text:
Q: Función de comparación de qsort con comportamiento extraño Estaba escribiendo un programa cuyo objetivo era leer un archivo de texto, ordenar los datos y luego escribirlos en otro archivo.
El problema surgió cuando traté de ordenar el array personasLeidas (el cual contiene las estructuras que estoy utilizando para ordenar los datos). Cuando usé
strcmp(otraPersona->region, unaPersona->region)

el array se ordenó, pero al revés. Y cuando cambié los parámetros de dicho strcmp, me encontré (al debuggear) con un array vacío (por algún motivo qsort llenó cada elemento de cada struct en el array con 0's o bien \0's, y no tengo idea de por qué). Les dejo el código:
#include <stdlib.h>
#include <string.h>
#include <commons/string.h>
#include <commons/txt.h>
#include <stdio.h>

typedef struct persona{
    char region[51];
    int edad;
    long dni;
    char nombreYApellido[31];
    long telefono;
    long saldo
} persona;

int criterioOrdenamiento(const void*, const void*);
void mostrarArray(persona* personas);

int main(int argc, char** argv) {

    FILE* archivo;
    char* nombreArchivo = argv[1];

    int numeroPersonaActual = 0;

    if(archivo = fopen(nombreArchivo, "r")){
        char renglonActual[1000];
        //aguanta hasta 100 personas
        persona* personasLeidas = malloc(100 * sizeof(struct persona));
        char** renglonActualSeparado;
        persona unaPersona;

        while(fgets(renglonActual, 1000, archivo)){

            renglonActualSeparado = string_split(renglonActual, ";");

            char* region = renglonActualSeparado[0];
            char* nombreYApellido = renglonActualSeparado[1];
            int edad = atoi(renglonActualSeparado[2]);
            long telefono = atol(renglonActualSeparado[3]);
            long dni = atol(renglonActualSeparado[4]);
            long saldo = atol(renglonActualSeparado[5]);

            strcpy(unaPersona.region, region);
            strcpy(unaPersona.nombreYApellido, nombreYApellido);
            unaPersona.edad = edad;
            unaPersona.telefono = telefono;
            unaPersona.dni = dni;
            unaPersona.saldo = saldo;

            if (edad > 18){
                personasLeidas[numeroPersonaActual] = unaPersona;
            }

            numeroPersonaActual++;
        }

        mostrarArray(personasLeidas);
        printf("\n\n\n");

        //filtrar y ordenar el array
        qsort(personasLeidas, 100, sizeof(struct persona), criterioOrdenamiento);

        mostrarArray(personasLeidas);

        //guardar en archivo

        free(personasLeidas);
        fclose(archivo);
        return EXIT_SUCCESS;
    }
    return -2;
}

int criterioOrdenamiento(const void* personaA, const void* personaB){

    persona * unaPersona = personaA;
    persona * otraPersona = personaB;

    //faltaria comparar por edad
    return strcmp(otraPersona->region, unaPersona->region);
}

void mostrarArray(persona* personas){
    int contador = 0;
    while(personas[contador].dni){
        printf("%s\n", personas[contador].region);
        contador++;
    }
}

Acá dejo el contenido del archivo de texto que estoy usando para probar el código.
CASA;UnNombre;20;11213657;10000000;150
ARFE;Lucrecia;22;11487100;10000001;100
TEST;PEPE;21;11000000;10000002;120
NONI;pocho;29;12345678;10000003;900
ARLEK;test;30;10000000;10000004;1000

A: Lo primero, fíjate que si una persona no es mayor de edad va a dejar un hueco en el array:
if (edad > 18){
  personasLeidas[numeroPersonaActual] = unaPersona;
}
numeroPersonaActual++;

Si quieres evitar huecos, no incrementes el índice salvo que se añadan elementos en la lista:
if (edad > 18){
  personasLeidas[numeroPersonaActual] = unaPersona;
  numeroPersonaActual++;
}

Por otro lado, la llamada a qsort es incorrecta:
qsort(personasLeidas, 100, sizeof(struct persona), criterioOrdenamiento);
//                    ^^^

No tienes que pasarle toda la memoria del array sino únicamente las posiciones ocupadas. ¿cómo esperas que qsort decida que ahora sí debe ignorar esos huecos pero que debe tratarlos en tu próximo proyecto? No puede...
Lo dicho, la llamada debería quedar mas bien así:
qsort(personasLeidas, numeroPersonaActual, sizeof(struct persona), criterioOrdenamiento);


