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For as long as there have been nations, there has been an “international”—a sphere of cross-border relations. But for most of human history, this space was sparsely occupied. States and regions were connected by long-distance commerce and the spasms of war, yet in their development they remained essentially separate. The century after 1750 marked a major shift. Fleeting connection gave way to durable integration. Culture, politics, and society were increasingly, and indelibly, entangled across continents. An Emerging Modern World charts this transformative period, addressing major questions about the roots of the present from a distinctly global perspective. Why, for instance, did industrialization begin in England and not in China? Was there early capitalist development outside of the West? Was the Enlightenment exclusively a European event? Led by editors Sebastian Conrad and Jürgen Osterhammel, a distinguished group of historians tackles these issues, along with the roles of nomads and enslaved people in fostering global integration, the development of a bourgeoisie outside Euro-America, Hinduism’s transformation from local practices into a universal system, the invention of pan-Islamic identity, and the causes and effects of the revolution in time regimes. The world appeared to be undergoing such a radical renewal that the impression of an epochal watershed was widespread. This fourth volume in the six-volume series A History of the World engages the political, economic, social, and intellectual ferment of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries outside Europe and North America. In doing so, it bears witness to the birth of the modern world.

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Baby Steps for Better Health: Eating More Fruits & Vegetables In its series, “Baby Steps for Better Health,” NGI shared small food, nutrition and sustainability tips that go a long way. This month we are sharing a few tips on easy ways that we can sneak more fruits and vegetables into our diets. With all the noise coming at us about what constitutes a healthy diet and all the stress that comes with living today, making healthier choices at the plate can feel like a chore. Annemarie Colbin, Ph.D., Natural Gourmet Institute’s founder often asked: "How do you know what to eat? Do you eat what’s good for you? Do you choose your foods wisely?" Recommendations from the Institute of Medicine suggest that we’d be better off getting 5-7 servings daily of vegetables and fruits.* But, fewer than 13% of Americans get an average of three servings a day. This means some of us are eating a bit more than that, but many likely are eating none. Instead of getting wrapped up in the latest unprocessed-food plan or miracle-diet, consider optimizing your plate. Try to average 2-3 servings of colorful and mostly non-starchy fruits and vegetables at every meal. Consuming 2 servings at breakfast, 2 at lunch, and 2-3 at dinner will help you meet the basic guidelines. Still not convinced? Here are some ideas to get you started. Tips for getting two to three servings of fruits and vegetables at each meal: - Try a quick parfait by layering a cup of colorful berries with non-dairy or dairy-based yogurts and a spoonful of nuts or granola (2 fruit servings). - Instead of bread or potatoes, try a fresh cucumber-tomato salad with your eggs (2 servings). - Grate a large apple or ripe pear into your oatmeal or morning porridge with a few dried apricots, cranberries, or currants (2 fruit servings). - Lunch or Dinner - Make your salads diverse: start with at least 3 cups of leafy greens and add a cup of your favorite mixed vegetables, top with protein like beans, fish, or nuts (4 vegetable servings). - Serve soups or stewed beans over 2 cups of spinach or Swiss chard for a starter, main course, or side dish (2 vegetable servings). - Whether you’re eating at home or anywhere else, fill half your plate with vegetables and go from there – try roasting root vegetables with any spice mix or toss blanched vegetables with citrus zest and extra-virgin olive oil (2-3 vegetable servings). - Snacks and Other - Keep cut vegetables around for easy snacking alone or with bean or nut-based dips (1-2 servings). - Fruit smoothies make a satisfying snack, try a handful of spinach or mint in your regular 8-ounce mix (2 fruit + ½ vegetable serving). Be careful not to load up on added sugar with sweetened milks, concentrated juices and yogurts. - Can’t find time to get all your veggies in? Sip an 8-ounce glass of mostly-vegetable juice (1-2 vegetable servings). *about 2 ½ cups of vegetables and 2 cups of fruit This post was originally published by the Natural Gourmet Institute. Learn more about today's Natural Gourmet Center.

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LCD technology developed in Hong Kong maintains the 3D images it displays without drawing power At first glance, the static, greyscale display created by a group of researchers from the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, China might not catch the eye of a thoughtful consumer in a market saturated with flashy, colorful electronics. But a closer look at the specs could change that: the ultra-thin LCD screen described today in a paper in The Optical Society’s (OSA) journal Optics Letters is capable of holding three-dimensional images without a power source, making it a compact, energy-efficient way to display visual information. Liquid crystal displays (LCDs) are used in numerous technological applications, from television screens to digital clock faces. In a traditional LCD, liquid crystal molecules are sandwiched between polarized glass plates. Electrodes pass current through the apparatus, influencing the orientation of the liquid crystals inside and manipulating the way they interact with the polarized light. The light and dark sections of the readout display are controlled by the amount of current flowing into them. The new displays ditch the electrodes, simultaneously making the screen thinner and decreasing its energy requirements. Once an image is uploaded to the screen via a flash of light, no power is required to keep it there. Because these so-called bi-stable displays draw power only when the image is changed, they are particularly advantageous in applications where a screen displays a static image for most of the time, such as e-book readers or battery status monitors for electronic devices. “Because the proposed LCD does not have any driving electronics, the fabrication is extremely simple. The bi-stable feature provides a low power consumption display that can store an image for several years,” said researcher Abhishek Srivastava, one of the authors of the paper. The researchers went further than creating a simple LCD display, however —they engineered their screen to display images in 3D. Real-world objects appear three-dimensional because the separation between your left eye and your right creates perspective. 3D movies replicate this phenomenon on a flat screen by merging two films shot from slightly different angles, and the glasses that you wear during the film selectively filter the light, allowing one view to reach your left eye and another to fall on your right to create a three-dimensional image. However, instead of displaying multiple images on separate panels and carefully aligning them—a tedious and time-consuming process—the researchers create the illusion of depth from a single image by altering the polarization of the light passing through the display. They divide the image into three zones: one in which the light is twisted 45 degrees to the left, another in which it is twisted 45 degrees to the right, and a third in which it is unmodified. When passed through a special filter, the light from the three zones is polarized in different directions. Glasses worn by the viewer then make the image appear three-dimensional by providing a different view to each eye. The Latest on: Display technology via Google News The Latest on: Display technology - This ASU professor combines technology and design to create 3D works of arton January 27, 2020 at 6:17 am He has an exhibit called “Structure and Void” on display in Overcash Gallery at Central Piedmont Community College ... Academy of Art in Michigan where he studied industrial design and metal for two ... - Universal Display -2.7% on potential coronavirus impacton January 27, 2020 at 4:50 am Susquehanna analyst Mehdi Hosseini says the coronavirus could impact Universal Display's (NASDAQ:OLED) ability to ship key materials into China’s Wuhan, a major manufacturing hub. A Wuhan travel ban ... - Motorola teaches how to care of the RAZR display, also teases some cool featureson January 27, 2020 at 4:45 am The new RAZR will go official on February 6. That’s just a few days before Samsung’s Galaxy Z Flip which will be the second foldable smartphone to feature a vertical-folding display. A technology ... - IGZO Display Market Sustains Competitiveness by Adoption of Technological Innovations 2015-2025on January 27, 2020 at 12:46 am VALLEY COTTAGE, N.Y. - IGZO Display Market Overview Indium gallium zinc oxide (IGZO) is a transparent, crystalline, thin film transistor (TFT), comprising semiconductor materials such as Indium, ... - Panasonic Deploys Technology to Bolster Hospitality Research Hub, Black Fire Innovationon January 25, 2020 at 10:07 am Panasonic System Solutions Company of North America today announced its leading laser projection, professional display and professional video technology will be deployed at the grand opening of Black ... - Omni MedSci files a second Patent Infringement case against Apple that claims Apple Watch uses their technologyon January 25, 2020 at 7:37 am In April 2018 Patently Apple posted a patent infringement report titled "Omni MedSci files a Five-Count Patent Infringement Lawsuit against Apple Alleging the Apple Watch Incorporates their Technology ... - MicroLED vs. Mini-LED: Which display technology will power your next TV?on January 24, 2020 at 3:39 pm MicroLED is an emissive display technology that works similarly to OLED (Organic Light Emitting Diode) displays, in that each one of its pixels lights up on its own, without the need of a separate ... - Ionix Technology Engages Maxim Group to Assist with its Growth Strategy and Up-list to a National Exchangeon January 24, 2020 at 4:30 am LAS VEGAS, NV, Jan. 24, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Ionix Technology, Inc. (OTCQB: IINX), ("Ionix Technology", "IINX" or "the Company"), a business aggregator in photoelectric display and smart energy ... - DeLand business owner fighting to keep screen display officials say violates codeon January 23, 2020 at 2:35 pm CLAIRE: WHOLESALE COMPUTER OUTLET HAS HAD A PRIME SPOT ON WOODLAND BOULEVARD IN DOWNTOWN DELAND FOR 17 YEARS, AND ABOUT A YEAR AGO, THE OWNER PUT UP A MULTI SCREEN DISPLAY TO SHOWCASE HIS TECHNOLOGY. - E-paper Display (EPD) Market Research Technology Outlook 2019-2025on January 22, 2020 at 8:29 am The E-paper Display (EPD) Market Perspective, Comprehensive Analysis along with Major Segments and Forecast, 2019-2025. The E-paper Display (EPD) market report is a valuable source of data for ... via Bing News

