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Giving a vaccination injection shot 370 (R). (photo credit:Chaiwat Subprasom / Reuters) The vaccination rate among Israeli children is among the highest and the country’s immunization baskets is among the broadest in the world, according to the Health Ministry. It issued this information on Thursday to mark World Immunization Week, taking place April 27 to May 3, which is coordinated by the World Health Organization. About 95 percent of babies and children are taken to well-baby clinics for their routine vaccinations, the ministry said. These include shots against tetanus, diphtheria and whooping cough plus hemophilus influenza B and polio (five together); measles, mumps and German measles plus chicken pox (four together); Prevnar against pneumococcus; hepatitis B; hepatitis A; and rotavirus. Vaccinations are “one of the most important and efficient interventions to prevent disease and to promote a healthy population,” the ministry said. Since 1994, for example, the vaccine to prevent hemophilus influenza B was included in the vaccination schedule for children. As a result, meningitis and other complications in this age group has become extremely rare. Since Prevnar shots were introduced in 2009, pneumococcal meningitis and sepsis have almost been unseen in this age group. The rotavirus vaccine, which began in 2010, has significantly cut down the number of children hospitalized for serious diarrhea. The ministry’s website, www.health.gov.il, has more information on childhood vaccination, as well as shots for adults, health system workers and those planning to travel abroad. The WHO said the special week “provides the opportunity to remind families and communities how effective vaccines can be, and to encourage people to take action to ensure that more children – and increasingly people in other age groups – are immunized against deadly and debilitating diseases.” One important driver of this progress, it said, has been the WHO’s Expanded Program on Immunization, which celebrates its 40th anniversary in May and has been established in all countries. Priority is given to 40 countries where routine immunization coverage is the lowest and to the districts within those countries where children are least protected. When the Expanded Program on Immunization was established, just 5% of the world’s children were receiving basic immunizations. Now this figure stands at more than 80%. Nevertheless, more than 22 million of the world’s children (about onefifth of infants) are still not being immunized with basic vaccines, the WHO said. The UN organization is now encouraging use of new mobile and Internet technologies to deliver information about vaccination directly to people’s mobile phones and social media accounts. Relevant to your professional network? Please share on Linkedin

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This week the UN will convene a climate summit where Secretary General Ban Ki Moon will ask leaders to bring “bold announcements and actions that will reduce emissions, strengthen climate resilience, and mobilize political will for a meaningful legal agreement in 2015.” For those who have marched in cities around the world this weekend demanding change, the Summit offers a new opportunity to finally set the world on a corrective path that will avert an imminent global disaster. This summit follows on the heels of previous UN conferences in Copenhagen, Cancun, Durban, and Doha, each of which had ambitious goals but which failed to prompt world leaders towards substantive action. Frustration and disappointment has become the norm. As Felipe Calderon, chairman of the Global Commission on the Economy and Climate said, “If the evidence is so clear, why have we not acted?” This summit has little chance for success. Even if it did result in some agreement by leaders, the eventual successful implementation would be extremely unlikely. The simple reason is that the world is severely addicted to fossil fuels and because of that, even the recognition and acceptance of the problem is simply not sufficient to inspire coordinated action. A convincing argument can be made using an analogy between an individual’s addiction to cigarettes and fossil fuel usage by society. Smoking is commonly recognized as an addiction and it is important to note that smoking exhibits a similar pattern of costs and benefits over time as fossil fuel usage. Both cigarette and fossil fuel consumption generates immediate benefits to users; smoking causes the seductive effect of nicotine in the brain and social camaraderie among peers; fossil fuels provide affordable energy for transportation, heating and electrical needs – it is a part of everyone’s daily life. Both smoking and fossil fuels have the potential to cause long term damage in the future: with smoking comes the higher incidence of cancer, heart disease, and emphysema; with fossil fuels comes the potentially deleterious effects of super storms, droughts, and rising sea levels caused by climate change. Finally, both smoking and fossil fuel usage are difficult and costly to discontinue: smoking cessation causes sometimes severe withdrawal costs and continual urges for resumption; fossil fuel substitution requires costly replacements of energy systems and higher energy costs. In addition, the future effects of both smoking and fossil fuel usage are uncertain. Smoking does raise the probability of contracting a disease, but, as many as 50% of smokers never experience these negative effects. Fossil fuel consumption may certainly be raising global temperatures, but knowledge of who will be affected, to what degree, and when, remains speculative at best. It is the presence of withdrawal costs that makes smoking addictive. Because it is painful for smokers to quit, even those with full understanding of the potentially detrimental future effects, can become trapped in their current habits and smoke until it kills them. Similarly, high relative costs of energy substitutes will also make it difficult to kick the fossil fuel habit as well. Consider the campaign aimed at breaking the addiction to smoking, which began in earnest after the 1964 US Surgeon Generals report. Since then, anti smoking groups have initiated educational campaigns, advertising bans, higher taxes, and successful litigation against cigarette companies. The efforts were a success with a substantial reduction in adult smoking rates in the US from over 40% in the 1960s to around 20% today. In the early stages though, resistance to change was strong and many people simply denied that smoking was harmful. Today the vast majority of people, including smokers themselves, accept the dangers posed by smoking. Still, despite that knowledge, it may seem somewhat surprising that fully one-fifth of the US adult population continues to smoke. If we consider smoking around the world, noting that many similar regulatory programs and high taxes have been imposed in Europe and elsewhere, it is surprising that as much as 30% of the adult male population continues to smoke. Thus, despite many successes over more than a 50-year campaign, it has been grudgingly difficult to break peoples’ addiction to cigarettes. Now consider fossil fuel usage. As described above, fossil fuel usage displays a similar pattern of costs and benefits over time as cigarettes and thus can be thought of as an addictive process. However, fossil fuel usage is different from smoking in an important respect that will make breaking this addiction many times more difficult. To curtail smoking one has to convince an individual to change his or her behavior in order to have a long term positive effect directly upon him or herself. In contrast, with fossil fuels one must convince billions of people to change their behaviors in order to have a positive impact on future generations of people. Individual action on fossil fuel usage will have no meaningful impact on the future outcome for oneself, or the world. In fact, even if hundreds of millions of individuals in several large countries change their fossil fuel usage it will still have little effect on climate change if the rest of earth’s population maintains its current habits. This means that climate change mitigation is a collective action problem, on top of being an addictive process, and this is the reason the UN is convening regular summits to reach a collective agreement. But while collective action can work when the benefits of the actions will have immediate positive impacts, it is unlikely to work when the benefits are highly uncertain and in the distant future. Also, although world leaders may pay lip service to climate change mitigation and even implement policies to prompt modest reductions in fossil fuel use, significant reductions in carbon emissions in democratic countries will ultimately require the support by a majority of the national electorates. With respect to smoking abatement policies, such as higher taxes and strict regulations, the majority of the population are non-smokers who are perfectly willing to support such restrictive policies. In addition, the cigarette industry is a very small sector relative to the size of the entire economy so legal attacks against it provoked little resistance. In contrast, policies to restrict fossil fuel usage and carbon emissions will affect 100% of the world’s population and impact industries that are the largest companies in the world employing tens of millions of people. The supply chains for fossil fuels and the profits that flow from them are well understood and both directly and indirectly benefit everyone on the planet. Attempts to break these fossil fuel “habits” will be met with an indefatigable resistance that will include continuing propagation of climate change denials and intense lobbying against any policy change that threatens these well-established patterns. For these reasons, UN summits have virtually no chance for success. It won’t matter how many meetings are held or how many marches take place. All hope need not be lost though. There are several viable alternatives to collective action. However, one of these alternatives faces high uncertainty regarding its potential effectiveness. And although the second option has high potential to be effective, it faces substantial resistance even from those most concerned about climate change. The first option is a concentrated effort to reduce the cost of switching to low carbon alternative energy sources such as solar, wind and nuclear. If alternatives can satisfy consumer energy demands at a lower cost, then consumers will surely demand them. However, one additional requirement for this to work is that energy companies must be able to make greater profit supplying these alternatives than they can supplying fossil fuels. Only in this way will there be a rapid changeover sufficient to crowd out fossil fuel usage. Whether low cost and highly profitable alternatives can be found quickly enough is highly uncertain. The second possible solution is to use geo-engineering efforts to directly offset the greenhouse gas effect caused by rising carbon dioxide levels. Several potentially viable options have been proposed including carbon capture methods and use of atmospheric reflective materials, which could be implemented at a relatively modest cost. However, despite the fact that it was scientific discoveries that have motivated the demand for fossil fuels during the past two centuries in the first place, people nevertheless resist the application of science to mitigate the negative effects that are resulting from its use. Even if one accepts that there is a scientific consensus of the anthropogenic effects on climate change, that consensus does not imply that the only way to solve the problem is by forcing the reduction in fossil fuel use. For these reasons the world would do well to abandon its efforts to reach climate change agreements. These efforts will be fruitless and are likely to result in rising hostilities as climate policy advocates increasingly chastise world leaders for their inaction while demonizing the oil, coal and gas companies who are simply delivering the world’s energy needs in the most habitually, efficient way. The more effective approach is to use science to solve the problem caused by science. Better to pour collective efforts into the development of viable and profitable non-carbon energy sources and in the event that does not succeed, to be ready to act with effective science-based interventions that can help regulate and control the earth’s climate. For a more complete analysis see Suranovic, Steven (2013), “Fossil Fuel Addiction and the Implications for Climate Change Policy,” Global Environmental Change, 23(3) 598-608.

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Definition of crowned crane in English: An African crane with a yellowish bristly crest, a mainly black or dark gray body, much white on the wings, and pink and white cheeks. - Genus Balearica, family Gruidae: two species, in particular the (black) crowned crane (B. pavonina) - It houses over 50 individual birds made up of 12 different species including the sacred ibis, crowned cranes, hammerkop, white-cheeked touraco and lilac breasted roller. - We came across approximately 150 gray crowned cranes - Uganda's national bird - feeding in pastures. - In separate marsh habitats there are cranes too, the crowned crane from Africa, the Manchurian crane from the Orient and our own Sarus. Definition of crowned crane in: - British & World English dictionary What do you find interesting about this word or phrase? Comments that don't adhere to our Community Guidelines may be moderated or removed.

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For NASA’s Parker probe, grazing the sun will be no hotter than a summer day By Tom Risen|August 6, 2018 Engineers will block the sun’s heat with newer versions of technologies developed for the space shuttle fleet. Aug. 13 update: The Parker Solar Probe launched Aug. 12. NASA said that the spacecraft’s solar arrays deployed and the spacecraft is operating on its own power. Engineers worked for a decade designing heat shielding for NASA’s Parker Solar Probe that would be lightweight, reflective and durable enough for the spacecraft to become the first to fly into the sun’s outermost atmosphere, called the corona, and address the mystery of why this region is hotter than the region closer to the surface. Built at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Lab, Parker is scheduled to launch on Aug. 11 on a United Launch Alliance Delta 4 Heavy from Cape Canaveral, Florida. Successive orbits around the sun will take Parker as close as 6.4 million kilometers from the surface, exposing its heat shield to temperatures of 1,377 Celsius. NASA first discussed the idea of sending a probe near the sun when the agency was founded in 1958. “Every couple of decades since then, NASA sat down and said, ‘OK, can we do this?’” said Adam Szabo, NASA’s mission scientist for the Parker Solar Probe. Parker’s instruments will gather data about magnetic fields and particles from the shadow of a 2.43-meter-diameter, 11.4-centimeter-thick heat shield that will protect the instruments from the searing sunlight. Autonomous navigation software will ensure hydrazine thrusters keep the shield pointed at the sun to maintain a tolerable operating temperature of 30 degrees Celsius. The shield consists of a carbon foam core sandwiched between two panels of a composite derived from the reinforced carbon-carbon that protected the leading edges of the space shuttle wings. The shield sits atop a truss made of titanium, a metal that can endure the 315-degree Celsius heat it is expected to face. Testing the heat shield for durability was “very difficult,” said Betsy Congdon, the lead engineer at the Applied Physics Laboratory for the thermal protection system. “The difficulty is testing for those high temperatures in vacuum, so we tested at a variety of facilities all over the [U.S.],” including at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center’s thermal vacuum chamber in Maryland. Designers simulated the temperature fluctuations the probe will face on each orbit, as it flies toward the sun and then away from it. In fact, Parker will fly by Venus seven times through 2024, a series of gravity assists whose momentum will send the probe deeper and deeper into the sun’s atmosphere. The shield’s carbon foam supplied by secondary contractor Ultramet of California is a stronger version of a foam the company has sold as a bone replacement material, though it is still 97 percent air. The shield panels, built by Texas-based secondary contractor Carbon-Carbon Advanced Technologies, are made from a “thinner, next generation version” of the shuttle’s reinforced carbon-carbon, Congdon said. To reflect as much light from the sun as possible, researchers at Johns Hopkins’ main campus created the recipe for a ceramic-based white coating that was sprayed evenly across the outer shield panel by Alabama-based aerospace materials contractor Plasma Processes. Designers also had to find a way to protect the probe’s electricity-generating solar arrays during the hottest part of each orbit. As Parker approaches the sun, the arrays will be folded to a shallow angle to reduce exposure to sunlight, “otherwise they could melt,” Szabo said. They will extend again as Parker heads away from the sun. Pipes beneath the solar arrays will also pump water back and forth from a radiator within the titanium truss to shed heat into space. “Space is dark, so you can keep the water cool if you keep it out of the sunshine,” Szabo said. Scientists hope to learn about the acceleration and origin of solar wind, charged particles that course through our solar system after emanating from the corona, and how to better predict more intense blasts of magnetic energy from the sun that could disrupt electronics on satellites. The probe’s namesake, heliophysicist Eugene Parker, 89, a professor emeritus at the University of Chicago, predicted the existence of the solar wind in 1958. Related TopicsSpace Science You can read a more detailed version of this article in the September print magazine.

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UCL researchers have created an artificial thymus organoid capable of producing specialised T-cellsThe small organ called the thymus plays a central role in the creation of T-cells to support the immune system. Unfortunately, we we age the thymus shrinks gradually and its ability to field these cells falters. T-cells can become specialised through the addition of different receptors on their membrane – each able to pick up and target different antigens. This ability did not go unnoticed by cancer researchers, who designed a treatment called CAR-T cell therapy; an immunotherapy strategy that involves engineering T-cells to express a specific chimeric receptor locked on to a certain antigen on cancer cells. The immunotherapy approaches can in some cases use a patient’s own cells, also called adoptive T-cell therapy. This involves editing a patient’s own cells before reinfusing them back into them. Understandably, this can be time consuming and many individuals simply don’t have a healthy enough immune system to supply enough cells for an effective treatment. An alternative approach is therefore to use a stem cell derived population or a donor supplied population – neither of which are perfectly matched to the patient which can in some cases cause severe complications. This means there is a sore need for greater production capacity alongside reduced risk of immunogenicity (harmful immune reaction). “We know that the key to creating a consistent and safe supply of cancer-fighting T cells would be to control the process in a way that deactivates all T cell receptors in the transplanted cells, except for the cancer-fighting receptors”An artificial thymus A team at UCLA was able to build a thymus organoid structure with an ability to form T-cells from blood stem cells. What’s more, the produced cells resembled natural T-cells, with a diverse range of receptor types. When the researchers added an additional gene for a specific, cancer targeting receptor they found many of the newly produced cells retained this receptor while shedding many of the other types. This means that they may be able to hone in on the cancer without causing collateral damage to healthy tissue too. Due to the success of the research, the team is looking to incorporate pluripotent stem cell technology to expand and optimise their approach, with the hope of providing a fresh source of T-cells for cancer patients in need. Read more at MedicalXpress