text:
Kenya |English
Vibrant culture
International Jazz Extravaganza
From R600
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TThe International Jazz Extravaganza is a platform that showcases all the greats of jazz music. The line-up is usually filled with a combination of international acts and local jazz legends. The International Jazz Extravaganza will be held in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, along the lush eastern seaboard of South Africa, and of course will also once again be wowing jazz fans with inspiring star performances and unmatched hospitality when it returns to the Durban ICC Arena. So far three acts for the night have been announced – the edgy US jazz vocalist, Kurt Elling; well-known local artist, Nduduzo Makhatini; and highly-acclaimed vocalist and pianist, Thandi Ntuli. The first IJE offered something that no other jazz event in South Africa catered for – entertainment for the pure jazz lover. This, along with a luxurious hospitality experience that combines music, food, and travel is what makes IJE so unique.
Experiences picked for you
The Bierfest is the closest representation of the German beer culture. Break out the lederhosen and dirndls and get ready for a "top Klaus bier festival" when the Newlands Brewery Village Green transforms into a Bavarian-style beer hall. Dates: Durban: 31 August – 1 September Pretoria: 2– 3 November Cape Town: 28– 29 November
The Vodacom Durban July, the greatest racing, fashion and entertainment extravaganza on the African continent, takes place at Greyville Racecourse. Television has brought great sporting events right into the living rooms of homes around the world but there is still no substitute for being right there, in the middle of things to experience the sights, the sounds and, above all, the adrenaline rush that comes with live action. The Vodacom Durban July is probably one of the oldest horseracing events in the country. The first race was run in 1897 and was contested over 1.6km, and ever since then it has become an event not to be missed in South Africa. This event calls for celebrities, socialites and the elite to show off their outfits, their bets and their social skills. The excitement of Vodacom Durban July surpasses that of any other event on the African continent, with huge crowds expected on course and millions of others around the country taking serious bets or having their annual flutter.
Sun Grandwest Motorshow
The Sun Grandwest Motorshow is one of the biggest motorshows held in Cape Town. The showcase is a made up of the latest bikes, concept cars, trucks as well as food and family entertainment. This incredible event will get your engine revving with an impressive array of cars, bikes and trucks – from the vintage classics to modern exotics and big-rigs. Let your inner-child loose and run amok through the rows of slender speed machines and screaming engines. This year, you can expect a classic car section, an outdoor 4x4 area, a drifting zone, a bike zone and plenty of amazing engines to ogle. The organisers have arranged for drivers from SA and all over the world to come and show off their awesome tricks and quirks, making this a very unique opportunity for motor enthusiasts. This is a world-class, family-friendly event with live music and food stalls to keep the atmosphere vibrant and your stomach satisfied.
Veuve Clicquot Masters Polo
04 Mar 04 Mar 2017
04 Mar '1704 Mar '17
The Veuve Clicquot Masters Polo is a popular social event in South Africa. Spectators get to watch the game of kings while sipping on some of the finest bottles of champagnes. Socialites and the crème de la crème of African influencers will descend on South Africa's most prestigious polo estate, Val de Vie Estate to witness international polo players compete for the coveted Veuve Clicquot Masters Polo Cup. Guests can expect to taste food inspired by glamour and luxury, all enjoyed with Veuve Clicquot champagne, of course. Val de Vie Estate will also be transformed in line with the theme, to ensure guests experience a journey of the senses around the world with Veuve Clicquot, without leaving the picturesque Paarl/Franschhoek valley.
Oppikoppi
05 Aug07 Aug 2017
05 Aug '1707 Aug '17
The world for the young hearted! Oppikoppi has become the perfect pre-festive "groove". Do you love live music? Do you love awesome people? Do you love camping? If you do, head over to South Africa's largest music festival in the Limpopo province and you'll get a healthy dose of all three! For over 20 years, this gathering of South Africa's music elite has become an essential pilgrimage for music lovers across the country, now rocking the socks off over 20 000 festival goers. With over 100 live acts, multiple stages and some big international headliners, the festival continues to grow year on year. Oppikoppi started in 1994, making it one of the oldest weekend events in SA.
09 Mar 10 Feb 2018
09 Mar '1810 Feb '18
The Ultra South Africa music festival is a franchise event of Ultra Worldwide. This is a two-day music event where legends of house music such as Black Coffee, Felix Jeahn, David Guetta, DJ Snake and many others get to entertain a packed audience with their sets. Ultra is one of the most celebrated festival brands in the world, and though 2014 was the first time the thumping bash descended on the African continent, the event has been staged all over the globe, with audiences in Brazil, Korea and the party capital of the world, Ibiza. It all began in Miami, Florida, back in 1999, and the music festival has since become internationally renowned for bringing together the hottest names in the dance scene. To date, the massive outdoor party has managed to conquer nine countries on five continents with the same epic flair that was made famous by the original event. Cape Town Stadium, Cape Town 9 - 10 February 2018 Exo Centre, Nasrec, Johannesburg 9 - 10 February 2017
Sun-soaked coasts
Knysna Oyster Festival
29 Jun 08 Jul 2018
29 Jun '1808 Jul '18
The Knysna Oyster Festival is the perfect combination of sport, food and family time. It consists of fun sports challenges, live entertainment, food and wine stalls. The festival offers a diverse programme of sport, gourmet offerings and family activities, and attracts more than 50 000 visitors to Knysna every year. The varied programme caters for all ages and interests. The BIG5 Sport Challenge is most certainly one of South Africa's most scenic multi-disciplinary competitions, and it includes cycling, running, trail running, swimming and paddling. The Momentum Weekend Argus Knysna Cycle Tour, as well as the Cape Times Knysna Forest Marathon and Half Marathon are two of the most popular events on the cycle and running calendars. Combine these with the iconic Featherbed Trail Run, the Momentum Health Oatwell, as well as a multiple events featuring oysters, wine and great food, and this is definitely one of the best options for your midyear break.
🇰🇪Happy Africa Day! Let's celebrate African Unity and Freedom #WeAreAfrica 🥰 On 25 May 1963, Africa made history with the foundation of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) the precursor to the African Union (AU). Africa Day is intended to celebrate and acknowledge the successes of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU now the AU) from its creation in May 25, 1963 in the fight against colonialism and apartheid, as well as the progress that Africa has made, while reflecting upon the common challenges that the continent face in a global environment. The Africa Day theme for 2019 is "Healthy Lifestyle Prolongs Life"
SafiriSouthAfrica
The Northern Cape is the largest of South Africa's provinces but has the smallest population, making it one of the more remote areas of the country. Among its key selling points are its vast, open spaces, unique vegetation – including the beautiful spring flower spectacle that transforms a semi-desert landscape – and the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, which is famous for its lions. Explore the Northern Cape: http://bit.ly/2yqWCWf Explore South Africa: https://www.southafrica.net
The North West province features premier wildlife destinations, among them the Pilanesberg Game Reserve and the Madikwe Game Reserve; parts of two UNESCO World Heritage Sites (the Vredefort Dome and the Taung Fossil Site, part of the Cradle of Humankind World Heritage Site); and the world-famous Sun City gaming and entertainment resort. Explore the North West: http://bit.ly/2Yv6ISg Explore South Africa: https://www.southafrica.net
Mpumalanga means 'the land of the rising sun' in the local siSwati and Zulu languages, a name it derives from lying on the eastern border of the country. It is most famous for being the southern gateway to the country's premier wildlife reserve, the Kruger National Park. It is a place of game, adventure and rich history. Explore Mpumalanga: http://bit.ly/2Un32jh Explore South Africa: https://www.southafrica.net
Limpopo has become a sought-after tourist destination for its big game, exceptional birding, untamed bush landscapes and an ancient African kingdom, the centre of which was located at Mapungubwe National Park. It is also the northern gateway to the Kruger National Park. Explore Limpopo: http://bit.ly/2FHVt1r Explore South Africa: https://www.southafrica.net
South Africa's third-smallest province, KwaZulu-Natal has a wealth of scenic and cultural attractions that include the country's most popular beaches lying to the south and north of Durban. Add to that its bushveld reserves to the north, historic battlefields and the dramatic Drakensberg mountains, and you can see why it's popular with tourists. Explore KwaZulu-Natal: http://bit.ly/2OskbFS Explore South Africa: https://www.southafrica.net
Geographically the smallest province, Gauteng is an urban playground of note, taking in the cities of Johannesburg and Pretoria. Think large shopping malls, bars, hotels, casinos, and a vibrant cultural and entertainment scene. It is also South Africa's fast-paced economic powerhouse. For visitors, there are many places of historical interest that tell the story of South Africa's emerging democracy. Explore Gauteng: http://bit.ly/2HI8biR Explore South Africa: https://www.southafrica.net
The Free State is essentially an agricultural province and its appeal lies in its scenic beauty, rural tranquillity, and natural attractions. The eastern part of the province is the most beautiful, with its sandstone rock formations and rolling grassland. It also lies in the heart of South Africa as it borders six of the country's nine provinces, as well as the kingdom of Lesotho. Explore the Free State: http://bit.ly/2HJcJFM Explore South Africa: https://www.southafrica.net
South Africa's 'wild' province, the Eastern Cape features expanses of untouched beach, bush and forest. This was Nelson Mandela's home province and is an area with some enticing attractions – among them the Addo Elephant National Park, with the densest elephant population in the world; the dramatic Wild Coast; and, of course, Mandela's home at Qunu. Explore the Eastern Cape: http://bit.ly/2C4Bskj Explore South Africa: https://www.southafrica.net
Where else in the world can you surf the world's biggest waves, go on a "Big Seven" safari, visit the birthplace of Nelson Mandela and Bungee jump off the highest bridge in the southern hemisphere? It's in the Eastern Cape Province of course! Known as South Africa's adventure province, the Eastern Cape is certainly not to be missed. Visit your Travel Agent now to book your getaway in the Eastern Cape Province ✈🏄♂🐘🦏🐆🐃🦁🐋🦈🇿🇦
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


I heard on the radio this morning that some people haven't put their tree up or wrapped their presents yet. So I'm going to write a post about my technique of wrapping Christmas and birthday presents with only one hand.
They happen to sell them in packs of 3 too!
So you have your wrapping paper, your scissors, your sellotape (sticky tape) and the present.
Here's how I wrap one-handed.
Place the wrapping paper on the floor, partly rolled out.
Place the present at the edge of the paper and roll the paper until it covers the present.
Mark an inch above the spot where the paper's edges join and place the present at the line.
Flip the present over away from the edge you are going to cut until it stands up twice.
The second place it stands up marks the amount of wrapping paper you need to cover all edges.
Make a mark an inch or so away from where it is standing just to give you some more space encase it moved when you flipped.
Cut the first marked line until it meets the second line.
Once a strip of sellotape holds it, cut another one that is longer and can strengthen the tape's hold.
Next is to fold the corners. Assuming this is a box and not something with flat corners, I usually push down from the top of the present so that it forms a U shape. I then fold in the walls of that 'U' by pressing inward.
Before sellotaping, I do the same with the other corner.