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The theme of the first European INSEA congress, held in Finland in 1971, was Environmental Protection in Art Education. Since than in many InSEA conferences , researchers, art teachers and artists present good practices and theories on art education related to Environmental issues. Environment awareness can be raised through project based art education; critical thinking and problerm solving skills are fostered through creative artistic practices. Theory on art education pedagogy ( van Boeckel, 2014) ; curriculum development ( Pohjakallio, 2007) and research methods were developed in many countries by InSEA members, specially in Finland. ( Jokela, 1995; Jokela & Coutts,2017; Jokela, Coutts, Huhmarniemi and Härkönen, 2013). InSEA is interested in promoting the discussion of topics related to natural and built ernvironment , and challenges members to make visible their projects and publications so other educators can learn from the experiences. For exemple in the InSEA e-book RE-ESTETIZANDO. ALGUNAS PROPUESTAS PARA ALCANZAR LA INDEPENDENCIA EN LA EDUCACIÓN DEL ARTE, the editor Isabel Moreno Montoro selected the excellent work of artist Lucia Loren in Spain , using art practices in formal and non formal contexts raising awareness of environmental education ( Loren, 2015) . In the European Project CREARTE, some teachers and artists from Cyprus and Portugal made similar projects that can be consulted on the project websites: - The sea Washes Up Human Stories at Katharis Primary School - Demetris Lipertis. Researcher Efi Ioakim with primary teacher Panagiota Poirazi and artists Minas Alexiou; Anastasia Lambaski Onisiforou and Soula Christou; Cyprus - Water Goes by museum educator and artist Ines Azevedo at the Primary School of Chouselas -Escola Básica de Chouselas, Portugal Presentations during InSEA congresses show the importance of the topic in InSEA community; for example during the InSEA 2012, InSEA European Congress in Lemessos, Sahar khalil, from Egypt talked about 'Urban Museums – more green steps'; and Kalafati Daskolia; Salla and Flogaitis , Greek art teachers presented a project in pre-school education exploring the relationship between environmental and art education. In the InSEA world Congress, Daegu, Korea, 2017 Yichien Cooper, from Washington State University, USA presented a project called 'Building a Sustainable Creative City through Art with Social Purposes'. Letizia Balzi, InSEA member created great resources in her webpage, for example the Lesson Plan: “Sharing the Planet – Plastic Waste”. or the lesson Plan: “What is Pollution?” Reduce, Reuse and Recycle + Art Brut Sculpture As art educators; artists working in education; and researchers in art education we believe that the arts in education can contribute to: - Awareness and sensitivity to the environment and environmental challenges - Knowledge and understanding of the environment and environmental challenges - Foster Attitudes of concern for the environment and motivation to improve or maintain environmental quality - Develop Skills to identify and help resolve environmental challenges - Increase Participation in activities that lead to the resolution of environmental challenges This working group , was created during the InSEA congress in 2018 in Espoo, Finland and intends to map projects around the world dealing with how art educators are questionning with their learners issues related to : Natural environment; Climate Change; Sustainable Planet and Built Environment. |Natural environment||Climate Change||Sustainable Planet| Loren, Lucia ( 2015).PROCESOS COMPARTIDOS – EDUCACIÓN, ARTE Y TERRITORIO. In Moreno Montoro et al ( Eds) RE-ESTETIZANDO. ALGUNAS PROPUESTAS PARA ALCANZAR LA INDEPENDENCIA EN LA EDUCACIÓN DEL ARTE. InSEA Publications. 181-202. Retrieved http://www.insea.org/publications/Re-estetizando.pdf Pohjakallio, Pirkko (2007). Mapping Environmental Education Approaches in Finnish Art Education, Paper in the InSEA Conference in Heidelberg 2007 Jokela ( 1995). FROM ENVIRONMENTAL ART TO ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION .In M.H. Mantere (Ed.), (1995). Image of the Earth: Writings on art-based environmental education. (pp. 18- 28) Helsinki, Finland: University of Art and Design. Jokela, T., Coutts, G., Huhmarniemi, M., Härkönen, E. (2013) (Eds.) Cool : applied visual arts in the North. Faculty of Art and Design: University of Lapland. Jokela, T. & Coutts, G. ( 2017) (Eds.) Relate North : Practising Place, Heritage, Art & Design for Creative Communities. Rovaniemi: Lapland University Press Jokela, T. & Coutts, G. ( 2018) RELATE NORTH: ART & DESIGN FOR EDUCATION AND SUSTAINABILITY. Rovaniemi: Lapland University Press van Boeckel, Jan ( 2014) At the Heart of Art and Earth. An Exploration of Practices in Arts-Based Environmental Education . Doctoral dissertation Aalto University, School of Arts, Design and Architecture , Helsinki, Finland

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Smaller than blackbirds, with a short tail, pointed head, triangular wings, starlings look black at a distance but when seen closer they are very glossy with a sheen of purples and greens. Their flight is fast and direct and they walk and run confidently on the ground. Noisy and gregarious, starlings spend a lot of the year in flocks. Still one of the commonest of garden birds, its decline elsewhere makes it a Red List species. The Starling is sometimes regarded as a bit of a pest in both town and country but around 1800 it was virtually extinct in Scotland. It had spread throughout Britain by the middle of the 20th century and today can still be seen in enormous flocks particularly in autumn and winter. It is at this time of year (August to March) that resident British birds are joined by migrants from north and north-east Europe. There is now some concern that numbers of starling are declining steeply and BTO surveys show that numbers in Britain have fallen by about 66% since the 1970s. This is largely due to the changing agricultural landscape with less permanent pasture and mixed farming reducing the supply of earthworms and leatherjackets on which the Starling feeds. Control of Starlings All wild birds, their eggs and nests are protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981; under this Act birds cannot be taken or killed, nor their eggs or nests (when in use or being built) be taken or destroyed except under licence. An “individual” licence is granted by DEFRA to approved, named individuals, to tackle a specific problem, within a specific period of time, in an agreed manner. DEFRA assess applications on a case by case basis. Without a licence it is illegal to kill starlings. Starlings Are Protected Species Starlings are protected by the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. Even if the birds are causing damage to property or other problems such as noise or odour they cannot be killed. Failure to comply with the 1981 Act can result in a fine of £5,000, a custodial sentence of 6 months, or both. Contact Us Today If you suspect you have a starling problem, call us for more advice on 01992 763776.

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The term “search engine” is often used generically to describe both crawler-based search engines and human-powered directories. These two types of search engines gather their listings in radically different ways. Crawler-Based Search Engines Crawler-based search engines, such as Google, create their listings automatically. They “crawl” or “spider” the web, then people search through what they have found. If you change your web pages, crawler-based search engines eventually find these changes, and that can affect how you are listed. Page titles, body copy and other elements all play a role. A human-powered directory, such as the Open Directory, depends on humans for its listings. You submit a short description to the directory for your entire site, or editors write one for sites they review. A search looks for matches only in the descriptions submitted. Changing your web pages has no effect on your listing. Things that are useful for improving a listing with a search engine have nothing to do with improving a listing in a directory. The only exception is that a good site, with good content, might be more likely to get reviewed for free than a poor site. “Hybrid Search Engines” Or Mixed Results In the web’s early days, it used to be that a search engine either presented crawler-based results or human-powered listings. Today, it extremely common for both types of results to be presented. Usually, a hybrid search engine will favor one type of listings over another. For example, MSN Search is more likely to present human-powered listings from LookSmart. However, it does also present crawler-based results (as provided by Inktomi), especially for more obscure queries. The Parts Of A Crawler-Based Search Engine Crawler-based search engines have three major elements. First is the spider, also called the crawler. The spider visits a web page, reads it, and then follows links to other pages within the site. This is what it means when someone refers to a site being “spidered” or “crawled.” The spider returns to the site on a regular basis, such as every month or two, to look for changes. Everything the spider finds goes into the second part of the search engine, the index. The index, sometimes called the catalog, is like a giant book containing a copy of every web page that the spider finds. If a web page changes, then this book is updated with new information. Sometimes it can take a while for new pages or changes that the spider finds to be added to the index. Thus, a web page may have been “spidered” but not yet “indexed.” Until it is indexed — added to the index — it is not available to those searching with the search engine. Search engine software is the third part of a search engine. This is the program that sifts through the millions of pages recorded in the index to find matches to a search and rank them in order of what it believes is most relevant Search for anything using your favorite crawler-based search engine. Nearly instantly, the search engine will sort through the millions of pages it knows about and present you with ones that match your topic. The matches will even be ranked, so that the most relevant ones come first. Of course, the search engines don’t always get it right. Non-relevant pages make it through, and sometimes it may take a little more digging to find what you are looking for. But, by and large, search engines do an amazing job. As WebCrawler founder Brian Pinkerton puts it, “Imagine walking up to a librarian and saying, ‘travel.’ They’re going to look at you with a blank face.” OK — a librarian’s not really going to stare at you with a vacant expression. Instead, they’re going to ask you questions to better understand what you are looking for. Unfortunately, search engines don’t have the ability to ask a few questions to focus your search, as a librarian can. They also can’t rely on judgment and past experience to rank web pages, in the way humans can. So, how do crawler-based search engines go about determining relevancy, when confronted with hundreds of millions of web pages to sort through? They follow a set of rules, known as an algorithm. Exactly how a particular search engine’s algorithm works is a closely-kept trade secret. However, all major search engines follow the general rules below.

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Surviving Planet-X Passage by Professor James M. McCanney, M.S. A 60 page pamphlet ... a guide to expected "Earth Changes" and how to survive them is based on historical records of past events and the theoretical work detailed in the Planet -X Comets and Earth Changes book. It contains FAQs (frequently asked questions) with answers, a section on myths and misinformation being propagated on the internet today, a 12 month time scenario for the time prior to the passage of a Planet-X type of object including "action at a distance" effects. It discusses Earth's current orbital and rotational elements so the common man can understand. The most important section deals with survival after a natural disaster (including a a pole shift) and how to rebuild a calendar in one afternoon and night from a pile of rocks to determine the dates for correct planting seasons. After any natural or man made disaster, the first thing to be lost is time and the calendar which are essential to survival. This little pamphlet shows you how to rebuild both time and a calenday from just a pile of rocks. The only civilizations that survived the previous pole shifts all were able to rebuild the calendar. Those that did not ... did not survive. (The cover and table of contents are printed below.) click on your browser left arrow to return to the order page

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Domestic violence is a concern for families and communities. Domestic violence is the leading health concern in the United States. Domestic violence allegations and charges can have a significant impact on the life of the party accused. Family violence can impact everyone in the family and domestic violence charges can have a significant impact on the personal and professional lives of the individual accused of domestic violence. It can impact the ability of the accused individual to remain in the family home and they may also face legal consequences. As a result, it can be helpful for individuals who have been accused of family violence to be familiar with what is considered domestic violence. While domestic violence is commonly thought of as physical violence, it also includes other types of behaviors as well. Domestic violence also refers to sexual abuse, emotional abuse, economic abuse, psychological abuse, threats, harassment, stalking and cyberstalking. Domestic violence can occur between people in different relationships including spouses; sexual, dating or intimate partner relationships; among family members; children; and cohabitants. Individuals accused of any crime, regardless of the circumstances, have the right to defend against the charges they are facing. A criminal defense response is based on the circumstances of the situation and the criminal defense protections all accused individuals have. Family violence impacts everyone involved and has an impact on individuals, families and communities. As a result, it is important for all parties impacted by family violence to be familiar with the resources and protections available to them. Source: Family.findlaw.com, “What is Domestic Violence?” Accessed Sept. 21, 2017

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For many students, being handed their first Shakespeare play of the year is a dreaded event. “Shakespeare’s boring!” “I don’t get it!” “Why are we learning about what some dead white dude wrote hundreds of years ago?” However, with the right frame of mind, Shakespeare can be incredibly enjoyable. So there are a few things to do while reading Shakespeare that can help make it more enjoyable: 1. Remember that Shakespeare’s plays were meant to be enjoyed by EVERYONE. While many today view the bard’s plays as highbrow, serious affairs, back then those same plays could be raucous celebrations with audience participation, gratuitous violence, and lots of food and beer. Approach any of the bard’s plays as if you are someone from Elizabethan times: a play is a chance to party. 2. Don’t worry about trying to read Shakespeare in some posh British accent. Many believe that an American accent is more akin to Shakespeare’s English than modern British is (it’s all about that rhotic ‘r’). So don’t worry about trying to imagine the words of Macbeth or Hamlet as spoken by Patrick Stewart (although that would be pretty cool). Instead, remember that your voice IS Shakespeare’s voice. 3. This is probably the least-like option–study up on Old English vocab. The English language flows and changes like a river through time; things get picked up, put aside, become murky, or even change altogether. Thus, a passage from Shakespeare that at first glance seems rather bland is actually rich with meaning and wordplay (especially puns! Oh, so many puns!). Find the fun in the words and your enjoyment will increase tremendously. 4. Remember that Shakespeare is RELEVANT. Many of Shakespeare’s plays touch upon timeless themes that you have either experienced for yourself of have seen in pop culture around you. Jealousy, ambition, love, lust, greed…Shakespeare explores them all in his works. And you might have also seen quite a few of them already, just in a different guise. Fore example: The Lion King = Hamlet She’s the Man = Twelfth Night Warm Bodies = Romeo and Juliet 10 Things I Hate About You = The Taming of the Shrew In conclusion, remember that Shakespeare intended for his plays to be enjoyed by everyone. So the next time you find yourself with a copy of “Much Ado About Nothing”, take a deep breath, keep an open mind, and you just might find yourself falling in love with the bard.

