Datasets:

Lambent

/

1M-finewebedu-samples2048t

like 0

Road transportation is an essential network for any country. Classification of roads based on many factors such as materials, locations, traffic etc. are discussed. Table of Contents - 1 Classification or Types of Roads - 2 Types of Roads Based on Materials - 3 Types of Roads Based on Location and Function - 4 Types of Roads Based on Traffic Volume - 5 Types of Roads Based on Economy - 6 Types of Roads Based on Traffic Type - 7 Types of Roads Based on Rigidity - 8 Types of Roads Based on Topography Classification or Types of Roads The roads are classified based on many factors as follows. - Location & function - Traffic volume - Traffic type Types of Roads Based on Materials - Earthen roads - Gravel roads - Murrum roads - Kankar roads - WBM roads - Bituminous roads - Concrete roads Earthen roads are laid with soil. They are cheaper of all types of roads. This type of road is provided for less traffic areas and or for countryside areas. Good drainage system should be required which reflects good performance for longer period. Gravel roads are also low quality roads but they are good when compared to earthen roads. Compacted mixture of gravel and earth is used as pavement material in this case. Murrum is a matter obtained from the disintegration of igneous rocks by weathering agencies. This is used to make roads called as murrum roads. Kankar is nothing but impure form of lime stone. Kankar roads are provided where lime is available in good quantity. These are also low quality and performance wise they are similar to gravel and murrum roads. Water Bound Macadam (WBM) roads contain crushed stone aggregate in its base course. The aggregates are spread on the surface and these are rolled after sprinkling water. WBM roads provides better performance compared to earthen, gravel, murrum and kankar roads. WBM roads are laid as layers about 10cm thickness of each layer. They are very rough and may disintegrate immediately under traffic. Bituminous roads are very popular roads around the world. They are most used roads in the world. They are low in cost and good for driving conditions. They are flexible and thickness of bituminous roads depends upon the subgrade soil conditions. Cement concrete is used to construct the pavements in case of concrete roads. These are very popular and costlier than all other types of roads. They are not flexible so, they require less maintenance. Concrete roads are suitable for high traffic areas. Concrete roads are laid with joints and time of construction is more. - National highways - State highways - District roads - Rural roads or village roads National highways are main roads of a particular country. They connects all major cities to the capital of the country. They run throughout the length and breadth of the country. Minimum two lane road is provided for national highways. State highways are second main roads which connect major parts of state with in it. State highway ultimately connects to the national highways. District roads are provided with in the cities and connects markets and production places to state and national highways. Two types of district roads are there namely, - Major district roads - Minor district roads Major district roads connect headquarters of neighboring district with main parts of district while minor district roads are laid with in the district. Rural Roads or Village Roads Village roads connects the nearby villages with each other. They lead to nearby town or district roads. Usually low quality roads are provided as village roads because of low traffic. Types of Roads Based on Traffic Volume - Light traffic roads - Medium traffic roads - High traffic roads Light Traffic Roads The roads which are carrying 400 vehicles daily on an average is called light traffic roads. Medium Traffic Roads If a road carrying 400 to 1000 vehicles per day then it is said to be medium traffic road. High Traffic Roads If a road is carrying is more than 1000 vehicles per day then it is considered as high traffic road. Types of Roads Based on Economy - Low cost roads - Medium cost roads - High cost roads The economy depend upon the location and function of roads and also on the traffic analysis. Types of Roads Based on Traffic Type - Pedestrian ways - Cycle tracks Pedestrian ways are exclusively built for pedestrians and no vehicles are permitted in this way. Cycle tracks or bicycle tracks are provided on both sides of pavement for cyclists hence they can travel safely. Motorways are also known as expressways. Only few vehicles are accessible to use this type of roads. The vehicles which can move with high speed acceleration are permitted into this way. Motorways makes travel quick and provides comfort for high speed vehicles. Types of Roads Based on Rigidity - Flexible roads - Rigid roads Flexible roads consists flexible layer as pavement surface which require good maintenance otherwise it can be disintegrated easily with heavy traffic. All types of roads except concrete roads are come under this category. Rigid pavements are non-flexible and cement concrete roads are come under this category. Types of Roads Based on Topography - Plain area road - Hilly area roads Plain Area Road The roads constructed on leveled surface is known as plain area roads. Hilly Area Roads Roads constructed in hilly regions are called as hill area roads or ghat roads. Generally these are provided around the hill in spiral shape.

<urn:uuid:35bda245-a149-42a5-b311-031f914d7619>

CC-MAIN-2017-51

https://theconstructor.org/transportation/classification-of-roads/17470/

s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-51/segments/1512948604248.93/warc/CC-MAIN-20171218025050-20171218051050-00726.warc.gz

en

Welcome to part 6 of our free piano lessons. In this piano lesson we shall take a look at three chords in the key of C, namely, the C major chord, the F major chord and the G major chord. We shall also learn about the 3/4 time signature, and dotted and tied notes. A chord is three or more notes played simultaneously. In music theory, a major chord is a chord having a root, a major third, and a perfect fifth. When a chord has these three notes alone, it is called a major triad. Learn Piano Online – C MAJOR CHORD The C major chord comprises of three notes, C E and G. Go to your keyboard or piano and practice playing a C Chord. Be sure that your fingers are nicely curved as mentioned in our first lesson. For the left hand, the 5th finger plays C, the 3rd finger plays E and the 1st finger plays G. For the right hand, the 1st finger plays C, the 3rd finger plays E and the 5th finger plays G. Here’s an example of a C Major chord on the treble clef in different inversions. Here’s a C Major chord on piano: Learn Piano Online – F MAJOR CHORD Let’s now take a look at the F major chord. The F major chord comprises of three notes, F, A and C. The C Major chord is frequently followed by the F major chord and vice versa. Practice going back and forth between the C major chord and the F major chord. For the right hand, the 1st finger plays C in both chords. The 3rd finger moves up to F and the 5th finger moves up to A to form the F chord. Here’s a picture showing the notes of the F chord on piano, starting with the note, C. You can also hold the F chord as shown in the diagram below, starting with its root note F, then skipping a key, playing a key (A), skipping a key, playing a key (C) as we did with the C major chord. Finger 1 plays F, finger 3 plays A and finger 5 plays C. Learn Piano – G MAJOR CHORD The G major chord comprises of three notes, G, B and D. Here’s a picture showing the notes of the G chord on piano: Here’s an example of the G chord on the treble clef: Watch this lesson: 3/4 Time Signature In piano lesson 5, we talked about time signatures. We saw that the top number in a time signature tells you how many beats there are in a measure (or bar) while the bottom number tells you what kind of note gets a beat. For a 3/4 time signature there are 3 beats to a measure and a quarter note gets one beat. This means that there can be a maximum of 3 quarter notes in a measure. You can have a half note and a quarter note as well since a half note lasts two beats and a quarter note lasts one beat. You can have any combination of notes as long as they do not exceed three beats. A dotted note is a note with a small dot written after it. The dot increases the duration of the basic note by half of its original value. If the basic note lasts 2 beats, the corresponding dotted note lasts 3 beats. So while one would count two beats for a half note, if it is dotted one would have to count three beats. A quarter note gets one beat but a dotted quarter note would last a beat and a half. A tie is a curved line connecting the heads of two notes of the same pitch, indicating that they are to be played as a single note with a duration equal to the sum of the individual notes’ note values. In some cases one might tie two notes which could be written with a single note value, such as a half note tied to a quarter note (the same length as a dotted half note). The key is held down for the combined values of both notes. Tied and dotted notes – Example 1 Tied and dotted notes – Example 2 Click here for my favorite How to Play Piano course. If you want to learn piano the easy way, and not have to endure technical, traditional, boring stuff, I recommend this to you. - Free Piano Lessons – Page One. - Online Piano Lessons – Page Two. - Free Online Lessons (Piano) – Page Three. - Beginner Piano Lessons – Page Four. - Easy Piano Lessons – Page Five. - Learn How To Play Piano Free – Page Six. - Learn to Play the Piano – Page Seven. - Learn to Play Piano – Page Eight. - Keyboard Lessons – Page Nine. - Beginner Keyboard Lessons – Page Ten. - Learn Piano Online – Page Eleven. - Free Piano Lessons For Beginners – Page Twelve. - Best Way to Learn To Play Piano

<urn:uuid:1746264a-cdbf-4044-95fb-6370f28a08af>

CC-MAIN-2017-51

http://www.piano-keyboard-guide.com/learn-piano.html

s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-51/segments/1512948589512.63/warc/CC-MAIN-20171216220904-20171217002904-00723.warc.gz

en

As I continue to explore game design as a part of the Games for Learning (#GE4L) MOOC at Canvas.net, I’m using this as a chance to deepen my understanding of how learning organizations can benefit from using game design principles. However, a comment from Dave Black on a recent post also invited me to think more broadly about lessons that we can glean from the gaming culture. Rather than only asking what we can learn from games, there are also important lessons that we can learn from the people who play games and the skills that they seem to develop by playing games. When I consult with groups about topics like 21st century skills, I often distinguish between the what of eduction and the how of education. The how focuses upon methods and strategies. The how is a conversation about 21st century pedagogy and learning experience design. This is where discussion about game design lessons for educators becomes a fascinating and promising topic. The what of 21st century skills, on the other hand, focuses upon what people need to learn to thrive and survive in a 21st century world. This is where we look at the knowledge, skills, and dispositions that will best help people embrace the challenges and opportunities of life in a 21st century global context. What does one need to thrive in the workplace, to thrive in family and community, to learn and grow from adversity, to be a positive change agent in the world, to live a good life that is rich with meaning; to flourish (drawing from the title of Martin Seligman’s popular positive psychology text)? These are the sorts of questions that we ask when we focus upon the what of 21st century skills. The what of 21st century skills is an important topic as it helps to frame our thinking about the how. Our methods are selected based upon what we want to learn or help others learn. Without substantial thought about the what of 21st century skills, it is easy to become overly dogmatic about and unnecessarily loyal to our favorite models and methods. Game-based learning, for example, has many lessons for us, but I’m not ready to argue that all learning must be gamified or that it is the answer to all educational challenges. It is a valuable lens through which to look at the design of learning experiences, but not the only one. Toward that end, I recently started to think about what we can learn from gamers? What knowledge, skills and dispositions do gamers cultivate; and how might those be useful for life in the 21st century? I encourage your thoughts and comments about this. To get us started, I put together some thoughts below. 7 Traits of a Pro Gamer – This short post on the Pro Gamer Institute web site is a good place to start. In addition to physical traits (like manual dexterity and twitch reflexes), the post also includes traits like love of the game, unwavering dedication, strong-multitasking skills, analytical ability, and emotional control. Following are my reflections about five of the items fro the article. “Love of the Game” – Is “love of the game” important in other aspects of life? As they note in the article, you are going to be spending a ton of time with the game, so if you don’t really love what you are doing, then you are less likely to persist long enough to get good at it. This is such an important point, and I contend that it is important for much of life. How do you find those things that you love so that you can truly do it with all of your might? Or, how do you learn to love something? The ability to discover your life passions and your callings (not just what you do to make money) is powerful skill. At the same time, some tasks in our lives do not seem to spark much love in us, but it is possible to learn to love them. Knowing when to move on to something that is more in line with our gifts and passions is an important trait, it is also equally valuable to learn how to “grow where you are planted”, to thrive and find fulfillment in the current circumstances. Unwavering Dedication – As the article notes, to be one of the best gamers, you need to devote hours of effort and make real sacrifices. This takes dedication, an ability to persevere, and the capacity to postpone gratification for the sake of the larger goal. Strong Multitasking Skills – Yes, there is ample research to suggest that people are less effective at specific tasks while trying to do others at the same time. Texting while driving is the first that comes to mind. Not only are you likely to craft far less eloquent texting prose, you are also more likely to hit that next telephone pole, car, or pedestrian crossing the street. At the same time, multitasking is a critical skill for life today (as it was in past generations). Not all tasks in our lives can be done in isolation. Many parts of our lives require us to juggle multiple things at the same time. Consider the parent who has food on the stove, a child in need of help with something, and then the phone rings. While they may not have to do all three simultaneously, they need to think quickly and figure out how to juggle the items. I do think it is helpful to note that, when you juggle three balls, it is actually an illusion. Most of the time, there is only one ball in the air, but it does still demand knowing where all three balls are and being able to attend to multiple things at the same time. How do we learn to develop such skills? Analytical Skills – As noted in the Pro Gamer post, “Top gamers do their research, develop strategies and tactics, and analyse their opponents. You’ll have to do the same to keep up.” In other words, there is more to playing the game than just playing the game. The ability to develop and select the most effective heuristics to address challenges in work and other parts of life remains a valued ability in the 21st century. Similarly, learning the value of research and how to do it allows one to make more informed decisions, whether it be in the workplace or when doing something like shopping for a new car. Emotional Control – The last item from the 7 Traits of a Pro Gamer article relates to the ability to control one’s emotions. There is plenty of evidence to support the idea that emotional intelligence (I first learned about it in Daniel Goleman’s text by that title) is critical for success in many aspects of life (school, work, relationships, etc.). It turns out that it is important for gamers as well. This list of seven traits gives us plenty to consider when we think about learning from gamers. In fact, the list seems to point to the idea that many of the traits that lead to success and excellence in school and work are also some of the same traits that help pro gamers. The lessons are not limited to pro gamers. There are plenty of lessons that we can learn from the broader world of gamers as well. For more about that, here are a few resources to check out. - The Kids are Alright: How the Gamer Generation is Changing the Workplace – This text draws our attention to the fact that gamers have certain proclivities that are likely to impact the workplace of the present and future. The author provides a profile of attributes that one develops through gameplay that are likely to influence the attitude and actions of these gamers in the workplace. - What Video Games Have to Teach Us About Language and Literacy – I mentioned this text in a previous post, but one interesting aspect of the book by James Paul Gee is that the author describes the way gamers immerse themselves in a given game…in way that is similar to learning a language. Then, when they switch to a new game, they must start over, while transferring some skills from the previous game that still apply. As a result, gamers develop this attitude and aptitude for learning new skills and acclimating to new contexts, certainly an attribute that can aid one in other aspects of 21st century life. - Don’t Bother Me Mom, I’m Learning – I mentioned this book in a recent post as well. The author, Marc Prensky, is the person who largely popularized the idea of digital natives and digital immigrants. In this text, he argues that people can develop a number of important skills as a result of gameplay, things like parallel processing, strategizing and problem solving. His list of potential skills that gamers develop has several parallels with the many lists of important 21st century skills promoted by various authors and organizations. Do gamers have anything to teach educators? It seems to be that they do. What do you think? What are others lesson that we can glean from gamers about the “what” of 21st century skills?

<urn:uuid:294ce163-70eb-4b55-abae-1746becb1776>

CC-MAIN-2017-51

http://etale.org/main/2013/07/09/what-educators-and-everyone-else-can-learn-from-gamers/

s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-51/segments/1512948581053.56/warc/CC-MAIN-20171216030243-20171216052243-00727.warc.gz

en

Microbeads are found in many common products on the market that claim to exfoliate skin. These beads are so common that they’re starting to end up in our oceans, lakes, streams, food, and even our blood. Thankfully, the issue of microbeads is gaining momentum in the mainstream media, as the United States recently banned the use of microbeades via executive order. However, we have a way to go before harmful microbeads are removed from our personal care products in larger countries that make a huge impact on our oceans and environment. What will this mean for the future debate of these substances in our products? What’s with Microbeads? Microbeads are found in many common products on the market that claim to exfoliate skin. On a side note, exfoliate means, according to Google, “ to come apart or be shed from a surface in scales or layers.” It basically acts as sandpaper on your skin. These beads are becoming so common that they’re starting to end up in our oceans, lakes, streams, food, and even our blood. “The microbeads used in personal care products are mainly made of polyethylene (PE), but can be also be made of polypropylene (PP), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) and nylon. Where products are washed down the drain after use, microbeads flow through sewer systems around the world before making their way into rivers and canals and ultimately, straight into the seas and oceans, where they contribute to the plastic soup. Typically, microplastics are defined as: plastic pieces or fibres measuring less than 5 mm. The microbeads found in personal care products are almost always smaller than 1 mm.[i]” Plastics in our water are known to cause adverse health effects, especially for people with Multiple Chemical Sensitivity and other skin sensitivities and conditions. However, even those without sensitivities are at risk. “Larger pieces of plastic break down into smaller pieces and do not biodegrade, the amount of microplastics is accumulating.[ii]” This plastic matter does not go away, it collects in the waterways, and eventually end up in our own bodies. It’s not just the beads and microplastics that we have to deal with. Plastics, with their carbon-chain chemical structure, tend to pick up and bond with other chemicals around them. While the plastic itself can be harmful, the chemicals it can carry include many harsh compounds and even heavy metals. When these plastics get back to our water and our bodies, they bring a slew of harsh chemicals with them. Thankfully, there is a campaign online that has been picking up speed on the issue of banning microbeads. The International Campaign Against Microbeads in Cosmetics has created a website and petition to ask legislators to ban microbeads in products. They have also released a short video on the subject: This video was very well done and hopefully will encourage activists to help change their political landscape for the sake of our health. However, they forgot to mention a very important detail. What Microbeads do to Your Skin In a previous article on Lotion Product Alternatives, I discussed how certain cosmetic products actually make your skin worse off than before. These products claim to “hydrate” and “rejuvenate” your skin, when in the long run, they do the exact opposite. Microbeads are Abrasive to the Skin Cosmetic and care products use microbeads to keep your skin young and smooth. How does this work? Well, picture thousands of tiny, hard plastic beads rubbing against your skin exactly like sandpaper until all the dead, and some living, cells have been scraped off. Disgusting, right? This is huge in cosmetic advertisements when their product supposedly washes away all the daily grime and other harmful products. THEY ADVERTIZE THIS! Just think about it, putting makeup on every day (that is known to dry out your skin on purpose) and washing it off with sandpaper… er “rejuvenating face lotion.” Your skin is going to deteriorate fast-leaving raw, vulnerable skin that can be prone to acne, pimples, eczema, and other skin problems. Products that advertise and use microbeads in their mix also tend to have other harsh chemicals that most people can’t even pronounce. True natural products with genuine lack of petrochemicals are the absolute best for your skin, health, and planet. [i] (Plastic Soup Foundation & Stichting De Noordzee Contributors: Fauna & Flora International, Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure & Environment, United Nations Environment Programme, The Bodyshop Foundation, Neal’s Yard Remedies 2015) [ii] (Thompson 2004) - Plastic Soup Foundation & Stichting De Noordzee Contributors: Fauna & Flora International, Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure & Environment, United Nations Environment Programme, The Bodyshop Foundation, Neal’s Yard Remedies. Science: Beat the Microbead. http://www.beatthemicrobead.org/en/science. - Thompson, R.C. “Lost at Sea: Where is all the Plastic?” Science, May 2004.

<urn:uuid:913f561c-c000-455e-b674-54f07d57f2e4>

CC-MAIN-2017-51

https://pghenvironmental.wordpress.com/2016/04/13/microbeads-alternatives-and-activism/

s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-51/segments/1512948581053.56/warc/CC-MAIN-20171216030243-20171216052243-00728.warc.gz

en

Auguste Comte was the French philosopher who was the father of the philosophy of Positivism--yes, Auguste was a nutty kind'a guy who meant well--the science that Comte proposed as the vehicle in which to use his positivist methods he entitled "Sociology"--the study of "what's social." Comte's philosophy has been bitterly condemned over the years because Comte's perfect society is a "socialist" one; as one critic said, Comte's positivism was the basis of both Karl Marx's and Adolph Hitler's ways of thinking and rationalizing; the individual is merely a member of a society and must respect the morals and the laws of the scientifically designed society, individual rights being obtained through scientific reasoning with the designers of the "perfect" society (or "positive" society as Comte would say). Jean Jacques Rousseau was the Frenchman whose thinking inspired Auguste Comte the most (especially, in Comte's case, Rousseau's Social Contract and also Rousseau's essay on the Origins of Language--Linguistics comes directly from Comte's Philosophy of "Sociology" or Positivism). Recently in reviewing why I can't seem to get "modern" (I know, we're in the Post-Modernist era), I came across a calendar invented by Auguste Comte--looking for "positive" time--and a calendar following Comte's three stages of thinking, the theological, the metaphysical, and the scientific. Here's Auguste Comte's calendar: Since the Enlightenment, Philosophers and Scientists have been trying to make human life a little more rational. Decimal-based monetary systems, for example, began in the US in 1786, on the insistence of Thomas Jefferson. The system was adopted in France in 1793, with decimes and centimes. These terms, meaning tenths and hundredths, became our dimes and cents. The Italians didn't adopt it until 1862, and it didn't get to the British until 1971! Similarly, the French introduced the metric system in 1795. By the end of the 1900s, almost all countries have adopted it -- the US being the notable exception this time! Far more resistant to "rationalization" has been time. It does not seem that we will ever change the 60-second minute, 60-minute hour, and 24-hour day, but these are at least consistent and international. The calendar has likewise resisted change, but not for a lack of ideas! You see, the year of 365 days is 4 x 7 x 13 plus 1 (and another 1 on leap years), which means that there are several simple schemes we could be using. For example, we could have four seasons of thirteen weeks of seven days each (plus one, and another on leap years). Or.... August Comte, in 1849, published a 13 month calendar, which he called The Positivist Calendar. It consisted of 13 months of 28 days each (exactly four weeks). There was one extra day at the end of the year which had no weekday assigned to it, and one more extra day on leap years. Every year begins on Monday, Moses 1. It begins with1789 as year one, so the year 2000 would be 212. Each month would look exactly like this: Here are the names of the months Comte proposed: - 1. Moses - 2. Homer - 3. Aristotle - 4. Archimedes - 5. Caesar - 6. St. Paul - 7. Charlemagne - 8. Dante - 9. Gutenburg - 10. Shakespeare - 11. Descartes - 12. Frederick II - 13. Bichat - Moses 14 -- Buddha - Aristotle 21 -- Socrates - Gutenburg 7 -- Columbus - Shakespeare 28 -- Mozart - Descartes 28 -- Hume - Bichat 7 -- Galileo I like that "It never caught on." Nothing progressive ever seems to catch on--like jazz in this country--it was the most progressive music in the world at the TIME of its demise (and, yes, I know jazz isn't dead--but perhaps "my jazz and jazz concepts" are dead); yet the traditional musics (the world's folk musics) eventually beat it dead--the same as Euro-Western Classical music is dead, too, though, here again, I know Classical music is still alive and well in some parts of the world. Our politicians are spieling about change suddenly--I've never heard them ever use the word in the past--I can see no examples of any "change" these clowns have brought about over the years they've been building their careers off We the People's hard-earned money in Congress. What change in Congress has Hillary brought about since she's been a "New York State" senator? What change has Obama brought about? George W. "Georgie Porgie" Bush has brought about more change than all these candidates put together--I mean you wanna talk about a dude who's brought about "change" to this country--then talk about Baby Boy Bush--negative change, yes, but change--drastic change, ruination change--so why not a counter-change--and why not that counter-change back when Bush stole the 2000 election and begin bringing about the change that led to some character out of Bush's family named Osama Bin Ladin who also brought about change to this nation--who also according to Madame Bhutto before she died has been dead for several years now? Change. What a many sided word! "Ach Du Lieber, Lord Monboddo" In reading up on the influence of characters on Emily Dickenson's life and language I came across the wonderful Judge Monboddo--he was said to have had quite an influence on Emily and some of her Amherst acquaintances. Weird girl that Emily; that's why I like her so much. Lord Monboddo was one of the most respected and eminent Judges at Edinburgh's Court of Session during the 18th century, but he was also something of an oddball. He had a passionate attachment to the ways of the Ancient Greeks and a contempt for anything he considered to be modern. As a result he lived very simply. If the Ancient Greeks didn't use it, neither did he. He traveled only on horseback, for example, as coaches and sedan-chairs were new inventions. He refused to sit on the Bench with his fellow judges but sat underneath with the court clerks. This was due to a decision, which went against him when he was the claimant in a case involving the value of a horse. In 1773, he published a notorious book Of the Origin and Progress of Language. It included the theories that man was derived from animals, that orang-utangs were related to humans and capable of speech, and that in the Bay of Bengal there was a nation of human creatures with tails. These ideas "afforded endless matter for jest by the wags of the day", but today are seen to be related to the theory of evolution. Slightly more eccentric was his belief that babies are born with tails and that midwives cut them off at birth. In 1785, when he was 71, Lord Monboddo was visiting the King's Court in London when part of the ceiling of the courtroom started to collapse. There was a great rush from the building, until the danger was past and order restored. Lord Monboddo, who was deaf and shortsighted, was the only person who did not move from his seat. When asked why, he explained that he thought it was "an annual ceremony, with which, as an alien, he had nothing to do". From a Googled site/ re: "Lord Monboddo" Cheers to Lord Monboddo. That reminds me of stories told about Ernest Hemingway during World War II. When Hemingway, who was a member of the press corps and not allowed to wear official US Army ensignia, took it upon himself to declare his little entourage, his Jeep driver and some French Resistance dudes, a platoon and himself as Captain or Major Hemingway--wearing an officer's service revolver--and pretty much going on his own into Paris, arriving in Paris before DeGaulle and the official "Liberation of Paris" parade...anyway, it was said, while headquartering in a French woods just after the Normandy Invasion, during mortar or artillary bombardments, some which hit just outside their headquarters chateau, Hemingway would never dive under a table or run for safety but would just sit through them as though nothing were going on. What you don't know (or hear or see) don't hurt you--Lord Growlingwolf said that. And here's one of Emily's poems: I felt a funeral in my brain, And mourners, to and fro, Kept treading, treading, till it seemed That sense was breaking through. And when they all were seated, A service like a drum Kept beating, beating, till I thought My mind was going numb. And then I heard them lift a box, And creak across my soul With those same boots of lead, again. Then space began to toll As all the heavens were a bell, And Being but an ear, And I and silence some strange race, Wrecked, solitary, here. for The Daily Growler

<urn:uuid:c0b1d5d3-44f0-4163-9ef9-c511ffbcd606>

CC-MAIN-2017-51

http://the-daily-growler.blogspot.com/2008/01/ach-du-lieber-auguste-comte.html

s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-51/segments/1512948522205.7/warc/CC-MAIN-20171213065419-20171213085419-00727.warc.gz

en

When we released out latest Virginia Energy Efficiency Industry Census report this spring, we found that revenue generated from the energy efficiency sector has grown from nearly $300 million in 2013 to $1.5 billion in 2016. And we noted U.S. Department of Energy stats that the industry is responsible for 75,000 jobs across the state. Indeed, it is a huge part of the new Virginia economy. But it raises an important question. Just what kind of jobs count as “energy efficiency jobs”? From architects and contractors designing, building, and renovating more efficient buildings, energy auditors testing a building’s performance, HVAC contractors installing high-performance systems, to energy managers for cities and counties trying to find ways to save their residents money, and weatherization providers helping low-income residents save money on their own energy bills, and to those working to shape public policy or develop software to monitor energy use, the list goes on. Here are 5 examples of energy efficiency jobs: 1. Sustainability Directors At the county or city level of government, this position is in charge of ensuring that a local government is meeting its goals for sustainability and energy use. Efficient use of energy is the first step in becoming environmentally friendly, and as local governments work towards their goals of sustainability, energy efficiency is a high priority. Monitoring energy use, educating employees on their usage, as well as ensuring government-owned buildings meet efficient standards are all a part of a Sustainability Director’s job. As if being tasked to track and monitor government energy usage isn’t a handful already, here’s just taste of the laundry list of responsibilities a sustainability director undertakes: coordinate city or county wide strategies that promote sustainable and green practices; identify methods and policies (typically through benchmarking); work with community groups to integrate green design into their projects; increase the use of energy efficient products and engineering; develop and implement the systems to track and monitor efforts across City departments; serve as an outreach coordinator to build strong relationships with partner organizations and field experts; and develop education materials for contractors and homeowners. The list goes on in this vital job to successfully implement energy efficiency policies at the local level. Note that the exact job title varies. The person responsible for overseeing this work might, using VAEEC member City of Charlottesville as an example, be the City’s Environmental Administrator or up in Arlington they have an Energy Manager. 2. Energy Service Companies An energy service company or ESCO provides a broad range of energy solutions including the design and implementation of energy savings projects, retrofitting, energy conservation, energy infrastructure outsourcing, power generation and energy supply, and risk management. VAEEC members like Johnson Controls, Siemens, Southland and Trane have helped entities like grammar schools, universities and state government facilities like the Department of Motor Vehicles and Department of Corrections to upgrade their facilities and save taxpayer money. Expanding the performance-based contracting that ESCOs offer was one of VAEEC’s five policy recommendations in our recent “Why Energy Efficiency is a Smart Investment for Virginia” report. 3. Software and Monitoring As we live in a world increasingly connected through the internet and our devices, our energy use corresponds to our increasing reliance on technology. In turn, our energy use can be monitored through the internet and innovative software. Customer engagement and interactive applications allow energy consumers to monitor their energy usage from any device. The concept is simple: if you know how much you’re using then you know where to cut back. However, the monitoring required to provide customers with this information and the comparisons of what’s “good usage” vs “bad usage” are complex. VAEEC member Oracle is one company that provides this information in an easy to use format. Taking the best of their paper Home Energy Reports, they format is to fit an easy to use and easy to engage system that emails customers directly about their energy usage. Customers using Oracle’s services can save up to 3% annually from this kind of direct engagement and awareness of their energy usage. Not only that but the Cloud services that Oracle provides allows people to store energy data, track it and compare it from a massive database of energy information. 4. Weatherization Providers Weatherization projects allow homes to better withstand the elements, keeping interiors cool in the summer and warm in the winter. Instead of relying heavily on heating and cooling systems which expend energy, weatherization offers a more permanent solution through durable projects such as double paned windows, and insulating walls and attics. Homes are often neglected when it comes to weatherization, and this is especially true of low income families who have to prioritize their budgets. Low-income families often wind up spending a large portion of their monthly income on energy bills, and while weatherization alleviate energy costs the upfront expense can be daunting. Project:Homes, a VAEEC member, offers services such as air sealing, insulation, LED lightbulbs and water savers to help low-income families make their homes more efficient. This not only increases property value, but makes the homes more comfortable to live in and saves homeowners and renters money on energy bills. Other Project:Homes initiatives such as “Keep It Cool RVA!” have helped provide window units and AC to those in need during the hottest months. 5. Contractors, Homebuilders + Technicians You’re looking for a new house with energy efficient features or want to do a remodel with energy savings and sustainability in mind? There’s a contractor for that. Is it time to replace your HVAC system or just need a service heading into winter (or summer)? There’s a HVAC technician for that. Need some work or cleaning of your ducts to improve efficiency and indoor air quality? Yup, companies specialize in that. These jobs indirectly and directly qualify as “energy efficiency jobs.” These are just some of the wide ranging jobs — white and blue collar — within the field of energy efficiency, each playing an important role in changing the landscape of how we think about and use energy. This Thursday is National Energy Efficiency Day #EEDay2017, a great time to recognize and celebrate everyone working in the energy efficiency field — and all of the jobs we sustain here in Virginia and nationwide.

<urn:uuid:6e13d258-10ce-47a5-b9c0-8274bd67ba63>

CC-MAIN-2017-51

http://vaeec.org/energy-efficiency-jobs/

s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-51/segments/1512948512121.15/warc/CC-MAIN-20171211033436-20171211053436-00328.warc.gz

en

Paul Laurence Dunbar’s “The Tragedy of Three Forks” appears in his 1898 short story collection The Strength of Gideon. The story’s narrative involves a woman burning down the house of a rival and blaming the arson on African Americans. The white press runs with the assumption that African Americans committed the crime, captures a group, and lynches them. Thomas L. Morgan speaks about this story, and others, in relation to “White Determinism” and the genre of Naturalism that took off around the turn of the twentieth century. For this post, though, I want to not the aspects of dialect that appear in the story. When most people read Dunbar, they read his dialect poetry. The reason for this, as mentioned in earlier posts, comes from the fact that anthologies typically contain them. Along with this, the dialect poems lead some to view Dunbar as an accomadationist who reminisces about the bygone days of the Old South. This assumption cannot be further from the truth when reading Dunbar’s work as whole. Scholars such as Gene Andrew Jarrett, Nadia Nurhussein, and others have worked to dismiss this characterization of Dunbar and his work. In this post, I would like to add to those voices by showing, briefly, how dialect works in “The Tragedy of Three Forks.” Taking place in Central Kentucky, the story begins on a dark, stormy night. The narrator describes the scene, mentioning an unidentified girl can be seen in the night: “It was hardly a night on which a girl should be out. And yet one was out, scudding before the storm, with clenched teeth and wild eyes, wrapped head and shoulders in a great blanket shawl, and looking, as she sped along like a restless, dark ghost” (269). Notice that the narrator does not mention whether or not the girl scurrying through the storm is white or African American. She only appears covered in a blanket and resembling a “dark ghost.” When the girl speaks for the first time, certain assumptions may be brought to the forefront of readers’ minds. She says, “‘Tain’t the first time, ’tain’t the first time she’s tried to take me down in comp’ny, but—” and the sob gave way to the dry, sharp note in her voice, “I’ll fix her, if it kills me. She thinks I ain’t her ekals, does she ? ‘Cause her pap’s got money, an’ has good crops on his lan’, an’ my pap ain’t never had no luck, but I’ll show ‘er, I’ll show ‘er that good luck can’t alius last. Pleg-take ‘er, she’s jealous, ’cause I’m better lookin’ than she is, an’ pearter in every way, so she tries to make me little in the eyes of people. Well, you’ll find out what it is to be pore—to have nothin’, Seliny Williams, if you live.” (270) The girl’s speech provides readers with an idea about her identity. She says that the rival “thinks I ain’t her ekals” which signifies a distinction of class, and quite possibly race. However, we still do not get any idea about whether or not the girl is African American or white until later in the story. The indeterminability regarding the girl’s race from the beginning of the story works to disrupt the narrative in the same way that the newspaper “scarehead” does later in the text. Readers, based on local color and regionalism of the period, may perceive that the girl is African American. However, Dunbar shatters this conception because she is white and burns the house of her rival out of anger. She goes along with the town people’s conjecture that African Americans set the fire and allows the lynchings to continue. There is a lot more in regards to this story that could be discussed, but I think that challenging Dunbar’s use of dialect, and the way he deploys it in this story, serves an important purpose. We need to realize that Dunbar worked within a tradition that wrote in dialect. The “Hoosier Poet” James Whitcomb Riley became an inspiration to Dunbar, and that influence can be seen in the early dialect poems from Dunbar where he works to replicate Whitcomb’s dialect. As well, Dunbar can be seen, at eighteen, writing in a German dialect. His poem “Lager Beer” appears in the inaugural issue of the Dayton Tattler that Dunbar started in 1890. What does all of this mean? Quite simply, it means that we do not need to pigeonhole Dunbar and his dialect poetry or writings. His writing does not just reflect the lives of Southern African Americans. His work shows various regions, races, and classes in the United States at the turn of the century. The essentialist views of Dunbar started by Howells has partly led to this emphasis on Dunbar’s dialect. This view needs to be refocused, and by looking at the entirety of Dunbar’s work, we can do that. What are your thoughts on Dunbar’s dialect? What other authors from that period do we need to think about in regards to dialect and the role dialect plays? Let me know in the comments below. Dunbar, Paul Laurence. “The Tragedy of Three Forks.” The Strength of Gideon. New York: Dodd, Mead, & Company, 1898. 267-283. Print.

<urn:uuid:f49f378b-353e-4915-907a-b842ee90d4e0>

CC-MAIN-2017-51

https://interminablerambling.wordpress.com/2015/08/11/the-tragedy-of-three-forks-and-dialect/

s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-51/segments/1512948550986.47/warc/CC-MAIN-20171214202730-20171214222730-00527.warc.gz

en

By F. Brian Eddy, Richard D. Handy Fish have advanced to colonise nearly all types of aquatic habitat and this present day they're a highly different workforce of over 25,000 species. The evolution of this nice range of species has led to a myriad of options to the calls for posed via the aquatic surroundings. Ecological and Environmental body structure of Fish presents a present and accomplished evaluate of fish body structure to illustrate how residing fish functionality of their surroundings. As with different books within the sequence, the emphasis is at the specified physiological features of the fish, yet with purposes to questions of large relevance in physiological ecology. A initial bankruptcy introduces the aquatic atmosphere and provides a normal description of fish biology, evolution, and taxonomy. next sections speak about the actual difficulties of dwelling in water, existence in severe environments, recommendations for learning fish ecophysiology, and destiny examine directions. By Ian L. Boyd, W. Don Bowen, Sara J. Iverson Marine mammals command a excessive point of public cognizance, mirrored in particular laws for his or her safety and administration in lots of nations. in addition they current specific demanding situations to ecologists and conservation biologists. they're ordinarily tricky to watch, they occupy an atmosphere that's colossal in its 3 dimensional volume, there are frequently perceived conflicts among marine mammals and other people, and in addition numerous species at the moment are on the subject of extinction. Marine mammals have a few exciting positive factors of their biology - the facility to dive to crushing depths, to accomplish breath-hold dives that defy our present figuring out of mammalian body structure, and lots of have a capability to seek down prey utilizing refined sonar that we're simply simply commencing to comprehend. Many species even have complicated social constructions. We nonetheless have a lot to profit approximately those awesome animals so a entire and authoritative evaluation of present technique is now well timed. The goal of this ebook is either to summarize the cutting-edge and to inspire innovation and additional development during this learn box. By Andrea Belgrano, Guy Woodward, Ute Jacob Aquatic useful Biodiversity: An Ecological and Evolutionary Perspective offers a basic conceptual framework by way of one of the most in demand investigators within the box for a way to hyperlink eco-evolutionary ways with sensible variety to appreciate and preserve the provisioning of atmosphere companies in aquatic structures. instead of generating one other methodological booklet, the editors and authors basically pay attention to defining universal grounds, connecting conceptual frameworks and delivering examples by means of a extra certain dialogue of some empirical reports and tasks, which illustrate key rules and an overview of power destiny instructions and demanding situations which are anticipated during this interdisciplinary examine box. Recent years have noticeable an explosion of curiosity in utilizing community methods to disentangle the connection among biodiversity, neighborhood constitution and functioning. Novel equipment for version building are being built continually, and smooth equipment enable for the inclusion of just about any kind of explanatory variable that may be correlated both with biodiversity or environment functioning. hence those types were widespread in ecology, conservation and eco-evolutionary biology. however, there continues to be a substantial hole on how good those techniques are possible to appreciate the mechanisms on how biodiversity constrains the provisioning of surroundings providers. - Defines universal theoretical grounds by way of terminology and conceptual issues - Connects conception and perform in ecology and eco-evolutionary sciences - Provides examples for profitable biodiversity conservation and surroundings provider management By Jeanette Wyneken Sea turtles have existed for thousands of years, making them attention-grabbing matters of research. within the final twenty years, the technological know-how of sea turtle biology has increased at an exponential expense, resulting in significant advances in lots of components. This publication synthesizes the result of those advances and makes a speciality of how those endangered marine reptiles function in, adapt to, and are based upon specific beneficial properties in their marine environment. Read more... By Michael J. Kennish The continuing development of human populations inside US coastal areas maintains to extend habitat loss, eutrophication, natural loading, overfishing, and different anthropogenic stressors in estuarine waters. The nationwide Estuarine study Reserve method (NERRS) is a federally funded initiative that addresses those severe estuarine difficulties and coastal source concerns at 25 websites in 21 states. Now estuarine and watershed scientists, source managers, neighborhood planners, and different pros facing coastal sector matters have knowledgeable source describing the NERRS application, association, ambitions, and administration approach. Estuarine study, tracking, and recovery first defines the parts and technical points of the NERRS application, then presents worthwhile perception into this system during the presentation of six case reports of NERRS sites. This publication examines estuarine difficulties together with degraded water caliber, aid of biodiversity, and complicated invasive species, then analyzes the human affects affecting estuaries. the great research of the six estuarine reserve destinations characterizes every one region's actual, chemical, and organic stipulations from the viewpoint of the NERRS application. those case reports contain a pass element of websites from 3 coasts, each one examine emphasizing the significance of unified efforts of presidency and electorate to effectively keep the ecology of those severe parts. About The Product Published via the yank Geophysical Union as a part of the Antarctic learn Series. This is the 3rd of the 11 volumes of the study sequence to date released that is dedicated to the Biology of the Antarctic Seas. It includes 12 unique papers which, in material, diversity from an research of the existence strategies of the microalgae of sea-ice (John S. Bunt) and the productiveness of the ocean (S. Z. El-Sayed) to the physiologic habit and reactions to diving of the Weddell seal (G. L. Kooyman). By Joseph Pedlosky This moment variation of the commonly acclaimed Geophysical Fluid Dynamics via Joseph Pedlosky deals the reader a high-level, unified therapy of the idea of the dynamics of large-scale motions of the oceans and surroundings. Revised and up-to-date, it comprises elevated discussions of * the basics of geostrophic turbulence * the speculation of wave-mean stream interplay * thermocline idea * finite amplitude barocline instability. From the experiences: ''The writer has performed a masterful task in featuring the speculation with the required mathematical starting place, whereas retaining the actual points in transparent view...it is a phenomenal creation to a posh and critical subject.'' GEOPHYSICS By Michael L. Domeier Inspired by means of the foreign White Shark Symposium in 2010, Global Perspectives at the Biology and existence heritage of the White Shark comprises crucial modern examine findings right into a unmarried peer-reviewed booklet. This fantastically illustrated reference represents a old swap within the context of White Shark (Carcharodon carcharias) examine. as soon as one among the main poorly understood and hard sharks to review, this well timed ebook acknowledges a brand new refined concentrate on the White Shark, elevating its prestige from obscurity to enlightenment. The Global views at the Biology and existence heritage of the White Shark celebrates the White Shark because the such a lot studied shark within the sea. Within the chapters you will discover new insights right into a sizeable diversity of issues, corresponding to habit, body structure, migration styles, habitat personal tastes, day-by-day job styles, molecular genetics, reproductive biology and new learn equipment. The booklet additionally delves into inhabitants tracking and coverage concepts for managers and researchers. Invasive Aquatic Species of Europe. Distribution, Impacts by Erkki Leppäkoski, Stephan Gollasch, Sergej Olenin By Erkki Leppäkoski, Stephan Gollasch, Sergej Olenin The international scale of alien species invasions is changing into increasingly more obtrusive at first ofthe new millennium. even though the matter ofbiological invasions grew to become a swiftly growing to be study region, there are huge gaps nonetheless, either geographically and the matically, to be stuffed within the close to destiny. This e-book is the 1st try and supply an total photograph of aquatic species invasions in Europe. Its geographical scope stretches from Irish waters within the west to Volga River and the Caspian Sea within the east, and from Mediterranean within the south as much as the Arctic coast of Europe. no longer all components of the continent will be both lined, as in a few international locations species invasions aren't studied but. The e-book has a tendency to symbolize the array of all significant ecu aquatic structures at the broadest geographical and ecological scope attainable from absolutely saline seas, semi-enclosed brackish water our bodies and coastallagoons to freshwater lakes, significant river structures and waterways. the main targets contain the current prestige and affects as a result of non-native aquatic species in ecu waters. Please observe that long species lists submitted for book and extra informa tion have been wear the net, because the electronical model of those tables advantages from machine assisted look for info (http://www. ku. lt/nemo/EuroAquaInvaders. htm). Altogether greater than a hundred scientists from 24 nations have joined to synthesize the to be had info on bioinvasions. even if, the booklet doesn't declare to be totally comprehensive.

<urn:uuid:1c3849a5-3c36-42d8-98cd-4eec0d18ecd7>

CC-MAIN-2017-51

http://annealmasy.com/pdf/category/marine-biology/page/5

s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-51/segments/1512948588294.67/warc/CC-MAIN-20171216162441-20171216184441-00128.warc.gz

en

In 1916, the role of women at work was clearly defined and outlined by society. Women were seen as the fairer sex, more morally just and noble than men and were expected to uphold such social statuses with their behaviour. Misdemeanours and rebellions from women were punished more harshly than men. Women were expected to hold on to their innocence until the right man came along so that they can start a family and inculcate that morality they were in charge of preserving. Women, not being ‘expected’ to fulfil the working role of the family were often denied access to higher education – by the men who had previously qualified. However, by 1916 the world was at the slow beginning of a revolution that would change all of this. Influential, defiant and strong women were already beginning to fight against this ideal, gradually increasing their access and acceptance into colleges and universities. Let’s allow ourselves to traverse time, remind ourselves of pre-war working conditions for women and take a look at the key events that saw women progress to the most equal state of working conditions they’ve seen to this date. A Timeline Of Key Events In The Working Woman’s History. Before World War I - Women made up only 15% of the total workforce in the United States. A huge proportion were socialites and housewives, not expected to be employed. - Two thirds of teachers were women. - Others featured prominently in dressmaking and fabric mills. - Only a third of factory workers were women. - Typically women received anywhere between 48% and 76% of a man’s wages for performing the same job. In fact, it was World War I became the ultimate catalyst to spark a defining social reaction. Men and women were placed on the greatest and most equalising of fields: that of life and death and once the war ended, the British government, in a move which would be reflected across the Western World, were forced into accepting the time for pompous male supremacism had passed. In particular, the 1970s saw a huge development in women’s pro-activity with regards to work. The sexual revolution of the 1960s which would continue into the 70s saw women embrace a period of empowerment and belief of the rightful control over their own lives. The idea that women had to abandon their careers in their 30s to begin families and that men could not adopt similar roles dissipated. Women entered colleges and universities in the 70s embarking on career paths akin to men; being granted the opportunities to progress in fields such as law, medicine and business. A big factor to this effect was the free accessibility to the birth control pill and a declining oppression in society to abortions. With women more free to control when they fell pregnant and if they wished to have their baby, the implications of motherhood took less of a hold on their careers. Where Do We Stand In 2016? Women have never had a more equal footing in the workplace. There are more female MPs than ever before, with a greater share of the total number of MPs than they’ve ever had before… and yet that share is 29%. There are more female high court judges than ever before… and yet they total only 13.2% of the whole. In terms of high-profile roles, women are best represented as head teachers of high and primary schools, where they total 36.7% of the whole – still a good chunk below a direct 50/50 split. What can we take from this? We can take that there’s still a good distance to go. Whilst women have made massive progression in the workplace in the past 100 years, there is still a slight hangover from traditional gender stereotypes that can be evident in today’s workforce. The answer lies in education. As female candidate shortages are witnessed across business sectors, it is being recognised the change needs to happen at grassroots. Surprisingly girls are still being steered away from IT, technical and ‘skilled’ roles such as electricians, manufacturers and chefs. The good news is organisations like the Code Club and Minecraft Education are proactively working with schools to encourage girls to take an interest in IT, and potentially pursue a career in the industry. With the emergence of initiatives like this times are certainly changing and these females will be skilled up to take on our digital roles of the future. The media also must play its part and continue to showcase female professionals alongside males. On a positive note with more and more female role models in the media and visible in business there are plenty of role models for the next female workforce to aspire to. At ground level at Benchmark we work with many successful female entrepreneurs, Managing Directors and senior management who are inspiring figure heads in the Sheffield business community. This is great to see and will only work to further encourage other women to aim high. Senior company positions, such as mid-high level management, are also seeing more women in these positions than ever before and yet they still make up only 16%. How will you affect that figure? Browse our current jobs here.

<urn:uuid:b07d181d-2a42-4f6f-a84e-ecbbb1568bde>

CC-MAIN-2017-51

http://www.benchmarkrecruit.co.uk/advice-resource-centre/100-years-of-growth-for-women-at-work/

s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-51/segments/1512948512121.15/warc/CC-MAIN-20171211033436-20171211053436-00328.warc.gz

en

Choimus Festival Kalash Valley The Kalash worship the many gods of Kafiristan like Balomain, the heroic demi-god of the Kalash whom the Choimus Festival celebrates. Balomain’s spirit is said to pass through the valley counting the people of the Kalash and collecting their prayers returning them to Tsiam, the mythical land of the Kalash. What Happens at the Choimus Festival? Much dancing in giant circles around bonfires and chanting in mesmerising repetitions – with just a drum beat accompanying the voices. The girls wear intricate costumes with dresses made of cowery shells, coins and beads with intricate hair braiding and headwear. The heavy headdress weighing several pounds is presented to the girl by her uncle. Other jewellery includes necklaces made from apricot kernels, a traditional gift during Choimus. Women often paint their faces with ink (replacing earlier customs of facial tattooing). Single woman are expected to find themselves a husband during these festivals. Just before the main festival, seasonal foods are offered to the ancestral spirits and a kotik, light for the ancestors, is lit. After this ritual the food, considered impure, is offered to the elderly women to be eaten. During the festival, purity is paramount and celibacy is enforced throughout the days of the event so all the people will be in pure mind when Balomain visit the valley. All the people must be cleansed in a ritual bathing the week before the festival begins. During the men’s purification ceremony, they must not sit down at all during the day and at night the blood of a sacrificed goat is sprinkled on their faces. Special bread is eaten cooked away from the main village which is prepared by men only during the purification ceremony. Other bread called jaou or choimus breadis prepared for the festival which is stuffed with crushed walnuts and goat’s cheese. Special dance halls exist for the purpose of dancing at festivals. They are decorated with ornate carved wooden pillars and goat-like figurines. The music and dance is a performance of set songs: the Cha or clapping song is the simplest song with a lilting dance, sung by the elders, with an energetic round dance and the women cry like goats. The drajahilak songs are long and slow, sometimes one song can last up to 2 hours and it is a kind of solo and chorus using improvisation and variation techniques. The Dushak combines the styles of Cha and Drajahilak, presenting both traditional songs and new compositions.The dancing involves side stepping, fast and rhythmical. During the festival prayers, a procession is made to a high plateau outside of the village in Balanguru where the long night of dancing begins. The festivals continues for many more day moving on to different locations within the valleys. Where to see the Choimus Festival Bumburante is the largest and most accessible place for a tourist to view the festivities, and there are several Muslim run hotels in the town. Day 01: (05 Dec) Islamabad Arrival at the airport in Islamabad, our guide and driver will meet you here, after meeting with our staff transfer to the hotel Day 02: (06 Dec) Islamabad – Chitral Departure for Chitral via Lawari Pass (3118m), our today’s journey will be 10 hours’ drive, today we will cross some small cites and pasthon villages like Lower Dir, upper Dir etc, arrive in Chitral and transfer to the hotel Day 03: (07 Dec) Chitral – Bumburat (Kalash) Departure for Kalash valley, the 3 hours’ drive to Kalash village will be through the most interesting narrow jeep track, arrive and transfer to the hotel Day 04 – 18: (08 – 22 Dec) Bumburat/Rumbor (Kalash) Enjoy the Uchal festival in Bumburat and Rumbor village in Kalash valley Day 19: (23 Dec) Kalash – Chitral Drive back to Chitral, arrive and transfer to the hotel Day 20: (24 Dec) Chitral – Islamabad Drive back to Islamabad, arrive and transfer to the hotel Day 21: (25 Dec) Fly to destination explore the twin city and in the evening drive to the airport and fly to destination Please send us email for price: [email protected], [email protected] Services included in this price: • Single/Twin/Master room for all tour • Land Transportation for all tour • 4WD Jeeps where needed • English speaking tour Guide • Meals (Breakfast, Lunch, Diner) • Visa supporting documents • Airport transfers • Entry fees in Parks, museums etc Service not included in this price: • Any kind of insurance • Personal shopping • International Airfares

<urn:uuid:e7c07af0-76d9-4fa8-ba7a-0f36f48fd5fe>

CC-MAIN-2017-51

http://hunzaexplorers.com/tours/choimus-festival/

s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-51/segments/1512948514113.3/warc/CC-MAIN-20171211222541-20171212002541-00323.warc.gz

en

Table of Contents | Message Board | Printable Version | Barron's Booknotes A TRAGEDY OF CHANCE Fate (also called chance, accident, or destiny) plays a vitally significant part in the play. From the beginning of the drama, Shakespeare calls Romeo and Juliet star-crossed lovers, for fate brings them together and fate is responsible for their tragic end. The family feud of the Capulets and Montagues is the means by which fate acts. Romeo, who belongs to the Montague family, “crashes” the Capulet party in order to gain a glimpse of Rosaline, his supposed beloved. At the dance, fate intervenes and he falls in love with Juliet, who is a Capulet. She returns his love, and they are secretly married. Fate does not seem to smile on their union. Romeo, in order to defend the honor of his dead friend Mercutio, is forced into fighting and killing Tybalt, Juliet’s cousin. Romeo’s fate is exile from Verona and his truly beloved Juliet. Fate causes Count Paris to become interested in Juliet just at the time of her marriage to Romeo. Not knowing about Juliet’s marital status, Lord Capulet agrees to Paris’ request for the hand of his daughter and plans a wedding for Juliet and Paris. Juliet defies fate and drinks a “magic” potion in order to avoid the fateful marriage. Friar Lawrence attempts to send a message to Romeo about the “apparent death” of Juliet, but, due to fate, the messenger cannot leave Verona because of the plague. Romeo happens to hear about Juliet’s death from his servant Balthasar and decides he must join Juliet’s fate in eternity. When he enters the tomb, he notices the scarlet of Juliet’s cheek, signaling that she is soon to awake from her trance. He mistakes the color as the beauty of her being shining through to defy death. If he had arrived five minutes later, Juliet would have been awake and the two deaths would have been avoided. Clearly, fate controls the tragedy of Romeo and Juliet. Another source of omen in the play is the presaging of dreams. Romeo has a dream, “ I dreamt my lady came and found me dead.” The servants of the two houses carry the feud to the street and fight. Romeo, unwillingly is drawn into the fight, by the death of Mercutio, at the hands of Tybalt. When Romeo kills Tybalt, the Prince exiles him. All this happens soon after his marriage to Juliet, and then misfortunes fall on the lovers. Fate intervenes again when Romeo is in exile. The Friar’s letter to Romeo, informing about his plan gets delayed. Friar John, the messenger, is detained in a house suspected of ‘infectious pestilence’ and the authorities sealed up the door. Romeo hears of Juliet’s death through Balthasar and rushes to her vault with the vial of poison to kill himself. Juliet awakens from her trance after Romeo drinks the poison and dies by his side. If she had awakened a little earlier, the tragedy would not have happened. This is a tragedy of fate rather than of character or action. PUN, WIT, AND HUMOR IN THE PLAY Although tragic in nature and conclusion, Romeo and Juliet is filled with humor. Shakespeare has enlivened the story with delightful characters and wonderful wit in order to lighten the bitterness of the tragedy. The opening scene of the play is filled with puns as the servants Sampson and Gregory indulge in a verbal duel as well as a fight with swords. Abraham observes that they will not carry coals, meaning that they would not put up with insults. Gregory replies that if they did, they would be “colliers...An we in choler, we will draw.” Choler, meaning anger or hate, is pronounced almost exactly like “collier,” but with a very different meaning. The Elizabethan audience immensely enjoyed such puns. Mercutio’s speech is always full of wit and humor. His wit is the product of his intellectual sharpness; his humor is a product of his poking fun at other people’s weaknesses. On Romeo’s love sickness, he says, “Alas, poor Romeo! He is already dead: stabbed with a white wench’s black eye; shot through the ear with a love song.” Tybalt, he calls “Prince of cats”. Romeo, instead of being the butt of Mercutio’s witty attack, proves an equal match to him. Romeo remarks that Mercutio is a gentleman that loves to hear himself talk and will speak more in a minute than he will stand to in a month. After being stabbed by Tybalt, Mercutio even speaks humorously from his deathbed, saying, “Ask for me tomorrow and you shall find me a grave man.” Similarly, the Nurse, amuses the audience with her wordiness, her slow wit, her outraged pomposity, and her coarse language and bawdiness. When the Nurse meets Mercutio in the play, they tease one another and create a light-hearted, merry atmosphere amidst the tragedy that is to follow. She teases Juliet throughout the play in a variety of ways and particularly delights in make sexual jokes to her naive charge. The audience enjoys the jokes more than Juliet, which is just what Shakespeare intends. He uses comic relief throughout the play to lighten the tragedy to which the play is hurtling.

<urn:uuid:02a861ec-bea2-452a-8913-a6f850ee28f9>

CC-MAIN-2017-51

http://www.pinkmonkey.com/booknotes/monkeynotes/pmRomeo31.asp

s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-51/segments/1512948612570.86/warc/CC-MAIN-20171218083356-20171218105356-00328.warc.gz

en

Thermochromic color-changing materials by Chris Woodford. Last updated: February 6, 2017. Phew it's hot, brrr it's cold!—most animals have a built-in ability to sense changes in temperature because their lives depend on it. But it's not just living things that can detect hot and cold: all kinds of materials in the world around us change size, shape, or form as temperatures rise and fall. We use this idea in gadgets such as thermometers, which measure temperatures precisely using metals that expand when they're heated and contract when they're cooled. Some materials signal temperature changes even more dramatically by changing color as they get hotter or colder: we say they're thermochromic (from the Greek words thermos = heat, chroma = color). Materials like this are the secret ingredient in everything from mood rings and forehead strip thermometers to battery testers and coffee cups that change color when you pour hot drinks into them. How exactly do they work? Let's take a closer look! Photo: Forehead strip thermometers like this are printed with thermochromic chemicals (liquid crystals) that change color with temperature to reveal whether someone's suffering from a fever (if their temperature exceeds normal body temperature of ~37°C). They're inexpensive, safe, easy-to-use, and hygienic. You can get similar devices marked with lower temperatures for use in your refrigerator or your aquarium. Photo: Battery testers like this one use similar thermochromic technology. When you press the contacts, you make a current flow through the tester. The more "juice" left in the battery, the bigger the current, and the more the strip heats up. The thermochromic chemicals inside the tester effectively work just like a strip thermometer: they're measuring electricity indirectly by measuring temperature. What is thermochromism? Everyone's heard the phrase "red hot," but what does it actually mean? If you heat an iron bar in a furnace, you'll see it slowly changes color from its original gray-black (at about 600°C or 1100°F) to red hot (~950°C or 1750°F), yellow hot (~1100°C or 2000°F), and then white hot (at higher temperatures still). The hotter it gets, the more energy it contains. As the fire pumps energy into the iron, the iron atoms become "excited" and unstable, and their electrons absorb the energy briefly, then hurl it back out again in the form of light particles known as photons. That's generally why hot things change color—and why their color changes (from red to white) as they get hotter and spew out different kinds of light energy. It's an example of what's called incandescence, where heat energy is constantly converted to light energy. (You can read a longer explanation and see a diagram of how it happens in our main article about light.) Photo: Incandescence: objects with a lot of heat energy, like the heating elements in this electric fire, give off visible light energy—they glow red, yellow, or white hot. Thermochromic materials change color at much lower temperatures and for very different reasons that have nothing to do with incandescence. There are two main types of materials that are widely used to produce thermochromic effects. Some use liquid crystals (the materials from which your computer or cellphone display is most likely made); others use organic (carbon-based) dyes known as leucodyes (sometimes written leuco dyes). We'll look at both of these in turn. How thermochromic liquid crystals work If you're not already familiar with liquid crystals, you might like to take a quick look at our main article on how LCDs work. But here's a very quick recap. As their name suggests, liquid crystals are a bit like solids in some respects and liquids in others. The ones we're interested in are in a form known as nematic, in which the molecules are arranged a bit like matches in a box—in layers and roughly pointing the same way. Shine some light on nematic liquid crystals and some of it will reflect back again in a type of reflection known as iridescence—the same phenomenon that makes colors from the scales on a butterfly's wing, the grooves on an old-fashioned LP record, or the surface of a soap bubble. Photo: Thermochromic liquid crystals (TLCs) make colors through iridescence, the same process by which color is produced by the closely spaced scales in a butterfly's wing. This photo of a butterfly wing was taken by Dr Thomas G. Barnes, University of Kennedy, and comes from the US Fish and Wildlife Service National Digital Library. Simply speaking, incoming light waves reflect off nearby crystals and add together by a process called interference, which produces the reflection. The color of the reflected light depends (in a very precise way) on how closely the crystals are together. Heat up or cool down your nematic liquid crystals and you'll change the spacing between them, altering the amount of interference and changing the color of the reflected light from black, through red and all the colors of the spectrum to violet and back to black again. In a nutshell, the liquid crystals look a different color depending on what temperature they are because changes in temperature make them move closer together or further apart (depending on the material). Thermochromic liquid crystals (TLCs, as they're known) give a relatively accurate measurement of temperature within certain bands, so they're widely used in such things as strip thermometers (placed on a baby's forehead, perhaps, or stuck to the inside of a refrigerator or an aquarium tank). Typically they're manufactured in the form of microscopic spheres (capsules) embedded in a plastic (polymer). Artwork: How thermochromic liquid crystals work: Top: Incoming light rays hit the layers of liquid crystals (black lines) and reflect back out again, with outgoing rays interfering (adding together or subtracting from one another) to produce light of a particular color—in this case, blue—through what's called Bragg diffraction (Bragg scattering). The color of the reflected light depends on how closely the crystal layers are together. Bottom: In this made-up example, cooling the liquid crystals makes them move further apart, changing the way the outgoing light waves interfere and making the reflected light redder than before. How leucodyes work Sometimes we want things to change color as they get hotter or colder just for novelty or entertainment—and we don't need anything as sophisticated as a TLC for that. You've probably seen those coffee cups with hidden messages or pictures that suddenly appear, like magic, as you fill them with hot water? Or maybe you have a T-shirt or a poster that changes color when you touch it? Things like this are printed with special temperature-sensitive dyes (or inks) called leucodyes, which start off transparent (or have a particular color) and become visible (or change to a different color) as the temperature rises or falls. Leucodyes are organic (carbon-based) chemicals that change color when heat energy makes their molecules shift back and forth between two subtly differently structures—known as the leuco (colorless) and non-leuco (colored) forms. The leuco and non-leuco forms absorb and reflect light differently, so appear very different colors when printed on a material such as paper or cotton. Photo: Temperature-sensitive printing: the promotional competition sticker I've stuck to this cup is designed to change color when its temperature changes. Put it against a cold cup and the whole thing looks black. Add boiling water to the cup and the black background ink (printed with a leucodye) turns white, revealing a hidden message printed in normal black ink. Did I win the competition this time? Nope! Unlike TLCs, which shift color up and down the red-violet spectrum as they get hotter or colder, leucodyes can be mixed in various ways to produce all kinds of color-changing effects at a wide range of everyday temperatures. Leucodyes are much cruder indicators of temperature than TLCs, generally just indicating "cold" versus "hot" with one simple color change. That's because all can they do is switch back and forth between their two different forms (leuco and non-leuco). Like TLCs, leucodyes can be printed on the surface of other materials in the form of microscopic capsules, but they can be produced more easily with traditional printing methods such as screenprinting. That's why leucodyes are more widely used in mass-produced, everyday, novelty items than TLCs, which tend to require special printing equipment. Leucodyes are also used to make thermal computer printer paper (the slippery, curly paper used in checkout receipts that fades quite quickly in sunlight) and in "hypercolor" t-shirts that change color when you touch them. Photo: Thermal paper: Checkout receipts like these are printed on thermochromic paper by thermal printers: where the paper is heated up by a printhead, it changes color from white to black, making the characters you see here. One drawback with thermal paper is that the print fades relatively quickly, especially after exposure to sunlight, so it's not much use for making prints you want to keep for a long time. Inexpensive fax machines typically use this kind of paper too, though better models use inkjet printers that print onto plain paper.