text:
» 8 Useful Languages to Learn
8 Useful Languages to Learn
Whether you're learning a language to provide professional opportunities or just trying to check off that bucket list, you want one that'll give you more bang for your buck. But how do you decide which languages are the most useful to learn?
To be fair, all languages are useful. But the language you might learn to impress international business partners will be different than the one you'd need to backpack across Europe.
Try a Free Lesson
Here are eight different languages and the factors that make each a useful language to learn.
What's the most commonly spoken second language?
You might be surprised that English isn't the most commonly spoken language in the world. Chinese and Spanish have that honor. But in 55 countries, English is the most commonly spoken second language, so it makes sense to speak English if you plan to live or study abroad.
What's the most spoken language in the world?
With more than 1 billion native speakers, Chinese dominates Asia and the world as the most frequently spoken language. But keep in mind that Chinese includes ten Sinitic languages like Mandarin and Cantonese. Speaking Chinese is also an important asset in business because of the country's role as a rising global leader.
What's the most useful second language to learn in the United States?
The most widely spoken second language in the United States is Spanish. In fact, there are more Spanish speakers in America than in Spain, so you won't have to travel far to get plenty of mileage out of this language.
What's the most widely used second language besides English?
Standard Arabic is the written language in many countries where various Arabic dialects are spoken. In fact, Arabic is the official language of 59 countries, so it comes in handy across much of the Middle East and Africa.
What language is spoken on all five continents?
French is the second most widely learned language in the world. As a leftover of colonization, French has a foothold on five continents and is one of the working languages of the United Nations.
What's the most widely spoken native language in Europe?
German is the most widely spoken language in Europe due to the sheer number of native speakers. It's also the official language of not just Germany but also Austria and Liechtenstein. It's also frequently spoken in Central and Eastern Europe.
Which language is in high demand?
While you might think Portugal when you think Portuguese, Brazilian Portuguese is actually the official language of Brazil. Because of Brazil's booming economy, currently, the 7th largest in the world, and a bustling tourism sector, speaking Brazilian Portuguese is increasingly valuable and can be a serious asset on any resume.
What language is the most widely used on the internet?
Although English dominates the internet, making up more than 50% of the content on the web, Russia comes in second. Russia's rising geopolitical influence also makes it a useful language to acquire and it's also listed as a critical language by the U.S. State Department.
Which language is a good fit for you? Choose from 24+ languages with Rosetta Stone. Try it for free.
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SLR supports the financial sector clients funding the waste management industry through market analysis, business plan support, vendor and purchaser technical due diligence, asset valuations, independent certification, and contract dispute resolution.
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SLR provides pragmatic, realistic, advice for a range of financial investment decisions within the waste management sector.
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£410,600 raised at Herd of Sheffield Auction
https://www.ancon.co.uk/whats-new/410-600-raised-at-herd-of-sheffield-auction
Ancon waved farewell to its sponsored elephant Holi at the Herd of Sheffield auction which raised a fantastic total of £410,600 for the Children's Hospital Charity.
Holi, Ancon's sponsored elephant, "in the wild" outside Sheffield's Winter Garden
The event which took place at the prestigious Crucible Theatre on Thursday 20th October, consisted of 58 uniquely designed elephants which descended on the city of Sheffield in the summer months.
The auction aimed to raise funds for a highly specialised Multipurpose Fluoroscopy System which obtains real-time moving X-ray images and can be used to identify and stop internal bleeding in vascular trauma injury.
The auctioneers were BBC Bargain Hunt's Charles Hanson and Associate Director and Head of Northern Auctions f