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A report out today by The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) finds that lifestyle risks such as smoking, diet and weight are responsible for around 38 per cent of all illnesses and premature deaths in Australia. This means that if Australians reduced lifestyle factors such as smoking, obesity, diet and high blood pressure, less illnesses and premature deaths would occur. Of the 38 per cent, tobacco was responsible for one-quarter of the lifestyle factors, at 9.3 per cent. Obesity and dietary risks contributed 8.4 and 7.3 per cent respectively. Australia’s smoking rate has stagnated over recent years, and there was even reports out earlier this month that some Australian suburbs have smoking rates of up to 40 per cent. Clearly the current quit smoking strategy isn’t working. Meanwhile, Health Minister Greg Hunt yesterday told a conference in Melbourne that the government is developing, collaboratively, a "long-term national preventive health strategy" partly as a result of the findings from AIHW's report. Let's hope he looks at the growing volume of evidence proving vaping is either less harmful or an effective way to quit smoking altogether. Public Health England has proven that vaping is 95% less harmful than smoking cigarettes. A recent scientific study of almost 20,000 people out of the UK found that vaping was the most effective quit smoking technique, more so than Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT) such as gums and patches. Further, another study demonstrated it was almost twice as effective as NRT in a randomised trial. It’s time the government took note of the evidence and legalised vaping to help reduce illness and premature deaths in Australia.

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What is the expected lifespan of a solar power system? The key components susceptible to failure are the solar panels and inverter. However, high quality products tend to have long lifecycles which are reflected in the long warranties available, particularly for solar panels. A solar panel is a relatively a simple device with no moving parts. Solar panels typically have 25 year output warranty and depending on the quality of the panel can be expected to last beyond this. Also solar panels which are exposed to wind, fluctuating temperatures and weather do deteriorate and each year produce a little less electricity. Cheaper panels, with less UV stabilized backing sheets, cheaper sealants and framing can deteriorate faster and more rapidly. LG’s warranties generally predict an average of 0.7% loss of power each year after the 1st year and thus, at the end of the 25 year output warranty period the solar panel may have lost up to 20% of its initial power rating. This means in light condition where the solar panel would produce 250 Watt, the same panel in 25 years might only produce 200 Watt. In reality, high quality products have been shown to degrade even less than this, while low quality panels might degrade more. Inverters are complex electronic devices, having to adjust output power every second, inverters are more susceptible to failure although quality brands, which are designed using the highest quality components, are likely to exceed typical 5 year warranty periods. Many manufacturers now offer warranty extensions of 10 years or more. Some cheaper inverters have had a bigger failure rate in New Zealand after a relative short timeframe than the top quality brands. Although the cables, safety devices and mounting systems are less influential, the use of poor quality materials can lead to premature system failures. In cases of non branded plugs and cables complete system failures have occurred. Therefore, it could be argued that in order to get a decade of low maintenance solar electricity buy quality solar panels, quality solar inverters and ask for quality balance of components. LG is confident that our panels will give you years of reliable functionality. WATER DAMAGE IN ISOLATOR

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The heart is a pump responsible for maintaining blood supply to the body. It has four chambers. The two upper chambers (the right atrium and left atrium) are the chambers which receive blood as it returns from the body via the veins. The lower chambers (the right and left ventricle) are the chambers responsible for pumping the blood out to the body via the arteries. Like any pump, the heart has an electrical system that controls how it functions. In order for the heart to do its work (pumping blood throughout the body), it needs a sort of spark plug or electrical impulse to generate a heartbeat. Normally this electrical impulse begins in the upper right chamber of the heart (in the right atrium) in a place called the sino-atrial (SA) node. The SA node is the natural pacemaker of the heart. The SA node gives off electrical impulses to generate a heartbeat in the range of 60 to 100 times per minute. If you are exercising, doing strenuous work or you are under a lot of stress, your heart rate may be faster. When you rest or sleep your heart rate will slow down. If you take certain medications, your heart rate may be slower. All of this is appropriate. From the SA node, the electrical impulse is relayed along the heart’s conduction system. It spreads throughout both the right and left atria causing them to contract evenly. When the impulse spreads over the right atrium it reaches the atrio-ventricular (AV) node. This is a very important structure in the heart because it is the only electrical connection between the top chambers and the bottom chambers. It is therefore the only way in which an electrical impulse can reach the pumping chambers (the ventricles). The impulse spreads through the AV node and down into the lower chambers or ventricles of the heart. This causes them to contract and pump blood to the lungs and body. What is a Supraventricular Tachycardia? In some hearts, an abnormal heart rhythm develops in the top part of the heart when an electrical impulse either starts from a different location other than the SA node, or follows a route (or pathway) that is not normally present. When this occurs the heart will suddenly start racing. The heart rate is usually over 150 beats per minute and often over 200 beats per minute. Certain things in some people can trigger episodes. These include caffeine, alcohol, anxiety, exercise or sudden movements such as bending over. However, often these episodes can occur at any time without a trigger. During an episode, you will usually be aware of the rapid beating of your heart. Other symptoms might include dizziness (blacking out may occur but is unusual), shortness of breath, sweating, chest pain and anxiety. After an episode it is usual to feel very tired. Is a Supraventricular Tachycardia dangerous? In the vast majority of cases SVT is a benign condition. This means that it will not cause sudden death, will not damage the heart or cause a heart attack and will not shorten life expectancy. There are some rare exceptions that will be discussed with you if relevant. How does Supraventricular Tachycardia occur ? There are 3 main types of SVT. It will not always be obvious which type of SVT you have prior to the electrical study of your heart. 1. AV Nodal Re-entry Tachycardia (AVNRT) This is the most common form of SVT. An abnormal short circuit (circular conduction) occurs near the AV node. Instead of a single AV node between the top and bottom chambers, there is a second connection that is abnormal. This extra connection has been present since birth. As a result of having 2 connections a short-circuit can occur. 2. Re-entrant Tachycardia and Wolff Parkinson White Syndrome Abnormal circular conduction utilising the AV node and an “accessory pathway” connecting the atria and ventricles. This extra connection has been present since birth. As a result of having 2 connections a short-circuit can occur. This condition is sometimes termed the Wolff-Parkinson-White Syndrome or WPW. 3. Atrial Tachycardia This is the least common form of SVT. There is an extra abnormal origin of the electrical impulse from a small area in the atria other than the SA node. It is not known when or why such an extra focus develops. What treatments are available for Supraventricular tachycardia? There are 3 main options for people with SVT. - No treatment at all. Because SVT is a benign condition, for those people having infrequent and short-lived episodes that are not troublesome one option is to simply live with it. - Medication. For people who do not wish to continue having episodes a second option is to take regular daily medication. There are a variety of different possible medications. Medications reduce the frequency and severity of episodes but do not cure the problem. There is also the possibility of developing side-effects from these drugs. - Radiofrequency Ablation. This is a procedure that cures the condition.

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Those gluten-free eaters may have a slight disadvantage when it comes to developing “the diabeetus,” according to new research presented at an annual meeting of the American Heart Association. Gluten, a protein found in wheat, rye, and barley, is a major component of baked goods like bread and pasta, and gives the final product a chewy bite. But gluten also happens to show up in foods that provide lots of dietary fiber, along with the minerals and vitamins essential for a healthy body. But those people who mistakenly think that going gluten-free is “healthier” may end up with higher risk of developing type-2 diabetes, say the researchers. Their study, which analyzed almost 200,000 people from three long-term studies and 4.24 million person-years of follow-up from 1984–1990 to 2010–2013, showed that those in the highest 20% of gluten consumption had a 13% lower risk of diabetes than those with the lowest daily amount eaten, which was less than 4 grams. “Gluten-free foods often have less dietary fiber and other micronutrients, making them less nutritious, and they also tend to cost more,” said Geng Zong, Ph.D., a research fellow in the Department of Nutrition at Harvard University’s T.H. Chan School of Public Health. “People without Celiac disease may reconsider limiting their gluten intake for chronic disease prevention, especially for diabetes.” Of course, people who must avoid foods with gluten don’t really have a choice. If you have Celiac disease, which is a serious autoimmune disorder, you need to steer clear of the ingredient. But if you just feel like gluten makes your tummy feel funny, try limiting it, but don’t shy away from whole grains (which offer a lot for optimal health), particularly fiber-rich and gluten-free whole grains, like oats. For access to exclusive gear videos, celebrity interviews, and more, subscribe on YouTube!

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These Fake Flowers Could Help Scientists Study At-Risk Bees If you haven't heard, the world's bees are having a crisis. According to one recent study, bee populations in some areas have plummeted by 75 percent in a quarter of a century. Some countries have introduced legislation banning certain pesticides in response to the news, but solving the complicated problem will likely require much more research. In order to gather better data on bee behavior, one new media artist has developed a machine that can give scientists a bug's-eye view. As Co.Design reports, Michael Candy's Synthetic Pollenizer is designed to blend into a bee's natural environment. Yellow circles bolted around the opening of the device imitate the petals on a flower. Tubes pump real nectar and pollen into the center of the fake flower, so when bees land on it to feed, they're collecting real reproductive materials they can spread to the next plant they visit. Candy, who's based in Brisbane, Australia, originally conceived the apparatus as a way for scientists to track the pollinating behaviors of bees. The synthetic flower is outfitted with cameras and dyes, and with enough of them distributed in the wild, researchers could see which bees travel to certain places and how long they stay. After his concept reached the final round of the Bio Art and Design awards in the Netherlands, Candy decided to create his own prototype with help from an urban beekeeper in Melbourne, Australia. The invention worked: Bees mistook it for real flora and carried pollen from it to their next destination. But to use it for tracking and studying bees on a larger scale, Candy would need to build a lot more of them. The pollinators would also need to be scattered throughout the bees' natural habitats, and since they would each come equipped with a camera, privacy (for nearby residents, not the bees) could become a concern. Even if the concept never gets the funding it needs to expand, Candy says it could still be used in smaller applications. Fake flowers designed to look like real orchids, for example, could encourage the pollination of endangered orchid species. But for people studying dwindling bee populations, orchids are low on the list of concerns: 30 percent of all the world's crops are pollinated by bees [PDF].

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When bacteria, viruses and other organisms enter our bodies, we can develop an infection and get sick. Infectious diseases can enter our bodies through touching, the food we eat and water we drink, breathing, bites from animals and insects and other methods. Infections can affect the entire body or a part of the body, and symptoms range from mild to fatal. Infectious diseases can lead to chronic diseases including some types of cancer, HIV, Lyme disease, tuberculosis and arthritis. Patients with certain chronic conditions, such as heart disease, can be more vulnerable to serious illness from infections. Vaccines prevent many infectious diseases, including the flu, chickenpox, hepatitis, measles, mumps, polio and whooping cough. The following good practices can help you avoid getting an infectious disease: - Washing your hands often - Covering coughs sneezes - Staying home when you are sick - Cleaning and disinfect bathroom and kitchen surfaces - Not sharing personal items such as toothbrushes and razors - Handling and preparing food safely - Avoiding touching wild animals and keeping your pet’s vaccinations up-to-date Even if we take precautions, we can still get sick from new, renewed or established diseases. The growing resistance of bacteria to antibiotics presents a special challenge in caring for patients with infectious diseases. Mercy Health’s infectious disease specialists diagnose difficult infections and plan treatment for patients with infectious diseases. Sexually-transmitted diseases, including syphilis Find a Doctor Infectious disease specialists near you Find a Location Our locations that can treat you

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Lyrids Meteor Shower |« Back to calendar||« Previous Event | Next Event »| Annually on April 22 The Lyrids are an average shower, usually producing about 20 meteors per hour at their peak. These meteors can produce bright dust trails that last for several seconds. The shower usually peaks on April 21 & 22, although some meteors can be visible from April 16 - 25. Look for meteors radiating from the constellation of Lyra after midnight.