<urn:uuid:48227ca1-9ac7-4776-af70-3f0d8bb4fba1>

CC-MAIN-2017-51

http://www.explainthatstuff.com/thermochromic-materials.html

s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-51/segments/1512948551162.54/warc/CC-MAIN-20171214222204-20171215002204-00726.warc.gz

en

INDIANAPOLIS — Researchers from the Indiana University Center for Aging Research and the Regenstrief Institute have performed the first study conducted in the United States under real-world conditions comparing patient adherence and tolerability to a class of drugs known as cholinesterase inhibitors. Although there are no known cures for Alzheimer’s disease or other dementias, drugs in this class may delay or slow the progression of symptoms in some individuals. All three cholinesterase inhibitor medications approved by the US Food and Drug Administration require titration with patients working up from an initial dose to a target dose to receive full benefit. According to the manufacturers this can be achieved in 4 to 8 weeks. Yet, surprisingly, the new study, published online ahead of print in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, found that by 18 weeks, only one-half of individuals on any of the three drugs were continuing to take them. “While these medications do not change the course of the disease, by not getting patients to target doses, we aren’t optimizing the potential benefits these medications may provide,” said IU Center for Aging Research and Regenstrief Institute scientist Noll Campbell, PharmD, who led the study. “Unlike the clinical trials conducted by drug companies for FDA approval, this study was conducted with participants who were taking an average of 8 other medications – what we would call a ‘real-world’ population — individuals who are sicker than those who typically participate in drug company trials. Having a better understanding of those to whom the drugs are targeted may provide us with greater insight into how to increase benefits and reduce risk.” During the study, just over half of all participants experienced a side effect which contributed to the decision to stop the medication. Muscular-skeletal side effects (general pain and muscle cramps) and neurologic side effects (dizziness, nightmares, headaches) were just as common as gastrointestinal side effects (vomiting, nausea, diarrhea). Side effects primarily occurred at starting dose or early on in treatment. The 196 study participants were patients of memory practices in four large metropolitan Indianapolis health care systems. Three-quarters of those patients followed in the study were female, 31 percent were African-American, and 73 percent had completed high school. Mean age was 80. There was no difference in demographic or clinical characteristics by drug, which were randomly prescribed. No variation was found in tolerability or adherence to the three drugs by sex, race, education or age. Despite the high rate of side effects, the only reason for discontinuation that was different between the medications studied was cost. Individuals were more likely to start and remain on donepezil. This drug is most consistently included as a preferred medication (thus lowest cost to the patient) under many U.S. drug coverage plans. Approximately 14 percent of those patients who were prescribed galantamine and 17 of those prescribed rivastigmine — the other two drugs in the class — stopped for cost reasons although some switched to the covered donepezil and continued to be followed by the researchers to determine tolerability to the drug. Without insurance coverage, all three drugs are similarly priced. “Physicians should be aware of the impact of side effects, many of which are shared with other medications that the patient is taking, on both the adherence to the medication and quality of life,” Dr. Campbell, who is on the faculty of the Purdue University College of Pharmacy, said. “While these drugs aren’t the answer to Alzheimer’s disease, improving tolerability and adherence may reduce the complications of the disease.” Over the 18 week duration of the study target dose was achieved by 53 percent of those taking donepezil. Merely 5 percent of those prescribed galantamine and 19 percent of those prescribed rivastigmine reached the dose needed for maximum effect. “The current US drug trial approval process is just too long — typically 17 years — and inefficient with only a 14 percent hit rate from discovery to successful delivery,” said study senior author Malaz Boustani, MD, MPH. “We need to test the efficacy of drugs in real-world populations — as we did in this study — at the earliest phase of clinical trials”. Dr. Boustani is the founder of the Indiana Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute’s IU Center for Health Innovation and Implementation Science, deputy director of the IU Center for Aging Research, an IU School of Medicine professor, and a Regenstrief Institute investigator. Authors of “Adherence and Tolerability of Alzheimer’s Disease Medications: A Pragmatic Randomized Trial,” in addition to Dr. Campbell and Dr. Boustani are Anthony J. Perkins, MS, of IU Center for Health Innovation and Implementation Science and Indiana CTSI; Hugh C. Hendrie, MB, ChB, DSc, Nicole Fowler, PhD, and Christopher M. Callahan, MD, of IU Center for Aging Research, Regenstrief Institute and IU School of Medicine; Sujuan Gao, PhD, Todd C. Skaar, PhD, and Lang Li, PhD, of IU School of Medicine. The study was funded by Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality grant R01HS019818-01. Cindy Fox Aisen

<urn:uuid:343d93f1-e7b2-40f8-a15c-fca140f407e1>

CC-MAIN-2017-51

http://www.regenstrief.org/article/iu-regenstrief-study-explores-adherence-tolerability-alzheimers-medications/

s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-51/segments/1512948592972.60/warc/CC-MAIN-20171217035328-20171217061328-00326.warc.gz

en

Hypertension is a typical problem where the long-lasting pressure of the blood against your artery walls is high enough that it could at some point cause illness, such as heart disease. Blood pressure is identified both by the amount of blood your heart pumps and also the amount of resistance to blood flow in your arteries. The more blood your heart pumps and also the narrower your arteries, the higher your blood pressure. You could have hypertension (high blood pressure) for many years without any symptoms. Also without symptoms, damages to blood vessels and also your heart proceeds and also could be found. Unrestrained hypertension boosts your danger of serious illness, including heart attack and also stroke. Hypertension generally creates over years, and also it affects nearly everybody at some point. Thankfully, hypertension could be conveniently found. As well as when you understand you have hypertension, you could deal with your medical professional to regulate it. Most individuals with hypertension have no signs or symptoms, also if blood pressure analyses get to hazardously high degrees. A few individuals with hypertension could have frustrations, lack of breath or nosebleeds, but these signs and also symptoms aren’t particular and also generally do not take place till hypertension has gotten to a serious or serious phase. When to see a physician You’ll likely have your blood pressure taken as component of a routine medical professional’s consultation. Ask your medical professional for a blood pressure reading a minimum of every 2 years beginning at age 18. If you’re age 40 or older, or you’re age 18-39 with a high danger of hypertension, ask your medical professional for a blood pressure reading annually. Blood pressure generally ought to be inspected in both arms to establish if there is a distinction. It’s important to make use of an appropriate-sized arm cuff. Your medical professional will likely recommend more frequent analyses if you’ve already been detected with hypertension or have other danger elements for cardiovascular disease. Kid age 3 and also older will generally have actually blood pressure measured as a component of their annual check-ups. If you do not routinely see your medical professional, you could be able to obtain a cost-free blood pressure testing at a wellness resource reasonable or other locations in your community. You could also locate makers in some stores that will certainly measure your blood pressure free of cost. Public blood pressure makers, such as those found in pharmacies, or look at this post covering digital blood pressure monitor could offer practical info regarding your blood pressure, but they could have some restrictions. The precision of these makers depends on several elements, such as a proper cuff dimension and also correct use the makers. Ask your medical professional for guidance on utilizing public blood pressure makers. Hypertension has many danger elements, including: Age. The danger of hypertension boosts as you age. Through very early center age, or regarding age 45, hypertension is a lot more common in males. Ladies are more probable to develop hypertension after age 65. Race. Hypertension is specifically common amongst blacks, commonly establishing at an earlier age compared to it carries out in whites. Major complications, such as stroke, heart attack and also kidney failing, also are a lot more common in blacks. Household background. Hypertension has the tendency to run in families. Being obese or overweight. The more you consider the more blood you have to provide oxygen and also nutrients to your cells. As the volume of blood distributed via your blood vessels boosts, so does the pressure on your artery walls. Not being literally energetic. Individuals that are non-active have the tendency to have higher heart rates. The higher your heart price, the harder your heart must deal with each tightening and also the more powerful the pressure on your arteries. Lack of exercise also boosts the danger of being obese. Making use of tobacco. Not only does cigarette smoking or eating tobacco immediately raise your blood pressure temporarily, but the chemicals in tobacco could harm the cellular lining of your artery walls. This could cause your arteries to slim, increasing your blood pressure. Pre-owned smoke also could increase your blood pressure. Excessive salt (salt) in your diet regimen. Excessive salt in your diet regimen could cause your body to retain fluid, which boosts blood pressure. Insufficient potassium in your diet regimen. Potassium helps stabilize the amount of salt in your cells. If you do not obtain enough potassium in your diet regimen or retain adequate potassium, you could accumulate as well much salt in your blood. Insufficient vitamin D in your diet regimen. It’s uncertain if having as well little vitamin D in your diet regimen could lead to hypertension. Vitamin D could affect an enzyme created by your kidneys that affects your blood pressure. Consuming alcohol as well much alcohol. In time, hefty alcohol consumption could harm your heart. Having greater than 2 beverages a day for males and also greater than one beverage a day for ladies could affect your blood pressure. If you drink alcohol, do so in moderation. For healthy grownups, that suggests approximately one beverage a day for ladies of all ages and also males older compared to age 65, and also approximately 2 beverages a day for males age 65 and also more youthful. One beverage amounts to 12 ounces of beer, 5 ounces of wine or 1.5 ounces of 80-proof liquor. Stress and anxiety. High degrees of tension could lead to a short-lived rise in blood pressure. If you aim to unwind by consuming a lot more, utilizing tobacco or alcohol consumption alcohol, you could only increase troubles with hypertension. Particular persistent conditions. Particular persistent conditions also could increase your danger of hypertension, such as kidney disease, diabetic issues and also rest apnea. For more information on High blood pressure – blood pressure info Occasionally maternity adds to hypertension, too. Although hypertension is most common in grownups, children could go to danger, as well. For some children, hypertension is created by troubles with the kidneys or heart. However, for a growing variety of kids, bad way of life behaviors, such as an undesirable diet regimen, weight problems and also absence of workout, add to hypertension.

<urn:uuid:e72eef70-a1fa-4619-bd98-339810aeb0b8>

CC-MAIN-2017-51

http://efaclz.org/2017/09/18/some-things-we-should-understand-about-hypertension/

s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-51/segments/1512948597585.99/warc/CC-MAIN-20171217210620-20171217232620-00122.warc.gz

en

Unlike Greek and Latin, Etruscan, the third great ancient language of culture in Italy, does not survive in any great literary works. An Etruscan religious literature did exist, and evidence suggests that there was a body of historical literature and drama as well. Known, for example, is the name of a playwright, Volnius, of obscure date, who wrote "Tuscan tragedies". Although there is no evidence of notation, it is possible that Etruscan music was in written form. The Etruscan language is universally accepted as an isolated case. It cannot be shown conclusively to be related to any other language, living or dead, except for a couple of sparsely attested extinct languages. Raetic, recorded in the Alps, was clearly related to Etruscan judging by the few inscriptions found. Lemnian, recorded on the island of Lemnos, also appears to have been related to Etruscan. A third language, Camunic, sparsely recorded in NW Italy and written in the Etruscan alphabet, may possibly also have been related, but the evidence is too sparse to allow any safe conclusions. Etruscan had ceased to be spoken in the time of imperial Rome, though it continued to be studied by priests and scholars. The emperor Claudius (d. 54 CE) wrote a history of the Etruscans in 20 books, now lost, which was based on sources still preserved in his day. The language continued to be used in a religious context until late antiquity; the final record of such use relates to the invasion of Rome by Alaric, chief of the Visigoths, in 410 CE, when Etruscan priests were summoned to conjure lightning against the barbarians. There is a corpus of over 10,000 known Etruscan inscriptions, with new ones being discovered each year. These are mainly short funerary or dedicatory inscriptions, found on funerary urns, in tombs or on objects dedicated in sanctuaries. Others are found on engraved bronze Etruscan mirrors, where they label mythological figures or give the name of the owner, and on coins, dice, and pottery. Finally, there are graffiti scratched on pottery; though their function is little understood, they seem to include owners' names as well as numbers, abbreviations, and non alphabetic signs. The origin of the Etruscan alphabet is not in doubt. The first alphabet was invented by Semitic-speakers in the ancient Near East, though the Caananite and later Phoenician alphabets had only consonants, and no vowels. The Greeks derived their alphabet from the Phoenicians and added vowels, producing the first true alphabet. A western variety of the Greek alphabet was carried by the Euboean Greeks to Italy, and the Etruscans acquired the alphabet from them. The Etruscans in turn passed on the alphabet to the Romans. In its turn the Etruscan alphabet was diffused at the end of the Archaic period c. 500 B.C, into northern Italy, becoming the model for the alphabets of the Veneti and of various Alpine populations; this happened concurrently with the formation of the Umbrian and the Oscan alphabets in the peninsula.) The Germanic Runes (the Futharc) are now thought to derive from the Northern Etruscan alphabet, a fact which supports the existence of a vast Etruscan trading network. The present day notion that there is a "mystery" regarding the Etruscan language is fundamentally erroneous; there exists no problem of decipherment, as is often wrongly asserted. The Etruscan texts are largely legible. The real problem with the Etruscan texts lies in the difficulty we have in understanding the exact meaning of the words and grammatical forms. A fundamental obstacle stems from the fact that no other known language has close enough kinship to Etruscan to allow a reliable, comprehensive, and conclusive comparison. The apparent isolation of the Etruscan language had already been noted by the ancients; it is confirmed by repeated and vain attempts of some to assign it to one of the various linguistic groups or types of the Mediterranean and Eurasian world. However, there are in fact connections with Indo-European languages, particularly with the Italic languages, and also with more or less known non-Indo-European languages of western Asia and the Caucasus, the Aegean, Italy, and the Alpine zone as well as with the relics of the Mediterranean linguistic substrata revealed by place-names. This means that Etruscan is not truly isolated; its roots are intertwined with those of other recognizable linguistic formations within a geographic area extending from western Asia to east-central Europe and the central Mediterranean, and its latest formative developments may have taken place in more direct contact with the pre-Indo-European and Indo-European linguistic environment of Italy. But this also means that Etruscan, as scholars know it, cannot simply be classified as belonging to the Caucasian, the Anatolian, or Indo-European languages such as Greek and Latin, from which it seems to differ markedly in structure. The traditional methods which have been employed in interpreting Etruscan are (S4): (1) the etymological, which is based upon the comparison of word roots and grammatical elements with those of other languages and which assumes the existence of a linguistic relationship that permits an explication of Etruscan from the outside (this method has produced negative results, given the error in the assumption); (2) the combinatory, a procedure of analysis and interpretation of the Etruscan texts rigorously limited to internal comparative study of the texts themselves and of the grammatical forms of the Etruscan words (this has led to much progress in the knowledge of Etruscan, but its defects lie in the hypothetical character of many of the conclusions due to the absence of external proofs or confirmations), and; (3) the bilingual, based on the comparison of Etruscan ri tual, votive, and funera ry formulas with presuma bly analogous formulas from epigraphic or literary texts in languages belo nging to a closely connected geographic and historical environment, such as Greek, Latin, or Umbrian. Nonetheless, with the increase of reliable data, in part from more recent epigraphic discoveries (such as the Tabula Cortinensis and the Pyrgi Lamellae), the need to find the one right method appears to be of decreasing importance; all available procedures tend to be utilized. Of the longer inscriptions, the most important is the Zagreb mummy wrapping or "Liber Lintaeus", found in Egypt in the 19th century and carried back to Yugoslavia by a traveler (National Museum, Zagreb). It had originally been a book of linen cloth, which at some date was cut up into strips to be wrapped around a mummy. With about 1,300 words, written in black ink on the linen, it is the longest existing Etruscan text; it contains a calendar and instructions for sacrifice, sufficient to convey some idea of Etruscan religious literature. From Campania, Italy comes an important religious text, inscribed on a tile at the site of ancient Capua. From Cortona comes an inscription on bronze,(top of article) which details a land contract between two families. The few Etruscan-Latin bilingual inscriptions, all funerary, have some limited importance with respect to improving our knowledge of Etruscan. However, the inscribed gold plaques found at the site of the ancient sanctuary of Pyrgi, the port city of Caere, provide two texts; one in Etruscan and the other in Phoenician, of significant length (about 40 words) and of similar content. They are the equivalent of a bilingual inscription and thus offer substantial data for the elucidation of Etruscan by way of Phoenician, a known language. The find is also an important historical document, which records the dedication to the Phoenician goddess Astarte of a "sacred place" in the Etruscan sanctuary of Pyrgi by Thefarie Velianas, king of Caere, early in the 5th century BC. The following is an attempt to translate the (first) Pyrgi Tablet based on a number of sources. In the transliterataion I have used an upper case K to represent the Etruscan letter "ch" (as in the German Bach). The Etruscan letter which resembles the Greek Theta, pronounced like "th" in "thing" is represented by Anglosaxon "Eth" (ð). The Etruscan numbers were represented by the symbols shown above, and were used very much in the same style as Roman numerals. The very term "Roman numerals" is a misnomer, since the prototype number system was originally Etruscan, |Click for Realhistoryww Home Page|

<urn:uuid:061027a0-3bbc-4eab-b7aa-1c52b7626d9c>

CC-MAIN-2017-51

http://realhistoryww.com./world_history/ancient/Misc/Writing/Etruscan_Language.htm

s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-51/segments/1512948585297.58/warc/CC-MAIN-20171216065121-20171216091121-00125.warc.gz

en

Hiking in Patagonia - Chile and Argentina February 2-18, 2013 Part One - Chile Page One - Flying to Punta Arenas, Chile The afternoon of February 2, we flew from Denver, Colorado to Dallas, Texas and overnight to Santiago, Chile. From Santiago the following day, we flew to Punta Arenas with a stop in Puerto Montt. All of the photos on this page were taken from the airplane. The Andes origin goes back to the Cretaceous Period, which is a geologic period and system from about 145 to 66 million years ago. In the geologic time scale, the Cretaceous follows the Jurassic period. During this period, the Nazca Oceanic Plate and the South American Continental Plate collided, causing the sinking and slippage of the denser and heavier oceanic plate and, consequently, the folding up of sedimentary rocks that covered the continental plate. The aftermath of this collision created the Andes mountain chain and continues to be the cause of intense seismic and volcanic activity. For the next 50 million years after the collision, the mountains continued to rise but in the past 17 million years, erosion gradually wore down the summits. The southern Andes are known as the Patagonian Andes. The name Patagonia comes from the word patagon used by Magellan in 1520 to describe the native people that his expedition may have thought to be giants. It is now believed the Patagons were actually Tehuelches with an average height of 5'11" compared to the 5'1" Europeans of that time. View from airplane of the Andes as we were nearing the Santiago Airport early morning February 3 Puerto Montt area - Puerto Montt is the capital of the Lakes District. The Osorno Volcano can be seen in the background behind Lago (Lake) Llanquihue. In the foreground you can see salmon cages in the lake. Salmon farming in submerged cages was developed in a massive scale in the 1980s. Chile is the second largest producer of salmon next to Norway, but the salmon industry was hit hard by the global recesion and an outbreak of infectious Salmon Anemia. Salmon production dropped dramatically between 2005 and 2010, but made a comeback by 2012. As the geographic region's main port, Puerto Montt is often considered the capital of Chilean Patagonia. The Southern or Patagonian Andes on the way to Punta Arenas Mountain view through the clouds Glacier visible below the clouds Unexpected, exciting view of Mt Fitz Roy (also known as Cerro Chalen or Cerro Fitz Roy). It is located near El Chalten village in Argentina, in the Southern Patagonian Ice Field, on the border between Argentina and Chile. First climbed in 1952 by French alpinists Lionel Torrey and Guido Magnone, it is still among the most technically challenging mountains on Earth for climbers. The Fitz Roy skyline is the basis of the Patagonia clothing logo developed after Yvon Chouinard's ascent and subsequent film in 1968. It is 11,020 ft. in elevation. We saw Fitz Roy hiking and from ground level when we were in Los Glaciares National Park in Argentina later in the trip. In the foreground, the massive white white expanse is the Patagonian Ice Cap, the third largest Ice Cap in the world after Antarctica and Greenland. A closeup view of Mt Fitz Roy and Mt Torre. The snow capped, pointed peak to the right of Fitz Roy is Cerro Torre, 10,262 ft. The mushroom shaped ice dome of Cerro Torre (Mt Torre) is a typical glacial formation in the Patagonian Ice Fields. Cerro Torre is located in a region which is disputed between Chile and Argentina. It is west of Fitz Roy. The ice at the top of the mountain is formed by the constant strong winds, increasing the difficulty of reaching the actual summit for any climber. Cerro Torre is considered the most difficult technical climb in the world. Viedma Glacier. The dark streaks are composed of stone fragments picked up by the glacier's erosive action on the surfaces of surrounding mountains. Viedma is a large glacier that is part of the Southern Patagonia Ice Field. It is a valley glacier, and its moraine rich terminus flows into the western end of Lake Viedma, which is fed primarily by its melting ice. The glacier is located in Los Glaciares National Park in Argentina. The Southern Patagonian Ice Field is 5,000 sq. mi.; Viedma Glacier is one of the Ice Field's 48 outlet glaciers that have more than 7.7 sq. mi. of ice field each. Crevasses, large, canyon-sized cracks, are in the grey-brown ice that can be seen along the sides of the glacier. These cracks are formed from the stress arising between ice along the valley walls (that is slower moving as the friction is greater) and the relatively fast moving ice at the glacier's center. Glaciers are losing water and are being reduced rapidly. 46 of the 48 glaciers of the Southern Ice Field are decreasing at a record pace, but Perito Moreno (next photo) is not one of them. Part of Perito Moreno Glacier in Argentina. You can see a whisp of ice rising from the glacier after an ice fall. We hiked on this glacier in crampons later in the trip. The Perito Moreno glacier was named after the explorer Francisco Moreno, a pioneer who studied the region in the 19th century and also played a major role in defending the territory of Argentina in the conflict surrounding the international border dispute with Chile. The bare rock around the lake to the right indicates the one time high water mark caused by periodic damming of the river system by the glacier.

<urn:uuid:6aa76554-ffdb-4201-ae80-5e65f8754a4c>

CC-MAIN-2017-51

http://pjsphotos.org/chile2013/chile.htm

s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-51/segments/1512948513611.22/warc/CC-MAIN-20171211144705-20171211164705-00526.warc.gz

en

By Brig Asif Haroon Raja Kashmir is the oldest and most intractable disputes in the world; older than Gaza. Forcible occupation of two-third Kashmir by Indian forces in 1947 against the wishes of Kashmiris impelled freedom fighters and Pak troops to get Kashmir freed from its stranglehold. When India saw that it was on the verge of losing the battle, it sought intervention of United Nations. United Nations Security Council (UNSC) Resolution of 21 April 1948 clearly states that the question of accession of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) to India or Pakistan should be decided through the democratic method of a free and impartial plebiscite. Subsequent UNSC Resolutions reiterated the same stand. United Nations Commission for India and Pakistan (UNCIP) Resolutions of 3 August 1948 and 5 January 1949 reinforced UNSC Resolutions. However, despite Nehru’s repeated pledges that right of self determination will be given to the people of Kashmir, Indian leaders have mulishly held on to their uncompromising stance that Kashmir is an integral part of India. In defiance of UN Resolutions, they sing this song ad nauseam ignoring the fact that Kashmir is an internationally recognized disputed territory and Kashmiris hate them and long to join Pakistan. They get highly disturbed when Pakistan or any other country reminds them of this hard reality. They are fuming ever since China has started treating Indian officials serving in disputed territory accordingly. In Srinagar, an infant killed by occupying forces After 2008 manipulated state elections in J&K, Indian leaders had proudly claimed that majority of Kashmiris were least interested in violence and had accepted Kashmir as part of Indian Union. They declared that armed insurgency had for the most part been successfully crushed, cross border movement from Pakistan effectively blocked and Kashmir was no more an issue. Drums are beaten by Indian leaders after every stage-managed election held under shadow of guns and boycotted by majority that a popular mandate has been won from people of Kashmir. Indians forget that neither military force had ever quelled popular movements nor military occupation justified. Who doesn’t know that Indian intelligence agencies have had a big role in shaping phony political parties and politicians having no roots in the masses, holding fraudulent elections and installing puppet regimes detested by the people? No sooner these tall claims were made the whole Kashmir valley resounded with chants of ‘Azadi’, following Amarnath Shrine Board dispute in summer of 2008 which coalesced into a massive nonviolent uprising. Tens of thousands of unarmed protestors from all walks of life with placards in their hands defied gun totting security forces and marched through the streets of Srinagar protesting against state atrocities and injustices. Instead of redressing their grievances, Indian forces fired indiscriminately at the crowds. Volleys were fired not to scare and disperse the crowds but to kill innocent people since value of a Muslim Kashmiri is no better than a sewer rat. One of the reasons behind enacting Mumbai drama on 26/11 was to deflect the attention of the world from Kashmir and to exert pressure on Pakistan to stay out of it. Another round of protest marches led by young people triggered in summer of 2009. This flare up coincided with unfolding of vicious propaganda war against Pakistan Army from August 2009 onwards. It was alleged that Pak Army had committed large-scale human rights violations in Swat. Stories about unearthing of mass graves, bodies found dumped along roadsides carrying marks of torture, corpses found with hands tied behind backs, and some corpses beheaded were splashed. Western media and RAW cultivated writers in Pakistan backed up the theme and series of articles appeared in local and international print media. Idea of this false projection was to cover up brutality of Indian forces against unarmed adolescent Kashmiris. Making good use of their draconian laws they pickup slogan chanting young men on charges of arson, torture them in secret dens and later kill them in fake encounters. This gory practice of missing persons and fake encounters has been going on since triggering of armed resistance in late 1989. Since then, Indian forces have been killing Kashmiris like flies. Figure of missing persons run in thousands, while number of killed persons has overshot 100,000. Hardly any missing person has rejoined his family. Each fake encounter is presented as a clash with armed militants and those shooting the handcuffed prisoners are rewarded for bravery. Huge numbers of unmarked mass graves and marked graves stand witness to the atrocities of Indian security forces. Kashmir under siege Besides killing every able bodied person or maiming them for life through torture, rape is being used as a weapon to break the will of the Kashmiris. Thousands of women and young girls have been raped. There have been numerous incidents of gang rape reported by Amnesty International (AI) and NGOs. AI has reported criminal activities of police and Indian security forces and has also reported that almost every house in Kashmir has been traumatized. They are living in a prison house and are being constantly punished on account of asking for right of self determination. Their miseries are never ending since they can neither escape from the open prison nor their cries can be heard by the world. Biased US and Western media, think tanks and NGOs have remained mum over massive abuses of human rights occurring in Kashmir and in Gaza since perpetrators of crimes are non-Muslims and victims are Muslims. Instead of coming to the rescue of the bereaved, the US and western world are patronizing and encouraging India ruled by devilish Brahman rulers to continue with their reign of terror and cleanse the erstwhile paradise on earth now turned into hell from the presence of Muslims. India and Israel are two sides of the same coin and qualify to be declared terrorist states because of their callousness and barbarism but are treated as darlings by Christian world since Muslims are their common enemies. Indian Police and paramilitary forces deal with the protesters under non-bailable Public Safety Act 1978 (PSA), which authorize them to arrest anyone on a flimsy charge, award two-year imprisonment through court and re-arrest the accused upon release. Even freedom of expression and right to protest peacefully is declared a crime. PSA is applied on minors as well. There were large numbers of cases where adults and minors were arrested and re-arrested several times under PSA. Apart from black law of PSA, Indian Army has license to kill without fear of accountability under Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA). Security forces have never bothered about human rights violations since their gruesome acts are shielded by their political government, psychological warfare, USA and western world. Indian forces are not differentiating between armed freedom fighters and unarmed protesters resorting to nonviolent means to seek freedom. They are applying black laws on teenagers with equal impunity. Massive crackdowns have been unleashed; shoot at sight orders given and Kashmiri leaders’ house arrested to stifle protests. Continuing with its past practice of blaming Pakistan whenever Kashmiris raised their voice against India’s atrocities, India promptly blamed Pakistan that it was instigating the teenagers. It alleged that cross border movement had increased. The new round of protests started in the wake of killing of a student on 11 June. Stone-pelters have introduced a new phenomenon of resistance against which Indian military has no solution other than resorting to old method of brutal force. Soldiers and police are so fond of firing indiscriminately that they automatically aim at chest and above not realizing that protesters are teenagers carrying stones in their fists. Their hearts does not soften even when they see small boys as young as 8-10 years writhing in pain after getting hit by bullets. It is worth noting that in all the protests since mid 2008, not a single Indian policeman or soldier got killed at the hands of protesters. India is flabbergasted and doesn’t know how to justify its high-handed actions against youngsters and how to project them as terrorists. It can no more shed crocodile tears that it is victim of terrorism. Indian leaders have now started to whisper that stones are made in Pakistan and provided by ISI which are lethal and a threat to world security. An increasing number of women moved by the extraordinary motivation of youngsters have joined them and are talking part in demonstrations enthusiastically. Hundreds of women and girls, some carrying sticks and stones, are seen regularly out in the streets chanting ‘we want freedom’, and ‘blood for blood’. Participation of women has added yet another dilemma for the police and paramilitary forces struggling to control protests. Since 11 June 65 persons have been killed. Ignoring daily deaths of small boys aged between 8 and 17 years at the hands of Indian troops, Manmohan Singh tried to appease agitating Kashmiris by offering dialogue on autonomy and an economic package and rhetorically assuring them that there will be ‘zero tolerance’ for human rights violations. Mirwaiz rejected his offer and said that autonomy was not a solution to Kashmir issue. He said that no solution is acceptable to Kashmiris other than freedom. He demanded revocation of AFSPA, PSA, Disturbed Areas Act (DAA), and withdrawal of armed forces. Anger of the younger generation in Kashmir can no longer be doused through hypocritical rhetoric or even by pep talk of elder Kashmiri leaders. They are determined to break the walls of prison house and breathe freely. Pakistan is equally determined to find a just solution to this chronic dispute. No amount of RAW sponsored pressures in the form of target killings in Karachi and Balochistan, suicide attacks in Lahore and elsewhere and building of dams on rivers would dilute affections of Pakistanis for Kashmiris. India must understand that if it is really worried about terrorism and is sincerely aspiring for peace as is being preached by Aman ki Asha preachers, without resolution of Kashmir dispute this objective is next to impossible.

<urn:uuid:ffc63ae5-6cbe-456f-9c8f-d862cc762505>

CC-MAIN-2017-51

https://soskashmir.wordpress.com/2010/09/07/indian-occupied-kashmir-%E2%80%93-an-open-prison/

s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-51/segments/1512948514113.3/warc/CC-MAIN-20171211222541-20171212002541-00326.warc.gz

en

Wheat is the major crop that serves as the staple of food for the people of each country. Therefore, the production of wheat around the world has attained significant value contributing to the economy of the country. Either used in a refined or crude form, it still fulfills our basic food requirements. Many countries are naturally bestowed with a land rich enough to cultivate wheat, enhancing their wheat production. Millions of metric tons are produced each year which either exported or imported around the world. It is the third most producing crop in the world after rice and barley. There was about 9.89 million tons of increase in wheat production last year accounting for the 1.31% increase production of wheat worldwide. Top Ten Largest Producers of Wheat in the World- Countries with Most Production Following are the top ten states in the world that produce most wheat regarding metric tons per year. This analysis is completely based on the recent statistics of production according to the latest year. Let’s have a glance at the detailed statistics regarding each country. 1. EUROPEAN UNION: The entire belt of countries enlisted in the European Union produced the highest amount of wheat according to the last year statistics. According to the reports, in the year 2015- 2016 the total production of it is produced by the European Union was about 157,663,000 metric tons which are the highest of all the percentages. Rich in a vast variety of land this region can produce an immense amount irrespective of its seasonal and climatic barriers. China is the second most wheat producing country in the world. This country has plenty of the agricultural land that helps to cultivate an ample amount of it per year. The number shows that just as recent as the last year, the total wheat production in the country was as high as 130,000,000 metric tons. Probably the greatest over the years. As China has one of largest population in the world, therefore, it needs to maintain the level of it’s production to ensure the fulfillment of wheat demand in the country, but the latest statistics have shown that how this country has surpassed the production level of the local demand to the level of exporting the wheat out of the country. India is blessed with both the rich land and extremely suitable weather climate for crops production. Therefore, the rate of wheat production is third highest in the world. It has estimated to produce about 88,940,000 metric tons of wheat in the previous year. And this percentage is expected to rise in the coming years. There are about ten states that produce wheat in the country including Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra and Rajasthan being the top three wheat producing states. Russian soil proved to be extremely suitable for wheat cultivation and production. Large land concealed within the Russian borders are mainly used for agricultural production. Wheat is cultivated in the significant amount and the statistics for the last year wheat production reveals that Russia alone produced 60,500,000 metric tons of it causing a great economic support for the country. 5. UNITED STATES: The United States of America stands fifth on the line of its total production of wheat was amounted to about 55,840,000 metric tons. As the weather and climatic conditions of US highly favors it’s cultivation process it allows the country to produce the great amount each year. Almost each of the country is capable of producing wheat. Although the types of it vary in each region, winter wheat being the highest regarding its production. Canada is also a country enriched with natural resources and great agricultural land or farms. Alberta is considered as the second largest center for wheat production in Canada. As Canada has received more than the average rainfall this year, therefore, it has produced 27,600,000 metric tons leading it to the sixth position in the global grain exporting market. The agricultural sector of Ukraine accounts for 10-11% GDP of the country. 71% area of the country is an agricultural land. It has attained the seventh position in the list of grain exporters around the world due to its sufficient wheat production. Last year it was measured up to 27,000,000 metric tons. As Ukraine is naturally endowed with enriching black soils which make its agricultural land highly suitable for it’s production. It is a major producer and exporters of crops. It is the major crop that covers the significant share of the country’s economy and considered as the first regarding production and its cultivation. Western Australia, Wales, Victoria, and Queensland are the major wheat producing region of the country. It has estimated to produce about 26,000,000 metric tons of wheat crop this year. Pakistan is an agricultural land with Punjab being the most productive and rich in cultivation. Despite less number of acres and poor irrigation system, Pakistan still made its way to the top ten list of wheat producing countries due to its variant seasons and hospitable climate. The total production in the country was 25,000,000 metric tons last year. There are many strategic plans to enhance this agricultural production in the years to come. Like many other countries, wheat is another important cereal crop in Turkey. Turkey’s rate of production has skyrocketed making it hit the record of 19,500,000 Metric tons this year. But the use of uncertified seeds has led to the production of low-quality wheat’s. It is the reason that Turkey needed to import high-quality wheat’s for good quality flour production and consumption. Ranking of Countries on the Basis of Top 10 Wheat Producers in the World: |Rank||Country||(Values in Metric Tons)| See More As: - Top 10 Largest Iron Producing Countries in the World - Top 10 Highest Gold Producing Countries in the World - Top 10 Natural Gas Producing Countries in the World - Top 10 Largest Oil Producing Countries in the World - Top 10 Largest Diamond Producing Countries in the World

<urn:uuid:5fb8c93b-d22e-4f20-a3e5-07ebafa8dd3a>

CC-MAIN-2017-51

http://www.countrydetail.com/top-10-largest-wheat-producing-countries-world/

s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-51/segments/1512948519776.34/warc/CC-MAIN-20171212212152-20171212232152-00726.warc.gz

en

By James Pylant Copyright © 2013—All rights reserved Do not post or publish without written permission During the thirty-year reign of Henry II (1154—1189), the lord of Pilland was one William Fauvell,1 of Norman descent, whose surname derived from Fauville, near Evreux in northern France.2 Fauvell’s descendants who inherited the estate changed their surname to Pilland during the reign of Edward I (127—1307) when Archibald de Pilland was lord.3 Those who held the estate were recorded with various spellings, including Piland, Pillande, Pylland, Pyllaund, and Pyllond. The oratory (chapel) at Pilland House was licensed in 1370 for Edmund Pillande and his wife, Johanna, and regranted to Thomas Pyllond and his wife, Isabella, in 1403,4 when the house was referred to as the “mansion of Pyllond.5 One of the descendants who inherited the mansion married into the aristocratic Le Moyne family of Devon. Joan Le Moyne Piland was the ancestress of the Brett family,6 who inherited the Pyllond estate from Thomasine Pyllond, daughter and only heir of John Pyllond.7 Chancery proceedings in Devon show “Robert Bryt [Brett] and Thomasine, his wife, daughter and heir of John Pyllond,” held “a messuage [a house with adjacent buildings and land] and land in Pilland and Blakewell, late of said John.8 The Bretts sued Thomas Stery and his wife, Johane (formerly the widow and executrix of Simon Broun) over the detention of deeds relating to the messuage and land once owned by Thomasine’s father, John Pyllond.9 Thomasine Pyllond also inherited a coat of arms, which Sir George Carews in 1588 refers to as “Pylland of Pillond.” This arms had once belonged to Thomas Pilland, Justice of the Peace in the third year of the reign of Henry V (1418). Following Thomasine’s marriage, the arms was quartered by her husband.10 The will of John Brett, Esq., of Somerset, dated 1587, mentions “my grandmother, Thomasine Brett, of Pilland, widow of Robert Brett, my grandfather.11 The Bretts sold Pilland to John Woolton, the Bishop of Exeter, sometime before his death in 1593. The Bishop’s son, Dr. John Woolton, after retiring from his medical practice, moved to the Pilland estate.12 Other instances of variants Pillond, Pylland and Pyllond include: - During the reign of Edward II, three-year-old John de Luccombe inherited the manor of East Luccombe, in Somerset. William de Pyllaunde, or Pillond, parson of the church of Kingston, was granted custody of part of the manor of East Luccombe, in Somerset, to hold until John de Luccombe reached adulthood. In years to come, resenting William de Pyllaunde’s involvement, forced him from the property. William took the issue to court and was reinstated and remained so until 1335.15 - In 1421 Thomas Pyllond was named in the register of Edmund Lancy, Bishop of Exeter.16 - In 1436 Margery, wife of William Pillond, was named as an heir of Margaret Loueney, as was Margery’s sister, Joan, wife of William Prideaux of Thorleston, Devon.17 - In 1466 one William Pylland paid forty marks of silver to William Gagham and wife Alice for a quitclaim to property in Goodleigh, in Devon, consisting of three messuages and fourteen acres of land.18 - An inquisition post mortem in Devonshire, 13 June 1420, during reign of Henry V (1418—1471), mentions Thomas Pyllond, son of John Keynes’s sister, Joan.19 Tax lists from the 1520s reveal Richard Pyllond in Romansleigh Parish, John Pyllond in Georgeham Parish, and Elizabeth Pylland in South Molton Hundred.20 By that decade the surname was found northeast in the adjoining county of Gloucester. - Tristram Risdon, Survey of the County of Devon (London; 1811), p. 333. - [Anonymous], The Norman People and Their Existing Descendants in the British Dominions (London: Henry S. King & Co., 1874), p. 244 - Risdon, Survey of the County of Devon, p. 333. - Margaret A. Reed, Pilton: Its Past and Its People (Vineyard, 1985), p. 67. - Rev. F. C. Hingeston-Randolph, M.A., The Register of Edmund Stafford (A.D. 1395—1419): An Index Abstract of Its Contents (London: George Bell & Sons, 1886), p. 279. - Frederic Thomas Colby, B.D., F.S.A., The Visitation of the County of Devon (London: 1872), pp. 188-191. - Calendar of Inquisitions Post Mortem and Other Analogous Documents Preserved in the Public Record Office, Prepared Under the Superintendent of the Deputy Keeper of the Records, Henry VII. Vol. I (Nendeln/Liechtenstein: Kraus-Thomson Organization, Limited, repr. 1973), p. 26. - Public Record Office, Lists and Indexes, No. XX: List of Early Chancery Proceedings Preserved in the Public Record Office, Vol. III (London: 1906), p. 113. - Item reference C 1/115/27: http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/catalogue/displaycataloguedetails.asp?CATLN=7&CATID=-2422532&j=1, accessed 10 March 2012. - P.F.S. Amery, John S. Amery and J. Brookings Rowe, FSA, Devon Notes and Queries, Vol. 1 (Exeter: 1901), p. 97. - Frederick Arthur Crisp and Frederick Brown, Abstracts of Somersetshire Wills, Etc., Copied from the Manuscript Collections of the late Rev. Frederick Brown, M.A., F.S.A. (privately published, 1887), p. 66. - John Woolton (Bishop of Exeter), online, www.tudorplace.com.ar/bios/johnwoolton.html, accessed 30 May 2011. - Barnstaple, Including Pilton Parish, and Part of Bishop’s Tawton, online, http://genuki.cs.ncl.ac.uk/DEV/Barnstaple/Barnstaple1850.html - Reed, Pilton: Its Past and Its Present, p. 34. - Charles E. H. Chadwyck-Healey, The History of the Part of West Somerset: Comprising the Parishes of Luccombe, Selworthy, Stoke Pero, Prolock, Culbone and Oare (London: H. Southern & Co., 1901), pp. 52, 55-56. - G. P. Dunstan, ed., The Register of Edmund Lacy, Bishop of Exeter, 1420—1455, Vol. 1 (Torquay: Devon and Cornwall Record Society), p. 25. - “Some Notes on Medieval English Genealogy,” online, http://www.medievalgenealogy.org.uk/fines/abstracts/CP_25_1_46_84.shtml, accessed 14 January 2012. - “Some Notes on Medieval English Genealogy,” http://www.medievalgenealogy.org.uk/fines/abstracts/CP_25_1_46_91.shtml, accessed 14 January 2012. - Calendar of Inquisitions Post Mortems G-10 Henry V (1418—1472) (Woodridge, England: The Boydell Press, 2002), p. 178. - T. L. Stoate, Devon Lay Subsidy Rolls, 152-7 (Bristol: the author, 1979), p. 87 (Richard Pyllond in Romansleigh Parish), p. 90 (Elizabeth Pylland in South Molton Hundred), and p. 99 (John Pyllond in Georgeham Parish).

<urn:uuid:cb5da729-7413-4545-9954-fd16a882ac77>

CC-MAIN-2017-51

https://www.genealogymagazine.com/pyllond-of-devon-england/

s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-51/segments/1512948588072.75/warc/CC-MAIN-20171216123525-20171216145525-00726.warc.gz

en

What Did Utah Dwellers Eat 1,000 Years Ago? Wednesday, Jul. 03, 2013 It seems the ancient Fremont people would have taken a real fancy to scones, Jell-O, funeral potatoes and Dutch Ovens. Granted, Utah’s signature foods were not exactly on Fremont menus 1,000 years ago, but these early state dwellers did chow down on bone, hide and connective tissues, from which gelatin is derived. They also consumed plenty of bread- and potato-related food items found in their maize, tubers and rhizomes, and engaged in some serious containment cooking. Food sustains and even explains a little bit about the people who consume it. Yes, people are what they eat and that is why Timothy Riley, archaeologist with Utah State University Eastern Prehistoric Museum, is so interested in determining who the Fremont people were by what they ate. These mysterious people, who were both farmers and nomads, inhabited the region comprising Utah as well as parts of Idaho, Nevada and Colorado between 400-1350 A.D. Plants and diet have always been a favorite topic for Riley and were the focus of a recent lecture he gave at USU Eastern Prehistoric Museum as part of Utah Archaeology Week. And best of all, he didn’t just talk about what the Fremont people ate; he dished it out in the form of a four-course evening of sampling. Riley began with cattail and spring onion salad followed by dusky grouse with pinion nuts and Juniper berries. After that came tasty venison steak with dried and roasted pumpkin seeds — a definite crowd pleaser. By the end of the evening, the 30 or so people in attendance experienced the Fremont culture as though they had been guests in their pithouses. The similarities between then and now made dining with the Fremont not only bearable to the palate but really quite pleasant. Of course in order to develop his menu, Riley had to get his hands a little dirty because he could only determine what went in the mouths of the Fremonts by carefully studying what came out of them. Yes, his menu was based on fossilized human waste, called coprolites. And Riley couldn’t have been happier digging through the dung knowing it was for the greater good. There is much to be found in discards. What fascinated him was the amount of animal hair, fish, seeds, grass and fiber he found in Fremont waste. Because such matter is not easily preserved, human coprolites are particularly rare and, shy of stumbling upon Fremont latrines, elusive. In fact, the best examples of Fremont feces finds date back to the 1960s and 70s from which Riley did his research. These samples were dug up by archaeologists at three Fremont sites in Utah, including the Hogup Cave site along the Great Salt Lake. By studying the eating habits of the Fremont Indians, Riley knows when they were heavier into hunting and gathering and when they were more likely chilling in their pithouses as farmers. He can also tell you when they were physically healthiest — think Mediterranean Diet — and when they were likely dipping into their corn-only food storage. “Coprolites actually do give you direct evidence that people were not just gathering these plants and using them for baskets and tools, they were also eating them and combining them and so the idea of menus and meals is something you can get at through coprolites.” And to his biggest surprise, despite the plethora of Fremont granaries throughout the region storing all that maize, what was most abundant in the coprolites were wild seeds. Of the 30 coprolites he analyzed, 17 reflected no field-grown foods. The remaining samples revealed eight with corn and the other five with corn and other domestic foods. At the sites where corn had been the most heavily ingested, such as the Hogup site, they also found greater nutritional stress. Maybe they figured out, and a little too late, that strictly farming was not good for their health – more nuts and berries were in order. After 1150, they evidently switched primarily to a hunter-gatherer diet and were the better for it — their muscle mass increased and their nutrient stress decreased, as reflected in the Harris lines in teeth and skeletal robusticity based on muscle attachments, Riley said. “It looks like people who were eating a lot of maize were actually probably the least healthy,” he said. “We see that a fair amount in hunter-gatherer versus agricultural populations. Hunter-gathers tend to have seasonal nutrition stress but they don’t have long-term nutritional deficiencies the same way agriculturalists tend to.” After tasting the spring onion salad, the pinion nuts and pumpkin seeds, the palatable merits of mixing it up became especially apparent to Riley’s guests. But it was not just about the food that was prepared but also how it was prepared that was important to the evening. Archaeologists have determined that the Fremont people used cooking slabs, (like pizza stones), hand-held grinding stones, called manos, parching trays, boiling baskets and ceramic vessels. The food on this particular night was prepared primarily through boiling in ceramic vessels, which made for tender and moist morsels. So not only did Riley prepare and serve what he said he’s 99 percent sure the Fremont people ate, he also cooked it up in the same ceramic fashion that they did. Utah’s fascination with Dutch Ovens appears to run deeper than anyone could have imagined. Writer: John DeVilbiss, 435-797-1358; [email protected]

<urn:uuid:249e14fb-3a5d-471e-8190-735d34212594>

CC-MAIN-2017-51

http://www.usu.edu/today/index.cfm?id=52513

s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-51/segments/1512948550986.47/warc/CC-MAIN-20171214202730-20171214222730-00527.warc.gz

en

Presentation on theme: "Matt Kendra Anne Carol Becky"— Presentation transcript: 1 Matt Kendra Anne Carol Becky Love and LogicMattKendraAnneCarolBecky 2 “Norms” that teachers must address when forming a discipline plan… Norm 1: Students have rightsDon’t let them feel like you are violating those rightsNorm 2: The future is not an extension of the pastOld management strategies that worked for your parents (or you!) don’t necessarily work nowNorm 3: “It’s not my fault!”Some students may need to be taught how to place blame on the appropriate source 3 Norms Cont… Norm 4: Achievement determines worth What we do is an extension of who we are, not what we are worthNorm 5: I see, I want, I believe I deserveStudents are used to deserving privilegesMuch more value in getting what you have earned 4 Common Myths of the Classroom… Myth 1: Students must be warned in advance of the consequences for violating rules.Specific consequences don’t deter studentsUse fair, appropriate consequences in each situationstudents can tell you if it isn’t fairMyth 2: When students break the rules, consequences must follow immediately.Time to cool downCome up with appropriate consequencesDon’t put stress on yourself to deal immediately 5 Myths Cont…Myth 3: It is not necessary for students to like their teachers. However they should respect them.What would you do to shine for someone you love??Perform for who you love—and if you don’t love yourself yet, perform for your teacher until you do 6 Purpose of Love and Logic Puts Teachers In ControlTeachers wait to deal with misbehaviorTeaches Kids To Think For ThemselvesTeachers question instead of talkingStudents do the talkingStudents come up with their own solutions“The brain that does the thinking grows the dendrites” 7 Purpose Cont… Raises The Level Of Student Responsibility Students take responsibility for their misbehavior and their learningStudent ownershipPrepares Kids To Function Effectively In A Society Filled With Temptations, Decisions, And ConsequencesStudents deal with problems as they would in the “real world” 8 Purpose Cont… Develops Better Relationships With Kids Teachers are no longer the “bad guys”Teachers and students are on closer levelsLeads to improved cooperation 9 The Three Rules of Love & Logic… Use enforceable limitsProvide choices with limitsApplying consequences with empathy 10 Using Enforceable Limits… Tell the kids how you run your life not how they run theirsThe students will have to make their own decisions and live with the consequences 11 Provide Choices w/ Limits… Give two choices you likeDelivery is importantGive them ownership of their choiceExamplesYour welcome to _____ or _____.Would you rather _____ or _____. 12 Wording (Changing Your Garbage to Gold)… Unenforceable StatementsOpen your books to page 54.You can’t go to the restroom until I finish the directions.Turn your assignment in on time or you’ll get a low grade.Enforceable StatementI’ll be working from page 54.Feel free to go to the restroom when I’m not giving directions.I give full credit for papers turned in on time. 13 Savings Account… You give choices The choices add up You make a (withdrawal) choice that overrides 14 Applying Consequences with Empathy… There is a problemIdentify who’s problem it isShow empathyOffer a positive relationship message 15 Consequences Vs. Punishment… It takes pain to make changesOutside to insideInside to outsidePunishment causes outside to inside pain, which causes feelings of revengeConsequences are internalized. The child has caused their own pain with their choices 16 Four Principles… Expectations Two main ideas Struggling Cooperation Enhancement of Self ConceptExpectationsTwo main ideasIt is fragile and easily brokenIt is conservative & resistant to changeStrugglingShared ControlCooperationChoices with limitsMust be legitimateEqually acceptable to giver/receiverGive all with equal “pizzazz” 17 Principles Cont… Give Consequences with Empathy Shared thinking Sometimes pain must come before a change will be madeStudent’s choiceShared thinkingQuestions-think of level (Bloom’s) and involvement in learningIf we provide adequate time students will often come to same conclusion as the adult 18 Finding Time for Love and Logic Discipline… “I don’t have time to work with children in the Love and Logic way.”Love & Logic teachers consistently report less time is spent on discipline as skills increase. 19 So What Do We Do? We stick with it! You control the discipline problems, they do not control you. 20 Building positive relationships Trick to controlling the time you spend on discipline is related to your ability to:Building positive relationshipsSet enforceable limits through enforceable statementsShare controlStop behaviors in their infancy, avoiding the need for consequencesDelay Consequences 21 Why We Delay Our Approach… Student is emotional, not thinking rightTeacher more stressed taking time away from activitiesStudent gains control by controlling teachers activities 22 Basic Rules… Meet with students on your time Own terms Short, sweet interactionsAsk brief questionsAnne, Kendra, Matt reading… = ) 23 Dealing with kids that feed off each other… Make a list of students involved and prioritizeDivide & ConquerOption for disruptionsMove the leaderGo to first studentGo to next studentContinue until student thinks he/she can stay and behave 24 Implement the “One Sentence Intervention”… Notice positive and personal attributesDo this a couple of times a weekExperiment w/ “____, will you stop doing that just for me?Heart to heart w/students after school to solve entire problem

<urn:uuid:19cd8f8d-6023-4509-9e21-584380d914b5>

CC-MAIN-2017-51

http://slideplayer.com/slide/1562379/

s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-51/segments/1512948516843.8/warc/CC-MAIN-20171212114902-20171212134902-00723.warc.gz

en

Continued from previous page Figure 12.6: (a) Five-year running mean Northern Hemisphere temperature anomalies since 1850 (relative to the 1880 to 1920 mean) from an energy-balance model forced by Dust Veil volcanic index and Lean et al. (1995) solar index (see Free and Robock, 1999). Two values of climate sensitivity to doubling CO2 were used; 3.0°C (thin solid line), and 1.5°C (dashed line). Also shown are the instrumental record (thick red line) and a reconstruction of temperatures from proxy records (crosses, from Mann et al., 1998). The size of both the forcings and the proxy temperature variations are subject to large uncertainties. Note that the Mann temperatures do not include data after 1980 and do not show the large observed warming then. (b) As for (a) but for simulations with volcanic, solar and anthropogenic forcing (greenhouse gases and direct and indirect effects of tropospheric aerosols). The net anthropogenic forcing at 1990 relative to 1760 was 1.3 Wm-2 , including a net cooling of 1.3 Wm-2 due to aerosol effects. Studies linking forcing and response through correlation A number of authors have correlated solar forcing and volcanic forcing with hemispheric and global mean temperature time-series from instrumental and palaeo-data (Lean et al., 1995; Briffa et al., 1998; Lean and Rind, 1998; Mann et al., 1998) and found statistically significant correlations. Others have compared the simulated response, rather than the forcing, with observations and found qualitative evidence for the influence of natural forcing on climate (e.g., Crowley and Kim, 1996; Overpeck et al., 1997; Wigley et al., 1997; Bertrand et al., 1999) or significant correlations (e.g., Schönwiese et al., 1997; Free and Robock, 1999; Grieser and Schönwiese, 2001). Such a comparison is preferable as the climate response may differ substantially from the forcing. The results suggest that global scale low-frequency temperature variations are influenced by variations in known natural forcings. However, these results show that the late 20th century surface warming cannot be well represented by natural forcing (solar and volcanic individually or in combination) alone (for example Figures 12.6, 12.7; Lean and Rind, 1998; Free and Robock, 1999; Crowley, 2000; Tett et al., 2000; Thejll and Lassen, 2000). Mann et al. (1998, 2000) used a multi-correlation technique and found significant correlations with solar and, less so, with the volcanic forcing over parts of the palaeo-record. The authors concluded that natural forcings have been important on decadal-to-century time-scales, but that the dramatic warming of the 20th century correlates best and very significantly with greenhouse gas forcing. The use of multiple correlations avoids the possibility of spuriously high correlations due to the common trend in the solar and temperature time-series (Laut and Gunderman, 1998). Attempts to estimate the contributions of natural and anthropogenic forcing to 20th century temperature evolution simultaneously are discussed in Section We conclude that climate forcing by changes in solar irradiance and volcanism have likely caused fluctuations in global and hemispheric mean temperatures. Qualitative comparisons suggest that natural forcings produce too little warming to fully explain the 20th century warming (see Figure 12.7). The indication that the trend in net solar plus volcanic forcing has been negative in recent decades (see Chapter 6) makes it unlikely that natural forcing can explain the increased rate of global warming since the middle of the 20th century. This question will be revisited in a more quantitative manner in Section 12.4. Figure 12.7: Global mean surface temperature anomalies relative to the 1880 to 1920 mean from the instrumental record compared with ensembles of four simulations with a coupled ocean-atmosphere climate model (from Stott et al., 2000b; Tett et al., 2000) forced (a) with solar and volcanic forcing only, (b) with anthropogenic forcing including well mixed greenhouse gases, changes in stratospheric and tropospheric ozone and the direct and indirect effects of sulphate aerosols, and (c) with all forcings, both natural and anthropogenic. The thick line shows the instrumental data while the thin lines show the individual model simulations in the ensemble of four members. Note that the data are annual mean values. The model data are only sampled at the locations where there are observations. The changes in sulphate aerosol are calculated interactively, and changes in tropospheric ozone were calculated offline using a chemical transport model. Changes in cloud brightness (the first indirect effect of sulphate aerosols) were calculated by an offline simulation (Jones et al., 1999) and included in the model. The changes in stratospheric ozone were based on observations. The volcanic forcing was based on the data of Sato et al. (1993) and the solar forcing on Lean et al. (1995), updated to 1997. The net anthropogenic forcing at 1990 was 1.0 Wm-2 including a net cooling of 1.0 Wm-2 due to sulphate aerosols. The net natural forcing for 1990 relative to 1860 was 0.5 Wm-2 , and for 1992 was a net cooling of 2.0 Wm-2 due to Mt. Pinatubo. Other models forced with anthropogenic forcing give similar results to those shown in b (see Chapter 8, Section 8.6.1, Figure 8.15; Hasselmann et al., 1995; Mitchell et al., 1995b; Haywood et al., 1997; Boer et al., 2000a; Knutson et al., 2000).

<urn:uuid:17435a63-97b5-4d30-a00f-d3d8e2fa4253>

CC-MAIN-2017-51

http://ipcc.ch/ipccreports/tar/wg1/450.htm

s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-51/segments/1512948618633.95/warc/CC-MAIN-20171218161254-20171218183254-00127.warc.gz

en

Made in America American Flags around Thomaston ME 04861 A national icon that goes by the nicknames “The Stars and Stripes”, “Old Glory”, as well as “The Star-Spangled Banner”, the American flag is one of the highly recognizable signs in the globe today. The American Flag is the 3rd oldest of the National Standards of the world – older compared to the Union Jack of Britain or the Tricolor of France. Who designed the American Flag? According to popular stories, the very first American flag was made by Betsy Ross, a Philadelphia seamstress that was an acquaintance of George Washington. In May 1776, so the tale goes, General Washington and also two people from the Continental Congress visited Ross at her furniture store and revealed to her a rough layout of the flag. In those days, the flag was not the very same as we understand it today. The act mentioned, “Resolved, that the flag of the United States be thirteen stripes, alternating red as well as white; that the Union be thirteen stars, white in a blue field, representing a brand-new constellation.” Exactly what does the American Flag stand for? The flag first rose over thirteen states along the Atlantic seaboard, with a populace of some 3 million people. Today it flies over fifty states, extending across the continent, and over great islands of both oceans; as well as many owe it allegiance. It has been given this happy position by love and sacrifice. Citizens have advanced it and heroes have died for it. The flag is composed of 13 alternating red as well as white horizontal stripes representing the very first thirteen British communities that stated freedom from the Kingdom of Great Britain, and ended up being the very first states in the US. This blue location of the flag is called the Union. The symbolism of the Flag, as quoted from Washington: “We take the stars from Heaven, the red from our mother country, dividing it by white red stripes, thus revealing that we have divided from her, and also the white stripes will decrease to posterity representing Liberty.” It incarnates for all humanity the spirit of freedom as well as the remarkable principle of human freedom; not the freedom of unrestraint or the liberty of license, but a special principle of equal opportunity permanently, freedom as well as the search of joy, protected by the demanding and lofty principles of duty, of righteousness and of justice, and possible by obedience to self-imposed laws. It embodies the essence of nationalism. Its spirit is the spirit of the American nation. Its background is the background of the American individuals. Decorated on its folds in letters of living light are the names as well as popularity of our brave dead, the Fathers of the Republic who committed after its altars their lives, their treasures and also their spiritual honor. Twice told tales of nationwide honor and also splendor collection thickly concerning it. Ever successful, it has actually arised triumphant from eight fantastic national problems. It flew at Saratog, at Yorktown, at Palo Alto, at Gettysburg, at Manila bay, at Chateau-Thierry, at Iwo Jima. It bears witness to the tremendous growth of our nationwide borders, the advancement of our natural deposits, and also the superb structure of our people. It forecasts the triumph of prominent government, of civic as well as spiritual liberty and of national righteousness throughout the globe. Why is the American Flag vital to American culture? The American flag is very important due to the fact that it symbolizes the independent federal government as explained under the United States Constitution. The flag also represents the different successes of the country as well as the pride of its individuals. This national icon advises individuals, not just in the Maine state, but throughout the entire USA about the various essential elements of the Declaration of Independence. It is a complex symbol, which means the liberty as well as rights of Americans. Floating from the lofty pinnacle of American idealism, it is a sign of withstanding hope. It is the indicator made visible of the solid spirit that has brought liberty as well as prosperity to the people of America. It is the flag of all us alike. Allow us accord it honor and loyalty. Where can I find American Flags? You most likely already seen this, yet there are a great deal of areas where you could obtain American flags. However, it is necessary to note that the flag you are going to buy ought to be “Made in United States of America”. Based on data, Americans spend over 5.3 million USD on imported flags yearly – the majority of which are made in China. Probably a lot more perplexing is that throughout 2001, in the wave of nationalism that spread over America after 9/11, Americans bought $52 million USD in imported flags. The flag must signify the blood, sweat, as well as tears of American men and women who brought this nation right into existence, not our indebtedness to China and also the fatality of the American manufacturing market. The flag signifies national freedom as well as prominent sovereignty. It is not the flag of a reigning family or imperial house, however of the millions free individuals bonded right into a country, one and also inseparable, unified not only by community of passion, however by vital unity of view and function; a nation identified for the clear specific perception of its people alike of their tasks and their opportunities, their responsibilities as well as their civil liberties. Have a little pride, cough up a few more dollars, and also acquire an American flag made by Americans in the United States Thomaston ZIP codes we serve: 04861

<urn:uuid:56403388-1d25-4514-a342-da86beba003d>

CC-MAIN-2017-51

http://americanflagweb.net/american-flags-thomaston-me-04861.html

s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-51/segments/1512948514250.21/warc/CC-MAIN-20171212021458-20171212041458-00727.warc.gz

en

#1: Stay still. If you move it is hard to get a picture that will not come out blurry like this one: On April 4, 1945, elements of the United States Army’s 89th Infantry Division and the 4th Armored Division captured the Ohrdruf concentration camp outside the town of Gotha in south central Germany. Although the Americans didn’t know it at the time, Ohrdruf was one of several sub-camps serving the Buchenwald extermination camp, which was close to the city of Weimar several miles north of Gotha. Ohrdruf was a holding facility for over 11,000 prisoners on their way to the gas chambers and crematoria at Buchenwald. A few days before the Americans arrived to liberate Ohrdruf, the SS guards had assembled all of the inmates who could walk and marched them off to Buchenwald. They left in the sub-camp more than a thousand bodies of prisoners who had died of bullet wounds, starvation, abuse, and disease. The scene was an indescribable horror even to the combat-hardened troops who captured the camp. Bodies were piled throughout the camp. There was evidence everywhere of systematic butchery. Many of the mounds of dead bodies were still smoldering from failed attempts by the departing SS guards to burn them. The stench was horrible. When General Eisenhower learned about the camp, he immediately arranged to meet Generals Bradley and Patton at Ohrdruf on the morning of April 12th. By that time, Buchenwald itself had been captured. Consequently, Ike decided to extend the group’s visit to include a tour of the Buchenwald extermination camp the next day. Eisenhower also ordered every American soldier in the area who was not on the front lines to visit Ohrdruf and Buchenwald. He wanted them to see for themselves what they were fighting against. During the camp inspections with his top commanders Eisenhower said that the atrocities were “beyond the American mind to comprehend.” He ordered that every citizen of the town of Gotha personally tour the camp and, after having done so, the mayor and his wife went home and hanged themselves. Later on Ike wrote to Mamie, “I never dreamed that such cruelty, bestiality, and savagery could really exist in this world.” He cabled General Marshall to suggest that he come to Germany and see these camps for himself. He encouraged Marshall to bring Congressmen and journalists with him. It would be many months before the world would know the full scope of the Holocaust — many months before they knew that the Nazi murder apparatus that was being discovered at Buchenwald and dozens of other death camps had slaughtered millions of innocent people. General Eisenhower understood that many people would be unable to comprehend the full scope of this horror. He also understood that any human deeds that were so utterly evil might eventually be challenged or even denied as being literally unbelievable. For these reasons he ordered that all the civilian news media and military combat camera units be required to visit the camps and record their observations in print, pictures and film. As he explained to General Marshall, “I made the visit deliberately, in order to be in a position to give first-hand evidence of these things if ever, in the future, there develops a tendency to charge these allegations merely to ‘propaganda.’” His prediction proved correct. When some groups, even today, attempt to deny that the Holocaust ever happened they must confront the massive official record, including both written evidence and thousands of pictures, that Eisenhower ordered to be assembled when he saw what the Nazis had done. (*1) I thought that I would share more detail about how this blog got started, what the vision is, etc. A few months ago the Holy Spirit impressed upon my heart that I should start a photography blog for Christians around my age! At first I thought about it, then talked to my Daddy, and finally talked with the Lord. I’ve continually kept hearing and feeling that there is a need for information about photography from a Christian perspective. As Jesus said, “‘…The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few.'” (Matthew 9:37) I’ve searched the internet for photography advice from someone whose opinion I could trust. I found one person, Christopher Maxwell, who had advice on wedding photography. His information was very helpful but I was looking for some place where I could go for some tips and help for more things than weddings. There are lots of wonderful photographers out there but it seems like very few have places where you can go, get wholesome information from their website and not worry about being exposed to something obscene continually. I have a really good friend of mine who is a very strong Christian photographer and then I also know (not personally) another Christian wedding photographer, and… The point I’m trying to make is that there are Christian photographers but very little photography how-to’s from a Christian perspective. For example, if I wanted to look up how to take great pictures of families, there is no guarantee that what I see on the websites I click on is going to be safe. The ladies might be dressed inappropriately (if at all), the people could be doing something inappropriately…or it could be safe. You just never know! I’m not going to try and deceive you for a moment that I am a professional, I’m not. :) I just want to share what the Lord has been showing me through photography and things I’ve learned from a Christian perspective. Here’s a sneak-peek as to what the blog will be like: When I make any references to things in Christianity, I will try and back it up with Scripture, so that you know that what I believe isn’t just my opinion but the Lord’s! When I put links on my blog the page that the link goes to I will guarantee that there is nothing inappropriate on that page at the time I looked at it. (That’s not saying that I recommend the entire website…just the page I linked to) Things could change after the time I looked at it, so still be careful on whatever links are on this blog. When I write up posts about photography tips, how-to’s and such, I will have different categories at the beginning of the post. For example, if I’m giving tips on how to take pictures of children the beginning of the post will look something like this: Category: Photographing Children Camera Type: Any Length of Post: Medium (By camera type I will either specify a DSLR, point-and-shoot, or both. I’ll probably write more about it later.) When I say words like aperture, shutter speed, etc. I will try to include definitions in parentheses that way you’ll understand what I’m talking about! (Try learning something when you don’t know what the words means – or you forgot! :) Been there done that. I’ll be writing lots more and adding pictures and such to my sidebar later. But for now, that’ll be all! All for Jesus,

<urn:uuid:125a25aa-0aec-472b-95b7-7b37bd60d646>

CC-MAIN-2017-51

http://photographyforjesus.com/2010/01/

s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-51/segments/1512948541253.29/warc/CC-MAIN-20171214055056-20171214075056-00127.warc.gz

en

February 15, 2017 We’d like to take a moment to talk about the difference and connection between different ways of seeing and different ways of doing. As Bill O’Connor at AutoDesk pointed out, great breakthroughs are not always things. They can also be ways of seeing, processes. Banking was a breakthrough. Insurance. Democracy. Monotheism. The Scientific Method. Non-Euclidean Geometry. The non-rational actor in economics. These were all new ways of seeing the world that lead to new ways of doing something. Then there are the breakthroughs that are new ways of doing something. The spear. The wheel. The Abacus. The boat. Forging bronze, then iron, then steel. The compass. The steam engine. The combustion engine. The telegraph, telephone, television. The airplane, rockets, drones. These are people who took advantage of a new way of seeing the world and applied it to create a new way of doing things. The idea is that first we need to breakthrough the way we look at the world. From there we can start imagining breakthroughs that will actually change the world. It is happening today again with the latest studies to come out about sleep. The question has been why do we sleep. It must be of a great evolutionary importance since going unconscious on the savannah when we could be eaten is not the best strategy. Over a hundred years ago it was suggested that the glial cells in the brain may be involved with cleaning out the waste left from a days thinking and that this was done while sleeping. This waste is in the form of extra neural connections and neurotransmitter receptors. But there was no technology that allowed for this theory to be tested. Today, thanks to advance microscopes and dyeing techniques scientists have been able to watch the brains of mice as they sleep. What they have discovered is that are brains truly do clean up all of the day’s waste as we sleep and it is indeed the glial cells that are the janitors of the brain. It is this cleaning that makes us feel well rested. It is analogized to the way we feel when we exercise. After a while our muscles burn because we’ve used up the oxygen and start producing energy anaerobically, which means our muscles are building up a lot of lactic acid. Eventually we have to stop and while we rest our lymphatic system cleans out our muscles and we have the strength to exercise again. But we have to rest to allow the cleaning to happen. The same is true in our brains. Our brains use 20% of our total energy and over the course of the day a lot of waste builds up. We need to sleep to allow our brains to get cleaned so that we can be at our best again. In fact, without sleep we don’t integrate information as well or associate ideas as well, the heart of breakthrough thinking. The point is that we have new knowledge given to us by new tools. Those tools were created through the application of older knowledge. This new knowledge about sleep, given to us by new tools, allow researchers to understand why sleep is important. Now researchers can look into how to help people sleep without shutting down the cleaning mechanism. Its a new way of seeing the importance of sleep. With that new way of seeing eventually we will see new sleep aids that work to help us sleep while still allowing our glial cells to do their clean up work. The groggy post-sleep aid feeling will be a thing of the past. Which will lead to better sleep for more people. Which will have more people functioning at a higher capacity. Which will mean more innovation emerging from the human system. the application of into new tools, dyes and microscopes. And of all this from the theory or framework we call the scientific method. Think of the extraordinary effect of the scientific method. Here were a group of scientists who agreed to take what the OD guru Peter Senge would call a Learning Stance. They agreed to start from the position that they didn’t know. They would then create a hypothesis, a guess, and then proceed to test that guess to see whether or not it was true by following a set of agreed upon steps. It was the world of European science embracing the concept of beginner’s mind. It was European science starting with Socrates’ proposition, the first thing I know is that I know nothing. Again we encounter the importance of an open mind in the history of breakthroughs. In some ways the scientific method looks a lot like design thinking. Start with a hypothesis, try it out, get feedback from nature, then get feedback from your peers, iterate again. It was an idea, a new way of seeing the world. From there a flood of new ways of doing things emerged: new tools, new methods, new industries. The entire modern world with all of our magical creations stands on the back of this new way of seeing the world. There is a flow back and forth between new ways of seeing and new ways of doing. Insights in chemistry, rocketry, and gravity gave us the ability to go into space. We proceeded to send data collecting satellites into space. Some of them looked out at the stars and the cosmic microwave background and some of them looked back at earth. Both fed us new information that scientists interpreted. We learned that the Universe is older than we thought; that it is still expanding and its rate of expansion is speeding up. We learned that the Earth is suffering from our industrial ways. All of this new knowledge has created new ways for us to see the world. And because we have new ways to see we create new ways to do things. And those new ways of doing things bring us new facts which then give us new ways of seeing. Around and around the breakthrough wheel goes. We have the ability to conceive of the planet as a single system. We have the ability to measure the temperature of the planetary system, to measure the acidity of the ocean, to measure the amount of fossil fuel left in the earth. And with this new knowledge we realize the need for change. We start to innovate new ways to do things, like solar power, wind power, electric cars, composting. Breakthroughs are driven as much by the ability to see the world in a new way as it is by the creation of new ways to do things. Breakthrough cultures support both processes. Breakthrough cultures support the turning of the breakthrough wheel, from new seeing, to new doing, and back again. The new doing leads to new information that when analyzed leads to anew seeing. It is the dynamic interplay of these two that drives breakthroughs. You have to be able to imagine it before you can create it.

