensive transformation while transitioning their journey from the womb to the outside world. They fight against several odds like neonatal defects, labor injuries, pregnancy complications, preterm birth, low weight, and sudden death syndrome to ensure survival. Since they have lower immunity, they also give in to minor preventable infections.
Parenthood duties may seem daunting when you know these statistics. But your role as a parent is to observe your child’s needs and facilitate them accordingly. They do not have obscure and complex needs. Hygiene, nutritious food, comfort, quality rest, and a healthy environment are the few prerequisites for your baby to grow healthy. So, upgrade your awareness about pediatric health and parenting. And ensure a healthy environment so their bodies can function, adapt, and mature.
The following sections explore tips for new parents to ensure their baby’s health and well-being.
- Observe apparent behaviors and actions
You cannot generalize and cater to your baby according to any standard parenting style. Every baby has a different nature and disposition. Their actions, gestures, and behaviors also vary as per their needs and well-being. For this reason, you have to study them as they grow and satisfy their requirements. Their behaviors, actions, and gestures can help you understand cues about their health and well-being. For instance, babies with congenital conditions like cerebral palsy exhibit uncontrolled movements, unstable body balance, involuntary muscle contractions, stiff muscles, swallowing difficulties, excessive drooling, and irritable sleeping pattern. You must keep track of your baby’s behaviors and actions and observe such unusual signs.
Thorough monitoring and observation are necessary to understand if your baby needs urgent medical assistance. You can explore cerebralpalsyguide.com for better know-how and information regarding the connection between physical and behavioral changes in a baby and congenital conditions like cerebral palsy.
- Ensure proper hygiene
Babies’ encounter with the environment outside the womb is full of challenges. During the first two to three months of birth, they only rely on passives or innate immunity until their immune system starts functioning. They are vulnerable to various bacterial and viral attacks and infections. A proper hygiene protocol is essential to minimize their exposure until their system recognizes pathogens and develops antibodies. Hence, keep their surroundings thoroughly clean. Ensure regular and thorough cleaning of their clothes, nappies, and feeding supplies. Use baby-friendly products while cleaning or bathing your baby. But do not wash them regularly. Daily bath can dry their delicate skin and cause irritation or rashes. Instead, you can use a sponge bath to clean them whenever needed.
In addition, ensure others also follow the same practices when coming in contact with your baby. And do not let them touch the baby without sanitizing their hands. Keep your baby away from their exposure if they have an infectious disease. They can pass on their germs and pathogens even without touching your baby.
- Provide mother’s feed at regular periods
Since babies have a small food storage capacity, they crave feeding in several sessions and feed only a small amount each session. But new parents struggle to comprehend and follow a newborn’s eating pattern and habits. Sometimes, you cannot tell if the feed is enough for the baby’s needs. But you will get a hold of their feeding pattern in no time. Even if babies cannot talk, they are well-equipped to communicate their needs. They cry, rub their hands on their face, tilt their neck to look for feed, or suck their fingers to tell they are hungry. So, feed only when necessary and do not force them for more or less. If you interfere with their feeding pattern, they may suffer from indigestion.
And one more thing. Do not use other substitutes for a mother’s milk. Mother’s milk is crucial for the baby’s well-being. It contains essential nutrients and antibodies that other alternatives cannot suffice. Mother’s milk is also a light diet for their delicate digestive systems to process without trouble.
- Connect and sense
Newborns do not only need your feed to nurture and grow healthy. Their cravings for interaction and emotional bonding are similar to a grown-up person. So, connect and coordinate with your baby both physically and emotionally. An emotional connection is necessary for their healthy growth, even if they do not understand the language of emotions. That’s why physical touch is one of the basic protocol requirements during a baby’s birth. Doctors also advise parental touches, kisses, cuddling, and interaction to develop a strong emotional bond with your baby.
No matter how small and insignificant, these small gestures contribute to your baby’s well-being. You can sense and understand their needs and behaviors while spending time with them. And a harmonious relationship with your baby also minimizes their health issues and your visits to a pediatrician.
- Get assistance
Parenting is not easy, so don’t expect yourself to be a master when it is your first time. It’s a long journey where you learn, observe, and revise your efforts and steps countless times. Even seasoned parents also make mistakes while tending to their newborns and grown-ups. So, do not feel pressured to give your best all the time. If you don’t know or cannot manage parenthood duties, seek assistance. Learning is better than risking your baby’s health and well-being. Your parents and other relatives with kids can be a source of guidance. Since they have already walked through the same challenges, you can learn from them.
In addition, you can also connect with parenting and social support groups. They have specialized trainers, educators, and pediatrician experts to assist new parents regarding parenting basics and pediatric complications. You can connect with other parents who visit these platforms with the same concerns and challenges and learn from each other.
Patenting is not magic or rocket science. It’s similar to other responsibilities in life. As you learn how to lead an independent life, you also learn how to nurse and look after your child. So, don’t freak out if you have welcomed a newborn into your home. You can do well in parenting with practice and patience. Your child’s growth, well-being, and personality will further reflect the outcomes of your endeavors and help you tweak wherever necessary. Thus, immerse yourself in the journey and enjoy the process.