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Alice Guy-Blaché may be the most important figure in the history of cinema that you've never heard of. An incredibly influential female filmmaker during the dawn of the art-form whose career spanned a longer time-period than Thomas Edison, The Lumiére brothers and Georges Méliés, Guy-Blaché has all but been erased from the annals of history...until now. Anyone interested in film history, preservation or just movies in general, should seek out the new documentary, "Be Natural: The Untold Story of Alice Guy-Blaché." For those unaware of Guy-Blaché's contribution to cinema...OK who am I kidding, we were ALL unaware. That's the point of this film: To finally correct the history books to include this pioneer, when she has all but been removed from them. A Frenchwoman who worked for the French inventor Léon Gaumont, Guy-Blaché was the first female film director in the world, credited with the very first narrative film, "The Cabbage Fairy," in 1896. She made hundreds of films over her career, both in France and abroad, employing several woman and people of color and experimenting with color, sound and special effects well before many others. She was in fact, most likely the only female filmmaker in the world from 1896 until about 1906. Her 1912 film, "A Fool and His Money" wasn't necessarily progressive, but it is considered the first film to star an all African-American cast. But as cinema became more and more popular and investors became more and more serious, women were pushed out and history was re-written. Alice lived to the ripe old age of 94, and before her death was able to give several interviews about her role in the history of film, which are used as the backbone of this documentary. This is required viewing for any film student or for anyone who considers themselves a film buff...it's an astounding story about a woman whose contributions to the art form and to human culture in general simply cannot be measured. One instance, is how Guy-Blaché had direct influence over Soviet silent film director Sergei Eisentstein, whose "baby carriage on the steps" sequence in the classic film "Battleship Potemkin" is said to be inspired by Guy-Blaché...and that sequence is only regarded as the most famous scene of all-time. As time marched on, and film historians of the 60s and 70s tried to make sense of the earliest days of film, loads of information was lost or had to be pieced together. The result is that much of Guy-Blaché's film library didn't survive the trials of time...and some works that did persevere ended up being credited to other (mostly male) directors or writers. In fact, the wonder of this documentary is how they come by a lot of the information about Alice Guy-Blaché, which consists of tracking down leads and connecting dots that lead them around the world and back more than a few times. Many recovered films were bought by collectors at flea markets, are still locked up in vaults, or are found in the most unlikeliest of places. "Be Natural" is an amazing journey of discovery about a person who should be a household name, but isn't. It's also a testament to those that love film, and dedicate their lives to preserve and restore it when and where they can. Alice might not have set out to make history, but she sure as hell didn't deserve to be forgotten by it. Run Time: 1 hour 43 minutes. Directed by Pamela B. Green (feature-film directorial debut). "Be Natural: The Untold Story of Alice Guy-Blaché" opens in limited-release on Friday, July 26th, 2019. Looking for a specific movie or review?

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Maybe it seems more difficult for you to cite a YouTube video APA style than a book or newspaper, but actually it is not that difficult. And once you have done one video you know how to cite videos from other websites as well. In this article we will go step by step to show you how to cite a YouTube video APA with examples. Did you know you can also cite a whole channel as well? How to get a YouTube video URL on Android How to cite a YouTube video in APA Author, A. A. [Screen name]. (year, month day). Title of video [Video file]. Retrieved from http://xxxxx As an example we can cite a TED video as follows, note: because the author’s real name is not available from the YouTube video we can omit that part. TED. (2019, February 13). The disarming case to act right now on climate change | Greta Thunberg [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H2QxFM9y0tY We can use this format for every online video resource, as long as the required information is available. YouTube Channel. (n.d.). Home [YouTube Channel]. Retrieved from URL In this example we will cite the “Jimmy Kimmel Live” YouTube channel APA style. If we take the channel name, the title, and the URL and put it in the format we end up with the following citation. Jimmy Kimmel Live . (n.d.). Home [YouTube Channel]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCa6vGFO9ty8v5KZJXQxdhaw

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At Pottsgrove High School, an activity known as the “dot project” helped faculty and staff pinpoint students at risk of falling through the cracks. Principal Bill Ziegler printed out a list with the names of every student at the Pottstown, PA, high school and encouraged faculty members to put a dot next to the names of the ones they knew well enough to “tell if they were having a bad day,” he says. Students with no dots by their name were identified for outreach by staff. The activity was eye-opening for faculty, and it also helped Pottsgrove be “intentional about building positive and caring relationships with students, making sure every student is connected to a caring adult in the school, and listening to student voice,” he says. This gets to the heart of why principals became educators—to empower and inspire students, Ziegler adds. As our schools and the students they serve face increasingly complex challenges, today’s principals must address the “whole child”—a student’s intellectual capacity, emotional and social development, and sense of place and potential in the wider world. Doing so challenges school leaders to develop and lead a positive culture that contributes to a learning environment that addresses the needs of each student and adult in the school community. NASSP’s Building Ranks™, an actionable, standards-based leadership framework, helps school leaders in this important role by defining the “what” and “why” of effective school leadership through two leadership domains, Building Culture and Leading Learning. Based on the real-world experience of a wide range of highly recognized school leaders and extensive research on school leadership, Building Ranks is designed to help principals understand and embrace 15 critical leadership dimensions, including collaborative leadership, innovation, human capital management, equity, global-mindedness, and more (see image). By identifying which of these dimensions best meets the needs of their school community and their own personal growth as leaders, principals can nurture each individual to live the shared norms, values, and beliefs, and to thrive and succeed in a safe, caring, and high-performing school community. The flagship publication, Building Ranks: A Comprehensive Framework for Effective School Leaders, builds on more than a quarter-century of the evolving understanding of school leadership detailed in the Breaking Ranks series. Along with a companion publication, What the Research Shows: Building Ranks in Action, and a planned series of diagnostic tools and other resources, Building Ranks helps school leaders translate such leadership standards as Professional Standards for Educational Leadership (PSEL) into practice in their own schools. To find out how Building Ranks applies to the real world of education, Principal Leadership interviewed four members of the design team of the Building Ranks framework and contributors to the Building Ranks guide to get a clearer picture of how principals can use the techniques detailed in the framework in their evolving roles. Along with Ziegler, we’ve included incisive input from three other educational leaders: Jason Markey, principal of East Leyden High School in Franklin Park, IL; Jovon Rogers, principal at Gunston Elementary School in Lorton, VA; and Matt Saferite, a former junior and senior high school administrator and currently an executive director (assistant superintendent) of the Bentonville Public Schools in Bentonville, AR. Beyond the Binder Today’s principals understand the importance of moving beyond rigid instructional practices and empowering teachers to try new things. “You can’t have them teaching out of a binder 180 days a year,” Markey says. To ensure that doesn’t happen, principals must take an active role in shaping instruction. “A principal can’t just be a building manager anymore,” Saferite says. “You absolutely have to know the intricacies and details of curriculum, instruction, and assessment today.” Introducing New Opportunities When introducing authentic learning opportunities, Rogers says to consider these specific steps: - Talk to or visit schools that have implemented programs you are considering to understand their perspectives on the pros and cons. - Lead your staff members in carefully analyzing the alignment between curriculum and student needs. - Use formative and interim evaluations aligned to the curriculum to continuously monitor progress. Leading learning in today’s rapidly changing school environment, however, requires more than instructional expertise. It also challenges leaders to understand the needs of each student in their school. At East Leyden High School, administrators periodically survey students to determine their needs and provide continuing supports, especially when innovations are being introduced, Markey says. Developing a high-performing learning environment requires leaders to build a culture that fosters and maintains strong relationships among staff members by enabling them to discover and share traits and perspectives, Saferite says. Principals can intentionally create small and large groups of staff (certified and classified) to study their individual and team strengths and develop plans to maximize their strengths to accomplish goals related to student learning, he says. Building a Connected Culture Building an effective school culture conducive to learning involves a wide range of leadership dimensions, but it ultimately comes down to connecting people—students, staff, parents, and the community. “It’s important that everyone understand what strengths they bring to the table,” says Rogers. The key to developing strong relationships and avoiding misconceptions is to get to know the individual before launching into the work situation, she adds. Effective principals have long worked to foster reflection among their staff, but it is also vital for school leaders—and their own efforts can become part of broader culture-building efforts. Ziegler says he reflects in a collaborative environment at the end of each week with his leadership team. He also relies on his professional learning network, which includes Twitter’s #PrinLeaderChat and other social media platforms. “To grow, I must be involved in a professional learning network,” he says. It’s also important to include students in decision making at all levels. Along with regular student surveys, one of Ziegler’s favorite initiatives is Falcon Feedback Friday, during which four students from each grade are randomly selected and asked four questions about the school: - What does Pottsgrove do well? - How can Pottsgrove improve? - What do you dream our school can be? - What can you do to personally improve our school? To become more globally focused in today’s rapidly changing world, schools and their leaders also must find new ways to empower their students and faculty to improve their school, community, region, and world, Ziegler says. “To do this, we need to break down the walls in schools and open the doors to authentic learning experiences for students. This requires leaders to shift the thinking and practice of the teacher being the sole evaluator of student learning, consider ways students can solve problems right in their own school or community, and network with other school leaders around the world to learn about best practices and the latest research on learning,” he says. “No longer can school leaders have a myopic view of learning and their own professional growth; we must work collaboratively, creatively, and courageously to empower students.” It’s also important to educate the adults in the community—both parents and staff—about why teachers are educating students in ways that didn’t exist when they were students. Principals need to make sure that they and their staff maintain a high degree of cultural responsiveness and establish a dialogue with parents and teachers about cultural issues, Rogers says. Cultural responsiveness has become a cornerstone of equity, one of the most topical dimensions of leadership in today’s schools, but it is also part of an overarching strategy for creating a climate conducive to learning—ensuring that each student is known and valued. Bringing It All Together Principals have always needed to apply strategic management as they lead their schools, but today’s challenges require leaders to both set and clearly communicate priorities to the entire learning community, Markey says. “We really need to understand our organization and be able to spell out to stakeholders what our mission is,” he says. To ensure his school lives up to its mission, Saferite uses a wide range of tools to monitor and help develop his staff, his strategic plans, and his own personal growth as a leader, including the Strengths Finder research and assessment developed by the Gallup organization, the U.S. Commerce Department’s Malcolm Baldrige Performance Excellence program, and the Building Ranks School Culture Survey, which provides school leaders with detailed feedback from parents, students, teachers, staff, and community members on the school’s culture. “The Gallup research and tools helped me develop my staff, the Baldrige Performance Excellence program helped improve my schools systemically, and the NASSP resources help provide externally validated leadership and management tools,” Saferite notes. The bottom line? “We need to get kids creating, designing, publishing, and solving real-world problems—and that takes a leader committed to leading learning and building culture,” Ziegler says. For more information on Building Ranks and to explore the aligned Educational Leadership Product Suite, visit www.nassp.org/buildingranks. Michael Levin-Epstein is a freelance writer and editor based in North Potomac, MD. Mark Toner is a freelance writer, editor, and publications consultant based in Reston, VA.