text:
HomeEU politicsNational PoliticsDamian Killeen – Scotland: The View from Italy
Damian Killeen – Scotland: The View from Italy
December 20, 2019 David Shirreff National Politics 0
What would it take for Scots to make the transition from a 'subject' mentality to a 'citizen' mindset that could conceive something as radical and transformative as a written Constitution for an Independent Scottish Republic?
Damian Killeen is former director of the Poverty Alliance in Scotland
Cross-posted from Bella Caledonia
Credit: Jonathan Riddell
I was born in Yorkshire, England, but am an 'adopted' Scot, having lived in Edinburgh and worked in the capital and in Glasgow for over forty years. I now live for much of my time, as an active pensioner, in Taranto in the South of Italy from where I have watched with some despair the political developments of the past few months, especially last week's election. I left England at the time of the Thatcher government when, famously, the Prime Minister declared that there was no such thing as society, only individuals and the family, to find community and a shared sense of social responsibility in Scotland. I have lived in Scotland long enough to have seen the cracks in the mirror but I continue to feel a sense of belonging to a country that has resisted the idea of breaking away from our European institutions and that has sufficient confidence in itself to have a grown up conversation about whether or not it should seek independence from the UK.
During the devolution process, as Chair of a UK anti-poverty network, I witnessed an unravelling of the cloak of power of English colleagues who had become accustomed to the idea that they could speak to government on behalf of the whole UK. Disrobed of this presumption and faced with representatives from distinctive networks in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, they, like the Emperor, realised that they were 'in the all together' and, naked in the market place, needed to find a new robe. Through this microcosm I saw the beginnings of an effort to identify a credible 'English' identity in the context of a dynamically changed UK. It has been and continues to be a struggle to achieve this. It is this dynamic of devolution, I believe, that has, in great part, led to the current 'England First' attitude towards the rest of Europe and that Boris Johnson has effectively amplified with his populist rhetoric and his Northern spending spree to buy the regions into his 'One Nation' Toryism.
Italy was also threatened recently with its own version of Boris Johnson. Matteo Salvini, the leader of Lega, a spin off from the Berlusconi stable and in government in coalition with the Five Star Movement, pushed the country to the brink with his actions to 'defend' Italy's borders from immigrants and his links with ultra-right parties elsewhere in Europe. An effective communicator, he gained extensive support as a spokesperson – speeches on the beaches with his muscles on display – for the 'true Italians' and their daily concerns. Immigration fears also prompted anti-Europe arguments as the rest of the Union failed to take their share of the numbers of people fleeing North Africa. When Salvini blocked the ports and proposed a general election from which he planned to emerge as the Prime Minister of a majority government, the centre left parties undertook a 'manovra' that led to the formation of a new governing coalition that excluded Lega and Salvini from power. This was in depressing contrast with the inability of UK opposition parties to coalesce around a common objective and to Keep Boris Out.
Popular politics in Italy has now taken an unusual turn with the emergence of the 'sardine', literally thousands of people coordinated through online social networks who fill , like sardines in a can, every piazza where Salvini is scheduled to appear, carrying cardboard sardines and calling for cohesion not division, peace not war with slogans I remember from the anti-government protests of the eighties. This action has completely foxed the major parties, who would like to attach the movement to their own political agenda except that none of them is clear what the policy of the movement is or whether it even has one. What the demonstrators make clear, as they sing the songs of the partisans who resisted Mussolini during the Second World War, is that they do not want a return to Facism and that, for them Salvini is a fascist threat. If this movement does not fizzle out over Christmas, I suspect that we will see in Italy a growing debate abut what kind of nationalism Italians want; one that is open and inclusive or a nationalism that pulls up the drawbridge and repels all boarders.
There are resonances here for the UK as a whole and also for Scotland as it looks over Hadrian's Wall at the birth of a new kind of England; and the debate is significant for Scotland as we look again at what we want our future to be.One major difference between Italy and the UK is that Italy is a Republic with a written Constitution that specifically defends citizens' rights against those of the state. Britons may never never never be slaves, but we are subjects. We may think of ourselves as citizens but Italian citizens, for all the religious fervour of many, do not believe that they are ruled in any sense by someone identified for the job by God.
The Italian President is elected by popular vote and can, eventually, be got rid of if the people think they are not doing their job well. That job is to represent the national interest against the interests of individual parties. The Italian President, for example, will call coalition leaders to his office, if he thinks it is necessarry, to tell them to resolve differences or to stand down to be replaced by other parties or by technicians of no party. This may appear chaotic compared with what we used to believe is our own more stable government system but it is an active, engaged politics which takes care not to place too much power in the hands of any one person or to allow any individual vision of the country to prevail.
One question that Italians have asked me as we have watched the Brexit process is 'What is your Queen doing about it?' Republicans they might be, but many Italians are obsessed with the Queen and the Royal Family as portrayed in the media. Many regard the Netflix series, 'The Crown' as a documentary and cannot believe that the manipulative, scheming, conniving people it portrays do not play an active role in the political life of the country they rule. They like Carlos because he is seen to be an active force in the UK and in Italy but they are shocked by the limited role played by our head of state as I explain that only a very careful dissection of the Queen's Christmas Message allows the public any kind of insight into what our monarch actually thinks. 'What will she say in her Queen's Speech?', they ask. 'Only what she is told to say', I have to reply.
Two factors make politics very different in Italy from that in the UK. The first is the presence of a written Constitution, forged out of the aftermath of the Fascist era, the terms of which underpin all political, legal and civil actions and relationships in the country and is a real presence in the minds of many and the common bond that ties together the many different versions of what Italy is or might be. Changes to the Constitution are a serious matter, requiring a national referendum and a 66% majority vote before they can be introduced. Politicians , such as Matteo Renzi, have lost their positions by misjudging the public mood in a referendum. The second difference is in the media. Journalists are protected by the Constitution in undertaking their investigative role and have found ways of continuing this function regardless of changes in media ownership. There is plenty of trivia to be found in the Italian media, as elsewhere. But there is also a wealth of polemic and investigative writing in the printed media and, every evening on television there are challenging, investigative programmes, such as L'Iene (The Hyenas) which takes authorities and others to task over possible infringements of citizens' rights, large or small. There are talk shows with presenters who do not have to pretend to impartiality, that bring together voices from many sides of any argument in often raucous debate that challenges my basic Italian skills; and there are searching interviews with everyone from the Prime Minister down. The idea that a potential or actual Prime Minister might refuse to engage fully with the media, as Boris Johnson does, is viewed with incredulity in Italy and as fundamentally unconstitutional. Newsnight and Question Time look like poor gruel compared with the feast of political debate available to Italians. As in other ways, I think we could benefit from more of the Italian diet.
Italians know that Scotland is different from England; they know that we voted to remain in the European Union and they know that we are considering Independence. In the South where I am based there are mixed views about the value of the union with the North and some are calling for Independence from Rome and all it stands for. Where Scotland used to have its oil, the South of Italy still produces much of Europe's olive oil and wine and has a strong technological base, including new technologies. There is an argument that the South of Italy produces much of the wealth and talent on which the rest of Italy depends and that it should be retained in the South where poverty and unemployment statistics far exceed those of Italy as a whole. Italians wonder if Scotland has the same economic foundation to support a move to Independence.
Taranto, where I live, a Spartan colony older than Rome with a history, archeology, tourist potential and cozze (mussels) to beat those from the rest of Italy has also been home to one of Europe's major polluters, the ex-Ilva steel works. Now in French ownership, this plant and its mortal impact on the lives of its workers and their children has become a focus of national concern with the Prime Minister and others on site with proposals and money to address this pollution and protect the citizens from further decline. Previous owners of the plant have been taken to court by the Italian Government and this might happen again. Where Boris Johnson visits his North to reward voters for what they have done for his party and ignores Scottish democracy, the Italian State is moving to correct past injustices and to retain the bonds of Italian citizenship. What citizens in either country will make of this is yet to be seen.
As I ponder the future as an extra-communitarian and try to work out how to continue living as a European in the new hostile environment, I can see that Scotland and Italy, at the opposite poles of the European continent and connected since Celtic times by the sea, have much in common with their desire for open-hearted, inclusive democracy and that an independent Scotland could learn much from the Italy. But we also need to remember that the Italian Constitution was forged on the anvils of war and fascism and was achieved at great expense to the Italian people, a cost that they still remember. Scotland may have been 'oppressed' by history but it has not been through the fire in the same way as Italy. What would it take for Scots to make the transition from a 'subject' mentality to a 'citizen' mindset that could conceive something as radical and transformative as a written Constitution for an Independent Scottish Republic that the people would be ready and willing to defend?
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Kevin Anderson, Dan Calverley – How alive is 1.5?
December 5, 2022 Mathew D. Rose Climate Crisis, Energy, Environment, Sustainability 0
A small budget, shrinking fast Kevin Anderson is professor of energy and climate change at the Universities of Manchester (UK), Uppsala (Sweden) and Bergen (Norway) Dan Calverley is an independent researcher on climate change and […]
Lars Syll – The 'tiny little problem' with Chicago economics
November 13, 2017 Mathew D. Rose Economics, Finance 0
Unfortunately neo-classical economics, although discredited following the 2008 Global Financial Crisis, continues to dominate economic theory – probably because it is the fundament of neoliberal ideology. For over a quarter of a century neo-classical economists […]
Norbert Häring – World Economic Forum touts Bitcoin as a tool against global warming
June 25, 2022 Mathew D. Rose Climate Crisis, Corruption, Economics, Energy, Finance, Lobbying, Sustainability 0
Once again the World Economic Forum shows that corporate profit is its lodestar. Norbert Haering is a business journalist in Frankfurt am Main Cross-posted from Norbert's blog Money and more With its "Great Rese2t, the […]


Kitchen Makeover- What's cooking ?
Kitchen Makeover–What's cooking? April 7th is World Health Day. Food is a basic essential, and food safety is a global issue. The QualityRights team at the Hospital for Mental Health- Ahmedabad started an initiative for better quality food for service users. The facility staff identified a team, which decided to move towards the goal of … More Kitchen Makeover- What's cooking ?
Leave a comment Kitchen Makeover- What's cooking ?


Be sure to have actual patrol leaders doing the joke so they are making fun of themselves.
Scout #2: Hey, wanna hear a real funny Patrol Leader joke I just heard?
Scout #1: Sure, but before you start, you should know I'm a patrol leader. And, that guy's a patrol leader. And, so is that one over there. So go ahead and tell me your joke.
Scout #2: Ah, never mind. I don't want to have to explain it three times!