<urn:uuid:89988461-8632-4f2e-9041-126c7e3aa0a8>

CC-MAIN-2017-51

http://thebutterfly.net/blog

s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-51/segments/1512948513611.22/warc/CC-MAIN-20171211144705-20171211164705-00527.warc.gz

en

Nutritional Factors Resulting in Obesity Numerous empirical researchers also indicate that Hong Kong is in the early stages of obesity, when compared with countries like the United States. This is attributable to the fact that Chinese food items have comparatively low calories, as they steam, bake and cook, and use very less amount of oil. Obesity in Hong Kong Research conducted by Woo (2000) has observed that “In Hong Kong, 38% of men and 34% of women are overweight (BMI>25kg/m2), and the prevalence of obesity (BMI>30kg/m2) is 5% for men, and 8% for children”. In 2003 -2004, a similar research was carried out by the Department of Health in Hong Kong, it showed that 38.8% of the population aged 15 and above were classified as overweight or obese (BMI > 23. 0), including 21. 0% as obese. The proportion of overweight and obesity is higher in males than females (42. 5% and 35. 9% respectively. Moreover, Zou (2006) has observed that “obesity is no longer confined to Western societies and the Western way of life. With globalization making the world smaller by the day, the alarm bells have started ringing in Asia too, with Hong Kong and the mainland experiencing the early stages of the obesity epidemic First, it should be understood that obesity is the result of being overweight. It may be worthy to note that the prevalence of being overweight has noticeable increased in all parts of the world. This could be dependent on several reasons such as parental influence i. e. if parents are obese by birth, their children have the chance to develop the genetics of their parents, climatic changes, and residing from one country to another country. The increase in the prevelance of overweight individuals has been contributed to by the shift way from home- made food. Taveras has noted that food procured from outside of the home tend to have more fat and cholesterol content, especially those which are bought from fast food chains (Taveras, 2005). Food Culture in Hong Kong The food culture of Hong Kong almost follows that of Chinese, but Hong Kong is a meeting place of foreigners and thus it is expected that there is enormous variety in the food that they prepare and offer. The Department of Health and Human Services and National Institutes of Health (2006) recommends that Chinese food be prepared through “steaming”, “roasting”, “barbeque” “steamed rice” as health ethnic foods. Food is an essential requirement in life, and its preparation, calorie level, intake and nutrient level differs from one country to another. The study of food will help to estimate the nutrient values. Woo et al (1998) share that Hong Kong’s food culture is a mixture of western, Asian and Chinese cuisines. And one more important factor is that apartments are very small and so most of the families prefer to gather in restaurants, as they consider restaurants to be the best meeting place for them. Even now the number of restaurants seems to have increased substantially and this could be a valid reason for the people to have a variety of food items. If they are addicted towards the taste, their intake would be increased, and this naturally may lead to obesity. This happens for those who do not give importance to diet or nutrition restrictions. Woo et. al (1998) have observed both in men and women the differences in dietary intake, and the results in health outcomes due to its influence. Their objective was to promote dietary practices in both men and women in Hog Kong, and they have achieved this by organising a research on the general dietary supplements present in normal and common food taken by men and women in Hong Kong. This was carried out so that they could suggest some ideas in preventing chronic diseases such as obesity , diabetes, cardiovascular diseases etc. Their results are very helpful in evaluating the nutritional factors present in the diets of normal men and women. They say that “Men have higher intakes of energy and higher nutrient density of vitamin D, monounsaturated fatty acids and cholesterol, but lower nutrient density of protein, many vitamins, calcium, iron, copper, and polyunsaturated fatty acids” Their results also include data indicating that “Approximately 50% of the population had a cholesterol intake of <300 mg; 60% had a fat intake <30% of total energy; and 85% had a percentage of energy from saturated fats <10%;”. They have also pointed out that as per WHO recommendations, Hong Kong residents take meager calcium amounts than what is required. According to what has been discussed by Woo et. al (1998), it would be sufficient to calculate the foods that are taken daily by the people in Hong Kong. Some of the common food items are rice varieties, bread, vegetables, meat varieties, dim sum snacks, beverages, fruits, soups, and sauces. The preparation of their food includes these items in different proportions for different items. Woo et. al (1998) noted down the 24 hour nutrient intake in both men and women of Hong Kong. The table given below has information adapted from Woo et. Al’s (1998) “Dietary Intake and Practices in Hong Kong and Chinese Population”Sample Essay of EssayEdge

<urn:uuid:9b49b7dd-2ba9-49e4-b90f-fdcbba063a88>

CC-MAIN-2017-51

https://studyscanner.com/nutritional-factors-resulting-in-obesity/

s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-51/segments/1512948514250.21/warc/CC-MAIN-20171212021458-20171212041458-00728.warc.gz

en

International Standard Book Number (ISBN) is a national and international standard identification number for uniquely identifying books, i.e., publications that are not intended to continue indefinitely. The International Standard Serial Number (ISSN) is a national and international standard for serial publications. Both number standards can apply to electronic or print versions. The ISBN is intended for a monographic publication: text that stands on its own as a product, whether printed, audio or electronic. ISBNs are never assigned to music, performances or images, such as art prints or photographs. ISBNs are not assigned to magazines, academic journals or other periodicals. However, if a single issue of a periodical is being sold as a book, then that issue alone may be assigned an ISBN. When participating in the ISBN standard, publishers and self-publishers are required to report all information about titles to which they have assigned ISBNs. For more than thirty years, ISBNs were 10 digits long. On January 1, 2007 the ISBN system switched to a 13-digit format. Now all ISBNs are 13-digits long. If you were assigned 10-digit ISBNs, you can convert them to the 13-digit format at the converter found at this website. A 10-digit ISBN cannot be converted to 13-digits merely by placing three digits in front of the 10-digit number. There is an algorithm that frequently results in a change of the last digit of the ISBN. ISBNs beginning 979 will not be issued in the United States for at least several years until current inventories of ISBNs are depleted. When they are assigned, they will not replace those beginning with 978. W. H. Smith (the largest single book retailer in Great Britain), the British Publishers Association's Distribution and Methods Committee and other experts in the U.K. book trade devised the Standard Book Numbering (SBN) system in 1966 and it was implemented in 1967. At the same time, the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) Technical Committee on Documentation (TC 46) set up a working party to investigate the possibility of adapting the British SBN for international use. As a result, the International Standard Book Number (ISBN) was approved as an ISO standard in 1970, and became ISO 2108. That original standard has been revised as book and book-like content appeared in new forms of media, but the basic structure of the ISBN as defined in that standard has not changed and is in use today in more than 200 countries. Today the ISBN Agencies around the world are administered by the International ISBN Agency, located in London, UK. The purpose of the ISBN is to coordinate and standardize the use of identifying numbers so that each ISBN is unique to a title, edition of a book, or monographic publication -- braille, microform, and electronic publications, as well as audiobooks, educational/instructional videos/DVDs and software -- published or produced by a specific publisher or producer. The ISSN is a U.S. standard and an international standard. The number itself -- unlike the coded digits of the ISBN -- has no significance other than as a brief, unique, and unambiguous identifier; an ISSN consists of eight digits, specifically two groups of four digits, in Arabic numerals 0 to 9, except for the last -- or check -- digit, which can be an X. Its proper reference is for the two groups of four digits to be separated by a hyphen and preceded by the letters ISSN. Assignment of ISSNs is handled by the U.S. ISSN Center at the Library of Congress and is free. There is no charge associated with the use of the ISSN. An ISSN application form may be completed online. Enter the required information and then email or fax the form (in the interests of conserving paper and bandwidth, please limit faxes or email attachments to no more than five pages), or mail the application by U.S. mail or private carrier. A suitable representation of the publication must accompany the application. For print serials a sample issue or photocopy of the title page, cover, or masthead should be provided. For electronic serials in a tangible form such as CD-ROM or floppy disk, an actual issue and printouts of title screens should be submitted. For online serials, provide an appropriate URL or e-mail actual issues or mock-ups which will accompany the application form. The various and constant changes to which serials are subject, combined with the large growth in the world's publishing output, prompted the development of a standard (ISO 3297-1975; ANSI Z39.9-1979) for the identification of serials: the International Standard Serial Number (ISSN). The International Standard Serial Number (ISSN) was developed in the early 1970s to enable identification of serial publications at the international level. It was prompted by the various and constant changes to which serials are subject, combined with the large growth in the world's publishing output. Administration is coordinated through the ISSN Network, an international intergovernmental organization within the UNESCO/UNISIST program. The ISSN is a U.S. standard, ANSI/NISO Z39.9, and an international standard, recently updated to ISO 3297: 2007. This 2007 ISSN standard adds the Linking ISSN (ISSN-L), which works within several established electronic information systems to link various media versions (print, online, CD-ROM) of a single title together, allowing for fully complete media records of an individual serial resource. Linking ISSNs are preceded by the letters ISSN-L.

<urn:uuid:1089390c-4d72-4b1c-bfa7-82a4c1f60beb>

CC-MAIN-2017-51

http://libguides.ala.org/isbn-issn

s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-51/segments/1512948513784.2/warc/CC-MAIN-20171211164220-20171211184220-00726.warc.gz

en

Written by Emma Marriott. In the heart of Edinburgh, our University and the National Library of Scotland (NLS) have been working in collaboration to research the mystery that is known as the restoration on the ‘Chimney Map’. Fifteen years ago a rare antique map was deposited into the NLS after having been found in a rural country house in Aberdeenshire. The map is now dated as a seventeenth-century map of the world, and there are only two other known copies in existence. It had been rolled up in a shambolic ball and stuffed up a chimney, and now lies out, restored to a condition that little believed possible, thanks to the time and careful attention of Claire Thomson, Conservator at the NLS. Now that the map has been restored and can be studied, Dr Esther Mijers of the History Department sought four student researchers, Amy Hollander, Sarah Thew, Julia Weingaertner, and Emily Hall (from the University’s The Student), to embark on a ‘fact-finding’ research project during the Festival of Creative Learning in February to provide some insight into the origins of the map. It was a fascinating discussion to have been privy to as these four girls demonstrated very extensive and concise research, and they each embarked on their own avenues of interest such as the genealogy of the potential owners of the map, the map makers themselves and the smaller maps that bordered the main centre piece. Sarah considered the ownership of the map, and it proved more difficult to her than she originally thought. Most owners all seemed to be called Robert Gordon. She then studied parish records to find the dates for the Gordon family’s ownership of the Cluny Estate, to whom it is believed that the map was owned by. She pegged joint ownership of the estate in 1687 when a Robert Gordon married Katherine Arbuthnot, who outlived Robert, and was written down in a parish record as ‘Lady Dowager of Cluny. She looked into the Arbuthnot name and found that a church on their land was home to one of the first ministers of the Protestant faith after the Scottish Reformation. Sarah concluded that she believed that by the third branch of the Gordon family, they were steadfastly Protestant. Julia found that the small inscriptions and drawings around the border of the map were illustrations of European cities, which were either capitals and well-established trading centres. For example, one illustration was of Batavia, which was the capital city of the Dutch East Indies. Batavia now corresponds to the present-day city of Jakarta, the capital of Indonesia. Her research into the etchings of the map has spurred her interest with a possible connection to Rembrandt, as there may have been a specialized market pool of specialized professionals there. A significant feature of the Chimney Map which sets it apart from other maps of its era and its kind is the frequency of illustrated churches surrounding it. Emily embarked on a research path that looked into the significance of these churches. There are six labelled churches on the map in total, and Emily looked to identify the Church labelled Ulster, and considered the copper plates, etchings, and focused on the typology in Dutch art. She suggested that the copied maps in the British Museum did not have the same focus on churches. The group highlighted that this may be due to the religious uncertainties that were experienced in Scotland in the later years of the seventeenth century. Scotland’s monarchy was politically and religiously problematic in this period, as King James VII and his wife, Anne Hyde both converted to Roman Catholicism in 1667 and, following her death in 1671, King James married the Catholic Mary of Modena, who many viewed as an agent of the Pope. Emily highlighted that that the religious paintings in the map focused more heavily on the Old Testament, such as David’s fight with Goliath, which she suspected was a demonstration to Scotland’s underdog, but persistent presence in global movements. Amy Hollander’s research delved into the social aspects of the map and what it reveals and about society of the time. On the map are featured the images of King William III and Queen Mary of Orange in the middle of the map, the new Protestant monarchs of Britain in 1689. The images of William and Mary may highlight the religious tensions between Catholicism and Protestantism in Scotland at the time. Amy considered the migration of Scots and Scottish Kirks to Rotterdam, which had become a port at the centre of a trading empire, as the Dutch were one of the first nations in Europe to value trade more than just religion. The Dutch took in many religious refugees from across Europe, including Scots, whose Calvinistic views were tolerated by the Dutch state. The Scottish religious refugees in the Netherlands saw William as their future Protestant hero, with great expectations. However, their hopes were dashed, as William seemed less interested in Scotland and, as a further insult to injury, the massacre at Glencoe in 1692 further deepened negative Scottish public opinion of William. Maps of this size and statute symbolized power and prestige, designed to demonstrated knowledge and were considered to exhibit colonial importance, that which William and Mary were a part of. Furthermore, the inclusion of the celestial designs was modern for the late-seventeenth century. The evident excitement in this project was undeniable and the motivation from seeing the physical map stimulated the students’ research on these varied topics of colonialism, religious and political tensions, and the genealogy of ownership. The map demonstrates the shift from divine wisdom to human wisdom, and thus brings cartography into modern history. This map helps connect the dots of Scottish and Dutch history and challenges traditional assertions of such history. Emily stated that ‘the map was an interesting example of humanity’s attempt to map their knowledge of the natural and human world’. The girls’ enthusiasm was infectious, and Dr Mijers’ organisation of the project definitely suggests that research leads to practical understanding and greater learning.

<urn:uuid:d42a081e-5832-4d5f-8211-dbd2a340b76d>

CC-MAIN-2017-51

https://retrospectjournal.com/2017/03/06/the-restoration-of-the-chimney-map/

s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-51/segments/1512948522205.7/warc/CC-MAIN-20171213065419-20171213085419-00726.warc.gz

en

There’s a lot of buzz going around about HTML5. Big companies such as Apple are predicting that it’s the technology that will sign the death warrant of the popular Flash platform that powers a lot of rich internet apps and complex dynamic web components. But what is HTML5, really? How will it change the jobs of web developers and web designers? What does it mean for the importance of web design? Here are 15 web resources to help you on your quest in getting current about the impending technology that’s already being adopted by major web browsers and leveraged in large sites such as Google. 1. WTF is HTML5 For the visually-inclined and casual folks out there, here’s an interesting HTML5 infographic covering useful things such as a comparison of HTML5 and Flash, web browser support/readiness, and a highlight of some of the more popular and powerful modules in HTML5. This infographic should help to emphasize the importance of design. 2. Dive Into HTML 5 Software developer and popular blogger, Mark Pilgrim, has written an online book about HTML5. It’s a light — and often entertaining — read, focusing on the pragmatics of HTML5 and the capabilities it offers everyday developers. 3. HTML5 Doctor HTML5 Doctor publishes articles related to HTML5, featuring practical information and ways we can use the technology right now. This kind of relevant information makes the user experience much simpler. Some articles you’ll find on their site include an examination of the re-specification of the dl element, what the new article element is, and regular Q&As with their readers. It’s a collaboration between passionate developers who formulated the idea for the website in a meetup during a Future of Web Design conference. 4. When Can I Use… This handy one-page crib sheet highlights current browser compatibilities of HTML5 elements and APIs among the five major browsers in the market (IE, Firefox, Safari, Chrome, and Opera). 5. HTML5 W3C Specifications (Editor’s Draft) Straight from the horse’s mouth, this webpage is the most recent editor’s draft of HTML5 specifications by the leading international standards organization for open web technologies, W3C. It’s worth a read if you want to learn the ins and outs of HTML5 and to find out what browser vendors are (hopefully) basing their implementations on. 6. Yes, You Can Use HTML 5 Today! SitePoint has a wonderful article about HTML5 that encourages the use of HTML5 elements and APIs right now, as well as how to write unobtrusive code to support browsers that do not currently have these HTML5 elements, such as IE8. 7. Coding A HTML 5 Layout from Scratch As a proof of concept, Smashing Magazine explores HTML5 with a practical tutorial on building a webpage layout using some new HTML5 elements. 8. HTML5 presentation This handy slideshow presentation — developed originally for Google Chrome users, so some may have issues viewing the presentation depending on their web browser — is a bleeding edge live demonstration and informational piece about HTML5. 9. HTML5 Gallery This website showcase/gallery features real websites that use HTML5. It’s a valuable resource for seeing how developers are already leveraging the future specifications of HTML5. 10. A Web Developer’s Guide to HTML 5 This article from W3C is aimed at web developers, covering the need-to-knows, syntax, an overview of APIs, official vocabularies, and you know, all that geeky stuff that only we as web developers would get excited about. 11. HTML5 Demos and Examples UK-based web developer, Remy Sharp, has compiled (or as he terms it, “hacked together”) demos and experiments he’s created using HTML5. His demos include stuff like creating a simple browser-based chat system, geolocation, and more. 12. Web Designer’s Checklist: HTML5 Support Tables This table-structured checklist features both CSS3 and HTML5 specifications; it has web browser support tables for the new HTML5 Audio API, Video API, Web Forms, and more. 13. HTML 5 differences from HTML 4 Want to know how HTML5 will change the way you’ve been doing things? This comparative analysis from W3C highlights syntactical differences, the new HTML elements, and the newly introduced APIs for working with web data. 14. HTML5 – Wikipedia Our favorite user-generated and peer-reviewed content site, Wikipedia, has an article that covers the facts and dates related to HTML5. Besides the actual article itself, scrolling down to the References and External Links sections towards the bottom of the page will provide you with a swarm of other HTML5 resources to check out. 15. The HTML5 test Want to test your own web browser’s HTML5 capabilities? This web tool will evaluate your web browser in terms of how much HTML5 stuff it currently is able to render, giving it a numerical score — with the meaning of the score broken down on the test page itself.

<urn:uuid:cafb56da-f819-4b67-930c-be6a101bdc7f>

CC-MAIN-2017-51

https://www.webpagefx.com/blog/web-design/the-only-html5-resources-you-need-for-getting-up-to-speed/

s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-51/segments/1512948517845.16/warc/CC-MAIN-20171212173259-20171212193259-00327.warc.gz

en

Who Has Which Files Pages: 1, 2 wd" means that this process has a working directory. A working directory is a directory where commands are run from. You could have a command prompt sitting idle in a directory, and that directory would be open by the shell that has that command prompt. The fourth field has other possible values, but these are by far the most common. The fifth field gives the mount point where the file resides, and the sixth is the inode of the file. We can use these to find the actual file later. Then we have the mode of the open file. These appear as standard UNIX filesystem permissions. The seventh field varies depending on whethere the file in question is a regular file or a device node. If it's a regular file, the seventh field contains the size of the file in blocks. If it's a device node, this field contains the device name. Finally, we have the read/write status of this file. If the file is open for reading, you'll see an " r." If it's open for writing, you'll see a " w." An " rw", as you might guess, shows that the file is available for reading and writing. This is pretty powerful, but how can you possibly use it? You cannot sort through 400 lines of output, let alone 30,000 lines. You could filter the output with grep(1), but you may not know exactly what you're looking for. fstat(1) includes three powerful filtering flags. You can use any one of them at a time. -f filters by mount point. If you're interested in files open in the /usr/home/mwlucas lives, you can set that with fstat will not restrict its search to one directory by doing this, but it will automatically figure out which partition that home directory lives on. " fstat -f /usr/home/mwlucas" will give us all the open files on /usr, which is where my home directory is mounted. -u filters by username. I could run " fstat -u mwlucas" to see all the files I have open. Or I could use the -p flag and specify a process ID to see only files opened by that process. So let's go back to my original problem. I have a CD-ROM drive that claims to be busy. What's accessing it? My CD-ROM drive is mounted on /cdrom, so I use fstat's -f flag. # fstat -f /cdrom chris tcsh 2834 wd /cdrom 141312 dr-xr-xr-x 6144 r # There is one file open on this disk. That's enough to keep me from unmounting the disk. It's open by user " chris". The interesting thing is the fourth column, with the " wd" entry. This means that the open file is a directory, or a command prompt of some sort sitting on this filesystem. And there is no other activity on the filesystem. fstat provides a snapshot of the system's file activity. I can run this command several times in quick succession to see if I just caught Chris at an idle moment. If the disk is accessed, will show other files open. In this particular case, I could also look at the light on the front of the system to see if it's being used at all. But that's far too easy. In any event, the outcome is the same. I pick up the phone, call Chris, and tell him to get his danged idle command prompt out of /cdrom if he's not going to use it. fstat might have shown extensive work being done on that CD-ROM. If that was the case, Chris' username would have shown up with multiple open files in that directory. I could coordinate with him to get both our jobs done in a timely manner. If Chris is simply not available--say he's gone home for the night and left his xterm locked--I can just kill his command prompt. He might be annoyed in the morning, but that's OK. Depending on your work environment, you might not want to kill another user's shell. I feel perfectly comfortable killing anything of Chris', so I'll proceed. The third field is the process ID of the shell session # kill -1 2834 # umount /cdrom # I could also forcibly unmount the CD-ROM using umount -f. UNIX provides many different ways to solve this issue. Pick your favorite. One common annoyance with fstat is that you get the inode of the file being accessed, not the file name. That's not really a problem. You can find file name of the inode with find(1). You can also use the argument to find to restrict your search to a single mount point. For example, my laptop runs cvsupd. If I want to know where this program writes its log files, I can shuffle through the startup scripts, configuration files, and man pages to find it. Or, I can simply look to see which files it has open. # ps -ax | grep cvsupd 199 ?? Is 0:00.00 cvsupd -e -C 100 -l @daemon -b /usr/local/etc/cvsup - # cvsupd has PID # fstat -p 199 cvsup cvsupd 199 root / 2 drwxr-xr-x 512 r cvsup cvsupd 199 wd /var 40 drwxrwxrwt 512 r cvsup cvsupd 199 text /usr 1541084 -rwxr-xr-x 891596 r cvsup cvsupd 199 0 /dev 10 crw-rw-rw- null rw cvsup cvsupd 199 1 /var 1759 -rw-rw-r-- 0 w cvsup cvsupd 199 2 /var 1759 -rw-rw-r-- 0 w cvsup cvsupd 199 3* internet stream tcp c2ef1100 cvsup cvsupd 199 4* pipe c2e07000 <-> c2e06f20 0 rw cvsup cvsupd 199 5* pipe c2e06f20 <-> c2e07000 0 rw cvsup cvsupd 199 6* local dgram c2ebde10 <-> c2ebe000 # We're looking for a log file, which will be identified by a number in the fourth column. The third, fourth, and fifth lines are all files. Looking at only these three lines, check the fifth field. The third line is a device (under /dev), so we aren't interested in that entry. That leaves us with the fourth and fifth lines, which both have something open under /var. The sixth field is the inode of the open file. For both lines, this is inode # find -x /var -inum 1759 /var/tmp/cvsupd.out # I never would have guessed to look there. Fortunately, with you don't have to guess. Read more Big Scary Daemons columns. Return to the BSD DevCenter.

<urn:uuid:f770f96e-545d-4300-9c0a-6cb3000c7894>

CC-MAIN-2017-51

http://www.onjava.com/pub/a/bsd/2002/09/26/Big_Scary_Daemons.html?page=2

s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-51/segments/1512948517917.20/warc/CC-MAIN-20171212192750-20171212212750-00526.warc.gz

en

It’s 2035, and severe flooding has hit the country once again. As the waters inundate electricity substations, hundreds of thousands of homes suddenly lose power. Desperate customers try and telephone the network companies – but no-one’s picking up. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) predicts climate change will increase the incidence of both extreme rainfall events and very hot summers in this country. Both could potentially pose threats to our power supplies – and the power companies are working with government to try and protect customers from more power cuts in the future. But it’s not just the electricity system that needs to be prepared. Changing weather patterns could hit our systems across the board – transport, emergency services and telecommunications systems included – and they all need to cope. Defending against water and storms The government identifies flooding and high winds as two of the most significant risks threatening the country’s power supplies. During this year’s storms, most power cuts have happened as a result of high winds bringing trees down onto power lines, according to industry group the Electricity Networks Association (ENA). But homes can be cut off in other ways. In 2007, an electricity substation in Gloucester was nearly flooded. If it had been, 500,000 consumers would have been cut off at a stroke. The 2007 floods worried the government, prompting it to commission planning expert Sir Michael Pitt to review what needed to be done to improve the nation’s defences. Sir Pitt’s report identified protecting power and water supplies as one of six key priorities. In response, the energy industry organised a ten year programme to improve flood defences for electricity substations. Oxford University Professor Jim Hall, an expert on how the nation can adapt to changing conditions as the climate warms, tells Carbon Brief, “although it’s not all the way there yet”, the electricity industry has made significant progress in defending itself against future flooding. The research isn’t clear on whether climate change will lead to more high winds and pose a greater threat to power lines, according to the ENA. It says it’s currently working on a project with Newcastle University on this issue. So while the power sector may have come under fire in recent months for allowing power cuts from storms, it’s clearly taking some action to protect itself against the future storm and flooding damage. Not enough water While the power system is making progress preparing for too much water, it could also suffer from too little of it. Power stations need a lot of water to cool down. And they may need more in the future, as different technologies are brought into use. Carbon capture and storage (CCS), which the government wants to use to reduce emissions from gas- and coal-fired power stations, is extremely water intensive, for example. The government’s plans for expanding the use of CCS, combined with increased energy demand, could more than double the amount of freshwater the sector uses by the middle of the century, according to a new paper co-authored by Professor Hall. Government plans to bring exploiting the nation’s shale gas resource could also have an affect on supplies, as the extraction process uses a lot of water. Industry group Water UK recently signed a memorandum of understanding with the water industry in order to mitigate the “potential risks to water and wastewater services” from the shale gas industry. Climate change could also make water scarcer in this country as the century progresses. The projections the government uses suggest climate change will lead to hotter summers. What will happen to rainfall is less certain. A few models suggest that could get wetter, but on the whole scientists think drier summers are more likely. If the country needs more water, it’s not really clear where it’s going to come from. Cascade failures: it never rains but it pours The power sector may be making strides in developing a response to climate change, but it’s relationship to other industries also needs to be considered. Under government plans, different sectors – including the financial services industry, the health sector and the energy industry – are required to report on their preparation for future threats, including their response to climate change. But it’s unclear if there is much communication going on between the different industries. While Professor Hall is complimentary about the electricity industry’s plans for responding to threats in the future, he says: “I don’t get a strong sense that things are being joined up with a great deal of determination”. This could be a problem – because when extreme events occur, the country’s infrastructure tends all to be affected at the same time. As a Royal Academy of Engineering report put it in 2011: “Extreme events highlight the interdependencies in infrastructure as they are liable to lead to ‘cascade failure’ where the failure of one aspect of infrastructure, such as flood defences, can lead to other failures, e.g. flooded power stations leading to power cuts which thereby affect telecommunications networks.” Or, to put it another way – flooding could prevent key staff getting the train to work at a power plant, affecting the power companies’ plans for how to protect it, or respond to affected customers. Overall it’s clear the country’s power industry is taking steps to protect our energy system from extreme weather events. But it’s hard to know which risks are going to predominate in the future, because we don’t know for sure what effect climate change is going to have. And in the end, the greatest problem may result from a lack of integrated response across many different sectors, rather than a failure in this one.

<urn:uuid:c6050a72-4020-4275-bf9d-5580da32d780>

CC-MAIN-2017-51

https://www.carbonbrief.org/too-much-water-or-not-enough-why-climate-change-could-threaten-our-power-supplies

s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-51/segments/1512948517845.16/warc/CC-MAIN-20171212173259-20171212193259-00327.warc.gz

en

|Drought-killed trees in Yosemite Valley, California| Imagine what it must have been like living under communist rule in the Soviet Union during Joseph Stalin's regime. I can't even begin to imagine the unspeakable horrors that led to the deaths of tens of millions of people for a variety of reasons, but events this week have brought to mind a particular episode that is unfamiliar to the public at large, but which had a profound effect on Soviet agriculture. It was no doubt among the reasons for the failure of the totalitarian rule over the Soviet Union. Why? Because they were never really able to feed their own people, especially wheat. The Soviets had plenty of arable land. Why did this happen? There were always profound inefficiencies in the Soviet economy, but the heart of the problem was a single man: Trofim Denisovich Lysenko. |Trofim Denisovich Lysenko, 1898-1976. Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trofim_Lysenko| Simply stated, Lysenko didn't accept the theory of evolution by natural selection. He denied Mendelian genetics or even the presence of genes in plants and animals. He instead believed an earlier hypothesis called Lamarkism as well as his own bizarre ideas about inheritance. In essence, he believed that organisms could pass down their experiences to their offspring. A simple model to illustrate this would be an experiment in which dogs had their tails surgically removed, generation after generation. After enough time had passed, puppies would start being born without tails. These were called acquired characteristics. In essence, he insisted that the best strains of cold-weather wheat could be achieved by repeatedly subjecting the seeds of warmer climate strains with cold temperatures. They would then acquire the ability to grow in colder climates. And so, under his direction, farmers were ordered to grow inferior wheat strains for decades, and the results were no surprise. Production suffered, and over the years the Soviets had to import wheat from other countries, including the United States. The study of DNA, genetics, and natural selection continued unabated in other parts of the world, and agricultural yields ballooned as a result. Yet despite these failures, Lysenko continued as the Director of Genetics for the Academy of Sciences for decades. And he had true power. Under his reign, more than 3,000 geneticists who didn't toe the Lysenko line were arrested, and many of them were executed. |Athabasca Glacier in Jasper National Park in Alberta, Canada. The glacier has been receding for decades| So why are we talking about Lysenko tonight? I can barely keep up with the daily outrages of the new Trump/Pence administration, but one of the most chilling news during the transition period and inaugural week has been the attack on science and scientific research. Global warming and climate change have been declared to be false, and Trump officials have taken steps to end government research into this most pressing environmental issue. They have demanded the names of climate researchers at the Environmental Protection Agency, the National Park Service and other departments, suggesting a coming purge. They announced a gag order on dissemination of the results of research by government experts, even outside of government channels. They have attempted to restrict information flow via the social media. There have been hints of draconian budget cuts in scientific research. The cause, of course, is not a belief in some other cause of warming. Many of Trump's followers deny that warming is even happening. Because Trump, Pence, and the others in the administration do not believe in global warming, they have decided that it must not be investigated. They are trying to use their position of power to alter the direction of scientific research to conform to their own preconceived beliefs. That runs absolutely counter to the trajectory and goal of scientific exploration, and very much counter to the role of science in America throughout its history. Scientific research and discovery has been a driver that has allowed the American economy to thrive. For a country to promote scientific research that is directed from above towards categorically wrong conclusions is courting disaster, and the implications are worldwide in scope. I am encouraged at the response of the scientific community. There has been a concerted effort to protect and preserve the research that has been conducted in the past, and researchers are beginning to realize that they will have to become politically active, despite a tendency to avoid it in the past. Resistance has been growing in the social media. To be clear, this is not a Democratic-Republican issue, or a liberal-conservative issue. It is a battle between factual truths and willful ignorance. It is also an economic issue, as the opposition is richly funded by corporations who stand to profit handsomely by denying the existence of global warming. Unfortunately, we will all lose in the end. I've tended to avoid politics in this blog, but that has to change now. Until the Trump/Pence administration acknowledges the critical role of independent scientific research, they must be challenged at every turn. The stakes are simply too high for Americans and the rest of the world. It doesn't matter what Trump and Pence believe. They may believe warming hasn't happened, but sea level will continue to rise anyway. Coral reefs will continue to die off. Glaciers will continue to melt. Storms will become more intense, as will droughts. The world will get hotter, and each year will decrease our chances to deal effectively with the issue. For Pence and Trump to be willfully ignorant about science is appalling. To ignore the advice and counsel of experts in the many fields of science is absolute folly. I fear we have entered into a new age of Lysenkoism. Yes, that is a term. And it would be a tragedy.

<urn:uuid:23e57d77-f115-4f4a-83d9-5d395cb334f9>

CC-MAIN-2017-51

https://geotripper.blogspot.com/2017/01/is-trumpismpencism-new-lysenkoism-need.html

s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-51/segments/1512948587577.92/warc/CC-MAIN-20171216104016-20171216130016-00527.warc.gz

en

How to get by with the smallest possible genome The Mycoplasma species have the smallest genomes of any free-living species. They are most related to the Bacillaceae family, but have lost their cell walls and many other functions in a process of reductive evolution. They are obligate parasites, e.g. living in the lungs of humans. Their genomes encode many transport proteins, so that amino acids, sugars, etc. can be taken up from their hosts. They have very little metabolic capacity, utilizing only glycolysis in the case of M. genitalium. There is very little biosynthetic capacity, depending largely on uptake from the host for these nutrients. One might have thought that the Mycoplasmal species would retain only the most highly conserved genes in bacteria, under the premise that these are the most critical genes. However, they have retained a proportion of conserved and variable genes that is quite similar to the proportion seen in E. coli. This indicates that these bacteria are maintaining a balance between conserved and variable genes that perhaps reflects an equilibrium between the stability of major physiological processes and the need for environmental adaptability. More information from E. coli The complete sequence of the E. coli genome provides an overview of genome structure within a well-understood context. For more information, see Blattner et al. (1997) Science, vol. 277, pp. 1453- 1462. (1) Organization with respect to direction of replication Since replication proceeds bidirectionally from the origin (oriC) and ends at the terminus, one can divide the genome into two "replicores." The replication fork proceeds clockwise in Replicore 1 and counter-clockwise in Replicore 2 (Fig. 4.19). Several features of the genome are oriented with respect to replication. All the rRNA genes, 53 of 86 tRNA genes, and 55% of the protein coding genes are transcribed in the same direction as the replication fork moves. In other species, such as the Mycoplasma, the transcriptional polarity is even more pronounced, and it also corresponds to the direction of replication. These replicores show a pronounced skew in base composition, such that an excess of G over C is seen on the top strand (i.e. the one presented in the sequence file) in Replicore 1 and the opposite in Replicore 2. This nucleotide bias is striking and unexpected. As will be appreciated more after we study DNA synthesis in Part Two, this means that the leading strand for both replication forks is richer in G than C. Such an nucleotide bias may reflect differential mutation in the leading and lagging strands as a result of the asymmetry inherent in the DNA replication mechanism. The recombination hotspot chi (GCTGGTGG) also shows a prominent strand preference, being more abundant on the leading strand of each replicore. The role of chi sites in recombination is covered in Chapter 8. (2) Repeats, prophage and transposable elements The E. colichromosome contains several prophages and remnants of prophage, including lambda and three lambdoid prophages. The genome is peppered with at least 18 families of repeated DNA. The longest are the 5 Rhselements, which are 5.7 to 9.6 kb in length. Others are as short as the 581 copies of the 40 bp palindromic REP repeat. Several families of insertion sequences, which are transposable elements, are found. Note that repetitive elements are common in bacteria as well as in eukaryotes. (3) General categories of genes Many of the genes are similar to other genes in E. coli. Homologous genes that have diverged because of gene duplications are paralogous. The genes that encode proteins of similar but not necessarily identical function are referred to as a paralogous family. About 1/3 of the E. coligenes (1345) have at least one paralogous sequence in the genome. Some paralogous groups are quite large, the largest being the ABC transporters with 80 members. The larger number of genes in E. coli could reflect some redundancy in function as well as greater diversification of function compared to other bacteria with fewer genes. Figure 4.20. Human chromosomes, and the status of their sequencing. Based on current understanding of the function of the gene products, about 1/4 are involved in small-molecule metabolism, about 1/8 are used in large-molecule metabolism, and at least 1/5 are associated with cell structure and processes. A specific function has not been assigned to the products of about 40% of the E. coli genes. Segmental duplications are common, as illustrated in Fig. 4.21 for chromosomes 22. Figure 4.21.Segmental duplications on chromosome 22.

<urn:uuid:f2a0e374-3946-40ec-8e71-3e75622e4ee7>

CC-MAIN-2017-51

https://bio.libretexts.org/TextMaps/Map%3A_Working_with_Molecular_Genetics_(Hardison)/Unit_I%3A_Genes%2C_Nucleic_Acids%2C_Genomes_and_Chromosomes/4%3A_Genomes_and_chromosomes/4.1%3A_Sizes_of_genomes_-_The_C%E2%80%91value_paradox/Large_scale_genome_organization

s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-51/segments/1512948550986.47/warc/CC-MAIN-20171214202730-20171214222730-00527.warc.gz

en

In 1967, the United States joined the United Kingdom and the Soviet Union in signing the "Outer Space Treaty," which remains the closest thing the world has to "space law." It stipulates, among other things, that as countries explore space they should avoid contaminating it with the microbial life of Earth. So while we may talk, with a mixture of fantasy and inevitability, about the colonization of other planets by humans, NASA takes great pains to avoid colonizing those bodies with life of a different variety: bacteria and spores that might hitchhike their way through the galaxy via American spacecraft. But keeping space free of earthly critters is a difficult task. In fact, it's an effectively impossible one. Curiosity, for example, was not completely sterile at its launch; rather, the rover was built to ensure that it would "carry a total of no more than 300,000 bacterial spores on any surface from which the spores could get into the Martian environment." In that way, Curiosity is like the Mars landers that preceded it: just a tiny bit dirty. "When we clean these things, it's virtually impossible to get them completely, totally, 100% clean, without any organic material at all," says Dave Lavery, NASA's program executive for solar system exploration. Instead, he says the agency enforces "allowable limits" — a kind of controlled biological chaos — that aims to mitigate, rather than eliminate, microbial life on its vehicles. The margins here are extraordinarily slim: When you're talking about microorganisms, 300,000 across the entire spacecraft is actually a remarkably low number. (A human adult, after all, can play host to a href="http://discovermagazine.com/2011/mar/04-trillions-microbes-call-us-home-help-keep-healthy" target="_blank">as many as 200 trillion microorganisms. Trillion, with a T.) To keep the Mars Science Laboratory mission within its 300,0000-critter range, the technicians who built Curiosity regularly cleaned the rover's surfaces — and those of the spacecraft that delivered it to Mars — by wiping them with an alcohol solution. They baked the mechanical components that could tolerate high heats to kill the microbes that remained. And they sealed off Curiosity's core box, which contains its main computer and other key electronics, to prevent any traveling microbes from escaping its confines. Pictured in the video below, the clean room at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory is where Curiosity spent much of its pre-Martian existence. Note the bunny suits worn by the technicians, the better to ensure that human microbes wouldn't be transferred to NASA's now-rove-ready rover. For its standard antibiotic regimen, Lavery says NASA has three main goals. First, of course, there's scientific accuracy — since, for many of the agency's missions, the subtext if not the stated objective is to learn about the life that might exist beyond our atmosphere. "If we've taken Earth bugs with us, it defeats the entire purpose," he says. Second, there's the Outer Space Treaty and the desire to be a good steward of space — by avoiding contamination of the world beyond Earth's borders. Third, there's protecting Earth itself — not just by preventing the passage of earthly life into space, but also by preventing any extraterrestrial life from coming back. (Hence those amazing photos of Armstrong, Aldrin and Collins hanging out in their decontamination module after completing the Apollo 11 mission.) Planetary protection has been one of the protocols that has unified NASA's missions since they started as missions in the first place. It's been a priority, Lavery notes, "since the very beginning of the space program." And yet sterilization, just like other NASA protocols, varies significantly by mission. The particulars are determined by two broad considerations: where a mission is going and what kind of spacecraft it's using to get there. There's an overall cleanliness standard that's in place for every mission, Lavery notes — no earth bugs being the general goal — but beyond that, there's a procedural spectrum NASA employs to determine its approach to decontamination. For vehicles like the Voyager crafts, wandering the void of space with no planetary destination in mind, standards can be (relatively) less stringent. For a lander like Curiosity, however — or like the lunar modules that brought human life to the moon during the Apollo missions — the sterilization standards are stricter. Because, harsh as those environments may be to earthly life, large or small, there's a far greater chance that life would find a way to survive in those environments than elsewhere. We already know, for example, about the space-surviving skills of the tardigrade. And just recently, scientists discovered a species of bacteria able to survive in a lava tube, gleaning energy from a chemical reaction with the iron from basalt rock — precisely the kind of rock abundant on Mars. Given all that, NASA ranks its missions into five general Planetary Protection categories: So why not simply give every mission, by default, the highest cleanliness standard, just to be safe? Because sterilization, like pretty much every protocol NASA goes through, isn't cheap. It's budgetary concerns, ultimately — and resource concerns more generally — that make decontamination a matter of calculated risk. Because of that, NASA's attempts at preventing cross-planet contamination have relied not just on antibiotic practices, but also on a near-universal feature of earthly life: its fragility. Catherine Conley, NASA's planetary protection officer, last year told Becca Rosen about the slim likelihood of biological commerce between Earth and Mars. While Conley suspects NASA has transported things like bacteria and pollen spores and other pieces of life inside its spacecraft, there's been a big caveat to the potential of contamination: "The surface conditions on Mars are pretty hostile to Earth life," Conley says. Which means that "it's not very likely that those organisms could actually reproduce, or even survive if they came off the spacecraft." Curiosity relies on the same slim odds. And the Mars Science Laboratory Mission, with a roving lander as its vehicle, is ranked as a Category IV. There are subclasses within that category, Lavery points out, based on the different environments Curiosity will be exploring within Mars itself. Just like on Earth, some areas of Mars are more (potentially) hospitable to life than others. But protocols can also evolve. For Curiosity, the process of selecting exploration sites on Mars took place simultaneously with the process of its design — meaning that a shift in one led to a shift in the other. The Mars Science Laboratory mission started out as a Category IVa — the most stringent possible for landers and probes. ("We wanted to give ourselves as much leeway as we could," Lavery explains.) But when the Gale Crater was chosen as Curiosity's landing site, NASA engineers realized that the IVa classification was "a little bit of overkill," Lavery says, and downgraded the category — since, given the crater's aridity, there was virtually no chance that Curiosity would encounter water or ice or anything else that could potentially foster life. At the same time, engineers at JPL began to rethink the strategy they'd built for the rover's drill bits. Growing increasingly concerned that a rough landing could damage the rover and the drill mechanism it would rely on so heavily to do much of its work on Mars, the engineers decided to open its previously sterilized box to add a new drill bit to Curiosity's suite — thus ensuring that, even if one got damaged, another would remain to carry out the mission. This switch-up, which wasn't communicated until later to NASA's planetary protection staff, is the subject of a recent Los Angeles Times article about the "rift" between microbiologists and engineers at the agency. But, beyond that, not only did the implemented changes follow NASA procedure, Lavery says; they were also standard practice — part of the normal evolution of spacecraft design as it accounts for changes made to mission objectives. The mission changed; the vehicle changed along with it. And there's always that magic 300,000-critter standard. Before Curiosity was launched, "We were able to do an assay that said we were well under that number," Lavery says. "And we were good to go." The question remains, though: What if Curiosity does find water? Probabilistically, that's unlikely. But Martian water — or Martian ice — is certainly not an impossibility. Particularly given the fact that Curiosity's work involves drilling into the Martian crust. If the rover does encounter water, any earth-borne microbes lingering on its drill might simply perish in the harsh temperatures and atmosphere of the Red Planet. On the other hand, though ... they could survive. NASA will deal with that possibility when — and, more likely, if — it comes. There are procedures for that circumstance, too. As Lavery points out, those procedures would include NASA's mission operators, its scientists and its planetary protection officers in a discussion about the best way to move forward. Procedures meant to avoid terraforming of the unintentional variety — procedures meant to ensure that, as we explore Mars, we don't end up colonizing it, as well." This article originally published at The Atlantic here

<urn:uuid:e6094b3d-79c3-4cc7-8e40-6666fac974ec>

CC-MAIN-2017-51

http://mashable.com/2012/09/11/nasa-space-germs/

s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-51/segments/1512948597295.74/warc/CC-MAIN-20171217171653-20171217193653-00727.warc.gz

en

Nigeria during the civil war period that culminated in the failed State of Biafra and the resulted in the death of many Igbo people, is the backdrop for Chimamanda Ngozi Addichie’s acclaimed novel “Half of a Yellow Sun.” The book could be understood as a sequel to Chinua Achebe’s “Things Fall Apart” which was set in pre-colonial Nigeria and depicted the disintegration of traditional Igbo society and culture under British colonial rule. A patrilineal but collective society in the densely populated southeast of Nigeria, the Igbo’s decentralization left them easy prey for colonialism and for their northern Muslim Hausa brethren, with whom cold-war warrior nations found common cause. Rich in oil and other natural resources, Nigeria seven years after independence, suffered from ethnic and religious differences between its Hausa, Igbo, and southwestern Yoruba cultures. The southern delta region of Nigeria is where the oil is and outside of Lagos, in the southwest, is where almost all the population is. Nigeria is the most populated country in Africa, accounting for about 1 of every 5 Africans. Where the Hausa-Fulani live in the north, outside of Kano, it is relatively sparsely populated. There is a line in Ms. Adiche’s novel which refers to the Igbo as the Jews of Africa. This overstates its lineage as traders and understates that of other indigenous societies. Nonetheless, there in an undercurrent of Igbo cultural dominance in government and economics as a reason for its rivals’ resentment and resulting coup against its short-lived government. This perceived superiority is only expressed through Igbo characters after sectarianism surfaces so it may overstate the point. There are two principal Igbo characters in the book that reflect the characterization of the persecuted Jew, Igbo, or other successful trading cultures as intellectual and wealthy. Odenigbo, a university professor and “socialist revolutionary”, who lives in his rarefied world of university and tennis clubs. He debates his fellow intellectuals about post-colonial Nigeria while at tea, without having contact with the bush people. Kainene, the uglier but practical twin sister of Odenigbo’s girl friend and wife, Olanna, is Odenigbo’s polar opposite. She is taking over her wealthy parents’ business of lucrative government contracts, a life Olanna’s beauty and English upbringing allows her to avoid. They are Igbo’s elite and the center of the book. Intellect and economics without the control and weaponry of the military is a doomed strategy for independence or survival. In part, the novel traces the degradation of Olanna’s lifestyle from privileged family and university life, to Biafra’s refugee camps. Life does not make her as practical as Kainene, but it pushes her closer to Kainene and away from Odenigbo. The novel is also an expression of future hope through Ugwu. A tribal Igbo boy, Ugwu evolves from man-servant to Odenigbo, to conscripted soldier, to as capable a writer as Richard. Richard, Katiene’s expat white British boyfriend, is the voice of the Biafra cause to cynical foreign media, and as well as a source of romantic tension in the novel. Other smaller characters are used to express sectarianism, corruption, economic status, and romantic relationships. There is only one Hausa character in the book, an old English educated ex-boyfriend of Kainene, who as an elite, is above the fray. The interesting aspect of this novel is that unlike traditional Igbo culture, the leading characters principally are strong women. Except for Igbo Colonel Madu, at all economic levels the novel accessorizes men. While the novel blends history and culture and is a very fast read, the tragedy that was Biafra was described but not felt by me. It was like a canvas on which traditional human and romantic relationships were painted. They could have been easily been transposed into another scene. Clearly, there are descriptions of brutality, disease and starvation, but the storyline to me predominates. Perhaps I have become immunized or I anticipated a bottom-up point of view. I remember the posters of starving Biafran children with distended bellies more than I remember any scenes in the book. It may be because it is descriptive but not visual, or because there was Bangladesh, Rwanda, and countless other examples before and after Biafra. I think Ms. Adiche may want to revisit in her next novel Nigeria in the immediate post-civil war period. A multi-cultural view of the ethnic cleansing would prove interesting. Throughout this novel there are snippets from the forthcoming book that one of the characters intends to publish after the war. It is justly entitled “The World Was Silent When We Died.” It is a theme that never goes out of style.

<urn:uuid:4787bfe8-a1cc-4ef7-bfcb-bbe780ecb1d8>

CC-MAIN-2017-51

https://quiklaw.wordpress.com/2013/06/

s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-51/segments/1512948579567.73/warc/CC-MAIN-20171215211734-20171215233734-00127.warc.gz

en

Featured image: Liberty leading the People; Eugène Delacroix, 1830. (This image is now in public domain) France’s colonial history stretches back centuries. At its peak in the early 20th century, the French empire was comprised of large swathes of the continent of Africa and parts of Southeast Asia. However, after the Second World War, its grip on its colonial “jewels” weakened significantly. Struck early by defeat in French Indochina which led to the independence of Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos in the 1950s, the unraveling of the French empire would be left to Algeria – the diamond among the proverbial jewels. Defeat in the almost decade long war in Algeria rung the death knell of the French colonial empire. After then-President Charles de Gaulle finally signed the Evian Accords in 1962 and recognized Algeria as an independent state, several of France’s other colonies in Africa declared theirs too. Throughout its history, many of its colonial subjects migrated and settled in France. During the wars of independence, France witnessed a mass exodus of thousands of French loyalists from its colonists. The term ‘black, blanc, beur’ is a deeply symbolic one in France. A play on the French tricolour – the ‘bleu, blanc, rouge’ – the colloquial phrase appropriates the complexion of the skin of the citizens of France as the colours of the flag. Using “verlan” (an argot in the French language, featuring inversion of syllables in a word) the word ‘beur’ is a re-working of the word ‘arabe’ used to describe those of North-African descent. As France welcomed the world and played host to the 1998 FIFA World Cup, the coinage took on a whole new meaning. Captained by Didier Deschamps, France’s 1998 World Cup squad championed the nation’s ethnic and racial diversity through a squad of sublimely talented players with ancestral paths tracing back to many different parts of Africa and Europe. The elegant Zinedine Zidane – the player of the tournament – grew up the son of poor Algerian migrants who fled the country before the war with France. Striker David Trezeguet spent the best part of his childhood living in Argentina after being born in France to Argentine parents. Christian Karembeu was born in New Caledonia. Youri Djorkaeff was the son of Polish-Armenian parents. Patrick Vieira was born in Senegal and takes his Portuguese surname from his mother who was born in Cape Verde. Bernard Lama was born in French Guiana and lived there until moving to France at 18 to start a footballing career. The sublime talents of Zidane, Vieira, Deschamps, Desailly and Lillian Thuram ensured a successful tournament for the hosts. Les Bleus beat South Africa, Saudi Arabia, Denmark, Paraguay, Italy, Croatia and finally favourites Brazil to lift the World Cup trophy – an event marked by the biggest street-parade in the history of France. French manager Aime Jacquet called it a ‘national communion’. Over one million people lined the Champs-Elysées in euphoric celebration singing ‘La Marseillaise’ triumphantly. In an extremely tense political climate such as the one fostered by the then-French President Jacques Chirac, this was no mean feat. Chirac, a devout conservative, once famously complained about le bruit et l’odeur – the sound and the smell – of African and Arab neighbourhoods, in which some of the members of the 1998 World Cup team and millions of French people grew up. While becoming increasingly diverse French football has had its ongoing struggles with racism. In 2011, a massive story emerged accusing France manager Laurent Blanc of racism for comments about youth player training in France. Blanc claimed that “bigger” and “more powerful” players are given opportunities at youth level over more intelligent players and that the overwhelming majority of these stronger kids were of African descent thereby not only implying that the Caucasian white footballers were losing out to blacks even though they deserved a place but also that players from an African or Arabic descent had strength but were not as intelligent as a white footballer. This incident also stoked the flames of a minority of French supporters still incensed by the 2010 World Cup mutiny that they claim was led by players of African lineage. Moreover, according to a leak, Blanc and the French Football Federation, in order to prevent what they saw as a trend of many migrants to play for France at the youth level before opting to play for their country of origin later, had plans to put in place a quota so that no more than 30% of players signed to French academies could hold country’s passport and could represent a country other than France. With a new batch of footballers, the stigma surrounding French ethnic influence is starting to diminish once again. The likes of Kingsley Coman, Anthony Martial, Thomas Lemar, Paul Pogba, N’Golo Kante, Dimitri Payet, Samuel Umtiti and Kylian Mbappe are just a handful of the players inspiring ethnic diversity in French football at present. During Euro 2016, the French people finally seemed to have a national team that they felt truly represented them and the support for the side was immeasurable. In Paris, in the build-up to both the semi-final against arch-rivals Germany and the final against Portugal, there was a distinct sensation of unity and purpose about the Les Bleus. The fan zone under the Eiffel Tower had to be closed off over an hour before the final was played. In the streets after the semi-final victory against Germany – people from various ethnicities and backgrounds danced, sung, and hugged – all with a little French flag painted on each cheek. Even in the wake of defeat, there was pride. Scapegoats were not made and fingers were not pointed – a rare thing for the French national team over the years. Instead, at present, there seems to be genuine excitement about the future of football in France and the roles that players with diverse ethnic background can play in the system. However, the new leader of the French far-right, Marine Le Pen and her National Front are undermining the reconciliation of the ‘ethnic’ French people and their immigrant brethren. Indulging in the “other”-ing of Muslims and other minority communities, the National Front runs on what they deem is a secularist agenda. The French people are inherently proud of their traditions and capitalizing on the widespread discontent regarding President Hollande’s government, the National Front have built a strong platform from which to challenge in the 2017 French presidential elections, arguing that French values are being trampled on by “outsiders”. This has the power to undo the sense of unification that football has brought to the country in 2016. While Le Pen’s party claims to represent the true interests of the French people, the diversity of the current French national team arguably reflects the true demographic of the country more accurately – multicultural and diverse, both racially and religiously.

<urn:uuid:f822549c-bde3-416e-baf1-0d1b0a3a313a>

CC-MAIN-2017-51

https://doingtherondo.com/2016/12/18/black-blanc-beur-frances-struggles-with-footballing-diversity/

s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-51/segments/1512948563629.48/warc/CC-MAIN-20171215040629-20171215060629-00327.warc.gz

en

The conception of preschool education is based on the same principles as other fields and levels of education and is governed by the same objectives: its aim is for the child from early childhood to master the basics of key competencies and thus gain the prerequisites for its lifelong learning, allowing it to be more successful in knowledge society. Preschool education is institutionally provided by nursery schools (including nursery schools with an adapted education programme) or is implemented in the preparatory forms of elementary schools. Nursery school is legislatively embodied within the educational system as a type of school. In the educational process as well as its organisation, it is therefore governed by similar rules like other schools. Preschool education is organised for children of the age normally from three to six years. Children in the last year before beginning compulsory school attendance are given preference in the acceptance process. Preparatory forms of elementary school are established for socially disadvantaged children from five years of age. Nursery school is organisationally divided into classes. It is possible to place children of the same or different age in a class and create classes that are homogenous or heterogeneous in terms of age. In the same way, it is possible to place children with special educational needs into a class of a common nursery school and create an integrated class. Nursery school can also be attended by children whose parents receive a parental allowance, namely in the case of children up to three years of age at most five calendar days in a month, in the case of children from age three regularly but no more than four hours a day or five calendar days in a month. The operation of a nursery school can be interrupted in July and August as decided by the director of the school after discussions with the founding entity. The information shall be posted in an accessible place at the school at least two months in advance. (Note: Pursuant to the Labour Code, teachers have a right to eight weeks of vacation.) The largest founding entity of nursery schools is the municipality; a small number of nursery schools have been established by private founding entities and churches. Nursery schools are established with full-day operation (more than 6.5 hours a day, but at most 12 hours a day), half-day operation (at most 6.5 hours a day) and boarding operation (full-day and night care). Preschool education can be provided for a fee with the exception of the final year of nursery school founded by the state, region, municipality or confederation of municipalities and of preparatory classes of elementary schools, where it is provided free of charge (where children are educated who have had their sixth birthday in the given school year and children who have been given permission to postpone compulsory school attendance). The amount of the fee is set by the director of the school, who also decides on its reduction or remission. Classes of a nursery school fill to 24 children; the founding entity can allow an exception to this number but at most by 4 children. The lowest number of children is set at 13 in the case of a one-class nursery school which is the only one in a municipality. A nursery school with two and more classes which is the only one in the municipality has on average at least 16 children in a class. A one-class nursery school has at least 15 children in a class and two- and more-class nursery schools have on average at least 18 children in a class. The founding entity can allow an exception of up to 4 children even to this number (this only applies to a founding entity which is the state, region, municipality or confederation of municipalities). In nursery schools, children are taught by teachers of nursery schools, who mainly have completed secondary education with a school-leaving examination specialised in preschool pedagogy (graduates of secondary pedagogical schools). They can also gain education at higher vocational schools or higher education institutions in a bachelor’s or master’s study programme. The education must always be specialised in preschool pedagogy. The weekly extent of direct pedagogical activity of a nursery-school teacher is set at 31 hours. The task of institutional preschool education is to complement family upbringing and in close connection with it assist in providing the child with an environment having sufficient multifaceted and adequate stimuli for its active development and learning. Preschool education should meaningfully enrich the daily programme of a child during its preschool years and provide the child with professional care. In March 2005, the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports issued the Framework Education Programme for Preschool Education, which builds on the Framework Programme for Preschool Education published already in 2001. The Framework Education Programme for Preschool Education (FEP PE) specifies the main requirements, conditions and rules for the institutional education of children of preschool age. These rules relate to the pedagogical activities taking place in educational institutions included in the network of schools and educational facilities. They are binding for preschool education in nursery schools, in nursery schools with a programme adapted to the special needs of children and in preparatory forms of elementary schools. Schools have been required to work according to the FEP PE since 1st September 2007. Nursery schools can have their programmes focused on aesthetic activities, movement activities, ecology etc. Nursery schools can also utilise some of the alternative programmes, e.g. Montessori pedagogy, Waldorf pedagogy, Step by Step or join the network of Healthy Nursery Schools – A Curriculum of Nursery Schools Advocating Health.

<urn:uuid:d120353d-f3fb-4885-add9-b1e9e4b6f9db>

CC-MAIN-2017-51

http://www.msmt.cz/areas-of-work/preschool-education/preschool-education-in-the-cr?lang=2

s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-51/segments/1512948627628.96/warc/CC-MAIN-20171218215655-20171219001655-00725.warc.gz

en

States Share Data to Improve the Health of People Living with HIV |Virologic Suppression occurs when the amount of HIV in the blood is lowered to below 200 copies per milliliter or undetectable levels.PLWH are more likely to achieve and maintain virologic suppression when they have access to high-quality, coordinated and comprehensive care, antiretroviral therapy, and support services. A substantial body of research shows that virally-suppressed people have better health outcomes and are at significantly reduced risk of sexually transmitting HIV to others. Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “HIV Treatment as Prevention.” Accessed November 13, 2017. https://www.cdc.gov/hiv/risk/art/index.html. Research shows that people living with HIV (PLWH) who achieve and maintain virologic suppression at undetectable levels have better health outcomes and reduced risk of transmitting HIV to others. As a result, many states have made increasing rates of virologic suppression in Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) beneficiaries living with HIV a high priority. States are increasingly using data analytics to better understand PLWA’s health care engagement and outcomes in order to improve state policies and programs. In 2016, Medicaid and health departments from 19 states with diverse geographic regions and varying HIV rates joined the HIV Health Improvement Affinity Group. The states represent more than 50 percent of people living with HIV in the United States as of 2014. Each affinity group state developed a quality improvement project and received technical assistance to strengthen state strategies that increase virologic suppression for Medicaid and CHIP beneficiaries living with HIV. Overwhelmingly, these states identified the need to understand this population’s service utilization and health outcomes in order to inform policy and program improvements. To do this, states can share and compare data sets from HIV prevention, treatment, and surveillance programs and Medicaid. While data sharing and analysis can be complex — due to federal and state laws and the need for a strong information technology (IT) infrastructure — states in the affinity group are leading the way. |HIV Health Improvement Affinity Group The HIV Health Improvement Affinity Group (HHIAG) provided support to 19 state Medicaid and public health department teams (highlighted in blue) working to increase rates of sustained virologic suppression among Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) beneficiaries living with HIV.The HHIAG was a joint initiative of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the Health Resources and Services Administration, in collaboration with the Health and Human Services’ Office of HIV/AIDS and Infectious Disease Policy, and in partnership with NASHP. Prior to the Affinity Group, there was a very limited working relationship between the Alaska HIV Program and Medicaid. Their collaboration throughout the affinity group allowed leaders from both programs to establish a data use agreement (DUA), providing the HIV Program access to Medicaid claims data. HIV Program staff have completed a match of HIV surveillance data to Medicaid claims to better understand the utilization of services by people living with HIV enrolled in Medicaid and their HIV viral load. HIV Program and Medicaid staff believe this data analysis will allow them to better target limited resources to PLWH who are not regularly seeking HIV care and/or filling their medications. Maryland state officials recognized the need for a DUA between the Maryland Department of Health and the Office of Health Care Financing (Medicaid) so that HIV program staff could access Medicaid claims data. They are now in the process of finalizing a DUA that will allow regular transfers of Medicaid claims data to the state’s HIV Program. While the DUA was being written, Maryland created a list of claims-based codes that could indicate if a beneficiary is HIV positive, received HIV testing, or received pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP). Once the DUA is in place, these codes will be used by data analytics staff to identify and describe beneficiaries using that criteria. Maryland will also create data files of HIV-positive beneficiaries for future analysis of claims utilization. Louisiana finalized a DUA in 2014 that allows Medicaid claims data to be shared with the state health department. The state runs quarterly analyses that compare Medicaid claims data with HIV surveillance data to identify Medicaid beneficiaries who have an HIV diagnosis, but are not accessing or engaging in HIV care, and whether or not they are virally suppressed. Medicaid managed care plans in the state receive updates about their enrolled members’ results from each quarterly analysis. Based on these reports, plans can reach out to members who are not yet engaged in HIV care and/or not virally suppressed, and help them access necessary services. Louisiana currently incentivizes plans to increase virologic suppression rates by including viral load suppression as one of nine incentive-based quality metrics. If plans do not achieve an established target for an incentive-based measure, they may be subject to monetary penalties. More promising strategies, state examples, and technical assistance resources describing how states can improve rates of viral load suppression will soon be published in a NASHP toolkit and explored in a national webinar. Visit NASHP.org and read its weekly e-newsletter for information about the release of the toolkit in mid-December. To register for the webinar on Dec. 6, 2017, click here.