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North America’s potential potato shrinkflation A cold and wet autumn has negatively impacted crop yields among potato farmers in North America, and concerns amongst processors are growing. Dr. Sylvain Charlebois, from Dalhousie University, explores the potential consequences and how the shrinkflation of fries and chips is a possibility. Most of us love fries and chips. Other than people on a ketogenic diet, most diets do not discriminate against the mighty potato. It is even in Canada’s newest food guide. Most dishes using potatoes are loved by Canadians, especially in the wintertime when colder weather encourages us to seek out more hearty meals. But reports have suggested that North America is experiencing potato shortages and processors, and those out west, are especially scrambling to get potatoes into their plants. This could spell trouble as we soon may be paying more for one of our favourite staples. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is projecting a 6.1 percent decline in total crops from a year ago, making it one of the lowest crop yields since 2010 A cold and very wet autumn has negatively impacted crop yields among potato farmers. Almost 20 percent of potatoes were left out in fields due to poor quality. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is projecting a 6.1 percent decline in total crops from a year ago, making it one of the lowest crop yields since 2010. In Manitoba, more than 18 percent of potato crops remained unharvested, while in Alberta, 6.5 percent of potato crops were damaged by an early frost. In the food industry, size matters when buying potatoes; buyers are always looking for larger, bigger potatoes, but this year the harvested potatoes were much smaller than usual. Basically, supplies are much lower than usual as we start the winter season in North America. What are the consequences? It is difficult to tell whether retail prices will be affected at all. The truth is that potato prices have already gone up this past year. Potatoes at retail are 20.7 percent more expensive than just 12 months ago. According to Statistics Canada, a 10-pound bag of potatoes in Canada retails for an average of $9.77, while a year ago it was $8.11. Frozen fried potatoes have gone up 17.1 percent as well, retailing now at $3.02 for one kilo. The market today is a little different as we crave the product much more These increases, the most important increases ever recorded, are difficult to explain. Potato production over the last five years in North America has been quite steady. In 2010, when the harvest was even worse than this year’s, retail prices barely moved at all, suggesting that the market was not willing to budge on pricing, despite lower inventories. But the market today is a little different as we crave the product much more. If prices do go up, it will not be because our farmers are making more money. Farmers will not likely get more for their crops as they typically lock themselves into unbending contracts before the growing season even starts. Farmers affected by weather will have crop insurance. Not all of them, but many of them. Processors may need to pay more since they might be required to purchase inputs from other sources which are normally more expensive. But processors have infinite ways to hedge against abnormal weather patterns and will get the products they need to manufacture the fries and chips consumers buy at the store or restaurant, one way or another. The prospect of shrinkflation Increases may very well happen in food distribution and retail where demand is quite strong. In 2018, frozen potato sales at retail increased by 7.1 percent in Canada, and 2019 could be an even better year. Potatoes requiring some preparation time at home have also seen significant sales increases, exceeding 7 percent in recent years. That may explain why retailers are charging much more for the product. Since 2018, potato retail prices have quietly increased at a dramatic rate, but consumers have not yet been spooked by this – at least, not yet. But consumers could start walking away from the product if they think it is too expensive. As such, we may see more processors reduce the number of frozen fries you get in a bag, but for the same price. This is called shrinkflation – getting less for the same price. Skrinkflation has a funny way of keeping products on store shelves without upsetting consumers. We may see more processors reduce the number of frozen fries you get in a bag, but for the same price The rules are different in food service, and we should not expect any price changes. Charging more for a side staple like potatoes is always more challenging for restauranteurs and fast food operators. Potatoes are no steak, fish or pasta. But we may see some operators revert to the practice of shrinking portion sizes, and charge patrons the same price, as in retail. This is quite easy to do with fries, chips and smaller baked potatoes. Vigilant consumers will likely notice, but most of us will not think twice before digging in. Canada is only the eighteenth largest potato producer in the world, but we do take our potatoes seriously. The country will not run out of potatoes any time soon and they will remain quite affordable for most of us for a very long time. So, keep calm and eat your fries. About the author Dr Sylvain Charlebois is a professor in food distribution and policy in the Faculties of Management and Agriculture at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Canada. He is also the Senior Director of the Agri-food Analytics Lab, also located at Dalhousie University. His current research interest lies in the areas of food distribution, security and safety.

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Ezekiel is remembered for various reasons. He is regarded as the author of much of the Biblical "Book of Ezekiel." He bemoaned the fate of Israel and Judah calling for a revival of faith centering on the hope of a rebuilt Temple of Jerusalem and reestablishment of the Davidic kingdom. As a prophet, he gave spiritual encouragement to the exiles by assuring them that the sins of their immediate ancestors would not be held against them (Ezek. 18). Additionally, he participated viscerally in his prophetic pronouncements through fasts and other mortifications of the flesh. His expressions of God's pain and anger are striking in the violent imagery that the prophet used to describe God's rage against Israel's idolatrous "fornication" (Ezek. 16, 23). More than any figure in the Old Testament, Ezekiel walked a conscious course of personal denial for the sake God and his people. No other prophet directly states that God has asked him to "bear the sin of the house of Israel." (Ezek. 4:5) He undertook excruciating self-mortifications as "sign acts," portraying in his person God's judgment on the community. Even his beloved wife—the "delight of his eyes"—was suddenly taken by God, and God commanded him not to mourn for her because his reaction was to serve as an example to the Jews regarding how to respond to the destruction of Temple of Jerusalem, which has also been carried out in accordance with God's providence. The exiled elders of Judah often consulted Ezekiel for guidance, although it is debatable whether his prophecies had much immediate impact on the exilic community. Nevertheless, his writings certainly became very important in later Jewish life. His prophecies outlined many of the central themes that defined the Jewish people in the post-exilic age. They spurred on both Jewish and Christian apocalypticism and messianic hopes. His marvelous visions of angelic beings (and their vehicles), found in Ezek. 1, 10, later became important elements in the mystical tradition of the Kabbala. Finally, his famous vision of the Valley of Dry Bones (Ezek. 37), although originally referring to the revival of Israel as a nation, became an important basis for the belief in the resurrection of the dead, both in Jewish and Christian traditions. Ezekiel was the son of Buzi, a priest of Jerusalem and descendant of Zadok. As such, he was probably among the aristocracy whom Nebuchadnezzar II carried off as exiles to Babylon in 597 B.C.E. He lived among a colony of exiles on the canalworks associated with the River Kebar, in a place called Tel-aviv, after which the modern Israeli city was named. Life for most of the exiles did not involve physical suffering or slavery. Ezekiel himself was married, lived in his own house, and entertained many prestigious guests. As a priest exiled from the Temple in which he could practice his craft, Ezekiel certainly suffered spiritually. He often engaged in ascetic practices and thought of himself as bearing the sins of his people. One of his main complaints against his countrymen was that they were too complacent and willing to adopt Babylonian customs. In the fifth year of his exile, sitting on the banks of the river, he received his prophetic calling together with his first recorded revelation. Several other dramatic visions of his are recorded in the Book of Ezekiel (see below). However, it would be a mistake to consider him mainly as a visionary. The primary focus of his ministry was to urge the exiles to repent of their sins and live in accordance with God's ways. He expressed considerable frustration with their response and also denounced the behavior of his countrymen still living in Judea. The elders of the exiles repeatedly visited him (chapters 8, 14, and 22). However, he was not satisfied with their response, calling them a "rebellious house" (Ezek. 25-8; 3:26-27, etc). He complained that, although they came in great numbers to hear him, they failed to take his words seriously (33:30-33). At one point he even refused to be consulted by them (Ezek. 20:3). Ezekiel engaged in numerous symbolic acts to dramatize his message, some of them involving long periods of fasting and other deprivations. At times he appears to have been paralyzed and unable to speak as a result of his spiritual experiences (Ezek. 3:25-26). Although he often appeared as a serious and even gloomy figure, Ezekiel also expressed a powerful hope for the redemption of God's people. This is exemplified in such prophecies as the coming of the messianic king, the re-union of God and His people, the rebuilding of the Temple, and the resurrection of dead (also interpreted as the spiritual resurrection of Israel.) Ezekiel's prophecies extended over twenty-two years. The Bible and rabbinic tradition say nothing of his death. However, the apocryphal Lives of the Prophets (not considered authoritative by either Jewish or Christian authorities) reports he was slain by a member of one of the tribes of Dan and Gad, who blamed him for cursing them and causing their cattle and children to die. Like all the Hebrew prophets, Ezekiel's main concern was to bring God's people back into alignment with the principles of monotheism and biblical ethics. He was particularly concerned with these countrymen's lapses into idolatry, which he equated with the sin of fornication. He also decried their moral and sexual corruption, defilement of the Shabat (Sabbath) day, oppression of the weak and fatherless, bribery and usury, and the practice of infant sacrifice (Ezek. 20-22). The imagery he used to depict the sin of Israel and Judah is sometimes shocking: His description of God's attitude toward Israel's sins is likewise disturbing: Such passages may be offensive to the modern reader, but for the prophet they were a meant to shock the hearer out of his complacency and bring him into repentance. Ultimately, Ezekiel's God is not a male chauvinist monster who turns his wife over to a bloodthirsty mob, but a father who chastises his people as a matter of loving discipline: Like Jeremiah before him, Ezekiel saw Babylon as the instrument of God's wrath against Judah on account of her sins. God's people were therefore not to resist their captivity, but to submit to the Babylonian yoke. Only repentance and obedience to God's laws would win their redemption. The hope of redemption in Ezekiel's view involved Israel's liberation from captivity, the rebuilding of the Temple and the coming of the Davidic Messiah, whom he described in very certain terms: It should be remembered that in Ezekiel's day, the Davidic line of kings had only very recently been dethroned by the Babylonian power. Indeed, during the period of his early prophecies a Davidic king—Zedekiah—still reigned in Jerusalem over what remained of the Kingdom of Judah. For Ezekiel and his contemporaries, the idea of a revived Davidic monarchy was not, by any means, a supernatural one. Even though he held the nation collectively responsible for its sin, Ezekiel also strongly emphasized the idea of individual responsibility and rejected the idea of ancestral sin. He directly refuted the Deuteronomic teaching that God holds the sons responsible for the sins of their fathers for several generations (Deut. 5:9). Also important to Ezekiel was the priestly tradition that he had inherited but could not practice in exile. Several of his prophecies deal with priestly concerns, especially the rebuilding of the Temple, which he describes in minute architectural detail. He envisioned the liberation of Israel from its Babylonian captivity and the redemption of its people to holy lives under the guidance of priestly teachers. He also prophesied vehemently against the non-Israelite peoples, such as the inhabitants of Ammon, Edom, Tyre, Sidon, and Egypt (Ezek. 25-32, etc.). Scholars debate exactly which of Ezekiel's prophecies are truly his own and which are the product of later writers that were attributed to Ezekiel. However, it is nearly universally acknowledged that a great number of the prophecies in the "Book of Ezekiel" are indeed his. Ezekiel's message is often overwhelmed by the imagery of his visions and symbolic acts. His first recorded revelation is remarkable in that it describes not only the appearance of majestic angelic beings but even of God Himself: Later God commands him to build a scale model of the Babylonian siege of Jerusalem and to lie on his side before it for 390 days, to "bear the sin of the house of Israel" (Ezek. 4:5). God commands Ezekiel to eat a scanty diet of bread cooked over a fire fueled with human dung. The prophet here contradicts the Lord, saying that to do so would violate his commitment to ritual purity. God relents, saying, "Very well. I will let you bake your bread over cow manure instead of human excrement" (4:15). Another vision involved an experience of being spiritually transported to Jerusalem, where Ezekiel witnessed idolatry and pagan worship being practiced in the Temple (Ezek 9-10). This revelation also includes Ezekiel's famous vision of the supernatural vehicle with its awe-inspiring angelic riders: Later, God instructs Ezekiel to pack his things, blindfold himself, and dig through the wall of his house as a sign pertaining to the future captivity of the remaining Jerusalemites and their king, who would later be blinded and brought in chains to Babylon (Ezek 12). Ezekiel also reports a vision in which God predicts and even causes the sudden death of the prophet's wife. The reason for God's seemingly cruel treatment of his prophet, once again, is that Ezekiel is to act as a sign for God's people. As Ezekiel is to refrain from mourning for his wife, so the people are to refrain from mourning for the destruction of the Temple of Jerusalem. In both cases it is "the sovereign Lord" who brings the destruction—in the Temple's case on account of the nation's sin, and in the case of Ezekiel's wife to become a symbol. The proper posture in both cases is thus humility and obedience—not mourning. Ezekiel's most famous vision is that of the Valley of Dry Bones. Here the prophet envisions an entire valley of bones reassembling and coming back to life. God explains the vision as being both symbolic and actual: Ezekiel's final vision is a long prophecy concerning the rebuilding of the Temple. It includes a detailed description, including architectural plans, dimensions, building materials, rooms for priests, ritual practices, festivals, priestly traditions, holy days, and the division of the land among the Israelite tribes (Ezek. 40-48). Ezekiel's personality strongly colors both his ministry and his prophecies. Nowhere else in the Bible are the personal experiences of the prophets described in such vivid detail as in Ezekiel. He takes his mission very personally and acts it out in dramatic fashion. Other prophets did likewise (Isaiah walked with in public for three years with his buttocks exposed, Jeremiah did not marry, and Hosea took a prostitute for a wife—all as symbolic acts related to their prophetic messages) but with Ezekiel, this prophetic acting-out seems to dominate his entire life. He conceives it as his prophetic mission to strive to reach his compatriots individually and to win them back to God; and he considers himself personally responsible for them. Yet, another feature of Ezekiel's personality is the pathological. With no other prophet are visions and ecstasy so prominent; and he repeatedly refers to symptoms of severe maladies, such as paralysis of the limbs and of the tongue (3:25-26). He also engages in graphic sexual imagery to portray God's frustration with his people, and describes God as a furious husband who responds to his wife's infidelity in violent rage. Feminist commentators consider him an example of a particularly virulent type of male chauvinism, while others have suggested that he may have been the victim of epilepsy, schizophrenia, or both. We can certainly recognize that the pressures of living in exile, engaging in long periods of fasting and other mortifications, and being suddenly widowed by what he believed was an act of God may have taken a psychological toll on Ezekiel. However, to write off his religious experiences as the mere product of psychosis is to ignore both his genius and his prophetic calling. In the end, we can only admit that, although he is clearly a troubled soul, he is also an inspired one. Ezekiel, like Jeremiah, is said to have been a descendant of Joshua by his marriage with the proselyte Rahab (Talmud Meg. 14b; Midrash Sifre, Num. 78). He was already active as a prophet while in Palestine, and he retained this gift when he was exiled with King Jehoiachin and the nobles of Judah to Babylon (Josephus, Ant. x. 6, § 3: "while he was still a boy"). Although his own descriptions imply the opposite, the rabbinical view is that Ezekiel beheld only a blurred reflection of the divine majesty (Midrash Lev. Rabbah i. 14). Jewish mystics, on the other hand, appeal to Ezekiel's visions of God, angelic beings, and the "heavenly chariot" as a guide to personal experience of the divine. The tradition known as merkavah kabbalah developed these themes in the early medieval period, claiming that a long line of Jewish mystics dating back to Ezekiel himself practiced this discipline. According to the midrash Canticles Rabbah, it was Ezekiel whom the three pious men, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, (Shadrach, Miesheck, and Obednigo in Christian tradition) asked for advice as to whether they should resist Nebuchadnezzar's command and choose death by fire rather than worship his idol. At first God revealed to the prophet that they could not hope for a miraculous rescue; whereupon the prophet was greatly grieved. But after they had left the house of the prophet, fully determined to sacrifice their lives to God, Ezekiel received the revelation that God would indeed protect them from their fiery ordeal (Midrash Canticles Rabbah vii. 8). One tradition holds that Ezekiel literally performed a miracle of resurrecting the dead in the Valley of the Dry Bones, based on the passage: "So I prophesied as he commanded me, and breath entered them; they came to life and stood up on their feet" (Ezek. 37:10). As early as the second century, however, some authorities declared this resurrection of the dead was a prophetic vision. This opinion was regarded by Maimonides (Guide for the Perplexed, II: 46) and his followers as the only rational explanation of the Biblical passage. Ezekiel's name does not appear in the New Testament. However, his prophecies influenced Christian tradition in several ways. Ezekiel was the first prophet to make extensive use of the term "son of man" (ben adam) to refer to his role. Jesus also used this term to describe himself. The apocalyptic sayings of Jesus also may have been influenced by Ezekiel's visions, although they show more direct influence by the Book of Daniel and other Jewish apocalyptic literature. Ezekiel is sometimes cited as Old Testament support for the resurrection. Also, the Book of Revelation describes a scene similar to one mentioned by Ezekiel—a vision in which the prophet eats a scroll given to him by a heavenly being (Ezekiel 1; Rev. 10:9). This same book also contains several visions reminiscent of Ezekiel's as well as a description of the New Jerusalem and its Temple, both of which themes Ezekiel developed in detail. A major difference between the two is that Ezekiel's Jerusalem and its Temple are clearly physical in nature, while John's are usually understood to exist in the Heavenly realm only. Some Muslims believe that Ezekiel may be Dhul-Kifl, a figure who is mentioned in the following Qur'anic verse: New World Encyclopedia writers and editors rewrote and completed the Wikipedia article in accordance with New World Encyclopedia standards. This article abides by terms of the Creative Commons CC-by-sa 3.0 License (CC-by-sa), which may be used and disseminated with proper attribution. Credit is due under the terms of this license that can reference both the New World Encyclopedia contributors and the selfless volunteer contributors of the Wikimedia Foundation. To cite this article click here for a list of acceptable citing formats.The history of earlier contributions by wikipedians is accessible to researchers here: The history of this article since it was imported to New World Encyclopedia:

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Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 provides safeguards for employees across the United States from discrimination and harassment based on numerous protected factors. While the law does not specifically state “sexual orientation” as a protected factor, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), which enforces Title VII, has issued guidance in recent years that the agency interprets the law to prohibit sexual orientation discrimination under the umbrella of unlawful “sex” discrimination. There is, however, no federal law yet that expressly prohibits this type of employment discrimination. In May, a federal judge for the Third Circuit dismissed a sexual orientation discrimination claim by an employee on the grounds that it had no cause of action for federal jurisdiction. The judge stated he was following Third Circuit precedent from 2001 in his ruling. This precedent was set long before the EEOC guidance, which the court declined to take into account. The Court’s Reasoning Instead of considering the guidance from the EEOC that there are, in fact, federal protections against sexual orientation discrimination under Title VII, the court followed the decision in the 2001 case, Bibby v. Phila. Coca Cola Bottling Co. This case held that because Congress failed to pass a law expressly making sexual orientation a protected factor, it should not be considered to be one. Several of the 13 federal circuits have heard cases on this issue, and the Second and Seventh Circuits both ruled that Title VII does prohibit sexual orientation discrimination. However, the Third Circuit judge in this case stated, “We find that although plaintiff’s position may be correct in certain jurisdictions, the precedent in the Third Circuit favors the defendant’s position.” The employee also brought a claim for discrimination based on gender stereotyping, which is a federal issue. In 1989, the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) ruled in Price Waterhouse v. Hopkinsthat sex discrimination protections under Title VII include gender stereotyping. However, the judge in the recent case also dismissed this claim. The court held that the plaintiff “is not alleging that he was discriminated against because he acted stereotypically gay; he claims that he experienced discrimination because he was actually gay. As a result, we construe the pleadings to allege sexual orientation discrimination as opposed to gender stereotype discrimination.” For this reason, the entire case was thrown out by the court. The Future of Sexual Orientation Protections in the United States Congress has tried to pass laws expanding protections to LGBT employees across the country for years without success. A bill proposed in 2015 to enact the federal Equality Act recently passed in the House of Representatives. This law would protect LGBT people in the U.S. from discrimination and harassment in employment, housing, and public accommodations, including retail stores and financial institutions. However, despite passing in the Democrat-controlled House, the bill has a slim chance of even getting a vote in the Republican-controlled Senate. Because a federal law likely will not go into effect anytime soon, we can look at state laws that protect employees within an individual state. Just like laws regarding marijuana and minimum wage, the states vary widely on their enactment and enforcement of sexual orientation discrimination laws. The following states prohibit discrimination in both the private and public sector based on either sexual orientation or gender identity: - District of Columbia - New Hampshire - New Jersey - New Mexico - New York - Rhode Island Other states have partial protections, while some states still have no protections for LGBT employees. If an employee works in a state with protections, they can bring a claim against their employer in state court, though they might not be able to prevail in federal court. This is the case for employees in the Third Circuit, which covers New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Delaware, all of which have state-level protections. With both the federal circuits and the states divided on the issue, the attention now turns to the national stage and SCOTUS, which is expected to make its own ruling on the matter this year. Upcoming Supreme Court Cases In April 2019, SCOTUS agreed to hear two different cases involving sexual orientation discrimination out of two different circuits with opposite rulings. With its decision in the consolidated matter, SCOTUS will set the precedent that all federal circuits will have to follow, so this will truly be a landmark decision that affects millions of employees across the U.S. In this case out of the Eleventh Circuit, a man was terminated from his position as a child welfare services coordinator in Clayton County, Georgia. Bostock received praise for his work for years until he joined a gay recreational softball team. Shortly after, he experienced harassment at work, was subject to an internal audit, and ultimately fired. The United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit followed that circuit’s precedent and upheld the lower court’s ruling that Title VII did not include sexual orientation protections and, therefore, Bostock failed to state a valid claim under federal law. He appealed the case to the Supreme Court. Donald Zarda was fired from his job in New York as a skydiving instructor when a customer complained after Zarda told her he was gay. Zarda brought a claim for sexual orientation discrimination to federal court, and both the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York and the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit ruled against him. However, the Second Circuit appellate court agreed to hear the case en bancwith all judges present to rule on the matter. In February 2018, the full panel of the Second Circuit ruled that sex discrimination under Title VII includes sexual orientation discrimination. Zarda’s former employer, Altitude Express, appealed the case to the Supreme Court. With cases from two split circuits, SCOTUS is looking to settle whether Title VII – as it is currently written- includes protections from LGBT employees. The Court is also hearing a separate case, R.G. & G.R. Harris Funeral Homes Inc. v. EEOC, in which it will decide whether Title VII also protects transgender employees from discrimination and harassment. If SCOTUS finds in favor of employees and applies protections, courts will not be able to pick and choose whether they want to abide by the EEOC’s guidance or not. Instead, they will be bound to the SCOTUS precedent. In addition, LGBT employees living in states with no protections in the law will have federal protection, so all employers will be prohibited from discrimination, harassment, and retaliation based on sexual orientation. Along with most of the country, we will certainly be watching closely for the outcome of this matter. Consult with a New Jersey Employment Attorney about Your Rights At Traub Law, we know that employment discrimination and harassment cases are often anything but clear-cut. Employment lawyer Rina Traub fights for the rights of employees in New Jersey in many different circumstances, and if your employer acts unlawfully, you should not hesitate to seek legal assistance. Call 609-951-2204 or contact us online for a case evaluation today.