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Scripture Reading: Psalm 1 Thrust Statement: Every Christian should delight in God’s Law. Do you delight in God’s sacred writings? Do you meditate upon God’s law day and night? Do you ever read the Old Testament? Do you ever study the Psalms? How often do you glance over the Pentateuch (the first five books of the Old Testament) or look at the prophets or even scan the poetic books? Is the Bible that Jesus cited an antiquated book? How did Jesus and the apostles look upon the writings of Moses and the Prophets? Before one embarks upon an examination of Psalm 1, a brief overview of Paul’s and Jesus’ reaction toward the “Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms” should shed light upon how important these writings are in the daily lives of God’s people. These sixty-six books should set the tone for a much more meaningful study of this great chapter, or book, in the Psalms. What was Paul’s attitude toward the Old Testament? Just a perusal of Paul’s instructions to Timothy concerning his early training should convince anyone of the importance of the Old Testament in the life of Paul. He calls forth the testimony of two women in Timothy’s life who influenced and taught him the Old Testament from childhood: Timothy’s grandmother (Lois) and mother (Eunice) (see 2 Timothy 1:5). What is really significant about this mentioning of his relatives is highlighted toward the end of this short epistle in Paul’s charge to Timothy (3:10-17). Paul cogently expresses his attitude toward the relevancy of the thirty-nine books to Timothy in his final exhortation to this coworker: But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, and how from infancy you have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work (2 Timothy 3:14-17). The context indicates that Paul is calling attention to what Christians today call the Old Testament. Again, this is significant since this letter was written to Timothy during Paul’s final imprisonment (66-67 CE) under Emperor Nero (reign: 54-68 CE). Paul now languished in a cold dungeon (4:13) and in chains (1:16; 2:9). Paul was very much concerned about the persecution perpetrated upon the church and wanted to encourage Timothy to guard the gospel (1:14), to persevere in what his grandmother and mother had taught him from the Old Testament (3:14), and to continue to preach the gospel (4:2). Since Paul was an inspired man, one must take his advice seriously. For Paul the Scriptures are a powerful means of reformation (change for the better). Paul sets forth a number of benefits derived from the study of the Old Testament writings. For instance, he says that the Scriptures are “able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus” [3:15]. But Paul does not stop with that benefit; he enumerates four additional reasons for studying the Old Testament. This catalog of benefits may come as a surprise to many Christians; but one should weigh carefully the following details: “useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness” (3:16). Again, in this same vein, one cannot help but reflect upon the words of Luke in his characterization of the Bereans: “Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true” (Acts 17:11). This statement by Luke concerning the conduct of the Bereans corroborates what Paul instructed Timothy to abide in (2 Timothy 3:14). Not only did Paul inform Timothy about the relevancy of the Old Testament, but he also speaks of the abiding validity of the Law to the Romans. Paul writes Romans probably in the early spring of 57 CE. This letter was written about twenty-four years after the resurrection of Christ. Thus, his comments in this epistle are quite revealing for the believer in seeking to understand the meaning of the Old Testament for the church. Following his discussion of righteousness by faith (Romans 3:21-26), he then responds to a question about the Law: “Do we, then, nullify the law by this faith? Not at all! Rather, we uphold the law” (3:31). Even though one is “justified by faith apart from observing the law” (3:28), this fact, in and of itself, does not do away with the Law of God. This is why Paul tells Timothy to Continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, and how from infancy you have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus (2 Timothy 3:14-15). This tutoring to Timothy reinforces a statement of Paul to the Christians at Rome: “The law is holy, and the commandment is holy, righteous and good” (Romans 7:12). For this reason, Paul could also say: “For in my inner being I delight in God’s law” (7:22). No Christian is “under” law, but all Christians are still “subject” to the law of God. All believers should appreciate the Old Testament writings. How do you feel about God’s instructions in His Holy word? Do you find happiness in the “law of the LORD”? DELIGHT IN THE INSTRUCTIONS OF GOD: PAUL AND THE PSALMIST The above comments about the authority of the Law help to prepare one for a more meaningful approach to the Psalms. Psalm 1 sets forth contrasting ideas—God-centered life versus self-centered life. For the believer, ultimate reality is a life that is God-centered. Is your life God-centered? Or is your life self-absorbed? Or are you thinking only about the present moment of time. What about eternity? The Psalmist speaks of reality that is God-centered, not man-centered. The Psalmist calls attention to two ways: the way of the righteous and the way of the wicked. One way exhibits dependence upon God, but the other way exhibits independence from God. As you reflect upon this Psalm, ask yourself the following question: Am I walking in the counsel of God or am I walking in the counsel of wicked men? Where is your enjoyment? Read and listen attentively to the words of the Psalmist: Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers. Not so the wicked! They are like chaff that the wind blows away. Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous. For the LORD watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish (Psalms 1). Upon reading Psalm 1, one cannot help but recall the words of Jesus in His Sermon on the Mount: “Blessed (makavrioi, makarioi) are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:3). This word blessed or happy is equivalent to the Hebrew word blessed (yrev]a', a~vr?). Jesus employs the main outline of Psalm 1 in His Sermon on the Mount. Jesus’ teachings develop the character, the influence, the conduct, and the destiny of the one who listens to the Word of God. On the other hand, Jesus graphically depicts, as did the Psalmist, the utter destruction of the man who ignores God. Just as the Psalmist contemplates two ways, so also Jesus speaks of two ways: (1) the narrow gate and road; and (2) the wide gate and road (Matthew 7:13-14). Psalm 1 begins with a beatitude—“Blessed is the man”—not with a prayer or a hymn. But rather, it starts with a statement about human life. Immediately the Psalmist calls upon individuals to consider the teaching about life and the consequences of not submitting one’s life to God. As this psalm is analyzed, hopefully each person, who is listening or reading this explanation of Psalm 1, will consider his/her own destiny—happiness or destruction. Which destination are you following? Are you like the righteous? Or, are you like the wicked? Which? One way to determine where you are is to consider your reaction to the instructions of God. If you do not joy in God’s instruction, then you are not happy, that is to say, you do not have the peace of God in you that is beyond the peace that the world gives. This psalm sets forth what it really means to be “happy” or “blessed,” that is, the peace with God that is beyond description, even in the face of catastrophe. Immediately, the writer lets one know what the happy man will not do (1:1). He commences with negatives: “Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers” (1:1). Verse 1 sharpens the contrast between the wicked and the righteous: “For the LORD watches over the way of the righteous” (1:6). As one observes “the way of the righteous,” one cannot help but reflect upon “the way of sinners” (1:1). This psalm offers two fundamentally different life styles. The compiler of the Book of Psalms lays out the final outcome from the beginning to end. The person who enjoys God’s instructions is the one who is “happy” (1:1), but the individual who does not take pleasure in God’s Word will “perish” (1:6). The word happy (yrev]a', a~vr?) begins this psalm and the last word perish concludes this Psalm. The word happy begins with the first letter of the Hebrew alphabet (a, a) and the word perish (db@aT) t)ab@d) begins with the last letter of the Hebrew alphabet (t, t). This psalm is an all-embracing arrangement of what it means to be happy or blessed. The vocabulary of this Psalm sets forth the distinction between the wicked and the righteous. One perceives three distinctive words that characterize the ungodly: (1) wicked, (2) sinners, and (3) scoffers (1:1). The believer refuses to expose himself to the counsel of the wicked. He or she will not adopt the guidance of the ungodly; in other words, the one who takes pleasure in God’s Law will reject the ideas and attitudes of men and women who have no place for God in their lives. Have you adopted the ways of the world? Who is the blessed or happy man or woman? Is it not the person who avoids places where the atmosphere is not helpful to wholesome thinking and high ethical standards? Surely, the counsel of the wicked is out of bounds for the righteous. The Holy Spirit through Solomon says, “The heart of the righteous weighs its answers, but the mouth of the wicked gushes evil” (Proverbs 15:28). Again, Solomon issues the stern warning: “There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death” (16:25). The second negative is that the righteous individual will not “stand in the way of sinners.” In other words, this person refuses to stop and associate with the rebellious offenders. To reinforce the words of the Psalmist, one should call to mind the words of Paul: “Do not be misled: ‘Bad company corrupts good character.’ Come back to your senses as you ought, and stop sinning; for there are some who are ignorant of God—I say this to your shame” (1 Corinthians 15:33-34). God’s people often times have to change their friends. Why? Remember the Holy Spirit says, “Bad company corrupts good character.” When one cuts the optic nerve of the soul, one becomes weak and it is difficult to make moral decisions. If one should take a poll of the individuals in the various congregations, one would find that there are untold stories of children who have lost their faith through “bad company.” For one to “stand in the way of sinners,” that is, adopt the rebellious life style of the wicked. When the believer does not shutter at unethical behavior of the ungodly, then the believer indicates he/she has lost some of his/her sensitivity to sin. This exhortation does not mean that one can have no contact with the unrighteous. If so, how can one reach sinners for Jesus? Perhaps, one of the most famous of all Jesus’ sayings is found in Matthew: As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector’s booth. “Follow me,” he told him, and Matthew got up and followed him. While Jesus was having dinner at Matthew’s house, many tax collectors and “sinners” came and ate with him and his disciples. When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and ‘sinners’?” On hearing this, Jesus said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners” (Matthew 9:9-13). Sit: The Seat of the Mockers The third progression in this description of what the righteous person is not is associated with sitting. The righteous person will not “sit in the seat of the mockers.” In other words, he/she refuses to sit down with those who turn their noses up at God and make fun of the things of God. The three verbs—walk, stand, and sit—highlight the importance of how one positions himself/herself in his/her daily walk. The negatives set forth by the Psalmist describe the motion or wavering among the unrestrained. These three verbs with the negative, prepare one for the positive presentation of the happy or blessed person whose fruitfulness is made possible by a rootedness in a good setting (1:3). THE RIGHTEOUS DELIGHT IN THE TORAH Many tragedies can be avoided by the wise decision to get pleasure from the Law of God. Righteous persons decline the ways and attitudes of the wicked that do not accept the behavior that God’s Word demands. The Psalmist stated in denial terms what the righteous would not do. Now he sets forth the affirmative behavior of the righteous. He says, “But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night” (Psalm 1:2). How can a man be strong enough to reject the way of the wicked? The Psalmist discloses the secret. He says that it is one’s thrill in the Law of the Lord. In other words, his heart and interests and affections are upon heavenly things, not earthly things. This is the same teaching that Paul issues to the Christians at Colossae: “Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things” (Colossians 3:1-2). As the upright man views the way of the wicked, he says, “that is not my life.” For every believer, his or her life is filled with ecstasy is in the torah (hr`oT, tor>) of the Lord. It is food for his hungry soul. It is as Jesus says to Satan: “It is written: ‘Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God’” (Matthew 4:4). It is also in this same respect that Paul could tell the Christians at Rome: “For in my inner being I delight in God’s law” (Romans 7:22). Paul recognizes that his body is the temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19-20), and, since this is so, then his enjoyment is to learn and think of God’s will for his life. If you are a Christian, you, too, are a temple of God. Is your satisfaction in reading and hearing and thinking the Word of God? How frequently do you read the Word? How often do you think about spiritual things? A classic example of what Jesus is talking about is found in the story of Jesus’ visit to the home of Mary and Martha. On this occasion Luke says that Mary “sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said” (Luke 10:39). Do you relish the words of God? Do you devote time to reflect upon Holy Scripture? How often do you read the Bible? Another example of studying the Word of God is found among the Bereans. Once more, Luke reveals the nature of study that is exemplary: “Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true” (Acts 17:11). Do you take the time to examine the Scriptures on a daily basis? Have you examined the message of salvation concerning Jesus as God’s way of salvation? Do you examine the Scriptures daily to determine the kind of behavior that pleases God? Can you say as the Psalmist says in Psalm 119:105: “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path”? The ungodly man’s interest and affections are not on spiritual things. On the other hand, the godly man delights in God’s Torah or instructions. The Psalmist commends the conduct that is reflective and meditative on the Law of the Lord. When one is concerned with and delights in the instructions of God, this person will mull over the Holy Scriptures day and night. Again, can you say as the Psalmist says: “Oh, how I love your law! I meditate on it all day long.” This Word torah is much more comprehensive than just the Law of Moses in the Pentateuch. It is in the written torah that one gains wisdom for living a life that is pleasing to God. The Psalmist invites and expects the “happy man” to receive and read the torah as Scripture. It is through the torah that the Lord is able to reach, touch, and shape the soul (see Psalm 19 and Psalm 119). David drives home various reasons for reflecting upon the law of God: 7 The law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul. The statutes of the LORD are trustworthy, making wise the simple. 8 The precepts of the LORD are right, giving joy to the heart. The commands of the LORD are radiant, giving light to the eyes. 9 The fear of the LORD is pure, enduring forever. The ordinances of the LORD are sure and altogether righteous. 10 They are more precious than gold, than much pure gold; they are sweeter than honey, than honey from the comb. 11 By them is your servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward (Psalm 19:7-11). As explained above, this Psalm does not call those whose “delight is in the law of the Lord” to withdraw from society (see also 1 Corinthians 5:9-11). Rather, the call is to avoid the sinner’s influences and effects on his/her personal walk with God. What differentiates the wicked from the righteous is this: one’s response to the reality of God and one’s acceptance of God’s written Revelation. Psalm 1 teaches that life is a journey. This Psalm employs two similes to capture graphically the situation of the wicked versus the righteous. To do this, he uses the imagery of the tree (Ju@ u@J) and the chaff (Jm) m)J) to highlight two contrasting similes. These two nouns end in the same letter (J J), which appears to highlight the contrast between the two similes. He is like a tree (Ju@ u@J) planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers. Not so the wicked! They are like chaff (Jm) m)J) that the wind blows away (Psalm 1:3-4). The water allows the tree to stand drought and to bear fruit. The Word of God allows the believer to stand drought and to bear fruit—even in the face of adversity. On the other hand, the wicked have no roots, no stability, and no place to stand. The ungodly are grounded and guided within themselves—no connection with the source of life. Each person has his/her own distinctive destiny. The believer can ride out the storms of life. Even in the face of sorrow, distress, misfortune, trials, and tribulations, God’s children simply dig deeper into the rich supply of peace that only God can give. Jesus warned His disciples about the troubles that lay ahead: “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). Earlier, in this same conversation with the disciples, our Lord spoke of peace: “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid” (14:27). Even though one may experience trouble; nevertheless, every believer still experiences the inner peace that no one can take away. Paul expresses it this way: Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written: “For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.” No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 8:35-39). for Comfort, Instruction, Hope, and Strength As one reflects upon these words of Paul, one cannot help but notice that Paul cites Psalms 44:22: “Yet for your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.” Is it any wonder that he instructed the Christians at Ephesus and Colossae to sing Psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs (Ephesians 5:19; Colossians 3:16). Is it not significant that he did not warn them against using instruments in the singing of their Psalms? Paul did not exclude Psalm 150 in his encouragement to sing psalms. This Psalm illustrates that God is a lover of music. Every Christian can rely upon this Psalm and all psalms for spiritual strength, but this is not so for the man who does not trust in God. The one who does not trust in God builds his house upon the sand, but the one who puts his trust in God builds his house upon a rock (See Matthew 7:24-27—The Wise and Foolish Builders). God’s Sovereignty Versus Antonymous Behavior Psalm 1 calls attention to antonymous behavior, that is, actions not under the umbrella of God’s Law. The effect of the wicked is to produce a society of isolated selves. Solomon again captures concisely the way of the wicked: “A wicked man listens to evil lips; a liar pays attention to a malicious tongue” (Proverbs 17:4). The person who fails to make connection with God as the source of life cannot be happy; that is, he/she cannot enjoy the happiness or peace that is beyond this terrestrial world. Once more Solomon says, “There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death” (16:25). One should read again the words of the Psalmist as he summarizes the ultimate end of those who desire self-directed, self-controlled, and self-governing behavior: “the way of the wicked will perish” (Psalm 1:1). The choice presented in Psalm 1 is always up to date. One may decide to be self-directed, or one may select to be open to the teachings of God. Where do you stand? Are you self-directed or God directed? Are you willing to give up self-sovereignty and to live under the sovereignty of God? Are you burdened with the cares of the world? Are you sinking under the hand of despair? Can your problems separate you from God? Have you taken your difficulties to God in prayer? What is the answer? Have you humbled yourselves under the mighty hand of God? Listen to Peter as he admonishes Christians “scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia” (1 Peter 1:1) of the coming calamities (destruction of Jerusalem in 70 CE): “Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you” (1 Peter 5:6-7). Can you say as Job, “Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?” (Job 2:10). For the Psalter as a whole, persecution is not incompatible with the happiness or peace that God gives that the world cannot give. From a positive viewpoint, Psalm 1 is a psalm that is God-centered for the righteous; on the other hand, Psalm 1, from a negative viewpoint, zeros in on the self-centered of the wicked. This Psalm, as well as the rest of the Psalter, portrays happiness as existing in one’s delight in the teachings of God; true happiness is not enjoying one’s self in self-centeredness, which is a way of destruction. True happiness is delight in God’s Law. It is in this same vein that Jesus speaks to Satan: “It is written: ‘Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” The goal of life is found not in self-fulfillment of one’s fleshly desires, but rather in praising God. For the righteous, prosperity consists not of material gains, but rather of spiritual gains. The believer knows that he/she lives for God and is secured by God, even in the face of persecutions or trials. The individual who delights is God’s Law is happy, but the individual who does not delight in God’s Law will perish. Is it any wonder that Paul writes: “For in my inner being I delight in God’s law.” Even though one cannot be justified through God’s Law, nevertheless, one’s delight is still in God’s Law. One does not void the Law through faith, but rather one upholds God’s Law through faith. Listen once more to Paul as he explains Law and faith: “Do we, then, nullify the law by this faith? Not at all! Rather, we uphold the law.” All Scripture citations are from The New International Version, (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House) 1984, unless stated otherwise. I am deeply indebted to J. Clinton McCann, Jr., Psalms, The New Interpreters Bible, Vol., 4 (Abingdon: Nashville, 1996), 683-687, for many helpful insights in making this sermon relevant to the lives of God’s people for today. Simile: A figure of speech that uses like, as, or as if to compare two essentially different objects, actions, or attributes that share some aspect of similarity. Once more, a simile is a figure of speech comparing two unlike things that is often introduced by like or as (as in cheeks like roses).