<urn:uuid:fcc592f1-77dc-4245-aa11-4d4696a329c6>

CC-MAIN-2017-51

https://nashp.org/states-use-data-to-improve-the-health-of-people-living-with-hiv/

s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-51/segments/1512948515311.25/warc/CC-MAIN-20171212075935-20171212095935-00326.warc.gz

en

Skin changes with aging Skin changes with aging are associated with environmental exposure, genetic makeup, nutrition, and other factors. If we compare our skin that is exposed to the sun with skin that is usually covered with clothing, you can see a difference. Sun and pollutant exposure age us. Let’s review some information before we talk about skin changes with aging. Although skin has many layers, it can generally be divided into three main parts: Epidermis-The outer part of the skin which contains skin cells and pigment. Dermis -The middle part of the skin which contains blood vessels, nerves, hair follicles, and oil glands. The dermis is important as it provides nutrients to the epidermis. Below the skin lies the subcutaneous fat. According to Scientific American, “Normal healthy skin has a nice epidermis with a smooth cornified, or outer, layer that acts as a good barrier to water and environmental injury. Skin color and tone is even and unblemished. Components such as collagen (which provides skin firmness), elastin (which supplies skin elasticity and rebound) and glycosaminoglycans or GAGs (which keep the skin hydrated) are all abundant.” What does the skin do? The skin protects our body from the surrounding environment. Our skin helps our body control its temperature and provides protection from the sun. Skin changes with aging -why do these changes occur? The most common reason for aging skin is sun exposure. Sun exposure causes free radicals which damage our skin. Hormone changes that occur with aging will affect you skin, hair and nails. Estrogen keeps our skin firm, plump and smooth. The skin is able to keep hydrated. As we approach menopause the estrogen levels drop causing our skin to become dry and dull. Skin changes with aging As we age the outer layer of the skin referred to as the epidermis thins. The skin may appear translucent allowing blood vessels underneath to be more visible. Age spots may appear. The skins elasticity decreases which is known as elastosis. You will notice more lines on the forehead aa well as around the eyes and mouth. You may notice sleep creases when you wake up. Our oil glands decrease with aging leaving the skin dry. You may notice the problem is worse in the winter time, heated indoor air is drying to the skin. The facial skin may look brown and leathery with aging. The skin becomes more fragile. This is caused by a flattening of the area where the two layers of skin come together. Blood vessel walls also thins, this may lead to spider veins.The blood vessels of the dermis become more fragile, this leads to bleeding under the skin. There is a decrease in facial bones which lead to loss of support of the facial bones. Our malar (cheek) pad drops with age given a deflated look. In addition, there is loss of subcutaneous fat which worsens the sunken in look. You may notice pigmented growths referred to as seborrheic keratosis or red flaky areas referred to as actinic keratosis. Skin tags and warts may also occur. Lose of nasal support also occurs which results in a hanging tip. Skin changes with aging among different skin types The cells that provide pigment to our skin referred to as melanocytes increase in size in all skin types. Natural pigments seem to provide some protection against sun-induced skin damage. Blue-eyed, red haired people show more aging skin changes than people with darker skin. Help prevent skin changes with aging Avoid rubbing and pulling the skin. This will stretch out he skin and cause fragile vessels to burst. Protect your skin from the sun. Too much sun exposure will increase loss of elasticity and sun spots. Look for a sunscreen that is an SPF of at least 30 and has both UVA and UVB protection. Avoid smoking which can produce free radicals. Free radicals damage cells leading to wrinkles. Use a moisturizer daily, skin heals quicker if it is moist. Look for skin care that boosts cell turnover, stimulates collagen growth, and prevent DNA-damaging free radicals. I use EVER Skin Care Consider Vitamin A derivatives as retinol which decreases the rate of collagen breakdown. Ever has a retinol serum that I use overnight. Eat a healthy diet full of colorful vegetables which contain anti oxidants. Avoid sugar and refined grains as they increase inflammation and will further age your skin. An omega 3 fatty acid supplement can help hydrate the skin Drink plenty of water. Your skin looks better when it is hydrated. Avoid the straw as it will increase the risk of lines around the mouth. Exercise can help increase blood flow to our skin. Sleep on your back. If you feel the need to sleep on your stomach or side use a soft pillow case that your skin can glide over YANIBEST 19 Momme 100% Pure Natural Mulberry Silk Pillowcase for Hair & Facial Beauty Queen Standard King Size, 10 Colors White Color Pillow Shams Cover with Hidden Zipper(white, Queen size 51X76 cm) Avoid smoking which can age the skin. Avoid too much alcohol as it dehydrates and ages the skin. According to the American Academy of Dermatology you should avoid repetitive expressions, “When you make a facial expression, you contract the underlying muscles. If you repeatedly contract the same muscles for many years, these lines become permanent. Wearing sunglasses can help reduce lines caused by squinting. Avoid hot baths and soaps that can dry out the skin. I use nutrient enriched cleansing balm from Ever Skincare Treatment of skin changes with aging Skin changes with aging in your thirties The estrogen levels will start to dip in the 30’s. In addition, collagen production and hyaluronic acid production which hydrates your skin also decreases. You may notice your skin is dry and and there may be some light age spots. Consider starting a retinol product that will thicken the skin. I have used prescription retinoic acid without much success. I have tried using it just once a week or diluting it with moisturizer, I seem to get red and flaky from it. Currently, I am using Ever Overnight Retinol Serum. It hydrates the skin and gives it a dose of retinol. Retinol is not as strong as prescription Retin A but it is easier for me to tolerate. Skin changes with aging in your forties As you enter into your forties, you may notice the development of darker age spots. The skin will continue to lose elasticity and look dull. Broken blood vessels may appear. The cheek pad will start to drop and you may notice hollowness below your eyes. The lack of soft tissue support will make the fat in your lower eyelids more visible, this will contribute to lower eye puffiness. Make sure your cleanser is not stripping your aging skin. Our skin needs oil to stay hydrated. Use an alpha hydroxy acid to help exfoliate and lighten dark spots. A 20% vitamin C serum can help lighten age spots and protect againist sun damage during the day. Retinol is strongly recommended in your 40s to help prevent further collagen breakdown. .An anti aging cream with peptides and hyaluronic acid can help hydrate the skin. Your skin will need a moisturizer to lock in moisture and remember to apply sunscreen during the day. Skin changes with aging in your fifties Estrogen levels decrease even further as well as the amount of collagen in your skin. You skin may appear dull, dry and loose. Taking collagen supplements to increase collagen in the skin has not been proven. You may also notice your pores may appear larger and there may be an increase in the light hairs on your cheek. The amount of vitamin C in your skin will also decrease leaving you more susceptible to sun damage. Inflammation increases with age which will increase the risk of redness and irritation. Look for products that have hyaluronic acid and ceramides which will increase hydration. Some skincare products contain plant extracts which are rich in antioxidants. Vitamin C will decrease sunspots and help prevent further damage of the skin whereas Niacinamide will decrease redness. What do you do to help prevent skin changes with aging?

<urn:uuid:90a54193-54f6-488e-b1bb-9028813caa4f>

CC-MAIN-2017-51

https://wrinklehelper.com/skin-changes-with-aging/

s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-51/segments/1512948522999.27/warc/CC-MAIN-20171213104259-20171213124259-00122.warc.gz

en

Open today: 10:00 to 5:00 Grade Level: 7–8 A promotional painting by George Inness will introduce students to a new invention from the nineteenth century: the locomotive. Then, they will research another invention from the nineteenth-century and the impact it had on the lives of the American people. Students will illustrate two advertisements: the first as a promotion of the positive impact of the invention and the second as a public service announcement warning about potentially harmful side effects. The Lackawanna Valley, c. 1856 oil on canvas, 86 x 127.5 cm (33 7/8 x 50 3/16 in.) National Gallery of Art, Gift of Mrs. Huttleston Rogers The Industrial Revolution meant that some goods once made by hand could now be made in larger quantities more quickly by machine. How did this affect the growing preference for train transportation? I like to see it lap the Miles— And lick the Valleys up— And stop to feed itself at Tanks— And then—prodigious step Around a Pile of Mountains— And supercilious peer In Shanties—by the sides of Roads— And then a Quarry pare To fit its sides And crawl between Complaining all the while In horrid—hooting stanza— Then chase itself down Hill— And neigh like Boanerges*— Then—prompter than a Star Stop—docile and omnipotent At its own stable door— The Industrial Revolution in the United States saw the rise of textile mills and mass production in other industries. National roads were built to make transportation easier, but railroads and steamboats made the movement of raw materials and manufactured goods even faster. By 1850, just twenty years after the engine Tom Thumb lost its race against a railroad car pulled by a horse, about nine thousand miles of railroad track crossed the nation. One of the early railroad lines was the Delaware, Lackawanna, and Western. In the 1850s, the president of this new company commissioned the artist George Inness to paint The Lackawanna Valley to use for advertising purposes. While documenting the achievements of the railroad, Inness also created a convincing view of Scranton, Pennsylvania. The artist took relatively few liberties with his composition, but in compliance with the wishes of his patron, he included four trains and exaggerated the prominence of the railroad’s yet-to-be-completed roundhouse, a building for housing and repairing trains. Steam-powered trains were fueled by wood or coal (this one uses wood). They released smoke and soot in the air that often made rail travel dirty. It was not uncommon for porters to brush passengers off at the end of the line. In 1831, a passenger wrote this firsthand account of an early trip by rail: The [coaches] were coupled together with chains, leaving from two to three feet slack . . . and in stopping, came together with such force as to send [passengers] flying from their seats. . . . black smoke with sparks, coals, and cinders, came pouring back the whole length of the train. Each of the tossed passengers who had an umbrella raised it as a protection against the smoke and fire. They were found to be little protection, for I think in the first mile the last umbrella went over-board, all having their covers burnt off from the flames. Inness seems to have minimized the smoke in the landscape and painted it a clean billowing white—perfect for a promotional painting. When the poet Emily Dickinson (1830–1886) was young, trains were so new that people often referred to them as “iron horses.” Her poem, “I Like to See it Lap the Miles,” compares a train’s movements to those of a horse. Dickinson was born and lived in Amherst, Massachusetts. In her late twenties, she became increasingly withdrawn and thereafter seldom ventured outside her home. On one of her rare trips out, she stood in a neighbor’s woods to watch the first train in her town leave the station. There were many scientific, medical, and technological advances that improved the quality of life in nineteenth-century America. These patented inventions include: |Porcelain teeth||1844||S. S. White| |Ether as an anesthetic||1846||W. T. Morton| |Sewing machine||1851||Isaac Merritt Singer| |Hypodermic needle||1853||Alexander Wood| |Electric light bulb||1879||Thomas Edison| |Automobile assembly line||1893||Henry Ford| |Products made from peanuts||1890s||George Washington Carver| |X-rays used in dentistry||1896||Edward Kells| Have students research an invention from this list or another that interests them. They should write an essay that describes the invention, when it happened, who invented it, how it was used, and how it made a difference in people’s lives. Students will make a promotional advertisement for the invention they researched. Like Inness, they should focus on the positive aspects of this technology. Does it save time for the consumer/worker? How does it enhance the quality of life for the American people? Lastly, they will create a counterpart public service announcement showing the negative impact of this invention. For instance, does it add to pollution in the environment? Are their possible health risks or allergies associated with the invention? VA:Cr1.2.7 Develop criteria to guide making a work of art or design to meet an identified goal. VA:Cr2.3.7 Apply visual organizational strategies to design and produce a work of art, design, or media that clearly communicates information or ideas. VA:Re7.2.7 Analyze multiple ways that images influence specific audiences. Explore collection highlights from the WPA Poster Project at the Library of Congress Create portraits and construct panoramic landscapes using naive paintings from the NGA with Faces & Places Borrow the teaching packet Art& Borrow the DVD American Art, 1785-1926: Seven Artist Profiles Download or borrow the teaching packet The Inquiring Eye: American Painting Incorporate primary sources from the Library of Congress’s “American Memory” project

<urn:uuid:c05f4270-ad0f-4c0d-b983-995c2a783a30>

CC-MAIN-2017-51

https://www.nga.gov/education/teachers/lessons-activities/19th-c-america/inventions.html

s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-51/segments/1512948522999.27/warc/CC-MAIN-20171213104259-20171213124259-00127.warc.gz

en

What is CSPAP? A Comprehensive School Physical Activity Program (CSPAP) is a multi-component approach by which school districts and schools use all opportunities for students to be physically active, meet the nationally-recommended 60 minutes of physical activity each day, and develop the knowledge, skills, and confidence to be physically active for a lifetime. A CSPAP reflects strong coordination and synergy across all of the components: physical education as the foundation; physical activity before, during, and after school; staff involvement; and family and community engagement. PE is an academic subject and serves as the foundation of a CSPAP. PE provides students with a planned sequential K-12 standards-based program of curricula and instruction designed to develop motor skills, knowledge, and behaviors for healthy active living, physical fitness, sportsmanship, self-efficacy, and emotional intelligence. The essential components of a PE program include policies and environment, curriculum, appropriate, instruction and student assessment. Society of Health and Physical Educators. Comprehensive School Physical Activity Program. Retrieved from www.shapeamerica.org/cspap/what.cfm. CSPAP Guide: A Navigation Tool found at SHAPEamerica.org Purpose: to enable physical education teachers and other physical activity leaders to develop, implement, and evaluate a CSPAP Components: – Brief introduction – Step-by-step process – Tools and templates 5 components of CSPAPPA During School PA During School Physical Education: Is a required physical education course taught in each of the following grades in your school? PA During School: Outside of physical education, do students participate in physical activity breaks in classrooms during the school day? This includes classroom activity and recess: Classroom activity (Brain Breaks) - Even 5-10 minutes in duration contributes to cognitive health (Castelli et al., 2007) - Minimum 20 minutes per day/all grades K-12 - Activity zones, active supervision, equipment, and multiple approaches - “Drop-in” physical activity in secondary schools PA Before and After School School or community-sponsored activities/clubs/programs before and after school Does your school offer opportunities for students to participate in physical activity before the school day through organized physical activities or access to facilities or equipment for physical activity? - Active commuting to school - Walk and bike to school - Walking school bus - Physical activity walking and running clubs - Intramurals (voluntary, student-centered, and all students) - Joint use agreements with community centers/buildings During the past year, did any physical education teachers or specialists at your school receive professional development on physical education or physical activity? - Incorporate staff into PA programs - Tailor programming to staff requests - Service to staff via Employee Wellness Programs - Medical screenings - Brown bags - Walking programs - Group fitness - PA breaks during meetings - Role model for students Family and Community Engagement Does your school, either directly or through the school district, have a joint use agreement for shared use of school or community physical activity facilities? - Engaging families and community to be active beyond the school day - Social support is critical in youth physical activity choices - Parent/guardian-led activities - Family events - Youth sports Steps to become a part of a CSPAP team in your school district and determine if schools have established a CSPAP - Contact your district wellness coordinator to become an advocate for CSPAP. - Ask the principal at a specific school if they have a wellness coordinator. - Become a part of a wellness committee at a school where you are affiliated. - Help implement a CSPAP plan by being a part of physical activity opportunities within the school. - Has the school conducted the School Health Index? - Does the school have a vision, goals, and objectives? - Has the school identified intended outcomes? - Does the school have a written CSPAP plan? Create your own CSPAP success story in Nevada! CSPAP success in Washington State: Before School Physical Activity - Implemented Move-It Monday’s (120 participants for 30 minutes) • Walking School Bus (30 students) - Created CREW (Community Recreating & Exercising for Wellness) t-shirts for 27 staff and students involved in Walking School Bus After School Physical Activity - Implemented 4 new programs: Soccer (35 students, 8 schools; Basketball (240 students, 15 schools); Track (2,000 students, 23 schools); Tennis (54 students, 4 schools) - Implemented “Retro Active” Recess Program (8 sessions every 2 months). Recess coaches teach new games for recess. Another School District: During School Physical Activity - Created 7 G.Y.M.B.A.G’s with Brain Breaks and NC Energizers - Implemented Mighty Milers at recess (386 students, 16 staff, 5 schools, completed <6,435 miles 1 day/week in first year) - Implemented Peaceful Playgrounds - Convened CSPAP Districtwide Team - Coordinated with School Wellness Team - Trained 67 PE teachers at PAL Training (potentially reaching 23,144 students) - 27 staff participated in Move-It Monday’s - 16 staff participated in Moveable Challenge

<urn:uuid:7e4c95eb-cbdc-47cc-ae59-2d428acd20ee>

CC-MAIN-2017-51

http://nevadawellness.org/school-wellness/cspap/comprehensive-school-physical-activity-program-guide/

s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-51/segments/1512948521292.23/warc/CC-MAIN-20171213045921-20171213065921-00527.warc.gz

en

fruit trees are ideal for small spaces. They spread their branches in a ten-foot circle and can reach a height of 8-10 feet. As a you can plant several of these miniature fruit trees in an area that you would normally only plant 1 tree. You can also easily reach the fruit to pick and eat, to use in food preparations, or to preserve. growing conditions for these miniature fruit trees are full sun well-drained, fertile soil. However, a half-day of sun is also fine. Fruit trees will do well in soil where most crops fail, and ordinary drainage is adequate. Planting your Dwarf Fruit Trees Planting your trees correctly and getting them off to a good start will influence their future success. Plant the tree as soon as possible after you have bought it. For any temporary storage, place moistened in a cool, dark place. If you are going to store your fruit trees longer than 10 days, lay the tree down in a shady place and cover the roots with moist If you have at least a partially prepared hole ahead of time, you need to make sure that it is wide and deep enough to avoid crowding the roots and of a depth so that the graft (where the changes or trunk is slightly offset) is easily above the ground. If grafted portion (and above) is underground, it can put forth roots and develop into a standard size trees. Soak the dwarf tree roots in a trash can or another large container for minimum of two hours and a maximum of 24 hours before planting. Place a tree in the hole, carefully surrounding the roots with fine topsoil, mixed with up to 1/3 peat. Add some well-rotten farmyard manure as well as a handful of bone meal to the hole. Tramp down to avoid air pockets, fill hole to 2 inches below ground level. Water the tree, giving a deep thorough watering. Finish filling the hole to ground level. To protect tender bark from rabbits and mice, wind 20 inch plastic spiral, made for this purpose, around the trunk from the ground up. Pile sawdust around the base. About an inch of rainfall every 10 days or so is adequate. But in dry weather, a good soaking with a slow trickling garden hose is beneficial. A soaking every 10 days or 2 weeks is enough, and generally, it is not necessary after the first growing season except in areas dependent upon irrigation for normal plant Keep soil on the surface worked up loosely in spring and in the summer cover with 4 – 6 inches mulch. Remove mulch in later fall or early winter. Fertilize regularly until the first week of July, then allow new growth to mature before the frost. Any suckers that appear near the ground should be cut off. Growing dwarf fruit trees come in a number of you can choose apples, apricots, peaches, pears, nectarines, cherries Check with you nurseryman to see what fruit trees will grow in your climate zone and which trees need companions for Advantages of Growing Dwarf Fruit Trees Dwarf fruit trees usually begin to bear one to three years sooner than standard-size trees. They rarely grow more than 10 feet which allows you to harvest your fruit a lot easier than full-sized trees. They are also heavy bearers despite their size. My favorite miniature fruit tree is called the Fruit Salad tree which has a number of different fruits grafted on to one tree - perfect for that patio or balcony where spaces are small. They are also easier to prune, train, spray, thin, pick and protect from frost and birds. and as mentioned above, ideal for growing in If you have a backyard where you would only be able to plant 3 or 4 standard trees, in its place you could grow 40 - 50 dwarf fruit trees. For those of you who have a quarter of an acre, where you would be able to grow less than 12 standard fruit trees in such an area, you would be able to grow 300 - 500 miniature fruit trees. If you have just a small garden of flowers and shrubs, miniature fruit trees are ideal to grow in amongst the flower beds. If you live in a rented property and you plant fruit trees you don't know always how long you will be renting for. As a result, planting miniature fruit trees is the answer as they will invariably bear in the second year of planting. For many of us who erect fences around our property we often look to the types of hedges or shrubs we could grow to hide the ugly metal. Miniature fruit trees are ideal for this, especially trees that grow upright such as pears or plums. Growing dwarf fruit trees upright, two feet apart soon creates the perfect screen. Disadvantages of Growing Dwarf Fruit Trees Propagating dwarf fruit trees is not an easy exercise, as a result, the trees themselves are more expensive than standard fruit trees. This is especially seen when you want to plant a lot of them as a hedge or in an orchard. Some dwarf fruit trees have a very poorly developed root system and may need staking or trellising, especially if you live in a windy area. Therefore, the value of pruning at planting time should not be underestimated. The tree lost many feeder roots when dug at the nursery, but the top is still full size and not in balance with the roots. Pruning stimulates growth and shapes the tree and should be done, just as one would prune standard species.

<urn:uuid:d53341f6-30a2-43b8-bf7e-fcc2145f7a09>

CC-MAIN-2017-51

http://www.countryfarm-lifestyles.com/dwarf-fruit-trees.html

s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-51/segments/1512948512054.0/warc/CC-MAIN-20171211014442-20171211034442-00125.warc.gz

en

President Barack Obama made headlines months ago when he installed controversial nominees to key government positions, bypassing the U.S. Senate by declaring the Senate in recess so that Senate confirmation was not needed. Today a federal appeals court signaled that it might rule Obama’s move unconstitutional, and remove those officials from power. The U.S. Constitution says that Congress can by statute allow minor government players–“inferior officers”–to be appointed by the president, by Cabinet officers, or by the courts. But high-level administrative officials–called “principal officers”–must be nominated by the president, then confirmed by the U.S. Senate. But the Senate isn’t always around; for part of each year, senators are back in their home states. So the Framers of the Constitution included the Recess Appointments Clause, allowing presidents to make temporary appointments during Senate recesses. Such appointments last until the end of the following calendar year, meaning appointments made in January 2012 last through December 2013. Starting in December 2011, the U.S. Senate officially adjourned for only three days at a time–which the Constitution allows the Senate to do without going into recess–and did so specifically to prevent Obama from using his recess power. Democratic senators did this a few years ago to block George W. Bush from making recess appointments. Although it’s frustrating when the branches block each other, the reality is the Constitution allows it. And besides, this is just the political pushback to presidents using their recess power to get around the Senate in recent years. But on Jan. 4, 2012, this president did something no president in American history ever attempted. Obama declared that the Senate was actually in recess because there were not enough senators physically present to do regular business, and thus that he had the constitutional power to make appointments unilaterally. He then appointed three members–a controlling majority–of the five-member National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), as well as the first director of the new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Noel Canning is a company going through a labor dispute. After these new appointments, the newly-remade NLRB decided in favor of the Teamsters Union. Noel Canning then petitioned the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit to review the ruling, arguing in part that these appointments were unconstitutional and thus NLRB lacked any lawful power to issue the ruling against them. Sen. Mitch McConnell and the other Republican senators whose prerogatives were violated by this end-run around the Constitution retained Supreme Court heavyweight Miguel Estrada–a partner at the powerhouse firm Gibson Dunn–to represent them in the case arguing against the recess appointments. The courtroom was packed; standing room only. (Which is rare in a federal courthouse, aside from the Supreme Court.) The hour-long argument (most appeals have 20 or 30 minutes, or no oral argument at all) largely centered on whether the president can declare the Senate–a separate branch of government–to be in recess so the president can do something that would otherwise be illegal. There were several points, all of which seemed to favor the Republican Senators and Noel Canning over Obama and his NLRB. First, the Constitution says both houses of Congress determine the rules of their own proceedings, and those are beyond the reach of the other branches of government. Under Senate rules, the Senate was still in session. Second, on Dec. 17, 2011, the Senate had unanimously adopted a resolution saying that the Senate would hold brief sessions presided over by a single senator. So the Senate had declared it was temporarily adjourning for short periods, never going into recess. Third, the Constitution requires that neither house of Congress can recess or adjourn for more than three days without the consent of the other house. The House of Representatives never passed a resolution allowing the Senate to recess, so as far as the other half of Congress was concerned, the Senate was in session, not in recess. And fourth, the Constitution’s Twentieth Amendment requires Congress to convene at noon on Jan. 3 every year. The Senate routinely uses these one-person sessions to satisfy that requirement, and no one (including Obama, either as president or previously when he served in the Senate) has ever said the Constitution was being violated by this practice. Judge Thomas Griffith noted that The Federalist Papers and early legal sources explain the Recess Appointments Clause was meant to be an accommodation for senators. It’s so that the Senate can recess any time it wants to without automatically stopping the installation of government officers, so that senators wouldn’t feel they need to stay in Washington, D.C. It’s designed to give more flexibility to the legislative branch, not the executive branch. As Griffith put it, it doesn’t give any president “two bites at the apple” to install his personal choices for senior government positions. For all these reasons, it looks likely that the D.C. Circuit will hold Obama’s actions unconstitutional, which would expel those three NLRB commissioners from office and cancel everything NLRB has done in the past year. But at least two judges on the panel raised points that could make this case even bigger, with profound implications for future presidents. The clause begins: “The President shall have Power to fill up all Vacancies that may happen during the Recess of the Senate ….” Chief Judge David Sentelle–long a favorite judge of constitutional conservatives–stopped the Justice Department’s lawyer when she asserted the president has power to make appointments during recesses. It says “the recess,” Sentelle corrected her. He then took the conversation to additional early sources, revealing that the original meaning of the clause was that the president could fill vacancies during the recess that takes place after Congress’ entire annual session ends, but before the next one begins on Jan. 3. The Senate used to only be in session for three or six months a year, leaving a window of several months when the president could use his recess power. But since–whether six months long or six days long–the recess ends on Jan. 3, the president’s Jan. 4 appointments would always be illegal under this original meaning. So would many other recess appointments from the past half-century. Sentelle also asks the lawyers to explain the meaning of “happen” in the clause. Again, the original meaning was that it only applies to vacancies in Senate-confirmed government posts that occur once the Senate has gone to recess, not to any vacancies that actually began during Congress’ annual session. In fact, although the Constitution was ratified in 1789, only three recess appointments during a congressional session were ever made before 1945. Since 1945, presidents increasingly used them to appoint nominees who were not getting through the Senate. But the fact that presidents have been doing something for a few decades does not make it constitutional. If it’s unconstitutional, then the courts need to stop it–period–when properly presented in a court case. So it looks like Obama’s appointees are about to get thrown out. The bigger question is whether the court goes the extra step of defining the original meaning of the clause, which would change how presidents have acted for several decades now. Breitbart News legal contributor Ken Klukowski is on faculty at Liberty University School of Law and a fellow with the American Civil Rights Union.

<urn:uuid:7443e6a7-b0c9-467f-a846-9ad713376ce3>

CC-MAIN-2017-51

http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2012/12/05/federal-appeals-court-likely-to-invalidate-obama-s-recess-appointments/

s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-51/segments/1512948544124.40/warc/CC-MAIN-20171214124830-20171214144830-00728.warc.gz

en

What is “Jump Rope for Heart”? How does it work? Who can put on an event? This article is intended as a complete overview of the Jump Rope for Heart program, as well as a guide for getting started putting on an event. What is It? Jump Rope For Heart is a fundraising and event program that has become one of THE premier annual events for elementary and middle schools, with thousands of schools and millions of kids participating across the USA every year. The program has raised more than $1.2 billion since its start in 1978. The Jump Rope for Heart concept is also practiced in many other countries, including: - Australia, where more than 8 million kids have participated since 1983 - Australia Jump Rope for Heart Information. - Canada, where more than 955,000 kids across Canada participated during the 2014/15 school year - Canada Jump Rope for Heart Information. In the USA, the program is jointly sponsored by the American Heart Association and the Society of Health and Physical Educators (SHAPE), who provide support, materials, and fundraising tools for educators interested in putting on a Jump Rope for Heart program. How Does it Work? In short, Jump Rope for Heart is designed with four simple goals: - Get kids active (by having them jump rope). - Educate kids about their hearts, and heart-healthy habits. - Raise money for cardiovascular research and outreach programs. - Teach kids the value of community service. The program does this by involving elementary and middle school kids in a 3-4 week “learn to jump rope” program, usually conducted during PE class, that culminates in a big demonstration or performance open to parents and the community. The gym and school are usually plastered with fun heart health posters and educational materials. Along the way, kids are encouraged to fundraise by asking friends and family for donations that will be sent to the American Heart Association (to support research and education programs). Registering & Putting on an Event Jump Rope For Heart programs are typically led by PE teachers who register their school to host an event through the American Heart Association website (here’s the school sign up page). Events are often scheduled in February to coincide with American Heart Month, but can be done anytime during the year. Once the school is registered, the American Heart Association sends over an event kit with everything needed to put on an event, including: - Step-by-step instructions for promoting and organizing the event. - Educational materials and lesson plans to support the 3-4 classroom week teaching unit, as well as materials to put up around the school. - Jump ropes to use in their classrooms. - Fundraising tools, tips, materials and outline. The American Heart Association also arranges for support from an experienced staff person or volunteer who can answer any questions and help set up the event. (The American Heart Association has seven affiliate organizations that cover different geographic regions of the country. So, for example, if you are in Washington state you are supported by the “Western States” affiliate office. Here’s a map of the different affiliate offices.) Once registered, the teacher or coordinator sets a fundraising goal and begins reaching out to students and parents encouraging them to sign up and participate in the event. Every student has the ability to create an online profile and web page to help with fundraising. The secure site makes it easy send emails, share information and take online donations. The event itself can be big or small, with some teachers doing a simple event during the PE class hour, while others host big after school events with demonstrations, competitions and jump rope routines (usually practiced by students during the preceding 3-4 weeks). - Complete Program Guide: A 24 page guide to putting on your own Jump Rope for Heart event. - Event Resources: A complete list of resources available for planning a Jump Rope for Heart, as well as a basic timeline. - Teacher’s Outline: Here’s an event/curriculum outline developed by a teacher who does the program every year. - Testimonials & Ideas: A testimonials and ideas outline from schools and teachers who have put on events. - Fundraising ropes: Another effective fundraising idea to pair with a Jump Rope for Heart event is a jump rope sale. A simple licorice rope can be purchased in bulk for as low as $1.44 each and sold at the event for $5 or more. - Tricks: Here's a good list of tricks to teach the kids (as well as demonstration videos). - Sizing: Here's a guide to properly size kids for jump ropes. - Make your own jump ropes: A fun idea to do in class is to actually make your own jump ropes. You can follow a guide like this, or purchase your a kit with everything you need. - Jump ropes in your school colors: Beaded jump ropes like this one can be customized with beads that match your school colors. - Phone: (877) 824-8531 (answered right away when call during business hours) - Shape America Jump Rope for Heart - Website - AHA Jump Rope for Heart - Website - Jump Rope for Heart - on Facebook About the Author Matt Hopkins is a former competitive speed jumper and jump rope coach. Matt has won numerous national championships in speed jumping, and his athletes have won several national speed and freestyle titles and have broken world and national speed records. He also taught middle and elementary school PE in Leavenworth WA for 23 years.

<urn:uuid:43baf426-1262-4035-a42a-1055e4494871>

CC-MAIN-2017-51

https://www.buyjumpropes.net/resources/jump-rope-for-heart/

s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-51/segments/1512948618633.95/warc/CC-MAIN-20171218161254-20171218183254-00127.warc.gz

en

Nose-picking is considered a bad habit, but many people still do it all the same. A person may be thought to have gone nuts when he or she decides to put extracted boogers into the mouth to munch on. The idea of eating boogers may sound gross, but the search for good health and youthful look has led to the discovery that this could in fact help a person to give their immune system a boost. Nose-picking is described as the act of using one’s finger to extract mucus from the nose, while the act of eating one’s own nasal mucus is termed booger eating. This seemingly unpleasant habit of eating boogers is more formally known as mucophagy. Mucus is believed to be secreted by the tissues lining the nose, mouth, throat, sinuses, lungs and gastrointestinal tracts. It helps to trap dust, bacteria and other harmful substances and prevent them from entering the body. Apart from boogers, nasal mucus is also typically referred to as bogeys and snot. Children are generally known to be more involved in nose-picking and mucophagy, but some adults do engage in this as well. According to some studies reported by the BBC, up to 90 percent of adults admitted to have been involved in nose-picking. About 10 percent of this adult owned up to occasional consumption of their own boogers. Yet, the society frowns at nose-picking, so much so than audible eructation or flatulence is more permissible. Your immune system has an important role to play in the extent of good health you enjoy as well as how well you are able to keep signs of aging under control. When attacked by noxious foreign bodies, it is this system that helps to repel such attacks. The level of immunity your body enjoys greatly determines how well you are able to survive infections. The two main mechanisms of immune system’s attack on infections are the Th1 and Th2 lymphocytes or white blood cells. It is believed that dirt, which boogers may be considered a part of, could in actual fact help to boost the immune system. Dirt, in a way, helps to “exercise” the immune system. Immunity could be compromised when there are no infections to be fought, according to Dr. Mercola. The stimulation that results from booger consumption or through encounters with harmless microbes helps to keep the immune system active and strong. Scott Napper, a Canadian professor of biochemistry, is one of the experts that have come up with the suggestion that eating boogers may help to rejuvenate and boost your immune system. Speaking to a group of kids, he suggested that the sugary taste of snot may be a signal to the body that it needs to be consumed. The biochemist believes introducing pathogens into the immune system could result in improvement in natural body defenses. Back in 2004, Dr. Friedrich Bischinger, a German lung specialist, had reasoned along the same line. He supposedly argued that eating boogers could promote health, although this has been said by some to be the result of poor translation from German. There is no scientific study to back this idea yet. Habits such as mucophagy are considered unhygienic and typically frowned at, but they could be helpful to the immune system in some way. In an interview with CBC, Napper observed that there has been a rise in incidences of allergies and immune system diseases over the years as people’s level of hygiene improves. This somehow confirms what is referred to as the hygiene hypothesis, which is based on the idea that exposure to certain germs and infection from a young age can help to enhance immunity development. Some studies suggest that this hypothesis may explain why allergies and immune system diseases are more common among families with higher income – a group more likely to maintain a hygienic lifestyle. Without some level of exposure to bacteria and viruses, you are at increased risk of going down with a sickness. Asthma, autoimmune disease, eczema and cardiac disorders are some health issues that have been associated with the hygienic hypothesis. Nasal mucus eating may also help to combat depression and cancer. Perhaps, you are already starting to contemplate tapping into that yummy mucus to boost your immune system. But before making nose-picking and booger eating a major activity of interest, it is important to note a couple of things. Excessive nose-picking could result in nosebleeds, based on what was observed in patients with rhinotillexomania, or compulsive nose-picking disorder. Also, a 2006 study established a link between nose-picking and staphylococcus aureus, suggesting that habitual nose-pickers are more likely to suffer from the infection. It appears that it is not a completely bad thing to consume a bit of those tasty boogers after all. If this claim of immunity boost is to be believed, then that is a good reason to start munching away on dried nasal mucus. The hygiene hypothesis lends a bit of credibility to how boogers may help boost your immune system to promote good health and help you maintain a younger look. If the claim is false however, you can comfort yourself by the reality that nose-picking helps to prevent damage to the nasal septum that could result from blowing out dried Copyright © 2017, www.genf20plus.info All Rights Reserved.

<urn:uuid:7ed5b739-edf5-4ad0-84a7-9cf573be3c9e>

CC-MAIN-2017-51

http://genf20plus.info/how-eating-boogers-rejuvenates-and-boosts-the-immune-system.php

s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-51/segments/1512948513611.22/warc/CC-MAIN-20171211144705-20171211164705-00523.warc.gz

en

Robert J. Myers, an actuary who helped to create the Social Security program and to set America’s official retirement age at 65, died Feb. 13 at his home in Silver Spring, Md. He was 97. The cause was respiratory failure, said his granddaughter Juliet Myers Wolfe. In 1934, in the depths of the Great Depression, Mr. Myers was unexpectedly offered a six-week stint on the Committee on Economic Security, a Roosevelt administration panel that was drawing up blueprints for America’s first comprehensive social insurance programs. The six-week job turned out to be a career that spanned decades and placed Mr. Myers at the center of America’s great debates about the government’s role in the economy and how to create public safety nets affordably. Actuaries measure risks, and for much of his career Mr. Myers was concerned with the risk that the government might build an old-age program that promised more than it could deliver. “His name and career are inseparable from the history of Social Security,” said Jeremy Gold, an actuary in New York who is active in the profession’s intense, if esoteric, debates about how to measure the costs of an aging population. Congress and the Roosevelt administration wanted the Social Security program to be self-supporting — financed solely through payroll taxes and investment earnings, not general government revenues. Mr. Myers was asked to figure out the age at which people should stop working and start drawing benefits, to make the system pay for itself.Continue reading the main story His initial calculations showed that the right age was 67. By the time the Social Security Act was signed into law in 1935, however, the age had been lowered to 65. “Why is it 65? Why not?” Mr. Myers wrote in a 1992 memoir, “Within the System, My Half Century in Social Security.” “That age has been credited to — or blamed on — German Chancellor Otto von Bismarck. In truth, he didn’t do it.” Bismarck in fact selected 70 as the minimum qualifying age when he established the world’s first social security system in 1889. “Age 65 was picked because 60 was too young and 70 was too old,” Mr. Myers wrote. “So we split the difference.” Mr. Myers served as Social Security’s chief actuary from 1947 to 1970, when he resigned in protest after publishing a signed article in Reader’s Digest, warning that “expansionists” in government threatened to “steer Social Security down a dangerously unsound financial course.” He said he thought civil servants in the Social Security Administration had become politicized and were colluding with Democrats in Congress to undercut the Nixon administration’s initiatives. He considered himself a moderate Republican, but argued that actuarial science was supposed to be politically neutral. Mr. Myers served as a consultant to various federal agencies and Congressional panels until 1982, when he was named deputy Social Security commissioner by President Ronald Reagan. He resigned again in protest the next year, citing “disastrous” meddling by the Office of Management and Budget, which had proposed changes in the program that Mr. Myers thought would penalize the poor. In 1983, he was made the executive director of the National Commission on Social Security Reform, a bipartisan body led by Alan Greenspan that sought to correct a severe deficit in the program, caused by the weak economy of the 1970s. The Greenspan Commission, as it was known, recommended a number of measures, like enrolling federal employees in Social Security and taxing the benefits. Congress also enacted a minority proposal, to phase in an increase in the Social Security retirement age, so that Americans born after 1960 must now wait until they turn 67 to get their full benefits. The changes helped strengthen the program in the short term, but by the mid-1990s the financial imbalance had reappeared. When policy makers then began to talk about “privatizing” Social Security as a painless fix, Mr. Myers was aghast. “To me, the translation of the word ‘privatization’ is ‘destroyed,’ ” he told a Social Security Administration historian, Larry DeWitt, in an interview for the administration’s archives in 1996. “If it won’t do it immediately, it will do it inevitably.” Robert Julius Myers was born in Lancaster, Pa., on Oct. 31, 1912, the son of Laurence B. Myers and Edith Hirsh Myers. He graduated from Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pa. After moving to Washington in 1934 he lived at the Y.M.C.A. and met his wife, Ruth McCoy, known as Rudy, at a mixer with Y.W.C.A. residents. The couple married in 1938 and had two sons, Jonathan Myers of Philadelphia and Eric Myers of Wheaton, Ill., who survive him, as do three grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. Mrs. Myers died in 1995. Mr. Myers thought that an accident of geography had landed him on the Committee on Economic Security in 1934. He had just received his master’s degree in actuarial science from the University of Iowa, could find no jobs and had moved back home to Philadelphia, when he received a letter from a former professor saying that of all his unemployed students, Mr. Myers lived closest to Washington, where there was a temporary job for a junior actuary. “My principal qualification, therefore, was geography,” Mr. Myers said, “because most of the other students were from the Midwest.”Continue reading the main story

<urn:uuid:667c4e7c-7c13-4d40-8d48-942029615c65>

CC-MAIN-2017-51

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/26/business/26myers.html?_r=0

s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-51/segments/1512948597585.99/warc/CC-MAIN-20171217210620-20171217232620-00122.warc.gz

en

The term makes an analogy with a truck going under a low bridge. Suppose the truck is 3 meters tall and the bridge is 4 meters high across its full width. No problem, plenty of headroom and the truck can breeze through. But what if the bridge is 3.02 meters high, just a mere two centimeters higher than the truck? Well in theory all should be well. But what if the truck's tires were pumped a little bit higher than normal? What if it was empty and riding high on its suspension? Clearly, there is the potential for a nasty accident. So we can see in this situation that headroom is desirable. Headroom costs money, because it generally costs more to build a bridge with a higher opening. And trucks that are not so tall can't carry as much payload. So what is headroom in sound engineering? Simply, it is this... Headroom is the difference in decibels between the highest level a system can take without distortion, and the highest level the engineer expects to use. Let's take a simple, uncomplicated, example... You're making a live recording of acoustic instruments using two microphones plugged directly into a portable recorder, such as a DAT digital recorder. (I use that as an example, because they are all very similar. Disk and flash memory recorders are often very dissimilar, although the same concepts apply.) The DAT recorder has input gain controls, and a meter that shows the level going to the tape. The maximum reading on the meter is 0 dB, and all the other calibrations are in minus numbers. So if the maximum level shows as -10 dB, then there is 10 decibels between that and the peak level the recorder can handle without distortion. So, let's say we have a live recording of acoustic instruments. And for some reason, you haven't been able to attend the rehearsal. You can guess pretty well where to place the mics, but you have no idea of what gain to set because you can't know for sure how loud the band will be in advance. So what do you do? Answer... you set an input gain based on experience. With typical capacitor mics used as a main stereo pair on acoustic instruments, an input gain of 40 to 50 dB would be typical. But you have to err on the side of caution. What if they are going to play really loud? If you set the input gain too high the loud parts will go over 0 dB and will be clipped and distorted. And there's no cure for that. So to be on the safe side, you set the input gain quite low. This will mean that the signal-to-noise ratio of the recording isn't as good as it could have been. But at least you will be sure that there will be no clipping. So the concert starts. Actually the band isn't all that loud. In fact, the signal level never gets higher than -20 dB. You might consider raising the input gain, but you don't know whether they will get louder later on. But as it happens, they stay at the same level all the way through. That 20 dB of potential level that you didn't use was your HEADROOM. In retrospect, it might seem like a waste, and you could have achieved a recording with a 20 dB better signal-to-noise ratio. But it was worth it to be very sure there would be no clipping. Now let's take another situation. You're still recording to your DAT recorder so nothing else has changed. But this time you are mixing a multitrack recording to stereo DAT. Typically you will play the multitrack recording through a number of times while you balance the levels, EQs and everything. Eventually there will come a point where you are happy with your mix and you are ready to commit to stereo DAT tape. So you set the input gain of the DAT (line inputs this time, but the concept is the same) so that at no point during the track do the red lights come on. But this time things are different. The level coming into the DAT is TOTALLY predictable. It's the same every time you play the multitrack. So because of this, you don't need any headroom. You can record right up to the last meter segment before the red LED comes on. The result will be a recording with optimum signal-to-noise ratio. Setting the right amount of headroom is something that the engineer needs to think about, depending on the predictability of the sound source. If it is completely predictably, you don't need any headroom at all. If it is fairly predictable (like a recording where you have had chance to rehearse), then you need a moderate amount of headroom, perhaps 10 dB. If the source is unpredictable, then even 20 dB of headroom isn't too much. Far better to be safe than sorry. There is another way to look at headroom, and that is the headroom that is inbuilt into the equipment. It means the same thing, but the engineer doesn't have so much control. We'll look at that another day.Come on the FREE COURSE TOUR Set up your home recording studio in the very best way possible. Learn how to select equipment and solftware all the way through from microphones to monitors. Learn more... Are you making these 4 simple mistakes again and again in your home recording studio? They are easy to identify and avoid, so you don't have to. Learn more...

<urn:uuid:c1ba7cb0-dd5a-4ff6-b880-27a80dac320d>

CC-MAIN-2017-51

http://www.audiomasterclass.com/newsletter/headroom-what-is-it-why-do-you-need-it

s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-51/segments/1512948513611.22/warc/CC-MAIN-20171211144705-20171211164705-00527.warc.gz

en

Cyber attacks involve the use of malicious programs or pieces of code steal, alter or destroy information, disrupt operations or damage a system. The malicious programs may be transmitted via the internet or using physical devices like flash disks or CD-ROMs. Today it’s no longer only individual hackers in private homes who are responsible for cyber-attacks. Instead large organizations and even governments have been implicated in attacks and Cyber Security not just in the World, but also in South Africa has become a hot topic. Here are 10 of the worst examples of cyber-attacks to have taken place. Discovered in June 2010, this worm is believed to have been created by the United States in partnership with the Israeli government in order to compromise Iranian nuclear facilities, and to obtain data about Iran’s uranium enrichment infrastructure. StuxNet was initially spread by Microsoft Windows, and specifically targeted Siemens systems. Operation “Shady RAT” The aptly named “RAT” in Shady RAT stands for “Remote Access Tool”, a type of software that allows remote access to a computer on which it’s installed. In an ongoing series of attacks in 2006, Shady RAT was used in attacks on at least 72 organizations, including defense contractors, the UN, the Olympic Committee and several large businesses. It’s widely assumed that the People’s Republic of China was behind these attacks. Also referred to as “Operation Chanology”, this attack on the Church of Scientology was coordinated by a group calling itself Anonymous, or “Anon” for short, which originated on an online image board known as 4Chan. The attack on the church was announced on YouTube in a video titled “Message to Scientology”, in which the group threatened to wipe Scientology off the internet through a series of distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks, which it subsequently carried out. Starting in mid-2003, a series of cyber-attacks was executed in an attempt to gather information – both economic and military – from US systems. The attacks continued for at least three years, and are thought to be Chinese in origin. They were named “Titan Rain” by the US federal government. The original logic bomb A “logic bomb” is a piece of code inserted in a system and designed to set off a malicious function when certain conditions are met. The most well-known and possibly the first example of this kind of cyber-attack was on a Trans-Siberian pipeline in 1982. A software malfunction caused by a logic bomb forced the pipeline to operate at far higher pressure and temperature than it was designed to handle, with the result that the pipeline exploded. The most dangerous flash drive What the US military referred to as the “most serious breach” of sensitive information to date didn’t originate via complex DDoS attacks or involve support from foreign telecoms companies. Instead it originated from one flash drive inserted into a US government computer. In 2008, malicious code run from the flash drive allowed data to be transferred from US government servers to those under foreign control, in what then Deputy Secretary of Defense, William Lynn, called a “digital beachhead”. This attack prompted the Pentagon to create its own special “cyber” military command. 50 Days of lulz In an attack perpetrated by users of the 4Chan image board, LulzSec, a splinter group from Anonymous, announced that ahead of its closure, it would be performing “50 days of lulz” – “lulz” being another way of writing “lols”, or “laughs”. The attacks weren’t motivated by political, ideological or economical agendas, with the result that nobody knew who was going to get hit. In the end, some of the largest targets included the CIA, whose web site was taken down, and AT&T, whose classified documents were released. The SpamHaus breach SpamHaus is a German-based anti-spam company. In 2013, it was subjected to the largest known DDoS attack, peaking at an incredible 300 gigabits per second. The attack forced the company to shut down its services, with the result that hundreds of thousands of people who used the SpamHaus service to remove spam from their e-mails and forums were left unprotected. Citigroup, one of the largest banks in America, was the target of coordinated hacking in which the accounts of at least 350,000 people and organizations were compromised, resulting in net losses for the account holders in excess of $2.7 million. The attack exploited an easily detectible flaw – the hackers randomly changed numbers in the URLs generated by the Citigroup web site after valid customers logged in, allowing them to leap-frog from account to account, pilfering at will. Presidential cyber threats During the 2008 presidential elections in the United States, hackers compromised the computers systems of both Obama and McCain, forcing the FBI to confiscate all their electronic equipment and leaving both parties hoping that none of the sensitive information that had been dug up on the campaign trail would ever see the light of day.

<urn:uuid:be0a1386-2883-4ca4-a30c-cbdc01e3d372>

CC-MAIN-2017-51

http://www.punkinafrica.co.za/2014/01/07/10-of-the-worst-cyber-attacks-in-history/

s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-51/segments/1512948530841.24/warc/CC-MAIN-20171213201654-20171213221654-00122.warc.gz

en

EU Cookie Legislation Revision 2012 This quick guide is about the new eu governments privacy legislation of 2011 and how it relates to cookies and the owners of websites from May 26 2012 onwards. This is a quick overview plus some links to other useful online resources to enable you to make some informed choices on how the government legislation will affect affiliate marketing and your website. This guide will help to explain more about what these changes mean for you and what you need to do to work towards complying with the new EU cookie legislation regulations. - What you may not know is that this legislation is almost one year old and that it affects all the eu members! The new Cookie legislation became Law on May 26th 2011 but will become actively enforced from May 26th 2012. First Question – What is a Cookie? What is a Cookie? A cookie is a small text file of letters and numbers downloaded on to a computer when cookie enabled websites are accessed. Cookies allow a website to ‘recognise’ a computer. - Cookies themselves do not require personal information to be useful and should not personally identify internet users. Cookies are used by almost all websites, for a variety of purposes: - Analysis of visitor behaviour (known as ‘analytics’). - To personalise pages and remember visitor preferences. - To manage shopping carts in online stores. - To track people across websites and deliver targeted advertising. What Does the Revised Cookie Law Mean? The revised Cookie Law means that websites will need to get consent from customers to store or retrieve any information on a computer or any other web connected device, such as a smartphone or tablet. - This Cookie Law is amended privacy legislation that requires web sites to obtain informed consent from visitors before they can store or retrieve any information on a computer or any other web connected device. Why is This Law Coming Into Effect? The cookie law has been made to protect the eu consumers’ online privacy by educating them about how their information and behaviour is collected and used by websites. The laws aim is to give consumers control over their own online privacy. Each eu member (including the UK) must comply with these laws. - Unfortunately, the vast majority of users will NOT know what a cookie is or how these cookies enhance and impact their online experiences so the law will need to be interpreted and implemented by web site owners. Types of Cookies Cookies can be very generally classified as either session or persistent cookies. This essentially means that they can either expire at the end of a browser session (from when a user opens the browser window to when they exit the browser) or they can be stored for longer with a variable period of time set by the site which ‘drops’ the cookie. - The new regulations do not really differentiate and the regulations apply to both types of cookies. Are There Any Exceptions to the Law? The basis of the law exists around the ‘right to refuse’ a cookie. There are exceptions to the requirement to provide information about cookies and obtain consent where the use of the cookie is as follows: - For the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network Where such storage or access is ‘strictly necessary’ for the provision of an information society service requested by the subscriber or user. - The term ‘strictly necessary’ means that such storage of or access to information should be ‘essential’, rather than ‘reasonably necessary’. However, it will also be restricted to what is essential to provide the service requested by the user, rather than what might be essential for any other uses the service provider might wish to make of that data. It should be noted, that where the use of a cookie type device is deemed ‘important’ rather than ‘strictly necessary’, those collecting the information are still obliged to provide information about the device to the potential user and obtain consent. Responsibility for Providing the Information and Obtaining Consent The Regulations do not define exactly and clearly who should be responsible for providing the information and obtaining the consent. However, you are responsible for complying with these regulations if you operate an online service or website and it requires any use of a cookie type device for your purposes only. However, once a person has used such a device to store or access data on a device, that person will not be required to provide the information described and obtain consent on subsequent occasions, as long as they met these requirements initially. - While the regulations do not require the relevant information to be provided on each occasion, they do not prevent this. So, What Do You Need to Do To Inform Consumers? Basically, if you are using cookies on your web site you will most likely need to make some changes. You MUST inform your customers, but how you do this can be in a variety of ways. We recommend that for the time-being you follow some or all of the following: - Tell visitors to your website that the cookies are there. - Explain the purpose of these cookies. - Get the customer’s consent to store a cookie on their device. The Regulations are not entirely rigid about the information that you need to provide consumers with, but the text should be sufficiently full and intelligible to allow individuals to clearly understand the potential consequences of allowing storage and access to the information collected by the device should they wish to do so. What Does the New Law Actually Say? The new government requirement is essentially says that cookies can only be placed on devices (computers, ipads, etc) where the user or subscriber has given their consent to the web site. 6 (1) Subject to paragraph (4), a person shall not store or gain access to information stored, in the terminal equipment of a subscriber or user unless the requirements of paragraph (2) are met. (2) The requirements are that the subscriber or user of that terminal equipment– (a) is provided with clear and comprehensive information about the purposes of the storage of, or access to, that information; and (b) has given his or her consent. (3) Where an electronic communications network is used by the same person to store or access information in the terminal equipment of a subscriber or user on more than one occasion, it is sufficient for the purposes of this regulation that the requirements of paragraph (2) are met in respect of the initial use. “(3A) For the purposes of paragraph (2), consent may be signified by a subscriber who amends or sets controls on the internet browser which the subscriber uses or by using another application or program to signify consent. (4) Paragraph (1) shall not apply to the technical storage of, or access to, information– (a) for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network; or (b) where such storage or access is strictly necessary for the provision of an information society service requested by the subscriber or user. For more information you can try: - ICO (Information Commissioner’s Office [http://www.ico.gov.uk/for_organisations/privacy_and_electronic_communications/the_guide/cookies.aspx] or [http://www.ico.gov.uk/%7E/media/documents/library/Privacy_and_electronic/Practical_application/advice_on_the_new_cookies_regulations.pdf] Well, I hope you found something useful and enjoyed this article, please don’t forget to let me have your thoughts in the comment box below. See you soon.

<urn:uuid:b9c93e34-cc67-410d-8075-425ecdabfa6e>

CC-MAIN-2017-51

http://kingsolutions.org.uk/wordpress/business-index/eu-cookie-legislation-revision-2012/

s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-51/segments/1512948588072.75/warc/CC-MAIN-20171216123525-20171216145525-00727.warc.gz

en

Data has been transmitted across a national electricity grid for the first time, in what could be a significant step towards the creation of virtual power stations, where many thousands of homes and businesses combine to manage electricity use more smartly. The new technology could lead to lower energy bills for consumers who allow small variations in the energy consumption of their appliances, such as water heaters or freezers. The flexibility provided by thousands of appliances combined could reduce peaks in energy use and remove the need for some large new gas or nuclear power stations or polluting diesel generator farms that are started up in times of short supply. The new data system, created using telecoms technology by Reactive Technologies (RT) and now successfully tested on the UK’s National Grid, could also allow the optimum use of intermittent renewable energy, an important feature given the fast-rising proportion of green energy on the grid. Unlike the smart meters being rolled out by the UK government, the new system is anonymous, with no data on household energy use being collected and therefore avoiding concerns about privacy. The system uses new technology to send messages through national electricity cables to any appliances with a smart plug connected to the mains, asking it to adjust its energy use. In the home, this could mean allowing the temperature of a freezer to increase by 0.5C to cut demand or turning up a water heater at 1am to utilise spare renewable energy. In the commercial sector, where the technology will be first rolled out, it could mean water company pumps are used at specific times or an office air-conditioning system is adjusted. The development is part of a wholesale change taking place in the energy industry, in which large, centralised fossil-fuel power stations are being replaced by decentralised renewable energy and smart grids. The government’s own National Infrastructure Commission (NIC), the National Grid and industry group Energy UK have all said an energy “revolution” is taking place, delivering a low-carbon system that is more secure, cheaper and faster to build. The NIC recently estimated that UK consumers could save £8bn a year by 2030 by adopting smart power technology, while also helping the nation meet its climate change targets. Numerous companies are working on smart grid concepts. “The old mindset would be, we need to build more power stations,” said Jens Madrian, at RT and former CFO at “big six” utility RWE npower. “We disagree with that. There are other ways of managing electricity, one of which is carrying knowledge from the telecommunications and software engineering side into the energy sector.” Marc Borrett, RT’s CEO said: “What is better? Building a Hinkley, which if it goes down you have lost 7% of the national electricity generation, or building up capacity from many hundreds of thousands of smaller devices around the UK? It needs quite a cultural shift: smaller is better, distributed is better.” Cordi O’Hara, at National Grid, said: “We are keen to support innovative products like this one that can bring a real benefit for customers. It represents another step forward in the development of the smart grid technologies that are going to play an increasingly important role in the energy systems of the future.” A spokesman for big six energy company SSE, which was also involved in the trial, said: “Innovation milestones, such as this, will help keep the lights on and offer significant cost savings.” Electricity wires have previously been used to transmit information within homes and local networks, such as rows of street lights, by sending very high frequency data alongside the standard 50Hz signal. But sending messages across the country means going through sub-station transformers, which contain an air gap that cannot pass on the high-frequency data. Instead, using technology developed by former Nokia engineers in Finland, the RT system inserts the data as small changes in the 50Hz signal itself, which does jump the air gap. When electricity demand needs to be ramped up or down, the system broadcasts a message through the grid which is received by the connected appliances. One advantage of the system over the internet and mobile phone networks is that the grid already reaches all electrical devices, even those in remote locations. To test the new technology, RT set up a handful of electrical devices – truck-sized resistors – across the UK to generate the messages and then installed 20 listening receivers in other places, connected only via the National Grid. When the messages were sent out, they were successfully received. RT already runs an internet-based demand management system. It expects to have its first commercial customers for the grid-based system within 18 months. Catherine Mitchell, professor of energy policy at the University of Exeter, said: “This is a really important next step technologically.” She said it would allow customers to choose which appliances are used to manage demand. “This implies that more people would be content to join [such] programmes – a very good thing.” But she said government policy had to keep up with the energy revolution by providing a transparent way to pay consumers for the service they provide. EU plans to move towards a low-carbon economy depend upon a transformed cross-border transmissions system that can integrate renewables and smart meters alike, offering energy consumption savings at source. According to the EU’s energy roadmap for 2050, cumulative grid investments between 2011 and 2050 will cost between €1.5 trillion and €2.2 trillion, depending on the amount of support provided to renewable energies. Some of this will go to upgrading existing transmission lines and distribution networks. But beyond environmental concerns, the purpose of a smart grid is to digitally gather, distribute and act on information about the behaviour of suppliers and consumers in order to improve the efficiency, reliability and cost of electricity services. ‘Smart meters’ are a critical part of this effort, as they allow consumers to cut their energy consumption, their bills, their carbon emissions and the stress that is placed on electricity grids at peak times.

<urn:uuid:715db5dc-16bd-4abe-8017-8ae25b880e02>

CC-MAIN-2017-51

http://www.euractiv.com/section/energy/news/an-energy-first-as-uk-successfully-transmits-data-via-national-electricity-grid/

s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-51/segments/1512948597295.74/warc/CC-MAIN-20171217171653-20171217193653-00728.warc.gz

en

Among the various nationalities of the Gulf territories the Maskoki family of tribes occupied a central and commanding position. Not only the large extent of territory held by them, but also their numbers, their prowess in war, and a certain degree of mental culture and self-esteem made of the Maskoki one of the most important groups in Indian history. From their ethnologic condition of later times, we infer that these tribes have extended for many centuries back in time, from the Atlantic to the Mississippi and beyond that river, and from the Apalachian ridge to the Gulf of Mexico. With short intermissions they kept up warfare with all the circumiacent Indian communities, and also among each other. All the various dispositions of the human mind are represented in the Maskoki tribes. We have the cruel and lurking Chicasa, the powerful and ingenious but treacherous and corruptible Chahta, the magnanimous and hospitable, proud and revengeful Creek, the aggressive Alibamu, the quarrel some Yamassi, and the self-willed, independent Seminole, jealous of the enjoyment of his savage freedom in the swamps and everglades of the semi-tropical peninsula. The irresolute and egotistic policy of these tribes often caused serious difficulties to the government of the English and French colonies, and some of them constantly wavered in their adhesion between the French and the English cause. The American government overcame their opposition easily whenever a conflict presented itself (the Seminole war forms an exception), because, like all the Indians, they never knew how to unite against a common foe. The two main branches of the stock, the Creek and the Chahta Indians, were constantly at war, and the remembrance of their deadly conflicts has now passed to their descendants in the form of folklore. The two differ anthropologically in their exterior, the people of the western or Chahta branch being thick-set and heavy, that of the eastern or Creek connection more lithe and tall. Pragmatism is not frequent among them, and the complexion of both is a rather dark cinnamon, with the southern olive tinge. The general intelligence of this gifted race renders it susceptible for civilization, endows it with eloquence, but does not always restrain it from the outbursts of the wildest passion. Among the tribes of the Maskoki family, we notice the following ethnographic practices: the use of the red and white colors as symbols of war and peace, an extensive system of totemic gentes, the use of the Ilex cassine for the manufacture of the black drink, the erection of artificial mounds, the belief in a deity called “Master of Life,” and original sun-worship. The eastern tribes all had an annual festival in the town square, called a fast (púskita in Creek), and some traces of it may be found also among the western connection. In the eastern and western branch (also among the Naktche people) the children belong to the gens of the mother, a custom which differs from that of the Yuchi and dates from high antiquity. No instances of anthropophagy are recorded, but the custom of scalping seems to have been indigenous among them. The early Timucua scalped their enemies and dried the scalps over their campfires. The artificial flattening of the foreheads of male infants seems to have prevailed in the western branch only, but some kind of skull deformation could be observed throughout the Gulf territories. The re-interment of dead bodies, after cleaning their bones from the adhering muscles several months after death, is recorded more especially for the western branch, but was probably observed among all tribes in various modifications. - For more information on burial customs of Eastern Indians, visit the following manuscript: Native Cemeteries and Forms of Burial East of the Mississippi None of the customs just enumerated was peculiar to the Maskoki tribes, but common throughout the south, many of them being found in the north also. They were mentioned here only, to give in their totality a fair ethnographic picture of the Maskoki nationality. The genealogy of the Maskoki tribes cannot be established on anthropological that is racial, characteristics; these Indians formerly incorporated so many alien elements into their towns, and have become so largely mixed with half-castes in the nineteenth century, that a division on racial grounds has become almost impossible. Hence, the only characteristic by which a subdivision of the family can be attempted, is that of language. Following their ancient topographic location from east to west, we obtain the following synopsis: First branch, or Maskoki proper. The Creek, Maskokálgi or Maskoki proper, settled on Coosa, Tallapoosa, Upper and Middle Chatahuchi rivers. From these branched off by segmentation the Creek portion of the Seminoles, of the Yamassi and of the little Yamacraw community. Second, or Apalachian branch. This southeastern division, which may be called also a parte potiori the Hitchiti connection, anciently comprised the tribes on the Lower Chatahuchi river and, east from there, the extinct Apalachi, the Mikasuki, and the Hitchiti portion of the Seminoles, Yamassi and Yamacraws. Third, or Alibamu branch comprised the Alibamu villages on the river of that name; to them belonged the Koassáti and Witumka on Coosa River, its northern affluent. Fourth, Western or Chahta branch. From the main people, the Chahta, settled in the middle portions of the State of Mississippi, the Chicasa, Pascagoula, Biloxi, Huma and other tribes once became separated through segmentation. The strongest evidence for a community of origin of the Maskoki tribes is furnished by the fact that their dialects belong to one linguistic family. The numerous incorporations of foreign elements have not been able to alter the purity of their language; the number of intrusive words is very small, and the grammar has repelled every foreign intrusion. This is the inference we draw from their best studied dialects, for with some of them, as with Abika, we are not acquainted at all, and with others very imperfectly. The principal dialects of the family greatly differ from each other; Chahta, for instance, is unintelligible to the Creek, Koassáti and Hitchiti people, and the speech of each of these three tribes is not understood by the two others. When Albert Gallatin published his vocabularies of Chahta and Creek, he was uncertain at first whether they were related to each other or not. On the other side, the difference between Chahta and Chicasa, and between Creek and Seminole, is so insignificant that these dialects may be considered as practically identical. The degree of dialectic difference points approximately to the date of the separation of the respective communities, and untold centuries must have elapsed since the two main branches of the family were torn asunder, for Chahta differs about as much from Creek as the literary German does from Icelandic. The Tribal Divisions Of The Maskoki Family: - Alibamu Indian Tribe - Apalachi Indian Tribe - Cha’hta Indian Tribe - Chicasa Indian Tribe - Hitchiti Indian Tribe - Koassáti Indian Tribe - Mikasuki Indian Tribe - Seminole Indian Tribe - Yamacraw Indian Tribe - Yamassi Indian Tribe - Indian Tribes On The Yazoo River

<urn:uuid:b00b885c-e389-4037-b4ac-783591b722f1>

CC-MAIN-2017-51

https://www.accessgenealogy.com/native/the-maskoki-family-of-tribes.htm

s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-51/segments/1512948579567.73/warc/CC-MAIN-20171215211734-20171215233734-00127.warc.gz

en

If India were to have patron saints, then perhaps we might say that Swami Vivekananda is the patron saint - or guru - of Inter-religious encounter, for he travelled to the Americas and participated in the inaugural Parliament of the World's Religions in Chicago in 1893. We bring you excerpts from his speech on this occasion of the Birthday of Swami Vivekananda. (Vivekananda Jayanti) Sisters and Brothers of America! The Parliament of World's Religion started on 11 September 1893 at the Art Institute of Chicago as part of the World's Columbian Exposition. Vivekananda gave his first lecture on that day. Towards the afternoon his turn came. Though initially nervous, he bowed to Saraswati, the Hindu goddess of learning, and he felt he got new energy in his body; he felt someone or something else had occupied his body– "The Soul of India, the echo of the Rishis, the voice of Ramakrishna, the mouthpiece of the resurgent Time spirit". Then began his speech with salutation, "Sisters and brothers of America!". To these words he got a standing ovation from a crowd of seven thousand, which lasted for two minutes. When silence was restored he began his address. He greeted the youngest of the nations on behalf of "the most ancient order of monks in the world, the Vedic order of sannyasins, a religion which has taught the world both tolerance and universal acceptance!" “I am proud to belong to a nation which has sheltered the persecuted and the refugees of all religions and all nations of the earth. I am proud to tell you that we have gathered in our bosom the purest remnant of the Israelites, who came to Southern India and took refuge with us in the very year in which their holy temple was shattered to pieces by Roman tyranny. I am proud to belong to the religion which has sheltered — and is still fostering — the remnant of the grand Zoroastrian nation.” “I am a Hindu. I am sitting in my own little well and thinking that the whole world is my little well. The Christians sit in their little well and think the whole world is their well. The Muslims sit in their little well and think that is the whole world.” (Source: Wikimedia Commons) - “The Hindus have received their religion through revelation — the Vedas. They hold that the Vedas are without beginning and without end. It may sound ludicrous to this audience, how a book can be without beginning or end. But by the Vedas no books are meant. They mean the accumulated treasury of spiritual laws discovered by different persons in different times. Just as the law of gravitation existed before its discovery — and would exist if all humanity forgot it — so is it with the laws that govern the spiritual relations between soul and soul and between individual spirits.” “The Vedas teach us that creation is without beginning or end. Science is said to have proved that the sum total of cosmic energy is always the same. Then, if there was a time when nothing existed, where was all this manifested energy? Some say it was in a potential form in God. In that case God is sometimes potential and sometimes kinetic, which would make Him mutable. Everything mutable is a compound and everything compound must undergo that change which is called destruction. So God would die — which is absurd. Therefore, there never was a time when there was no creation.” “Science is nothing but the finding of unity. As soon as Science would reach perfect unity, it would stop from further progress — because it would reach the goal. Thus, Chemistry could not progress farther when it would discover one element out of which all others could be made. Physics would stop when it would be able to fulfil its services in discovering the one energy of which all the others are but manifestations. The science of religion would become perfect when it would discover Him who is the one life in a universe of death. Existential Crisis of Modernity “Is man a tiny boat in a tempest, raised one moment on the foamy crest of a billow and dashed down into a yawning chasm the next, rolling to and from at the mercy of good and bad actions — a powerless, helpless wreck in an ever-raging, ever-rushing, uncompromising current of cause and effect — a little moth placed under the wheel of causation, which rolls on crushing everything in its way and waits not for the widow’s tears or the orphan’s cry?” Idea of Rebirth “How is it that I do not remember anything of my past life? This can be easily explained. I am now speaking English. It is not my mother tongue; in fact, no words of my mother tongue are now present in my consciousness. But let me try to bring them up, and they rush in. That shows that consciousness is only the surface of the mental ocean — and within its depths are stored up all our experiences. Try and struggle, they would come up, and you would be conscious even of your past life.” “The Hindu religion does not consist in struggles and attempts to believe a certain doctrine or dogma, but in realising — not in believing, but in being and becoming.” On the need for Rituals “Why does a Christian go to church? Why is the cross holy? Why is the face turned toward the sky in prayer? Why are there so many images in the Catholic Church? Why are there so many images in the minds of Protestants when they pray? My brethren, we can do no more thinking about anything without a mental image than we can live without breathing- by the law of association, the material image calls up the mental idea and vice versa. This is why the Hindu uses an external symbol when he worships. He will tell you it helps to keep his mind fixed on the Being to whom he prays. “Man is to become divine by realising the divine. Idols or temples or churches or books are only the supports — the helps — of his spiritual childhood. But on and on he must progress.” The World's Religions “To the Hindu, man is not travelling from error to truth, but from truth to truth, from lower to higher truth. To him, all the religions — from the lowest fetishism to the highest absolutism — mean so many attempts of the human soul to grasp and realise the Infinite, each determined by the conditions of its birth and association, and each of these marks a stage of progress.” “The Buddhists or the Jains do not depend upon God; but the whole force of their religion is directed to the great central truth in every religion, to evolve a God out of man. They have not seen the Father, but they have seen the Son. And he that hath seen the Son hath seen the Father also.” “If there is ever to be a universal religion, it must be one which will have no location in place or time; which will be infinite like the God it will preach, and whose sun will shine upon the followers of Krishna and of Christ, on saints and sinners alike; which will not be Brahminic or Buddhistic, Christian or Mohammedan, but the sum total of all these, and still have infinite space for development; which in its Catholicity will embrace in infinite arms and find a place for every human being — from the lowest grovelling savage, not far removed from the brute, to the highest man towering by the virtues of his head and heart almost above humanity, making society stand in awe of him and doubt his human nature.” Human Faith in the Divine “Whatever may be the position of philosophy, whatever may be the position of metaphysics, so long as there is such a thing as death in the world, so long as there is such a thing as weakness in the human heart, so long as there is a cry going out of the human heart, there shall be faith in God.” (Swami Vivekananda was against religious conversion.) “Do I wish that the Christian would become Hindu? God forbid. Do I wish that the Hindu or Buddhist would become Christian? God forbid.” (Source: Wikimedia Commons) He finished his speech at the 1893 Parliament of World Religion with the appeal, “Upon the banner of every religion will soon be written — in spite of resistance — ‘Help and not Fight’, ‘Assimilation and not Destruction’, ‘Harmony and Peace, and not Dissension’.” Images courtesy Wikimedia Commons 641 total views, 0 views today

<urn:uuid:a338ce13-88ba-4ca9-b878-949ad5ffefea>

CC-MAIN-2017-51

http://sheppartoninterfaith.org.au/?p=1350

s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-51/segments/1512948592846.98/warc/CC-MAIN-20171217015850-20171217041850-00125.warc.gz

en

Why millions in US aid may help few Iraqi refugees in the end New Jordanian schools, built in part with US aid for Iraqi refugees, may end up serving few Iraqis. But some say that's OK – Jordanians often needed more help. Jordan, one of two main destinations for Iraqis displaced by the US-led war, has received nearly $400 million in aid designed to help as many as 1 million Iraqis reported to have fled there. Much of the aid came from the United States and went to the Jordanian government directly. The idea was that donors would help Jordan, and Jordan would help the Iraqis. But it's now widely recognized that the actual number of Iraqis in Jordan is vastly smaller than originally thought. The inflated numbers mean more aid went to the Jordanian government, and some argue that that prevented the Iraqis from getting effective assistance. "We could have dealt with 50,000 refugees, who had very little, much more effectively, provided the funding had been appropriate," says Harriet Dodd, who was country director for CARE International in Jordan during the crisis. Indeed, many nongovernmental organization workers, academics, and independent researchers now say that the aid has failed to provide the help Iraqis needed, while significant funding went to programs that suited Jordan's national priorities – and thus, some argue, it aided Jordanians more than Iraqis. Officials from the US Agency for International Development (USAID) counter that building up local institutions like schools, hospitals, and water systems is the only effective and fair way to help the Iraqis. A 'revolutionary' school A prime example is a school in Dahiet Amir Hasan in East Amman being built with help from USAID. It is only half finished, but it's clear that it will be offering a very different kind of education from that offered at Jordan's other government-run schools. The classrooms are spacious, and there's a gym, an art studio, and a music room. Downstairs are science labs, equipped with vapor hoods, sinks, and Bunsen burners, and set up for students to conduct experiments in groups. None of it would seem out of place to an American 12-year-old, but in a country where rote learning is still the basis of most education, it's almost revolutionary. "It's really based upon a new philosophy of teaching," says Jay Knott, head of USAID in Jordan, which is behind the project. "In the 21st century, teaching kids by rote method is ... not going to advance you toward the vision of a knowledge-based economy." USAID is putting up these incredible schools in low-income neighborhoods all over Jordan; 28 are currently in the works. The agency is also renovating and expanding 100 existing schools, boosting Jordan's government as it struggles to meet the educational needs of a young and rapidly growing population. But a portion of this work is being done with money allocated by Congress to aid Iraqi refugees in Jordan. All Iraqi children have, since 2007, been officially allowed to attend Jordanian government schools. Funding from international donors helped make that possible, and Mr. Knott says US funding is helping to relieve some of the burden those schools have shouldered by educating Iraqis as well as Jordanians. While some displaced Iraqis will surely benefit from the new schools, many of the most needy have been resettled to third countries, and more will be gone long before the first of the schools that are supposed to serve them opens in September 2011. Schools built in expectation of hundreds of poor Iraqi students may end up serving only handfuls, or none at all. "The schools in East Amman, where the most vulnerable populations were, just didn't have very many Iraqis," says Jason Erb, assistant country director for Save the Children in Jordan during the refugee crisis. US, UN give aid straight to Jordanian government The number of Iraqis in Jordan has been contested since the crisis began. When the US invaded Iraq in 2003, the Jordan office of the United Nations refugee agency, UNHCR, prepared for a flood of refugees fleeing the conflict. But Iraqis only trickled in slowly, fleeing persecution, looking for jobs, or waiting until things got better back home. So UNHCR was surprised, in 2006, when some of its partner agencies started reporting substantial numbers of displaced Iraqis coming to them for aid. Early guesses suggested there were between 500,000 and 1 million Iraqis in the country. At first, Jordan seemed dismissive of the reports, and was accused by human rights groups of trying to hide a huge refugee crisis. But as the US and other international donors scrambled to respond, the crisis turned into a source of cash: From 2007 to 2009, Jordan received close to $400 million in aid officially directed toward Iraqis, much of which went either to the Jordanian government directly, or into programs like USAID's school construction program. The lion's share of the aid came from the US. In 2008, Congress authorized $200 million in supplemental aid funding for Iraqi refugees; $110 million went straight to the Jordanian government, another $45 million went to existing USAID programs working in the water, health, and education sectors. UNHCR also gave 61 percent of its budget to the Jordanian government in 2007. US and UN officials say that the aid contributed to creating "protection space" for Iraqis, meaning access to some basic services and protection from harassment and deportation. Number of Iraqis likely far lower than estimated A 2007 survey found only 161,000 Iraqis in Jordan, a fraction of whom appeared to be poor or persecuted people who needed aid or asylum. Other data have backed up the low estimate of the survey – carried out by the Norwegian NGO Fafo and Jordan's Department of Statistics – including the number of Iraqis registered in schools, and the number registered as refugees with UNHCR. USAID officials said in 2008 they were aware of the number of Iraqis in the individual schools they're working on, but they had been asked by the Jordanian government not to share that information because it was "sensitive." Support for 'community approach' Some say that giving aid to one group of people in a poor neighborhood, but not their neighbors, could cause a backlash, and that supporting Jordan's institutions was actually the best way to help displaced Iraqis. "It's the best approach to improving education and health care," Knott says. "It's a community approach, and that's what our programs are designed to undertake." Mr. Erb argues that the aid program, though imperfect, did help those who needed it the most; it's just that those were often Jordanians, not Iraqis. "If you looked at donor intention, it might not really have hit the nail on the head. But that shouldn't be the only applicable standard, when the needs of everyone around are so much greater," he says. "As much as Iraqi refugees needed the assistance, it was frustrating sometimes that we had to focus so much on the Iraqis, because there was often greater need among Jordanians."