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Lehan Stemmet strongly advises people not to avoid dealing with stress because it'll come back to bite you. Some people seem to cope well despite significant sources of stress in their lives, while other people struggle day to day. They respond differently to circumstances and demands that they face. What makes the difference? What are the common denominators that consistently help people respond well to stress, at all levels and in all societies? This question has intrigued Dr Lehan Stemmet, Head of Department of Management at our Auckland International Campus, for years. Studies by other researchers have shown that the onset of 75 to 90% of all psychological and physiological illness is triggered by stress. To cope well with stress it helps to: - Have very clear priorities - Have strong support networks - Forgive quickly rather than harbouring offence - Don't ruminate on (and worry about) the past, present or future - Have a sense of purpose in their roles - if you can't regain that, then it may be time to think about seeking a different role or industry! Avoidance is a commonly used coping strategy and people often fool themselves thinking that they have dealt with what needed to be dealt with by simply avoiding it – they feel better because ‘out of sight – out of mind’. But they may actually find themselves compensating in other ways that limits their growth and impacts negatively on their health. A main principle is to help people feel less victimised by circumstances and therefore more in control of doing something about those circumstances, e.g. seeking help, changing perspectives, being proactive, etc. Lehan continues to explore and advise on industry- and even company-specific strategies for building the resilience to recover quickly from stressful situations. - Contact Lehan Stemmet - Read Turning a Blind Eye - Avoidance Coping at Work - Find more Business research

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This is a topic suggestion on Expressionists from Paper Masters. Use this topic or order a custom research paper, written exactly how you need it to be. During the twentieth century, a group of painters who were highly interested in the possibilities of colors emerged. These painters, called Expressionists, presented an artistic style that lasted until the outbreak of World War I in 1914. Like Fauvism, Expressionism used color to create mood and express emotion. The Blue Rider In 1911 the German Expressionist group Der blaue Reiter (The Blue Rider) emerged. The artists of this group were drawn toward non-figurative abstraction. One of the premier artists to emerge from this group was Franz Marc. Marc was a philosopher who often wrote and proselytized actively for modernism in Germany. After turning to art, his early work showed characteristics of Caspar David Friedrich, Jean-Simeon Chardin, and Jugendstil. While on a trip in Paris, he became aware of the works and styles of Vincent van Gogh, Paul Gauguin, and Paul Cezanne. Many of the artistic styles of these painters can be seen in his works, especially the earlier ones. His own personal style soon emerged however, as did his preference for painting animals over human subjects. This style included investing his own spiritual intensity into his paintings and undulating landscapes to bring the focus of attention to the paintings main attraction. Franz Marc's Paintings Unlike the other premier artist of the Blue Rider group, Vassily Kandinsky, Marc did not eliminate recognizable objects from his paintings. Blue Horses, painted in 1911, is one of his masterpieces. In creating this painting, Marc combined geometry with rich colors. The shapes of the horses are abstract in composition, although it is possible to tell where each horse begins and ends in the painting. In the painting the horses are painted a rich blue, with foreshortened forms and exaggerated curves. The background of the picture features a brightly colored landscape with bold strokes of red, yellow and green. Many of these bold arched strokes represent mountains in the background, while two gray curves are representative of slender tree trunks. These tree trunks serve a purpose in that they present structural anchors and provide a sense of confinement, which draws added attention to the monumental forms of the blue horses.

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The UK’s Bristol Airport has switched to a 100% renewable electricity supply, having signed a three-year agreement with global renewable energy supplier Ørsted. The new agreement will see the airport’s annual electricity use of 17,000,000kWh powered entirely by renewable sources. Electricity is the largest on-site airport operations contributor to carbon emissions. In addition to the electricity used in the terminal and other buildings, a growing number of aircraft stands are equipped with Fixed Electrical Ground Power (FEGP), reducing the need to use diesel-powered engines for essential preflight services. Over the duration of the contract, an estimated 14,000 metric tons of carbon will be saved across the airport site as a result of the move to renewables – equivalent to the emissions from driving 34,000,000 miles (21,126,620km) in an average car, according to the airport. Simon Earles, planning and sustainability director at Bristol Airport, said, “From next month, our terminal and other facilities will be powered by renewable energy – a significant step on our journey to carbon neutrality. There is more to do, but this is a clear statement of our intent to reduce our direct emissions.” In July 2019, the airport published a carbon roadmap setting out how, by 2025, it will be carbon neutral for emissions within its direct control. As well as addressing direct emissions, the roadmap includes a commitment to offset road journeys by passengers and explains how flights will tackled through the Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA) – an international agreement aimed at stabilizing emissions at 2020 levels.

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China, Nepal, and Increased Tensions in Southeast Asia On April 16, 2017, Nepal and China began their first-ever joint military exercise with a special focus on combating terror, amidst Beijing’s increasing forays into South Asia. The drills have been closely monitored by India , a country often accused of playing “big brother” to Nepal and one anxious about the power wielded by China.3 In the end, the tension surrounding the military exercises indicates the ongoing diplomatic contest between India and China, of which earning the allegiance of Nepal is a central goal. The 10-day-long military drill “Sagarmatha Friendship 2017” that will last until April 25 was organized by Nepal and China as a means to combat terrorism. 1 According to Nepal’s military spokesman Jhankar Bahadur Kadayat, “A small Chinese troop will be participating in the first ever drill with an equal number of Nepali Army personnel.”1 The Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) arrived in Kathmandu to participate in the military exercise that will focus on counter terrorism and disaster response . The exercise will take place at the Army’s Maharajgunj-based Training School, where Yuddha Bhairab, Mahabir and Bhairabnath Battalions are located. The two countries initially planned to hold battalion-scale military exercises, though due to pressure from its Southern neighbor India, Nepal has had to compress the size of the exercises.6 The joint training with China marks the Nepal Army’s extension of military diplomacy. Prior to “Sagarmatha Friendship 2017,” the Nepal Army had only conducted such large-scale military exercises with the U.S. and Indian armies.5. During Chinese Defense Minister General Chang Wanquan’s official visit to Nepal on March 24, however, Nepal proposed joint military exercises with the eastern power. The Nepal Army has said the joint military exercise with China is a step towards preparations against the threat of terrorism, and is part of its regular habit of sharing experiences, skills, and professional knowledge with countries diplomatically tied to Nepal.1 While military exercises themselves are not surprising for Nepal, their being conducted for the first time with China raises questions regarding whether deeper geopolitical forces might be at work. Nepal’s relations with India have been strained in recent years, due to increased perceptions that India is a domineering ally. For example, many Nepalese believe that India was primarily responsible for the five month Madhesi Blockade from September 2015 to February 2016, which cut off most supply trucks from entering Nepal.1,5 As a landlocked country, Nepal is dependent on imports from India, so the Nepalese people who relied on those essential supplies suffered greatly as a result of the blockade.1,5 Since that time, relations with India have been strained. Nepal has also seen the United States – traditionally a close ally – as increasingly willing to delegate its Nepal policy toward India.5 President Donald Trump has praised India’s Prime Minister Narendha Modi as a “great man,” and said that India and the US would be “best friends.”5 The big fear in Nepal is that the US will simply allow India to dominate and control Nepal, the dangers of which were uncomfortably evident during the blockade.5 The Chinese, on the other hand, were quick to give aid to Nepal during the blockade and invested heavily in the country, making the Nepalese willing to engage in closer relations with the eastern tiger than with India.5 China has shifted its foreign policy in recent years to reach out to Nepal in order to avoid being “encircled” by Indian and US influence. Chinese foreign policy has long been designed to prevent the West from gaining total influence with China’s neighbors. China sees Nepal’s strained relations with India as a perfect opportunity to exert its own influence as a solution to the landlocked country. In addition to conducting joint military exercises, China’s has expressed great interest in investing in Nepal’s infrastructure. China has lavished grand infrastructure promises on Nepal, including recently pledging $8.3 billion in investment to be used for post-earthquake reconstruction and upgrading Nepal-China rail and road links.2,5 The commitment dwarfed India’s investment offer of $317 million. China has also helped Nepal with their elections, supplying 30,000 ballot boxes, scales, punching machines, and other election-related materials.4 Through these efforts, China believes that it can win over Nepal and avoid being encircled by the United States and up-and-coming power India. Experts believe that the “Sagarmatha” military exercise could make India uneasy as China attempts to exert influence in the region.1 India has long eyed its eastern neighbor with suspicion, and now as China seeks to carve out spheres of influence for itself around Asia, it is no surprise that India is more anxious. Several of its neighbors have developed strong relationships with Beijing. For example, over the past decade China developed close relations with Sri Lanka during the regime of former president Mahinda Rajapaksa, and instigated a $1.5 billion Chinese-funded Colombo Port City project.1 China also has developed strong ties with Pakistan, and the two countries are working closely on creating a $46 billion trade partnership.1 These investments have sparked security concerns in India.1 The “Sagarmatha” exercises have made India fear that the same security risk is developing in Nepal. As a result, India successfully used their diplomatic leverage to make Nepal shorten the length of the exercises, demonstrating at the same time Nepal’s lack of full diplomatic independence.6 The military exercises in Nepal underscore the delicate security relationships contantly at play in Southern Asia. China fears encirclement enough to try to win over its neighbor, while India fears Chinese influence enough to domineer Nepal an exert pressure on joint military exercises between foreign powers. Nepal, for its own part, struggles to find the balance between promoting economic well being and national security. Nepal needs to develop cordial relations with India and China to gain economic progress; however, it will prove near impossible for Nepal to develop in that way with both countries attempting to win or force it over to its side.2 Ultimately, Nepal is but a piece in the game of Chess between India and China, but how it moves could determine which power comes out on top on the Asian continent. ■ - The Economic Times, “Nepal, China Hold First-Ever Joint Military Exercises,” 16 April 2017, http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/defence/nepal-china-hold-first-ever-joint-military-exercises/articleshow/58208949.cms. - Kamal Dev Bhattari, “Nepal’s India-China Balancing Act Put to the Test,” the Diplomat, 28 March 2017, http://thediplomat.com/2017/03/nepals-india-china-balancing-act-put-to-the-test/. - South China Morning Post, “Nepal, China Begin First-Ever Joint Military Exercises,” 16 April 2017, http://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/2088059/nepal-china-begin-first-ever-joint-military-exercises. - Anil Giri, “China Becomes First Country to Assist Local Polls in Nepal,” Hindustan Times, 17 April 2017, http://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/china-becomes-first-country-to assist-local-polls-in-nepal/story-UDdtN7kFtePmeZXB0YyBuM.html. - Biswas Baral, “After the ‘Blockade’: China’s Push into Nepal,” the Diplomat, 1 February 2017, http://thediplomat.com/2017/02/after-the-blockade-chinas-push-into-nepal/. - The Times of India, “Nepal Scaled Down Drills with China Due to India: Chinese Media,” 21 April 2017, http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/nepal-scaled-down-drills-with-china-due-to-india-chinese-media/articleshow/58296611.cms. Nepal Village | https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f6/Flickr_-_don_macauley_-_House_in_Nepal.jpg/602_U.S._Navy_and_Republic_of_Singapore_ships_steam_through_the_South_China_Sea.jpg Volume 20, Issue 4

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To listen to this post, click here – On this day in 1874 Winston Churchill was born. Apart from being a hugely inspirational leader and a fearless warrior for his country he was also a gifted writer and speaker, a talented painter, and an accomplished bricklayer. I rather like this little verse he wrote in French, on the subject of his painting: La peinture á l’huile Est bien difficile, Mais c’est beaucoup plus beau Que la peinture á l’eau. Churchill famously said: “I felt as if I were walking with destiny, and that all my past life had been but a preparation for this hour and for this trial . . . I thought I knew a good deal about it all, I was sure I should not fail.” This poem by Ralph Waldo Emerson says the same thing: Deep in the man sits fast his fate To mould his fortunes, mean or great: Unknown to Cromwell as to me Was Cromwell’s measure or degree; Unknown to him as to his horse, If he than his groom be better or worse. He works, plots, fights, in rude affairs, With squires, lords, kings, his craft compares, Till late he learned, through doubt and fear, Broad England harbored not his peer: Obeying time, the last to own The Genius from its cloudy throne. For the prevision is allied Unto the thing so signified; Or say, the foresight that awaits Is the same Genius that creates. Today I reflect on the importance of accepting one’s destiny.