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Keypunch is a device used to enter data into punched cards by precisely punching holes at locations designated by the keys struck by the operator. Originating from the late 19th to mid-20th century, it was the primary means of manually inputting data into computers. The punched cards were then read by computer machines as a form of digital data. The phonetics of the word “Keypunch” are: /ˈkiːpʌntʃ/. Three Main Takeaways about Keypunch - Keypunch is a device used to precisely punch holes into stiff card stock for data storage. This was primarily used in older computing systems before the advent of more compact data storage mediums. - The use of keypunch machines revolutionized computing by providing a reliable, physical method of storing data. This paved the way for the development of more sophisticated data processing and storage technologies. - Despite being effectively obsolete in modern computing, the principles underpinning the use of keypunch machines continue to be relevant. Understanding its operations can provide insight into the early development of data storage technology. The technology term “keypunch” is important because it directly relates to the history and evolution of data entry and data processing. A keypunch is a device used to manually enter data into punch cards, which were then input into computers. This technology was significantly used in the early to mid-20th century, before the advent of personal computers and digitized data entry systems. Keypunch machines were the primary method of interacting with computers, and the punched cards were used to run programs and hold information. Though they are now obsolete, they played a vital role in the inception phase of modern computing and served as the precursor to contemporary keyboards and input devices. Their significance therefore, lies in their pivotal role in the origin and development of computer programming and data processing. Keypunch refers to a device which was used to input data into earlier types of computing and data processing systems. The keypunch served a crucial purpose in the era before digital interfaces, as it enabled the user to deliver instructions to a machine or computer in a language they could understand. This device was primarily used to punch a code, known as a punched card, which was used by early digital computers for input and store data. This coded data was crucial for various applications including but not limited to, data processing, computer programming, and telecommunications. A keypunch functioned by encoding data into cards through holes punched at specific positions, much like an elaborate stencil. The operator would utilize a keyboard to enter the desired information, which the device would then convert into a series of coded holes. These punched cards would then be fed into a computing system capable of reading the processed information. The keypunch played a critical role in computing history by bridging the gap between human users and machines, making it a significant milestone in our journey towards the advanced digital interfaces we enjoy today. 1. Voter Ballots: In some election systems, voters can use a punch card system to cast their votes. Each candidate or voting option is associated with a hole on the card. Voters then use a device known as a keypunch to punch the hole that corresponds with their chosen candidate. 2. Venetian Blinds Manufacturing: In the manufacturing of Venetian blinds, keypunch machines are used to punch holes in the blinds, through which the control cords are threaded. This application is somewhat less common now, as most manufacturers have switched to automatic machines, but keypunch is still used in some contexts. 3. Data Processing in the 1960s-70s: Keypunch machines were extensively used for data entry into computers before the age of personal computers. The user would punch holes into cards using the keypunch machine, with each hole representing a different piece of data. By encoding data in this way, large amounts of information could be inputted into computers long before the advent of keyboards or other input devices. IBM card punch machines were a popular example of this application. Frequently Asked Questions(FAQ) Q1: What is a keypunch? A: A keypunch is a device for precisely punching holes into stiff paper cards at specific locations, representative of data, used as a method of data input for early computers. Q2: When was the keypunch device first used? A: Keypunch devices were first used at the beginning of the 20th century, especially for data processing, computation, and telecommunications. Q3: Are keypunch devices still in use today? A: No, keypunch devices have been largely obsolete since the mid-1980s due to the rise of new computing systems and data storage technologies. Q4: What is a punched card? A: A punched card, also known as a punch card or punched-card, is a piece of stiff paper that contains digital information represented by the presence or absence of holes in predefined positions. Q5: What was the primary function of a keypunch device? A: The primary function of a keypunch device was to manually input data into a computer system by punching holes into punchcards, which the computer could then read as data. Q6: What replaced the use of keypunch devices? A: The use of keypunch devices was replaced by magnetic tape and disk storage systems, along with data input methods like keyboards and scanners. Q7: How accurate were keypunch devices? A: While the precision of keypunch devices depended on the operator’s accuracy, they were generally considered reliable for their time. Errors were common, but various tools and techniques were implemented to minimize them. Q8: Who typically operated keypunch machines? A: Keypunch machines were typically operated by keypunch operators, a common job position especially among women in the early and mid-20th century. Q9: Were keypunch cards reusable? A: No, once a hole was punched into a card, it could not be undone, making the cards generally non-reusable for changing data. However, they could be reformatted and reused if the entire set of data was to be changed. Q10: What was the keypunch machine’s impact on the computing world? A: Despite being an outdated technology, keypunch machines played a significant role in the early development and evolution of computing systems. They laid the groundwork for the principles of data input and storage. Related Tech Terms - Card Puncher - Data Processing - Punched Card - Hollerith code - IBM Keypunch Machines

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Being impulsive causes many mistakes and errors. Doing things impulsively will cause loss, damage, and harm. Saying things impulsively will cause you to say things better left unsaid. Thinking before you speak will enable you to think of the best way to say something. Thinking before you take action will enable you to consider whether you should do something, and how to do it if you should. The two words that will remind you to stop and think are, "Just pause." As you pause, think to yourself, "What is the wisest thing for me to say and do now?" Practice building the association in your mind between, "Just pause," and, "What is the wisest thing for me to say and do now?" How do you build the association? It's quite easy. You just repeat these two sentences together a number of times. Repeat them with an upbeat tone of voice, or sing them with your own tune. Enjoy the process. This way you will access positive feelings when you recall this association in "real life." (from Rabbi Zelig Pliskin's book: "Conversations With Yourself", p.150) [Artscroll.com])

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December 4, 2006 After killing nuclear energy and coal-fired power plants, Germany is now taking aim at its own green policies, says the Wall Street Journal. After building nearly 20,000 windmills, Germans are now regulating them well beyond economical sense: - Windmills must be built 40 to 80 kilometers from the coast, where the water is up to 40 meters deep, making the cost for foundations and maintenance massive. - In addition, every windmill must have a rescue area -- including the stipulation that each be equipped with a toilet; the additional costs come to some €100,000 (about U.S. $133,000) per windmill. In addition, the windmills are not generally where industry and consumers live. New high-tension power lines are urgently needed to transport the energy. But that, too, is a problem, says Maxeiner: - Thanks to the bureaucratic hurdles put in place to appease landscape and electrical smog environmentalists, it can take up to 15 years between applying for a permit and completing a new power grid. - The new power lines also must be laid underground, which makes them up to ten times more expensive and wind power even less economical. As a result, more and more people are turning away from green solutions, and back to fireplaces and multi-fuel stoves for their own living rooms: - Big-box stores are stocking stacks of briquettes made of pressed scrap wood or brown coal. - Almost nine million fireplaces, tile ovens and belly stoves are in use, and 200,000 are being added each year. - Over 500,000 tons of logs and more than a million tons of brown coal briquettes are sold annually. Source: Dirk Maxeiner, "Achtung, Killertomaten!," Wall Street Journal, December 4, 2006. Browse more articles on International Issues

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How to get a 7 in IB Chinese? giasuib.com – When you want to develop your Chinese skills and choose the IB Chinese program but still have a hard time getting the maximum score, you can refer to the following ways of how to get a 7 in IB Chinese. What is IB Chinese? IB Chinese includes 3 main courses: Chinese A, Chinese B, and Chinese ab initio. Students can choose from the following levels: Chinese A HL, Chinese B HL, Chinese B SL, and Chinese ab initio SL. In there: - Chinese A HL: Usually chosen by students who are native speakers or who have a serious research orientation about Literature in Chinese. - Chinese B HL: Usually chosen by a small group of local students, who specialize in Literature in Chinese. - Chinese B SL: Students who want to learn how to use the Chinese language, no Literature. - Chinese ab initio SL: For students with little or no experience of the language. One of the main reasons why many students choose IB Chinese is because of China’s booming economy. We all know that China is a huge country with many opportunities and room for improvement. Over the past 35 years, China has grown from an impoverished third-world country to the second-largest economy in the world. China encourages foreign investment and economic cooperation, so Chinese ranks among the top languages spoken by most people in the world. Therefore, the demand for learning Chinese is constantly increasing and appears in most international study programs. However, not everyone knows how to get a 7 in IB Chinese, the score that many students dream of. For more: Study IB Economics in HCMC IB Chinese is a challenging language that students encounter many obstacles. First and foremost, the writing system is extremely difficult for students who are using English (and other languages) because they are already familiar with the Latin alphabet. In addition to the usual challenges that come with learning any language from scratch, Chinese learners also have to memorize thousands of special characters, unlike anything seen in languages based on Latin. In addition, the tonal nature of Chinese also makes speaking skills more difficult. There are several Chinese dialects, including Cantonese – spoken mainly in southeastern China, as well as in Hong Kong and other parts of Southeast Asia, with different written characters and pronunciations, and also very difficult to learn. Many words can be pronounced in many different ways, and each pronunciation has a different meaning. Therefore, here are the learning ways to get the maximum IB Chinese score you can apply to your study method: - Take much time to listen to Chinese: Listening to a lot is never in vain, especially with a language with a distinctly harsh timbre like Chinese. Students can combine reading the content of the lesson and seeing how the words are transcribed to better follow the content. Enhance your listening by doing fill-in-the-blank exercises, which will not only help you focus more on listening, but also improve your handwriting. The number of blank spaces will be equivalent to your listening ability, the higher the score you want to achieve, the more space the listening lesson should have and the higher the difficulty level should be. - Spend time practicing Chinese characters: Learning Chinese characters is the most difficult step that almost every student goes through. However, once you have overcome this arduous obstacle, you will be able to safely spend more time honing your other skills. With a large number of Chinese characters, you need to practice every day. Regardless of the study method you use, you should set aside at least 30-60 minutes a day to focus on practicing. Simplify learning Chinese characters by combining known words to create new words, thereby supporting word memorization, learning one but knowing more words. One of the most effective learning methods is journaling. Writing a diary in Chinese, although it will be difficult at first, if you persist in this habit, your IB Chinese score will be noticeably different. - Practice reading with Chinese materials: Learning any foreign language requires us to have a lot of contact with letters, IB Chinese is no exception. If you are bored with books that are dry and uninteresting, focus on reading about what is short, simple, and entertaining first, combining semantic lookup and listening to the pronunciation. After a while, you gradually form the habit of reading words, recognize words faster and read a variety of documents, from which the volume of vocabulary and grammar also increases significantly. - Improve pronunciation: Reading and writing skills can help you increase your vocabulary and understand more content, however, only listening and speaking skills can help you associate the language and make it work. Learning becomes more interesting. One of the biggest difficulties in learning Chinese is tone. To be able to pronounce correctly and communicate naturally, you need to practice listening to native speakers speak a lot, to master the tone and rhythm when communicating in Chinese. At the same time, imitate the rhythm, pronunciation of the language, and emotions of the speaker to improve speaking ability, making the Chinese speaking tone become better.

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Paul’s letters to Timothy and Titus are commonly known as the Pastoral Letters. In them Paul shows a deep concern for the personal responsibilities that he had entrusted to Timothy and Titus in the places where he had left them. They show the warm personal relationship that Paul had with his fellow workers. They also show how church life had developed over the years since Paul first set out on his missionary travels. Background to 2 Timothy Some time after writing 1 Timothy and Titus, Paul left northern Greece. The Bible gives no details of route he followed, but among the places he visited was Corinth in southern Greece (2 Tim 4:20). He also visited Miletus, a town near Ephesus in western Asia Minor (2 Tim 4:20), and Troas, a town farther north (2 Tim 4:13). It seems that soon after this, Paul was arrested and taken to Rome once more. From Rome he wrote his final letter, 2 Timothy (2 Tim 1:8; 2:9). When the government authorities in Rome laid their charges against Paul, former friends deserted him. This was a great disappointment to Paul, but God protected him from violence and gave him the opportunity to make known the gospel to his captors (2 Tim 4:16-17). Paul knew he had little chance of being released; he expected rather to be executed (2 Tim 4:6-8). He therefore urged Timothy to come to Rome as quickly as possible (2 Tim 4:9), and to bring Mark with him (2 Tim 4:11). (Mark was probably working in Colossae, a town not far from Ephesus; cf. Col 4:10.) Paul was lonely in prison. He had been visited by Onesiphorus of Ephesus (2 Tim 1:16-18) and by some of the local Roman Christians (2 Tim 4:21), but only Luke was able to stay with him (2 Tim 4:11). Various friends and fellow workers had gone to different places in the service of God, though Demas, who had been faithful to him during his previous imprisonment, had now left him for no good reason (2 Tim 4:10,12; cf. Col 4:14). Apart from giving Timothy details concerning his circumstances in Rome, Paul wanted to give him added encouragement concerning the church in Ephesus. The Ephesian church was still troubled by false teaching, and Paul wanted Timothy to stand firm in his defence of the gospel. Contents of 2 Timothy The letter opens with Paul’s encouraging Timothy to exercise his God-given gifts with boldness and to defend the gospel against all attacks (1:1-14). He mentions Onesiphorus as an example of wholehearted faithfulness (1:15-18), and impresses upon Timothy the need for endurance (2:1-13). Paul then deals specifically with the problem of the false teachers. He urges Timothy to concentrate on the main truths of the Christian faith and to avoid useless arguments (2:14-26). He warns that opposition to the truth of God will increase (3:1-9). In view of this, Timothy is to be an example to all, through enduring suffering patiently and preaching the Word constantly (3:10-4:5). Paul looks back on his own service for God with satisfaction (4:6-8), and concludes with details and advice in relation to his present circumstances in Rome (4:9-22).

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June is Indigenous History Month and, to honour its intent, Leddy Library’s Indigenous outreach librarian Jennifer Soutter has curated a short list of resources to help others get started on learning about Indigenous Allyship. “The list includes some of the resources that helped orient me and change my thinking as a settler who is undergoing this journey of reconciliation on the traditional lands of the Three Fires Confederacy,” said Soutter. “Many of the items included in this list reflect both my learnings to date and my limitations, as I feel I am at the front end of a journey full of waystations.” This list features six sections related to being on the land in this geographic and cultural area, each curated to educate and encourage others to reflect on learning about Indigenous communities, their history, and what it means to be an ally: - Local communities - Check yourself - Align values for the work - Approaches to start educating yourself - Settler history of the land - Continuing your journey The Leddy Library invites you to explore these resources and others to learn more during Indigenous History Month. To suggest additional readings or resources for the list, contact Soutter at [email protected].

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The Washington Post reports on an nonpeer-reviewed NOAA study that found that 'freak chance' was the major reason for last month's US heat wave: ...The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration analyzed the causes and chances of what it nicknamed “meteorological March madness.” Meteorologist Martin Hoerling said the main cause was a persistent warm wind sending toasty air north from the Gulf of Mexico. The study is not peer-reviewed and some outside scientists say it is short-sighted.Look, in addition to climate there is always still weather. How else would an extreme weather event manifest itself except if it was driven to wherever it took place by meteorological pressure forces? “Climate change was certainly a factor, but it was certainly a minor factor,” Hoerling said. He said the bigger issue was wind patterns. Low pressure in the Pacific Northwest and high pressure in New England created a perfect funnel, like the gutter lane in a bowling alley, for warm air in the Gulf of Mexico to head north. That air is about 15 to 20 degrees warmer than the air in the Midwest. From time to time that air heads north, but what is unusual is that the wind pattern stayed that way for about two weeks. So meteorologists, who are educated in the tools of meteorology, are (it seems to me) going to look at events and see all their contours and arrows and find an explanation in the language their tools provide them. It was the same with the Russian heat wave, where some saw "blocking." Blocking isn't really an explanation, it's just a description in a certain language. Surely that wasn't the first time such blocking had ever occurred. So why did the temperature rise so high with this blocking and not previous blockings? The meteorologist above says, of the US heat wave (as paraphrased by the reporter), 'from time to time that air heads north, but what is unusual is that the wind pattern stayed that way for about two weeks.' Well, how unusual was it? Had it ever happened before? If so, had the temperature risen that high before? If not, why not? Because there is more energy in the atmosphere, because the Earth has an energy imbalance.