text:
Tag: Hillary Clinton
history, humor, politics, STEM
Make America AMERICAN again
Wish I knew how. Some of the ways being tried look promising to me; some look counterproductive. In roughly descending order of promise, I list 10 of them and add my own idiosyncratic comments.
(BTW, the [Menu] button atop the vertical black bar reveals the widgets.)
Sad emojis mark for the 3 counterproductive items that end the list. Pressed for time? Read #1 and #2 (the most promising items); then skip ahead to #9 and #10 (the most counterproductive items).
First, let me say where I am coming from. In ancient times (before the phrase liberal Republican became an oxymoron), progressives could be Republicans. Tho imperfect, that option made sense for pragmatic progressives who disliked deficits, knew how the road to Hell is paved, and would not kowtow to "conservative Democrats" (white racists in what was then the "Solid South") for the sake of party unity. In ancient times, I was a Republican. Now I am a Sanders/Warren Democrat who also donates to the Working Families Party. That imperfect option is the best available for me today.
America has changed a lot more than I have. Many changes for the better are in imminent danger of being undone. Many changes for the worse accelerated when George W Bush became POTUS, were slowed but not stopped under Obama, and have accelerated drastically under Donald Trump. Paranoia is not one of my faults; I hope I am mistaken in seeing a clear and present danger to liberal democracy itself (on top of 4+ years of monumentally bad governance) in the Age of Trumpery.
Image credit ends this post.
Tea Party Tactics
The all-too successful efforts of the Tea Party to obstruct Obama's agenda included many tactics that could also be used by honorable people to obstruct Trump's. Some progressive former Congressional staffers have compiled the Indivisible Guide for badgering legislators. In addition to many helpful refinements of what I already vaguely knew, the guide has an insight so jolting that I will discuss it separately, after this list.
There are many ways to prevent elections from throwing the bums out. Savvy modern tyrants need not be so crude as to refuse to hold elections or refuse to let any serious opponents campaign. Republican state legislators have raised gerrymandering to a high art, passed voter ID laws carefully tailored to depress voting by "conservatives" much less than voting by other groups, and so on. Election administrators can open fewer polling places in areas where the "wrong" kind of voters are common.
One of the many ways that the ACLU defends civil liberties is by filing lawsuits against such shenanigans. Please support the ACLU and anybody else who defends voting rights. For more on subtle ways that voting rights can be hollowed out behind a facade of democracy, see While Democrats Chase Russians, Republicans Keep Rigging Elections by Richard Eskow.
State & Local Elections
Far too many progressives act as if voting for POTUS once every 4 years would suffice to make good things happen. Government in the USA is not that simple. Pseudoconservatives also pay attention down-ballot and in off years. It shows. Our fragmented system makes it extremely difficult for POTUS alone to get much done that is worth doing. Down-ballot results in one election can also have nasty consequences up-ballot in the next one.
Boycotting Trump-branded Stuff
Tho Trump's claim to be a "successful businessman" is a wild exaggeration, he does care about money. The website #GRABYOURWALLET lists many casinos, hotels, products, and retailers. With careful reading of the website's spreadsheet, U can separate the retailers who actively push Trump-branded products (or otherwise support Trump) from those who just sell them along with various competitive products. Boycotting the retailers who just sell them is counterproductive.
Protest Marches
They seem to have mobilized and heartened opposition, but I cannot help wondering how many of those who march and shout now were perfectionists then, when many progressive purists refused to hold their noses and support the only alternative to Trump who could have won on 2016-11-08. I hope nobody thinks that denouncing Trump in a raucous crowd is as good as thwarting him.
My big worry is that protest marches will become old news and that some protestors will try to freshen them up by marching w/o permits, snarling traffic, provoking cops to overreact, and so on. The resulting legal battles will divert resources from the defense of voting rights.
Ridiculing Trump
Intense and well-deserved ridicule did not keep Trump out of the White House. It is hard to ridicule Trump w/o also ridiculing his supporters. I must confess to having sometimes yielded to temptation on this point. But anything that is perceived as ridicule will only delay the awakening of those Trump voters who are not bigots or plutocrats but who had good cause to feel abandoned by smug neoliberals and turned to Trump in desperation.
On the other hand, years of relentless attacks on Hillary Clinton eventually built up an exaggerated and indelible image of dishonesty. (Tho far from being a paragon of integrity, HRC is relatively honest, as pols go. The last paragon at the presidential level was Abraham Lincoln, whose honesty did not preclude being calculating and shrewd.) Maybe years of apt and varied ridicule can accomplish something beyond catharsis for snipers like me.
Copious documentation of staggering mendacity did not keep Trump out of the White House. That those who ridicule Trump are more likely to amuse each other than erode his support is sad but not shocking. That much of the electorate does not give a rat's ass for truth is another story. As with ridicule, I see some small hope that years of hammering away may eventually break thru.
Calls for Impeachment 😦
The question is not whether Trump deserves to be impeached and convicted. He does. So what? Impeachment and conviction cannot happen unless both the House and the Senate are flipped. Suppose that unlikely event happens in 2018. Trump's term would be served out by Mike Pence, whose agenda is just as vile. By being less abrasive than Trump, Pence might be even more effective in pushing for bad laws and lulling people into accepting thinly veiled fascism.
Centrism 😦 😦
Obviously, the Democratic Party must somehow reach out to the Reagan Democrats who came back for Obama but did not stay back for Clinton. How to do that is controversial. Despite my own broadly centrist inclinations, I believe it would be a huge mistake now to take any more advice from Third Way or anybody else who thinks Dems can win by sounding at all like decaffeinated Republicans. Dems need a coherent progressive alternative that seriously addresses Rust Belt concerns, not an echo of Republican quackery pasted onto support for LGBTQ/reproductive rights and sanity about guns. While I do support those rights and that sanity, I am starting to understand why they have so little traction.
Normalizing Trump 😦 😦 😦
Exhortations to come together after a bitterly contested election are a venerable American tradition, dating back to Jefferson's inaugural address in 1801. Still in shock on 2016-11-09, I reblogged an eloquent one. At the same time, I reblogged a very different reaction that was also eloquent. It was a struggle to work out my own subtler response with a look back to 1814.
Looking back not quite so far as 1814, I recall that paranoid slave owners violently rejected the results of the 1860 election. That did not end well. Looking just a little ways back, I recall my own anger at McConnell's nauseating pledge to subordinate governing to making Obama a 1-term POTUS, after Obama won in 2008 w/o any help from vote suppression or Russian meddling.
Putting this item last in the list was painful, but not as painful as seeing Trump confirm a truckload of grim expectations (bigotry; chaos; corruption; …) within a month of inauguration. A wait-and-see attitude did make sense on 2016-11-09. It does not make sense today. Will the sane and decent people in the USA wait until it is too late to avoid covert fascism behind a facade of democracy?
What is the jolting insight mentioned in list item #1? When opposing a nasty Trump initiative that advances a subversive hidden agenda, do not (repeat—not!) try be constructive by offering a better way to deal with whatever problem the Trump initiative purports to address. Keep the opposition to Trump broadly based and unified, focused on the vileness of the snake oil and not distracted by internal debates about what should be done instead of swallowing snake oil.