<urn:uuid:49f201cf-4836-4823-b94a-175ff0556b93>

CC-MAIN-2017-51

https://m.csmonitor.com/World/Middle-East/2011/0103/Why-millions-in-US-aid-may-help-few-Iraqi-refugees-in-the-end

s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-51/segments/1512948521188.19/warc/CC-MAIN-20171213030444-20171213050444-00325.warc.gz

en

From the World Heritage inscription: The wooden churches of southern Little Poland bear exceptional testimony to the tradition of church building from the Middle Ages. They have also been preserved in the context of the vernacular village and landscape setting, and related to the liturgical and cult functions of the Roman Catholic Church in a relatively closed region in central Europe. They are exceptionally well-preserved and representative examples of the medieval Gothic church, built using the horizontal log technique, particularly impressive in their artistic and technical execution, and sponsored by noble families and rulers as symbols of prestige. The history of Poland goes back to the unification of the Christian lands and the constitution of the kingdom in the 10th and 11th centuries. Churches have been of particular significance in the development of Polish wooden architecture, and an essential element of settlement structures, both as landmarks and as ideological symbols. They were an outward sign of the cultural identity of communities, reflecting the artistic and social aspirations of their patrons and creators. The nine sites in southern Little Poland represent different aspects of these developments. This is a serial site of churches in nine different villages which compromise the world heritage site. They are: - Archangel Michael (Binarowa) - All Saints (Blizne) - Archangel Michael (Debno) - Blessed Virgin Mary and Archangel Michael (Haczow) - St. Peter and St. Paul (Lachowice) - St. Leonard (Lipnica Murowana) - St. John the Baptist (Orawka) - St. Philip and St. James the Apostles (Sekowa) - Archangel Michael (Szalowa) I visited St. Leonard’s in the village of Lipnica Murowana, which is the closest church in the world heritage site to Krakow. These churches are only for hard core world heritage site enthusiasts. They are very small. St. Leonard’s was small enough that you could easily walk around the entire building in under a minute. Lipnica Murowana was about an hour’s drive from Krakow and the church wasn’t even open. It wasn’t hard to find, but it did take some effort. Once you get to the village, just look for the big white church and park near there. The smaller, darker church is very close by and walking distance. This might just hold the record for the most obscure world heritage site that I have visited. The Wooden Churches of Southern Little Poland is a cultural UNESCO World Heritage Site in Poland. It is a Christian religious structure various counties such as Nowy Targ, Gorlice, Bochnia, Brzozow County, Debno, Binarowa, Lipnica Dolna, Sekowa, and Haczow. It was inscribed in 2003 and the name on the UNESCO listing was named from Wooden Churches of Southern Little Poland to Wooden Churches of Southern Malopolska in 2013. This site is a collection of Roman Catholic Gothic churches that were built during the medieval period. All of these churches are notable for its use of horizontal log building technique. According to UNESCO, the reason for its inscription lies in its ability to exemplify medieval church-building traditions that were common in Eastern and Northern Europe during the time of the Middle Ages. About the Wooden Churches of Southern Little Poland There are 6 churches that are listed by UNESCO as part of the protected area for Wooden Churches of Southern Little Poland. These churches are as follows: The church of the Archangel Michael (Binarowa): This is a Gothic, wooden church located in the village of Binarowa. It was built and has been around since the 15th century. A nave tower was added in 1596 and the interior of the church is fully decorated with polychrome. A bell tower was added in 1602 and was completed in 1608. Throughout the years, the church underwent extensive reconstruction and renovation. In 1890, the weak structure was secured by adding planks and columns in the naive. During the 1990s, the roof tin on the church was replaced with a wooden shingle. A flood in 2010 also caused damage to the structure that required another round of renovation. To this day, this church is still in use. The church of All Saints (Blizne): This is another one of the churches included in the UNESCO site Wooden Churches of Southern Little Poland. It is located in the village of Blizne and was also built in the 15th century. It is one of Poland’s most notable wooden sacramental architecture to ever exist. It was also part of the Trail of Wooden Architecture in Subcarpathian Voivodeship. The church is part of a parish complex located on a hilltop and surrounded by ancient woodland. It also has fortification features that were estimated to have been built in the 16th century. The church of Archangel Michael (Debno): This 15th century Gothic Roman Catholic Church is part of the UNESCO site Wooden Churches of Southern Little Poland. Located in the village of Debno, the location of this church was believed to have been the same location of the village’s first church that was built in the 13th century. It has become a landmark in Poland as one of the best kept wooden Gothic churches in the country. The current structure of the church is also its original with polychrome interior. The church of the Blessed Virgin Mary and Archangel Michael (Haczow): This Gothic Roman Catholic church is located in the village of Haczow in Poland. This, along with the 5 other churches included in the Wooden Churches of Southern Little Poland UNESCO site, was built in the 15th century. It is also Europe’s largest wooden Gothic church, on top of being the oldest wooden framework churches in the country. It was completed in 1459. The church of St. Leonard (Lipnica Murowana): This church in Lipnica Murowana is one of the 6 churches collectively known as the Wooden Churches of Southern Little Poland. Built at the end of the 15th century, the church sits on the former location of a former pagan chram. The church was built on a wooden framework known as bipartite. It also comes with a wider nave (almost shaped like a square). Meanwhile, the roof is made of wooden shingle and only the south side of the church has windows. The doors to this church are located on the southern and western sides. The church of St. Philip and St. James the Apostles (Sekowa): This is the final church that was recognized into the collective site in Poland recognized by UNESCO for the wooden architecture. This church consists of one nave, three-sided chancel, and a wooden framework on gravel foundation. It undergone expansion in the 17th century (while the church itself was completed in 1520). The church suffered tremendous damage in the years of World War I. Hence, the interior of the church is poorly damaged. View my complete list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Poland. View my complete list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

<urn:uuid:8b4002bc-6cab-4712-9767-ab82ec3d9144>

CC-MAIN-2017-51

http://everything-everywhere.com/2013/03/04/

s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-51/segments/1512948550986.47/warc/CC-MAIN-20171214202730-20171214222730-00519.warc.gz

en

Seronegative spondylitis is a disease that is associated with inflammation and joint damage, as well as the spine. To be more precise, this is not one ailment, but a whole group of diseases that have similar pathogenetic, etiological and clinical properties. Diseases and Conditions Irritation in the groin in men - a bad thing and requires timely diagnosis of the cause. How to avoid the occurrence of irritation? Polyps in the nose are a problem that many people face. Moreover, quite often such a disease is diagnosed in children. So what are the neoplasm data? Why do they arise? Is there effective treatment of polyps in the nose folk remedies? Than to knock down temperature at the adult? This question is rare, but almost every person on our planet has ever appeared. A sudden rise in temperature always indicates that there are any inflammatory processes in the body. Most often this symptom is associated with a common cold. If this is the case, and the mercury column did not rise too high, then the temperature can be knocked down without consulting the doctor. Cardiovascular dystonia is a complex of symptoms on the part of the vessels, heart and other systems when the vegetative system is not working properly. Manifestations of this syndrome are diverse. One of the main indicators of blood test is the level of lymphocytes. What it is? And what does it mean if they found elevated lymphocytes in an adult? The Frauleys syndrome is an anomaly of the kidneys of an innate nature, in which a cross between the anterior and posterior branches of the upper renal artery is formed. As a result, the normal functions of the organ are disrupted. Mouse fever is a disease that is viral in nature and threatens with general intoxication and kidney damage. The name of the disease is not difficult to guess that the main culprits of human infection are mice. While from a sick person healthy do not get infected. Typically, infection with a mouse virus occurs through foods that have been contaminated by sick rodents, or rather their urine or feces. Also, you can catch and when you breathe dry feces sick gnawing A person is surrounded by many household appliances connected to electrical networks. In such a situation, accidental electric shock is possible. Large currents causing injury or death are rare. Of the 140-150 situations, only one case is lethal. The bulk of people are convinced that there are no parasites in their body. In addition, even assuming their presence, many do not take any measures to cleanse their bodies. However, you should not be so presumptuous and engage in self-deception. Parasites are present in ninety percent of people living on the planet and always lead the body to an incurable pathological condition. If the fluid begins to accumulate in the pleural region (effusion), then such a serious pathological condition may indicate that the body develops a disease, and quite dangerous. The pathology is diagnosed in various ways, after which the doctor prescribes appropriate treatment. Feel sweet and sour taste in the mouth is quite normal. But this is only if you ate a suitable product or an unusual dish before you. It should also be noted that in such a situation, such feelings pass fairly quickly, especially if one kills any vegetable or milk. Sulfur is designed to protect the cavity of the inner ear from the penetration of various contaminants and bacteria. At failures in the course of its deducing sulfur fuses are formed. In children, this phenomenon is common and causes hearing impairment. You can help the baby at home or by contacting a doctor. The stone in the bladder is a fairly common diagnosis. The disease is associated with the deposition in the cavity of the bladder of small formations that interfere with the normal work of the genitourinary system. It is interesting that among men this problem is much more common. Rubinstein-Teibi Syndrome: symptoms, diagnosis, the main manifestations of problems, as well as methods of getting rid of it, complications and survival prognosis - read about all this in this article. The article describes the causes of iron deficiency anemia and the development of sideropenic syndrome in this disease. In a natural state, the lymph nodes that are behind the ears are small in size. They should not be more than 8 millimeters. In the case of inflammation, they increase in size. Brief description of the main clinical signs of prostatitis. Diagnosis of the disease and methods of its treatment. After the operation on the knee joint was successful, patients noted an increase in the volume of movements. The quality of life is drastically changing. Therefore, many people leave positive comments. Endoprosthetics of the knee joint in most cases is without complications, which leads to an early recovery of a person and a return to normal life. Treatment of drug dependence is a long and multi-component process. Often patients are people with a criminal past. They do not consider it necessary to seek medical help. Such patients get under control, when narcotic dependence is strongly pronounced or their behavior becomes dangerous for society. It would seem, a simple question: "How are burns treated at home?" But often it is from ignorance of how to help the victim and what actions to take, the healing process is delayed for a long time. Burns are of different origin. They are divided into thermal and chemical. Focusing on this, and you need to choose the right treatment. Every person is familiar with a painful headache in the frontal part. The reasons for its occurrence are quite diverse. In this case, pain can have a different intensity and, unfortunately, is not always eliminated with an analgesic tablet. Neuritis of the trigeminal nerve is a fairly common problem, to which almost all categories of the population are equally susceptible. The disease is accompanied by strong, almost intolerable pain, so a person simply needs qualified help. Polyiodontia is an anomaly of development, the number of teeth exceeding the norm. Typically, an adult should have 28 teeth plus 4 wisdom teeth. And the absence of the latter is not considered a deviation from the norm. About half of all people on Earth suffer from asthenia syndrome. It can be considered a psychosomatic disorder, which requires special treatment. But most people who have this problem think that they are just tired, and doctors are not treated.

<urn:uuid:c06fc69d-727e-402b-b92c-1f99e94ddbc2>

CC-MAIN-2017-51

http://acikgunluk.net/bolezni-i-usloviya/

s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-51/segments/1512948596051.82/warc/CC-MAIN-20171217132751-20171217154751-00328.warc.gz

en

Websites or domains are set up on computers called hosts. A host will usually contain many domains on many high-speed computers connected to the Internet. A domain is like a home. The home must have an address, the domain has a digital address. A private company in the U.S. called ICANN or "Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers" translate domain names from xxxx.com to (0-255).(0-255).(0-255).(0-255), a digital address. A domain host interfaces with ICANN to set the connection to a specific domain. A sub-domain is a domain attached to a (main) domain example: www.subdomain.maindomain.com. ALL Internet traffic passes through ICANN. There is a nominal charge for this service. It is collected from the main domain owner every 1 to 5 years. ICANN serves the entire world. Several countries have been trying unsuccessfully to gain control of ICANN through the UN. Update: Obama gave away ICANN on his way out. Some home Internet providers have a hosting setup to allow subscribers to setup a personal website as a sub-domain on its primary domain free of charge. There are free blog sites that provide space for personal web pages as a sub-domain. There are many commercial domain-hosting services at varying costs with different services. I started using a hosting service called Doteasy about 12 years ago because of their low cost. I currently have 3 no-cost sites and one paid site. The no-cost is for the hosting only, the domain cost is still there. Doteasy always has a first year promotion if you register a domain with them, check their site. They will auto-build you a site in minutes to get you started. Web browsers such as IE & Firefox translate program code to a displayable page. The program code must be standardized so a page will display the same on all browsers. IE has always been a problem browser, it is getting better but still not standard. There are groups such as W3C developing and teaching the latest standards. You can view the program code for a page by clicking "Page Source" or "Display Source" on your browser pull-down menu. You can save most current web pages and all integral files using "Save Page As" on your browser File pull-down menu. You must create a new sub directory to save them in. There are many web programming languages to choose from. The most common is Hyper Text Markup Language (HTML). The latest is XHMTL 1.0 although HTML5 is being developed and is in beta test. It will combine some of the best features of some other languages. The main delay seems to be browser support. I use a free, easy to use web programmer called HTML KIT. It in includes FTP communication and a lot of free add-ons. There is also a premium version. For miscellaneous file transferring I use the free home version of WS_FTP LE. Web pages are programmed and tested on your local computer then up loaded using File Transfer Protocol (FTP) to your Host. Sub-domains are programmed the same as domains, they are just sent to a different directory on your host. W3Schools Online is one of the best tutorial sites and they are part of the standards group. They train and test for most of the commonly used languages. They issue certificates at a cost. Open Source Web Design contains hundreds of free downloadable site designs. You use one as a starting point then build your site around it. Your hardware setup at a minimim should be a Windows computer with 4 or 8Gb of RAM memory with at least a 250Gb hard drive with a UPS power supply powering your computer, cable modem, router and any switches in the signal path. Your cable upload speed should be at least 1mbs for a small use website. My upload speed is 5mbs. My home webserver is a Dell980, Intel(R) QuadCore(TM), i5 CPU 3.20 GHz, 8Gb RAM and a 1Tb hard drive running Windows 7 Pro. The most popular web hosting software is Apache. It too is completely free. I use a free bundled version of WampServer64. WampServer includes Apache, PHP & MySQL for Windows in both 32 and 64 bit versions. Apache allows multiple virtual hosts. There is one fly in the ointment to be solved. All internet connections require an internet digital address. Your Internet Service Provider assigns your cable or DSL modem a dynamic or static digital address, your address is usually dynamically assigned. Your ISP could change it at any time, you may never notice it but that causes a real problem for anyone wanting to find your webpage. There are companies that solve the ISP dynamic DNS problems. You establish an account with them, they monitor your router for a change in your internet address then re-direct traffic to your local router's new address. I did some searching and picked dyn.com. They have dozens of domains for you to choose from, your local web page will appear as a subdomain on one of their main domains. Currently, their cost is about $40 a year for up to 30 subdomains. I presently host over 20 websites(subdomains) on my local home virtual web server. The goal of SEO website programming is to see your website on the first search page on as many search engines as possible. Google is the largest search engine by far and thus, they set the standards. Google publishes SEO standards on their site. Back in the early days of web hosting things were simple. Along came Google and things got very competive, complicated alogrithms were developed by all and the race was on. Not all search engines use the same critera, a search on one may not give you the same result as others. Many hidden and sometimes nefarious factors influence search results, money and politics come to mind. While it is impossible to influence money or politics we can design a website that meets the current programming standards. SEO standards change by the hour. A website that was 100% comliant last year may only be 50% comliant today. There are many websites that sell SEO programming help that is 3 to 4 years old. Many of them are obsolete. They will anaylize your page, report problems and give you a number. Is that number based on the latest standards? Who knows? A good starting point would be to go to 3 or 4 analyzers, print out their results and fix everything they all flag out. This will get you close to optimum. You will find that 100% on one site may get you only 80% on another. Keep working, have fun.

<urn:uuid:2f211156-3aad-4c1c-9eb6-e2cb4e7e001c>

CC-MAIN-2017-51

http://glsbc.delozier.org/websites.html

s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-51/segments/1512948597295.74/warc/CC-MAIN-20171217171653-20171217193653-00728.warc.gz

en

Global Genome Editing Market: Overview Also known as genome editing with engineered nucleases (GEEN), genome editing is a method of altering DNA within a cell in a safe manner. The technique is also used for removing, adding, or modifying DNA in the genome. By thus editing the genome, it is possible to change the primary characteristic features of an organism or a cell. The global genome editing market can be segmented on the basis of delivery method, technology, application, and geography. By technology, the global genome editing market can be segmented into Flp-In, CRISPR, PiggyBac, and ZFN. Based on delivery method, in vivo and ex vivo can be the two broad segments of the global genome editing market. By application, the global genome editing market can be categorized into medicine, academic research, and biotechnology. Global Genome Editing Market: Key Trends Since genome editing is gaining rising adoption in the domain of scientific research for attaining a better understanding of biological aspects of organisms and how they work, the global genome editing market is likely to promise considerable growth over the forthcoming years. More importantly, genome editing is being used by medical technologies, where it can be used for modifying human blood cells which can then be placed back in the body for treating conditions such as AIDS and leukemia. The technology can also be potentially utilized to combat infections such as MRSA as well as simple genetic disorders including hemophilia and muscular dystrophy. Request Sample Copy of the Report@ Global Genome Editing Market: Market Potential As more easy-to-use and flexible genome technologies are being developed, greater potential of genome editing is being recognized across bioprocessing and treatment modalities. For instance, in May 2017, MilliporeSigma announced that it successfully developed a novel genome editing tool which can make the CRISPR system more productive, specific, and flexible. The researchers thus have a more number of experimental options along with faster results. All this can lead to a growing rate of drug development, enabling access to more advanced therapies. Proxy-CRISPR, the new technique, makes access to earlier inaccessible aspects of the genome possible. As most of the existing CRISPR systems cannot manage without re-engineering of human cells, the new method is expected to gain more popularity by virtue of the elimination of the need for re-engineering, simplifying the procedures. Several other market players are focusing on clinical studies with a view to produce effective treatments for different health conditions. For example, another major genome editing firm, Editas Medicine, Inc. announced the results of its pre-clinical study displaying the success of the CEP290 gene present in the retina of primates in the same month. With the positive results of the study, the company’s belief in the vast potential of its candidate in the treatment of a genetically inherited retinal degenerative disease, Leber congenital amaurosis type 10, affecting children’s eyesight has been reinforced. Request TOC of the Report @ Global Genome Editing Market: Regional Outlook By geography, the global genome editing market can be segmented into Latin America, Europe, Asia Pacific, the Middle East and Africa, and North America. North America registered the highest growth in the past, and has been claiming the largest portion of the global genome editing market presently. The extraordinary growth of this region can be attributed to greater adoption of cutting edge technologies across several research organizations. The U.S., being the hub of research activities, is expected to emerge as the leading contributor. Asia Pacific is also likely to witness tremendous demand for genome editing over the forthcoming period, assisting the expansion of the global genome editing market. Global Genome Editing Market: Competitive Analysis CRISPR THERAPEUTICS, Caribou Biosciences, Inc., Sigma Aldrich Corporation, Sangamo, Intellia Therapeutics, Inc., Editas Medicine, Thermo Fisher Scientific, Inc., and Recombinetics, Inc are some of the key firms operating in the global genome editing market. Read Comprehensive Overview of Report@ The study presents reliable qualitative and quantitative insights into: Market segments and sub-segments Market trends and dynamics Supply and demand chain of the market Market valuation (revenue and/or volume) Forces defining present and estimated future state of the competitive landscape Value chain and stakeholder analysis The regional analysis covers: Middle East and Africa The vast market research data included in the study is the result of extensive primary and secondary research activities. Surveys, personal interviews, and inputs from industry experts form the crux of primary research activities and data collected from trade journals, industry databases, and reputable paid sources form the basis of secondary research. The report also includes a detailed qualitative and quantitative analysis of the market, with the help of information collected from market participants operating across key sectors of the market value chain. A separate analysis of macro- and micro-economic aspects, regulations, and trends influencing the overall development of the market is also included in the report. Highlights of the report: A detailed analysis of key segments of the market Recent developments in the market’s competitive landscape Detailed analysis of market segments up to second or third level of segmentation Historical, current, and projected future valuation of the market in terms of revenue and/or volume Key business strategies adopted by influential market vendors Outline of the regulatory framework surrounding and governing numerous aspects of the market Growth opportunities in emerging and established markets Recommendations to market players to stay ahead of the competition About TMR Research TMR Research is a premier provider of customized market research and consulting services to business entities keen on succeeding in today’s supercharged economic climate. Armed with an experienced, dedicated, and dynamic team of analysts, we are redefining the way our clients’ conduct business by providing them with authoritative and trusted research studies in tune with the latest methodologies and market trends. Our savvy custom-built reports span a gamut of industries such as pharmaceuticals, chemicals and metals, food and beverages, and technology and media, among others. With actionable insights uncovered through in-depth research of the market, we try to bring about game-changing success for our clients. 3739 Balboa St # 1097, San Francisco, CA 94121

<urn:uuid:5701b2d6-10a4-496f-a31d-f67c2a44ada4>

CC-MAIN-2017-51

http://www.tanews.us/arushi/genome_editing_market_top_industry_key_players_analysis_and_forecast_2017_2025

s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-51/segments/1512948572676.65/warc/CC-MAIN-20171215133912-20171215155912-00327.warc.gz

en

ANIMAL POACHING: Elephants Poisoned In Africa HARARE, Zimbabwe (CNN) — More than 80 elephants in Zimbabwe have been poisoned with cyanide — the latest victims of poachers keen to feed soaring global demand for illegally trafficked ivory. Since May, the carcasses of 87 elephants have been discovered in Hwange National Park, said Caroline Washaya-Moyo, public relations manager for Zimbabwe’s Parks and Wildlife Management Authority. The poachers poisoned natural salt licks to bring down the mighty beasts, she said Wednesday. The parks authority has so far recovered 51 tusks, she said — leaving 123 in the hands of the poachers. Zimbabwe’s newly appointed Environment Minister Saviour Kasukuwere told CNN that he would push for stiffer jail penalties to root out poaching in the wildlife-rich African nation. “That will be one of my missions in the new parliament, given the recent case of elephants which were poisoned by poachers,” said Kasukuwere, who has twice visited the park in recent days to see the impact of the poisoning. Last month authorities arrested five suspected poachers after 41 elephants were found dead in the park, which is about 800 kilometers (500 miles) southwest of Harare, not far from Zimbabwe’s border with Zambia. The other carcasses have been discovered since then, Washaya-Moyo said. Three of those arrested have been convicted and are due to be sentenced this week, she said. Two investigations are ongoing. Call for tougher action The Zimbabwe Conservation Task Force, an anti-poaching organization, said the latest elephant deaths could have been avoided if Harare was tougher on those convicted of poaching. “They need to be given some extensive jail time. If it was, they wouldn’t carry on doing it,” said the organization’s chairman, Johnny Rodrigues. He accused Zimbabwe of not doing enough to clamp down on poachers and of creating an impression that the country had more elephants than it can sustain. “They want permission from CITES to sell the ivory they have in stock and they think they will get it if there are too many elephants here,” Rodrigues said, referring to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species. CITES, also known as the Washington Convention, aims to ensure that international trade in specimens of wild animals and plants is kept to a minimum to avoiding threatening their existence. Rodrigues puts the country’s elephant population at around 35,000, while Washaya-Moyo said it was about 45,000. The use of cyanide could also have a wider impact, Rodrigues said. “When other animals and birds feed on the rotting elephant carcasses, they will also die from the poison. Hundreds of animals are now at risk,” he said. The police suspect there could be more elephant carcasses in the park that have not yet been discovered, he added. The Parks and Wildlife Management Authority warned that wildlife poaching syndicates in Zimbabwe “have become sophisticated and need appropriate responses to effectively deal with them.” ‘Killed in record numbers’ The International Fund for Animal Welfare and the WWF conservation group said that a recent surge in the illicit ivory trade has resulted in the killing of 30,000 African elephants annually in recent years. The International Fund for Animal Welfare, which published a major study into the illegal wildlife trade in June, calculates that an elephant loses its life to poaching on average every 15 minutes. “Elephants were killed for their ivory in record numbers in 2011 and 2012, and some rhinoceros subspecies have become extinct or are on the verge of extinction,” it said. “Rangers are regularly killed by poachers, and some of the world’s poorest countries continue to see their wildlife decimated for the black market in wild animals and parts. Meanwhile, the profits realized from the illegal trade in wildlife have surged to levels once reserved for legally traded precious metals. “Criminal and violent groups around the world have become the main actors exploiting this global industry.” Demand in Asia, United States Much of the demand for ivory, as well as rhinoceros horn, is in Asia, and particularly China, where these items are used in traditional medicines and handicraft products, the report said. The United States is widely considered to be the second-largest destination for illegally trafficked wildlife in the world, it said, with the European Union third. Authorities in the United States have spoken out against the illegal trade in recent weeks. Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell announced this month that nearly six tons of elephant ivory seized by U.S. wildlife inspectors would be destroyed to highlight the issue. “Rising demand for ivory is fueling a renewed and horrific slaughter of elephants in Africa, threatening remaining populations across the continent,” Jewell said. “We will continue to work aggressively with the departments of Justice and State, as well as with international law enforcement agencies, to disrupt and prosecute criminals who traffic in ivory, and we encourage other nations to join us in that effort.” The ivory stockpile, which includes whole tusks as well as smaller carvings and jewelry, has been kept at a secure site in Colorado, where it will be crushed and destroyed next month. Commercial ivory trade has been banned in the United States since 1989. The Clinton Foundation is also working with conservation groups to try to halt the gruesome trade in tusks, by combating poaching and trafficking, and by educating consumers so they no longer buy ivory. Chelsea Clinton wrote last month that elephant poaching had reached alarmingly high levels — and was an issue with implications for global society. “This is not just an ecological disaster; it is an economic and security threat as well,” she said. “Tourism, a vital source of income for many of the most-affected African countries, is threatened if wildlife preserves are depopulated. “The overall black market for illegal wildlife trade has become the fourth most lucrative criminal activity internationally, after drugs, counterfeit goods and human trafficking.”

<urn:uuid:67c7b792-20b6-4ab2-8767-5810c5d67b97>

CC-MAIN-2017-51

http://whotv.com/2013/09/26/animal-poaching-elephants-poisoned-in-africa/

s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-51/segments/1512948513478.11/warc/CC-MAIN-20171211105804-20171211125804-00128.warc.gz

en

As the legal battle rages on around Donald Trump's chaotic travel ban and moratorium on refugees - not to mention last year's "Breaking Point" poster depicting an EU overwhelmed by a flood of asylum seekers - you could be forgiven for thinking that the West faces an existential threat unparalleled in its history. Yet as politicians rush to placate and at times inflate public fears about the negative impact of refugees on jobs, public services and national security, a growing body of research strongly suggests that refugees - far from being passive welfare claimants - create businesses and jobs wherever they go. Instead of accelerating the West's economic decline, refugees might just be a part of the solution. Forced to flee from violence and persecution, countries accept refugees for humanitarian reasons rather than self-interest. Nevertheless, there is also a convincing economic rationale for welcoming refugees with open arms. Throughout history, people fleeing destruction and persecution have contributed hugely to their adoptive countries. From the Huguenots who arrived in England in the 17th century bringing with them their expertise in textiles, watchmaking, carpentry and science, to the Jewish diaspora that escaped war-engulfed Europe to America's great benefit, and the Cuban refugees that have become inseparable from Miami's culinary and cultural identity, nations have long reaped the benefits of harbouring those with no place else to go. Fast forward to today, where a succession of devastating wars in the Middle East - Afghanistan, Iraq and now Syria - has led millions to flee in search of refuge, mostly to other countries in the region, but also into Europe and North America. Yet despite both academic research and the historical record suggesting otherwise, voters in many developed countries are alarmed by what they see as an influx of welfare scroungers or worse - terrorists. This has led to a political reluctance to take in greater numbers of refugees, and has meant that countries are missing out on a potentially dramatic boost to their cultural and economic prosperity. This is not to say that refugees do not face a whole host of challenges once they arrive in their host countries. While many bring with them valuable skills and education - this is particularly true of the current wave of Syrian asylum seekers - finding regular employment nonetheless poses substantial difficulties. Despite many having had successful careers back home, refugees often struggle to get hired in the formal economy. While the reasons vary - from language barriers, unrecognised qualifications and extended unemployment during the asylum period, to uncertainty around working rights and even blatant prejudice - the outcome is the same: unemployment, and frequently destitution. Of those refugees that do find jobs, over half feel overqualified for them. In response to this frustrating underutilisation of skills, talent and experience, some are positing entrepreneurship as a solution. Unlike a traditional job, being an entrepreneur enables a refugee to circumvent many of the difficulties inherent in the hiring process and pursue a passion or idea on its own merits. As a vehicle of social mobility less determined by social standing or cultural origin, entrepreneurship is often an ideal career path for individuals without any roots or contacts in their new country. The resilience a person acquires in the process of leaving his or her home, livelihood and culture - while undoubtedly arduous - may also prepare them for the challenges of starting and running a new venture. Take Turkey for example, where over the past five years Syrian refugees have set up over 4,000 businesses, bringing with them $220 million in capital and making up over a quarter of all new foreign-owned firms established annually. Pioneering research carried out in Uganda by Oxford University professor and director of the Refugee Studies Centre, Alexander Betts, found that the presence of refugees from neighbouring countries dramatically boosted local purchasing power, employment and human capital. In the capital city of Kampala, 21 percent of refugees run businesses that employ other people. A study in the state of Ohio calculated that local refugees benefited local and state government coffers by $2.7 million in 2012, while their businesses contributed $12 million in local spending and supported 175 jobs. And data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics shows that refugees make twice as much money from their own businesses as people arriving on skilled and family visas. Given that the UK has been criticised for not doing its fair share in admitting refugees, how relevant is the notion of the entrepreneurial refugee to these shores? While compared to some of its European neighbours (including Germany, Sweden and Italy) the UK has not accepted a large amount, it has still committed to bringing over 20,000 Syrian refugees by 2020, without counting the roughly five to ten thousand from other countries that are granted asylum each year. On top of the further 120,000 refugees already estimated to be here, the UK has a substantial number of refugees - and by extension potential entrepreneurs - to work with. Ensuring that refugees are quickly integrated into the UK's social and economic structures is essential if they are not to be perceived by the public as a burden. Yet as it stands, asylum seekers here face a hard time finding their feet once - or rather if - their applications are accepted. With the abolition of the Home Office Refugee Integration and Employment Service (RIES) in 2011, government strategy has been lacking in this area, while cuts in public funding to legal aid and refugee charities have exacerbated the problem. Furthermore, given the complexities and inevitable delays refugees face in acquiring bank accounts and National Insurance Numbers, many fail to access benefits and social housing before the termination of their meagre asylum support. With no right to work until an asylum decision has been reached and problems finding employment afterwards, it is no wonder that many end up in poverty and homelessness. Yet it doesn't need to be this way, and a look at the data on refugees suggests a way forward. While unemployment and underemployment are high among UK refugees, official government statistics also reveal that they are the most likely to be self-employed of all migrant groups (themselves more likely to be working for themselves than the native-born). This corroborates recent research by think-tank the Centre for Entrepreneurs which found - based on an analysis of publicly registered companies - that migrants start more companies and create more jobs per head than the UK-born. However, while case studies abound of refugees turned successful entrepreneurs - from Michael Marks of Marks & Spencer and Rashmi Thakrar of Tilda Rice to Adnan Medjedovic and Edin Basic, two Bosnian refugees who founded thriving UK gourmet pizza chain Firezza - many could still do with a helping hand. To satisfy that need, several promising initiatives have emerged in the UK that aim to support refugees in starting companies. The Entrepreneurial Refugee Network (TERN) was set up in 2016 by several university graduates that had volunteered in European refugee camps and become passionate about developing a novel solution to the crisis. TERN is an incubator programme that helps a select group of refugees start businesses by addressing the obstacles - including isolation, lack of UK specific business knowledge and non-existent credit history - that prevent them from doing so. It describes its mission as "supporting refugees to become agents of their own change", which it does by providing them with training, mentorship, networks and investment. Having just completed an initial pilot, TERN is set to launch its first complete programme in just a few weeks, with 15 participants chosen from around 60 applicants. According to Charlie Fraser, co-founder and director at TERN, refugees "are mobile and quick to gravitate to gaps in the market." As one programme gets off the ground, another has gone from strength to strength over the past few years. Her Equality Rights and Autonomy (HERA) trains female survivors of human trafficking in entrepreneurship. While not identical to refugees, survivors of human trafficking and exploitation usually have just as little say in leaving their homes, while in any case a large proportion go on to seek asylum. As Gokce Tuna, HERA's UK Programme Director explains: "While awaiting a decision, the women are unable to undertake paid work, and once granted asylum they face significant challenges finding employment". Originating mostly from Africa and Eastern Europe, "most of them grew up in poverty and sometimes have no family left, which combined with scarce local job opportunities makes them prime targets for traffickers." Tuna emphasises the educational deficiencies, unfamiliarity with local norms and lack of stable accommodation that continue to disadvantage the women even once they have been granted asylum. Every year, HERA puts selected trafficking survivors through an intensive entrepreneurship training programme hosted and supported by Imperial College Business School. During three activity-packed weeks in the summer, up to 50 participants learn about developing a business idea, managing finances and marketing and presentation, while also gaining expertise in negotiation skills, networking and business etiquette. Upon completion, each woman receives a certificate from the Imperial Business School and is paired up with a HERA mentor in their area of interest for a minimum of 12 months. They also attend monthly seminars to continue their development. While some do go on to become entrepreneurs, HERA students have also gone on to pursue successful careers as nurses, social workers, doctors, managers, lawyers and fashion designers, to name just a few. According to Tuna, an impressive 85% either start ventures, find employment or continue their education, with only a small remainder failing to stay in touch. She stresses that it isn't primarily about getting the women to start businesses; "entrepreneurial skills and an entrepreneurial mind-set are important in every area of life". Instead of seeing refugees as a one-way burden on the economy and the state, we need a different vision that celebrates their potential to improve and rejuvenate our societies - as entrepreneurs or otherwise. This isn't wishful thinking - the evidence supports it - but it will require drawing attention to inspirational success stories, reframing the negative narrative around refugees, and supporting initiatives that help fulfil their potential.Suggest a correction

<urn:uuid:3595fb1f-6764-4a60-bf6f-b38467d9e71b>

CC-MAIN-2017-51

http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/maximilian-yoshioka/refugee-jobs_b_14660688.html

s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-51/segments/1512948567785.59/warc/CC-MAIN-20171215075536-20171215095536-00727.warc.gz

en

Ahoy again! What can you see now? Building Rational Functions Lesson 4 of 12 Objective: SWBAT to develop a non-linear model and formally define and apply inverse and direct variation. Today’s activity definitely requires some prep work on behalf of the teacher well before the lesson (and probably some money too!). To complete today’s investigation students are going to need at least 8 viewing tubes of various sizes. The tubes should range in length from 10-70cm, but all have the same diameter. Paper towel, toilet paper, and wrapping paper tubes could be used and pieced together to make the various lengths. However, I plan to just buy some PVC piping and cut it with a hacksaw to various lengths. I figure this will last better from hour to hour and year to year. I am going to shoot to cut about 20 different tubes of varying lengths so that my 13 teams can share these and there will be plenty to rotate through. I also am going to label the tube with its length in centimeters to save students some class time. I am purposely skipping a warm-up type activity today to allow more time for data collection. I also did not assign homework last night so we should be starting the activity right away. To introduce today’s activity, I am going to take a moment to have students’ recall what they found with Arthur the Pirate’s spyglass problem from unit 1. In particular, I want students to recall that the further they stood from the wall the more they could see through their view tube and the closer they were the less they could see. At this point, I am just going to mention that this is an example of direct variation. As the distance from the wall increased/decreased the diameter of the viewing window increased/decreased by the same factor. We will talk in more detail about this later this class period. In this activity students should be collecting data from a fixed distance from the wall. You may want to assign a distance to all teams if you want all students to come up with the same function, or you may want to allow students to select their own distance (and keep it the same from measurement to measurement) to get a variety of functions. I think the variety of functions would definitely lead to more interesting conversations in the end. However, I don’t know that my students are quite ready to discuss the different aspects of a rational function that this will raise. I am also concerned about whether this will require too much class time. However, I am going to allow each group of students to choose a distance. I think it will provide a great context down the road for stretch factors and evaluating k in the rational form y=k/x even if we don’t discuss that today. Once students collect their 8 data points, I ask them to make a scatter plot of the data using their calculator. I expect that the scatter plot will help students come up with an equation to model their data. My idea is that students should pick up on the fact that this situation models a function similar to the parent graph y=1/x. The should understand transformations well enough to appreciate that the parent graph has been stretched. Clearly, this part of the activity screams Math Practice 4. But, other mathematical habits of mind are also being developed in this part of the activity. In order to complete the task, students are paying attention to the structure of a rational functions and how a stretch factor affects a plot (Math Practice 7). They will also need to identify patterns make inferences to create a good model for the data (Math Practice 8). Of course, as students use their calculator to test their models they are also engaging in Math Practice 5. For students who are not ready to reason from a general model, I will encourage a guess and check approach to finding the stretch factor in Question 9. I will have them pick a function they think works, graph it on the same plane as their scatter plot, and then make an educated guess as to whether that stretch factor needs to increase or decrease. They can keep tweaking their equation until it is close. I think this will really help students to see how that constant value affects the graphs. If possible, I will ask these students to also solve for the stretch factor algebraically. In order to support this task, I will likely help students to select a point (x,y) and guide them as the solve for the constant. Today’s closure question is going to be a bit tricky for students. I believe it’s the language that trips up my students on a question like this. It is important to help students decode the phrase "varies directly with the square of x." To do this I will ask things like: What does it mean to vary directly? When y varies directly with x, what do we know? Look back at the definition. If y varies directly with x squared what does that mean? Today, I may go as far as providing students with a mathematical hint: y=kx^2. Tonight, I will assign Homework 3 - Rational Functions from this unit. This assignment helps students to continue practicing solving rational equations and simplify rational expressions. It also prompts students to recall transformation rules of basic functions to help students be more successful in upcoming lessons on transformation of rational functions. Students also practice skills and concepts developed in class today like sketching the graphs of rational functions and applying definitions of inverse and direct variations. Teaching Note: I will make sure to remind students that their about why dividing by zero causes a function to be undefined needs to be complete prior to tomorrow's class. See the homework section of Lesson 1 from this unit for more information about this assignment.

<urn:uuid:4d087cd6-6e60-470e-8a56-15e683e65ef3>

CC-MAIN-2017-51

https://betterlesson.com/lesson/440649/ahoy-again-what-can-you-see-now-building-rational-functions?from=consumer_breadcrumb_dropdown_lesson

s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-51/segments/1512948594665.87/warc/CC-MAIN-20171217074303-20171217100303-00727.warc.gz

en

The house mouse (Mus musculus) is considered one of the most troublesome and economically important rodents in the United States. They are found in and around homes and commercial buildings and thrive under a variety of conditions. House mice consume and contaminate food meant for humans and pets. They cause damage to structures and property by gnawing and leaving fecal pellets and urine and they are capable of spreading disease. Droppings, fresh gnaw marks, and tracks indicate areas where mice are active. Mouse nests, made from fine shredded paper or other fibrous material, often are found in voids and other sheltered locations. House mice have a characteristic musky odor that identifies their presence. Mice are active mostly at night, but can be seen occasionally during daylight hours. House Mouse Facts House mice are small rodents with relatively large ears and small black eyes. They weigh about 1/2 ounce (15 grams) and usually are light gray in color. An adult is about 5 1/2 to 7 1/2 inches long, including the 3- to 4-inch tail. Although house mice usually feed on cereal grains and seeds, they will eat almost anything. They are sporadic feeders, nibbling tiny bits of food here and there. Mice have keen senses of hearing, smell, taste and touch. They are excellent climbers and can run up any rough vertical surface. They will run horizontally along wire cables or ropes and can jump up 12 inches from the floor onto a flat surface. Mice can squeeze through doors where there is more than a 1/4 inch gap and through holes the size of a dime. In a single year, a female may have five to ten litters of usually five or six young each. Young are born 19 to 21 days after mating, and they reach reproductive maturity in six to ten weeks. The life span of a mouse is usually nine to twelve months. Effective control involves three aspects: sanitation, mouse-proof construction, and population reduction. The first two are preventive measures. When a mouse infestation already exists, some form of population reduction almost always is necessary. Reduction techniques include trapping and poisoning. Sanitation – Proper sanitation is an important step in controlling house mouse populations. In particular, eliminate places where mice can find shelter. They cannot survive in large numbers if they have few places to rest, hide, or build nests and raise their young. Total elimination of mice through sanitation, however, is almost impossible. Mice can survive in small areas with limited amounts of food, moisture, and shelter. Most buildings where food is handled or stored will have problems with house mice, no matter how clean they are if they have not been “mouse-proofed.” Traps: Trapping is an effective control method for controlling house mice. Although time-consuming, it is the preferred method in homes, garages and other structures, where only a few mice are present. Trapping has several advantages: 1) it does not rely on inherently hazardous rodenticides; 2) it permits the user to view his or her success; and 3) it allows for disposal of trapped mice, thereby eliminating dead mouse odors that may occur when poisoning is done within buildings. Simple, inexpensive wood-based snap traps are effective. Traps can be baited with a variety of foods such as peanut butter, chocolate, raisins, gum drops, bacon, and string. Set the triggers lightly so the traps will spring easily. In difficult situations you can leave the baited traps unset until the bait has been taken at least once to improve effectiveness and overcome any trap shyness that may exist. Use enough traps to make the effort short and decisive. Set traps behind objects, in dark corners and in places where evidence of mouse activity is seen. Place them close to walls so mice will pass directly over the trigger (see illustration). Traps can be set on ledges, on top of pallets of stored materials, or any other locations where mice are active. Glue boards are an alternative to snap traps. Glue boards mainly catch and hold young mice that are scurrying around. The older adult mice learn to avoid glue boards and are strong enough to pull themselves off. For best results place glue boards along walls in suspected runways. Do not use them where children, pets or wildlife can contact them. Rodent-proof construction: Mouse-proof construction is the most successful and permanent form of house mouse control. “Build them out” by eliminating all openings larger than 1/4 inch through which they can enter a structure. Steel wool or copper mesh may be stuffed into holes. Seal cracks in building foundations and openings for water pipes, vents, and utilities with metal or concrete. Doors, windows and screens should fit tightly. Cover the edges of doors and windows with metal to prevent gnawing. Latex, plastic, rubber, wood, spray foam, or other gnawable materials are unsuitable for plugging holes used by mice. Multiple-dose (anticoagulant) rodenticides: Multiple-dose anticoagulant rodenticides cause death as a result of internal bleeding, which occurs as the animal’s blood loses the ability to clot and capillaries are damaged. The active ingredients are used at very low levels, so bait shyness does not occur when using properly formulated baits. Mice often feed on anticoagulant baits for several days before death occurs. Fresh bait must be made available to mice continuously for at least two weeks, or as long as feeding occurs. Vitamin K is an antidote for most anticoagulant rodenticides and needs to be administered by a physician or veterinarian. Bait selection and placement: Several types of anticoagulant baits are available. Grain baits or pellet forms often are purchased in bulk or packaged in small plastic, cellophane, or paper packets. These “place packs” keep baits fresh and make it easy to place baits into burrows, walls, or other locations. Mice will readily gnaw into place packs and feed on baits. Anticoagulant baits formed into paraffin blocks are useful in damp locations, crawl spaces, outside under porches, and other areas where loose grain baits spoil quickly. Proper placement of baits is important for house mouse control. Place baits no more than 10 feet apart in areas where mouse activity is evident. If mice are living in wall spaces, place baits inside plumbing voids and pipe runs, above suspended ceilings, and in attics. The use of bait stations is recommended when applying any toxic bait. They protect baits from weather and provide a safeguard to people, pets, and other animals. Place bait boxes next to walls (with the openings close to the wall) or in other places where mice are active. Establish bait stations in and around the exterior perimeters of homes and buildings where it is impossible to exclude rodents. Place fresh anticoagulant bait in these stations to control invading mice before breeding populations become established. Label all bait containers and bait stations clearly with appropriate warnings. Pick up all accessible dead mice after a poisoning program. Use rubber gloves or tongs and dispose by wrapping them in paper or place in a plastic bag and close it tightly before placing it with your household garbage. Electronic devices: Although mice are easily frightened by strange or unfamiliar noises, they quickly become accustomed to regularly repeated sounds. Ultrasonic sounds, those above the range of human hearing, have very limited use in rodent control because they are directional and do not penetrate behind objects. They also lose their intensity quickly with distance. There is little evidence that electronic, sound, magnetic, or vibrational devices of any kind will drive established mice or rats from buildings or provide adequate control. Predators: Although cats, dogs, and other predators may kill mice, they do not provide effective mouse control in most circumstances. Mice often live in very close association with dogs and cats. Mouse problems around homes often are related to the food, water and shelter provided for the pet.

<urn:uuid:4b5902f4-fc8c-4c7d-af6b-72c17b33b3a2>

CC-MAIN-2017-51

http://www.generalpest-ohio.com/pest-identification/house-mice/

s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-51/segments/1512948597295.74/warc/CC-MAIN-20171217171653-20171217193653-00724.warc.gz

en

The Art of Haiku This uncommon book gives readers a chance to experience haiku both visually and textually. There is hardly a schoolchild who is not familiar with haiku, the Japanese art of the tiny poem, constructed out of three lines of 5-7-5 syllables and traditionally evoking images from nature. But while an understanding of haiku is often left at that, its legacy in art and literature is decidedly more complex. In The Art of Haiku, Stephen Addiss illuminates how haiku evolved in the hands of its masters, stretching from the eighth century to the 12th. He purposefully juxtaposes the well-known poetic form with its less famed artistic counterparts: paintings, called haiga, and calligraphy. Fully formed haiku was meant to be experienced both visually and textually. This uncommon book gives us the chance to do just that. Addiss is the right man to author “The Art of Haiku.” He is not only a leading haiku scholar, but also a practicing artist who has exhibited ink paintings and calligraphy around the world. He translates from Japanese, and has a lengthy list of publications. Fittingly, as haiku has its roots in song, Addiss traveled the world as part of the folk music duo Addiss & Crofut. He studied music at Harvard University and, with composer John Cage, at the New School in New York. He didn’t begin his graduate work on East Asia until he was in his late thirties. Fascinating as Addiss himself is, he keeps out of the spotlight in “The Art of Haiku.” The book is a steady narration on the emergence of haiku, beginning with the courtly tradition of tanka (five-line poems – or songs – of 5-7-5-7-7 syllables) and evolving into new forms, including haiga, haikai (comic verse), and renga, where two or more poets go back and forth to create a chain of linked tanka, shaped by a range of curious rules. “Chinese-derived words were frowned upon, but seasonal references should be included in roughly half the segments […],” Addiss informs us. Some words could only appear once in a thousand verses, including the words for demon, tiger, dragon, and woman. The book is rich with poems – 997 haiku, nearly all translated by Addiss and integrated easily with the text alongside transliterated Japanese originals. Particularly fascinating is the discussion of haiku translation. Idiosyncrasies in the originals, such as pause marks called kijeri (literally, cutting words) leave room for translators to make judgment calls on how to evoke rhythm or amplification. Addiss encourages readers to sound out the Japanese originals – and provides the tools to do so – to hear the music, and he does so with a grace that does not undercut the worth of the gorgeous English versions. He arms readers with a wealth of context on how, for example, the Japanese word for “color” and “passion” is the same. Like the art of haiku itself, Addiss invites readers into the poems, amplifying them with their own experiences and, in a way, collaborating with the poet to complete the poem. There is even an appendix on translation, which sets forth yet more choices in moving haiku between Japanese and English. Addiss presents a haiku by Chiyo in Japanese and lists each word with its literal meaning before indicating that, “Now it is up to you: Will you try to make this a 5-7-5 poem in English? Will you change the line order? Will you use any plurals? What words and rhythms in English do you think can convey this scene best?” What might seem gimmicky is actually an endearing manifestation of how Addiss writes this book as a meeting-of-equals between author, readers, artists, and poets. And what company to keep! There is Lady Murasaki, author of “The Tale of Genji” (probably the world’s first novel), whose title character trades whispered tanka with his wife. There is Saigyō Hōshi, who leaves his luxurious life in the imperial guard to become a Buddhist monk and write searing poems of transience. There is Yosa Buson, the master especially skilled in haiga (he knew it, too). His paintings reproduced here are drawn so simply and sweetly, they look like the figures of comics: emotion is evoked in just a few lines (which is, of course, the same formula for haiku). Kobayashi Issa funneled a tragic life into tiny potent verses. And of course there is Bashō, the wandering poet who, as Addiss puts it, is to haiku what Shakespeare is to theater and Michelangelo is to sculpture. There are times when the clear language of “The Art of Haiku” turns bland, more like the rote recitation of a lecturer than a writer delving into poetic treasures. Addiss’ thorough explanations subdue his enthusiasm: when he does break the even tone to describe a poem as “charming” or “powerful,” it is hard to feel any heat behind it. There are needless textual repetitions that add to the classroom feel – the interesting bit about “color” and “passion” being the same word in Japanese is mentioned three times in eight pages. At its worst, one wonders at the dissonance between the textbook language and the heart-opening art it means to conjure. At its best, however, Addiss’ strategy of keeping his own voice muffled (he uses the pronoun “we” rather than “I”) creates room for the ambitious scope of “The Art of the Haiku,” allowing several centuries worth of poets and artists to hold court without distraction. And, indeed, there they shine. Anna Clark is a freelance writer in Detroit.

<urn:uuid:210e983a-bf60-4e8d-aabd-dbe35fa3ff99>

CC-MAIN-2017-51

https://www.csmonitor.com/Books/Book-Reviews/2012/0904/The-Art-of-Haiku

s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-51/segments/1512948589512.63/warc/CC-MAIN-20171216220904-20171217002904-00726.warc.gz

en

This article needs additional citations for "verification. (September 2012) ("Learn how and when to remove this template message) Trauma surgery is a "surgical "specialty that utilizes both operative and non-operative management to treat traumatic injuries, typically in an acute setting. Trauma surgeons generally complete "residency training in "General Surgery and often fellowship training in trauma or surgical "critical care. The trauma surgeon is responsible for initially resuscitating and stabilizing and later evaluating and managing the patient. The attending trauma surgeon also leads the trauma team, which typically includes nurses and support staff as well as resident physicians in "teaching hospitals.["citation needed] Most "United States trauma surgeons practice in larger centers and complete a 1-2 year trauma surgery fellowship, which often includes a surgical critical care fellowship. They may therefore sit for the "American Board of Surgery (ABS) certifying examination in Surgical Critical Care. National surgical boards usually supervise European training programs; they also certify for subspecialization in trauma surgery. An official European trauma surgical exam exists.["citation needed] Training for trauma surgeons is sometimes difficult to obtain. In the "United Kingdom, the "Royal College of Surgeons of England is responsible for training consultants via the "Definitive Surgical Trauma Skills course (DSTS) for "Orthopaedics . It remains the only course of its kind in the United Kingdom. The course was originally designed to teach the military and now trains both military and civilian surgeons. In the US there is the Advanced Trauma Operative Management (ATOM) course and the Advanced Surgical Skills for Exposure in Trauma (ASSET) which provide operative trauma training to surgeons and surgeons in training. The Advanced Trauma Life Support course (ATLS) is a course that most US practitioners who take care of trauma patients are required to take (Emergency medicine, Surgery and Trauma attendings, and physician extenders as well as trainees). The broad scope of their surgical critical care training enables the trauma surgeon to address most injuries to the neck, chest, abdomen, and extremities. In large parts of Europe trauma surgeons treat most of the musculoskeletal trauma, whereas injuries to the central nervous system are generally treated by "neurosurgeons. In the US and Britain skeletal injuries are treated by trauma "orthopedic surgeons. Facial injuries are often treated by "maxillofacial surgeons. There is significant variation across hospitals in the degree to which other specialists, such as "cardiothoracic surgeons, "plastic surgeons, "vascular surgeons, and "interventional radiologists are involved in treating trauma patients. Trauma surgeons must be familiar with a large variety of general surgical, "thoracic, and "vascular procedures and must be able to make complex decisions, often with little time and incomplete information. Proficiency in all aspects of "intensive care medicine/critical care is required. Hours are irregular and there is a considerable amount of night, weekend, and holiday work. Salaries for trauma surgeons are comparable to that of general surgeons.["citation needed] Most patients presenting to trauma centers have multiple injuries involving different organ systems, and so the care of such patients often requires a significant number of diagnostic studies and operative procedures. The trauma surgeon is responsible for prioritizing such procedures and for designing the overall treatment plan. This process starts as soon as the patient arrives in the emergency department and continues to the operating room, "intensive care unit, and hospital floor. In most settings, patients are evaluated according to a set of predetermined protocols ("triage) designed to detect and treat life-threatening conditions as soon as possible. After such conditions have been addressed (or ruled out), non-life-threatening injuries are addressed. Over the last few decades, a large number of advances in trauma and critical care have led to an increasing frequency of non-operative care for injuries to the neck, chest, and abdomen. Most injuries requiring operative treatment are musculoskeletal. For this reason, part of US trauma surgeons devote at least some of their practice to "general surgery. In most American university hospitals and medical centers, a significant portion of the emergency general surgery calls are taken by trauma surgeons. The field combining trauma surgery and emergency general surgery is often called acute care surgery.["citation needed] Dr. "George E. Goodfellow is credited as the United States' first civilian trauma surgeon. He opened a medical practice in the silver boom town of "Tombstone, "Arizona Territory in November 1880 where he practiced for the next 11 years.. On July 4, 1881, two days after U.S. President "Garfield was shot in the abdomen by "Charles J. Guiteau, a miner outside Tombstone. On July 13, 1881, Goodfellow performed the first recorded "laparotomy to treat the miner's gunshot wound. The man had a perforated small intestine, large intestine and bowel. Goodfellow sutured six holes in the man's organs. Similarly, President Garfield was thought later to have a bullet possibly lodged near his liver but it could not be found.:M-9 Sixteen doctors attended to Garfield and most probed the wound with their fingers or dirty instruments. Unlike the President, the miner survived. Goodfellow treated a number of notorious "outlaw "Cowboys in "Tombstone, Arizona during the 1880s, including "Curly Bill Brocius. During the "Gunfight at the O.K. Corral on October 26, 1881, Deputy U.S. Marshal "Virgil Earp and his brother Assistant Deputy U.S. Marshal "Morgan Earp were both seriously wounded. Goodfellow treated both men's injuries.:27 Goodfellow treated Virgil Earp again two months later on December 28, 1881 after he was ambushed, removing 3 inches (76 mm) of bone from his "humerus and attended to Morgan Earp on March 18, 1882, when he was shot while playing a round of "billiards at the Campbell & Hatch Billiard Parlor. Morgan died of his wounds.:38 Goodfellow once traveled to "Bisbee, 30 miles (48 km) from Tombstone, to treat an abdominal gunshot wound. He operated on the patient stretched out on a billiard table. Goodfellow removed a .45-calibre bullet, washed out the cavity with hot water, folded the intestines back into position, stitched the wound closed with silk thread, and ordered the patient to take to a hard bed for recovery. He wrote about the operation: "I was entirely alone having no skilled assistant of any sort, therefore was compelled to depend for aid upon willing friends who were present—these consisting mostly of hard-handed miners just from their work on account of the fight. The anesthetic was administered by a barber, lamps held, hot water brought and other assistance rendered by others." Goodfellow pioneered the use of sterile techniques in treating gunshot wounds, washing the patient's wound and his hands with lye soap or whisky. He became America's leading authority on gunshot wounds and was widely recognized for his skill as a surgeon. By the late 1950s, mandatory laparotomy had become the standard of care for managing patients with abdominal "penetrating trauma. A laparotomy is still the standard procedure for treating abdominal gunshot wounds today. Originally reported in the San Francisco Examiner on May 27, 1882

<urn:uuid:70e86d6b-4c4b-4d86-9294-e32e7fc0e829>

CC-MAIN-2017-51

http://wikipediaaudio.com/Trauma_surgery

s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-51/segments/1512948523222.39/warc/CC-MAIN-20171213123757-20171213143757-00328.warc.gz

en

‘UAV-based remote sensing will be like using a cell phone today’ How does UAV technology contribute to agriculture? Reliable agricultural statistics are one of the main bottlenecks in today´s agriculture. Remote sensing in general can be used for discriminating crops and estimating acreage. Notwithstanding, costs per scene and the presence of clouds preclude its widespread use. The new generation of satellites e.g. Sentinel 1 & 2 and Sentinel 3, which is scheduled to be launched by the European Space Agency in 2022, will provide affordable imageries for agricultural applications. That leaves the clouds as probably the main limiting factor especially under rain-fed conditions. We have tried getting imageries for the potato growing areas in Uganda and Ethiopia and could not get a single scene with less than 10% cloud cover throughout the entire growing period. Remote sensing platforms able to register scenes over agricultural fields under the clouds are a must have. With the spatial resolution attained with unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) based remote sensing, crop discrimination is feasible even with conventional RGB (red, green, blue) cameras. With spatial resolution of less than 10 centimetres, processing imageries to facilitate decisions for precision agriculture is highly feasible. Early warning and yield forecasting systems are no longer science fiction with today’s UAV technology. From your answer we understand that the technology can be easily adopted by large scale farmers. How would small scale farmers benefit from it? Smallholder farmers are not expected to be direct users of this technology right away but in less than ten years – my guestimate – farmers will be so permeated by ICT technology that the use of UAV-based remote sensing will be like using a cell phone today. Meanwhile, we need to re-tool government agencies, agriculture-oriented NGOs, and farmers’ associations. Moreover, young professionals in physics, electronics and agriculture could become entrepreneurs and provide the service needed in rural areas. The Bureau of Statistics within the Peruvian Ministry of Agriculture is requesting CIP to provide training and backstopping to modernise their agricultural census with the use of UAV-based remote sensing. Negotiations are under way with other countries in Africa and Asia as well. Most UAVs used for civil purposes are manufactured in China, the US and Europe. What are your thoughts on producing or assembling UAVs in Africa, as an example? First of all, UAV-based remote sensing platforms have at least three key components: the vehicle (the UAV itself); the sensor; and the support interface frame that allows communication with both the radio control and the telemetry from the UAV’s control unit. Most people concentrate on the UAV. For an agriculturalist this is probably the least significant component of the platform. One of the reasons is that China, US, and Europe can provide this component at very competitive prices. The problem is when intermediaries in developing countries sell those, otherwise low-cost UAVs, at very high prices. Notwithstanding, UAVs can be locally built. Our partner at University of Nairobi has built a tetracopter using ardu-pilot technology with great results. They have also assembled multi-rotors with importing parts. They have also fixed the UAV after crashes in the field. Therefore, local professionals can assemble or produce UAVs in-situ, depending on the needs. The most critical component is the sensor. Most users buy integrated solutions. This is a good starting point but in our experience not always the most convenient. These products, by definition are “black boxes” and thus the user is limited to whatever the vendor defines as the “best” solution for agricultural applications. When you build your own sensors you have total control of the product and have access to the raw data. You can improve your signal to noise ratio and thus generate better imageries. The interface is very important since you want to be able to use the telemetry from the UAV for the processing of the imageries. A must have is open access software for mosaicking, and some of the pre-processing required to generate the data needed for agricultural analyses. CIP has developed open access software that UAV-users are welcomed to download and use. What role could governments and development agencies play in facilitating the adoption of the technology in Africa and small islands developing states? First of all, by making user friendly and forward looking policies e.g. in Peru the proposed legislation pretends to limit flying altitude to 150 metres. Flying fix-wing UAVs at this altitude make no sense for agricultural applications. In the second place, fostering capacity building in developing countries. In third place, modernising the bureaus of statistics and the likes with UAV technologies focusing on open access solutions to guarantee its sustainability. Roberto A. Quiroz ([email protected]) is a biophysical scientist at the International Potato Center (CIP) based in Lima, Peru. There he leads a multidisciplinary team on methods and tools to assess the impact of climate variability and change on agriculture and the feedback of agricultural practices to the environment. He was born in Panama.