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One is always grateful to see attention paid to the quality and quantity of household data available to study poverty. It is a subject dear to my heart and to my colleagues in the Living Standards Measurement Study (LSMS ) in the World Bank. In sub-Saharan Africa, as a recent Global Dashboard post titled “What do we really know about poverty and inequality?” by Claire Melamed points out, there is still a dearth of data, even after years of government effort and international support. But there are data -- in some countries lots of data -- so it’s worth highlighting what is there. Today I wanted to add some nuance to the discussion of income and assets raised by Claire and, probably more importantly, steer people to some new data that will, we hope, excite the most blasé of you out there. There are, in sub-Saharan Africa, more household surveys with asset information than information on income or consumption. To some extent this will always be the case as most surveys that collect income or consumption data also collect asset information while the reverse is not true. But more importantly, many surveys collect only asset information given the cost (and complexity) of collecting a monetary measure of welfare. The original asset index is probably the unmet basic needs indicators formed from census data in the 1960s and 1970s. In the absence of good household surveys, these were helpful indicators to understand, a bit, how people lived. Then the era of household surveys rolled in and suddenly we were able to pick apart the poverty story, understand how poor some people really were and make clear comparisons across groups and across time. This is what we want, but we can’t always get it due to the costs. So, in recent years, the asset index has been put forth as a proxy for income or consumption. Better than nothing, it is argued and, in some cases, valuable in its own right. The problem with an asset index is that it is hard to use. Construction is easy. As Deon Filmer and I show in a forthcoming paper in Demography, it doesn’t appear that it matters tremendously how you add up your radios and beds. But the index only ranks households; it doesn’t tell you much about the distance between households and inequality in any way that one can really talk about. (Think for example, is having two beds better than two radios? Or is one bed, a radio and a wood floor better then two beds and a dirt floor?). Money makes life easier, both to spend and to measure welfare and talk about inequality. Having said that, Deon and I do find that the asset index works for some purposes: inferences about the importance of economic status in education, health and some labor outcomes are quite robust to the choice of per capita consumption or an asset index. But, consumption measures and asset indices are different measures: the rank correlation coefficient between per capita consumption and various asset indices averaged around .55 to .60 for the eight countries we looked at. So, while asset indices have their role, they are not a substitute for a good monetary measure of welfare. Back to the overall household data picture. There is good news and bad news. The good news is the increase in the number of national household surveys in the world, not least in Sub-Saharan Africa, that provide monetary measures of welfare and asset data. In 1979 Robert McNamara, then President of the World Bank, was supposedly shocked to see so many holes in the first World Development Report--- only 17 developing countries had micro, distributional data, yet macroeconomic variables were available for almost all. The need to rectify this situation was the impetus for the LSMS. The first LSMS surveys were done in 1985 in Peru and Côte d’Ivoire, the most recent are in the field as we speak, but I’ll come back to that. The advantage of LSMS, and other multi-topic, household surveys is that one can look at the causes and correlates of observed outcomes, and not be stuck just knowing that malnutrition is 12 percent without having a clue why that is so or the most efficient way to lower it. The bad news on the data front is that there are not enough countries that systematically collect comparable national data on anything, let alone poverty. ( Ethiopia, Ghana and South Africa stand out as exceptions) But more is needed to give rise to a culture of empirically-based policy making and create sustainable survey programs. It is not only about money --even DHS surveys which are typically more expensive than the LSMS surveys get done with some regularity—but instead a series of complex factors that will have to be the subject of another post. For those of us who want more data and better data in Sub-Saharan Africa, there is further good news. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation have provided funding to the LSMS for a new initiative: the LSMS-Integrated Surveys on Agriculture or LSMS-ISA. Six countries are benefiting from this initiative as we collaborate closely with national data producers and users, particularly ministries of agriculture, to develop and implement panel LSMS surveys with a substantial agricultural module. The data sets will advance research and policy work on agriculture’s role in welfare and household activities. And need I go on about the fun of having that much panel data to work with? We have also built in rigorous validation of new techniques and methods to keep expanding knowledge of what works in data collection and what doesn’t. All of this data will be publicly available within a year of collection. The first data set is already available for Tanzania; Malawi, Nigeria and Uganda are soon to follow. Ethiopia and Niger will be in the field this year. The model is already being built on: USAID is now funding the inclusion of a seventh country—Mali-- in the project. So not all is completely bleak, good monetary measures of welfare will be available for another group of countries over the next few years in Africa. But, as in the rest of the world, further coordination and clever ideas on how to move us all closer to the goal of sustainable systems of data collection are still needed.

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In K-12 schools, communities composed of intricate webs of student-student, adult-student, and adult-adult social interactions, we tend to expend minimal energy designing or adopting programs that help students and adults navigate complex social interactions. When relationship problems do arise, we handle them in the moment usually with more reactive rather than proactive focus. Of course, some schools bring in social-emotional curriculum to help students learn to thrive in their school community. This is certainly an important first step. But in the end, do we hold ourselves accountable for defining the indicators and outcomes we want to achieve through our efforts? Do we place as much value on a student’s social-emotional growth as we do on their academic growth? Consider this, we eagerly assess a student on a scale of A-F or 100-0, hopefully not zero, with regard to their academic growth. Academic achievement or grading conversations consume considerable time and energy in a teacher’s, student’s or parent’s school experience. However, we spend little quality time discussing a student’s social-emotional growth, and we certainly don’t “grade it.” You’ve heard the saying, “what we assess is what we value!” In this post, I’m suggesting schools spend time thinking about, designing, and implementing programs, structures, and conversations centered on the social-emotional growth of students, and make use of research in neuroscience which confirms that social-emotional learning supports overall cognitive growth. Healthy social-emotional development in young children correlates with healthy cognitive development and therefore creates a strong foundation for future school achievement. (1) Neuroscientists are conducting research on different aspects of how a person navigates interpersonal relationships. The research is providing a window into how the decisions we make in relationships impact our overall emotional health and happiness. For example, Sabrina Strang and colleagues published a 2014 study, Neural Correlates of Receiving an Apology and Active Forgiveness, which illustrated that the act of apologizing and forgiving activate neural pathways that lead to the development of a stronger empathy response. The authors write: Activation in a network of frontal, temporal and parietal regions is often found in empathy processes. Empathy includes emotional as well as cognitive processes. By simulating the emotional experience of others we can intuitively understand what the other person feels. In schools, do we model for students the power of an apology? Do we design learning environments where students are taught how to work through complex interpersonal relationships? Do we encourage them to process their feelings, apologize when they hurt others, and forgive those who violate boundaries? As adults, do we model these healing behaviors for students as we navigate public adult-adult relationships? My experiences in a variety of schools has been that these programs or experiences are hit-and-miss, and generally only happen when a situation becomes a crisis. On March 30, 2017, Krista Tippett published her On Being interview with Layli Long Soldier, “a writer, a mother, a citizen of the U.S. and of the Oglala Lakota Nation.” She is the author of the book of poetry, Whereas. You can read an excerpt on the Poetry Foundation website (click here). In the interview, Long Soldier reflects on the impact of personal and national apologies on her psyche or our national psyche. She tells a power story about her father’s apology to her about not being there in her formative years. And when I was in my 20s, he came to visit one time and unexpectedly, he was sitting at breakfast with me and apologized for not being there. And I think there was something in the way he said it. He cried when he said it. And I could feel it, I could physically feel that he meant it. And really — and I can say this to this day — in that moment, all of it was gone. Like, all that stuff I’d been carrying around — it was gone. It was lifted. And I feel, in many ways, we started new from that point on. I really have not had the need to go back and rehash things with him and so on. We started from that place forward. We’ve known each other in a different way. She goes on to comment that: I think there has to be a kind of trust building in order for any kind of apology to be effective, whether it’s interpersonal or at a national level. In her interview, she references the United States congressional resolution of apology to Native Americans in 2009, which was enacted as part of the 2010 Defense Appropriations Act. The apology was not public, and was buried deep in the document (click here). Layli Long Soldier heard about the apology months after it was official, but never through any public forum. I had not heard of the apology because it was never part of our national dialogue. Former President Obama’s failed to understand how making this public was instrumental to the healing process. Here is a quote from the apology (click here for more details): To acknowledge a long history of official depredations and ill-conceived policies by the federal government regarding Indian tribes and offer an apology to all Native Peoples on behalf of the United States. An apology is only meaningful if it comes from the heart. The words, expressions, and sentiments have to resonate with those who are on the receiving end of the apology. If you listen to Layli Long Soldier’s interview, then it’s clear the US apology to Native Americans did not come from the collective heart of the American people. It was a legally crafted set of words, buried deep within another document, that we were afraid to share. I would conclude that our national psyche, our social-emotional health, was still unapologetic for all the hurt we caused Native Americans. A public apology by then President Obama, in the form of a ceremony at a sacred Native American site, would have been a more meaningful resolution to the long history of pain we caused. In our schools, we need to teach students how to give and accept apologies as a way to heal. Healing is a process and an art. It requires a strong inner voice and a moral grounding that allows for an expression of vulnerability. Being vulnerable is a quality that leads to establishing trusting relationships. (1) Ready 4 K, The Importance of Social and Emotional Development in Young Children, Megan Waltz (click here)

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Mafra National Palace The impressive Mafra National Palace from the 18th century is known by its Basilica with the carilons as well as the magnificent Library Mafra National Palace (Palácio Nacional de Mafra) raises majestic over Mafra and it seems like a giant looking down the small town at its feet. The monument is one of the most impressive examples of the Baroque style, showing also some of the Italianized Neoclassical traces. However its grandeur comes from the fact that Mafra National Palace, one of the biggest buildings constructed in Europe on the 18th century, is more than just a palace. To be accurate it is a complex that houses a monastery with a basilica as well. In fact it rivals with the Spanish Escorial and the Pope’s official residence. Mafra National Palace was built under the orders of king John V, who had made the promise to build a convent if the Queen Anne of Austria, his wife, gave him descendants. Therefore, when Princess Barbara of Bragança was born, the construction of the monument started on November 17, 1717, with a ceremony attended by the King and his court, as well as the Cardinal Patriarch of Lisbon. Photo by MulderMedia At first the monument was intended to be much smaller. In fact, the project was designed to be a modest convent of 13 Capuchin friars. However, the gold from Brazil began to arrive in abundance and the King inebriated with all that wealth, changed his mind and decided to have erected a sumptuous palace along with an enlarged monastery. So, thanks to the gold from Brazil the design was changed and the Palace was built symmetrically from a central axis, where the basilica is to be found, and it stretches lengthwise through the main façade ending in two identical towers. Behind the main façade are the convent infrastructures that where abandoned by the Franciscans after the dissolution of the religious orders commanded by Queen Mary II in 1834. Photo by MulderMedia Since 1849, the monastery area of the building is occupied by the militaries. The construction lasted for 13 years under the orientation of Johann Friedrich Ludwig, a German called João Frederico Ludovice by the Portuguese. Nevertheless, other architects intervened on the construction process, namely Carlos Baptista Garbo, Custódio Vieira, Manuel da Maia and even the son of Ludwig, António. To build a complex of 37,79m2, with a 220 meters long façade, more than 4,700 doors and windows, about 1,200 rooms and 156 stairways is an amazing achievement. It was only possible due to an unprecedented logistic that included a daily huge army of workers who reached the 45,000 men by the final phase of the project. To maintain peace and order on the construction site where assigned 7,000 soldiers. The basilica, dedicated to Our Lady and to Saint Anthony, patron of Lisbon, and the convent were inaugurated on October 22nd, 1730, the King’s birthday. Nevertheless works went on until 1755 when the working force had to be transferred to the recovery of Lisbon after the Great Earthquake that destroyed a large part of the city. The palace served mostly as a recreation accommodation for the royal court, whose members enjoyed hunting in the nearby Tapada de Mafra. King John VI, who lived in the palace for a year, ordered a partial renovation of the building, enriching it with sumptuous works of art of several renowned artists. Yet, following the French invasions, the Royal Family fled to Brazil taking with it some of the best art and furniture pieces. Therefore, many of the rooms were later on redecorated in the original style. The Palace was occupied by the French General Junot until he was driven out by Wellington and his men. This monument is a landmark of the transition into a Republican regime thus it was from here that Manuel II, the last Portuguese King, departure on October 5th 1910 to Ericeira on his way to the exile. In 1907 Mafra National Palace was declared a national monument. The highlights of Mafra National Palace The magnificent pieces of art and furniture exhibited on the Palace coming from all over the world and designed by famed artists, as well as its architectural sumptuous amaze the visitors. In fact, the distance between the King and Queen Chambers was such that when the King wanted to pay her a visit, his departure was announced by the sound of a hornet. Nevertheless, it is the richly decorated Basilica that enraptures the tourists, especially due to the six historical organs and two carillons, composed of 92 bells, founded in Antwerp. It is said that the bell-founders were so impressed by the size of the task that asked to be paid in advance. To assure them, the King doubled the amount offered for the work. The Mafra carillons are the world’s largest historical collection of this type. Sometimes concerts are held and listing to the music coming from these unique instruments is a heavenly experience no one should miss. The magnificent library is another ex libris of the monument. Richly decorated under the Rococo style is 88 meters long, 9.5 meters wide and 13 meters high. It houses over 35,000 leather-bound books, which contain a huge part of the western knowledge acquired between the 14th and 19th centuries. Some of these books are priceless bibliographical pieces such as incunabula, a book that was printed in Europe before 1501. This treasure is not only preserved by natural techniques of conservation that avoid humidity, but also by a few bats that inhabit the library and eat all the insects that might destroy this unique books collection. Photo by Xavi Llunell The legends of Mafra National Palace As any other self-respecting monument, Mafra National Palace has its own legends. In my opinion, the most bizarre states that there are giant rats living in the palace and that by night these huge animals come outside to hunt cats, dogs and even people. Probably this tale is due to the large sewer system of the palace. Another less terrifying legend speaks of a secret tunnel, linking Mafra to Ericeira. Some say that King Manuel II used it to avoid exile and remained in the country. 10 am – 5:30 pm (last admission: 4.30 pm) Closed on Tuesdays and in the following Holidays: New Year’s Day, Easter Sunday, May Day, Ascension Day and Christmas Day. Basilica: Everyday, 10:00 – 13:00 and 14:00 – 17:00 Library (for readers): – Everyday, 10:00 – 12:30 and 14:00 – 17:00 Entry tickets: € 6 Estimated Visit Time: 1,5 hour (complete tour) Where is Mafra National Palace? Further information on Mafra National Palace - Mafra National Palace at Association of European & Royal Residences - Mafra National Palace at WikiPedia Main image credits - Photo by Xavi Llunell

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We develop and provide novel, innovative flow simulation tools and experimental methods for water management stakeholders. We perform field and laboratory measurements to describe water flow in porous and karstified rocks. We evaluate pumping tests in combination with numerical solutions to analyse groundwater flow from laboratory to regional scale. We are advancing field methods and protocols for measuring sediment transport in surface waters to be used in the daily work of authorities. A promising technology is the Particle Image Velocimetry for improving bedload transport sampling. We develop software for urban water systems. Our space-time failure models of water networks to support reconstruction strategies. Our sediment transport module is integrated into the EPA SWMM stormwater hydrodynamics software. We improve technologies for water and wastewater treatment, water reuse, sludge digestion and disposal, as well as micropollutants. Our research on Microbial Electrolysis Cells (MEC) may serve as a novel technology in water treatment and groundwater remediation. We contribute to national-scale water management projects. Our surveys help refine to the national emission model with improved estimation of the pollution of surface waters associated with urban road runoff. As part of the national flood management strategy, we have established a probabilistic modelling approach for the revision of design flood levels for all rivers in Hungary. Our model development and field surveys underpins Our research on Microbial Electrolysis Cells (MEC) may serve the planning of the national sediment monitoring network. as a novel technology in water treatment and groundwater remediation. Stochastic rainfall generator and downscaling Modell of the flood levels for all rivers in Hungary. methods are developed to urban rainfall runoff. We develop and provide novel, innovative inertial sensor-based measurement arrangement and track quality index for condition monitoring of tramway track. Development of a railway track and bridge interaction Development of a railway track and bridge interaction model includes model in respect of longitudinal effects. the longitudinal displacement of bridges due to braking forces (upper diagram) and the negative acceleration of the locomotives (lower diagram).

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Πειραματική μελέτη συμπεριφοράς θερμομονωτικών υλικών MetadataShow full item record Η παρούσα διπλωματική εργασία μελετά τη θερμική συμπεριφορά τεσσάρων θερμομονωτικών υλικών σε σχέση με τον προσανατολισμό τους.( συνέχεια στο pdf για ελληνικά ) Αγγλικά This thesis investigates the thermal behavior of four insulation materials in relation to their orientation. In addition it calculates the energy saving and reduction of CO2 emissions by applying insulation materials in buildings. The behavior of the materials was tested with an experimental procedure. The materials used were expanded polystyrene, graphite enhanced expanded polystyrene, extruded polystyrene and mineral wool. According to the results of the experiment, the tested materials have similar behavior with that of extruded polystyrene being slightly better than the rest. Extruded polystyrene has the lowest sensitivity to orientational shift, while expanded polystyrene has the greatest. After the orientation study, the materials were tested according to their application in building structures using the Thermocad TiSoft software. Energy saving in buildings is about 47% with the use of insulation materials. CO2 emissions are reduced by the same rate.