This week’s question from the Georgia Climate Project’s Roadmap has to deal with how coastal managers will have to make choices about coastal management. They will have to determine how to deal with the effects of climate change such as rising sea levels and increases in hurricane strength (although not necessarily frequency), changes in salinity from precipitation changes, and increasing ocean acidity in deciding how to manage coastal ecosystems as well as coastal communities that depend on those ecosystems for economic enterprises. You can see all the Roadmap questions at http://roadmap.georgiaclimateproject.org/.
13. What are the most ecologically sound, cost-effective, and just adaptation options to address coastal hazards due to climate change?
Why this question is important: Georgia faces increasing exposure to intensifying and compounding coastal hazards, such as extreme weather events, flooding, erosion, storm surge, and saltwater intrusion (Williams 2013). Both State and local communities need to be engaged, as some solutions may require a combination of long-term infrastructure investments, as well as local adaptations to changing conditions and risks at the land-sea interface. Local communities need data and research on the best methods to adapt to these challenges, while balancing economic development, environmental integrity, population growth, equity for citizens, and managing technical and human capacity constraints (e.g., Arkema et al. 2013). Because local governments often do not have the capacity to use raw research and scientific tools, one-on-one technical assistance will help local governments to integrate long-term adaptation methods into required planning processes in Georgia (e.g., Capital Improvement Plans, Hazards Mitigation Planning, Disaster Recovery and Redevelopment Planning).


Institution - Queen's University, Belfast
Researcher - Dr Helen McCarthy
Grant award - £97,970
Duration - 2013-2016
Reference - S12-006 McCarthy
The aim of this project is to develop a new treatment for advanced prostate cancer. The scientists are developing a DNA vaccine in a protective coat, which can be applied as a patch to the skin for painless and efficient delivery.
Advanced prostate cancer is very difficult to treat and as yet there are few treatment options. This project proposes a new DNA vaccine, a specific sequence of DNA that makes the same protein that is expressed on the surface of cancer cells. This triggers the body's immune response against the 'foreign' vaccine-produced protein, and also the cancer cells where the same protein is expressed. Scientists hope that this strategy may go some way towards filling the treatment gap. Previous studies have shown that DNA vaccines are an effective way of stimulating the body's own immune response to fight cancer.


India has today announced a ban on finning sharks at sea. This will mean that all sharks must be landed with their fins attached. A statement from the Environment Ministry said “The policy prescribes that any possession of shark fins that are not naturally attached to the body of the shark would amount to “hunting” of a schedule I species… Sharks, Rays and Skates (Elasmobranchs) are an important part of the marine ecosystem. They play an important the role in maintenance of the marine ecosystem like tigers and leopards in the forests.”
The ban on finning sharks will allow the ministry to more effectively monitor exactly how many sharks, and of what species, are being caught. The new policy also calls upon state governments to legislate to prevent the hunting of shark species protected under the WildLife (Protection) Act, 1972, and to effectively enforce laws.
As India is the second largest catcher of sharks in the world (according to self-reported data published by the UN) it is hoped that this ban on shark finning will mark a turning point for shark conservation in the region.