I come from the very collegial culture of STEM and can remember when American politics was less adversarial and more collegial than it is now, tho never as collegial as STEM. (Yes, there are rivalries in STEM and maybe still a few chances to do some good by reaching across the aisle in politics.) Tho jolting and saddening, the advice to oppose w/o trying to be constructive is wise.
Does my claim in list item #9 that "Dems need a coherent progressive alternative that seriously addresses Rust Belt concerns" contradict that advice? No. Context is crucial. Trying to prevent a particular criminal folly by those currently in office is one context. Trying to elect officials who are much less likely to engage in criminal folly is another context.
Image published in the US before 1923 and public domain in the US
In some ways, the American Experiment is back in 1778: hanging by a thread (in what Thomas Paine rightly said were "times that try men's souls"). Many images of Valley Forge would be appropriate; I especially like the well-known painting by Edwin Austin Abbey of Baron von Steuben instructing George Washington's pickup army in carefully selected European tactics/techniques that would help it win.
Washington's eye for talent looked beyond billionaires who had donated lavishly. Washington did not tweet jabs at "Krauts" while assuming that anybody who sounded like a Hessian was on the other side. Washington saw that an immigrant from Prussia could kick ass for the cause. The rest is history.
Self Expression or Civic Participation?
The point of voting is not self expression. The point is to participate in choosing the driver of a bus we all must ride in. The 2016 POTUS election was a choice between 2 bad drivers, and the winner was much worse than the loser.
Rightly disgusted with the choices offered by the major parties in the 2016 POTUS election, many voters abstained or voted third party. Being sympathetic to both Green and Libertarian concerns (and angry that those concerns got so little attention in the inane debates), I agree that there is something to be said for voting third party in the uncontested states that are safely blue or red. A minor party that crosses the 5% threshold in the popular vote will get ballot access and more attention in the next election.
What about the contested states?
Like it or not, Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump were the only candidates who could have become the next President. Like it or not, abstentions and 3rd party votes in contested states could have tipped them from Clinton to Trump. Like it or not, tipping contested states could have tipped the Electoral College from Clinton to Trump (or even thrown the decision into the House of Representatives, which would have chosen Trump).
So what? Should I not vote my conscience, regardless of where I live? No!
The point of voting is not self expression. The point is to participate in choosing the driver of a bus we all must ride in. The 2016 POTUS election was a choice between 2 bad drivers. One of them had a record that includes moving violations and at-fault collisions, but not DWI or total losses. The other was (and still is) an intoxicated newbie seething with road rage.
Image cropped from the Seattle Times
Among the many posts on many blogs that deal with this election, U can read more with independent and unusual angles in Keith's blog as well as here.
(reblog), history, humor, politics
Tough Lessons
The [Menu] button (atop the vertical black bar) reveals widgets like the Search box. Typing just the [Enter] key into the Search box is a way to browse WordPress blogs.
Learning from history is tough, even for those who remember it. Parallels are never exact. The importance of each difference between then and now is a judgement call. Consider a darkly hilarious cartoon by Jen Sorensen:
Yes, the resemblance of the armed guard to a Nazi storm trooper is as subtle as a sledge hammer. Fine by me. Maybe it will overcome the American propensity for historical amnesia and wishful thinking.
Much to my dismay, Hillary Clinton is the only Trump opponent who might conceivably be elected. The progressive purists who disdain supporting Clinton are confident that something like what happened in Germany in 1932 and 1933 could not happen here and now, with a Trump victory. Yes, our traditions of liberal democracy are stronger than those of the Weimar Republic. The pertinent question is not whether our traditions are stronger but whether they are still strong enough, after years of relentless assault from the pseudoconservative coalition of bigots and plutocrats that controls staggering amounts of dark money and has already taken over the GOP. Dammit, the answer is not obvious.
history, humor, oversimplify, politics
Who Wrote That?
The following 3 quotes all come from the same person. Can U guess who?
The citizens … must effectively control the mighty commercial forces which they themselves have called into being.
It is necessary that laws should be passed to prohibit the use of corporate funds directly or indirectly for political purposes; it is still more necessary that such laws should be thoroughly enforced. Corporate expenditures for political purposes … have supplied one of the principal sources of corruption in our political affairs.
Those who oppose all reform will do well to remember that ruin in its worst form is inevitable if our national life brings us nothing better than swollen fortunes for the few and the triumph in both politics and business of a sordid and selfish materialism.
The choices listed in the following poll have varying plausibility; they do include the actual author. Please have a go before scrolling down to see the answer and why it matters.
Scroll down for the answer …
The image of the US Constitution's famous oversimplification "We the People" was downloaded and resized from http://mtviewmirror.com/wp-content/uploads/we-the-people-9.jpg.
All of the quotes are from a speech on The New Nationalism delivered 1910-08-31 by Theodore Roosevelt. More than a century later, the work has still not been done. More than a century later, pseudoconservatives still dump truckloads of ratcrap on anybody who opposes running the USA for the benefit of the biggest corporations and richest billionaires.
What to do in 2016? Yes, I feel the pull toward a protest vote like writing in Bernie Sanders (or Theodore Roosevelt). In what is not so obviously a mere gesture of protest, I could vote Green or Libertarian. But I will not. Unless U live in a cobalt blue or screaming red state, voting Green or Libertarian in 2016 is voting for Trump. In the real world, all options suck. Some suck worse than others. Much worse.
Yes, one can hope that the combination of Trump in the White House with McConnell and Ryan dominating Congress will be so blatantly toxic that "the people" finally wake up, rise up, and wrest control from the plutocrats. Alas, the 99% of us who are getting shafted includes bigots and nitwits. It includes those who bought the Fox News claim to be fair and balanced. It includes heavily armed crazies like Omar Mateen and Dylan Roof.
Popular uprisings do succeed now and then, as when the government of East Germany collapsed in 1989. Hey, the good people on the wrong side of the Berlin Wall suffered only 44 years (*) of communist oppression before that. More often, uprisings are either crushed (as in Hungary 1956) or seem successful for a while but descend into chaotic violence that spawns yet another tyranny (French Revolution; Russian Revolution; Arab Spring; …).
So I will trudge to the polls, hold my nose, and vote for Hillary. I will also remember a more familiar quotation from TR, excerpted below with a few letters added in italics:
It is not the critic who counts; … The credit belongs to the woman who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; … ; who errs and comes up short again and again, because there is no effort without error or shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; …
While Hillary is deeply flawed, she is not one of those "timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat" detested by TR. For that matter, neither is Trump. He has other issues. While TR was far from being a pacifist, he could see the downside of putting an impulsive jerk in a position to start a war. That jerk also thinks appeasing the NRA is more important than making it harder for crazies like Adam Lanza to murder school children and their teachers.
(*) The physical wall stood for less than 44 years, but the whole point of erecting it was to stop desperate dashes thru the political wall erected in 1945.