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Using Appreciative Inquiry to Advance Extension The Appreciative Inquiry philosophy challenges conventional problem solving methods of managing change. The Extension profession could benefit from utilizing this approach because organizations grow in the direction on which they focus and around the questions that they repeatedly ask. The principles of Appreciative Inquiry are applied using the 4-D cycle (Discover, Dream, Design, and Destiny). This article is written to be a practical approach on how to capitalize on the positive and to help create a positive environment for growth and development of Extension personnel and programs. Peutz, J., & Kroth, M. (2009). Using Appreciative Inquiry to Advance Extension. The Journal of Extension, 47(5), Article 45. https://tigerprints.clemson.edu/joe/vol47/iss5/45

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Safety First. Quality Always. Innovating for the Future. Sheep producers supply animals for slaughter for human consumption. Therefore, as food producers they have an important role to play in presenting clean sheep for slaughter. The 3 Category System classifies sheep cleanliness as the following: - Farmers, hauliers and processors all have a role to play in reducing the risk of food contamination following the transport of livestock. - It is important to minimise the food safety risk associated with soiling of fleeces with faecal material. - Good hygiene during sheep transport is important to food safety. Cleanliness of the transport vehicle is important to avoid cross-contamination from previous loads and/or from chemical cleaning agents. - Unsuitable conditions during transport may result in lambs being downgraded in the factory to a lower cleanliness category and costing the farmer money. - Harmful bacteria such as E. coli 0157, Salmonella and Campylobacter can live in sheep faecal matter. If contamination goes unnoticed it can cause sever, even fatal disease in humans. - Clean sheep at slaughter minimises the risk to human health, contributes to the production of safe meat, and improves the shelf life of product produced. - Wet fleeces can increase the spread of harmful bacteria onto the carcase. Harmful bacteria can spread from dirty bedding in a dirty housing environment. - We all have a part to play in producing a safe, quality product. - Harmful bacteria found on dirty fleeces such as Clostridium estertheticum and Clostridium gasigenes can be easily transferred to the carcase. These bacteria can easily cause food spoilage costing millions of euro. - Avoid unnecessary mixing of groups. - Ensure Sheep are clean and dry. - Avoid sudden changes to diet to avoid dietary upsets/scouring. - Crutch/dag dirty lambs before transport. - House on straw bedding or clean slats. - Withdraw feed for min 8 hours, max 12 hours before slaughter. Liaise with processor for delivery times. - Always have clean drinking water available. - Poor transport conditions may result in clean animals becoming contaminated. - Vehicles should be well ventilated and roofed where possible. - Ensure vehicle is clean, dry and disinfected before loaded. - Use absorbent materials on the floor such as straw, shavings or saw dust. - Where decks are in use, make sure urine/faeces from higher decks do not soil sheep on lower decks. - Ensure vehicles comply with relevant road safety laws and permissible weight limits. - For animals transported distances greater than 65 km, use DAFM authorised hauliers only.

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HISTORICAL BACKGROUNDHitler with members of his general staff. At 04:40am on September 1, 1939, waves of Luftwaffe aircraft swept down to strike airfields all across Poland. Almost simultaneously, 44 German infantry divisions and 14 armored divisions surged across the frontier catching Poland’s thirty-odd infantry and cavalry divisions almost completely by surprise. Without bothering with the inconvenient formality of a declaration of war, Hitler had ordered the invasion and subjugation of his smaller neighbor to the east. England and France, although incapable of providing the Poles with any immediate direct assistance, quickly demonstrated their support for Poland by declaring war on Hitler’s Germany on 3 September. Seventeen days after the initial German onslaught, Soviet troops crossed a nearly-prostrate Poland’s eastern border to help the Germans complete the Polish nation’s final dismemberment. Poland was the first European nation to succumb through direct military conquest to Hitler’s dream of a modern German Empire, but it would not be the last. Winston Churchill examines a weapon in the field. In both London and Paris, British and French heads of state were confronted with the unthinkable: despite repeated concessions by the western democracies to Hitler’s never-ending territorial demands, all hope for preserving peace in Europe had evaporated. Churchill had been proven right: the German Führer’s ambitions were too great even for the most craven of appeasers to satisfy. Thus, for the second time in a generation, Europe’s Great Powers had stumbled into war. Tragically, the greatest military conflict in human history, seemingly almost by accident, had begun without any of its participants fully understanding its future geographical reach, its ultimate magnitude, or its unbelievable human and material cost. Over and above the standard body of rules governing regular turn-by-turn play, THIRD REICH also includes a collection of specialized rules that contribute important historical detail to the strategic flow and direction of the game. These special rules include, among other things: limitations on Anglo-French and German-Italian Cooperation; restrictions on Axis Forces in Africa and British Forces in Malta; rules for Allied Lend-Lease and Murmansk Convoys; special rules for Poland/East Europe; restrictions on Russo-Allied Cooperation; Airborne Operations; and the effects of the Russian Winter on Axis combat operations. In addition, other rules are included in the game which cover important issues such as: Switzerland and Swiss neutrality; Spain and Spanish Colonies; the effects of Axis control of the Suez Canal and/or Gibraltar; the creation of Vichy France and the operational limits on Vichy French units; and Partisans. THIRD REICH, as noted previously, can be played by two to six players; moreover, it also lends itself very well to solitaire play. Interestingly, regardless of whether the two-player or the multi-player version of the game is chosen, the players still have the option of beginning their contest at any of three critical junctures in World War II: 1939 (Fall of Poland); 1942 (Axis ‘High Water’ Mark); and 1944 (Germany at Bay). Moreover, in the case of all three of these Basic Scenarios, players have two additional game options: they can continue a particular game up to and including the last turn of the specific scenario, or, alternatively, players can continue to slug it out until either the Axis wins or until Berlin falls to the Allies. For those players who want to refight the entire war in Europe, the Campaign Game begins in the same fashion as the 1939 Scenario and continues through summer, 1945. In addition to the different ‘starting’ scenarios, the game also includes another intriguing design feature: randomly-chosen 'Variant' counters. Just before the start of play, both the German and the British players blindly select one numbered chit from an available pool of 10 different Variant counters. Also, the pool of available Variant counters can also be increased, at the players’ option, to include additional ‘experimental’ game variants. These secret (until played) game variants — because they can affect everything from starting BRP levels, to minor country alliances, to changes in national unit force pools — multiply the opposing players’ strategic options and, at the same time, also introduce the ‘fog of war’ into the game. Thus, between the different possible scenarios and the potentially significant effects of variant counters, it is no exaggeration to say that, given the many built-in strategic alternatives that the game design makes available to the two opposing coalitions, an individual player could start a hundred different THIRD REICH games and never see any two of them develop along exactly the same lines. A PERSONAL OBSERVATIONB-26 Marauder over Normandy on D-Day. When I reflect on the nearly half-century that I have been personally involved with conflict simulations, 1974 stands out as a watershed year for wargaming. During that heady, twelve month period, Simulations Publications Inc. (SPI) published the First Edition of WAR IN THE EAST, and the Avalon Hill Game Company (TAHGC) published both PANZER LEADER and the first edition of the RISE AND DECLINE OF THE THIRD REICH. All three of these games — at least, in my view — were exciting new additions to a rapidly growing body of commercially-produced conflict simulations. However, as good as the first two titles were, THIRD REICH still stands out as the one truly “ground-breaking” game to appear in 1974 or, for that matter, in any other year. This is because, just like PANZERBLITZ (1970) before it, THIRD REICH truly rocked the hobby when it first burst onto the conflict simulation scene; and every gamer that I knew, myself included, literally rushed out to buy Avalon Hill’s new strategic game of World War II in Europe. Even more importantly, once all of us had purchased our own copies of THIRD REICH, we all played it — a lot. German casualties, Battle of Moscow, during the coldest winter in 40 years. The immediate success of THIRD REICH was, in some ways, a little surprising because, at first glance, it seemed to have three obvious shortcomings when it came to winning wide-spread acceptance among gamers. First, the rules — at least by the standards of 1974 — were very long and very complicated. Second, the heavy emphasis on the economic factors that drove events in World War II meant that players had no choice but to keep carefully-written records of their turn-by-turn expenditures of BRPs (and convenient, standardized forms for this record-keeping were not included with the game). Third, the simulation architecture of the game represented a major, even radical departure from virtually every other game system that was in the marketplace at the time. Despite these factors, however, THIRD REICH became an almost instantaneous hit: the game system was simply so richly-textured, so challenging, and so exciting that players, almost universally, accepted the game’s peculiar foibles without complaint. After all, it seemed to include almost everything a player could hope for; among the THIRD REICH game counters were air wings, fleets, infantry, armor, airborne, and partisans. But, there was more: there were German U-Boats and Allied escorts, Allied bombers and German fighters; there were Murmansk convoys and amphibious landings; and most importantly, there was a workable game system for simulating the effects of Blitzkrieg within the context of a strategic-level game. Italian anti-aircraft gun, North Africa. Interestingly, the real genius of the THIRD REICH game system was not that it combined air, ground and naval operations together in a single simulation platform: Larry Pinsky and Thomas Shaw, with BLITZKRIEG (1965); and Jim Dunnigan and company, with STRATEGY I and USN (both in 1971), had already done something at least somewhat similar. The design elements that really set THIRD REICH apart from its predecessors were two-fold: first, it offered a game system that seamlessly wove together the different actions of the various combat arms into a unified whole; second, it presented an economic ‘game-within-a-game’ that both emphasized the importance of industrial productivity to the conduct of modern (20th Century) military operations, and that also clearly illustrated the limits that the differing industrial capacities of the various Major Powers placed on their ability to wage war. Modern warfare is expensive and THIRD REICH showed this aspect of industrialized, total war as no other title had ever done before it. Armies, air forces, and fleets were destroyed and rebuilt as the game progressed; not once, but over and over again. In addition, besides the unavoidable costs of conventional combat, the economic effects of the German U-Boat campaign against England, and the Allied bomber offensive against Germany were also both finally incorporated into a conflict simulation in such a way that they made strategic sense and yet did not bog down the flow of the game. In terms of its overall conceptualization and design, THIRD REICH had all the earmarks of a masterpiece; in terms of the game’s pre-publication development and play-testing, however, it very quickly became apparent that everybody’s favorite new game had more than a few playability issues. German King Tiger tank and infantry at Kursk. Among my circle of friends, the first major problem with the game’s design surfaced in only our second or third outing, and it was a real jolt to all of us around the game table. What happened was that — once France was conquered and the B.E.F. had been driven from the Continent — instead of turning east to attack Russia in 1941, the German player instead launched a surprise airborne assault against London. The combination of the Italian Air Force and Luftwaffe allowed the Germans to swamp the London garrison and the badly-outnumbered, supporting RAF. Even worse was the realization by the Allied players that because London was now in German hands, there were no remaining Allied supply sources left from which to support a British counterattack against the German paratrooper in the English capital. This was a real (and non-trivial) defect in the game’s design, and it was not the only one. Because the game was so widely popular, the questions just kept coming. Not surprisingly, a steady stream of fixes and outright rules changes quickly began to flow back out of Baltimore. To solve the ‘London’ problem, English stacking (only) was adjusted to allow three British units to garrison the British capital, and the ‘rules editor’ at the General also imposed new limits on the number of air strength points that could be added in support of ground forces, both on attack and defense. Unfortunately, this was only the “tip of the ice berg.” THIRD REICH rules questions were rapidly turning into a ‘whack a mole’ situation for Avalon Hill; as soon as one problem was solved, another popped up to take its place. For example, in the first edition of the game, it turned out that the Germans could — with careful planning — actually win the U-Boat War against the Allies. And then there was the ‘Gibraltar’ problem: an early Axis conquest of Spain followed by the seizure of Gibraltar made possible a joint invasion of England by a massive combined force of Italian and German fleets and air wings. Even if the invasion failed, the air and naval battles that resulted from the Axis seaborne assault usually left the Royal Navy so weakened that an Allied return to the European mainland, even with American help, became highly problematical later in the war. And then there was the question of Sea Transport to and from small islands; and what happened if a Major Power’s BRP level was reduced by enemy action to below zero? The questions and rules disputes just kept cropping up. Thus, it steadily became more and more obvious that it was only a matter of time before the rule book would have to get a major facelift; and, sure enough, faced with a commercially successful but flawed product, Avalon Hill finally succumbed to popular pressure and published a Second Edition version of the rules. German Type VII U-boat goes to sea from its base on France's west coast. Unfortunately for the boys in Baltimore, the THIRD REICH rules odyssey didn’t end there; and as yet more rules problems came to light, a third and finally, a Fourth Edition version of the rules was brought out to, hopefully, clear away the last few bits of confusion that still surrounded the game. Interestingly, besides the game rules, the original game map also underwent a facelift; and even the Scenario Cards were modified two more times before Avalon Hill was finally satisfied with their third and final version. These final fixes seemed, at last, to solve most of the problems that had plagued earlier versions of the game. It had taken seven long years, and the input of thousands of dedicated players, but THIRD REICH had finally become the game that had been promised back in 1974. In the eyes of many of its fans, the wait was worth it. American soldiers on a forest road in the Ardennes. Of course, 1974 was a long time ago, and popular tastes inevitably change. In 1992, Avalon Hill brought out a ‘super-sized’, expanded replacement for the original game, ADVANCED THIRD REICH. And, although a number of diehard fans immediately moved on to the bigger, still more detailed game, a substantial number of us stayed with the 4th Edition of the original. Nowadays, a brief walk through the ‘open-gaming’ area of any of the major wargaming conventions will show that THIRD REICH, even after thirty-six years, still retains a loyal following within the hobby. In fact, in the eyes of many traditional, long-time players (myself, included), John Prados’ design is still the best ‘tabletop’, strategic-level treatment of the European Theater of World War II ever published. Doubtless, a number of contemporary players will disagree with this opinion, but it is, nonetheless, a tough proposition to refute: the game, in spite of its age, is still just that good. And whatever else one may think of this title, given its colorful history of modifications, rules changes and design tweaks, probably no other conflict simulation has gone through — or, ever will again — as thorough a game design process, based on post-publication feedback, as has THIRD REICH. Marching through the mountains, Sicily, 1943. This all leads to the obvious question: Who should own a copy of THIRD REICH, 4th Edition? After all, Prados’ design is not the only game to cover World War II in Europe; in fact, quite a few other strategic-level, normal-sized (non-monster) games have attempted to tackle the same subject over the years — WORLD WAR II (1973), HITLERS’S WAR (1981), WORLD WAR II: EUROPEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (1985), AXIS & ALLIES: EUROPE (1999) and WORLD WAR II: BARBAROSSA TO BERLIN (2002), just to name a few — and all of them, to varying degrees, are successful games. So, what really sets this aging Prados design apart from its many competitors? The short answer, I think, is that, as interesting and enjoyable as some of these other titles are, none of them — not even an exciting ‘card-driven game’ (CDG) like WORLD WAR II: BARBAROSSA TO BERLIN — can really match THIRD REICH when it comes to its historical sweep, the competing strategic options (both operational and economic) that the multi-layered simulation platform makes possible, or the tense, nail-biting action that this game produces, turn after turn, particularly when played by evenly-matched experts. Stuka dive bombers. Of course, the richness and density of the THIRD REICH game system, in spite of its many virtues, also pretty much guarantees that it will not be a suitable choice for every type of player. Thus, given the fact that the 4th Edition Rule Book — counting charts and designer’s notes — is thirty-six pages of small print, it is probably a good bet that most novice or casual gamers would find the simulation too detailed and much too complicated to really be engaging or enjoyable. In short, THIRD REICH is really not a game for dabblers. On the other hand, both for experienced players and for serious collectors, I believe that this title is absolutely a MUST OWN. There may be better ‘tabletop’ treatments of the Second World War in Europe and North Africa, but if there are, I have yet to encounter them; and until I do, THIRD REICH, despite its age, will remain my personal favorite. For those players with one of the earlier editions of THIRD REICH, the 4th edition rules are available for download, thanks to the yeoman efforts of Lewis Goldberg, at http://www.boardgamegeek.com/filepage/50134/error/expired/3r-4th-edition-rules. Please note, however, that the 4th edition rules should be used along with the 2nd edition map boards and the 3rd edition scenario cards. - Time Scale: 3 months (seasonal turns) - Map Scale: 100 kilometers per hex (estimated) - Unit Size: corps, fleet, air group - Unit Types: armor, infantry, airborne, replacement, partisan, fleet, air, air base, strategic warfare (SW) units, and information markers - Number of Players: two - six - Complexity: high/expert - Solitaire Suitability: high - Average Playing Time: 3-20+ hours (depending on scenario) - One (four section) 22” x 32” hexagonal grid 2nd Edition Map Board (with Turn Record Track, BRP Costs Chart, Combat Results Table, Attrition Results Table, Strategic Warfare Tables, Interception Table, Minor Country Forces Chart, SW Holding Boxes, and Off-Map Holding Boxes incorporated) - 560 ½” cardboard Counters - One 8” x 11” THIRD REICH, 4th Ed. Rules Booklet (with National Air and Naval DRM Charts, Air Attack on Naval Forces Table, Naval Advantage Chart and Intelligence Table incorporated) - Six 5½” x 8” back-printed 3rd Edition National Scenario Starting Forces Cards - One 5½” x 8” Avalon Hill ‘Silver Jubilee’ Catalog and Order Form Booklet - One 5½” x 8½” back-printed Avalon Hill the General Ad Slick - One 5½” x 7” Avalon Hill Customer Response Card - One six-sided Die - One 8½” x 11½” x 2” bookcase-style Game Box Recommended ReadingSee my blog post Book Reviews of these titles; all of which are strongly recommended for those readers interested in further historical background. THE WEST POINT ATLAS OF AMERICAN WARS (Complete 2-Volume Set); edited by Brigadier General Vincent J. Esposito; Frederick A. Praeger, Inc. (1959); ASIN: B000MTBTEU