What is a Pacemaker? What is a Pacemaker?
National Heart Lung and Blood Institute
What Is … Who Needs a Pacemaker How Does a Pacemaker Work During Pacemaker Surgery After Pacemaker Surgery Risks of Pacemaker Surgery Lifestyle Key Points Links What Is a Pacemaker?
A pacemaker is a small device that’s placed under the skin of your chest or abdomen to help control abnormal heart rhythms. This device uses electrical pulses to prompt the heart to beat at a normal rate.
Pacemakers are used to treat heart rhythms that are too slow, fast, or irregular. These abnormal heart rhythms are called arrhythmias (ah-RITH-me-ahs). Pacemakers can relieve some symptoms related to arrhythmias, such as fatigue (tiredness) and fainting. A pacemaker can help a person who has an abnormal heart rhythm resume a more active lifestyle.
The Heart’s Electrical System
Your heart has its own internal electrical system that controls the speed and rhythm of your heartbeat. With each heartbeat, an electrical signal spreads from the top of the heart to the bottom. As it travels, the electrical signal causes the heart to contract in an organized manner and pump blood.
Electrical signals normally begin in a group of cells called the sinus node. As these signals spread from the top to the bottom of the heart, they coordinate the timing of heart cell activity. First, the two upper chambers of the heart, called atria (AY-tree-uh), contract. This contraction squeezes blood into the lower chambers of the heart, which are called ventricles (VEN-trih-kuls). The ventricles then contract and send blood to the rest of the body. The combined contraction of the atria and ventricles is a heartbeat.
For more information about the heart’s electrical system and how a healthy heart works, see the Diseases and Conditions Index article on How the Heart Works.
Faulty electrical signaling in the heart causes arrhythmias. A pacemaker uses low-energy electrical pulses to correct faulty electrical signaling. Pacemakers can:
Speed up a slow heartbeat Help end an abnormal and fast rhythm (only in implantable cardioverter defibrillator/pacemaker combination devices) Make sure the ventricles contract normally if the atria are quivering instead of beating in a normal rhythm (a condition called atrial fibrillation) Coordinate the electrical signaling between the upper and lower chambers of the heart Coordinate the electrical signaling between the ventricles (cardiac resynchronization therapy used in heart failure)
Pacemakers also can monitor and record your heart’s electrical activity and the rhythm of your heartbeat. Newer pacemakers can monitor your blood temperature, breathing rate, and other factors and adjust your heart rate to changes in your activity.
Pacemakers can be temporary or permanent. Temporary pacemakers are used to treat temporary heartbeat problems, such as a slow heartbeat due to heart attack, heart surgery, or an overdose of medicine. Temporary pacemakers are used in emergencies until a permanent pacemaker can be implanted or until the temporary condition goes away. A person with a temporary pacemaker will stay in the hospital as long as the pacemaker is in place.
In this article, "pacemakers" refers to permanent devices, unless stated otherwise.
Doctors also treat arrhythmias with another device called an implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD). An ICD is like a pacemaker in some ways, but it can use higher energy electrical pulses to treat certain dangerous types of arrhythmia. For more information on ICDs, see the Diseases and Conditions Index article on Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator.


There are plenty of insanely fast ways to acquire images, but engineers have now created the world's fastest 2D camera. It's so fast it can image 36.7 million fully 2D frames every second — and it could revolutionise the way we screen for cancer.
The camera is actually part of a microscope setup, and it uses a process known as serial time-encoded amplified microscopy (STEAM), a system which users laser light to create images. It has a shutter speed of just 27 picoseconds, which means it can take 36.7 million frames per second.
That's all very impressive, but what use is it? Well, its currently being used to analyse cells. A stream of cells pass under its field of view at 14km/h, and the camera can consequently be used to analyse 100,000 of the things every second. That's 100 times quicker than any previous microscope.
The upshot is that millions of cells can be imaged and then analysed computationally to spot abnormalities. In turn, it's possible to detect incredibly rare cancer cells in blood, with a record-low false positive rate of one in a million.
Image: The Webhamster/Flickr