<urn:uuid:811e27c2-97c5-47a0-a7ae-b97ca9f345cc>

CC-MAIN-2017-51

http://ictupdate.cta.int/2016/04/21/interview-roberto-a-quiroz/

s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-51/segments/1512948580416.55/warc/CC-MAIN-20171215231248-20171216013248-00328.warc.gz

en

If you’re asked by teachers to write a good article critique, you should understand that this academic writing genre must provide readers with a critical evaluation via some detailed analysis of a particular article. Besides, it’s all about writing a brief and interesting summary of this article. The basic purpose served by this kind of critique is that it helps targeted readers get a better understanding of the main points, ideas, and intentions of authors. It also indicated success and analyses both weak and strong sides. As other academic assignments, your article critique must be written in the right language and format. This means that it should consist of the main body, introduction, and conclusion. To understand how to write an article critique, keep in mind that the general pattern of all assignments is quite similar, but there are different formatting styles with unique guidelines that must be followed. You need to learn more about them and talk to your professors if they have any unique requirements that must be met. Another important step is getting a better idea of a specific topic that should be analyzed in this paper. There are different purposes of writing and submitting article critiques, such as: There are certain steps involved in completing this academic task and guidelines on how to write an article critique correctly. First, you need to read articles to understand their key ideas in a clear way. Once you feel that you comprehend them fully, articles should be reread to make important notes. When you find interesting ideas, it’s advisable to quotes them as the strong evidence that supports your discussion. Check your notes to analyze and discuss all of their points while giving your personal opinions and comments. Make a brief summary and a conclusion to determine the things that you either like or dislike in a particular article. Ensure that all of your ideas are supported with the valid evidence taken from reputable sources. Don’t forget to follow a few basic guidelines to ensure your future high grades. Unlike a widespread misconception, writing an article critique is not about giving your negative or critical feedbacks. A good one should include both positive and negative aspects. You also need to include direct quotes where they fit, as this simple step will help you avoid plagiarism accusations. Another important tip is to always write this kind of paper in the third person. As you already know, any critique of an article is all about your objective analysis with a focus on if authors support their major points with both applicable and valid arguments. Some students fail to complete this academic assignment successfully only because they simply sum up all points in articles without really analyzing them, so don’t repeat their mistake. You need to demonstrate your personal impressions and provide targeted readers with enough evidence to back them up. The good news is that there are certain suggestions that will help you get started. If you have any difficulties with writing a critique of articles, you can always contact qualified and competent freelance authors who are there to help. Your first target is to become an active reader, as this is how you ensure a future success of your academic paper. Read a particular article to determine its main idea and understand its major arguments. You can repeat this step, and it won’t take a lot of time while providing you with many benefits. There are certain questions that should be answered at this stage, and your answers will help you understand how to write an article critique. What is a thesis? What is the main argument? Who are targeted readers? Is the necessary evidence included? Another step is creating an effective legend for the notes you make when reading a particular article. Think about symbols to differentiate parts, especially if they are inconsistent or confusing. This is how you will mark up the entire article and analyze it much faster. It’s advisable to take notes while reading it, especially when some expanded ideas come to your mind. Some students neglect this step only because they think that they can remember everything, but they often end up with flaws. You should spend enough time on writing down interesting and original ideas to turn back to them when writing your article critique. It’s necessary to form your vague opinion after evaluating overall arguments and recording initial thoughts. Create a list of possible sources that should be researched to get the necessary evidence. Firstly, you need to question if the overall message of a specific article is really logical and clear. Don’t forget to test it and compare with similar samples. Your main goal at this stage is to evaluate this message for its practicality. It’s also required to examine both a conclusion and an introduction to ensure that they serve as effective supporting elements. Search this article for any bias, such as ignoring strong evidence, opposing opinions, etc. Remember that it often comes as prejudice. You should think about the interpretation of other academic texts. When authors make claims about them, read these works to determine whether you agree with an analysis. Most readers tend to interpret the ideas of other people differently, and that’s why all inconsistencies must be checked. Don’t overlook the opinions of others because they are valuable. If authors cite any unreliable sources or facts, be sure to notice them at once. This is what decreases the credibility of their articles considerably, so look for these red flags. You should close-read these works and pay close attention to both literary and formal methods used by authors. Focus on obscure word choices and tones or concentrate on deeper issues when studying how to write an article critique correctly. As an example, if a specific article is written in an overzealous tone, you should criticize it accordingly. You always need to check the right meaning of all unknown words that you encounter. This knowledge will help you understand what authors mean. Focus on their chosen research methods when applicable and answer a few key questions. Are they detailed enough? Do they contain any major flaws? Are there any other obvious problems? Are they important for a specific field? Don’t hesitate to dig deeper when writing your article critique, and this means that your knowledge should be used, just like educated opinions. To win points, you need to provide the targeted audience with strong and valid arguments to support your opinion. Keep in mind that over-sourcing is a poor idea because your arguments become repetitive. Ensure that each one is unique for your academic assignment and don’t let different sources crowd out your arguments and points of view. You should understand that your article critique doesn’t have to be 100% negative or positive. Try to offer some proper balance when writing this academic paper and your professors will appreciate that. Article critiques tend to be interesting and logical if they not only agree with authors, but also disagree and provide additional evidence. For instance, if you don’t agree with authors, you need to make a strong argument supported by valid facts. It’s still possible to provide readers with some contradictory evidence to arguments while ensuring that your point of view is correct. Start with an introduction that must outline your main argument. This paragraph shouldn’t be quite long and it serves as a basic framework for the entire paper. You should start with noting where a certain article succeeds or fails considerably and provide your valid reasons. Don’t forget to include some basic information, such as titles, names, and so on. Keep in mind that an introduction is not the best place to give out strong evidence for your point of view because it usually goes in the main body. Your assertions in this section should be bold, clear, and catchy to draw readers’ attention. If you fail to sound committing, your argument will be less credible. You need to provide enough proofs for your main argument in the main body of your academic paper, so ensure that every section contains its separate topic sentence and a major idea. The first one sums up the main content of the whole paragraph. Don’t overlook the importance of transitions because they guarantee a smooth flow of all ideas. All arguments must be presented in an objective and well-reasoned tone. No matter how solid they appear, there is always some way to give out a final twist and take them 1 step further. Finally, your article critique should be concluded by summing up all arguments and major ideas discussed in other paragraphs. You need to avoid introducing any new ideas in its conclusion if you don’t want to end up with low grades. Make it sound memorable to leave a lasting impression on your readers.

<urn:uuid:8ddb3d48-c08b-4e68-b749-0d8803d6f7cc>

CC-MAIN-2017-51

https://studybay.com/blog/how-to-write-an-article-critique/

s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-51/segments/1512948544124.40/warc/CC-MAIN-20171214124830-20171214144830-00727.warc.gz

en

The loosening of family and tribal bonds was a second and much longer term strategy for diffusing violence resulting from mimetic rivalry. (See mimetic scarcity 1 for context.) Up to the present day it has been effective enough to be considered a good thing. But it has its disadvantages. It has led to what Norman Geres, a writer cited by Paul Dumouchel, calls “a contract of indifference.” This contract has released from obligations for violence, such as the vendettas that have scarred many social groups. That is good. But this contract as also released us from obligations to care for the misfortunes of other people. That is, we are no longer our brother’s keeper. As an instinctive reaction to violence, the various effects were never planned out and they are still not easily visible. Most seriously, the contract of indifference is deleterious to social conscience. We don’t easily see a connection between our individual actions and their social consequences. To take one example: polluting the environment just doesn’t seem to get on the radar of those who use technology at a level that does just that. It supports an individualist spirituality where saving one’s own soul is the main thing and broader social issues are off the radar. It is the scarcity created by this “solution” that forms the founding dynamic of capitalism. The basic argument, as I understand it, is that the scarcity gives humans an incentive to try and overcome the scarcity by increasing production so that there will be more material goods than there were. This works in the sense that more material goods are produced that can be consumed by people. But scarcity is not overcome because the increase of production increases desires for goods and when this leads to more increased production, desires increase still more. Material goods never catch up with desire. Mimetic desire, where we desire things because other people desire them, further intensifies this frenzy because whole inventories of perfectly wearable shoes disappear if only a few designs are in fashion. This is how this “peaceful” solution to violence leads directly to the quiet, hidden, sacrifice of many people on the hidden altars of indifference. Indifference is just as contagious as mimetic violence. The ennui of modern humanity analyzed by legions of philosophers and social commentators witnesses to the extent of this contagion. If Paul Dumouchel is right in suggesting that creating scarcity has roots in early humanity, created scarcity has become much more prominent in modern times. I will make only a brief historical detour to consider the Jewish tradition. The prophets exposed the truth of collective violence much more deeply and clearly than other cultures, thus attenuating the efficacy of sacrificial religion. (“I desire steadfast love, not sacrifice” Hos. 6:6) Did this prophetic exposure increase use of the solution of scarcity to limit violence? The countless oracles against oppression of the poor suggest that scarcity was alive and well in early Jewish society. Perhaps the surrounding cultures, still grounded in sacrificial religion, still had stronger social bonds for caring for each other’s’ needs. Maybe. An historical study of this matter would be welcome. In pleading for the poor and oppressed, the Jewish prophets were clearly aware of the problems created by scarcity and loosening social bonds and so were trying to increase the scope of “family.” That is, far from loosening ties, we are to strengthen them and extend them. By inviting all of us into being siblings of him, Jesus also encouraged us to be brothers and sisters of one another: the whole church, all of humanity is family. Jesus is most explicit in this teaching in Matthew 25 where “the least of these” are all part of Jesus’ family and therefore ours as well. It is this sense of family that motivated St. Paul to take up a collection in his various churches so as to give famine relief to the brothers and sisters in Jerusalem. This is a hard saying. First the Jewish prophets and then Jesus, by his death as a result of collective violence, throws a monkey wrench into the first “solution” to violence. But before he died, Jesus, along with the prophets who preceded him, threw another monkey wrench into this second solution. We are given an ascetical double whammy. We have to renounce the solidarity that leads to mimetic strife and then to collective violence, but not only must we retain these same ties, we must strengthen and extend them when it comes to providing for others. That is, the borders that made providing for family tenable have been exploded. Not only that, but if these are “solutions” to violence resulting from intensified mimetic rivalry, and both have been exploded, then we have to discipline ourselves to renounce that rivalry. In analyzing the land enclosures in England, Dumouchel noted the mimetic rivalry of the lairds that caused them to desire better productivity of their lands that brought on scarcity without reducing any material goods in their environments. Make no mistake. I am not suggesting we have to renounce capitalism. We have to exchange goods and services somehow. But renouncing mimetic strife will change the social complexion of capitalism as it changes everything else. One of the reasons this social demand for social solidarity seems so onerous is because we tend to hear it through the filter of “the contract of indifference.” That is, we think the entire burden falls on each of us individually. We forget even before we hear it that we are invited into a family, a family that is the Body of Christ. We do not have to take responsibility for others, each on our own little lonesome. That would be rugged individualism all over again. Instead, we are encouraged to take responsibility as members of a Body. Jesus reaches out to everyone through each and every one of us. Our personal responsibilities are collective responsibilities.

<urn:uuid:9197c05d-3988-4ffa-80e9-be948b947fc7>

CC-MAIN-2017-51

https://andrewmarrosb.wordpress.com/2014/12/

s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-51/segments/1512948596051.82/warc/CC-MAIN-20171217132751-20171217154751-00324.warc.gz

en

- Make it personal - Make your own flash cards - Take risks - Make the most of your time in class: - Do your homework: - Break your study time in small chunks: - Add a bit of fun - Immerge yourself in the language - Speak it - Try it - Get a linguistic toolbox Tips for Learning French A FEW TIPS TO HELP YOU LEARNING FRENCH And never forget to….. ACCEPT THE DIFFERENT PACES OF THE LEARNING PROCESS Studying a language will be highly rewarding. In this instance, learning French means breaking communication barriers, enriching your world with a new culture, learning about others but also learning about yourself and your own mother-tongue. You will be able to better understand your French speaking friends not only because now you can speak their language but because you will also be in touch with their culture and ultimately get a true and fulfilling experience. Learning languages will also mean having fun and being able to travel independently and in the process getting to know more about these countries than you would have by only meeting the English speaking natives. Even if mastering a language requires time and efforts, you will be highly rewarded with an immense sense of achievement once you will reach a certain level of competence. Here are some suggestions on how to make your journey easier and more enjoyable while applying methods and techniques to learning effectively without wasting time and loosing focus. A FEW LEARNING TIPS TO HELP YOU TO BECOME FLUENT Make it personal .While you work on the handouts and material that I am supplying, write up all the new words and phrases in your personal pocket notebook and try to make them relevant to you. If you have just learnt the professions, associate every member of your whole family tree with their profession in French with the correct syntax (Paul is an architect = Paul est architecte –no un or une with profession in French). If you are an only child, make a list your friends and their trade. Repeat them in your dull moments during your busy day. Stick words around the house, make shopping lists in French. Make your own flash cards Write the French word on one side and the English translation on the other. Try to memorize the words and then shuffle the cards and look for the right translation. Keep on average 20 cards. Once you have retained the word, take it out and add another card. At the end of the week, test yourself with the whole packet of cards or get your partner or kids to do it. This might have extraordinary results on your relationship or their school report. Remember that the important thing is to get your message across. If you don’t remember particular words, try to think about alternatives: words that have the same meaning or give descriptions ( sailboat could be describe as a boat with sheet of fabric, no engine). In desperate cases, give a French twist to an English word and pronounce it according to the language you are learning. It might work and the only thing you’ll risk, is to be understood! Make the most of your time in class Participate actively to the class’ tasks and coral activities. Since our life is generally very hectic, it can be difficult to find time or even little time to study a language outside the class, participating to the lesson is a great opportunity (along with other steps) in our way to learn. Let’s say that participating to a class is like being in France for an hour or so a week. It gives you the opportunity to live for a while outside your everyday environment allowing you to travel there while you are effectively 2 minutes from your desk. Cool isn’t it? Do your homework Homework offers such a great opportunity to really focus on structures and grammar as well as functions. While during conversations we don’t have much time to think about genders and verb congregations’ rules, during our homework we have the time to think about those rules and to correct our mistakes as well as reinforcing our knowledge. When doing homework think carefully about the purpose of the exercise, which structures and functions they want you to use in that particular instance. Try to get increasingly familiar with your lesson’s material till you will be able to master it without any effort. This will result in increasing your speed and fluency in the language and your ability to learn will be much greater. Well this is my ideal world…. But I know that’s sometimes impossible for you to find the time. Never use the lack of completed homework for not attending a class. Coming to the class will always be beneficial. Break your study time in small chunks It is counterproductive to dedicate long time in one go to study the language. Instead of study 3 hours in one day ( generally on the eve of your class), try to study no more than 30 minutes per day and break the time in twice or even 3 slots during the day. Furthermore, if your day is full of dull moments that can be transformed into mini lessons: try for instance to repeat vocabulary during breakfast time, count number under the shower, do your shopping list in French or glance at your vocabulary list while waiting for the lift. Add a bit of fun Listen to some French music and sing it out and aloud. With the internet at hand, it wouldn’t be difficult to download some authentic music for you to listen to. Singing will reinforce your pronunciation and your listening comprehension will be greatly improved as well as your speed in speaking and general fluency. Immerge yourself in the language Surround yourself with authentic material as much as possible: nowadays it is possible to have cable television with many foreign channels. Pick up news and programs in French (Le Monde is sold literally 2mn from Eland House): this will add fun to your learning process as watching film and news will be really intriguing and it will help your lateral thinking skills. It is very important to listen and get used to the real speed as well as different accents. At the very beginning it will be difficult to understand even a single word but then it will be coming easier and your brain will absorb much better the overall learning process. Also try to make friends with French speaking people that speak your language. If you live in London, it should not be difficult to come across some French people (even without hanging out in South Ken) Look forwards to put all this hard work in practice and book yourself a short break in the country whose language you are studying (not Paris, remember you want to speak French! Lille is only 1h20 away). By programming one foreign trip to France when you start studying French, you will boost motivation to study when you don’t have time. Get a linguistic toolbox From Day One, get familiar with some essential phrases like could you repeat more slowly please?( Pouvez-vous répéter plus lentement s’il vous plait?), how do you say this in French ( Comment vous dites ça en français)…,what does this mean ? ( Qu’est-ce que ça veut dire?), I don’t understand ( Je ne comprends pas) or I haven’t understood…(Je n’ai pas compris)” from the beginning. Do not be shy and use them as they will allow you to be pro-active in your language acquisition process. And never forget to….. ACCEPT THE DIFFERENT PACES OF THE LEARNING PROCESS As a beginner linguist, expect to understand very little initially and don’t be afraid to make mistakes. Language learning is a process that require a certain degree of patience and acceptance of making mistakes, which is normal –remember how many times you said ‘yes, it’s a car, a red car” to you toddler?-. As long as you keep hearing, reading the correct structures, you will learn them. Students will learn at a different pace. Even advanced students can also experience the feeling that they are not progressing. Progress in language learning is made by reaching several plateaux. Do not despair when reaching one, your brain is only processing the amount of information you have been feeding it. Do not underestimate lateral thinking learning. No matter how slow, as long as you keep listening and talking you will add new information and suddenly your brain will absorb this without you even realising unlocking your ability to learn new structures and vocabulary. If you feel you are making little progress, try to revise old material or do more exercises and you should improve sooner or later.

<urn:uuid:5d2956d3-5d03-4e45-a843-951d0d1eb42c>

CC-MAIN-2017-51

http://ontheartoflearningfrench.blogspot.com/p/tips-for-learning-french.html

s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-51/segments/1512948575124.51/warc/CC-MAIN-20171215153355-20171215175355-00527.warc.gz

en

India officially the Republic of India is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world. Indian geography lies to the north of the equator between 6° 44′ and 35° 30′ north latitude and 68° 7′ and 97° 25′ east longitude. India’s coastline measures 7,517 kilometers (4,700 mi) in length; of this distance, 5,423 kilometers (3,400 mi) belong to peninsular India and 2,094 kilometers (1,300 mi) to the Andaman, Nicobar, and Lakshadweep island chains. According to the Indian naval hydrographic charts, the mainland coastline consists of the following: 43% sandy beaches; 11% rocky shores, including cliffs; and 46% mudflats or marshy shores. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the south, the Arabian Sea on the south-west, and the Bay of Bengal on the south-east, it shares land borders with Pakistan to the west; China, Nepal, and Bhutan to the north-east; and Burma and Bangladesh to the east. 7000-3000 BC- Stone Age 3000-1300 BC- Bronze Age 1700-26 BC- Iron Age 21- 1279 AD – Middle Kingdoms 1260- 1596 -Late Medieval Age 1526- 1858 -Early modern period 1505- 1961 -Colonial period Much of Indian architecture, including the Taj Mahal, other works of Mughal architecture, and South Indian architecture, blends ancient local traditions with imported styles. Vernacular architecture is also highly regional in it flavors. Vastu shastra, literally “science of construction” or “architecture” and ascribed to Mamuni Mayan, explores how the laws of nature affect human dwellings; it employs precise geometry and directional alignments to reflect perceived cosmic constructs. As applied in Hindu temple architecture, it is influenced by the Shilpa Shastra, a series of foundational texts whose basic mythological form is theVastu-Purusha mandala, a square that embodied the “absolute”. Traditional Indian dress varies in color and style across regions and depends on various factors, including climate and faith. Popular styles of dress include draped garments such as the sari for women and the dhoti or lungi for men. Stitched clothes, such as the shalwar kameez for women and kurta–pyjama combinations or European-style trousers and shirts for men, are also popular. Use of delicate jewellery, modeled on real flowers worn in ancient India, is part of a tradition dating back some 5,000 years; gemstones are also worn in India as talismans. India has tense relations with neighboring Pakistan; the two nations have gone to war four times: in 1947, 1965, 1971, and 1999. Three of these wars were fought over the disputed territory of Kashmir, while the fourth, the 1971 war, followed from India’s support for the independence of Bangladesh. Aside from ongoing strategic relations with Russia, India has wide-ranging defense relations with Israel and France. In recent years, it has played key roles in the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation and the World Trade Organization. India has close economic ties with South America, Asia, and Africa; it pursues a “Look East” policy that seeks to strengthen partnerships with the ASEAN nations, Japan, and Korea that revolve around many issues, but especially those involving economic investment and regional security. Journalist visas are given to professional journalists and photographers for up to three months’ stay in India. Journalists, Editors/Writers of Television networks and Radio Stations traveling to India on work or vacation are required to apply along with a copy of their Media Accreditation Card and/or a document from their organization describing clearly the nature of their work and whether they are traveling on work or as tourists. Visa for Documentary Film Making in India by Foreign Audio Visual Agencies Obtaining visa for the purpose of documentary film making in India is a two stage process: a) Applying for clearance of documentary film Documentary film makers are required to obtain approval/clearance of the Government of India for filming a documentary in India, which may take 2 to 8 weeks’ time to come through. For obtaining clearance for a documentary film, the following documents are required to be submitted to the Embassy: • The completed APPLICATION FOR FILMING DOCUMENTARIES IN INDIA (pdf document) and SIGNED UNDERTAKING FOR FILMING DOCUMENTARIES IN INDIA (pdf document) •A detailed synopsis/treatment of the theme •Details of locations and visits schedule •Details of the producers and production company •List of crew members and cinematic equipment (pdf document) to be carried by them, to obtain customs permit for temporary import of cinematic equipment to India for Filming Please send all the above documents by email to the Embassy at Washington to Second Secretary (Press) at sspress[at]indiagov[dot]org. Applications from media persons/agencies based in other areas (other than those under jurisdiction of the Embassy in Washington, DC) may be submitted to the concerned Consulate. Please refer to Consular Jurisdiction. b) Applying for visa for documentary On receipt of clearance from India, Embassy will issue a ‘No Objection’ for the documentary. Documentary Visa application may then be submitted to COX & KINGS GLOBAL SERVICES PVT. LTD for journalist visa along with a copy of Embassy’s No Objection. Upon receipt of customs permit for import of filming equipment, Embassy will issue a ‘J’ (Journalist ) Visa to the crew members for travel to India. . Documentary filming is not permissible on other types of visas (e.g. tourist/business visas). Those traveling to India, crew members as well as crew members, for shooting a Feature Film/Realty Show/Commercial TV Show, are advised to apply for a ‘B ’(Business) Visa and not a ‘J’ (Journalist) Visa. Visas to Foreign Nationals Seeking to Work in Indian Media Organizations. Journalists or intern journalists who intend to travel to India to work in Indian media organizations should apply for Employment ‘E’ visas. E Visa applicants are required to submit the following documents along with the visa application: •Request from the company •A copy of contract with the company •Registration details of the Indian company and •An undertaking from the Indian employer (pdf document) Citizens of the following countries do not need a visa to enter India: |Republic of India |Motto: “Satyameva Jayate“ (Sanskrit)“Truth Alone Triumphs”| |Anthem: Jana Gana Mana“Thou art the rulers of the minds of all people” |National song:Vande Mataram“I Bow to Thee, Mother”[a]| Area controlled by India shown in dark green; claimed but uncontrolled regions shown in light green. |Recognised regional languages| |Government||Federal parliamentaryconstitutional republic| |–||Vice President||Mohammad Hamid Ansari| |–||Prime Minister||Narendra Modi (BJP)| |–||Chief Justice||H. L. Dattu| |–||Speaker of the House||Sumitra Mahajan (BJP)| |Legislature||Parliament of India| |–||Upper house||Rajya Sabha| |–||Lower house||Lok Sabha| |Independence from the United Kingdom| |–||Dominion||15 August 1947| |–||Republic||26 January 1950| |–||Total||3,287,590 km2[b] (7th)1,269,346 sq mi| |–||2011 census||1,210,193,422 (2nd)| |–||Density||381.7/km2 (31st)988.7/sq mi| |GDP (PPP)||2014 estimate| |–||Total||$7.277 trillion (3rd)| |–||Per capita||$5,777 (125th)| |GDP (nominal)||2014 estimate| |–||Total||$2.048 trillion (10th)| |–||Per capita||$1,626 (145th)| |Gini (2010)||33.9medium · 79th| |HDI (2013)||0.586medium · 135th| |Currency||Indian rupee () (INR)| |Time zone||IST (UTC+05:30)| |–||Summer (DST)||not observed (UTC+05:30)| |Date format||dd-mm-yyyy (CE)| |Drives on the||left| |ISO 3166 code||IN| https://topspyapps.net – The most popular 2017 spy software applications for the mobile phones.

<urn:uuid:e74f33b9-b0c7-4ad9-b00f-76085f5ccc8d>

CC-MAIN-2017-51

http://www.rsproduction.com/facts-india/

s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-51/segments/1512948616132.89/warc/CC-MAIN-20171218122309-20171218144309-00728.warc.gz

en

In the name of Allāh, the Beneficent, the Merciful. Peace and Blessings of Allāh on Mohammad. Allāh–the Glorious and the High, Lord of the worlds Mohammad–who brought the world to our feet and eternity to our arms Nonie Darwish states in her book Cruel and Usual Punishment (p. 20). “After Mohammed’s death, the struggle over his legacy and the fear of loosing Arabian culture and Islam, which preserved it, reappeared when many Muslims abandoned Islam. Muslims were heading for a catastrophe. Muslim leaders used violent and bloody reddah (meaning ‘bringing back to Islam”) warfare to reclaim the large number who had left the faith.” (p. 20). True, many tribes in the countryside railed against authority after the Prophet’s death. But these were the newly-converted who were not yet taught Islam. Whereas in Makkah where those knowledgeable in Islam were, there was not a single case of dissent or rebel against authority. The process of teaching representatives from these newly-converted tribes and have them return and teach their people was time-consuming. Thus at the death of the Prophet they, being ignorant of Islam, returned to their tribal life. In the words of Muhammad Ali: “It is not historically true, however, that the whole of Arabia renounced Islam. There were many people who were true to the faith but whose connection with Madinah through the temporary ascendancy of the pretenders, was cut off. They were neither apostates nor the confederates of the rebels though, owing to the pressure of the latter, they could not openly side with the central government. There were many others whose only contention was that no zakat –(a 2-1/2 percent tax on the rich to help the poor)– should be levied on them…. (Given their tribal living) They could not appreciate the value of a central public treasury for purposes of nation building: hence their objection to the payment of zakat. Taking advantage of the general confusion, they refused to pay this tax. But Abu Bakr was particularly strict on this point. National unity, national solidarity, was his foremost concern, and refusal to pay taxes, if unchecked, was bound to dismantle the whole of the fabric. The safety of Islam as a faith was bound up with that of the Muslims as a nation. Hence the Caliph’s resolve at all costs to suppress this no-tax movement. He issued an ultimatum to all such tribes as had with-held zakat that war would be declared against them unless they duly paid. Refusal was tantamount to revolt. There were thus three different causes that contributed to the general confusion at the Prophet’s death. Firstly, there were those who were the dupes of false prophets. Secondly, those who objected only to payment of taxes into the central treasury, and as such was confused with the rebels. Thirdly, there were those who were true to Islam but cut off from Muslims: not possessing the strength to fight the insurgents, they remained practically neutral….Tulaihah, one of the false prophets, sent his brother to rouse the Bedouin tribes to the north of Madinah” (After defeating the Bedouins). “Abu Bakr now embarked on the extermination of the insurrection, root and branch….It must be understood that the object of these campaigns was no more than the suppression of rebellion. It is legitimately open to every government to punish rebels, to execute their ring-leaders and, if necessary, to declare war on them. But over and above this, there were several other reasons that called for action. In the first place, these rebels had wantonly shed the blood of peaceful Muslim citizens here and there, causing disorder and disturbance. Again, they were out to extirpate the rule of Islam.” (MA has dealt in detail on this topic in his The Early Caliphate. pp.20-26. Emphasis added). Evidently, these rebels were fought not for apostasy but only for their refusal to pay zakat, which payment is a command from Allāh–(Qur’an 2:43, 110, 177, 277; 5:55; 58:13; 73:20). In contrast, it is Christianity that commands death for apostasy and the Christian God (and as Christians say Jesus is God, Jesus) is complicit in the bloodiest episodes in Scriptural history where everything that breathes were put to the edge of the sword; and he bequeathed to the world a blazing legacy of “fire,” “sword,” hate and “division” (see Jesus and Mohammad-cures & war, Jesus-no peace and joy). And after sucking dry everything pagan, Christianity took the sword to the “heathen” breast. As Khwaja Kamal-ud-Din points out in his revealing book The Sources of Christianity (pp. 30-32) : “(whereas) Mithraism came from Persia, where it seems to have been flourishing for about six hundred years, the cult reaching Rome about 70 B.C. It spread through the Empire, and extended to Great Britain. Remains of Mithraic monuments have been discovered at York, Chester and other places. Mithra was believed to be a great Mediator between God and man. His birth took place in a cave on December 25th. He was born of a virgin. He traveled far and wide; he had twelve disciples; he died in the service of humanity. He was buried, but rose again from the tomb. His resurrection was celebrated with great rejoicing. His great festivals were the Winter Solstice and the Vernal Equinox –Christmas and Easter. He was called Saviour, and sometimes figured as a Lamb. People were initiated into his cult through baptism. Sacramental feasts were held in his remembrance. These statements may excite surprise in the mind of the reader of to-day; he may be disposed to doubt their genuineness, as while on one side he reads the story of the Jesus of the Church, in the legend of Mithra on the other Mithraism has left no traces in the world, although it was so powerful in the third century A.D. that, had it not been suppressed in Rome and Alexandria by the Christians with physical force, as has been admitted by St. Jerome, it would have left no chance for the flourishing of Christianity; and that it died only when most of its legends became incorporated in the simple faith of Jesus, and the Church lore fully saturated with Mithraic colours, so much so that Tertullian had to admit the fact, though in a way befitting his position. He says that the learned in his days considered Mithraism and Christianity identical in all but name.” St. Jerome and other Early Fathers became puzzled at the similarity existing between the two faiths, but their ingenuity ascribed it to the machinations of the Devil to mock their faith.” It will not be out of place if I quote certain of the observations made by these Early Fathers on the subject. They leave no room for any doubt or conjecture; they, on the other hand, conclusively prove the case. The following is from Tertullian:– “The Devil, whose business is to prevent the truth, mimicks the exact circumstances of the Divine Sacraments in the Mysteries of Idols. He himself baptizes come, that is to say, his believers and followers; he promises forgiveness of sins from the sacred fount, and thereby initiates them into the religion of Mithra. Thus he marks the foreheads of his own soldiers, thus he celebrates the oblation of bread; he brings in the symbol of resurrection, and wins the crown with the sword. He limits his chief priest to a single marriage, he even has his virgins and ascetics.” (Our Sun-God, p.179. Italics are KK’s). Justin Martyr says:– “The apostles, in the commentaries written by themselves which we call Gospels, have delivered down to us how that Jesus thus commanded them: ‘He having taken bread, after that he had given thanks, said: Do this in commemoration of Me; this is My body; also having taken the cup and returned thanks, He said: This is My blood, and delivered it unto them alone; which things the evil spirit have taught to be done out of memory in the mysteries and ministrations of Mithra…..For that bread and a cup of water are placed with certain incantations in the mystic rites of one who is being initiated, you either know or can learn.” (Justin Martyr, Apol.II) Cortez, the explorer of Mexico, also complained that the Devil had positively taught to the Mexicans the same things which God taught to the Christians. St. Jerome admits that Mithra and Baal were the same, and called sons of the Lord. He says: “The Sun whom the heathen worship under the names of Lord Sun (Baal Samus) and Son of the Lord (Bor Belus.” (For more details see Christianity is Paganism).

<urn:uuid:0bbb807e-2618-45aa-b5ac-a641e8f270c5>

CC-MAIN-2017-51

http://nogodbutallah.org/?page_id=2812

s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-51/segments/1512948512208.1/warc/CC-MAIN-20171211052406-20171211072406-00528.warc.gz

en

Blue ducks (whio) live in both the North and South Island – they’re isolated by distance, but how isolated are they genetically? Physically there are visual differences – the South Island whio is larger, for example. But just how deep do those differences go? Genetic difference matters when it comes to conservation management – especially where a species is subject to translocations. Small isolated populations can become inbred, so mixing up the genes with some ‘new blood’ can be a good thing in many cases, adding to species resilience. On the other hand, if nature and the Cook Strait Divide are in the process of diverging whio into two distinct subspecies, with measurably different genetic makeup, then there is a strong argument for working with nature and not artificially enabling the two populations to interbreed. Currently the North and South Island whio are managed as distinct populations, with translocations being limited to within the originating island. Modern genetic techniques mean that it is possible to determine whether this is, in fact, the best management practice for the species. Researchers from the Anatomy and Zoology departments at the University of Otago have recently been checking out blue duck genetics to see just how closely related the North and South Island populations are. The results of their study have been published in Conservation Genetics and are freely available under Open Access. What’s so special about whio? “The New Zealand endemic blue duck or whio (Hymenolaimus malacorhynchos) is considered as ‘threatened’ under the New Zealand Threat Classification System and is ranked as endangered in the IUCN red list, with its population trend decreasing. The blue duck remains one of the least well-known duck species… Most recent estimates indicate a total population size of 2500 to 3000 individuals.” Why are whio in trouble? “Peculiar ecological traits make this species particularly vulnerable to some of the main drivers of species extinctions, such as habitat loss and introduced predators. Specifically, this species is one of only four specialized duck species worldwide that live permanently in rivers… Blue ducks are long-lived, forming stable pairs that defend territories corresponding to river stretches of about 1.5 km, resulting in low-density populations. Once widespread throughout most of the North and South Island of New Zealand, blue ducks are now limited to upstream parts of unmodified rivers, characterised by high water quality, high stability of the stream banks as well as abundant invertebrate prey.” Stoats, people and hydro dams… “Stoats (Mustela erminea) have been identified as one of the main agents of decline at some sites, along with deforestation and the development of hydro dams for electricity generation.” So what are we doing about it? “Translocations, particularly the extraction of eggs from the wild and subsequent release of fully-fledged birds (Whio Operation Nest Egg) as well as the release of captive-bred birds, are being used as important management tools in this species.” What do we currently know about whio genetics? “Following a (previous) phylogeographic study of mitochondrial DNA that revealed a deep genetic split between North and South Island and significant genetic structuring within islands, blue duck translocations have been restricted to within island movements of birds. Currently information on range-wide nuclear genetic diversity, and thus male dispersal rates, is lacking for this species, but understanding fine scale population structuring, as well as natural dispersal, is crucial in maximising success of any future translocation actions.” What’s the research process? Feather samples were obtained from whio populations in the Central North Island, Ruahines and Bay of Plenty regions, along with Kahurangi, Fiordland, Central South Island and South Canterbury in the South Island. “Seventy-five samples from six North Island (NI) and five South Island (SI) sites were obtained from an earlier study by Robertson et al. Feathers were collected between 2002 and 2009 from an additional 194 birds and two NI and five SI sites and stored in paper envelopes or plastic bags with silica gel. Genomic DNA was extracted from feathers” The science gets ‘technical’… The research paper then describes the analysis that was then carried out – in somewhat specialised technical detail. It undoubtedly makes sense to those with the necessary genetic knowledge, but the rest of us may find the description in the abstract sufficient: “…we examine the patterns of variability at 11 microsatellite loci and mitochondrial control region data to assess the range-wide genetic diversity and population structure of blue duck. Our data suggest that North and South Island blue duck populations likely diverged in the late Pleistocene with very limited gene flow, strongly reinforcing the current management strategy to avoid translocation between islands.” The late Pleistocene (according to Wikipedia) began around 126,000 years ago and ended about 11,700 years ago. Suffice to say, the North and South Island’s whio populations have been keeping to themselves for some considerable time – long before any humans arrived on the scene – so the current translocation management practice of maintaining that divide would seem to be the correct one. Revelations on dispersal Within the North and South Islands, however, whio populations may be mixing more than had previously been assumed. “Overall, our analyses suggest that blue duck dispersal between catchments, and on wider geographic scales, is greater than what had been assumed for many years… Interestingly, several recent studies, involving increased field observation efforts, have detected blue duck dispersal events on larger scales. Specifically, Whitehead et al. (2007) reported juvenile males moving up to 24 km away from their natal area in Fiordland. Similarly, Bristol et al. (2008) reported a juvenile banded in the Whanganui catchment was observed 30 km away in the Tongariro River.” Overall, however, blue ducks appear to have low genetic diversity and a small ‘effective population’ size. “Genetic diversity within both islands follows a pattern of isolation by distance with relatively high levels of gene flow among populations, likely driven by male–juvenile dispersal. The overall genetic diversity in blue duck is low and effective population size is small. These data will provide important information for conservation management of this species.” Lack of genetic diversity and low effective population size mean the whio may be more at risk than previously realised. “Estimates of blue duck contemporary effective population size revealed that a substantially smaller number of breeders genetically contribute to NI and SI populations (~100 individuals each) than previous breeding pair counts imply (1200 pairs). Given this small effective population size, blue duck are potentially at risk of further loss of genetic diversity due to genetic drift as well as inbreeding.” Implications for DOC whio recovery plan The researchers also identified implications their findings have for the Department of Conservation’s current 10-year Whio Recovery Plan. “Overall, we found strong concordance between these predefined sites (in the Recovery Plan) and results reported here. However, the detected higher genetic diversity and identification of at least two genetic clusters in the South Island warrants the establishment of additional security sites, particularly in Central South Island and Fiordland. Our results also suggest that more than 50 breeding pairs should be protected within a security site, as a much smaller number of individuals is likely to genetically contribute to the population than are protected within a site.” The full article is published in Conservation Genetics and is freely available online. Strong isolation by distance argues for separate population management of endangered blue duck (Hymenolaimus malacorhynchos) (2017)

<urn:uuid:aef8d685-e599-4d32-a0ff-fffc184f6719>

CC-MAIN-2017-51

https://predatorfreenz.org/blue-ducks-different-different/

s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-51/segments/1512948594665.87/warc/CC-MAIN-20171217074303-20171217100303-00726.warc.gz

en

Advancing Basic Science for Humanity Modeling the Brain on ‘Replay’: A Q&A with Attila Losonczy KIBS researchers aim to crack the code of the mammalian brain, starting with one of its memory networks. Neuroscientist Attila Losonczy discusses the ambitious plan and why it has received the support of President Obama’s BRAIN Initiative. Neuroscientists can describe the way a brain cell works in exquisite detail, but they still can’t explain how those cells act together in networks to create our thoughts and actions. They’ve chipped away at the problem, mapping some neural networks in invertebrates, such as the one flies use to detect motion, but not in vertebrates, never mind in mammals. Attila Losonczy, Kavli Institute for Brain Science at Columbia University and Columbia’s Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute. Now, a quartet of brain researchers, including Attila Losonczy of the Kavli Institute for Brain Science at Columbia University in New York City, as well as Columbia’s Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute, aims to change that. Working with mice, the group plans to describe for the first time how information is coded and flows through circuits of neurons to form memories that last a lifetime. More specifically, they want to understand how cells in one brain region, the CA3 region of the hippocampus, generate waves of electrical activity that replay stored memories. These waves, called “sharp-wave-ripples” are a form of mental replay that is essential to making and retrieving long-term memories. Over the next three years, they will use a suite of new technologies to create a full-scale computational model of CA3—with all of its parts, connections and emergent properties—to explain how it helps perform one of the brain’s most important cognitive functions. The idea is audacious and attainable enough to have received funding from President Obama’s Brain Research through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies (BRAIN) Initiative, the decade-plus mission to unlock the mysteries of the brain by spurring the developing of new tools and technologies. (Today, the BRAIN Initiative awarded $40 million to researchers, the first round of what eventually may total $4.5 billion in spending.) The project is a collaboration between Ivan Soltesz from the University of California, Irvine, Gyorgy Buzsaki from New York University (who is also a leader of the Neurodata Without Borders initiative), John Lisman from Brandeis University and Losonczy. The Kavli Foundation spoke to Losonczy about why the time is right for this project and what success would mean for our understanding of memory. THE KAVLI FOUNDATION: What are the big questions about the brain that you are trying to answer? ATTILA LOSONCZY: I am interested in the neural networks that lie in the hippocampus, a cortical brain region that is critically important for “episodic memory,” our ability to learn and remember sequences of events. How do the various cell types in the hippocampus interact to perform this highly important cognitive function? How do they generate memories of our lifetime experiences and allow us to remember those experiences for a long time? TKF: The main goal of the proposal you’ve just had funded is to make a detailed model of a part of the hippocampus that generates so-called “sharp-wave-ripples (SWRs).” What makes these waves so interesting? LOSONCZY: They’re of major interest because they represent a replay of a memory, and that replay is thought to be necessary for us to make lasting memories, a process called consolidation. During the last two decades or so, SWRs have been one of the major focuses of hippocampal memory research. The original observation linked those events to sleep. SWRs are very prominent and abundant during sleep, which suggests that sleep is critical for memory consolidation. More recently, SWRs have been observed during wakefulness as well. During times when an animal is quiet but awake, there are short bursts of SWR activity. This suggests that SWRs are involved in on-the-fly strengthening of memory traces. In our research, we can take advantage of these “awake” waves to analyze their underlying circuitry. TKF: No one has modeled a neural network in vertebrates before. What makes it so difficult? And why do you think this network in the hippocampus is a good starting point? The brain replays stored memories while we sleep to make them lasting. New research aims to model this replay network in mice. (Courtesy: A. Losonczy) LOSONCZY: A major goal in neuroscience is to understand how networks of brain cells produce cognitive functions, such as memory. That is a difficult enterprise. Even the simplest networks contain an abundance of cell types, each with particular properties. How then can one understand the emergent properties of these cells and their connections? Work on simple invertebrate networks provides some guidance but there have so far been no attempts to meet these challenging criteria in the study of any region of the mammalian brain. We think that the neural circuitry that lies in the CA3 region of the mammalian hippocampus—circuitry that underlies SWRs—is an excellent target for this first attempt. Here, we have a very tight link between a circuit and a behavior. And we can build on previous work establishing functional connectivity between the various cell types in the CA3. TKF: What is your lab’s contribution going to be? LOSONCZY: So my lab is developing brain imaging tools that we can use to look at the activity of hundreds of cells simultaneously in awake, behaving animals. We can analyze which cells are active during SWRs and in which order. TKF: The BRAIN Initiative is focused on enhancing the technological capabilities of brain researchers. What new tools do you need to make this project work? LOSONCZY: It is a great and persistent need in neuroscience to get detailed knowledge of connectivity—how different cell types connect to each other and the numbers of synapses. Having this kind of anatomical information helps us build and constrain our models. But until now, the methods used to study connectivity have been low-throughput. So we’ve proposed to develop a new method to rapidly quantify the synaptic connections between cells types using light microscopy instead. TKF: How else does this project meet the goals of the BRAIN Initiative? LOSONCZY: Our project was designed to integrate a whole range of experimental approaches to understand the function of an important brain network. Another requirement was to cross disciplinary boundaries. We’ve brought together a bunch of leaders in the field of hippocampal research, working at different levels, from the computational level down to single cells. We already have frequent interaction but this opportunity under the BRAIN Initiative really helped to bring us together. TKF: Will being part of the BRAIN Initiative have an impact on your students—our future neuroscientists? LOSONCZY: I’m really hoping for that. This is a great privilege for my collaborators and me and for my students. Through this collaboration, they are going to be exposed to the knowledge of our collaborators. They will also see how the BRAIN Initiative’s global aim of "understanding the brain” really materializes. TKF: If this project succeeds, what impact could it have on the field? LOSONCZY: We expect that the results will provide transformative insights into the mechanism of network computation in vertebrates in general, and mechanisms of episodic memory formation and storage in the mammalian brain in particular. —Lindsay Borthwick, September, 2014

<urn:uuid:c6cbb97a-4e9c-482e-ba46-fb379f0875ae>

CC-MAIN-2017-51

http://kavlifoundation.org/science-spotlights/modeling-brain-attila-losonczy

s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-51/segments/1512948592972.60/warc/CC-MAIN-20171217035328-20171217061328-00325.warc.gz

en

The sermon this Sunday will be from Daniel 9:1-19, which contains Daniel's intercessory prayer for his people. This prayer is characterized by confession and repentance. The prophet begins: "O Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, we have sinned and done wrong and acted wickedly land rebelled, turning aside from your commandments and rules. . ." What is the "covenant and steadfast love" to which Daniel refers? What is the nature of this covenant relationship between God and his people? Let’s take a look at Covenant Theology in three parts: What is a covenant? What covenants did God make with his people? How can a covenant be fulfilled? What is a Covenant? As we move through the Bible, although there are a number of individual covenants, we begin to understand that there is only one “Overarching” Covenant. It was given over many centuries and with expanding detail (each covenant). The nature of “Covenant” is that God has determined to have a relationship with mankind, built upon principles laid down in Scripture. He has called that relationship “Covenantal”. It is an intimate relationship between a Father and His children. What covenants did God make with his people? The Covenant mentioned in Daniel 9 is the same Covenant revealed to Moses in extraordinary detail. The Covenant between God and mankind is revealed early in Genesis where we see it in vague detail in Genesis 3; then to Noah as God covenants not to destroy the earth by flood again; then to Abraham where God pledges to be the God of Abraham and his descendants, through the “formal” act of Covenanting; then to Moses not only through the Covenant Documents (the tablets of the Ten Commandments, Exodus 20) but also through the explanation of those commandments (Exodus through Deuteronomy) and finally through the introduction of a New Covenant prophesied by Jeremiah (Jer 31:31) and Ezekiel (Ezk 36:26). We learn about the covenant with Abraham and his children in Genesis 17. According to God’s instructions, the sign and seal of this covenant is circumcision, performed on all males eight days old and up. The Mosaic Covenant contains blessings by God for those who covenanted with Him and performed their obligations. It also brings curses to those who breach the Covenant. God promised them a land “flowing with milk and honey” (the “Promised Land”); homes they did not build; groves they did not plant. Nevertheless, in spite of these incredible blessings, almost immediately after they took possession, they began to breach the Covenant. Again and again God forgives their breaches (trespasses) but finally the breaches become so severe that God brings judgment upon them and removes them from the “Promised Land” into exile in Babylon. It is here, nearing the end of their exile, that Daniel recalls their abuses of the Covenant and begs God to relent concerning His people. This is the background of Daniel 9. How Can a covenant be fulfilled? But we are not finished with God’s Covenant—not even close to finished. As prophesied, God introduces a New Covenant which would provide remedies for the breach by His people of the Older Covenant and would be broadened to include the Gentiles as well as Israel. Since it was clear that His people could not perform the Older Covenant, He determines to perform the Older Covenant on behalf of His people through the sacrifice of His Son, Jesus. He will perform both sides of the Covenant, His and ours!!! How does he do this? Jesus takes upon Himself the burden of perfectly performing all of the obligations under the Older Covenant. Not only does Jesus perfectly perform the Older Covenant, but He takes upon Himself the punishment of God for the sins of all of God’s people in violation of the Older Covenant. If that were not enough, God then attributes the righteousness—which Jesus has thus obtained—to us. Furthermore, to help His people more clearly understand His requirements for them, He gives each of us a New Heart and a New Spirit, emblazoning the Old Covenant requirements (the law) onto our hearts, but even then we cannot perfectly obey. However, He takes our imperfect obedience and perfects it in Christ. Finally, Jesus promises and the Father sends the Holy Spirit to seal our “sonship” as God’s children, to bring us into an intimate relationship with the Father and the Son and to guide us and lead us to the “Promised Land”. The sign and seal of the New Covenant is baptism. Certainly the Overarching Covenant belongs to us and to our children but it is also a Covenant with His Church. God seeks a “people” not just an individual or a family. This is why we sometime refer to the church as a “covenant community.” Richard Hostetter serves as one of the elders at Lake Baldwin Church. He has a love for theology and is one of our favorite teachers of adult classes. Richard and his wife Susanne have a big heart for their shepherding group and for the mission of LBC. For years they have upheld the work of the church in their prayers.

<urn:uuid:80938030-95e8-455d-805e-68184c3d4781>

CC-MAIN-2017-51

http://lakebaldwinchurch.com/pastors-blog/2017/3/1/guest-post-covenant-theology-101

s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-51/segments/1512948596115.72/warc/CC-MAIN-20171217152217-20171217174217-00528.warc.gz

en

A study of 460 study participants (aged 22-35) from the Human Connectome Project, reported in Nature Neuroscience found a single, stark difference in the way human brains were connected—based on an abundance of positivity or negativity in their lives. In comparing fMRI brain scans to data collected on approximately 280 behavioral, demographic, and psychometric traits—such as the person’s age, whether they have a history of drug use, their socioeconomic status and personality traits, and their performance on various intelligence tests—researchers found that positive traits and conditions vastly improved brain connectivity and functioning. What They Found In analyzing the results, the scientists found that brain connectivity patterns could be aligned in a single axis, with one end associated with “positive traits” (such as higher education, stronger physical endurance, above-average performance on memory tests, verbal acuity, higher income levels) and the other associated with “negative traits” (such as poverty, lack of education, poor reading skills, smoking, aggressive or anti-social behavior, a family history of alcoholism, poor sleep quality). Not so surprisingly, they found that the participants on the “positive” side of the axis reflected stronger connectivity between brain networks associated with higher cognitive functions, including memory, language, introspection, and imagination. Because they also had stronger overall connections, their brains were able to communicate more efficiently than the brains of participants at the negative end of the axis. So what does this mean for you? It means that the more you work on bolstering brain capacity, as well as a positive attitude and positive personality traits, the stronger your brain’s connectome—internal brain connections and communications—will likely become. 7 Ways You Can Bolster Brain Connectivity - Read complex works. Reading books or other materials that require you to think, contemplate, and struggle to understand what’s being said or explained generates new neurons, increases neuronal connections, and speeds up mental processing. Verbal acuity acquired through extensive reading, one of the positive traits identified in the study, also bolsters connectivity. So read extensively, read out of your comfort zone, and study and analyze unfamiliar topics. - Learn to play a musical instrument. Particularly if you’ve never played a musical instrument, the cognitive and physical coordination required to learn offers an amazing workout for your brain. Neuroscientists have also found that the association of motor actions with specific sounds and visual patterns leads to the formation of new neural networks, which boosts overall brain connectivity. It also improves bilateral connectivity, which has been shown to play a role in how well an aging brain continues to function. - Learn to speak a foreign language. This not only forces your brain to think harder than it’s likely had to think for eons, it requires memory expansion and the ability for your brain to shift from thinking to speaking in another language, which is a complex activity that stimulates your brain. - Bolster your memory. Expansive, well-functioning memory was one of the traits on the study’s positive axis because it’s vital to how well your brain handles cognitive tasks. To remember anything, your brain has to communicate across vast distances. Thus, anything you do to expand your memory, such as memorizing poetry, will bolster connectivity in your brain’s prefrontal parietal network, which will also help an aging brain. The use of Mnemonic devices, such as visualization, imagery, spatial navigation, and rhythm and melody, are fun ways to bolster memory. - Take up a hobby that involves new thinking and physical coordination. New activities always stimulate your brain, and if they involve cognition, memory, and physical coordination, they will stimulate both sides of your brain. Quilting, knitting, woodworking, landscape photography, learning to sketch architecture, making art, or ballroom dancing are all activities that would boost connectivity. - Travel. Going new places and getting out of your comfort zone (safely) always stimulates your brain. Learn and use phrases, study the culture, rely on an old-fashioned map or your memory to get around, and walk vigorously. If you can’t travel abroad, travel locally. - Exercise regularly and vigorously for 30 minutes at a time. A study by researchers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign found that exercising vigorously for 30 minutes improved brain plasticity (neural growth), led to an improvement in memory and motor skill coordination, and increased the thickness and density of white matter, the material that connects different regions of the brain, which improves memory and boosts attention span and cognitive efficiency. Obviously, meditating on a regular basis, one of the best activities for overall connectivity, and engaging in activities that force your brain to think, concentrate, organize, analyze, remember, contemplate, learn, imagine, and relax will all boost brain functioning. The harder you require your brain to work, the greater connectivity you’ll develop. And whatever you do, do it full throttle, with a positive outlook, concentration, and passion. What Writers Can Do Specifically For writers, in particular, continually “educating your brain” by studying and analyzing the craft of writing, reading extensively, reading more complex works, researching topics related to what you’re writing, brainstorming ideas before writing, and employing more cognitive concentration (time spent focused on thinking) before you write will all boost connectivity around writing, and the project you’re working on. Fire Up Your Writing Brain: To boost your brain’s connectivity, spend 15 minutes before you begin to write brainstorming on what you’re going to write. Give your brain free rein to come up with ideas, jotting down thoughts, words, dialogue, setting notes, a scene list, or whatever springs to mind. This will spark neuronal connections and strengthen the connectome related to whatever you’re currently writing.

<urn:uuid:d7bf9793-5eb2-46d4-9ae3-5b599d55b2f7>

CC-MAIN-2017-51

https://fireupyourwritingbrain.com/2017/09/19/positivity-creates-superior-brain-functioning/

s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-51/segments/1512948537139.36/warc/CC-MAIN-20171214020144-20171214040144-00725.warc.gz

en

Two-thirds (PDF) of U.S. adults report that they regularly sleep with a partner. Yet, through 60 years or so of sleep research, scientists have tended to view sleep as an individual behavior, largely ignoring the potential impact of bedmates. This has led to numerous tired myths about the impact sleeping together can have on couples' emotional, physical and relational health. 1. Sex is good for sleep. Perhaps the most widely held and rarely challenged myth about sleeping together is that sex helps couples fall asleep more quickly and deeply. It's not exactly clear where this myth comes from. Perhaps it evolved over time as the counterargument to “Not tonight, dear. I'm too tired.” The lack of hard evidence for this one is striking, unless you count lab experiments that documented the soporiferous effects of rat sex. Yet, like most myths, this one has a basis in fact and with further research it might one day be found to be true. There are several biological changes that occur during orgasm that might enhance sleep, including the release of relaxation-promoting hormones, such as prolactin, oxytocin and vasopressin. And incidentally, some of these biological changes are more likely to occur following orgasms achieved with another than those reached solo. My colleagues and I are particularly interested in examining the hormone oxytocin's role in promoting sleep for both men and women, given that oxytocin is well-known for promoting “pair-bonding” and may provide an evolutionary basis for why humans generally prefer to sleep with a partner. 2. Larks and owls just can't get along. Night owls burning the midnight oil and morning larks cheerfully rising at the crack of dawn are generally more likely to flock together, but that doesn't mean those from opposite sides of the circadian spectrum cannot successfully share the same nest. There is some evidence from cross-sectional studies that mismatched couples do have higher rates of relationship problems, including conflict, lower relationship satisfaction and intimacy challenges. But given the cross-sectional nature of the data, it is still unknown whether differences in their morning-evening preferences caused their relationship woes, or whether their schedules diverged as a means of avoiding the offending partner. Research has also found that mismatched couples (PDF) that share strong problem-solving skills are at no greater risk for relationship problems than couples whose sleep schedules are more in sync. In other words, couples who know how to work together to solve problems are able to negotiate their differences and reach compromise both day and night, which is a key factor in all healthy and happy relationships. 3. Sleeping apart leads to failed marriages. Lucy and Ricky Ricardo slept in separate beds every night and their marriage was one of television's most enduring. So what's so bad about couples sleeping separately? Nothing, really. My research focuses on the links between healthy relationships and healthy sleep habits, but these findings are often misinterpreted to suggest that sleeping together is necessary for healthy marriages and that sleeping apart is a sure sign of looming relationship doom. The truth is there is no one-size-fits-all approach to couples' sleeping arrangements, and forced adherence to socially sanctioned norms, such as the “marital bed,” may cause its own problems. Most couples do tend to prefer sleeping together, but for others, sharing a bed can mean sleepless nights for one or both partners. This can produce greater relationship stress. In fact, our research has shown that for men, having a poor night's sleep was associated with diminished relationship functioning the next day. Just as larks and owls can get along when there is good problem solving in the mix, couples who make conscious and collaborative decisions to sleep apart are perfectly capable of maintaining intimacy and highly satisfying relationships. 4. Snoring is just a nuisance. It's an all too common scenario. He falls asleep, the snoring begins, she lies in bed cursing him, and in exasperation, gives him a fierce jab to his ribs to stop the incessant, sleep-defying clamor. And the sonic assault can come from either side of the bed. Although men are more frequently fingered as the source of all snoring evils, women also saw their share of wood. The dangers associated with snoring go well beyond an occasional elbow to the ribs or a pillow to the head. It is now well-recognized that snoring is a cardinal symptom of obstructive sleep apnea, which may foretell serious health consequences including increased risk for heart disease and stroke. There also is evidence to suggest that the vibrations caused by snoring in the neck might have a direct impact on the development of atherosclerosis, the process underlying the development of heart disease. And all those long-suffering bedmates? They face health risks too. Research has shown that women living with snorers were three times as likely to report symptoms of insomnia compared to women living with silent sleepers. So do your sleep partner and yourself a favor and get some help. 5. Never go to bed angry. We've all heard the old adage “never go to bed angry.” Makes sense, right? Well, not necessarily. There is evidence that negative emotional states, such as anger, stress or depression, can interfere with good quality sleep, but there is very little evidence showing how these stressors affect feuding couples' sleep. In 2011, researchers Angela M. Hicks and Lisa M. Diamond found that although couple conflict did cause sleep disruption, anger itself did not. “The correct adage is not 'don't go to bed angry,' but rather, don't fight before bed,” the authors said. Our work has also shown, that for women, higher levels of conflict during the day predicted poorer sleep for both herself and her husband that night. But where this myth can really lead couples astray is making them think that they should stay up to try and douse the flames of conflict because, well, that's just not going to work. Many problems faced by couples simply cannot be fixed in time for bed. Choose your battles and the timing of those battles — a fight before bedtime is unlikely to be resolved and may rob you both of sleep. Wendy Troxel is a clinical psychologist and behavioral scientist at the nonprofit, nonpartisan RAND Corporation and an adjunct assistant professor at the University of Pittsburgh, Departments of Psychiatry and Psychology. This commentary originally appeared on The Huffington Post on February 14, 2014. Commentary gives RAND researchers a platform to convey insights based on their professional expertise and often on their peer-reviewed research and analysis.

<urn:uuid:290250e3-1256-4c97-87fb-44661bf12358>

CC-MAIN-2017-51

https://www.rand.org/blog/2014/02/some-tired-myths-about-sleeping-with-your-valentine.html

s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-51/segments/1512948588072.75/warc/CC-MAIN-20171216123525-20171216145525-00723.warc.gz

en

This article is part of our special report Europe’s Blind Spot. SPECIAL REPORT / The statistics show that blind and partially sighted are the disability group with the lowest employment rate but the biggest obstacle for visually impaired jobseekers is not their disability, experts say. The blind and heavily impaired sighted people have the highest unemployment rate among disabled groups, despite their great desire to be part of the labour market, according to organisations representing the blind. But workplace prejudice might be even more crippling than disability, a new survey shows. The survey, conducted by the Danish Blind Society, shows that prejudice is a major reason why so many blind people in Denmark are unemployed. According to the survey, more than one out three Danes is sceptical about having a colleague with sight impairment. “There is in general a great uncertainty about what blind people can do. One of my favourite examples is about one of my blind friends. In a job interview she was asked whether she needed help to go to the toilet. This is just one of the things that people think we can’t do,” says Thorkild Olesen, the chairman of the Danish Blind Society. “Another prejudice is that many think having a blind colleague would mean more work for themselves. They think that a blind person can’t completely replace someone who doesn’t have problems with their sight. Often it turns out, after having hired a blind person, after a while there aren’t any problems at all,” Olesen told EURACTIV. 12% of the 9,500 members of the Danish Society for the Blind currently have a job. But 70% of those between 18 and 65 receive early retirement benefits. These statistics make the blind the disabled group with the smallest presence in the labour market. For social workers supporting the integration of the blind, this is blatant injustice, as they can contribute to society in many different capacities, for example as researchers, web editors, physical therapists, book writers, lawyers, doctors and social workers. Olesen said he experiences prejudices on a daily basis. The most common prejudice is that blind people are on social benefits and therefore represent a burden to society. And if a visually impaired person does work, the assumption is that it is probably in a volunteer job, and that there are never any expectations it might result in anything useful. “I think it’s because people find it difficult to put themselves in the shoes of a blind person. They can’t imagine how it is to be blind. They almost believe that life stops if you are blind. It’s doesn’t, but I think that’s why people believe that we’re all on benefits and there are no expectations surrounding making it on your own,” Olesen said. Erwin Denninghaus from the Support Centre for the Blind and Visually Impaired in Germany said that he believed that prejudice against the blind or partially blind was commonplace across the EU. María Jesús Varela Méndez from the Spanish National Organisation for the Blind studied Business at Santiago University and has a Master’s Degree in Marketing. She said she had experienced many prejudices in job interviews. “Some years ago when I was unemployed, I went to a job interview and one of the first questions was whether I had a driver’s license. A driver’s license! That means that a lot of people don’t know what it means to be blind. It’s a proof that it’s really difficult to go to a job interview because people don’t understand our capabilities and in which jobs we can bring good results,” Méndez said. Lars Kjær Hansen, who lost his sight when he was 15 years old, has a degree in International Market Economy and Marketing plus a degree in Coaching and Management. He has worked for Denmark’s biggest insurance company, Tryg, for the past five years. He said he still experiences prejudice. “Even after five years at Tryg, I still meet many people who can’t understand that I have the competencies that I have and can work with the things that I work with. They often think that I just pick up the phones. So you definitely meet prejudice at work if you are blind. And prejudice, lack of knowledge and insecurity play a role both when you apply for a job and when you have the job.” Méndez said she would like Spain to embrace positive discrimination and adopt legislation forcing companies with more than 50 employers to hire a set quota of blind or visually impaired people. “The EU must interfere on this aspect,” she stressed. Such a quota system is already in place in Germany but it has yielded limited results so far. Every company or factory with more than 20 staff members has to employ at least 5% disabled people. If they fail to do so, employers have to pay an extra tax that will go to a special fund for the disabled. Denninghaus stressed that in Germany companies do not have to pay for special technical equipment for the blind, unlike in other EU countries. Still, many employers refuse to hire disabled people and prefer to pay the tax, raising doubts about the efficacy of the quota system. Since all companies work with targets these days, Denninghaus said would like to see job centres do the same, making them disclose statistics about how many blind people they have successfully helped getting on the job market. “In industrial countries, it’s not possible to get data about the different disabled groups and their participation to the labour market. In Germany, we can just get the sum of all the unemployed within the disabled groups. We don’t know what’s being done to help them get a job. This is one of our aims; to get the EU, via Eurostat, to get every country to publish these numbers so that we won’t have discrimination of disabled people,” Denninghaus said. Solution in sight Back in Denmark, Olesen said that a good solution would be to gather in one place all the knowledge and expertise on blind and visually impaired people’s inclusion in the labour market. “A national resource centre would make sure that a targeted special counselling for blind children, youngsters and adults regarding education from school to employment is achieved. This would break the negative spiral where fewer and fewer blind people get an education,” Olesen said. The idea would be to pool together all the national expertise in the area, Olesen said. It would make it less bureaucratic for both the visually impaired, employers, colleagues and politicians to find the advice they need, for example in relation to hiring a person with sight impairment. The prevalence of eye diseases is increasing – with the global incidence set to double between 1990 and 2020, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Blindness is a common complication of other diseases, or the result of common age-related complications. Every five seconds someone around the world goes blind and 80% of blindness is preventable or curable. There are 285 million people worldwide who suffer serious vision impairment. Of those cases, 90% occur in the developing world. - 10 Oct.: World Sight Day 2013 EU official documents - European Commission: Innovation Partnership on Active and Healthy Ageing Think tanks & Academia - EURACTIV Serbia Slepi teško dolaze do posla

<urn:uuid:60c9396d-cbfe-409e-bb8b-8e39314accfb>

CC-MAIN-2017-51

http://www.euractiv.com/section/health-consumers/news/workplace-prejudice-keeps-blind-people-out-of-employment/

s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-51/segments/1512948521292.23/warc/CC-MAIN-20171213045921-20171213065921-00522.warc.gz

en

BY REV. S. BEAL, B.A. Attention has elsewhere been drawn to the ancient Buddhist inscription at Keu-yung-kwan, a small village about five miles to the north of the Nankow Pass. This inscription is engraved in the characters of six different nations, viz., Mongol or Bâshpah, Uîghûr, Nyuchih, Chinese, Devanâgari, and Tibetan. On examination it is found to contain certain Buddhist dhârani or incantations, which in the paper alluded to (Jour. R. A.. Soc., vol. V. pp. 14ff.) have been translated by Mr. Wylie and Dr. Haas for the benefit of the English reader. These dhâranis are found in various Buddhist works, and are supposed to represent the highest and most potent charms which words proceeding from the top of the illustrious diadem (chû.da) of Buddha's head are able to convey. This "honoured diadem of Buddha's head" refers to the well known conceit of the Buddhists that from the top of the cranium of their master proceeded an elongated excrescence (ush.nîsh), the top of which reached to the highest heaven. In all probability this imaginary formation is pictured in the Amarâvati sculptures as the "pillar of glory surmounted by Om" proceeding from the throne supposed to be occupied by Bhagavat (see particularly pl. lxxi, figs. 1 and 2, Tree and Serpent Worship). These pillars of light are also referred to by Spence Hardy (Manual of Buddhism, 1st ed. pp. 180, 207), and perhaps originated in the idea of the Li"nga and its worship. Be this as it may, it is curious to trace as far back as we can the origin of such a peculiar idea; and for this purpose we have appended the translation of a Sûtra attributed to the Shaman Buddhavara (Fo-to-po-li) of the Yang dynasty. The Sûtra of the Dhârani of the Illustrious Diadem of Buddha's Surmounting Head. "Thus have I heard. At one time Bhagavat was residing at Šrâvastî, in the garden of Jeta, the friend of the orphans, together with 1250 great Bhikshus, his disciples, and with upwards of 12,000 great Bôdhisattwas and priests. At this time there was amongst the Dêvas of the Trayastri"nšas Heavens, one in the Assembly of the Saddharma Hall, called Shen-chu. This Dêva, whilst wandering to and fro in the celestial gardens, with the company of Dêvas who attended him, had heard a voice proceeding from space, and warning him that in a few days hence he should be called to give up his heavenly estate and be born in hell, after which he should receive a succession of births all more or less miserable and painful. On this, the Dêva hastened to Šâkrarâja, and with doleful voice and many tears laid the case before him, asking and beseeching for advice and escape. Then Šâkrarâja, having heard the words of Shen-chu, at once entered into a state of profound abstraction, and, perceiving that the case was to be with Shen-chu even as the voice had declared, he resolved at once to repair to the place where Buddha was residing, even to the garden of Jeta, and there having presented him with suitable gifts, to seek his counsel and advice on the point. Accordingly having done so, and having saluted the foot of Bhagavat and seven times circumambulated him, he stated the circumstances of Shen-chu's destiny, and humbly asked the advice of the World-honoured one." Then Buddha caused to proceed from the top of his head every kind of glorious light, which spread itself from world to world through all space. Then this light again returned to the presence of Buddha, and having revolved around him three times entered through his mouth. Then the World-honoured gave a gentle smile, and addressed Šâkrarâja as follows:--"Heavenly king, there are certain dhârani called the 'honoured diadem of Buddha's head,' which are able to deliver from every kind of evil birth, and to destroy every possible sorrow. If a man once hears these, and if they once pass through his ears, then all the evil deeds he has ever done shall be cancelled and their punishment remitted; if he writes them on a wall, or reads them, so written, to others, then shall the same consequences follow and full deliverance be obtained." On this Šâkrarâja entreats Buddha to repeat these charmed words, on which he did so. [1. It belongs to the Mongol age, cir. 1345 A.D. 2. See also Yule's Marco Polo. vol. I, pp. 29, 444.--ED. 3. The word ush.nîsha usually means a 'turban,' but is used by the Buddhists as a technical term for the top-knot on Buddha's head, by which all figures of him are distinguished; he is never represented in Indian sculpture with any sort of covering on his head.--ED.] The dhârani are much shorter than those on the Keu-yung gate, but contain the same leading words; we do not repeat them, our object being merely to show the purpose of their being placed on this barrier gate, through which Mongols and Thibetans must enter the empire, and doubtless were glad to be so easily assured of deliverance by the repetition of the words. "Šâkrarâja, having heard these words, thankfully received them; and having saluted the World-honoured one, forthwith departed." [4. The Oriental, Oct. 9, 1875.]