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Congenital bladder anomalies The two most common congenital bladder abnormalities are exstrophy and congenital diverticula. An exstrophic bladder is one that is open to the outside and turned inside out, so that its inside is visible at birth, protruding from the lower abdomen. A diverticulum is an extension of a hollow organ, usually shaped like a pouch with a narrow opening. During fetal development, folds enclose tissues and organs and eventually fuse at the edges to form sealed compartments. Both in the front and the back, folds eventually become major body structures. In the back, the entire spinal column folds in like a pipe wrapped in a pillow. In the front, the entire lower urinary system is folded in. Exstrophy of the bladder represents a failure of this folding process to complete itself, so the organs form with more or less of their front side missing and remain open to the outside. At the same time, the front of the pelvic bone is widely separated. The abdominal wall is open, too. In fact, the defect often extends all the way to the penis in the male or splits the clitoris in the female. A congenital bladder diverticulum represents an area of weakness in the bladder wall through which extrudes some of the lining of the bladder. (A small balloon squeezed in a fist will create diverticula-like effect between the fingers.) Bladder diverticula may be multiple, and they often occur at the ureterovesical junction (the entrance of the upper urinary system into the bladder). In this location, they may cause urine to reflux into the ureter and kidney, leading to infection and possible kidney damage. Exstrophy is rare, occurring once in approximately 40,000 births. Causes and symptoms As with many birth defects, the causes are not well known. Lack of prenatal care and nutrition has been linked to many birth defects; however, beyond the avoidance of known teratogens (anything that can cause a birth defect), there is little prevention possible. Diverticula are more common and less serious. If left untreated, the person with bladder exstrophy will have no control over urination and is more likely than others to develop bladder cancer . Diverticula, particularly if it causes urine reflux, may lead to chronic infection and its subsequent consequences. A major consideration with congenital abnormalities is that they tend to be multiple. Further, each one is unique in its extent and severity. Exstrophy can involve the rectum and large bowel and coexist with hernias. The obvious bladder exstrophy seen at birth will prompt immediate action and a search for other anomalies. Diverticula are not visible and will be detected only if they cause trouble. They are usually found in an examination for the cause of recurring urinary infections. X rays of the urinary system or a cystoscopy (examination with a telescope-like instrument) will identify them. Often, the two procedures are done together: a urologist performs the cystoscopy, then a radiologist instills a contrast agent into the bladder and takes x rays. Surgery is necessary and can usually produce successful results. If possible, the surgery must be performed within 48 hours of birth. Prior to surgery, the exposed organs must be protected and all related defects identified and managed. Delay in the surgery leads to the frequent need to divert the urine into the bowel because the partially repaired bladder cannot control the flow. After surgery, the likelihood of infection requires monitoring. After surgery, ongoing precautions to reduce frequency of infection may have to be used. Cranberry juice has the ability to keep bacteria from adhering to the membranes and can help prevent infection whenever there is increased risk. There are botanical and homeopathic treatments available; however, consultation by a trained practitioner is recommended before treatment. With immediate surgery, three-fourths of all people can be successfully repaired. They will have control of their urine and no long-term consequences. The rate of infection is greater for those with congenital bladder anomalies, since any abnormality in the urinary system predisposes it to invasion by bacteria. Birth defects often have no precisely identified cause; therefore, prevention is limited to general measures such as early and continuous prenatal care, appropriate nutrition, and a healthy lifestyle. Parents must monitor the urinary output of their newborn children for the first few days of life. Parents of children with bladder diverticula should be aware of prevention and treatment practices for urinary tract infections. Congenital —Present at birth. Cystoscopy —A diagnostic procedure in which a hollow lighted tube (cystoscope) is used to look inside the bladder and the urethra. Diverticulum —Plural, diverticula; an outpouching in a tubular organ caused when the inner, lining layer bulges out (herniates) through the outer, muscular layer. Diverticula are present most often in the colon (large intestine), but are also found in the bladder. Exstrophy —A congenital condition in which a hollow organ, such as the bladder, is turned inside out, establishing contact between the organ and the outside of the body. Radiologist —A medical doctor specially trained in radiology, the branch of medicine concerned with radioactive substances and their use for the diagnosis and treatment of disease. Teratogen —Any drug, chemical, maternal disease, or exposure that can cause physical or functional defects in an exposed embryo or fetus. Ureter —The tube that carries urine from the kidney to the bladder; each kidney has one ureter. Ureterovesical junction —The point where the ureter joins the bladder. Urologist —A physician who specializes in the anatomy, physiology, diseases, and care of the urinary tract (in men and women) and male reproductive tract. See also Cystitis . Asplin, John R., and Fredric L. Coe. "Hereditary Tubular Disorders." In Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine , 15th ed. Edited by Eugene Braunwald et al. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2001, pp. 1598–1605. Elder, Jack S. "Anomalies of the Bladder." In Nelson Textbook of Pediatrics , 17th ed. Edited by Richard E. Behrman, et al. Philadelphia: Saunders, 2003, pp. 1804–5. Guay-Woodford, Lisa M. "Anomalies of the urinary tract." In Cecil Textbook of Medicine , 22nd ed. Edited by Lee Goldman et al. Philadelphia: Saunders, 2003, pp. 772–4. Tanagho, Emil A., and Jack W. McAnich. Smith's General Urology. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2003. Caire, J. T., et al. "MRI of fetal genitourinary anomalies." American Journal of Roentgenology 181, no. 5 (2003): 1381–5. Carr, M. C. "Prenatal management of urogenital disorders." Urology Clinics of North America 31, no. 3 (2004): 389–97. Greenwell, T. J., et al. "Pregnancy after lower urinary tract reconstruction for congenital abnormalities." British Journal of Urology International 92, no. 7 (2004): 773–7. Tsuchiya, M., et al. "Ultrasound screening for renal and urinary tract anomalies in healthy infants." Pediatrics International 45, no. 5 (2003): 617–23. American Academy of Family Physicians. 11400 Tomahawk Creek Parkway, Leawood, KS 66211–2672. Web site: http://www.aafp.org/. American Academy of Pediatrics. 141 Northwest Point Blvd., Elk Grove Village, IL 60007–1098. Web site: http://www.aap.org/default.htm. American Foundation for Urologic Disease. 1128 North Charles St., Baltimore, MD 21201. Web site: http://www.afud.org/. American Urological Association. 1000 Corporate Boulevard Linthicum, MD 21090. Web site: http://www.auanet.org. "Bladder Anomalies." eMedicine. Available online at http://www.emedicine.com/ped/topic1402.htm (accessed December 21, 2004). "Pediatric Urologic Problems>" Department of Urology/Mount Sinai School of Medicine. Available online at http://www.mssm.edu/urology/patient_care/pediatric_urologic_problems.shtml (accessed December 21, 2004). L. Fleming Fallon, Jr., MD, DrPH

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China's vast borders and unique geographical conditions predisposed it to a hierarchically arranged multi-state "zoning system," first instituted in the Chou dynasty's (13th-8th centuries B.C.) feudal network. "The Mandate from Heaven" embodied the moral implications and its "judging god" that the Chou incorporated into their political ethics of a system of a universal state. The Mandate essentially reflected the will of the people and stated that rulers could be removed if they failed to fulfill their prescribed Mandate. As the foundation for Confucian ethics, the Mandate was the guiding force of any political or social choice based on benevolence and humanism, jen and li, respectively. Drawing on the writings of two ancient Chinese philosophers, Motzu (ca. 479-390 B.C.) and Mencius (ca. 370-296 B.C.), Hsu shows how the Confucian virtues of governing emphasized that only a compassionate and just king would be supported by the people, would be able to avoid violence, and would promote moral values among the citizenry. According to Confucius, only moral individuals can create a moral order at every level of society and therefore a moral world with China at its center. The Confucian sino-centric concept of morality and ethics, which dictated both domestic and international policies, maintained that through good government and internal peace and prosperity, China would play a leadership role in the world and serve as a universal paradigm for other nations. To read or purchase the full text of this article, click here.

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As part of the ongoing exhibit of posters in Special Collections for Veterans Day, the students who created the exhibits also created entries for this blog. We will be posting these over the rest of the month of November. 1992.004.5.51 Help him win by Saving and Serving. Buy War Savings Stamps “Help Him Win By Saving and Serving” is a World War I poster designed to sell war savings stamps. The poster was produced in 1918 by the American Lithographic Co. Unlike many other posters in the Liberty Loan and War Stamps Campaigns, which were usually designed to appeal to older men and women, this poster was specifically designed for an audience of children. Since children did not have their own income to donate to the cause and were too young to go off and fight, the ways they could support the war effort were minimal and sometimes invisible. This poster was designed to bring to light one way in which children could help. The message it displays is simple: Purchase War Savings Stamps and you can play an important part in winning the war. This message is conveyed through the image on the poster of a young boy and girl each clasping a hand of a soldier. The solemn expression of the soldier and the admiring upward glances of the children insinuate that there is no better way to spend your money than by donating to the war effort. Doing so serves a much higher purpose than anything else a child could use their money for. Historically, the War Savings Stamps Campaign was designed for the collection of money in small amounts ranging from twenty-five cents to five dollars. These stamps were affixed to a certificate which could later be redeemed for the amount of money represented in the stamps, plus interest. The price of the stamps was significantly less than the price of a liberty bond, making it easier for lower-income members of society to contribute to the war effort by purchasing them. Because of this minimal cost, the stamps were often targeted to children as a way to get involved. Since children could only earn small amounts of money through chores and various odd jobs and usually did not have to provide for anyone with their earnings, they were the perfect target audience in the War Savings Stamps Campaign. This poster can be found in several collections, including: State Archives of North Carolina The Library of Congress University of Tulsa Special Collections “Boys and Girls! You can help Uncle Sam win the war!” “My Daddy Bought Me a Government Bond of the Third Liberty Loan. Did Yours?” 1. “Help Him Win by Saving and Serving–Buy War Savings Stamps.” Help Him Win by Saving and Serving–Buy War Savings Stamps. Accessed October 11, 2012. http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/2002707405/. 2. “War Savings Stamps Issued by the United States Government.” 4 Minute Men 21 (January 2, 1918): 2-5. Accessed October 11, 2012. http://libcudl.colorado.edu/wwi/pdf/i71731829.pdf. 3. “Help him win by saving and serving. Buy War Savings Stamps”, Mars Number 505.1, World War I Poster Collection, General Liberty loan Posters, State Archives of North Carolina, Raleigh, NC,USA. 4. “World War I Propaganda Posters.” Boys and Girls! You Can Help Your Uncle Sam Win the War -. 2009. Accessed October 11, 2012. http://www.learnnc.org/lp/editions/ww1posters/5071. 5. World War I Collection. Coll No. 1992.005. McFarlin Library. Department of Special Collections and University Archives. University of Tulsa. — Guest post by Becky Rolseth

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War dogs suffer trauma just as soldiers New York: Dogs serving with the US army in war-torn Iraq and Afghanistan are developing canine post-traumatic stress disorder, claims an animal behavioural specialist, setting aside the notion that only the soldiers suffered such traumas after being exposed to violence. By some estimates, more than 5 per cent of the approximately 650 military dogs deployed by American combat forces are developing post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), according to Dr Walter F Burghardt Jr. Of those, about half are likely to be retired from service, he said. Burghardt is the chief of behavioural medicine at the Daniel E Holland Military Working Dog Hospital at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas. The doctor is among the first to recognise the condition in the dogs. Dogs serving with the American army are developing canine PTSD, the animal behavioural specialist claimed, The New York Times has reported. Although vets have long diagnosed behavioural problems in animals, the concept of canine PTSD is only about 18 months old, and is still the subject of debate. But it has gained popularity among military veterinarians, who have been seeing patterns of troubling behaviour among dogs exposed to explosions, gunfire and other combat related violence in Iraq and Afghanistan, the daily said. Like humans with the disorder, different dogs show different symptoms. Some become hyper-vigilant. Others avoid buildings or work areas that they had previously been comfortable in, it said. The report added that some undergo sharp changes in temperament, becoming unusually aggressive with their handlers, or clingy and timid. Most crucially, many stop doing the tasks they were trained to perform. "If the dog is trained to find improvised explosives and it looks like it`s working, but isn`t, it`s not just the dog that’s at risk," Dr Burghardt was quoted as saying by the daily. "This is a human health issue as well". The war dogs have become an important tool in the fight against Talibans and other terrorists groups besides counter-insurgency operations. The trains dogs literally come across as fighting force on four legs that is able to parachute into combat, rappel into action and swim into a skirmish or an ambush. Back in India, the dogs have played a crucial role in counter-insurgency operations as well as against the Maoists. Indian security forces have recently deployed `Belgian Malinois` for infantry patrols in Naxal hotbeds of the country to help troops detect early warning of a possible ambush or While breeds like German Shepherds, Labradors and Cocker Spaniels have been used for a long time in battle-like situations, Belgian Malinois are now gaining popularity. Even the elite unit of US Navy Seals, that killed al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden inside Pakistan, had a specially trained explosives-sniffing dog for the surgical strike. More from India More from World More from Sports More from Entertaiment - BSP shrugs off Rita Bahuguna 's jump; says BJP will still face defeat in UP polls - Navjot Singh Sidhu out on zero to Waqar Younis in 1990 – The match Kapil Sharma keeps talking about - MS Dhoni reacts in astonishment as Axar Patel takes a stunning one-handed catch - VIDEO - Pierce Brosnan 'deeply shocked and saddened' because of Pan Masala brand ad - Sushant Singh Rajput’s former girlfriend Ankita Lokhande’s Karva Chauth photos will surprise you

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Facts About Belgrade Belgrade ( BEL-grayd; Serbian: Beograd / ???????, meaning "White city", Serbian pronunciation: [be??rad] ( listen); names in other languages) is the capital and largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers, where the Pannonian Plain meets the Balkans. The urban area of the City of Belgrade has a population of 1.23 million, while nearly 1.7 million people live within its administrative limits. One of the most important prehistoric cultures of Europe, the Vin?a culture, evolved within the Belgrade area in the 6th millennium BC. In antiquity, Thraco-Dacians inhabited the region and after 279 BC Celts conquered the city, naming it Singid?n. It was conquered by the Romans during the reign of Augustus, and awarded city rights in the mid-2nd century. It was settled by the Slavs in the 520s, and changed hands several times between the Byzantine Empire, Frankish Empire, Bulgarian Empire and Kingdom of Hungary before it became the capital of Serbian king Stephen Dragutin (1282–1316). In 1521, Belgrade was conquered by the Ottoman Empire and became the seat of the Sanjak of Smederevo. It frequently passed from Ottoman to Habsburg rule, which saw the destruction of most of the city during the Austro-Ottoman wars. Belgrade was again named the capital of Serbia in 1841. Northern Belgrade remained the southernmost Habsburg post until 1918, when the city was reunited. As a strategic location, the city was battled over in 115 wars and razed 44 times. Belgrade was the capital of Yugoslavia from its creation in 1918. Belgrade has a special administrative status within Serbia and it is one of five statistical regions of Serbia. Its metropolitan territory is divided into 17 municipalities, each with its own local council. The city of Belgrade covers 3.6% of Serbia's territory, and around 24% of the country's population lives within its administrative limits. It is classified as a Beta-Global City.