Johannes Simon / Stringer / Getty
But one of the biggest threats out there is one of the oldest:
infectious disease, which can emerge naturally or be
human-made, as in a case of bioterrorism.
As Bill and Melinda Gates wrote in their recently
released “Goalkeepers” report, disease — both infectious and
chronic — is the biggest public health threat the world faces in
the next decade. And although Gates said on a press call that
“you can be pretty hopeful there’ll be big progress” on chronic
disease, we are still unprepared to deal with the infectious
Gates has repeatedly stated that he sees a pandemic
as the greatest immediate threat to humanity on the planet.
“Whether it occurs by a quirk of nature or at the hand of a
terrorist, epidemiologists say a fast-moving airborne pathogen
could kill more than 30 million people in less than a year,”
wrote in an op-ed for Business Insider earlier this year.
“And they say there is a reasonable probability the world will
experience such an outbreak in the next 10-15 years.”
Gates is right about the gravity of that threat, according to
experts in the field.
George Poste is an ex officio member of the Blue Ribbon Study Panel on
Biodefense, a group created to assess the state of biodefense
in the US,.
“We are coming up on the centenary of the 1918 influenza
pandemic,” he told Business Insider. “We’ve been fortunately
spared anything on that scale for the past 100 years, but it is
inevitable that a pandemic strain of equal virulence will
The 1918 pandemic killed
approximately 50 million people around the globe, making it
one of the deadliest events in human history.
David Rakestraw, a program manager overseeing chemical,
biological and explosives security at Lawrence Livermore National
Laboratory, and Tom Slezak, the laboratory’s associate program
leader for bioinformatics, also agree with Gates.
“Both natural and intentional biological threats pose significant
threats and merit our nation’s attention to mitigate their
impact,” they told Business Insider in an email.
It’s possible that a major outbreak could be intentionally
created as the result of a biological weapon, but Poste thinks a
serious bioterrorism attack is unlikely due to the complexity of
pulling something like that off.
It’s very likely, however, that a highly dangerous disease
would naturally emerge — and the consequences of
that pandemic would be just as severe.
Regardless of how a disease starts to spread, preparedness
efforts for pandemics are the same, according to Poste.
And the recent outbreaks of Zika and Ebola have
highlighted the need for more heightened disease surveillance
capabilities. We’re still getting a handle on the
health effects of Zika — and it seems like the mosquito-borne
disease may be even more severe than we thought.
Experts have long advocated for better ways to recognize emerging
threats before they become epidemics or pandemics. Poste
also said we need to improve rapid diagnostic tests and get
better at developing new therapeutics and vaccines — something
Gates highlighted as a weakness in the “Goalkeepers” report as
Until that happens, that threat remains far more real than many
of us realize.


Last month (8 July), the China-based HKND Group — the company chosen to build the canal — announced the approval by a committee of government officials, businessmen and academics of one of the five proposed routes (see map below). It estimates construction cost at US$40 billion and says the canal could be open by 2020.
The Nicaraguan government granted rights to build the canal to the Chinese group last year. It claims the project will create jobs and tackle poverty.* According to government officials the canal would create about 250,000 jobs.
HKND also plans to build holiday resorts alongside the canal. Telémaco Talavera, a member of the committee that approved the project, told Nicaraguan TV channel TN8 last month that the resulting rise in tourism will bring broad economic and social benefits.
The canal proposal is ambitious. If the current route goes ahead it will be around 278 kilometres long — more than three times the length of the Panama Canal — and up to 520 metres wide.
“The whole affair has lacked transparency, open bidding, independent assessment and opportunities for multiple stakeholders to provide input.”
Pedro Alvarez, Rice University
But it is also controversial.
Its route would pass through Central America’s largest lake: Lake Nicaragua. This is one of the main concerns for opponents, who argue that this rich area of biodiversity and important source of fresh water will be greatly harmed. The route also cuts through areas of biological importance.
“We haven’t been able to convince the government about the importance of taking into account the environmental and social impacts of the project,” says Jorge Huete-Pérez, vice-president of Nicaragua’s Academy of Sciences. He co-wrote an opinion article for Nature in February, in which he said the canal “could create an environmental disaster in Nicaragua and beyond”.
The HKND Group commissioned consultancy Environmental Resources Management to assess the canal’s likely environmental and social impacts. But only a July presentation showing general aspects of the resulting studies has been publically distributed.
This creates more doubts about the project’s transparency, says Huete-Pérez, especially for scientists eager to judge the quality of the studies.
Huete-Pérez says the Academy of Sciences is working to create an expert commission to independently study the project proposal.
But he warns that this will only be possible if the HKND publishes all the study results.
Even if the environmental and social impacts identified by the assessment could result in changes to the original plan, they may be minimal because HKND aims to begin construction later this year, said Talavera during the announcement of the approved route.
“I have the impression that the decision was made long ago and there is just a simulation of a debate,” says Huete-Pérez.
Pedro Alvarez, an engineer at Rice University, United States, says: “The whole affair has lacked transparency, open bidding, independent assessment and opportunities for multiple stakeholders to provide input.”
He also doubts the canal will ever be completed, since there are “unaccounted costs and technical challenges, as well as questionable feasibility”.
> Link to Huete-Pérez’s Nature article
> Link to presentation on the environmental impact assessment (in Spanish)
*An earlier version of this story mistakenly said Costa Rican instead of Nicaraguan government approved the project.