scroll down for a list of categories in Dallas Stars™.
Formerly the Minnesota North Stars, the Stars moved to Dallas in 1993 and began boasting some of the top names of that era. Mike Modano, Brett Hull, and Ed Belfour led the team to their first Stanley Cup in 1998. With new faces and a new mascot, Victor E. Green, to lead the charge, the Stars hope to reach the Cup final once again with an all-around attack and stifling defense.
Click on a category in NHL to view Products.


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Gigi Hadid slams body shamers
14th-Feb-2018
Supermodel Gigi Hadid, after her appearances at New York Fashion Week, has hit out at body shamers for commenting on her weight fluctuations.
Hadid, who was diagnosed with Hashimoto's disease -- in which the immune system attacks the thyroid -- made her feelings known through a passionate series of tweets, reports eonline.com.
The 22-year-old wrote: "For those of you so determined to come up with why my body has changed over the years, you may not know that when I started at 17, I was not yet diagnosed with Hashimoto's disease; those of you who called me 'too big for the industry' were seeing inflammation and water retention due to that.
"Over the last few years, I've been properly medicated to help symptoms including those, as well as extreme fatigue, metabolism issues, body's ability to retain heat, etc... I was also part of a holistic medical trial that helped my thyroid levels balance out."


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Climate Change, COVID, and Clean Water: Make the Connection
Dr. Stephanie A. Smith | Jan 08, 2021
Climate Change, COVID, and Clean Water
One of my New Year's resolutions is a recommitment to educating others about Climate Change and its impacts.
Really?" you might ask. "While the COVID-19 pandemic rages on, that tired old topic of climate change is what's on your mind?"
Before writing me off as obtuse in the face of COVID-19's impacts, please realize that it is precisely because of the pandemic that I've made this commitment. That's because Climate Change, Clean Water, and COVID-19 are inextricably linked.
The overlap between Climate Change and Clean Water may seem obvious for some readers (this is a YSI blog after all), and in the first section of this blog, I've looked at the three main ways Climate Change impacts Clean Water. The relationship between Climate Change and COVID is perhaps less obvious, though of great interest to your humble microbiologist author, and hopefully interesting to readers who may not have considered how the practices that drive Climate Change also make us more vulnerable to pandemics. The relationship between Clean Water and COVID, is crucially important, and it is now painfully apparent that lack of access to Clean Water has a major impact on both infection and mortality associated with COVID.
Climate Change and Clean Water
Climate change makes it harder for everyone in the world to get clean water, because it impacts the quality of source waters used for drinking and other household purposes. The U.S. EPA recognizes three ways that Climate Change threatens water quality:
Stormwater Runoff
Erosion and Sedimentation
Historical records suggest that as the Earth's climate has warmed, more frequent and more intense weather events occur around the world, as detailed by the National Climate Assessment in the U.S. The events that bring heavy precipitation, ranging from intense storms to hurricanes, deliver pollutant-laden stormwater into our natural and man-made waterways. The pollutants can include nutrients like phosphorus and nitrogen from land fertilizers, dangerous microbes from sewage systems, heavy metals from industrial waste sites, road salt, plastics and garbage from landfills and dumps, and a disturbingly long list of emerging pollutants, such as per- and polyfluoroalkyls substances (PFAS).
Stormwater runoff is not exactly the same thing as erosion and sedimentation, though sometimes I've heard people use "runoff" when they're really talking about erosion, and vice versa. In reality, runoff isn't always associated with soil erosion, which occurs along water-adjacent land masses. Essentially erosion is the transport of soil via a waterway. The soil ends up deposited somewhere else (drainage systems, lake beds, etc.), and that is sedimentation.
Sometimes it's worth reminding ourselves why soil erosion matters. Food, animal feed, natural material for textiles, microbial activity that cleans the air and water—all are dependent upon healthy soils, as outlined in a fantastic 2017 paper by Borrelli et al. (Nature Communications 8: 2013). Soils are as foundational to life on Earth as water is.
Yet it is water flow that causes the most common and concerning type of soil erosion, and Climate Change increases water flow in at least two ways. First, the volume and force of water flowing in soil-flanked waterways is more common due to the same heavy precipitation events that cause stormwater runoff. Second, increasing temperatures have a direct effect on things like snow and ice melt, which also brings more water flow, especially in mountainous and polar regions.
Finally, more frequent, longer-enduring, and larger Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs) are a direct and indirect consequence of Climate Change. The processes of stormwater runoff, erosion, and sedimentation all deliver nutrients where they would normally be in limited supply. This nutrient abundance, or eutrophication, gives algae a growth advantage over their plant and microbial competitors in aquatic ecosystems. Secondly, warmer temperatures directly favor the growth of some algae, especially the blue-green algae (a.k.a. cyanobacteria) that are associated with HABs in source waters. As some of you know, this is a pet topic of mine for which we have a number of blogs, webinars, and Mission Water articles, some of which we've collated on our Harmful Algal Blooms page.
Climate Change and COVID-19
This relationship has interested me since the early 2000s, when I was teaching virology and working at a contract research institution that studied the spread of viral diseases. Back then, scientists warned that the influenza virus, likely Avian flu (H5N1 for you microbiologists out there) or swine flu (H1N1), or a coronavirus like the emergent SARS coronavirus of 2003, would very likely lead to a pandemic someday. That message was heard loud and clear by many governments and businesses, many of whom put in place pandemic response plans that helped them in 2020.
Part of the message that always got lost both in 2003 and today is that climate change makes pandemics more likely to occur, and weakens our ability to react. This is a concept that is difficult to communicate because the nature of that relationship is complex, causality is almost impossible to prove, and the actions required to prevent it feel more painful at the moment than the perceived pain of what is to come. (Perhaps until now?)
Some of the same practices that lead to Climate Change render pandemics more likely to occur. For example, habitat destruction and warming temperatures drive cold-acclimated life forms, ranging from bacteria to bears, into new territories. It ends up that the snowshoe hare actually likes, well, snow (see Sultaire et al., 2016, Proceedings of the Royal Society B), and it has to live farther north now to get it. Similarly, the range for warm-loving species has broadened, and they are showing up where we didn't see them before or changing their migratory patterns. Viruses in both the native animal populations and the newcomers can trade bits of DNA or RNA (called recombination), and new viruses will emerge. Contact with humans in these new regions, especially as we move into their habitats, both lend more opportunities for the new and recombined viruses to infect us.
These animal-to-human jumps, zoonoses as they are called, have always occurred, but are more likely with more people coming into contact with animals. Some of this is simple math: more people in more areas means more contact with more animals. There is simply a greater probability of us coming into contact with animal viruses. Other opportunities come from trying to feed all those people. The increased global consumption of meat and the factory farming practices required to produce meat, already known to be among the largest contributors to Earth-warming greenhouse gases, also increase our interactions with virus-containing animals. This is why Avian flu is a risk associated with intensive chicken farming and swine flu with intensive hog farming.
So, does any of this mean that COVID-19 was caused by climate change? This is a pretty loaded question, but of course, the one that is asked by people all the time. In reality, the answer is no. Climate Change cannot be proven to have caused COVID-19, any more than we can prove that yeast causes beer. Of course, the yeast is going to do things to the hops and barley and sugar and water that are going to lead to beer. We all accept this, and we understand the processes pretty well. But is that the same thing as causing beer? Such a direct cause-and-effect relationship is almost never able to be proven in the natural world for such complex partners in a relationship.
I would say with high confidence, however, that there is a correlation between Climate Change and COVID-19, emergent viruses, and future pandemics, just like there is a correlation between yeast and beer, and even specific yeast strains and different flavors in beer. In other words, the practices that foster Climate Change have also fostered an environment for a highly infectious virus to emerge and rapidly spread through our densely populated planet.
The implications of this point are serious because it means that intellectually, and even socially and politically, we should not regard Climate Change as a topic separate from COVID-19. This is among the reasons for my New Year's resolution. There has been very little public conversation about the connection between these issues. Similarly, there needs to be more conversation about COVID-19 and clean water.
COVID-19 and Clean Water
At the end of March 2020 (doesn't that seem like a million years ago?!), I wrote a blog entitled Solving Water During a Pandemic. I cited this World Health Organization literature entitled "Water, sanitation, hygiene, and waste management for SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19." This document was updated in July 2020, and slightly expanded. By and large, the guidance has not changed: hand-washing is an absolute necessity to help prevent transmission of the virus that causes COVID-19.
Something I found interesting in the updated document was the acknowledgment of the possibility, albeit unlikely, for coronavirus to be transmitted via feces, a possibility that some scientists warned about as early as May 2020. Today it is known that the coronavirus that causes COVID-19 can survive for many weeks in feces, a convenient fact that is used to track community outbreaks, as described in this fascinating blog about using autosamplers for wastewater sampling.
The blog makes the case that the safety of the scientists collecting samples is one of the main reasons to use an autosampler. Similarly, while there has never been a confirmed case of transmission of COVID-19 via feces, it is recommended by the WHO that COVID-19 patients have their own toilet, and a toilet should be flushed with the lid down to prevent droplet spread and aerosolization.
How do you do these things if you don't have access to Clean Water?
Again, Climate Change makes it harder for everyone in the world to get Clean Water. But the lack of Clean Water is sorely amplified in some areas of the world, and that in turn amplifies the impacts of COVID-19. The consequences include increased risks of infection, less access to treatment, compromises in the quality of the treatment, and less favorable treatment outcomes.
This is exemplified in a press release from the WHO in December 2020 which highlights a report, entitled Fundamentals first: Universal water, sanitation, and hygiene services in health care facilities for safe, quality care. As stated,
Worldwide, 1 in 4 health care facilities has no water services, 1 in 3 does not have access to hand hygiene where care is provided, 1 in 10 has no sanitation services, and 1 in 3 does not segregate waste safely.
Around 1.8 billion people, almost a quarter of the world's population, rely on medical facilities with no water service!
The workers and the patients at these facilities are at a much higher risk than elsewhere in the world, and even in more developed areas, the issues of drought (again—induced by Climate Change!) place sanitation and access to Clean Water at risk. So yes, the connection between Clean Water and COVID-19 is very, very strong!
In closing, I hope that the relationship between Climate Change, Clean Water, and COVID-19, and in fact public health more generally, is clear. To support Climate Change education is to also support access to Clean Water, which also will support global communities who will grapple with the effects of COVID-19 for months or years to come.
Will you join me in making Climate Change education a priority in 2021? Follow along with me and let's have a conversation on Twitter @WaterWoman.
Additional Blog Posts of Interest
Tracking COVID-19 Community Outbreaks with Autosamplers
Coronavirus Disinfectants and the Need for Increased Production
How to Disinfect Your Field Water Quality Equipment
Solving Water During a Pandemic: What Could Be More Essential?
Metal Belongs in Our Music | Not in Our Water
Nutrient Monitoring Will Never Be the Same | NitraLED UV
How Coastal Monitoring Improved A Beach's Reputation
Shelby | 26 Jan 2021
Super interesting article and well written! I definitely hadn't thought about this, despite being a water scientist with some focus on climate change (I'm going to blame my 10 mo). However, I love the message and will start focusing more on this matter!
Harmful Algal Blooms | HABs
Three Stormwater Solutions for a Changing Climate
5 Ways Melting Glaciers are Changing Our World
https://www.ysi.com/ysi-blog/water-blogged-blog/2021/01/climate-change-covid-and-clean-water-make-the-connection
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What if you woke one day to find yourself paralysed on one side of your body?
That's what happened to Karen Magill on June 5, 2000. Nine days later she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis and just over three months after that, she had to leave the best job she had ever had. Ms. Magill started on a frightening, confusing journey that was her life now.
Then something interesting happened. Once Karen began adjusting to her new circumstances, coming to terms with the fact that her former life had vanished, she realized that the MS was a gift. Her eyes opened to the possibilities around her.
On The Right Side, My Story of Survival and Success looks at Ms. Magill's life with MS and the factors in life, which influence her. This isn't a how to book on living well with chronic illness, but rather a touching, opinionated, sometimes humorous story on how one person has gone from partial paralysis to jumping to touch low hanging tree leaves.
As long as we aren't six feet under, we are on the right side and anything is possible. That's the philosophy Ms. Magill lives by and hopes that readers will come to realize that they too can overcome hardships and live good lives.
On The Right Side was difficult at times to write. I consulted two diaries I kept at the time and I ended up reliving much of the emotional turmoil I went through then. When I write fiction, I don't have that turmoil. As for others in my genre, I am honest and vulnerable throughout this entire novel. I make sure to let people know how my poor behaviour made my life worse. I don't blame everything on the MS.
Keep writing. If you truly believe in a project, do it and get your work edited by a professional!
I have multiple sclerosis and I have been through a lot of ups and downs over the last 14 years, since the diagnosis. I have faced bankruptcy, severe illness and other crisis. But I have not only gotten through it,I have thrived and am now an award winning novelist. To date, I have four fiction books published and one non fiction. I want people to realize they do have the power to overcome obstacles.
Forced to leave the workforce in 2000 by the onslaught of MS, Karen saw this as an opportunity to explore her lifelong desire to write. In February of 2014, Karen independently published an inspiring story of her journey so far with MS entitled On The Right Side, My Story of Survival and Success.
Ms. Magill believes that anything is possible and when she writes fiction, she leans towards the paranormal. She writes about extrasensory powers as if they are commonplace because, in her mind, we are all capable of those gifts.
To date, Ms. Magill is the author of four published paranormal novels, including the award winning The Bond, A Paranormal Love Story.
Karen lives in an eclectic area of Vancouver Canada and draws inspiration from the history and stories around her.