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The following procedure shows how to allocate memory for a guest virtual machine. This allocation and assignment works only at boot time and any changes to any of the memory values will not take effect until the next reboot. The maximum memory that can be allocated per guest is 4 TiB, providing that this memory allocation is not more than what the host physical machine resources can provide. Valid memory units include: bytes for bytes KB for kilobytes (103 or blocks of 1,000 bytes) KiB for kibibytes (210 or blocks of 1024 bytes) MB for megabytes (106 or blocks of 1,000,000 bytes) MiB for mebibytes (220 or blocks of 1,048,576 bytes) GB for gigabytes (109 or blocks of 1,000,000,000 bytes) GiB for gibibytes (230 or blocks of 1,073,741,824 bytes) TB for terabytes (1012 or blocks of 1,000,000,000,000 bytes) TiB for tebibytes (240 or blocks of 1,099,511,627,776 bytes) Note that all values will be rounded up to the nearest kibibyte by libvirt, and may be further rounded to the granularity supported by the hypervisor. Some hypervisors also enforce a minimum, such as 4000KiB (or 4000 x 210 or 4,096,000 bytes). The units for this value are determined by the optional attribute memory unit, which defaults to the kibibytes (KiB) as a unit of measure where the value given is multiplied by 210 or blocks of 1024 bytes. In the cases where the guest virtual machine crashes the optional attribute dumpCore can be used to control whether the guest virtual machine's memory should be included in the generated coredump ( dumpCore='on') or not included ( dumpCore='off'). Note that the default setting is on so if the parameter is not set to off, the guest virtual machine memory will be included in the coredump file. currentMemory attribute determines the actual memory allocation for a guest virtual machine. This value can be less than the maximum allocation, to allow for ballooning up the guest virtual machines memory on the fly. If this is omitted, it defaults to the same value as the memory element. The unit attribute behaves the same as for memory. In all cases for this section, the domain XML needs to be altered as follows: <memory unit='KiB' dumpCore='off'>524288</memory> <!-- changes the memory unit to KiB and does not allow the guest virtual machine's memory to be included in the generated coredump file --> <!-- makes the current memory unit 524288 KiB -->

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Augusta County, VA – Environmental Literacy - by Bruce Dorries From kindergarten through college, many students struggle with basic lessons in "Nature 101." Yet, they earn gold stars in "Advanced Pop Culture." That needs to change. Teaching our kids environmental literacy with meaningful lessons connected to nature benefits learning across the curriculum -- while greening up the Valley's future. Fortunately, more schooling in sustainability, from understanding natural resources to the basics of agriculture, appears to be gaining ground. Calls for "nature across the curriculum" come from reaches near and far. Just down stream from the Valley, Maryland leads the nation in environmental ed. Public schools in the Chesapeake State must now include outdoor education when teaching the three Rs and subjects beyond. Water pollution ranks high in the new curriculum, as it should. Young and old, every one of us at the top of the food chain shares some culpability in the Chesapeake mess. Agriculture has tired of taking all of the blame for the Bay's demise. So, Maryland farmers are having their challenges heard in schools, too. The clich : "Kids today don't know where their daily bread comes from, or how it gets from farms and fisheries to plates," is justified. Ag education in the curriculum must stretch well beyond FFA classrooms. Each of us need to take responsibility for addressing the complexity of the problem from many perspectives. Teaching youngsters early the nature of the issues, and challenges that farmer face, may lead to better solutions rather than more finger pointing and polarization. The Commonwealth's kids need to keep pace with the neighbors' - Virginia educators and legislators -- take notes on how the Maryland lessons play out. Fortunately, a local environmental educator sees improvement in our children's nature-based education. Tamra Willis started the Shenandoah Valley Environmental Educators Association. She has spent much of her life developing and promoting nature-based learning. Willis notes that teachers who use nature-based lessons pass on critical thinking and problem solving skills as they address standards of learning. For example, students study the sciences while looking at stream quality. They learn social studies and economics by examining issues related to industry and the environment. Another sign of progress on a broader scale is the U.S. Department of Education's recent launch of the Green Ribbon Schools program. Awards will recognize schools for reducing environmental impact on communities, and offering high-quality environmental education. The program encourages energy and resource conservation measures that lead to cost savings and job creation. A greener curriculum clearly pays off in many more ways than one. Environmental literacy has roots here. We just have to help them sink deeper.

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In my last post, I wrote about how I began this year’s persuasive writing unit by using mentor texts to get kids to think about WHY people in this world write persausive pieces of writing. Once we had finished doing this work, the students began to choose a purpose for their own writing. Once they knew what they wanted to convince someone to do or believe, then they thought about who their target audience would be, and finally, they thought about the type of writing that could best reach that target audience. So while some students decided to write e-mails, others decided to write blog posts, others decided to write letters to mail, and others decided to write op-ed articles or letters to the editor to submit to local or national newspapers. Because we were all writing different types of writing, in slightly different genres, I knew that my mini-lessons had to be more than just, “How to write a persuasive letter” or “How to write an op-ed.” So, instead, a large chunk of my mini-lessons focused on, “How do author’s support their claims?” Instead of looking at a genre specific study, we spent most of our time studying the many specific strategies that authors used in order to support the claims they were making. Each time we read a new mentor text, we looked at one specific way that an author was able to back-up the points that he or she was making. After looking at how our authors did this, I was then able to model how I might use the same strategy in my own piece of persuasive writing (I happen to be working on crafting an email to our superintendent asking for 1:1 computing). And then, finally, I asked the kids to look at the plans that THEY had made so far and see if there was anywhere they might be able to try this new strategy out. The plans that the kids worked on before writing were webs that they created in their writer’s notebooks. I have mostly given up on using graphic organizer templates since I find that they often stifle my students’ writing instead of enhancing it. When I hand out ONE graphic organizer to every child, it seems to send the message that all of their writing should look the same and follow the same structure. This just doesn’t seem to work for us. When we look at our mentor texts, we analyze their structure and we always notice that writers write in many different ways and use many different structures. So instead of handing out a pre-made graphic organizer, I help my students to create their own graphic organizers that fit their needs and their writing topics. Along the way, we talked a lot about how I would NEVER expect a writer (including any of my students) to use every single strategy that we uncover in one piece of writing. Instead, they have the task at looking at their topics, thinking about their audiences and then looking for the strategies of support that would best work for them. This is what would stop a writer who was writing about gun violence from using a strategy like humor or sarcasm. The strategy MUST match the topic. So when I ask my students to look at their writing plans and think about if they could use a strategy or not, I really do mean that. I do not want them using a strategy because they feel that they have to. My expectation is that each writer is able to use a variety of strategies to support their claims based on which strategies work best for them. This provides each writer in my room with a lot of freedom and independence. Each time I point out a new strategy in a mentor text, this becomes another tool in my students’ writing toolboxes. They are in charge of selecting the right tool for the job each time they write. As we analyzed a variety of mentor texts, the students had already begun work on planning and drafting their first pieces of persuasive writing. This meant that we were learning new strategies as the kids were already writing. I used to wait until I had taught ALL of the strategies I wanted them to know before I allowed the kids to start writing their drafts. What this led to was a whole lot of time without the kids actually writing. This year, I really shifted my thinking on this and realized that I needed to let the kids start writing and then trust that they would add in the use of the new strategies as we learned them. And if a child finished his first piece of persuasive writing and didn’t use any of our new strategies to support his claims, then I had to trust that he would use the new strategies on his second piece of persuasive writing. And it was my job to help make sure that he would do that through conferences and small group work. Putting this trust in my students has given them more time to write and has given more meaning to our mini-lessons since they are learning new things AS they are needing to use them. Each time we read a new mentor text, we added it to our anchor chart along with the strategy that we saw the writer using to support his/her claim and evidence from the text that shows the writer using that specific strategy. Here are the finished charts: These charts then hang on our writing board so that they become visual reminders of all the ways that the kids can support the claims they are making as they are writing. So here are the mentor texts that I have used this year and the strategies that I focused on with each text. Some of the texts are pretty old, but they are also too good to give up! There is Only One Way to Stop a Bully — I used this op-ed to show how writers use examples to show how bad a problem is and also to show how much better the situation can become. We came back to this article when we were talkin about how writers use statistics to support their claims. Save Our Streams (This comes from a Time For Kids writing kit and I don’t have a link for it) — I used this letter to the editor to show how writers use details to paint a vivid picture in the mind of the reader to show how bad a problem is and then to show how much better it could be. Fifth Graders Defend Their South Shore Neighborhood — I used this op-ed to show how writers use specific examples to support the statements they are making. Technology: How much is too much? — I used this op-ed to show how writers use their own personal life examples to support the claims they are making. Too Much Homework, Too Little Play — I used this op-ed to show how writers use “if/then” statements in which they claim that IF you do what I want you to do, THEN these positive outcomes will occur or IF we continue to do things this way, THEN these negative outcomes will occur. I also come back and use this op-ed to show how writers use quotes to support their claims. The Value of Teachers — This is a pretty tough article to understand, but I use pieces of it with my students to show how writers use statistics to support what they are saying. Using these mentor texts allows me to show my students specific strategies that they can use in order to make their writing better and in order to better support their claims. In the past, I used to just tell my students that they had to back-up their claims, but I didn’t always give them specific ways to do that. I used to tell them that they needed more support or better support, but I didn’t always give them specific ways to do that. Now, they have a variety of ways that they can make their writing better and their arguments stronger. And the best part is, all of these strategies then become a part of our revision checklist. As I have explained before, I use checklists in order to support my students in the revision phase of the writing process. Here is what our current revision checklist looks like for this unit. When students are finished drafting, they are expected to complete TWO items from this revision checklist in order to make their writing better. I have also become more flexible with when my students use this checklist. In trying to honor each individual writer’s writing process, I now understand that many writers revise AS they write and so I no longer require that my students use their revision checklists only AFTER they are done drafting. They are now able to use them along their writing process to help those who like to revise as they go and not wait until the end. After spending so much time with our mentor texts, my students truly start to internalize the process of finding strategies that authors use and then using those strategies in their own writing. And because they start to understand this process so well, they are then ready to find their own mentor texts and discover their own strategies to teach to the class. But that process will have to wait for another blog post because this one has gone on long enough and I am certain no one wants to read any more right now!

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quantum chromodynamics (QCD) A quantum field theory that describes the properties of the strong interactions between quarks and between protons and neutrons in the framework of quantum theory and the special theory of relativity. Quarks have a distinctive property called color which governs their binding together to form other elementary particles. Analogous to electric charge in charged particles, color comes in three varieties, arbitrarily known as red, blue, and yellow, and – analogous to positive and negative charges – three anticolor varieties. Just as positively and negatively charged particles form electrically neutral atoms, colored quarks form particles with no net color. Quarks interact by emitting and absorbing massless particles called gluons, each of which carries a color-anticolor pair. Eight kinds of gluons are required to transmit the strong force between quarks, e.g., a blue quark might interact with a yellow quark by exchanging a blue-antiyellow gluon. The concept of color was proposed by the American physicist Oscar Greenberg and independently by the Japanese physicist Yoichiro Nambu in 1964. The theory was confirmed in 1979 when quarks were shown to emit gluons during studies of high-energy particle collisions at the German national laboratory in Hamburg. QCD is nearly identical in mathematical structure to quantum electrodynamics (QED) and to the unified theory of weak and electromagnetic interactions advanced by American physicist Steven Weinberg and Pakistani physicist Abdus Salam (see electroweak force). Related category PARTICLE PHYSICS Home • About • Copyright © The Worlds of David Darling • Encyclopedia of Alternative Energy • Contact

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Study: Asian Carp unlikely to enter Great Lakes from Mississippi River Photo: Image by Associated Press TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. (AP) -- A federal study of 18 potential aquatic links between the Great Lakes and Mississippi River watersheds says none of them are likely pathways to the lakes for Asian carp. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers released the study Friday. It's among reports the agency is producing as it develops recommendations for preventing Asian carp and other invasive species from crossing between the two watersheds. Experts say the easiest way for Asian carp to attack the lakes is through a navigational canal near Chicago that helps connect the Mississippi River with Lake Michigan. But the study analyzed 18 ditches, marshes and other spots along the aquatic boundary that could form links, especially during flooding. None posed a high risk as Asian carp passageways. Three posed a medium risk.

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from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition - n. A cellular component of the blood, especially of an invertebrate. from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License - n. a component of a blood cell, especially of an invertebrate from The Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia - n. Same as hematocyte. Sorry, no etymologies found. Our analysis included the construction of protein maps of the hemocyte cells and cells from fat bodies, the identification of the changed proteins, in response to infection, using LC-MS/MS, and the estimation of the trends in expression of these proteins at three time points (30 min, 6 hours and 22 hours) after infection.

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Papalo grows wild in Mexico. It is also cultivated. The herb must be used fresh as it does not dry well. The herb grows wild in Arizona, New Mexico and West Texas but is not typically used by the locals. In the U.S. look for papalo in Mexican markets. While some suggest substituting cilantro for papalo, Diana Kennedy considers there to be no substitute. Rinse fresh papalo in cool water. The thin portion of the stem can be chopped and used with the leaves but thicker stems should be removed and discarded. Chopping the herb enhances the flavor. Store fresh papalo, unwashed, wrapped in damp paper toweling. Refrigerate but use as quickly as possible. Alternately, you can stand the herb, stem side, down into a glass. Papaloquelite can be grown from seed and requires good drainage and full sun. As with most herbs plant after danger of frost has passed. Space plants about 1 1/2 to 2 feet apart. The plant grows quite tall, up to six feet and bears purple to bronze starburst flowers. The plant can take some shade but best in full sun The plant is sometimes used in parts of Bolivia for liver ailments as well as high blood pressure.

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Food addiction is a real issue in today’s society. I have seen many people in my life addicted to food and in each case has led to major health issues. My mother is addicted to food for emotional release, my dad is addicted to food because it tastes good, and I am addicted to food because mentally it makes me feel better. Food addiction can lead to people using food as an outlet, which can lead to weight gain, depression, low-self esteem, and more. Research has shown that food has the ability to cause hormones to release in the brain, causing you to feel better, but, as a result, eating becomes an addiction. This is similar to alcohol and drug addiction. They involve the same areas in the brain, the same neurotransmitters, and many of the symptoms are identical. Processed junk foods or foods that contain sugar or wheat, have a powerful effect on the “reward” centers in the brain involving brain neurotransmitters like dopamine. Food addiction is not about the lack of willpower, but caused by the intense dopamine signal “hijacking” the biochemistry of the brain. Some symptoms of food addiction: 1. you frequently get cravings for certain foods, despite feeling full and having just finished a healthy meal. 2. when you give in and start eating food you were craving, you often find yourself eating more than you intended. 3. when you eat food you were craving, you sometimes eat to the point of feeling stuffed 4. you often feel guilty after eating particular foods, but you continue to eat them soon after 5. you sometimes make excuses in your head about why you should eat something that you are craving 6. you have repeatedly tried to quit eating or set rules about certain foods but been unsuccessful 7. you often hide your consumption of unhealthy food from others 8.you feel unable to control your consumption of unhealthy foods, despite knowing that they are causing you physcial harm like gaining weight 1. slowly eliminate trigger foods from your diet: you don’t have to eliminate all foods at once, but take it one step at a time 2. replace bad foods with good food 3. cope with cravings- ask why you want to eat that food. Are you bored? upset? take some time before you make the decision. 4. Distractions are key:

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Six provides simple utilities for wrapping over differences between Python 2 and Python 3. It is intended to support codebases that work on both Python 2 and 3 without modification. six consists of only one Python file, so it is painless to copy into a project. The name, “six”, comes from the fact that 2*3 equals 6. Why not addition? Multiplication is more powerful, and, anyway, “five” has already been snatched away by the Zope Five project. A boolean indicating if the code is running on Python 2. A boolean indicating if the code is running on Python 3. Six provides constants that may differ between Python versions. Ones ending _types are mostly useful as the second argument to isinstance or issubclass. Possible class types. In Python 2, this encompasses old-style and new-style classes. In Python 3, this is just new-styles. Possible types for text data. This is basestring() in Python 2 and str in Python 3. Type for representing (Unicode) textual data. This is unicode() in Python 2 and str in Python 3. The maximum size of a container like list or dict. This is equivalent to sys.maxsize in Python 2.6 and later (including 3.x). Note, this is temptingly similar to, but not the same as sys.maxint in Python 2. There is no direct equivalent to sys.maxint in Python 3 because its integer type has no limits aside from memory. Here’s example usage of the module: import six def dispatch_types(value): if isinstance(value, six.integer_types): handle_integer(value) elif isinstance(value, six.class_types): handle_class(value) elif isinstance(value, six.string_types): handle_string(value) Python 3 renamed the attributes of several intepreter data structures. The following accessors are available. Note that the recommended way to inspect functions and methods is the stdlib inspect module. Get the function out of unbound method meth. In Python 3, unbound methods don’t exist, so this function just returns meth unchanged. Example usage: from six import get_unbound_function class X(object): def method(self): pass method_function = get_unbound_function(X.method) Get the function out of method object meth. Get the self of bound method meth. Get the closure (list of cells) associated with func. This is equivalent to func.__closure__ on Python 2.6+ and func.func_closure on Python 2.4 and 2.5. Get the code object associated with func. This is equivalent to func.__code__ on Python 2.6+ and func.func_code on Python 2.4 and 2.5. Get the defaults tuple associated with func. This is equivalent to func.__defaults__ on Python 2.6+ and func.func_defaults on Python 2.4 and 2.5. Get the globals of func. This is equivalent to func.__globals__ on Python 2.6+ and func.func_globals on Python 2.4 and 2.5. Get the next item of iterator it. StopIteration is raised if the iterator is exhausted. This is a replacement for calling it.next() in Python 2 and next(it) in Python 3. Check if obj can be called. Note callable has returned in Python 3.2, so using six’s version is only necessary when supporting Python 3.0 or 3.1. Returns an iterator over dictionary‘s keys. This replaces dictionary.iterkeys() on Python 2 and dictionary.keys() on Python 3. kwargs are passed through to the underlying method. Returns an iterator over dictionary‘s values. This replaces dictionary.itervalues() on Python 2 and dictionary.values() on Python 3. kwargs are passed through to the underlying method. Returns an iterator over dictionary‘s items. This replaces dictionary.iteritems() on Python 2 and dictionary.items() on Python 3. kwargs are passed through to the underlying method. Calls dictionary.iterlists() on Python 2 and dictionary.lists() on Python 3. No builtin Python mapping type has such a method; this method is intended for use with multi-valued dictionaries like Werkzeug’s. kwargs are passed through to the underlying method. Return a method object wrapping func and bound to obj. On both Python 2 and 3, this will return a types.MethodType object. The reason this wrapper exists is that on Python 2, the MethodType constructor requires the obj‘s class to be passed. A class for making portable iterators. The intention is that it be subclassed and subclasses provide a __next__ method. In Python 2, Iterator has one method: next. It simply delegates to __next__. An alternate way to do this would be to simply alias next to __next__. However, this interacts badly with subclasses that override __next__. Iterator is empty on Python 3. (In fact, it is just aliased to object.) These functions smooth over operations which have different syntaxes between Python 2 and 3. Execute code in the scope of globals and locals. code can be a string or a code object. If globals or locals are not given, they will default to the scope of the caller. If just globals is given, it will also be used as locals. Print args into file. Each argument will be separated with sep and end will be written to the file after the last argument is printed. In Python 2, this function imitates Python 3’s print() by not having softspace support. If you don’t know what that is, you’re probably ok. :) Reraise an exception, possibly with a different traceback. In the simple case, reraise(*sys.exc_info()) with an active exception (in an except block) reraises the current exception with the last traceback. A different traceback can be specified with the exc_traceback parameter. Create a new class with base classes bases and metaclass metaclass. This is designed to be used in class declarations like this: from six import with_metaclass class Meta(type): pass class Base(object): pass class MyClass(with_metaclass(Meta, Base)): pass Another way to set a metaclass on a class is with the add_metaclass() decorator. Class decorator that replaces a normally-constructed class with a metaclass-constructed one. Unlike with_metaclass(), add_metaclass() does not create an intermediate base class between the class being created and its bases. Example usage: @add_metaclass(Meta) class MyClass(object): pass That code produces a class equivalent to class MyClass(object, metaclass=Meta): pass on Python 3 or class MyClass(object): __metaclass__ = MyMeta on Python 2. Note that class decorators require Python 2.6. However, the effect of the decorator can be emulated on Python 2.4 and 2.5 like so: class MyClass(object): pass MyClass = add_metaclass(Meta)(MyClass) Python 3 enforces the distinction between byte strings and text strings far more rigoriously than Python 2 does; binary data cannot be automatically coerced to or from text data. six provides several functions to assist in classifying string data in all Python versions. A “fake” bytes literal. data should always be a normal string literal. In Python 2, b() returns a 8-bit string. In Python 3, data is encoded with the latin-1 encoding to bytes. A “fake” unicode literal. text should always be a normal string literal. In Python 2, u() returns unicode, and in Python 3, a string. Also, in Python 2, the string is decoded with the unicode-escape codec, which allows unicode escapes to be used in it. In Python 3.3, the u prefix has been reintroduced. Code that only supports Python 3 versions greater than 3.3 thus does not need u(). Converts i to a byte. i must be in range(0, 256). This is equivalent to chr() in Python 2 and bytes((i,)) in Python 3. Converts the first byte of bs to an integer. This is equivalent to ord(bs) on Python 2 and bs on Python 3. Return the byte at index i of buf as an integer. This is equivalent to indexing a bytes object in Python 3. Return an iterator over bytes in buf as integers. This is equivalent to a bytes object iterator in Python 3. Python 3 reorganized the standard library and moved several functions to different modules. Six provides a consistent interface to them through the fake six.moves module. For example, to load the module for parsing HTML on Python 2 or 3, write: from six.moves import html_parser Similarly, to get the function to reload modules, which was moved from the builtin module to the imp module, use: from six.moves import reload_module For the most part, six.moves aliases are the names of the modules in Python 3. When the new Python 3 name is a package, the components of the name are separated by underscores. For example, html.parser becomes html_parser. In some cases where several modules have been combined, the Python 2 name is retained. This is so the appropiate modules can be found when running on Python 2. For example, BaseHTTPServer which is in http.server in Python 3 is aliased as BaseHTTPServer. Some modules which had two implementations have been merged in Python 3. For example, cPickle no longer exists in Python 3; it was merged with pickle. In these cases, fetching the fast version will load the fast one on Python 2 and the merged module in Python 3. The urllib, urllib2, and urlparse modules have been combined in the urllib package in Python 3. The six.moves.urllib package is a version-independent location for this functionality; its structure mimics the structure of the Python 3 urllib package. |Name||Python 2 name||Python 3 name| Contains functions from Python 3’s urllib.parse and Python 2’s: Contains exceptions from Python 3’s urllib.error and Python 2’s: Contains items from Python 3’s urllib.request and Python 2’s: Contains classes from Python 3’s urllib.response and Python 2’s: It is possible to add additional names to the six.moves namespace. Instances of the following classes can be passed to add_move(). Neither have any public members. Create a mapping for six.moves called name that references different modules in Python 2 and 3. old_mod is the name of the Python 2 module. new_mod is the name of the Python 3 module. Create a mapping for six.moves called name that references different attributes in Python 2 and 3. old_mod is the name of the Python 2 module. new_mod is the name of the Python 3 module. If new_attr is not given, it defaults to old_attr. If neither is given, they both default to name.

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Study finds relationship between falls, car crashes in older adults Vera Demberg, Ph.D., a professor at Saarland University, and colleagues study how speech information affects steering in a driving simulator. (Photo: Oliver Dietze) Older adults who have fallen are 40% more likely to crash their cars than those who have not fallen, according to a new review of 15 studies of driving behavior involving almost 47,000 older adults. The research, conducted by a investigators at the University of Colorado and Columbia University, has been published online ahead of print by the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society. Falls, or the factors that cause falls and crashes, accounted for more than 177,000 additional car crashes each year, the review found, based on estimates of car crashes involving older drivers and older adults who fall. And falls may be an independent factor impairing an older adult's ability to drive safely, they said, suggesting that some motor vehicle crashes might be caused by the falls themselves, regardless of the driver's underlying health and functioning. To help avoid falls and car crashes and live as independently as possible, the researchers recommend, older adults should exercise to improve physical and mental well-being, undertake efforts to improve mental function and address vision problems — for instance, with cataract surgery. When adults do fall, the researchers recommend rehabilitation afterward to help improve functional ability. Other new research, from Saarland University in Germany, suggests that older adults who drive may want to avoid using voice navigation systems in their cars. Seventy participants helped the researchers study how seniors reacted to complicated language commands while driving; 36 were older adults with an average age of 72, and 34 were members of a control group with an average age of 23. The researchers used sentences that would seem familiar to participants at first, but then took a surprising turn. The participants were given these sentences as well as simple statements, played through speakers, and then had to signal with a yes or no response whether the sentence was linguistically correct and made sense. At the same time, they had to “drive” along a street in a driving simulator. They were shown two vertical, colored bars, one of which was controlled by the computer. They were asked to control the second bar using the steering wheel, such that the distance between the two remained as small as possible. “While the younger participants showed stable behavior with both simple and more complex statements, seniors directed their full attention to resolving the linguistic inconsistencies and neglected the control of the vehicle,” the researchers said. This effect was particularly clear for seniors with low cognitive control, they added.

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Body Space Boundaries: Early Childhood Education 3-5 Year Olds Some Exercises – by MahaJyoti Glassman Conflicts and heartaches arise among young children due to perceived and actual violations of personal body space. It becomes abundantly clear when a student feels their “space” has been encroached upon, but often they do not yet possess the skills or proper language abilities to implement an appropriate and compassionate response. Frequently children do not have much control over who plays with them and when. Kids with differing abilities may require help with basic communication. These child-friendly, easy-to-use techniques can help kids to have a little more control and choices over their play. For a 3-5 year old to understand body space boundary concepts, it is necessary that the territory be well defined so that they can visually and tactilely perceive where it begins and where it ends. This must be concretely perceptible. This skill set will improve the young student’s emotional competence and smooth over many potential conflicts without excessive teacher intervention. The SECOND STEP is to be able to recognize others’ personal space or territory and to provide kids with the script and skills to respect these boundaries as well. This can be illustrated in a few ways as explained below. These exercises may be set up for each student or just 2-4 ‘nests’ can be made with a few pairs of students demonstrating the techniques with the whole class as the audience. Students love watching others implement the skills rightly or wrongly and talking about ‘How could this be done differently?’ HOW TO BUILD A NEST - Children can stand with their arms horizontal, parallel to the ground. Their bodies make the shape of the letter “T” form. Once in the “T” stance, kiddos can spin around while staying in one place, like a hurricane. This exercise shows everyone how big their nests are. Their nest may be marked by a small chalk or tape shape or dot on the ground. The shape should go around the child. This hurricane or tornado activity defines their individual nest. This is their personal territory or space. - If you have access to hula hoops, one child may occupy each hula hoop or nest. - A chalk circle may be drawn around each child so that each student may ‘see’ how big their nest (body space boundary) is. - A yarn or string circle may be constructed around each kiddo. - A circle may be drawn with a stick in the earth around each child. A few pairs of buddies may demonstrate the following techniques 3-5 times a day for a few weeks until everyone is fairly well practiced in nesting techniques. THE INVITATION: Exercise 1 Children need to ask to play physically close to another, i.e., before hugging, holding hands, playing together, etc. A child can be in one nest playing with blocks. Another child approaches and says, “Can I play in your nest?” The child may respond with a: - Maybe later. - I don’t want anyone in my nest right now. THE GRUMPY BIRD: Exercise 2 Like adults, kids can be grumpy or angry. Sometimes they just get out of the wrong side of the bed. If a kid is having a challenging day for whatever reason, they may choose not to play with anyone. This can be a time to cool down and not be physically close to others. Teachers may gently remind a student that they may inadvertently be getting near a nest where the occupant has indicated that they wish to be alone. “Amanda, you are getting close to Maria’s nest and she may not like that.” Students practice walking away. THE LONELY BIRD: Exercise 3 When an occupant says “No”. - They are encouraged to express it gently, not whining or yelling. - We explain to them they are to respect the wishes of others by simply walking away and finding another activity to do (re-direction). - This does not mean that the student no longer cares or loves us. - Student walks away. THE GENTLE BIRD: Exercise 4 Children who are learning how to deliver the “I message” may initially express their feelings and needs with a strong voice. - “I don’t want you in my nest right now”. - “I feel mad when you are here without asking.” - “I need alone time in my nest right now.” - “I don’t like that.” If a kid gets too loud or too assertive, such as yelling, teachers may say: “That hurts my ears.” Or “It hurts my heart when you yell so loudly.”, etc. Kids learn the difference between a strong voice and a loud voice. THE GROWN UP BIRD: Exercise 5 Even adults and teachers ask permission before coming into someone’s nest and can be told “no”. However, sometimes an adult may come into a nest to keep a student safe from one’s self, others or an environmental hazard (scissors, street, etc.) It is only when safety is threatened, that the adult violates a nest perimeter. Practising these techniques can help students to have more autonomy. Maintaining healthy boundaries can increase self-esteem and personal confidence. This is crucial to a child’s understanding of self and how to respond to others. With a few additional ground rules, kids can have a greater understanding and say, “I am a good friend.” Shrii P. R. Sarkar

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It’s World Trauma Day. Dr. David Wellman, Orthopedic Surgeon, explains what a compound fracture is and what you should do to treat this serious injury. “A ‘compound’ or ‘open’ fracture refers to a break in the bone with a laceration in the overlying skin, leaving the fracture fragments open to the outside environment. This is a very serious injury with potential long term consequences if not treated appropriately,” says Dr. Wellman. In the unfortunate event of a compound fracture, patients should remember the following tips: 1. A compound fracture is a true emergency, and appropriate care should be sought immediately. Usually, this involves calling the local emergency ambulance service to ensure that the patient is transferred safely to a hospital with an on-call orthopedic surgery team. In most situations, the patient will require an emergency surgical procedure to clean the wound and treat the fracture. 2. While waiting for care to arrive, the patient should not move around unnecessarily, because the fracture is open to the outside environment and could become infected. One of the major consequences of a compound fracture is an infection at the fracture site, which should be avoided at all costs. 3. One should not try to re-align the extremity where the bone is broken without the presence of trained medical personnel who have the proper splinting supplies. Improper handling could cause contamination of the wound and damage to the traumatized tissues. 4. Try to keep the extremity as clean as possible. Place moist sterile gauze over the wound if available. At a minimum, the wound should be protected from contact with the ground or unclean surfaces. 5. Pay attention to signs of compartment syndrome. This is a serious complication of extremity trauma that develops over time; it is caused when swelling increases pressure at the site of the injury. If the pressure from the swelling becomes greater than the incoming blood pressure, the extremity receives no blood. Immediate surgical intervention to release the pressure is required if this situation arises. In addition to swelling, warning signs include increasing pain, numbness, weakness, decreasing pulse, and a color change in the extremity. If not treated properly, compartment syndrome can lead to permanent muscle and nerve damage. Dr. David S. Wellman is an orthopedic surgeon specializing in the care of fractures and post-traumatic reconstruction. He has particular interests in articular fractures (bone breaks near major joints), injuries to the pelvis and acetabulum, and fracture non-union and mal-union. These interests also motivate his research work outside the operating room.

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Facts About Touch: How Human Contact Affects Your Health and Relationships The feel of your child's hand in yours, a back rub from your partner, a warm hug from an old friend — in whatever form, a welcome touch feels good. But why? What happens to your brain when someone touches you? What happens to your relationship with that person? And how can understanding the facts about touch make you happier and healthier? The Science of Touch Humans are social creatures. Of course, you don't really need proof of that — you know it instinctively. Positive interactions with other people make you feel happy, while loneliness feels bad. There's an evolutionary reason for that. Once upon a time, community was necessary for survival. In humanity's early days, when warring tribes and hungry predators were constant threats, there was safety in numbers. These days, community often means emotional security rather than physical safety, but people are still hardwired to connect — emotionally and physically — and your brain rewards you when you do it. Hugging and other forms of nonsexual touching cause your brain to release oxytocin, known as the "bonding hormone." This stimulates the release of other feel-good hormones, such as dopamine and serotonin, while reducing stress hormones, such as cortisol and norepinephrine. These neurochemical changes make you feel happier and less stressed. Research suggests that being touched can also lower your heart rate and blood pressure, lessen depression and anxiety, boost your immune system, and even relieve pain. Simply put, being touched boosts your mental and physical wellness. Facts About Touch and Your Relationships Oxytocin is self-perpetuating. It's how your body rewards you for making social connections, and it also makes you more successful at forming and maintaining those connections. Studies have shown that oxytocin makes you feel more generous, more empathetic and nurturing, more collaborative, and more grateful — all of which help make you a good partner, parent, friend, and co-worker. Gratitude, in particular, is such a powerful bonding emotion that many scientists have deemed it the psychological "glue" that keeps people close. Physical contact is just as important when building new relationships. For example, when strangers shake your hand, you're more likely to trust them, not only because it's a friendly gesture, but because their touch produces oxytocin that makes you trust them more. Touching is also a powerful and universal way to communicate distinct emotions. Just think about all the different reasons someone might squeeze your hand — to show support and sympathy during tough times, to convey love, to comfort you (and themselves) in frightening situations. Each of those squeezes says something different, and each one feels a bit different, even when it's coming from someone you don't know well. To prove this, researchers at Berkeley paired up strangers and separated them by a barrier with a small hole in it. One participant put an arm through the hole, while the other tried to communicate 12 unique emotions by briefly touching their partner's arms. Overall, the subjects who were touched could detect gratitude, sympathy, and love with about 55 to 60 percent accuracy. Science has provided many facts about touch, but perhaps the most important is this: Human beings were meant to touch and be touched, to spend time in the company of other people, and to make emotional connections. In today's digital world, it's easy to forget the importance of face-to-face communication, but you can't shake hands via email or give a hug via text. To get a dose of oxytocin, you'll have to get up close and personal. Posted in Personal Health More articles from this writer *This information is for educational purposes only and does not constitute health care advice. You should always seek the advice of your doctor or physician before making health care decisions.

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