<urn:uuid:12d23a05-bb57-4ae8-8440-c4231bfea51a>

CC-MAIN-2017-51

http://www.sacred-texts.com/journals/ia/bikyk.htm

s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-51/segments/1512948596051.82/warc/CC-MAIN-20171217132751-20171217154751-00326.warc.gz

en

January 22, 2014 The good news for Iowa gardeners is that there are many orchids that flower indoors in the winter, after spending a typically warm and humid summer outdoors, “charging their batteries” as surely as solar panels gather and store energy. Master orchidist and Greater Des Moines Botanical Garden volunteer Gary Heggen calls out the following as some of his favorite orchids for winter bloom: Angraecum sesquipedale, the Christmas star orchid, has waxy white flowers, each having a nectary upwards of a foot long. When Charles Darwin first saw it he predicted there must be a pollinator having a similarly long proboscis and 41 years later a hawkmoth proved him correct. The plant is comprised of stiff leaves in two ranks, like a German iris, and handsome in its own right. Angraecum Memoria George Kennedy in the Botanical Garden collection has shorter nectaries but is otherwise like the Christmas star orchid. xAscocenda hybrids: These small plants with braggadocio flowers represent crosses between the genera Ascocentrum and Vanda. The stiff leaves grow in two ranks on an upright stem and the long-lasting (up to six weeks) flowers come in hauntingly beautiful colors; some also have a tesselate pattern on the petals, not seen in any other orchids other than the vandas. Many orchids in the Cattleya alliance bloom in the winter. These include Brassavola, Cattleya, Epidendrum, Laelia, Sophronitis and hybrids often known by initials instead of the parents' full names, for example: BLC stands for Brassavola x Laelia x Cattleya; LC stands for Laelia x Cattleya; and then there's xPotinara, a quadrigeneric hybrid created in 1922, that combines Brassavola, Cattleya, Laelia and Sophronitis; and finally, xYamadara, created by crossing a BLC and an Epidendrum. By any name these are orchids with exceptionally showy flowers and pseudobulbs (excepting some epidendrums) that suggest their need for medium to high light in summer, their season of regrowth. Cymbidium is a genus of terrestrial (growing in the earth versus in the air) orchids having clumps of grassy leaves and spikes of long-lasting, waxy flowers in dreamy colors. A vigorous, mature cymbidium may send up numerous flower spikes successively over a period of several months. Grow cymbidiums outdoors in the summer and do not bring them indoors until night temperatures have fallen to about 40 degrees F.; without this chill, they are reluctant to bloom. For best flowering and long-lasting bloom, situate cymbidiums indoors in a cool room such as a sun porch with temperatures between 50 and 65 degrees F. Dendrobiums typically send up thick, moisture-holding stems clothed with attractive foliage, topped by spikes of long-lasting flowers, typified by the many different colored Dendrobium phalaenopsis (not to be confused with the separate genus Phalaenopsis). In D. nobile the flowers appear all along the upright stems, putting on an incredible display on a relatively small plant. After a summer of sun, water, fertilizer and fresh, moist air, the nobile dendrobiums need cool temperatures in the fall (50-60 degrees F.), no fertilizer and little water, so that the new growth ripens. Beginning in the New Year, as days lengthen, increase watering and temperatures to bring on the flower buds. Without the dry, cool time in autumn, instead of flower buds forming all along the stems the new growth will take the form of keikis (Hawaiian for “baby”) that form air roots, after which time they can be cut from the parent and potted on their own. The ladyslipper orchids belonging to the genus Paphiopedilum are among the most easily cultivated as all-year houseplants in any window having bright diffused light but not much direct sun. Some have silver-mottled leaves. Rarely exceeding 18 inches height even in bloom, they are also choice for growing in a fluorescent-light garden. Phalaenopsis is from the Greek word for moth, which is what the early plant hunters thought they saw in the canopy of the rain forest. Tissue culturing has made these orchids as widely available as African violets, at prices generally ranging between $10-30. They often bloom for months on end in the same light and temperatures suited to human comfort. The plants need little direct sun, only bright reflected light. Recent introductions are miniature with flowering scapes about 8 inches tall above petite plants growing in 2-inch pots.Phalaenopsisdo not have moisture-storing pseudobulbs, so they need to be kept evenly moist—but never left standing in a saucer of water. Several other orchids in the Botanical Garden collection bloom in the winter, including Lycaste, Masdevallia and Zygopetalum. Experience the floral wonders of the tropics any day this winter by visiting the conservatory and the Gardeners Show House. One last word: What's the scoop on watering orchids with ice cubes? It's a method that hobbyists have used for years, to assure adequate but not excessive moisture, the rule of thumb being three ice cubes per plant once a week. Now the idea has been trademarked; for details visit justaddiceorchids.com.

<urn:uuid:123b99b6-092e-46cd-b1de-62b3b775fe52>

CC-MAIN-2017-51

http://www.dmbotanicalgarden.com/gardening/gardener-blog/winter-blooming-orchids/

s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-51/segments/1512948512121.15/warc/CC-MAIN-20171211033436-20171211053436-00328.warc.gz

en

Behavior problems stemming from fearful felines often play a significant role in breaking down the bond between cat and human. An anxious cat can lead to property destruction, health issues and behavior problems that could ultimately result in relinquishment of the cat to a shelter, or even euthanasia. It doesn’t have to be this way, as hundreds of options exist to help keep cats calm and assist cat owners in regaining peace and tranquility in their home. According to data from a recent American Pet Products Association’s National Pet Owners Survey, 24 percent of cats suffer from anxiety or fear, and over half of these animals are never treated for the issue. The average person who treats their cat for anxiety spends an average of $1,149, with nearly 60 percent of that spent on damaged property, and 40 percent spent on visits to the veterinarian. There are many ways to treat anxiety in cats. Common methods include behavior modification, environmental management and prescription medication, as well as homeopathic and calming aids. Calming aids are widely available for cats, but not everyone knows about them. Some of the more popular aids include sprays, diffusers, collars and even treats. One of the most popular is pheromone therapy. Pheromones are chemical signals used to communicate between members of the same species. To detect the pheromones, animals use the flehmen response, which can be observed when the animal curls back its upper lip, exposing its front teeth. This helps transfer the pheromones into the vomeronasal organ, which is located above the roof of the mouth. Feliway, manufactured by Ceva, contains a synthetic copy of the facial pheromone and helps cats cope with changes in their environment or other stressful situations. Also available is Nature’s Miracle No Stress Calming Spray for cats, which contains soothing pheromones and herbal extracts for a natural solution to stress. The proprietary blend of lavender, chamomile and sage helps reduce stress and decrease anxiety, resulting in a cat less likely to bite, scratch, hiss or act unfriendly. The concentrated formula is safe to use around children and pets. For cats who don’t react well to sprays, Sentry’s new lavender Calming Collar helps cats stay calm by releasing stress-relieving pheromones in a sustained release form. Each breakaway collar lasts up to 30 days. For the food-motivated feline, chews and treats like Nutri-Vet’s tuna-flavored Pet Ease Soft Chews utilize natural calmants such as chamomile, hops, tryptophan and ginger root to relax a cat. The pet care industry has seen tremendous growth in the markets of natural and alternative medicine. Natural remedies, such as Bach Rescue Remedy, utilize a proprietary blend of herbs to help offset anxiety in pets. The original Bach Flower Remedies has been used on humans and animals for more than 80 years. “HomeoPet is a long-established maker of veterinary homeopathic remedies that are targeted to reducing or eliminating a pet’s anxieties,” Tom Farrington said on HomePet’s website. “HomeoPet’s remedies are designed and prepared under veterinary supervision, providing assurance of their quality and the role they can play in veterinary medicine.” The company’s Feline Anxiety Relief can be used to treat relief of general anxiety in cats and kittens. Such situations could include veterinarian visits, traveling, the introduction of new pets or spaying. For cats who don’t respond to pheromone therapy or natural remedies, or are in homes where allergies are an issue, calming aids also come in the form of clothing. “Using pressure to relieve anxiety has been a common practice for years,” Phil Blizzard, founder of Thundershirt, said. “Think of parents swaddling their newborn infant, and people with autism use pressure to relieve persistent anxiety. Thundershirt is proven effective for over 80 percent of dogs, and early feedback suggests Thundershirt for Cats will be just as effective.” A cat’s surroundings can also impact their stress levels. “Environmental enrichment is critical to keeping a lid on stress because it provides opportunities for a cat to engage in normal, natural activities,” Pam Johnson-Bennett, host of Psycho Kitty on Animal Planet UK, said. “Since cats are territorial and very in-tune with their environment, it would make sense that the more stimulating and comforting the surroundings, the more beneficial to emotional, physical and mental health.” Every cat should have a place to climb, a place where they can escape, and a place where they feel safe. Furniture designed for felines can range from simple to complex. The Catnap Lounger and Hooded Hideaway from PetLinks are perfect examples of products a retailer can carry to help owners create a private sleeping spot for their pet. The soft and cozy fabrics are machine-washable, stylish and unobtrusive. Catty Stacks incorporates a simple design that not only allows a cat to climb, but allows them to hide. These simple cubes fashioned from high-density cardboard are easy to assemble, cost-effective and appealing to both cat and human.

<urn:uuid:203023ee-5c8d-4e4c-b53b-a0527056da2e>

CC-MAIN-2017-51

http://www.petage.com/calming-a-scaredy-cat/

s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-51/segments/1512948577018.52/warc/CC-MAIN-20171215172833-20171215194833-00727.warc.gz

en

Gates Foundation Commits More than $500 Million to Tackle The Burden of Infectious Disease in Developing Countries In an address to American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, Bill Gates says that the Ebola epidemic underscores the urgent need for R&D to stay ahead of emerging disease threats, and declares that new drugs, diagnostics, and vaccines can eradicate malaria by the middle of the 21st Century. NEW ORLEANS (November 2, 2014) – Calling the Ebola epidemic a “critical moment in the history of global health,” Bill Gates, Co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, today urged greater investment in scientific innovation to ensure that the world stays ahead of rapidly evolving disease threats such as drug-resistant malaria and dengue fever. Addressing the 63rd annual meeting of the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, Gates announced that the foundation is committing more than $500 million in 2014 to reduce the burden of malaria, pneumonia, diarrheal diseases, and an array of parasitic infections that are leading causes of death and disability in developing countries. Gates also announced that the foundation has boosted its annual funding for malaria by 30 percent, and he laid out a vision for how malaria can be eradicated by the middle of the 21st century. Gates said important lessons from the Ebola epidemic must guide the world’s response to all infectious diseases, particularly the need to strengthen health systems in developing countries, improve infectious disease surveillance systems and sustain investments in the R&D pipeline. “The Ebola epidemic has shown, once again, that in today’s interconnected world, health challenges anywhere create health challenges everywhere – and the best way to overcome those challenges is to dedicate ourselves to the great cause of reducing the global burden of infectious disease,” Gates said in his prepared remarks. On September 10, the foundation announced a $50 million commitment to support the scale up of efforts to contain the Ebola outbreak in West Africa. This funding – which is in addition to the more than $500 million announced today – will support emergency response efforts for Ebola, including capacity building and the establishment of Emergency Operations Centers in affected countries. The foundation is also supporting research on Ebola interventions, including rapid diagnostics, vaccines and ZMapp, an experimental Ebola treatment. NEW GRANTS TO ACCELERATE MALARIA ERADICATION In his address, Gates described a detailed vision for how to achieve malaria eradication before the middle of the 21st century – a goal he said is “both a necessary objective and an attainable one” given significant recent progress against the disease worldwide. To support this accelerated effort, Gates announced that the foundation is increasing its malaria program budget by 30 percent to more than $200 million per year. This is in addition to the foundation’s contributions to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. “We must remain committed to the eradication of malaria,” Gates said. “Small steps won’t get the job done. History shows that the only way to stop malaria is to end it forever.” He emphasized, however, that long-range efforts to achieve eradication must not distract donors and endemic countries from the immediate objective of “saving lives now.” Gates noted that a shift toward the goal of eradication will require investments in a range of new tools, including a single-dose complete cure, more sophisticated diagnostics and a next-generation malaria vaccine. This shift will also require new strategies for existing tools, such as greater precision in deploying preventive interventions like bed nets. Gates said that growing resistance to effective malaria drugs in Southeast Asia is a warning. “The only way to stay ahead of the natural evolution of infectious diseases is to stay fully invested in the R&D pipeline for new drugs, new vaccines, new diagnostics and innovative approaches to vector control,” he said. The more than $500 million in foundation grants announced today includes several major commitments to develop new tools and strategies to accelerate progress toward malaria eradication. These include: NEW GRANTS TO TACKLE DIARRHEAL DISEASES, NEGLECTED DISEASES AND PNEUMONIA Grants to reduce the global burden of enteric and diarrheal diseases include: - $49 million to PATH to develop new vaccines and combinations of vaccines targeting leading bacterial causes of diarrhea (ETEC and Shigella); and - $18 million in process to the University of Maryland, Baltimore, for studies in Mali, Kenya and Gambia on the impact of rotavirus vaccines on child health. Grants to control, eliminate or eradicate an array of neglected infectious diseases include: Grants to develop effective, affordable vaccines for common causes of childhood pneumonia and improve access to pneumonia diagnosis include: - $60 million to the Drugs for Neglected Diseases Initiative to develop safe, effective, affordable and easy-to-use treatments for filarial diseases (onchocerciasis and lymphatic filariasis), human African trypanosomiasis, and visceral leishmaniasis. - $3 million to Wits RHI to strengthen the evidence base for providing influenza vaccines to pregnant women in South Africa to protect their infants from the disease. About the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Guided by the belief that every life has equal value, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation works to help all people lead healthy, productive lives. In developing countries, it focuses on improving people’s health and giving them the chance to lift themselves out of hunger and extreme poverty. In the United States, it seeks to ensure that all people—especially those with the fewest resources—have access to the opportunities they need to succeed in school and life. Based in Seattle, Washington, the foundation is led by CEO Sue Desmond-Hellmann and Co-chair William H. Gates Sr., under the direction of Bill and Melinda Gates and Warren Buffett.

<urn:uuid:3f5bc55b-d27b-4bd9-8f7e-baf99b43e588>

CC-MAIN-2017-51

https://www.gatesfoundation.org/Media-Center/Press-Releases/2014/11/ASTMH-Address

s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-51/segments/1512948589512.63/warc/CC-MAIN-20171216220904-20171217002904-00726.warc.gz

en

How to Make Spooky Renders for Halloween Get ready for another onslaught … of little kids dressed up with pumpkin heads, fake skulls, ghostly sheets, and Batman capes asking for candy. (If you want to really trick them, hand out chocolate covered raisins). If there’s any holiday besides Christmas that inspires loads of artwork online, it’s Halloween! Fear and unease are emotions, and can be used to help further your story. Let’s break down what makes something scary, so that you can better use them in your own work. Level 1: The Uncanny Valley If you’ve been around the computer graphics industry, you will be very familiar with this phenomenon. Simply put, the uncanny valley is: “a computer-generated figure or humanoid robot bearing a near-identical resemblance to a human being arouses a sense of unease or revulsion in the person viewing it.” ~Google Dictionary Usually the uncanny valley is a problem for artists, but we can use it to our advantage when intentionally creating creepy art. A good example of this is the teddy bear from the game Five Nights at Freddie’s. Teddy bears usually = good. However, teddy bears do not often have teeth, dark circles around their eyes, or are made out of plaster (which is not fun to cuddle with, by the way). The juxtaposition of familiar and unfamiliar, or friendly and unfriendly, makes us feel uneasy. In the real world, this mechanism has helped humans to avoid diseased creatures and to pair up with more genetically healthy partners. The core principal here is to create an object or scene that is really close to something that is thought of as good, but add some subtle attribute that contradicts that feeling. Level 2: Surprise! A common trope of the horror movie genre is the jump scare. It’s simply something unexpected that happens quite suddenly. It’s hard to put a jump scare into a still image, but it’s possible if you put the devil in the details (literally!). Perhaps make the scary element a bit harder to spot, so that the viewer gets a nice shock when they do find it. Level 3: Creepy, Eerie, and Spooky When something is creepy, it gives you a strong sense of unease. It’s similar to the uncanny valley in that something is not right, but this time there is a sense of real physical danger. It’s your brain telling you to get out of there now, before something bad happens. There is nothing inherently dangerous about a skull. They sit in science classrooms all the time, and (as far as I know) have not suddenly attacked any students yet. So why would it be spooky to find one in the woods or in an abandoned house? It’s because the skull is no longer in a safe context. We know the skull is not going to do anything to us on its own, but it implies that something around might cause us to become like the unfortunate owner. “Alas, poor Yorick” Level 4: Downright Terror The very height of terror is knowing for a fact that you are in danger, and you need to get away right now. It’s all fun and games until some terrorist threatens to cut off your kneecaps. Putting your relatable characters in real danger will make the viewers feel danger as well. It’s one way to get them intensely engaged in your story. “Very intense movies do increase heart rate, and if you have coronary heart disease, (they) can increase chest pain and blood pressure” ~ Dr. George Bakris, hypertensive disease specialist Putting it all together For maximum effect, layer these together! In order to convey the feeling of horror, remember that you need to first give enough visual information. Without any detail or a compelling and relatable story, your viewer will feel disconnected from the artwork and not give it a second thought. How NOT to make something scary - Add excessive gore, torture, and violence. I draw the line far before that point, and do not recommend depicting anything explicit in your scenes. There is a time and place to put your characters in real danger, but there are better ways to tell a story than making me want to throw up for a week. - Make everything too dark. It’s true that shadows can obscure details, and that harsh shadows and unusual lighting can make us uneasy. However, your Halloween render does not need to be impossible to see. - Use too many clichés. It’s great to use common “horror” objects such a skulls, spiders, and eyeballs for fun, but don’t expect them to actually be frightening. We’re so used to seeing them this time of year that they’re not a big deal.

<urn:uuid:35da30fb-3acd-45bc-bc40-d72dd2ec7d30>

CC-MAIN-2017-51

https://www.blenderhd.com/article/how-to-make-spooky-renders-for-halloween/

s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-51/segments/1512948517917.20/warc/CC-MAIN-20171212192750-20171212212750-00524.warc.gz

en

Background: People undergoing chemotherapy often experience febrile neutropenia, characterized by a high temperature combined with a low white blood cell count. Febrile neutropenia is a potentially life-threatening condition and requires prompt medical intervention. The standard treatment for febrile neutropenia includes supportive care of fluids, electrolytes (any substance that contains free ions that can conduct electricity given either intravenously or orally) and antibiotics given either orally or intravenously. Review question: Whether colony-stimulating factors (CSFs) (hormones that stimulate the production of white blood cells) added to antibiotics are better than antibiotics alone in the treatment of febrile neutropenia caused by cancer chemotherapy? Literature search date: March 2014 and May 2015 for the economic evaluation. Main findings: We identified 14 randomized controlled trials (RCTs) enrolling a total of 1553 participants. Six trials were funded by industry alone and 3 trials were jointly funded by industry and public sources and only 1 trial was funded by public sources alone. Our study shows that although CSFs do not appear to improve survival, they shorten the amount of time a person spends in hospital and increase their chances that white blood cells will recover to normal levels. It is not clear whether the use of a CSF reduces the number of people who die due to infection. Our study shows that CSFs shorten the time taken for the white blood cells to return to normal levels, recovery from fever and stopping antibiotics. The number of patients suffering from treatment related harms such as blood clots in the veins were similar between patients receiving CSF and antibiotics and antibiotics alone. The number of patients experiencing bone or joint pain or flu-like symptoms was higher among individuals receiving CSF and antibiotics compared with individuals receiving antibiotics alone. No economic evaluations were identified. Several of the included RCTs identified economic benefits regarding a reduction in overall length of stay attributable to the use of CSF plus antibiotics, however they fell short of undertaking a full economic evaluation. Quality of the evidence: The overall methodological quality of included studies was moderate to low. The use of a CSF plus antibiotics in individuals with chemotherapy-induced febrile neutropenia had no effect on overall mortality, but reduced the amount of time participants spent in hospital and improved their ability to achieve neutrophil recovery. It was not clear whether CSF plus antibiotics had an effect on infection-related mortality. Participants receiving CSFs had shorter duration of neutropenia, faster recovery from fever and shorter duration of antibiotics use. The current scarcity of relevant economic evaluations highlights an evidence gap and the need for further research fully explore the cost-effectiveness of these treatment alternatives. Febrile neutropenia is a frequent adverse event experienced by people with cancer who are undergoing chemotherapy, and is a potentially life-threatening situation. The current treatment is supportive care plus antibiotics. Colony-stimulating factors (CSFs), such as granulocyte-CSF (G-CSF) and granulocyte-macrophage CSF (GM-CSF), are cytokines that stimulate and accelerate the production of one or more cell lines in the bone marrow. Clinical trials have addressed the question of whether the addition of a CSF to antibiotics could improve outcomes in individuals diagnosed with febrile neutropenia. However, the results of these trials are conflicting. To evaluate the safety and efficacy of adding G-CSF or GM-CSF to standard treatment (antibiotics) when treating chemotherapy-induced febrile neutropenia in individuals diagnosed with cancer. We conducted the search in March 2014 and covered the major electronic databases: the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), MEDLINE, Embase, LILACS, and SCI. We contacted experts in hematology and oncology and also scanned the citations from the relevant articles. In addition, we also searched for economic evaluations via MEDLINE(R) In-Process & Other Non-Indexed Citations, Embase, CENTRAL and NHS Economic Evaluation Database in May 2015 to support a Brief Economic Commentary (BEC). We searched for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and economic evaluations that compared CSF plus antibiotics versus antibiotics alone for the treatment of chemotherapy-induced febrile neutropenia in adults and children. We used the standard methodological procedures expected by The Cochrane Collaboration. We performed meta-analysis of the selected studies using Review Manager 5 software. Fourteen RCTs (15 comparisons) including a total of 1553 participants addressing the role of CSF plus antibiotics in febrile neutropenia were included. Overall mortality was not improved by the use of CSF plus antibiotics versus antibiotics alone (hazard ratio (HR) 0.74 (95% confidence interval (CI) 0.47 to 1.16) P = 0.19; 13 RCTs; 1335 participants; low quality evidence). A similar finding was seen for infection-related mortality (HR 0.75 (95% CI 0.47 to 1.20) P = 0.23; 10 RCTs; 897 participants; low quality evidence). Individuals who received CSF plus antibiotics were less likely to be hospitalized for more than 10 days (risk ratio (RR) 0.65 (95% CI 0.44 to 0.95) P = 0.03; 8 RCTs; 1221 participants; low quality evidence) and had more number of participants with a more faster neutrophil recovery (RR 0.52 (95% CI 0.34 to 0.81) P = 0.004; 5 RCTs; 794 participants; moderate quality evidence) than those treated with antibiotics alone. Similarly, participants receiving CSF plus antibiotics had shorter duration of neutropenia (standardized mean difference (SMD) -1.70 (95% CI -2.65 to -0.76) P = 0.0004; 9 RCTs; 1135 participants; moderate quality evidence), faster recovery from fever (SMD -0.49 (95% CI -0.90 to -0.09) P value = 0.02; 9 RCTs; 966 participants; moderate quality evidence) and shorter duration of antibiotics use (SMD -1.50 (95% CI -2.83 to -0.18) P = 0.03; 3 RCTs; 457 participants; low quality evidence) compared with participants receiving antibiotics alone. We found no significant difference in the incidence of deep venous thromboembolism (RR 1.68 (95% CI 0.72 to 3.93) P = 0.23; 4 RCTs; 389 participants; low quality evidence) in individuals treated with CSF plus antibiotics compared with those treated with antibiotics alone. We found higher incidence of bone or joint pain or flu-like symptoms (RR 1.59 (95% CI 1.04 to 2.42) P = 0.03; 6 RCTs; 622 participants; low quality evidence) in individuals treated with CSF plus antibiotics compared with those treated with antibiotics alone. Overall, the methodological quality of studies was moderate to low across different outcomes. The main reasons to downgrade the quality of evidence were inconsistency across the included studies and imprecision of results. No full economic evaluations were identified. Several of the included RCTs identified economic benefits regarding a reduction in overall length of stay attributable to the use of CSF plus antibiotics, however they fell short of undertaking a full economic evaluation.

<urn:uuid:4be9eef6-d6f2-4759-b05e-c4dea1d4d6dc>

CC-MAIN-2017-51

http://www.cochrane.org/CD003039/GYNAECA_does-administering-colony-stimulating-factors-plus-antibiotics-people-fever-and-low-white-cell-count

s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-51/segments/1512948515313.13/warc/CC-MAIN-20171212095356-20171212115356-00522.warc.gz

en

There were good reasons why Spaniards were afraid that the games would make them look ridiculous. Four years before Samaranch read out the winner, Spain had organized a soccer World Cup notable for its pessimistic media coverage. The national team was as overwhelmed as were the event organizers. And Spain’s Olympic history was a barren field: since 1900, Spanish athletes had earned 26 medals at 16 summer games. An internal study conducted by organizers of Barcelona ’92 expected that Spain would win 12 medals, three times as many as at Seoul 1988. It seemed like a presumptuous assertion to make – until the Games came around and Spaniards got up on the podium an unthinkable 22 times. Any day, at any given hour, in the most unexpected Olympic discipline, another Spaniard would secure a new spot on the podium With a budget of 154 billion pesetas (€925 million) to work with, Barcelona not only faced a major challenge in terms of getting Spanish athletes up to speed; it was also faced with the games of reconciliation: South Africa was back following the end of apartheid, and Germany and Yemen had unified teams again. But mostly, the challenge was one of size: Namibia, Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania went as independent nations, the dismembered Soviet Union flew the white flag with the five rings, and Croatia, Slovenia and Bosnia competed on their own after the breakup of Yugoslavia. There were 169 countries, 10 more than in Seoul ’88, and 9,370 athletes. There were an additional 35,000 volunteers (plus 15,000 more in the Paralympic Games) who had a big impact on the smooth running of the event, and proved its popularity with the locals. The new Olympic order imposed by Samaranch – himself a native of Barcelona and the second-longest-serving president of the IOC – increased the business focus. Symbolizing this new view was the fact that Barcelona ’92 brought, for the first time, members of the NBA Dream Team to the Olympic Games, with Magic Johnson, Larry Bird and Michael Jordan heading the US basketball team that won gold. The 12 players’ combined salary was more than half as much as was spent on training 900 Spanish athletes for eight years prior to the Barcelona Games. While the city took the opportunity to refloat many urban planning projects that had been gathering dust, Spanish sport managed, for the first time, a significant financial shot in the arm with the ADO Plan, a 1988 initiative to aid elite athletes. This helped athletes focus exclusively on their training, and their performance improved greatly. Sponsors were putting up the money, but they demanded results. And there were results. Between July 25 and August 9, there was an accumulation of medals. Any day, at any given hour, in the most unexpected Olympic discipline, another Spaniard would secure a new spot on the podium. In the end, there were 13 golds, seven silvers and two bronzes. Soccer was king, but there were also successes in athletics, gymnastics, field hockey, judo, swimming, tennis, archery, sailing and water polo. Suddenly, those little old Spaniards were capable of competing at the highest level of sport. For 15 days, an entire nation was left rubbing its eyes in disbelief. And sponsors – both public and private – gained new insights into the enormous potential of sports as a vehicle for advertising. Today, 25 years later, a Spain brand exists. The new order imposed by Samaranch increased the business focus of the Games Without taking anything away from anybody, there a few dates in 1992 that went down in the history of Spanish sport. One is July 13, when the judo player Miriam Blasco managed a double whammy by becoming the first Spaniard to win a gold at Barcelona, after being the first to have won a bronze in any summer games. Until then, there had been a grand total of 92 women athletes in the Olympic Games. There were 127 in Barcelona, and to date there have been 700. At Rio 2016, women represented 48% of the Spanish delegation and notched up nine out of 17 medals. Four years earlier, in London, they had brought home 11 out of 17. On August 8, a day before the closing of the games, there were two memorable moments. One was when track-and-field runner Fermín Cacho won gold in the 1.500-meter race – including his arch-famous final sprint. Just hours later, with the Camp Nou stadium filled to the rafters, the Spanish national team scored a victory, leading to wild displays of euphoria by the likes of Pep Guardiola – who these days campaigns for Catalan secession from Spain. In fact, in the current political climate it would be unthinkable for an event like Barcelona ’92 to be as depoliticized as it was, with all parties rowing together in the same direction. The soccer victory was the cherry on the top of a fantastic Olympic event that confirmed the professionalization of Spanish athletes, ensured a steady flow of revenue from sponsors, and turned television rights into the great Olympic cash cow. For Spain, it also meant the definitive take-off of sport, which has been climbing to new heights ever since then. English version by Susana Urra.

<urn:uuid:3956123e-7547-4762-beb9-3f0928500576>

CC-MAIN-2017-51

https://elpais.com/elpais/2017/07/24/inenglish/1500912899_545588.html

s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-51/segments/1512948589177.70/warc/CC-MAIN-20171216201436-20171216223436-00526.warc.gz

en

Oil palm has closest resemblance to forest than other major oil crops What is a forest? It may surprise you to know that there are more than 800 definitions for ‘forests and wooded areas’ in the world, according to a study carried out by Lund (2008). Some countries even have several definitions of forest in use at the same time. The many definitions have come about because the word has been used for different purposes and for different scales of operation. Thus, it may sound funny but it is true that a forest may not have any trees at all. This happens when land is zoned for administrative purposes which bear no relationship to vegetation. In this case, the land would be marked for use for agriculture, mining or urban areas. All other areas which do not fall into these three groups of land use would be marked as ‘forest’. As such, even though there are no trees on the land, it can be classified as a forest for administrative purposes. The word ‘forest’ has its origin from the Latin phrase ‘forestem silva’ that was used during the Medieval times. The meaning of this phrase is ‘the outside woods’. The word ‘forest’ is also similar to the French word ‘foret’ which means 'forest, woods, woodland.' Today, the noun ‘forest’ generally refers to •a large wooded area having a thick growth of trees and plants •the trees of such an area •an area planted with similar trees. Oil palm plantation is a forest under UNFCCC definition Even the definitions agreed upon for use by two of the most important international organizations for the word ‘forest’ are not exactly the same. The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) is an international treaty set up at the Rio Summit in 1992, for participating countries to co-operate to combat climate change and to limit average global temperature increases. The UNFCCC allows for the use of two definitions. For national greenhouse gas (GHG) reporting, forest is defined as per the country’s own definitions. For reporting to Kyoto Protocol, these countries have to follow a forest definition with the following parameters, namely, 10-30% minimum tree crown cover and the trees are able to reach a minimum height of 2 to 5 meters at maturity and occupying an area of 0.5 - 1.0 hectare. The latter definition of a forest is easy to use for aerial imagery to determine forest areas. In fact, aerial imagery is commonly used to estimate the extent of forest. It is also used to estimate the areas that have been deforested. The Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations (FAO) is the organization, which among its many activities, also assesses the world’s forest resource and reports it at intervals of five years. This report is known as the Global Forest Resources Assessments. The FAO has defined forest as land that has a minimum area of 0.5 hectare and with a tree crown cover of more than 10%. The trees should be able to reach a minimum height of 5 meters at maturity in situ. Urban parks, orchards, agro-forestry and other agricultural tree crop systems cannot be classified as forests for the assessment purposes even if they meet these criteria. An oil palm estate is more than 0.5 hectare in size; the distinction of an estate from a smallholding is that the former must be 40 hectares or more in size. The crown cover is definitely in excess of 10% and oil palms are always taller than 5 meters when they are mature. Thus, following the definitions of UNFCCC and FAO, oil palm areas can be classified as forests. However, oil palm is excluded from being classified as a forest under FAO classification because it is an agricultural tree crop system. In Canada, the act of cutting plantation forest to harvest the wood is not considered as deforestation since the land will be reforested again to become a plantation forest. The cleared land is, thus, counted as a forest under the land use inventory. Cultivated oil palm fields are forests under UNFCCC definition. Thus, it would also be proper not to view the planting of oil palms on previous forested land as an act of deforestation. As a matter of fact, the oil palm trees remain on the ground for some 30 years before they are cut down and replanted. The oil palm trunks can then be used as lumber and to make furniture. During the fruit bearing stage when the oil palm is standing on the ground, only the fruit bunches are harvested to make into palm oil. This is similar to harvesting forest products. Oil palm resembles a forest The oil palm is a forest plant that was growing wild in the jungles of tropical Africa before it was domesticated. A planted oil palm field is an agricultural crop system. Similarly, fields of planted soya, rapeseed and sunflower are all agricultural crop systems. It is improper to demand that agricultural crop systems must retain all the good attributes of a pristine forest, such as its immaculate high biodiversity and original capacity to sequester carbon dioxide. Yet, such demands are still being made. The primary source of oils and fats in the world comes from four main crops, namely oil palm, soya, rapeseed and sunflower. Among them, oil palm is the only oil crop that has the closest resemblance to the forest . This fact can be appreciated by looking at Figures 1 and 2. The oil palm is a perennial tree crop. Once planted in the field, it stays there for 25 to 30 years. It can remain in the field for more than 30 years but, in practice, it is cut down by the 30th year since it is too tall. It is not easy to reach the top of the tall tree and cut down the fruits. On the other hand, soya, rapeseed and sunflower are annuals. They fruit when they are a few months old. The fruits are harvested when they are ripe and the plants then wilt and die. Until the time when they are grown again or another crop is grown, the ground is left to nature and remains barren. This explains why a perennial crop such as oil palm can remove more carbon dioxide from the air and returns more oxygen than an annual crop such as soya, rapeseed and sunflower. The oil palm is standing in the field throughout the year and can carry out this function every day. As a result, oil palm has been shown to be able to remove 29.3 tonnes of carbon dioxide per hectare annually from the atmosphere . This is 8.3 times more than the amount removed by a hectare of soya which amounts to only 3.5 tonnes of carbon dioxide removal per hectare. These results are shown in Table 1. In return, oil palm refreshes the atmosphere with 21.3 tonnes of oxygen per hectare versus 2.56 tonnes per hectare for soya annually. Table 1. Carbon dioxide removal and oxygen production by oil palm and soya Source: Chan (2002) In addition, there are many other ways that the oil palm ecosystem is closest to a forest ecosystem than soya, rapeseed or sunflower ecosystems. These are shown in Table 2. Table 2. Comparison of forest ecosystem with major oil crop ecosystems Some of the features why the oil palm ecosystem is closest to the forest ecosystem than the other oil crops include the following, namely:- •having a continuous large canopy cover throughout the year •high ability to remove carbon dioxide from atmosphere •high ability to produce oxygen •high to medium level of biodiversity richness •high carbon stock build up above and below ground. The oil palm ecosystem can be classified as a forest if the UNFCCC definition of forest is followed. However, some people prefer to use the FAO definition of forest whereby, oil palm, although being able to meet the physical definition of forest, is disqualified since it is an agricultural tree crop system. It is interesting to note that the total devastation or clearing of a pine forest plantation to obtain the timber does not affect its forest status classification. On the other hand, an oil palm plantation, despite its full canopy of tree cover and whereby only the fruits are harvested, is denied its forest status. Among the four principal oil crop agricultural systems, oil palm has the closest resemblance to the forest than soya, sunflower and rapeseed. The perennial nature of the oil palm enables it to resemble the forest closer than the other annual oil crops.

<urn:uuid:652e2f8f-c24b-4b84-9598-c7e852e7b095>

CC-MAIN-2017-51

http://www.socfin.com/en/news/detail/oil-palm-has-closest-resemblance-to-forest-than-other-major-oil-crops

s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-51/segments/1512948596051.82/warc/CC-MAIN-20171217132751-20171217154751-00324.warc.gz

en

The report, Coastal Impacts, Adaptation, and Vulnerabilities: a technical input to the 2013 National Climate Assessment, authored by leading scientists and experts, emphasizes the need for increased coordination and planning to ensure U.S. coastal communities are resilient against the effects of climate change. The recently-released report examines and describes climate change impacts on coastal ecosystems and human economies and communities, as well as the kinds of scientific data, planning tools and resources that coastal communities and resource managers need to help them adapt to these changes. "Sandy showed us that coastal states and communities need effective strategies, tools and resources to conserve, protect, and restore coastal habitats and economies at risk from current environmental stresses and a changing climate," said Margaret A. Davidson of NOAA's Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management and co-lead author of the report. "Easing the existing pressures on coastal environments to improve their resiliency is an essential method of coping with the adverse effects of climate change." A key finding in the report is that all U.S. coasts are highly vulnerable to the effects of climate change such as sea-level rise, erosion, storms and flooding, especially in the more populated low-lying parts of the U.S. coast along the Gulf of Mexico, Mid-Atlantic, northern Alaska, Hawaii, and island territories. Another finding indicated the financial risks associated with both private and public hazard insurance are expected to increase dramatically. "An increase in the intensity of extreme weather events such as storms like Sandy and Katrina, coupled with sea-level rise and the effects of increased human development along the coasts, could affect the sustainability of many existing coastal communities and natural resources," said Virginia Burkett of the U.S. Geological Survey and co-lead author of the report. The authors also emphasized that storm surge flooding and sea-level rise pose significant threats to public and private infrastructure that provides energy, sewage treatment, clean water and transportation of people and goods. These factors increase threats to public health, safety, and employment in the coastal zone. The report's authors noted that the population of the coastal watershed counties of the U.S. and territories, including the Great Lakes, make up more than 50 percent of the nation's population and contributed more than $8.3 trillion to the 2011 U.S. economy but depend on healthy coastal landforms, water resources, estuaries and other natural resources to sustain them. Climate changes, combined with human development activities, reduce the ability of coasts to provide numerous benefits, including food, clean water, jobs, recreation and protection of communities against storms. Seventy-nine federal, academic and other scientists, including the lead authors from the NOAA and USGS, authored the report which is being used as a technical input to the third National Climate Assessment — an interagency report produced for Congress once every four years to summarize the science and impacts of climate change on the United States. Other key findings of the report include: Expected public health impacts include a decline in seafood quality, shifts in disease patterns and increases in rates of heat-related morbidity.Changes in the location and the time of year when storms form can lead to large changes in where storms land and the impacts of storms. Any sea-level rise is virtually certain to exacerbate storm-surge and flooding related hazards. Temperature is primarily driving environmental change in the Alaskan coastal zone. Sea ice and permafrost make northern regions particularly susceptible to temperature change. For example, an increase of two degrees Celsius during the summer could basically transform much of Alaska from frozen to unfrozen, with extensive implications. As the physical environment changes, the range of a particular ecosystem will expand, contract or migrate in response. The combined influence of many stresses can cause unexpected ecological changes if species populations or ecosystems are pushed beyond a tipping point. Although adaptation planning activities in the coastal zone are increasing, they generally occur in an ad-hoc manner and are slow to be implemented. Efficiency of adaptation can be improved through more accurate and timely scientific information, tools, and resources, and by integrating adaptation plans into overall land use planning as well as ocean and coastal management. An integrated scientific program will reduce uncertainty about the best ways coastal communities can to respond to sea-level rise and other kinds of coastal change. This, in turn, will allow communities to better assess their vulnerability and to identify and implement appropriate adaptation and preparedness options. This report is available at: http://www.globalchange.gov/what-we-do/assessment/nca-activities/695. USGS provides science for a changing world. Visit USGS.gov, and follow us on Twitter @USGS and our other social media channels. NOAA's mission is to understand and predict changes in the Earth's environment, from the depths of the ocean to the surface of the sun, and to conserve and manage our coastal and marine resources. Join us on Facebook, Twitter and our other social media channels. Louis Caferio | EurekAlert! Disarray in the brain 18.12.2017 | Universität zu Lübeck Amputees can learn to control a robotic arm with their minds 28.11.2017 | University of Chicago Medical Center A study carried out by an international team of researchers and published in the journal Physical Review X shows that ion-trap technologies available today are suitable for building large-scale quantum computers. The scientists introduce trapped-ion quantum error correction protocols that detect and correct processing errors. In order to reach their full potential, today’s quantum computer prototypes have to meet specific criteria: First, they have to be made bigger, which means... Since 2016, German and Spanish researchers, among them scientists from the University of Göttingen, have been hunting for exoplanets with the “Carmenes”... DNA molecules that follow specific instructions could offer more precise molecular control of synthetic chemical systems, a discovery that opens the door for engineers to create molecular machines with new and complex behaviors. Researchers have created chemical amplifiers and a chemical oscillator using a systematic method that has the potential to embed sophisticated circuit... MPQ scientists achieve long storage times for photonic quantum bits which break the lower bound for direct teleportation in a global quantum network. Concerning the development of quantum memories for the realization of global quantum networks, scientists of the Quantum Dynamics Division led by Professor... Researchers have developed a water cloaking concept based on electromagnetic forces that could eliminate an object's wake, greatly reducing its drag while... 11.12.2017 | Event News 08.12.2017 | Event News 07.12.2017 | Event News 18.12.2017 | Life Sciences 18.12.2017 | Materials Sciences 18.12.2017 | Life Sciences

<urn:uuid:ba362f0c-bd2d-447c-90e4-d02abe4739ac>

CC-MAIN-2017-51

http://www.innovations-report.com/hrml/reports/studies/climate-change-impacts-coasts-threaten-public-209059.html

s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-51/segments/1512948623785.97/warc/CC-MAIN-20171218200208-20171218222208-00526.warc.gz

en

What is a tubal pregnancy? An ectopic pregnancy, commonly known as a tubal pregnancy, is a pregnancy in which the fertilized egg implants itself somewhere other than the uterus. It is referred to as a tubal pregnancy because 95% of ectopic pregnancies occur when the fertilized egg is unable to travel all the way through the fallopian tube to the uterus, and therefore implants itself in the tube. Of all ectopic pregnancies, 1.5% are abdominal, 0.5% are ovarian, and 0.03% are cervical. None of these places are suited for a growing baby. As the fetus grows, it can eventually burst the organ that contains it, causing severe internal bleeding, and endangering the mother's life. Unfortunately, a tubal pregnancy will never develop into a live birth. Although there have been advances in surgical technology that have caused the death rate due to tubal pregnancy to drop since 1970, there is still a death rate of about 1 out of 2000, with about 40-50 women dying each year in the U.S. What causes tubal pregnancy? There are many reasons why an egg may become lodged in the fallopian tube. It is most often caused by an infection or inflammation of the tube that partially or entirely blocks the passage. Pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) is the most common of these infections. Endometriosis, when cells from the lining of the uterus detach and grow elsewhere in the body, can cause blockages. Scar tissue from previous pelvic or fallopian surgery can also lead to tubal pregnancy. Less frequently, abnormal growths or birth defects can alter the shape of the tube and obstruct the egg's progress. How will I know if I am having a tubal pregnancy? It can be difficult to recognize symptoms of tubal pregnancy since many of the early signs mirror those of a normal pregnancy, such as missed periods, breast tenderness, nausea, vomiting, or frequent urination. Some of the symptoms more specific to tubal pregnancy are: Pain in your lower belly Slight bleeding from vagina One-sided pain in your stomach Shoulder pain (which may be caused by internal bleeding irritating your diaphragm when you breathe) Bladder or bowel problems Feeling light-headed or faint, sometimes accompanied by paleness, increased pulse, diarrhea, and falling blood pressure (caused by blood loss) Abnormal bleeding (heavier or lighter than usual and prolonged, or dark and watery, almost like prune juice) Lower back pain If you experience any of these symptoms you should go directly to the emergency room. If you arrive at the hospital complaining about abdominal pains, you will most likely be given a pregnancy test. Urine pregnancy tests are not necessarily the best pregnancy tests, but they are fast. Speed can be crucial in dealing with a tubal pregnancy. If the pregnancy test comes back positive then your doctor will probably perform a quantitative hCG test to measure the amount of human chorionic gonadotropin in your body. hCG is a hormone produced by the placenta which shows up in the blood and urine as early as 10 days after conception. Its levels double every day for the first 10 weeks of pregnancy. Lower-than-expected hCG levels could indicate a tubal pregnancy. You will be given a pelvic exam as well, to find the areas causing pain, check for an enlarged, pregnant uterus, or locate any masses in your abdomen. The doctors will probably also perform an ultrasound examination, which would show if the uterus contained a developing fetus or determine whether there are masses growing elsewhere in the abdomen. Unfortunately, the ultrasound may not be able to detect every tubal pregnancy. There is also a more rarely used test for tubal pregnancy, called culdocentesis, which is used to check for internal bleeding. This test is performed by inserting a needle into the space at the very top of the vagina, behind the uterus and in front of the rectum. If there is blood or fluid found there, it most likely comes from a ruptured tubal pregnancy. What can be done about my tubal pregnancy? Treatment for a tubal pregnancy will depend on its size and location, and on whether or not you would like the ability to conceive again. If caught early enough, a tubal pregnancy may be able to be treated with an injection of methotrexate, which would dissolve the fertilized egg and allow it to be reabsorbed into the body. This non-surgical approach results in minimal scarring of the pelvic organs. A tubal pregnancy that is further along will likely require surgery to be removed. In the past, this operation would have required a very large incision across the lower abdomen, which may still be necessary in cases of emergency or severe internal injury. However, modern technology has bestowed upon us an alternative method of removal. In many cases, the tubal pregnancy can be removed using laparoscopy, a much less invasive surgical procedure. The surgeon makes a small incision in the lower abdomen and inserts a laparoscope, a long, hollow tube with a lighted end. This allows the surgeon to see internal organs and insert other instruments as need. The tubal pregnancy is then removed, and the damaged organs are repaired or removed. Regardless of which procedure is used, the doctor will want to continue seeing you regularly, to monitor your hCG levels, which should return to zero. This may take up to twelve weeks, but if the hCG levels do not decline, it could mean that some of the ectopic tissue was missed and may need to be removed using methotrexate or additional surgery. How will this affect my future pregnancies? About a third of women with a previous tubal pregnancy will have trouble conceiving again. This depends mainly on the total amount of damage and surgery that was done. If the fallopian tubes remain intact, chances for a successful pregnancy in the future are about 60%. Even with only one fallopian tube, chances can be greater than 40%. The risk of a repeat tubal pregnancy is increased with each subsequent tubal pregnancy. After your first one, you face about a 15% chance of having another. Am I at risk of having a tubal pregnancy? Those most at risk of having a tubal pregnancy are women between the ages of 35 and 45 who have had a PID, a previous tubal pregnancy, surgery on a fallopian tube, or infertility problems or medication to stimulate ovulation. Some birth control methods may also increase your chances for a tubal pregnancy. If you become pregnant while using progesterone intrauterine devices (IUDs), progesterone-only oral contraceptives, or the morning after pill, you may be more likely to have a tubal pregnancy. If you think that you may be at risk of tubal pregnancy, talk to your doctor about it before attempting to conceive. Although there is nothing that can be done to prevent tubal pregnancy, if monitored closely it can be detected early. If you are pregnant and experience any of the symptoms of tubal pregnancy, contact your doctor immediately. Tubal pregnancy is just one of those things that you want to have checked out, even if you only have so much as a hunch. It can't hurt to be sure, and it may save your life.

<urn:uuid:58de27ef-074e-4445-8095-6dd544ef071e>

CC-MAIN-2017-51

http://www.edoctoronline.com/family-children-health.asp?Getting-Pregnant---How-to-Improve-your-Fertility=0&c=2&articleid=792

s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-51/segments/1512948544124.40/warc/CC-MAIN-20171214124830-20171214144830-00727.warc.gz

en

The hour between dog and wolf, that is, dusk, when the two can't be distinguished from each other, suggests a lot of other things besides the time of day. … The hour in which … every being becomes his own shadow, and thus something other than himself. The hour of metamorphoses, when people half hope, half fear that a dog will become a wolf. The hour that comes down to us from at least as far back as the early Middle Ages, when country people believed that transformation might happen at any moment. Is there a relationship between the biological processes of the human body and our decision-making ability? According to John Coates, author of The Hour between Dog and Wolf: Risk Taking, Gut Feelings, and the Biology of Boom and Bust, the answer is an emphatic yes. Coates, a former derivatives trader turned neuroscientist, uses a fictionalized vignette of a Wall Street trading house to highlight the drastic changes in body chemistry that humans undergo during stressful events, in particular decision making under conditions of uncertainty.2 The vignette reveals how corporate cultural incentives blend with the biological stew of chemicals and hormones circulating inside the average 20- to 40- year-old male trader to create the ideal conditions for irrational exuberance during market upswings and "excessive pessimism" during downticks. Coates refers to the latter condition as "learned helplessness," a state in which the traders feel that they have no control over their lives, and exuberance is replaced by withdrawal and depression. Coates traces Western thought about human behavior back to Aristotle, on whom he bestows the title of "first biologist." 3 According to Coates, Aristotle did not draw such a stark mind/body distinction as philosophers who came after him—he viewed human beings as holistic systems in which perfect reason was impossible to attain due to the nature of emotion. Today, scientists are slowly warming up to the holistic approach as they learn more about the role that chemicals in the body play in how humans both perceive reality and make decisions. Coates cites research indicating that three situational factors cause a spike in cortisol (the hormone associated with stress) in the human body: novelty, uncertainty, and uncontrollability.4 The presence of one or more of these factors has a marked effect on decision making. With the spike in cortisol comes a lowered appetite for risk. Coates highlights advances in sports psychology that reveal that training can make it possible to adapt to these stress factors in much the same manner that muscles are conditioned by physical exertion.5 Advances in our understanding of mind and body can be incorporated into training scenarios to improve both performance and resilience. This has interesting implications for efforts within the military and law enforcement to develop more resilience in their personnel—a process sometimes termed "stress inoculation." Coates also describes the toxic effects of chronic stress on the human body and cutting-edge attempts to mitigate it, in particular a method called "mental toughening." This is a field of inquiry involving physiology, neuroscience, and sports medicine that investigates how humans react to novelty. In another fascinating passage, Coates points to the presence of a "testosterone feedback loop" in male primates as a contributing factor to irrational exuberance in market performance (a majority of traders are male).6 He describes research that shows that the bodies of two competing males experience a surge of testosterone in preparation for an imminent conflict. The winner of the contest receives an additional spike in the hormone, while the loser's hormone surge quickly dwindles away. This is also known as the "winner effect," a well-documented outcome of perceived victory in some sort of competitive endeavor between male primates: the winner gets increased testosterone, the loser increased cortisol. Likewise, as male Wall Street traders execute profitable trades, their confidence and aggression are heightened by the flush of additional hormones triggered by success. In an organizational construct that rewards short-term profits and bold action, this is a recipe for disaster. The main point Coates is making is to warn about the dangers of overconfidence and how the biological processes within the human body can foster overconfidence. This observation has concrete applications to the special operations world. SOF leaders regularly face decisions about whether to launch an operation under suboptimal conditions, for instance, with minimal intelligence or at the edge of environmental limitations for a given mobility platform. For example, perhaps an assault force learns from tactical questioning while on target that the targeted individual is several city blocks away but about to depart the area. The ground force commander must quickly weigh many competing variables, such as asset and force availability and conditions on the ground, before deciding whether to move to another location. Excessive aggression or overconfidence in these situations can lead to mission failure, as some have learned the hard way. In one section, Coates alludes to the benefits of "thermal stress" for increasing resilience and mental toughness in human beings. If true, it would seem to confirm that there are added and unforeseen benefits to SOF training, with its emphasis on arduous environmental conditions. He writes: One type of toughening [regimen] is especially intriguing, and that is exposure to cold weather, even to cold water. Scientists have found that rats swimming regularly in cold water develop the capacity to mount a quick and powerful arousal, relying on adrenaline more than cortisol, and to switch it off just as quickly. When subsequently exposed to stressors they are not as prone to learned helplessness. Some tentative research has suggested that much the same thing occurs in humans. People who are regularly exposed to cold weather or who swim in cool water may have undergone an effective toughening [regimen] that has made them more emotionally stable when confronted by prolonged stress. It is surmised by some researchers that the exercise itself, coupled with acute thermal demands, provides these people with an enviable pattern of stress and recovery. Perhaps the same effects could result from the Nordic practice of a sauna followed by a cold plunge.7 Coates points out that women and older men (roughly defined as over 50) are not subject to the same fluctuations of testosterone as young men, and he advocates that such individuals be included in teams that are involved in high-risk decision making.8 Men experience a slow decline in testosterone from their mid-20s onward, and for this reason become gradually less susceptible to its influence. I am reminded of a quote attributed to the ancient Greek philosopher Plato regarding the "passion" of emotions that youth experience (and that we now know are caused by hormones such as testosterone): In particular I may mention Sophocles the poet, who was once asked in my presence, How do you feel about love, Sophocles? Are you still capable of it? To which he replied, "Hush! If you please: to my great delight I have escaped from it, and feel as if I had escaped from a frantic and savage master." I thought then, as I do now, that he spoke wisely. For unquestionably old age brings us profound repose and freedom from this and other passions.9 Women produce one-tenth the amount of testosterone that a man of similar age does and generally take longer than men to make decisions. Women are not necessarily more risk-averse, Coates points out; it's just that their time horizon is different.10 He cites a 2001 study that followed thousands of male and female traders over a six-year period. The women in the study outperformed the men by 1.4 percent, and some researchers point to the fact that they traded their accounts with much less frequency than the men. Thus, while the women in the study may have taken longer to make decisions, they did take risks and did so in a more long-term, strategic manner than the men. Coates asserts that a more even balance of men and women working in financial markets "could not possibly do any worse than the system we have now" and that the inclusion of different types of risk evaluation would create a more stable market.11 Missing from Coates' analysis, however, is the effect of hormones on women—in particular how fluctuations in their chemistry and the aging process may alter their perceptions and decision making in a manner different from their male counterparts. This finding that the varying biological processes of young men, women, and older men can produce different risk evaluations across the groups is a thought-provoking, hormone-based take on the concept of "groupthink," in which a desire for conformity and group cohesion overrides critical analysis. It also has relevance to the current debate regarding the inclusion of women on special operations teams. According to Coates, their presence would have a positive effect on decision making. The inclusion of women and older men would provide a more hormonally balanced team that would be better able to evaluate risk versus gain in an ambiguous environment and thus prevent biologically induced groupthink from prevailing. This is a credible argument, and I agree with Coates, but improved decision making is only one facet of including women in SOF teams. Other aspects of this issue, such as unit cohesion and a myriad of second- and third-order effects, remain questions to be answered. Also, how the nuances of women's biology will influence their performance in a SOF setting is an area that requires further study and analysis. In this thought-provoking book, Coates urges readers to follow the age-old adage to "know thyself" and reminds his readers that an integral part of self-knowledge is an understanding of the chemistry swirling inside the body. This chemistry has a marked impact on perception, resilience, and importantly, how humans evaluate risk. He advocates a return to the Aristotelian holistic conception of the body and mind, rather than conventionally held philosophies that separate the two. Finally, Coates recommends having a diversity of ages and genders on teams to add stability to high-risk decision-making and temper the pull of body chemistry on reason and rationality.

<urn:uuid:1609c72a-96f8-442a-94bd-1649b2501551>

CC-MAIN-2017-51

https://globalecco.org/the-written-word-the-hour-between-dog-and-wolf-risk-taking-gut-feelings-and-the-biology-of-boom-and-bust-by-john-coates-reviewed-by-lt-adam-karagouz-us-navy

s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-51/segments/1512948513611.22/warc/CC-MAIN-20171211144705-20171211164705-00527.warc.gz

en

Different people may act differently in the same situation. This particularly concerns hardships we have to face both at work and in our private lives. There is an opinion that couples whose views and behaviors are different from each other are better at overcoming difficulties and staying together than those who are alike. People are unpredictable. You try to understand them, guess their feelings, think how best to do something for them, and still you’re wrong. It seems there is no consistency in them at all. But a person should base his or her behavior and decisions on something, right? According to the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, people are divided into two types: Thinkers — those who make decisions based on logic and objective truths, having weighed everything thoroughly. Feelers — those who base their decisions on feelings and intuition and think about how they would affect themselves and their close ones. The idea is that the happiest couple is that which includes a thinker and a feeler. Of course, there are no perfect options, and everyone should decide who to love for themselves. Two thinkers or two feelers may live happily to the end of their days. Why not? However, it is easier for a thinker to live and get along with a feeler exactly because they are so different — they will each have their own approach to the same problem. For example: 1. Thinkers count on the facts. Feelers first note the emotions. At the very beginning of a relationship, a thinker will evaluate the hard facts — the social status, financial capabilities, his or her own free time, and whether he or she actually needs a relationship right now. A feeler evaluates the feelings. Even if all the objective reality is against the relationship, a feeler will do anything for his or her future happiness when in love. By the way, most relationships begin thanks to feelers. 2. Thinkers notice the external signals that something’s wrong. Feelers just see that it is. A thinker understands that the relationship has gone askew when he or she sees hard proof of that, like seeing his or her partner flirting with another person or messages from someone that read ’XOXO.’ A feeler notes the changes in body language and tone of voice. They just have a gut feeling that something’s not right, having no proof whatsoever. And it’s the feeler who will first state that there is a crack in your relationship. 3. Thinkers see what’s bad first. Feelers see what’s good. Any couple has to go through hard times sooner or later. However, if both partners see only the bad things, it’s as good as done. When a thinker has given up and starts seeing only what’s wrong, the feeler mobilizes and begins seeking the good things, the reasons why they should — must! — stay together. In a couple of the ’thinker-feeler’ type, chances are high that their relationship will last after a crisis. When there is no outright conflict yet, the feeler will cling to his or her pair at all costs. 4. A conflict for thinkers is natural. For feelers, it’s a disaster. A thinker admits that a conflict is a problem in need of solving. For a feeler, however, an argument is a catastrophe. They will suffer and fear until the harmony is established once again — and it must be established by all means necessary, in their opinion. Thinkers resolve conflicts, while feelers escape from them. So if there is a fight, the thinker is better at re-establishing peace in the relationship. 5. Thinkers solve problems. Feelers wait for thinkers to do so. If a thinker has recognized a problem, he or she starts acting to fix it — giving flowers, chocolates, or saying compliments. A feeler doesn’t even try to do anything about it until that gross feeling of fear and hurt is gone for good. That’s why there is always one who gives presents and the other who accepts them. 6. Thinkers want to be in charge. Feelers just want to be loved. A thinker readily agrees to bear responsibility — he or she is comfortable with that, and feels lost when not a ’keeper’ of the relationship. A feeler, on the other hand, accepts care no less readily, and feels equally lost when not receiving the love and attention he or she needs. A little note for all couples: if your partner is distressed, hug him or her more often. 7. Thinkers want to understand why something’s happening. Feelers want to understand why it’s happening with them. In a conflict, a thinker strives to get to the bottom of the problem. They need to understand completely what went wrong in their relationship. Was it that their partner had someone else? Or was the sex not very good? A feeler will just brood on what is wrong with him or her. They will want to know what they’ve done to avert their partner, and it’s more important for them to understand their guilt in the conflict. A thinker will try to have a constructive talk, though risking a break-up, and will have it more often than not, while feelers will just sit and think about themselves.

<urn:uuid:afa387f3-a795-4636-84b7-b94c68fd83f5>

CC-MAIN-2017-51

https://www.bumppy.com/why-the-strongest-bonds-are-found-in-couples-where-one-is-logical-and-the-other-is-emotional/

s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-51/segments/1512948550986.47/warc/CC-MAIN-20171214202730-20171214222730-00527.warc.gz

en

Rafi Letzter/Business Insider Imagine your kid is sick. An infection struck, rapidly killing off internal tissue and leaving them bedridden for weeks in the ICU. One day your child was healthy, the next, gravely ill. Medication dealt with the bacteria, but the damage was too severe for a body to heal on its own. One kidney went, and then the other. Without a transplant, they'll have to make regular trips to the hospital for dialysis and face all kinds of secondary medical problems. You get tested, as do the rest of your family members who are eligible to donate. But no luck. Your child ends up on a waiting list thousands and thousands of names long. You wait for weeks or months without good news. Of course, there are thousands of healthy people in your city, millions more in your country. Some of them must be eligible matches. You scrounge up your life savings, pull funds out of your retirement account, put an ad online offering $20,000 to anyone who donates a healthy kidney to your kid. Responses flood in, crowds of people willing to get tested to save your kid and earn some cash. But the doctor tells you that none of those people can donate. In the United States, as in most of the rest of the world, it's illegal to buy and sell body parts like kidneys. In a new paper published by the National Bureau of Economic Research, Nicola Lacetera lays out the key reasons for this rule: - If people got to buy organs, it would lead to an unequal system where wealthy people got access to body parts at the expense of people who couldn't pay for life-saving transplants. - Poor people might choose to sell body parts to meet pressing economic needs, leading to a situation where people are functionally coerced by the inequalities of capitalism into giving up organs. - Sick people might hide their sicknesses in order to profit from donating infected tissue. - Broadly speaking, we have a social aversion to morally "repugnant" transactions, often involving buying and selling bodily services. There is a deeply-ingrained intuition that transactions (like prostitution, or even slavery) that involve trade in human flesh degrade the moral character of a society. But it's also unquestionably true that a properly-orchestrated organ market could save lives. In the US, 119,000 people are on the waiting list for a donation, and an average of 22 people die every day waiting for an organ. It's pretty clear that creating a financial incentive to donate would have an impact on those numbers. (Lacetera offers some specific evidence that people are more likely to donate tissues like blood plasma when there's money on the table.) And there exist solutions to at least some of the moral problems. For example: A third party, like the government or insurance companies, could ensure that the list of people who need transplants remains ranked in order of need. Patients who need organs most would be first in line, and no one could pay to go to the front of the line. Paying someone who wants to sell a kidney to someone in need wouldn't throw all that off — the fresh kidney would just have to go to the highest-need person who is a match, not the highest bidder. That could increase supply without unequally pushing lifesaving organs (or bone marrow or other body parts) toward wealthy patients. In a system like this, the government or insurance companies would pay for the organ, not the person who needs it. While that seems like an expensive prospect, it could actually save society money in the long-run. Lacetera writes that each kidney transplant would lead to about $200,000 in direct savings -- and as much as $1.1 million when you factor in indirect savings from increased health and life expectancy. (There are also alternative solutions, like kidney exchanges, which Lacetera didn't address.) On top of that, a form of delayed payment might prevent people from donating to resolve short-term debts. Still, Lacetera acknowledges, it's hard to imagine a pay-for-donation system that didn't involve some exploitation or at least broad inequalities. The poor will always have more reason to go through the risk and pain of giving up kidneys, parts of livers, or bone marrow under a market economy. There's good reason to get squeamish when capitalism threatens to touch our most personal choices. So Lacetera set up an experiment. Through Mechanical Turk, the Amazon system for massive psychological experiments (and other "micro-tasks"), he asked people their opinions on different paid donation schemes. He found that with no additional information, about 50% of respondents in a control group were on board with some form of paid donation. When another group received evidence that payment could save lives, along with information on how it might be done equitably, about 70% said it was a good idea. All of which is to say, if you can make a compelling enough lifesaving case, people are willing to leave aside their internal aversions. So should we allow people to buy and sell organs? Expect your answer to change depending on the patient on the table.