text:
HomeAbout In MemoriamWilliam Linus Seeley
William Linus Seeley
Nov. 1, 1914 – Feb. 8, 1989
Publication Date: May 1990 Seeley Genealogical Society Newsletter – Issue #64 and Statesman-Journal (Salem, Oregon) February 10, 1989, Friday, Page 2C
William Linus Seely. In reviewing your latest Directory which I received today, I noticed the name William L. Seeley as being one who had not paid his dues.
I am taking the liberty of writing to inform you that Bill passed away in early 1989 from cancer.
Bill and I graduated from the University of Oregon in 1939, and we went to teach at Bandon, Oregon High School that following fall. As you know World War II interrupted many of our lives, and Bill's was no exception. He went into the Marines, and served with honor and distinction in the Pacific Theater of war.
We always kept track of one another through Christmas letter, and so I was saddened to hear this past Christmas from Bill's wife Trudy that he had died.
Little did I know when we were teaching, or for that matter, in the time since then, that I too had a Seeley Ancestor.
Bill was a wonderful friend and teacher. Now I know why I liked him so much – we were "kissin cousins", and didn't even know it. I am only sorry Bill never knew about this relationship.
Mrs. Eva L. Wahl
William L. Seeley
November 1, 1914 – Feb. 8, 1989
William L. Seeley, 74, of Salem, died Wednesday in Salem.
He was born and raised in Coquille. He received a bachelor's degree from the University of Oregon and a master's degree from Western Oregon State College. He taught high school science and history and coached athletics in Bandon from 1939 to 1942. He served in the Marine Corps during World War II and was in action in the South Pacific. He retired as a lieutenant colonel from the Marines. He began teaching at Parrish Middle School in 1947 and became assistant principal in 1954 and principal in 1958. He retired in 1976.
Survivors include his wife, Trudy; daughter, Karen Halvorson of Tucson, Ariz.; and brother Everett J. of Durango, Colo.
Services will begin at 2 p.m. Saturday in Holy Cross Lutheran Church, and interment is private. Contributions may be made to the church memorial fund. Arrangements are by Rigdon-Ransom mortuary.


text:
We shared, all of us, a powerful sense that what was at stake on those crowded stairs was nothing less than the rest of our lives.
Bridge of Sighs
By Richard Russo
"The terrible anticipation began on the stairs when, if someone tripped or an adult appeared on the first landing in an attempt to slow the throng surging upward like water through the damaged hull of a ship, the stairway would jam, desire and anxiety and unbearable hope momentarily thwarted, delaying by eternities our emergence into the gym, into Mystery itself, where the music--we could hear it in there in the stairwell--had already begun to play. Once, stalled in this fashion, I happened to look at the girl next to me, and when our eyes met, I saw that hers were full of tears. Possibly she was simply afraid of being crushed. She'd been separated from her friends, and though we couldn't move forward, those below continued to press upward, causing everyone in the stairwell, our feet locked in place, to lean forward, our hands pressing for balance into the backs of those on the next-higher step. In a matter of moments we were stacked there like semi-toppled dominoes.
That's one explanation. But I recognized this girl as a fellow East Ender and think now that her eyes had simply filled up with pent-up anticipation. She was imagining her friends already upstairs, dancing without her, getting so far ahead that she'd never catch up. By the time she joined them, the boy she'd been thinking about all week, whose eyes she'd met across the crowded cafeteria, who was too popular--admit it--to be a realistic aspiration, would already be taken. We shared, all of us, a powerful sense that what was at stake on those crowded stairs was nothing less than the rest of our lives, that our every move in that gymnasium had an unimaginable significance, that we were being watched, judged, elected or damned. Slow down, we were being told at home and at school, you've got your whole lives ahead of you. But to get stalled in that stairwell was to understand how little time there was, and how fast it was wasting."
(pp. 124-5)
Labels: adolescence, anticipation, anxiety, Bridge of Sighs, life, Richard Russo, TIME, youth
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