<urn:uuid:f8aba62a-a70d-4bb3-bd5c-579c33943c3a>

CC-MAIN-2017-51

http://www.businessinsider.com/can-you-sell-organs-2016-9

s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-51/segments/1512948529738.38/warc/CC-MAIN-20171213162804-20171213182804-00728.warc.gz

en

Ever wonder what the timeline for Middle-earth was? Below are all the key dates from the forging of the Ring all the way to the passing of King Elessar. Hope you enjoy! The Second Age of Middle-earth - The Three Rings are completed in Eregoin. - Sauron secretly forges the One Ring in Mount Doom, binding the other Rings of Power to him. - Elendil and Gil-Galad lead the Last Alliance of Men and Elves to defeat Sauron, but Elendil's son Isildur keeps the One Ring and loses the chance to destroy Sauron completely. The Third Age of Middle-earth - The White Council is formed in order to combat the growing darkness in Mirkwood. - Deagol, a hobbit-like creature, finds the One Ring in the great river Anduin and is murdered by his brother Smeagol. - Smaug the Dragon descends on Erebor (the Lonely Mountain), and lays waste to the nearby town of Dale. The Dwarven king Thror escapes with Thrain II and Thorin II. - Gandalf steals into Dol Guldur and discovers Sauron as the source of Mirkwood's growing evil. He also finds Thrain and receives the key and map of Erebor. March 25, 2941 - Thorin and Gandalf's chance meeting at the Prancing Pony in Bree. April 25, 2941 - Gandalf meets Bilbo on the doorstep of Bag End. April 26, 2941 - The Unexpected Party July 16, 2941 - The Company is captured by the Goblins dwelling deep within the Misty Mountains. July 17, 2941 - Bilbo is lost in the Goblin tunnels and stumbles upon the Ring July 19, 2941 - Bilbo encounters Gollum and narrowly escapes with his life (and the ring) after besting the creature in battle of wits. - A group of vicious Wargs traps the Company in the tops of some trees, but the adventurers are all saved by Giant Eagles. August 22, 2941 - Bilbo battles giant spiders in Mirkwood. August 23, 2941 - The dwarves are captured by Thranduil and the Wood-Elves, but Bilbo eludes capture by using the One Ring to disappear. September 22, 2941 - After escaping from the elves by floating away in some barrels, Bilbo and the dwarves reach Lake-town. October 30, 2941 Durin's Day - Bilbo opens the Secret Door of the Lonely Mountain and steals into Smaug's lair, where the hobbit snatches a chalice and returns to the Company. November 1, 2941 - An enraged Smaug attacks nearby Lake-town, where he's slain by Bard the Bowman. November 23, 2941 - The forces of Men, Wood-Elves and Dwarves band together to fight the Wargs and Goblins in the Battle of the Five Armies. September 22, 3001 - Bilbo leaves the Shire and entrusts the Ring to Frodo in a "long-expected" party. October 6, 3018 - Frodo is wounded in a Nazgul attack on the camp at Weathertop. October 20, 3018 - Frodo escapes across the Ford of Bruinen to reach Rivendell. October 25, 3018 - The Council of Elrond decides to send a Fellowship to destroy the One Ring. January 15, 3019 - A Balrog casts Gandalf off the Bridge of Khazad-dum, and a bereft Fellowship reaches Nimrodel. February 14, 3019 - Frodo gazes into the Mirror of Galadriel, and Gandalf is returned to life in a trance. February 26, 3019 - Frodo leaves the Fellowship after Boromir attempts to take the Ring for himself. Orcs kill Boromir and capture Merry and Pippin. February 29, 3019 - The Rohirrim attack at sunrise and destroy the Orcs, allowing Merry and Pippin to escape and meet Treebeard, an ent. - Gollum is captured by Frodo and Sam on the outskirts of Mordor. March 3, 3019 - Theoden retreats to Helm's Deep and makes a last stand against the forces of Saruman in the Battle of the Hornbug. - Ents complete the destruction of Isengard. March 4, 3019 - Gandalf arrives at Helm's Deep with reinforcements from Rohan, breaking Saruman's forces. - Frodo reaches the slag-mounds on the edge of the Desolation of the Morannon March 5, 3019 - Parley with Saruman in Orthanc. - Pippin steals the Palantir. - Gandalf sets out with Pippin for Minas Tirith. March 13, 3019 - Frodo is captured by the Orcs of Cirith Ungol. - The Pelennor is overrun by the hosts of Mordor. March 14, 3019 - Sam rescues Frodo in the Tower of Cirith Ungol. - Minas Tirith is besieged. March 15, 3019 - The Siege of Minas Tirith and the Battle of Pelennor Fields. - Denethor burns himself on a pyre out of despair. - Theoden is slain by the Witch-King, who in turn is killed by Eowyn. March 25, 3019 - The Captains of the West marshal their armies to the Black Gate. - Gollum seizes the Ring and falls in the Cracks of Doom, destroying Barad-dur and Sauron. May 1, 3019 - Crowning of King Elessar November 3, 3019 - Battle of Bywater, where the hobbits wrest control of the Shire back from Saruman and his ruffians. - Saurman is killed by Grima Wormtounge in the Shire. - End of the War of the Ring. September 29, 3021 - Frodo and Bilbo depart over the Sea with the Three Ringbearers of the Elvish Rings.. - The end of the Third age. The Fourth Age of Middle-earth March 1, 1541 - The passing of King Elessar.

<urn:uuid:6f137d79-c0e8-4af6-b0d8-14bde4ecf9e7>

CC-MAIN-2017-51

https://moviepilot.com/posts/3626382

s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-51/segments/1512948523222.39/warc/CC-MAIN-20171213123757-20171213143757-00326.warc.gz

en

Breastfeeding and Other Foods By: Dr. Jack Newman Breastmilk is the only food your baby needs until at least 4 months of age and most babies do very well on breastmilk alone for 6 months or more. There is no advantage to adding other sorts of foods or milks to breastmilk before 4 to 6 months, except under unusual or extraordinary circumstances. Many of the situations in which breastmilk seems to require addition of other foods arise from misunderstandings about how breastfeeding works, and/or originate from a poor start at establishing breastfeeding. Supplementing during the first few days It is thought by many that there is "no milk" during the first few days after the baby is born, and that until the milk "comes in" some sort of supplementation is necessary. This idea seems to be born out by the fact that babies, during the first few days, will often seem to feed for long periods and yet, not be satisfied. However, the key phrase is that "babies seem to feed" for hours, when in fact, they are not really feeding much at all. A baby cannot get milk efficiently when he is not latched on properly to the breast. When the mother's milk becomes more plentiful, after 3-7 days, the baby may do well even if he is not well latched on. But during the first few days, if the baby is not latched on properly, he cannot get milk easily and thus may "seem to feed" for very long periods. There is a difference between being "on the breast" and breastfeeding. The baby must latch on well so he can get the mother's milk which is there in sufficient quantity for his needs, as nature intended. If a better latch, and compression (Handout #15 Breast Compression) do not get the baby breastfeeding, then supplementation, if medically needed, can be given by lactation aid (handout #5 Lactation Aid). The lactation aid is a far better way to supplement than finger feeding or cup feeding, if the baby is taking the breast. And it is much, much better than using a bottle. But remember, getting the baby well latched on first works most of the time and no supplements will be needed. Breastmilk is over 90% water. Babies breastfeeding well do not require extra water, even in summer. If they are not breastfeeding well, they also do not need extra water, but require that the breastfeeding be fixed. Babies do not need extra water even in hot weather. It seems that breastmilk does not contain much vitamin D. We must assume this is as nature intended, not a mistake of evolution. The baby stores up vitamin D during the pregnancy and he will remain healthy without vitamin D supplementation, unless you yourself were vitamin D deficient during the pregnancy. Vitamin D deficiency in pregnant women in Canada is rare. Outside exposure also gives your baby vitamin D even in winter, even when the sky is covered. An hour or so of outside exposure during a week gives your baby more than enough vitamin D even if only his face is exposed, even in winter. Under unusual circumstances, it may be prudent to give the baby vitamin D. For example, in situations where exposure of the baby to ultraviolet rays of the sun is not possible (Northern Canada in winter, or if the baby is never taken outside), giving the baby extra vitamin D would be advised. Vitamin D drops are expensive. Breastmilk contains much less iron than formulas, especially the iron enriched formulas. Actually, this seems to give the baby extra protection against infection, as many bacteria require available iron in order to multiply. The iron in breastmilk is very well utilised by the baby (about 50% is absorbed), while being unavailable to bacteria, and the breastfed full term baby does not need any additional iron before about 6 months of age. However, introduction of iron containing foods should not be delayed much beyond 6 months of age. Solid Foods (see also handout #16 Starting Solid Foods) Breastfed babies normally do not require solid foods before 6 months of age. Indeed, many do not require solid foods until 9 months or more of age, if we can judge by their weight gain and iron status. However, there are some babies who will have great difficulty learning to accept solid food if not started before 7-9 months of age. Because the six month old baby will also soon need to have an additional source of iron, it is generally recommended and convenient that solids be introduced around 6 months of age. Some babies show great interest in grabbing food off the table by 5 months, and there is no reason not to allow them to start taking the food and playing with it and putting it in their mouths and eating it. It has been the habit of physicians to suggest that babies be started first on cereals and then other foods be added. However, the 6 month old is far different from the 4 month old. Many 6 month old babies do not seem to like cereal if it is introduced at this time. Do not push the baby to take it, but offer other foods, and perhaps try again when your baby is a little older. But if he refuses, do not worry he will be missing something. There is nothing magic about cereal and babies do fine without it. Anyhow, your baby may soon be eating bread. The best way for the baby of getting additional iron is by eating meat. There is no good reason why a baby needs to eat or be introduced to only one food per week, or why vegetables should be started before fruits. Anyone worried about the sweetness of fruit has not tasted breastmilk. The six month old can be given almost anything off his parents' plate that can be mashed with a fork. Far fewer feeding problems will occur if a relaxed approach to feeding is taken. Breastmilk, cow's milk, formula, outside work and bottles (see also handout #17 What to feed the baby when the mother is working outside the home) A breastfeeding baby who is older than about 4 months will not likely take a bottle if he has not already gotten used to one. This is no loss or disadvantage. At about 6 months or even younger, the baby can start learning to use a cup, and usually will be quite good at drinking from a cup by about 7-8 months of age, if not sooner. If the mother is returning to paid work at about 6 months, there is also no need to start bottles or formula. In this situation, solids may be started somewhat earlier than 6 months of age (say 4 or 5 months of age), so that by the time the mother is working outside the home, the baby can be getting most of his food and liquid off a spoon when the mother is not with him. As he gets older, the cup may be used more and more for liquids. You and the baby can manage without his taking bottles. Do not try to starve the baby into taking a bottle if he refuses to accept one. Your baby is not being stubborn, but does not know how to use an artificial nipple. He also may not like the taste of formula, which is understandable. Though there has been a lot of publicity recently about not giving babies cow's milk until at least 9 months, this does not really apply to breastfeeding babies. The breastfeeding baby can take some of his milk as cow's milk after about 6 months of age, especially if he is starting to take substantial amounts of a wide variety of solids as well. Goat's milk is an alternative. Many breastfeeding babies will not drink formula because they do not like the taste. Actually, the breastfeeding baby can get all the milk he needs from the breast without his requiring other sorts of milk, even if he is nursing only a few times a day. My 4 month old is hungry on breast only. Solids or Formula? There is no advantage in this situation of giving formula by bottle and there may be some disadvantage. Even at this age a baby may start to prefer the bottle if he seems not to getting enough from the breast (if, in fact, he will accept a bottle). It would be preferable in this circumstance to give solids off a spoon rather than to give formula in a bottle. (Frequently, however, this situation can be remedied differently by improving the breastfeeding—get help). If you wish to mix formula with solids, that does not cause the same sort of problem as giving it in a bottle. If the baby seems hungry after breastfeeding, feed him solids off a spoon. However, it may be possible with a simple techniques, to get the baby gaining well, and/or to be satisfied with breastfeeding alone. Check with the clinic. Handout #10. Breastfeeding and Other Foods. Revised January 1998 Written by Jack Newman, MD, FRCPC May be copied and distributed without further permission

<urn:uuid:eb2461aa-70f7-45ee-b839-1fdcde6ab115>

CC-MAIN-2017-51

http://www.familyresource.com/pregnancy/breastfeeding/breastfeeding-and-other-foods

s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-51/segments/1512948543611.44/warc/CC-MAIN-20171214093947-20171214113947-00528.warc.gz

en

Lack of multi-factor authentication leaves online services vulnerable to security threats. A look at three recent examples show organizations are adopting two-factor authentication to secure user accounts and data. - Sony added two-factor authentication (2FA) to its PlayStation Network accounts after several attacks over the last few years. PSN users can now set up the new security feature through their PS4 or through their web PSN account. - Instagram users have previously been hacked. With 400 million users using the service for both personal and commercial purposes, there is a lot at stake. Because of this, Instagram has added two-factor authentication (2FA) to its service. This extra security lets users authenticate account access by phone, making it difficult for hackers to gain access armed with only an email and a corresponding password. - On Halloween 2015, PageFair—a company specializing in providing non-intrusive ads to a number of websites—suffered a devastating security breach. Disguised as an email from its CEO to PageFair’s staff, hackers ran a sophisticated spear-phishing attack. It included a phony YouTube page link, which the blog post stated “actually linked to a faked Google authentication screen customized for the target user with a pre-filled email and avatar.” How Does Two-factor Authentication Work? Traditional methods of logging into an account or website require only a user name and password. Such single-factor authentication is what left PageFair exposed. Two-factor authentication requires you to provide a second form of validation in order to gain access. This additional validation comes in three forms: - Something only the user knows, such as a pin or security question - Something only the user has, such as an identification card, access to a specific device, or access to a preset email address - Something only the user can provide, such as by way of a thumbprint scanner or voice authentication What Does Two-factor Authentication Secure? Two-factor authentication can secure a variety of online checkpoints, including administrative access to entire websites and applications, remote access to companywide web applications, and even access to subsets of web applications and sites. There are three ways that two-factor authentication can increase security: - Two-factor authentication assists in reducing vulnerability after a breach. Even if one account has been compromised, all others remain protected due to the required second form of verification. - Some 2FA types preemptively warn you about suspicious activity, such as an attacker attempting to break into an account. - Your data overall is less likely to be compromised. While traditional credentials can be misplaced, stolen, forgotten, or hacked, 2FA relies on something only an authorized user can present. Can 2FA Decrease Productivity? But adding extra levels of verification can present an issue. Two-factor authentication can be harder to integrate in some digital infrastructures. Because of this, many website admins view it as inconvenient, regardless of its benefits. Implementing 2FA can disrupt a site’s existing user and password database, and can also hinder ongoing productivity. As this c|net article points out, “[Two-factor authentication] does make the user experience more complicated.” Why? Because some forms require 2FA every time an account is accessed. The key to maintaining productivity—while maximizing security—is to create specific rules that implement 2FA only where and when it’s needed. Using it as a blanket approach to user validation can become cumbersome and degrade the user experience. Choosing a Two-factor Authentication Service Two-factor authentication varies between providers and their offered solutions. Check that the 2FA service you select offers centralized control before you commit. Many services require separate integration with each application within a company’s assets. This slows down implementation and makes account management far more labor-intensive over time. With Imperva Incapsula, a single click sets up two-factor authentication, a.k.a., Login Protect, without having to install plugins, make code changes or integrate third-party authentication products. It covers centralized control over multiple logins, across several websites. In addition, Incapsula Login Protect offers fine-grain control to apply 2FA to any portion of your web application or site. Meanwhile, there is no disruption to your site’s existing protection and user credential database. Once you’ve activated Incapsula on your website, here’s how easy it is to activate Login Protect: - Log in to the Incapsula management console. - Navigate to the Login Protect settings screen.3. Enter the URL or folders you would like to protect, using either an exact match or one of the wildcard options.4. Choose your preferred authentication method: e-mail or Google Authenticator.5. Add the name and email address of users who will have access to the URL. Note: The number of users and authentication methods vary, depending on your service plan. Authorized users will receive an email with a verification link. Once clicked, a page is displayed, asking to provide an email address and phone number for authentication and a QR code for Google Authenticator. From then on, anyone wanting to access the protected page will first receive an Incapsula 2FA page, asking them to input their one-time token. To summarize, two-factor authentication can be an important encryption solution for protecting your own company and its customers. If you have questions about 2FA, security or performance, please leave us a comment. Would you like to write for our blog? We welcome stories from our readers, customers and partners. Please send us your ideas: [email protected]

<urn:uuid:15b93803-fcdd-4faa-9c0e-e387fd826336>

CC-MAIN-2017-51

https://www.incapsula.com/blog/guide-to-two-factor-authentication.html

s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-51/segments/1512948544124.40/warc/CC-MAIN-20171214124830-20171214144830-00727.warc.gz

en

“Like evolution, history disregards the happiness of individual organisms” (243) writes Yuval Noah Harari in Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind. Harari takes us through early human history to note its indifference to personal well-being and its drive toward population growth—two features that also mark the forward motion of evolution. It is only in the modern era, he believes, that civilization may be doing more for individual happiness, and the price we pay for that shift may be to leave nature further behind. It’s a provocative view. Most people carry around a vague but positive sense of the progress of history. After all, I’m sitting here with my computer, with food and water in the kitchen, in a peaceful town. Many others are not so fortunate, but that’s the task for the future, not a sign we have misread the past, as Harari argues. He looks at three revolutions. By 70,000 years ago, after the Cognitive Revolution, we Sapiens could talk and think as well as we do today. Ten thousand years ago, during the Agricultural Revolution, we began growing food instead of just gathering it. The last 500 years has been the Scientific Revolution. In between the Cognitive Revolution and the Agricultural one, intelligent, food-gathering Sapiens led healthy, mobile, and interesting communal lives. Their diet was varied, work was not arduous. But when they took up growing a few crops, raising animals, and settling down, they left the mobile community behind in exchange for towns, cities, and elites. The food supply and the farmers themselves became susceptible to drought and disease, and labor became exhausting and monotonous. Agriculture produced larger populations but not happier ones. And it did so in small steps, as each new luxury—food storage, land ownership, cities—became a necessity that no one wanted to give up. This process—small steps, no going backward, and a growing population—is also the footprint of evolution. The right genetic change means a human who is a slightly better fit for the environment along with children who inherit the benefit. Happiness is not one of the steps, however. “There’s no natural selection for happiness” (386). Since the Scientific Revolution 500 years ago, the ambivalence of cultural progress has deepened. Sapiens, Harari writes, have attained more control over nature while destroying a growing number of species. We have reduced extreme poverty and illness and raised global population numbers, but we’ve also raised expectations about a better life and in so doing have raised discontents as well. We may be progressing towards god-like abilities to prolong and even design life itself, yet we remain in the dark about what we want to become. As we modify the human body more drastically through surgery and genetics, will we even remain human? The “Brief History” in Harari’s title refers not only to the book but also to a question about the duration of Sapiens as a species. I found the first half of Sapiens, about the foraging era and the Agricultural Revolution, more convincing than the second part about the present. I’m skeptical that we Sapiens have ever been very good judges of the era we are living in or of what our future will look like. But warnings, disillusionments about our past, new angles of vision—all of which this book provides—are valuable and often fascinating. I’ll conclude by letting Harari speak for himself, especially about language, the growing power of human “fictions,” social groups, and the foraging and agricultural cultures. The new linguistic skills that modern Sapiens acquired about seventy millennia ago enabled them to gossip for hours on end. Reliable information about who could be trusted meant that small bands could expand into larger bands and Sapiens could develop tighter and more sophisticated types of cooperation…. Yet the truly unique feature of our language is not its ability to transmit information about men and lions. Rather, it’s the ability to transmit information about things that do not exist at all….Legends, myths, gods, and religions appeared for the first time with the Cognitive Revolution….Fiction has enabled us not merely to imagine things, but to do so collectively. We can weave common myths such as the biblical creation story, the Dreamtime myths of Aboriginal Australians, and the nationalist myths of modern states. Such myths give Sapiens the unprecedented ability to cooperate in large numbers. (21-25) Sociological research has shown that the maximum ‘natural’ size of a group bonded by gossip is about 150 individuals….Below this threshold, communities, businesses, social networks and military units can maintain themselves based mainly on intimate acquaintance and rumour-mongering….But language enables us to create fictions, myths that could unite hundred of millions of people….Churches…States…Judicial systems are rooted in common myths….There are no gods in the universe, no nations, no money, no human rights, no laws and no justice outside the common imagination of human beings… [So-called “primitive” people] cement their social order by believing in ghosts and spirits. What we fail to appreciate is that our modern institutions function on exactly the same basis. Modern business-people and lawyers are, in fact, powerful sorcerers. (26-28) Ever since the Cognitive Revolution, Sapiens have thus been living in a dual reality. On the one hand, the objective reality of rivers, trees and lions; and on the other hand, the imagined reality of gods, nations and corporations. As time went by, the imagined reality became ever more powerful, so that today the very survival of rivers, trees and lions depends on the grace of imagined entities such as the United States and Google. (32) Sapiens did not forage only for food and materials. They foraged for knowledge as well. To survive, they needed a detailed mental map of their territory. To maximize the efficiency of their daily search for food, they required information about the growth patterns of each plant and the habits of each animal….Each individual had to understand how to make a stone knife, how to mend a torn cloak, how to lay a rabbit trap, and how to face avalanches, snakebites,or hungry lions….The human collective knows far more today than did the ancient bands. But at the individual level, ancient foragers were the most knowledgeable and skillful people in history. (48) On the whole foragers seem to have enjoyed a more comfortable and rewarding lifestyle than most of the peasants, shepherds, labourers and office clerks who followed in their footsteps. …The forager economy provided most people with more interesting lives than agriculture or industry do….In most places at most times, foraging provided ideal nutrition… The foragers‘ secret of success , which protected them from starvation and malnutrition, was their varied diet. Farmers tend to eat a very limited and unbalanced diet….Ancient foragers also suffered less from infectious diseases. Most of the infectious diseases that have plagued agricultural and industrial societies (such as small pox, measles and tuberculosis) originated in domesticated animals and were transferred to humans only after the Agricultural Revolution….Average life expectancy was apparently just thirty or forty years, but this was due largely to the high incidence of child mortality. Children who made it through the perilous first years had a good chance of reaching the age of sixty, and some even made it to their eighties. (51) [About 10,000 years ago,] Sapiens began devoting almost all their time and effort to manipulating the lives of a few animal and plant species. From sunrise to sunset humans sowed seeds, watered plants, plucked weeds from the group and led sheep to prime pastures.… Scholars once proclaimed that the agricultural revolution was a great leap forward for humanity. They told a tale of progress fueled by human brain power. Evolution gradually produced ever more intelligent people. Eventually, people were so smart that they were able to decipher nature’s secrets, enabling them to tame sheep and cultivate wheat. As soon as this happened, they cheerfully abandoned the grueling, dangerous, and often Spartan life of hunter-gatherers, settling down to enjoy the pleasant, satiated life of farmers. That tale is a fantasy. There is no evidence that people became more intelligent with time. Foragers knew the secrets of nature long before the Agicultural Revolution, since their survival depended on an intimate knowledge of animals they hunted and the plants they gathered. Rather than heralding a new era of easy living, the Agricultural Revolution left farmers with lives generally more difficult and less satisfying than those of foragers. Hunter-gatherers spent their time in more stimulating and varied ways, and were less in danger of starvation and disease. The Agricultural Revolution certainly enlarged the sum total of food at the disposal of humankind, but the extra food did not translate into a better diet or more leisure….The Agricultural Revolution was history’s biggest fraud. (79)

<urn:uuid:6d015450-8632-43c5-8490-52957a9e2552>

CC-MAIN-2017-51

https://threepointeightbillionyears.com/tag/happiness/

s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-51/segments/1512948589512.63/warc/CC-MAIN-20171216220904-20171217002904-00727.warc.gz

en

Cell-cell signaling refers to inter-cellular communication through the transduction of chemical, mechanical or electrical signals, facilitated by the formation of specialized cell-cell adhesion junctions. There are three main types of cell-cell adhesive junctions in mammals that detect and transduce signals from neighbouring cells : Also known as zonula occludens, tight junctions are found in epithelial and endothelial cells and primarily function as diffusion barriers. Integral membrane proteins commonly associated with tight junctions include; claudins, occludin, tricellulin and junctional adhesion molecules (JAMs). These proteins facilitate the formation of the anastomosing membrane strands that comprise tight junctions . Adherens junctions regulate cell shape, maintain tissue integrity and translate actomyosin-generated forces throughout a tissue . A key component of adherens junctions are the transmembrane glycoproteins cadherins, which bind the intracellular proteins p120-catenin and β-catenin, after which α-catenin is recruited by β-catenin. A vast network of adhesion receptors, scaffolding proteins, actin regulators and signaling proteins regulate the formation of this complex, via a complex network of interactions, which is currently being characterized and has been named the cadhesome . The adherens junction is a type of stable cell contact, or anchoring junction, that keeps cells in a tissue together by forming an interconnected lateral bridge that links the actin cytoskeleton of neighboring cells (reviewed in ). Adherens junctions come in many forms: In cardiac cells, contractile bundles are anchored by adherens junctions , while in nonepithelial tissues, adherens junctions link cortical actin filaments between cells (see “cell cortex”). In polarized epithelial cells, the most obvious feature of the actin cytoskeleton is the contractile bundle of actin filaments usually located near the apical surface; this circumferential belt (aka adhesion belt) is linked from one cell to another through the extracellular domains of a continuous band of transmembrane molecules belonging to the cadherin family , along with other anchoring proteins (e.g. catenins, vinculin, and α-actinin) . However, recent investigation of cell-cell adhesion using super-resolution microscopy has uncovered new facts about the existence of the ‘adhesion belt’. Conventional microscopy shows that clusters of E-cadherin merge to form a thick belt along the cell membrane between adjacent cells. The binding of individual E-cadherin proteins was thought to drive adhesion, with clusters formed in an adhesion- dependent manner, before merging and becoming uniformly distributed over time. This has long been the prevalent notion, based on conventional microscopy, which is limited in its ability to clearly visualize structures as small as the adherens junction or E-cadherin cluster. Super-resolution imaging of the adherens junction revealed that cell-cell adhesions are initiated by small clusters of about five E-cadherin molecules. These distinct, evenly-sized, precursor E-cadherin clusters were observed in both incipient and mature cell-cell adhesions. As the adhesion develops, more E-cadherin molecules are recruited from neighbouring cells, leading to the clusters increasing in density. At the nanoscale level, it became clear that E-cadherin clusters never increased in size or merged to form the ‘adhesion belt’. Instead, the actin cytoskeleton fences in E-cadherin clusters, preventing them from merging. The actin-delimited E-cadherin clusters therefore represent the building blocks of adherens junctions . The actin and associated myosin are positioned to sense tension and to brace the cell . Contraction of the actin network also provides motile forces for tissue morphogenesis and cell migration . These junctions link intermediate filaments (IFs) to the plasma membrane and in doing so provide mechanical stability to cells, which is particularly important for tissues and organs under high mechanical stress, such as the myocardium, skin, and bladder. Desmosomes comprise desmosomal cadherins (desmogleins and desmocollins) that facilitate linkage between apposing cells via their extracellular domains and bind other desmosomal components intracellularly via their cytoplasmic tails. Cytoplasmic desmosomal components include plakoglobin and plakophilins, which in turn bind intermediate filaments via desmoplakin . In vertebrate epithelia, all three of the aforementioned junctions have defined spatial organizations, with tight junctions located most apically, followed by adherens junctions and lastly desmosomes . Each type of junction has a distinct ultrastructure, which can additionally vary in appearance dependent on cell type and morphology.

<urn:uuid:8540197e-324d-4ba8-a43f-9c9c15889c1f>

CC-MAIN-2017-51

https://www.mechanobio.info/topics/mechanosignaling/cell-cell-adhesion/

s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-51/segments/1512948527279.33/warc/CC-MAIN-20171213143307-20171213163307-00526.warc.gz

en

What Children’s Literature Teaches Us About Money: L.M. Montgomery’s ‘Anne of Green Gables’ It’s okay to buy enough fabric for your dress to have puffed sleeves. (Saving a few dollars on fabric won’t help you when the bank fails.) When Marilla and Matthew Cuthbert agree to adopt an orphan to help them with Green Gables, they don’t seem especially concerned about whether they can afford the additional expense of raising a child. For them, this decision is about time rather than money; Matthew could hire a local boy to help him out, but both Cuthberts believe that having a young person living with them full-time will be a greater help, in the long run. But in the long run, as readers know, they get Anne Shirley instead; a young girl instead of the expected young boy, and Matthew ends up hiring Little Jerry Buote to help him on the farm anyway. We don’t ever get the sense — at least not in the first two-thirds of the novel — that the Cuthberts are experiencing any financial stress; it’s not clear how large the Green Gables farm is, but we know that they have an orchard and grow both potatoes and turnips, among other vegetables, and they have cows and pigs. Matthew sells some of their produce, Marilla and Anne store the rest in the cellar for winter, there’s probably a butchering scene that Montgomery carefully leaves off the page, and Green Gables more than thrives. We also know, when Marilla makes Anne’s dresses “with sleeves as plain as waist and skirt and tight as sleeves could be,” it isn’t because she’s worried about money. Marilla is worried about money, in the way that very frugal people are always worried about money, but she’s not worried about having enough money tomorrow. She’s worried about not having enough money ten years from now. Which, as readers might remember, is exactly what comes to pass. For the majority of the novel, we get a story in which money — aside from Marilla’s frugality, which is presented as a character flaw — is not really a concern; Anne gets to enjoy everything from store-bought caramels to her coveted puffed-sleeve dress, and although her bosom friend Diana Barry is not allowed to attend Queen’s Academy, Anne goes — and Marilla and Matthew pay for her room and board while she is away. Part of the reason Marilla and Matthew (especially Marilla) want Anne to attend Queen’s is so Anne can become a teacher and earn her own money. Diana doesn’t get to go to Queen’s because her parents assume she’ll marry a man who will provide for her, but Marilla — who never married — has a different perspective: I believe in a girl being fitted to earn her own living whether she ever has to or not. You’ll always have a home at Green Gables as long as Matthew and I are here, but nobody knows what is going to happen in this uncertain world, and it’s just as well to be prepared. Which brings us to the failure of the Abbey Bank. I always forget about this part of the book, probably because it isn’t in the movie, and every time I re-read it shocks me a little bit: Marilla’s great fear comes to pass and the Cuthberts do find themselves penniless. This is how Matthew dies, in the novel: by opening a letter announcing that the Abbey Bank has failed and realizing his family has lost everything. Not quite everything, of course. Green Gables still has one important resource: Anne, who has just received a full scholarship to college, decides to stay at home and teach at one of the local schools. (Gilbert Blythe, as you might remember, gives up his post at the Avonlea school so Anne can teach close to home — and their romance begins.) Anne does this for two reasons: first because Marilla is in poor health, and second because this is the only way to save Green Gables. If Anne left, Marilla could not run the farm on her own. With Anne there, and with the money they earn from her teaching salary, they can hire someone to help them on the farm and just get by. The book ends with Anne’s sacrifice, and it’s important to remember that at the time, L.M. Montgomery did not plan to write seven sequels. (Eight, if you count the The Blythes Are Quoted, which remained unpublished until 2009 — and for good reason.) We leave the story understanding that Anne will be a good teacher and that she’ll learn everything that she wanted to study in college by reading books from the library; we also know that Marilla will be well taken care of and that Green Gables will someday thrive again — perhaps around the time when Anne and Gilbert admit their feelings for each other. Then we get our sequels, and Anne gets to go to college in Book Three, Anne of the Island. It’s worth noting that Anne is only able to go after Rachel Lynde’s husband dies and Rachel moves into Green Gables, freeing Anne from her caretaking responsibility. Marilla also adopts twins, which I always read as a bizarre plot development and, perhaps, the first example of the Cousin Oliver trope. Either way, Green Gables is full and Anne is free to continue her adventures. After Anne graduates she is able to take a position as a high school principal, and earn more money than she was making at the local Avonlea school. She also earns money by writing stories for magazines, which she was able to do both before and after she got her degree. Then Anne marries Gilbert and gives up her teaching and writing work to take care of their home and children, just like she gave up college to take care of Marilla. It’s really easy to read this as a “bad thing,” like Anne should have followed her own ambitions and reached some kind of potential, but it’s clear that Anne never feels that way. She loves home. She explains all of that in the first chapters of Anne of Green Gables: home, and the people in it, are more important to her than anything. But I’m glad to think of getting home. You see, I’ve never had a real home since I can remember. It gives me that pleasant ache again just to think of coming to a really truly home. So. What does Anne of Green Gables teach us about money? Be thrifty with your funds, perhaps, but invest in people. No amount of preparation can prevent financial disaster. It’s okay to buy enough fabric for your dress to have puffed sleeves. When you do lose everything, it’s the people around you who will help. Sometimes you need to earn money right away, but going to college can get you a better-paying job later. (That’s kind of what Anne of the Island and Anne of Windy Poplars teaches us about money.) You can always learn what you want to know at the library. Love — and home — are worth more than anything.

<urn:uuid:730076de-b602-4a2a-b547-155899504a58>

CC-MAIN-2017-51

https://medium.com/the-billfold/what-childrens-literature-teaches-us-about-money-l-m-montgomery-s-anne-of-green-gables-eb0a469a5641

s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-51/segments/1512948592972.60/warc/CC-MAIN-20171217035328-20171217061328-00327.warc.gz

en

Whether coconut oil is good for weight loss or not, it is becoming an increasingly popular component of a weight loss diet. So how justified is this in view the fact that fats and oils are not normally regarded as being the best form of food to take if you want to lose weight? Apart from any other considerations, fats are actually very important components of any diet. Consider, for example, how many vitamins are fat soluble: vitamins A, D, E and K are all fat soluble, and without fats in your diet vitamins would not be able to circulate and be taken to where they do most good. Fats are also essential building blocks for hormones and cell membranes. In short, you cannot survive without fats. Coconut oil is a fat. In referring to coconut oil here, we are discussing virgin oil, not the refined form that is high in cholesterol. Refined, or processed coconut oils, is hydrogenated, which renders it more in nature to the longer chain fatty acids. Virgin coconut oil contains what are known as medium chain fatty acids (MCFA), which are easily metabolized by your liver into energy. The longer chain fatty acids, also called triglycerides, are not easily broken down into smaller components, and tend to be stored in the body as fat. This fat can be particularly dangerous if stored round the midriff, and so long chain fatty acids are dangerous to your health. This does not apply to MCFAs, and a possible mechanism for this is discussed later. inability to distinguish between the different types of fats and oils in your diet is largely due to a lack of education in the chemistry of fats, and the lumping together of all fats and oils under the 'fatty' flag. Perhaps it is the use of the word 'fat' for the overweight condition and the fact that the triglycerides and other chemicals are known generically as 'fats' that triggers a connection between the two, but although this is logical, and in some cases justified, it is not always the case. There are fats and fats, just as there are lubricating oils and greases, and edible cooking oils and greases. acids in coconut oil are composed of relative small carbon chain lengths. Caprylic acid and capric acid contain 8 and 10 carbon atoms in the backbone compared to the 18 of the stearic acid that is commonly contained in animal fats. The longer the carbon chain in the molecule, the more difficult it is to break down, and the more likely it is to be stored in the body as a dense fatty deposit that places a strain on the Due to the shorter chain length the medium chain fatty acids hold less energy per unit weight. Apart from any other reasons then, coconut oil contains fewer calories than other fats and so if used as the bulk of your fat requirement, will be less liable to generate body fat. Not only that, but as inferred earlier, due to the smaller molecule these calories are more readily released as energy for use by your body rather than stored unused. However, that is not the whole story on either count: coconut contains saturated fats, and also monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats, although in small quantities. These, however, are present in only small amounts, although would still be expected to undergo oxidation and produce the rancid taste commonly found in aged unsaturated oils and fats. However, even after a year this does not happen, which indicates that coconut oil possesses some form of antioxidant properties. This is confirmed by the fact that people eating a diet rich in coconut oil has less of a need for the strong oil-soluble antioxidant vitamin E. In fact, the metabolism of fats is usually connected with the carnitine transport system in the mitochondria, although the shorter chain fatty acids do not need carnitine for their metabolism. What happens then is that because carnitine promotes oxidation during stress, and causes oxidative damage to body cells, its absence in metabolism of coconut oil fatty acids results in a reduction in the oxidation that degrades unsaturated fats. Hence the lack of rancidity. Taking this further, then, this lack of oxidation infers that those that take a diet rich in coconut oil (for example using it for cooking rather than animal and vegetable oils containing longer chain fatty acids) should be partially protected against cell oxidation in general. Oxidative effects such as aging, cardiovascular diseases and some cancers should be reduced, and studies have shown this to be the case. Those consuming coconut oil rather than other oils tend to age more slowly, suffer less from heart disease and tend to experience fewer incidences of cancer. regard specifically to weight loss, it is believed that consumption of medium chain triglycerides, as opposed to longer chain triglycerides, results in a higher rate of thermogenesis, or the conversion of carbohydrates to energy (fats are also carbohydrates). The first step in this process requires the presence of Coenzyme A in the form of the enzyme acyl-CoA-dehydrogenase, and measurement of the activity of this enzyme has indicated that medium chain triglycerides exhibit much higher expenditure of energy than the metabolism of long chain triglycerides when being converted to fatty tissue. However, though the energy used up in this reaction, known as lipogenesis, was higher, the formation of fatty tissue was the same. MCA uses more energy to produce the same amount of fat as LCA, and therefore, although more energy is used up, no new fat is generated by the liver. Since your dietary fat intake can ultimately have only three fates: burned as energy, stored as the emergency energy source glycogen, or deposited as fat, then it is logical that the more energy generated then the less fat will be stored. In this way, coconut oil, with a high content of medium chain fatty acids, has a scientific explanation for causing weight reduction when used as a source of fat in the diet rather than animal or other vegetable fats or oils. It is converted to energy rather than fatty tissue, and if you exercise to use up that energy then your weight loss can be significant. What this theory also states, however, is that coconut oil should be used as a replacement for other fats, and not in addition to it. If you take coconut oil in addition to your normal diet, do not expect to see

<urn:uuid:af131f99-326d-4002-946a-6a7985fe2592>

CC-MAIN-2017-51

http://quickweightloss02.blogspot.com/2013/03/is-coconut-oil-good-for-weight-loss.html

s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-51/segments/1512948588294.67/warc/CC-MAIN-20171216162441-20171216184441-00127.warc.gz

en

<-- This is a reference that should be provided for most training classes: Nobody Told Me That Motorcycles Are So Dangerous Numbers Trained, Inverting the Training Curve: The current focus on expending almost all resources on beginner training and recruiting as many new riders as possible has lead to a large increase in the motorcycle crash fatalities. It will take great effort to keep the “Numbers Trained” at the same level, but to invert the training curve so that the “Numbers Trained” will include mostly training classes with intermediate and advanced riders. Please see this California example of motorcycle training classes and participation profile that show the current “Numbers Trained” curve. which is maximizing crash fatalities, and the suggested training curve of “Numbers Trained” that will minimize motorcycle crash fatalities. In order to reduce the current high motorcyclists fatality rates, license endorsement must be separated from BEGINNER training! The current motorcycle endorsement process is upside down! Beginners receiving unrestricted motorcycle endorsements discourages participation by these beginners in other necessary training if they are to understand, and then continued learning more ways to manage the danger of motorcycling. We encourage all motorcyclists to continue their education past their beginner-time; to take continuing intermediate classes on a variety of subjects. For example, a very important class to attend is “A Crash Course for the Motorcyclist” offered by Accident Scene Management (ASM), which is the leader in Motorcycle Trauma First Response training. Motorcycling is dangerous and intermediate classes like “A Crash Course for the Motorcyclist” will help you gain the skills you need to be a better motorcyclist! Training and the New Paradigm Please share with your family, friends, loved ones, and anyone considering participating in motorcycling the following : The lowest mishap rate for motorcyclists occurs when they are riding legally and responsibly. Training courses that lower mishap rates focus on teaching the students respect and using their judgement for choosing actions that result in good outcomes. RESPECT: Courses that help students learn to reduce mishaps focus the students on their understanding of, and: -Respect for the danger of riding upon motorcycles on public roads. -Respect for the motorcycle. -Respect for the public roadway, meaning: Riding within the posted and suggested speeds. Being courteous to ALL other roadway users. Understanding how the roadway system is designed and engineered. Remembering that public roads are intended for transportation, not for sport or recreating while driving the vehicle-in-transport. JUDGEMENT: Courses that help students learn to reduce mishaps focus the students on their judgement to choose: -To ride alert, healthy, and unimpaired. -When to “opt-out” of the ride. (If, in your judgment it’s time to opt-out, and you discontinue that ride, you then can’t be injured in a motorcycle crash on that ride.) -The appropriate venue for aggressive riding. Rather than taking an aggressive machine out onto public roads to have fun, it would be less dangerous to trailer a sportbike to the track, or to transport an off-road bike to an OHV area and then recreate. NOTE, Motorcycle Type and Configuration: The term “3-Wheeler” is not useful in characterizing the difficulty to operate or to quantify the danger of a type of motorcycle. For beginners, NMI recommends smaller motorcycles that have two wheels in the front. We do not recommend any high-powered motorcycles for beginners. A two-wheeled motorcycle with a sidecar attached should not be labeled “3-Wheeler” because this is the most difficult motorcycle to operate and should only be operated by experts. Compare this to a motorcycle with two wheels in the front (also inappropriately labeled “3-Wheeler”), which we recommend for novices. We emphasize, “Physical skills training and practice will help one become more skillful wth physical techniques. That is the purpose of this type of training.” Skillful motorcycle drivers are well represented in the fatality data. A motorcycle driver of average skill, being careful, will experience less danger than a skillful motorcycle driver being careless. Once you can control the clutch skillfully, you cannot crash because you did not know how to use the clutch. It does not matter how you learned the skill of controlling the clutch. Most motorcycle drivers killed have the skill of clutch control. By reasoning induction, one can use this same reasoning and apply it to all the basic motorcycle skills. The result is that most motorcycle drivers killed have the basic motorcycle skills to control a motorcycle, as measured in testing in a parking lot. In other words, most motorcycle drivers killed have basic motorcycle control skills. By extension of this reasoning, most motorcycle drivers killed have the skill to drive “At Suggested Speed Limit All The Time (ASSPLATT).” Please see “Nobody Told Me That Motorcycles Are So Dangerous” for more. It is a fact that widespread funding and promotion of motorcycle industry basic motorcycle training has, increased the motorcycle societal danger. National Motorcycle Institute recommends more careful testing for licensing than what is currently in place. Please see The NMI System. The government should allow private schools to provide basic training and not be in the training business themselves. The government should put its resources to work providing excellence in testing, licensing and informing the general public about the danger of participating in motorcycling. Also, all training programs, whether government sponsored or purely private, should not allow their students to be harmed during the training. For example, many state sponsored license programs have injuries in their beginner licensing classes every weekend. They could choose to offer programs that have ultra low mishap rates, such as the Begin2ride Course. To begin learning about the new paradigm, please take a look at the conclusion of this article, Nobody Told Me Motorcycles Are So Dangerous. Once the new paradigm is accepted, many seemingly mysterious facts about motorcycle training/licensing can be simply explained. For example, in every state that has subsidized and well organized basic motorcycle training promoting motorcycling through licensing/endorsement incentives, the number of properly motorcycle endorsed residents is about double the number of motorcycle registrations. This simply means that basic training for licensing has exceeded demand for those who will be driving registered motorcycles. This then leads to the reasonable explanation as to why, in these states, there are, effectively, no private schools conducting beginner or basic motorcycle training. Each state shows a dramatic increase in motorcycle crash fatalities whenever motorcycle “safety” training became popular, especially when the training was connected to motorcycle license testing. There is no exception. This leads us to the understanding that there is a strong inappropriate connection between promotion of motorcycle “safety” training and the promotion of motorcycling. What about advance training for experienced riders? Please see: “Booze, Helmets, Speed, and Training” – Booze, Helmets, and Speed are found to be the major causal factors leading to motorcycle occupant injuries, both fatal and non-fatal. In theory, for experienced motorcycle drivers (riders), advanced training should not reduce the motorcycle mishap rate on public roadways. This is because, theoretically, advanced training cannot have an affect on the major casual factors of mishaps, “Booze, Helmets, and Speed. And please share with your family, friends, loved ones, and anyone considering participating in motorcycling the following warning What about Two Tiered or Graduated Drivers License (GDL)? For the USA, NMI recommends to have a two tiered system; Tier 1 motorcycle permit (MP) and Tier 2 unrestricted license (ME for Motorcycle Endorsement). This two tiered system would be compatible with the system currently in place nationwide. The requirement for the MP would include a beginner course such as Begin2ride, and a simple skills test, and would not require any info on passengers, late night driving, or high speed driving. Those subjects would be for a second course for drivers who have a MP. The restrictions on the MP would be: No passengers, no late night driving (example: restricted from 11 PM to 5 AM), and not roads with posted speeds above 50 MPH. Also, we would restrict the horsepower of the motorcycles allowed to be operated to 25 Hp or less (this could be set smaller, I originally set it at 15 Hp, but there are not many motorcycles sold in USA that meet this restriction). This restriction is like a CC engine displacement restriction. However, a Hp or Torque restriction would work for electric motorcycles as well as high performance small displacement engines. The important NMI features would include “Opt-Out” concepts, and testing to be controlled by entities that did not have a conflict of interest. Pre – MP – demonstration of basic physical skill as modeled in Begin2ride. Restrictions on MP holder: 1. Horsepower less than 25 Hp. 2. No passengers. 3. 50 MPH: No driving on roads with posted speed limits above 50 MPH. 4. No late night driving.

<urn:uuid:aa394f04-d1dd-4447-9a39-64cee759e944>

CC-MAIN-2017-51

http://www.motorcycleinstitute.org/training-and-the-new-paradigm/

s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-51/segments/1512948551162.54/warc/CC-MAIN-20171214222204-20171215002204-00719.warc.gz

en

The concept of a FireWall is simple: Network traffic comes in through the FireWall The FireWall examines and controls the traffic, then sends the traffic to its destination. Installing and maintaining a FireWall is an important part of network operations. What is a FireWall? A FireWall is a system designed to prevent unauthorized access to or from an internal network. They act as locked doors between internal and external networks. Data meeting certain requirements can get through the locked door, whereas unauthorized data never gains access. Firewalls track and control data, deciding whether to pass, drop, reject, encrypt or log the data. Firewalls ensure data meets the rules of its security policy. 2. FireWall -1 Architecture: FireWall-1's architecture is based upon two components: 1. Stateful Inspection 2. The FireWall-1 INSPECT engin. 2.1 Stateful Inspection: It assures the highest level of network security as follows: Communication Information, Communication-derived state, Application - derived state and Information manipulation. 2.2 INSPECT engine: It analyzes all packet communication layers, and extracts the relevant communication and application state information. The Inspection Module resides in an operating system's kernel, but doesn't modify the system's Kernel files. All traffic is transferred to the INSPECT engine by the NIC driver before traffic reaches an operating system's stack. FireWall -1 defines how packets are transferred through an internal network. The following lists some of the advantages of FireWall-1 architecture: 3. The basic components of FireWall -1: 3.1 The FireWall Module: It Provides access control, client, user and session authentication. And network address translation (NAT), which replaces source and destination network addresses. NAT can be used to hide internal network structure and/or prevent network address conflicts between networks. The FireWall Module contains the following components: Inspection Module: It contains the INSPECT engine. Compiled INSPECT code, and various state and context information stored in dynamic tables. FireWall-1 Daemon: It is responsible mainly for communication between modules, clients and hosts. Security Server: Is a specialized server that is responsible for handling authentication of packets for a specific service or protocol. 3.2 The Management Module: It is accessed through the GUI and located on the Management Server. It's used to control and monitor FireWall Modules either residing on local or remote computers. The Management Server is part of the Management Module and manages its database, including: The rule base, network objects, servers and users. 3.3 The Graphical User Interface ( GUI): The GUI is the front end to the Management Server. The following are the three GUIs that can be accessed in FireWall-1: 3.3.1 Security Policy Rule Base: It's an essential part of FireWall-1 administration. Defining and implementing a security policy maximizes FireWall-1's effectiveness. And without the security policy, FireWall -1 is limited to its ability to be an effective security solution. A security policy is a set of rules that define your network security whether the traffic is inbound or outbound, directed to the DMZ, remote locations, or between corporate partners. It's defined using a Rule Base, Which translates your security policy to a collection of individual rules. These rules are created with the Check Point Policy Editor, which is a tool for creating a security policy. Each rule can comprise any combination of network objects, users, services and actions. Once a rule is defined, it provides the ability to define which network enforcement points should be distributed across your internal network. Considerations: Before creating a security policy for your system, you must answer the following questions: What kind of services, are allowed in your system? What are your users' permissions and authentication schemes? What objects are in your system? 3.3.2 Log Viewer GUI: It allows you to view entries in the log file. Each entry is a record of an event that according to the Rule Base or the properties, is to be logged, in addition, every event that caused an alert, as well as certain important system events. The Management Server reads the log file and sends the data to the GUI client for display. 3.3.3 System Status GUI: It presents a high-level view of operation and flow statistics for all firewalled objects. Communication between firewalled objects and the management station is by a proprietary FireWall-1 protocol. The Management Server retrieves the system status information and sends the data to the GUI client for display. Before FireWall-1 updates the status display, It broadcasts a status request message to all firewalled objects. For each one whose status is displayed, the following information can be obtained: 4. Fire Wall -1 Security issues: 4.1 Content Security: It's a proxy process for verifying the content of FTP, HTTP or SMTP. Its feature allows the administrator to define content security and enforce it throughout an internal network. Other advantages include the following: To implement Content Security, follow these steps: 1. Define a network object for the third-party server. 2. Define a resource that specifies matching and what type of content checking action. 3. Define rules that specify an action taken for the resource. 4.2 An encryption and Virtual Private Network: Encryption is a method of modifying packet data so that the data can only be decrypted with an encryption key. You can use FireWall-1 to build VPNs, which provides secure communications between two defined participants by encrypting packets across the Internet. FireWall-1 encryption works through the use of special schemes. A VPN typically uses the Internet as the transport backbone to establish secure links with business partners, extend communications to regional and isolated offices, and significantly decrease the cost of communications for an increasingly mobile workforce. Types of VPNs: 1. Site-to-site VPN 2. Client-to-site VPN. Typical configurations for VPNs include the following: 4.3 Secure Remote: It's another way than encryptions for security engineers to ensure that remote communications traveling through unsecured lines are encrypted. It allows remote users secure access to their internal networks. This is made possible by a technology called Client Encryption. By using Secure remote, You are creating a client-to site VPN. It does the following: 5. Important aspects of advanced FireWall-1 management: 5.1 Account Management Client (AMC): Organizations that have multiple user databases in one firewalled network can appreciate a process where all databases are maintained from one location. FireWall-1 allows such a process through the use of the Account Management Client. The Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) is used to communicate with a server that holds information about users and items within an organization must be running in the background before starting the AMC. The server and management client must bind with each other before being able to talk to one another. The first time you access the AMC. There is no account unit set up. The AMC must bind to the LDAP server. 5.2 Load Balancing: It allows several servers to share and distribute the network load. The security engineer does this by creating a logical server on the FireWall. The logical server set up on the FireWall has a unique IP address, through which packets are routed for load balancing. Traffic that is directed to this logical server is then load shares among the physical server group. Using address resolution protocol (ARP), which is a TCP/IP protocol. FireWall-1 load balancing ensures packets destined to the IP address of the logical server are passed to the appropriate physical server. Load Balancing Components: Load balancing daemon: To direct client packets to a server and notifies the client that all remaining connections must be directed to the IP address of the selected server. Load Balancing Algorithms: It determines which physical server will fulfill the request.

<urn:uuid:6ae955cd-ca89-461e-8be2-fd8fedf74e1c>

CC-MAIN-2017-51

http://imps.mcmaster.ca/courses/SE-4C03-01/papers/Abadir-Firewall-1.html

s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-51/segments/1512948577018.52/warc/CC-MAIN-20171215172833-20171215194833-00727.warc.gz

en

A second opinion is the process of seeking an evaluation by another doctor or surgeon to confirm the diagnosis and treatment plan of a primary physician, or to offer an alternative diagnosis and/or treatment approach. Getting a second surgical opinion can fill an important emotional need as well as establishing medical needs and treatment goals. When a second opinion confirms initial findings, it can provide reassurance and feelings of acceptance for the patient, and may reduce anxiety and uncertainty. From a cost-effectiveness point of view, second opinions can save health insurance providers money by establishing the certainty of a clinical need (or lack of need) for surgery, particularly when the diagnosis is a life-threatening. Patients with a diagnosis of cancer may also benefit from a second-opinion pathology review of their biopsy material. A John Hopkins study reported that 1.4% of patients scheduled for cancer-related surgery at their facility were found to have been misdiagnosed when their tissue samples were reevaluated by a second pathologist. Similarly, a study published in the Annals of Surgical Oncology in 2002 found that a pathological second opinion of breast cancers changed the initial diagnosis, prognosis, or treatment approach in 80% of the 340 study subjects. Several clinical research studies, however, have found that patients often seek second opinions not necessarily because they doubt the diagnosis or recommendations of their first provider, but because they were dissatisfied with either the amount of information given to them or the style of communication of their doctor. A 2002 Northwestern University study found that only 46% of patients coming into a breast cancer treatment center for a second opinion had been offered a complete discussion of treatment options during their initial consultation. Doctors often have differing viewpoints as to how a particular medical problem should be managed, whether through surgery or less invasive treatment means. One surgeon may prefer to take a "watchful waiting" approach before recommending surgery, while another may believe in performing surgery as soon as possible to avoid later complications. In some cases, several surgical techniques may be viable options for a patient. Medicine is not as black-and-white as many patients are led to believe, and physicians are not infallible. For these reasons, and because surgery is a major procedure with associated risks that should not be taken lightly, second opinions are an important part of the process of informed consent and decision-making. Although a physician may strive to be objective, personal views and subjective experiences can influence their treatment recommendations. In addition, both the education and experience of a doctor in a given medical area can also influence the advice they offer a patient. For these reasons, seeking a second opinion from another physician and/or surgeon can be invaluable in making a decision on a course of treatment. Second opinions are most frequently sought in cases of elective (nonemergency) surgery when the patient has time to consider options and make a more informed choice about his or her course of treatment. While a second surgical opinion may be requested in some cases of emergency surgery , they are not as common, simply because of the logistical limitations involved with getting a qualified second opinion if a patient requires immediate care. In some cases, a doctor or surgeon may encourage seeking a second opinion, particularly when the preferred course of treatment is not clear-cut or another surgeon with advanced training or expertise may provide more insights into surgical options. Patients should remember that it is their right to seek a second opinion before committing to surgery or another treatment plan. Embarrassment or fear of disapproval from a primary care provider should not be a barrier to getting a second opinion. A competent physician will not consider the decision to seek a second opinion an insult to their ability or experience. Instead, they will consider the patient an informed individual who is proactive and responsible for their own health care. Patient seeking a second-opinion consultation may ask the provider questions similar to those they asked their primary provider. Questions may include: Providing the second surgeon with appropriate background information is important, but so is refraining from detailed descriptions of what the first provider did or did not recommend before the consultation begins. Patients should allow the surgeon to draw objective conclusions based on the medical history and diagnostic data before them. If the second opinion differs from the first provider's opinion, and the patient feels comfortable doing so, he or she might then offer information on the first provider's recommendations to get further feedback and input for a final decision. Before seeking a second opinion, patients should contact their health insurance provider to find out if the service is covered. Some insurance companies may request that a second opinion be sought before major elective surgery , and may reserve the right to designate a physician or surgeon to provide the patient evaluation. As of mid-2003, Medicare Part B covered 80% of costs for surgical second opinions after deductible, and 80% for a third opinion if the first two opinions were contradictory. Other Medicare programs may cover second opinions as well; patients should check with their Medicare carrier for details. There are several ways to find an appropriate health care professional to provide a second opinion. Patients can: When seeking a second surgical opinion, patients should find a surgeon who is board-certified in the appropriate specialty by an organization that is part of the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS). For example, surgery of the urinary tract may be performed by a provider who is board certified by the American Board of Urology and/or the American Board of Surgery (ABS), two member organizations of the ABMS. Diplomates of ABMS member boards are surgeons who have passed rigorous written and oral testing on these specialties and have met specific accredited educational and residency requirements. In some cases, surgeons may also be certified in subspecialties within a discipline (for example, a vascular surgeon may be board certified by the vascular surgery board of the ABS). The ABMS provides a verification service for patients to check on the certification status of their provider. In addition, the surgeon may also be a Fellow of the American College of Surgery (ACS), as indicated by the designation F.A.C.S. after their name. This indicates that he or she has met standards of clinical experience, education, ethical conduct, and professional expertise as prescribed by the ACS. Once a second health care provider is selected, patients should speak with their primary doctor about providing the appropriate medical history, test results, and other pertinent information to the physician who will give the second opinion. The patient may have to sign an information release form to allow the files to be sent. If x rays, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), or other radiological testing was performed, the second physician may request to see the original films, rather than the radiologist's report of the results, in order to interpret them objectively. In some cases, the office of the surgeon giving the second opinion can arrange to have these materials transferred with a patient's written approval. Patients should call ahead to ensure that all needed materials arrive at the second provider's office before the appointment, to give that physician adequate time to review them and to avoid potentially costly repeat testing. Second opinions that agree with the first provider's conclusions may help ease the patient's mind and provide a clearer picture of the necessary course of treatment or surgery. However, if a patient still feels uncomfortable with the treatment plan outlined by the first and second physicians, or strongly disagrees with their conclusions, a third opinion from another provider is an option. In cases in which the second provider disagrees with the first provider on diagnosis and/or treatment, the patient has harder choices to face. Again, a third evaluation may be in order from yet another physician, and some insurance companies may actually require this step in cases of conflicting opinions. If a patient is very comfortable with and confident in their primary care provider, they may wish to revisit them to review the second opinion. In all cases, a patient should remember that their personal preferences, beliefs, and lifestyle considerations must also be considered in their final decision on surgery or treatment, as they are the ones who will live with the results. Rose, Eric. Second Opinion: The Columbia Presbyterian Guide to Surgery. New York: St. Martin's Press, 2000. Staradub, V. L., et al. "Changes in Breast Cancer Therapy Because of Pathology Second Opinions." Annals of Surgical Oncology 9, no.10 (December 2002): 982–7. American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS). 1007 Church St., Suite 404, Evanston, IL 60201. (866) ASK-ABMS. http://www.abms.org . American College of Surgeons (ACS). 63 N. St. Clair Drive, Chicago, IL 60611. (312) 202-5000. E-mail: <postmaster @facs.org>. http://www.facs.org . Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). Getting a Second Opinion Before Surgery. Publication CMS-02173. Revised April 2002. http://www.medicare.gov/Publications/Pubs/pdf/02173.pdf .

<urn:uuid:997bfef5-0536-4d60-be90-949c5b4714c1>

CC-MAIN-2017-51

http://www.surgeryencyclopedia.com/Pa-St/Second-Opinion.html

s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-51/segments/1512948550986.47/warc/CC-MAIN-20171214202730-20171214222730-00527.warc.gz

en

- The shape of the face is encoded in genes The width of the face, the shape of the nose, the exact space between the eyes are all in the genes The data from genes can be used to re-create facial features Face of a person can often reveal their personality, health, and character. Marcus Tullius Cicero said "The face is a picture of the mind with the eyes as its interpreter." ‘Clues to the shape of the face hidden in genes’ The face lends a person their identity. The nose, eyes, mouth and the facial symmetry determine the appearance of the face and the arrangements of facial features result in the healthy variation in facial appearance that exists. John Shaffer and colleagues from The University of Pittsburg in Pennsylvania have reported that specific genetic variations determine the size of the nose and the width of the face. There are several studies that point to genes as being the determining factors for facial characteristics but the mechanism of genetic variation that contributes to the wide variety of facial characteristics are not fully understood. Identifying Genetic Variations The researchers studied 20 facial characteristics based on 3D images from 3,118 healthy individuals with a European ancestry. Statistical association between certain Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNP) and the following facial characteristics were identified - The width of the face The space between the eyes The size of the nose The space between the lips and eyes "Our analysis identified several genetic associations with facial features not previously described in earlier genome-wide studies. What is exciting is that many of these associations involve chromosomal regions harboring genes with known craniofacial function. Such findings can provide insights into the role genes play in the formation of the face and improve our understanding of the causal factors leading to certain craniofacial birth defects," says Dr Seth Weinberg who is the corresponding author for the study. The study holds a lot of promise in determining the shape of a person's faced based on the individual's DNA, though only a section of the relevant genes have been identified. Identifying Contributing Factors for Cleft Lip and Palette Studying genes that are associated with facial characteristics will aid in identifying facial deformities which include cleft lip and palette. As the face forms the identity of an individual, deformities of the face can lead to emotional scarring and deep seated aversion to social interactions. Identifying the key factors that could give rise to facial deformities and undertaking corrective action will improve the chances of lowering the risk for facial deformities. Predicting the Facial Features using DNA -A Crime Scene Investigation Understanding the information on facial characteristics present in the genes will play an important role in identifying suspects based on DNA obtained at the crime scene. In many investigations, there might be no witnesses or the face of the offender might be covered, which leads to an inability to send out images of the offender that the public can identify. Parabon Nanolabs conducted a pioneer study by determining the facial characteristics of a suspect based on the DNA evidence left behind by a suspect. The suspect was a serial offender and as his face was covered during the assault, his identity could not be easily established by the victims. An individual can change the appearance of the face by getting a haircut or even after shaving, but the space between the eyes, the size of the nose and the facial shape and size cannot be altered and act as key identifying markers. This makes identifying the genes that determine facial characteristics an important factor for determining the face of suspects. The current data available for facial determination using DNA are minimal and the study by Dr Shaffer and colleagues will aid in improving facial analysis. Genetic analysis is already being widely used to ascertain the sex, age and race of the individual while the use of information in genes to provide a facial image would further improve identification of suspects. Identifying the Face of Un-born Babies for Parents-to-be Though this field still has a long way to go, one of the many presumed uses of determining the genes that contribute to facial features would be to provide parents-to-be with an image of how their child will look. While this might not have a strong medical need, it will go a long way in fostering parental bonding with the un-born child and building a stronger relationship between the couple. Re-creating Facial Features of Stone Age Humans The data stored in DNA can be used to re-create the facial images of humans who lived in the stoneage and Egyptian or other Kings and queens who lived many centuries ago. This will provide essential clues about the evolution of the appearance of humans and also provide a legitimate facial identity. The genes that have been determined in the study by Dr Shaffer could represent only a small fraction of genes that could play a role in shaping the face of humans. Dr Weinberg further adds "successfully mapping a large number of these genes will require much greater sample sizes and a more comprehensive approach to quantifying facial features of interest." The face is an important benchmark for establishing the identity of an individual and analyzing genes for clues to the face will take forensic analysis to new heights in crime invertigations. - Can DNA predict a face? - (https:www.sciencenews.org/article/can-dna-predict-face) - Face shape is in the genes - (http://www.eurekalert.org/emb_releases/2016-08/p-fsi082216.php)

<urn:uuid:273533b1-b897-47c0-9787-4c78f1c6b34a>

CC-MAIN-2017-51

http://www.medindia.net/news/healthinfocus/genes-determine-the-shape-of-your-face-162923-1.htm

s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-51/segments/1512948529738.38/warc/CC-MAIN-20171213162804-20171213182804-00728.warc.gz

en

|Regions with significant populations| |Eastern Bhutan (Lhuntse, Trashiyangtse, Mongar, Pemagatshel, Trashigang, Samdrup Jongkhar) Southwest China (Tibet Autonomous Region) Northeast India (Assam) |Tshangla · Monpa languages · Dzongkha · Tibetan Languages| |Buddhism · Bon| |Related ethnic groups| |Monpa · Ngalop · Tibetan people| The Sharchops (Dzongkha: ཤར་ཕྱོགས་པ, Wylie: shar phyogs pa; "Easterner") are the populations of mixed Tibetan, Southeast Asian and South Asian descent that mostly live in the eastern districts of Bhutan. The Sharchops are an Indo-Mongoloid people who migrated from Assam, or possibly Burma, c. 1200 – c. 800 BC. Van Driem (1993) indicates that Sharchops are closely related to the Mönpa and that both are descendants of the indigenous pre-Tibetan (pre-Ngalop) peoples of Bhutan. Due to the societal prominence and political power of Dzongkha-speaking Bhutanese, however, Sharchops are marginalized (and sometimes persecuted) in Bhutan. The Sharchops are the largest ethnic group in Bhutan. The Sharchops comprise most of the population of eastern Bhutan, a country whose total population in 2010 was approximately 708,500. Although they have long been the largest single ethnic group in Bhutan, the Sharchop have been largely assimilated into the culturally and politically dominant Tibetic Ngalop culture. Together, the Ngalop, Sharchop, and tribal groups constituted up to 72 percent of the population in the late 1980s, according to official Bhutanese statistics. The 1981 census claimed that Sharchops represented 30% of the population, and Ngalops approximately 17%. The World Factbook, however, estimates that the "Bhote" Ngalop and Sharchop ethnic groups together comprise approximately 50% of Bhutan's population, at 354,200 people. Assuming Sharchops still outnumber Ngalops at a 3:2 ratio, the total population of Sharchops in Bhutan is approximately 212,500. Most Sharchops speak Tshangla, a Tibeto-Burman language; fewer speak the Olekha language. They also learn the national language, Dzongkha. Because of their proximity to India, some speak Assamese or Hindi. Tshangla is also spoken by the Monpa (Menba) national minority across the border in China, distributed in Mêdog, Nyingchi and Dirang. Tshangla is similar to the Kalaktang and Dirang languages spoken by the Monpa of Arunachal Pradesh, India. Sharchop peoples practice slash-and-burn and tsheri agriculture, planting dry rice crops for three or four years until the soil is exhausted and then moving on, however the practice has been officially banned in Bhutan since 1969. - "Culture of Bhutan". Countries and Their Cultures. Advameg, Inc. Retrieved 30 September 2013. - "U.S. Committee for Refugees World Refugee Survey 1999 - Bhutan". United States Committee for Refugees and Immigrants. 1 January 1999. Retrieved 29 September 2013. - van Driem, George L. (1993). "Language Policy in Bhutan" (PDF). London: SOAS. Retrieved 2011-01-18. - van Driem, George (2001). Languages of the Himalayas: An Ethnolinguistic Handbook of the Greater Himalayan Region. Brill. p. 915 et seq. - "Bhutan". The World Factbook. Central Intelligence Agency. - This article incorporates public domain material from the Library of Congress document: Robert L. Worden (September 1991). Andrea Matles Savada, ed. "Bhutan: A country study". Federal Research Division. Ethnic Groups. - This article incorporates public domain material from the Library of Congress document: Robert L. Worden (September 1991). Andrea Matles Savada, ed. "Bhutan: A country study". Federal Research Division. Society. - "Bhutan Backgrounder". SATP online. South Asia Terrorism Portal. 2002-09-20. Retrieved 2011-07-10. - "Languages of Bhutan". Ethnologue Online. Dallas: SIL International. 2006. Retrieved 2011-01-18. - Blench, Roger (2014). Sorting out Monpa: The relationships of the Monpa languages of Arunachal Pradesh. - This article incorporates public domain material from the Library of Congress document: Robert L. Worden (September 1991). Andrea Matles Savada, ed. "Bhutan: A country study". Federal Research Division. Farming. - "Shifting Cultivation in Bhutan: A Gradual Approach to Modifying Land Use Patterns". Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations online. FAO. 1987. Retrieved 2011-03-13. - "Fact Sheet Bhutan. Women in Agriculture, Environment and Rural Production" (PDF). Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations online. FAO. Retrieved 8 Sep 2017.

<urn:uuid:4e3397e9-c8d8-400b-a801-a5a6fece5964>

CC-MAIN-2017-51

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sharchops

s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-51/segments/1512948595858.79/warc/CC-MAIN-20171217113308-20171217135308-00127.warc.gz

en