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Doom and Gloom is a song about the end of the world and was released in 2012. The lyrics feature references to several popular ideas of what the apocalypse would look like, while also warning against being too pessimistic about its inevitability. The lead character in the song, who we presume to be Mick Jagger himself, also sings to a prophecised saviour who he asks to “take a chance” and to dance with him. We presume that, if this saviour does indeed hear Jagger’s plea, the world will be saved. The song’s constant warnings against paying too much attention to “doom and gloom” lend the song a positive and optimistic note - which is light relief considering its dystopian lyrics. Doom and Gloom opens with a metaphor about a dream in which Jagger is the captain of a plane full of “drunk and insane” passengers. The plane crash-lands in a swamp which is populated by zombies. This first metaphor is meaningful in several ways. The plane can be understood to represent western society and its population’s dependence on alcohol, binge-drinking and drug-taking. Jagger is leading that society - in his role as a popular songwriter - but he is anxious that his rock and roll songs might be leading his listeners to disaster. The lyrics state that the plane crashes in Louisiana in New Orleans (an American state famed for its connection to magic and mysticism). Zombies are usually, in the 1970s tradition of George A Romero, understood to represent humans and their blind devotion to capitalism. More recent films, such as 28 Days Later, paint zombies as something that humans could become (i.e. rage-filled and blind to morals) if food and other resources become scarce in the event of an apocalypse. Jagger fights the zombies and comes out “on top”. This is presumably because he understands what they are and is therefore equipped to win a fight against them. The second interesting metaphor concerns “the tightening of the screws”. This appears to be a reference to the Victorian horror novel The Turn of the Screw. The novel’s story features a nanny who is tasked to look after two children - but she slowly becomes convinced that the house they are staying in is haunted by malevolent spirits. In English literature the turning of the screw can be understood to represent an increasing sense of confusion and madness. It is something akin to the idea being boiled alive - but the water is heated so slowly that the unwitting subject does not fully realise what is happening until it’s too late. In the context of apocalypse, as in the song Doom and Gloom, Jagger appears to be asking the listener if they can also feel an increasing sense of desperation and crisis in western society. This is what he means by: “Hear a funky noise? That’s the tightening of the screws”. A more light-hearted and upbeat version of this sentiment can be found in Lily Allen’s song Everything’s Just Wonderful from her debut album Alright Still. The third crucial metaphor in the song, which in truth is less of a metaphor and more of an explicit prophecy, is the idea that westerner’s will soon be “eating dirt” and “living on the side of the road”. This would appear to be a reference to the kind of apocalyptic visions set out in films like The Road - where humans are stripped of modern comforts after an apocalyptic disaster and must carve out an existence in a dystopian wilderness. Jagger states that this idea would “make your head explode”. What he is saying here is that, because westerners are so ignorant of the perils of money-worship and excessive consumption, the cold truth of a prophecised apocalypse is enough to explode their heads. It is important to note that money-worship and excessive consumption could be taken to be the essence of the kind of rock and roll that the Rolling Stones were once celebrated for. For this reason, Doom and Gloom could be understood as an apology from Jagger, and a plea to listeners to re-think their ideas about what rock and roll means. The final aspect which must be understood in order to grasp the song’s meaning is Jagger’s plea to an unnamed and unidentified saviour. On four occasions Jagger calls out to a figure who he sees “through the light” or “through the night”. We can therefore understand this to mean that he sees this figure in day-dreams or night-dreams. He asks this saviour to “take a chance” and to dance with him. This seems to be an explicit plea from Jagger to an artist in the audience. He wants this artist to join the Rolling Stones, and other musicians, to help reverse the damaging and aged ideas which describe rock and roll as something which encourages excessive capitalism and over-consumption. It could, of course, also be understood as a traditional romantic plea to a love interest who will save Jagger - and only Jagger - from the apocalypse. However, given the epic proportions of the song’s lyrics, that would seem like a lazy and unlikely interpretation. Do you agree? Let me know what you think about the song’s lyrics in the comments below 👇 The lyric that sums up this song is… “Hear a funky noise? That’s the tightening of the screws” The Turn of the Screw (novel) 28 Days Later (film) The Road (film) The Gaia Hypothesis (theory)

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Parts of Australia have recently been hit by an epidemic of flesh-eating ulcers that scientists can’t figure out how it started or how it spread. Known as Buruli ulcers, the disease first appears as a red, small lump that looks like a pimple or a bug bite. But if left untreated, the lumps can grow larger and cause “severe destructive lesions of skin and soft tissue” within weeks, Daniel O’Brien, deputy director of the department of infectious diseases at Barwon Health in Victoria, told The Washington Post. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the disease belongs to the same family of bacteria that causes tuberculosis and leprosy and typically affects a person’s legs or arms. O’Brien says that compared to other flesh-eating bacteria, like necrotizing fasciitis, Buruli ulcer isn’t the “most aggressive,” but has been known to “eat away one limb or a large part of a limb.” The disease is most commonly found in central and West Africa, but the Australian state of Victoria has reported epidemic levels of the disease recently. From 2016 to 2017, there was a 50 percent increase in reported cases in Victoria, O’Brien said, with the number of severe cases doubling in the last five or six years. Last fall, a 13-year-old girl from the town of Tyabb, Victoria in Australia contracted the disease. Her case started out as a sore knee and then developed into an open wound that had to be treated by three operations and “months of powerful antibiotics,” the BBC reported. Because scientists don’t know how the disease is transmitted or where it lives in the environment, there are currently no preventative measures that can be applied, according to the WHO. Victoria’s Department of Health is funding studies to see if the disease is spread by mosquitoes and are also studying local possum feces to test for the bacteria.

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Do carrots really enhance vision? While optometrists admit that the orange root vegetables are made up of large amounts of a beta-carotene that has proven to be very good for one's eyes, carrots can not take the place of suitable corrective eye care. Beta-carotene is an orange pigment (carotenoid) that converts into vitamin A once absorbed in the body. Vitamin A guards the cornea, or surface of the eye, and has been proven to be preventative for a number of eye diseases such as macular degeneration. Vitamin A, which is composed of a number of antioxidants, guards the cornea to reduce the risk of eye infections and other infectious diseases. Vitamin A is also known to be an effective solution for dry eyes as well as other eye disorders. A lack of vitamin A (which tends to exist more in underdeveloped countries) is known to cause night blindness, corneal ulcers and retinal damage which can contribute to blindness. There are two types of vitamin A, which relate to the food source they come from. Retinol is vitamin A derived from an animal source such as beef, chicken liver, whole milk or cheese. Vitamin A that is obtained from produce exists in the form of ''provitamin A'' carotenoids, which convert to retinol after the nutrients are digested. In addition to carrots, carotenoids are ingested when eating colorful produce particularly those that are bright orange or green in color. There is no doubt that vitamin A is beneficial to your eyes and your overall well being. Even though carrots won't fix corneal refraction which causes vision impairments, grandma had it right when she said ''finish your carrots.''

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A global citizen science platform to discover, share and identify wildlife Lepiota castanea, commonly known as the chestnut dapperling, is a dangerously poisonous, uncommon, gilled mushroom of the genus Lepiota in the order Agaricales. t has white gills and spores. They typically have rings on the stems, which in larger fungi are detachable and glide up and down the stem. It can be found in coniferous and deciduous woodlands, mostly singly or in small groups, as in this case, where the mushroom was found growing on sweet chestnut and beech forest floor, in Pelion mountain, Greece. Lat: 39.43, Long: 23.11 Spotted on Oct 14, 2018 Submitted on Jan 8, 2019

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Another Halloween is rapidly approaching. It is one of the annual events that seems to be becoming more and more popular each year, although the tradition of children going door-to-door for candy and treats is in significant decline. People seem to enjoy dressing up and decorating their houses with all kinds of scary things. More fundamentally, the fascination with the unknown, the supernatural and the macabre is a timeless human trait. Many Halloween stories have their roots in tragic events such as sudden deaths and epidemics. Right now, there is a lot of well-founded concern over the rapid increase in the incurable and generally fatal Ebola disease. However, despite the world-wide attention to Ebola, that epidemic (at least so far) is quite minor compared to some of the great epidemics of history. Central Alberta was a region where devastating epidemics frequently took place. As Europeans began to make their way to western North America 200 and 300 years ago, they brought with them diseases to which the natives had very little or no resistance. The consequences were terrifying. A story related to the early explorer David Thompson by the elderly Blackfoot man, Saukamappee, help to illustrate the horror of the early epidemics. A band of Blackfoot First Nations attacked a Shonshoni camp along the Red Deer River. However, to their surprise, no resistance was offered. Once the raiders entered the camp, they found all of the Shoshoni were, “A mass of corruption,” dead or dying from smallpox. Within two days, the Blackfoot began to succumb to the terrible illness they had caught from their intended victims. Before long, more than half of Saukamappee’s fellow tribesmen had died. Some drowned after they threw their fever-tortured bodies into the Red Deer River. The smallpox epidemic quickly escalated. The death toll was enormous. Some Blackfoot encampments were completely wiped out by the disease. The Blackfoot Confederacy suffered a dreadful setback. The Shoshoni were so weakened that they retreated into what is now the United States and were rarely seen in Central and Southern Alberta again. Another horrific smallpox epidemic struck in 1869-1870. The epidemic started with a disease stricken non-native on a steamboat at Fort Union on the Missouri River in North Dakota. Before long, the epidemic had exploded across the western plains. The Hudson’s Bay Company tried to take measures to stem the spread of the disease. Quarantines were imposed on traders and other employees. Attempts were made to bring in vaccines. However, the distances were enormous and most areas were too remote to bring in vaccines on a timely basis. By the summer of 1870, smallpox had become endemic amongst the Metis buffalo hunters. Of the 900 residents in the settlement of St. Albert, near Fort Edmonton, more than 600 people became ill. More than 320 died. Many felt that the death rate would have been even higher if not for the efforts of the local Roman Catholic nuns and priests. As the epidemic raged on, food became short as many people were far too ill to hunt and fish. Bad prairie fires in the fall increased the misery. Many of the sick suffocated from the smoke. Others, having lost their shelter, succumbed to exposure after the blazes. By the spring of 1871, the crisis finally began to abate. However, William Christie, the chief factor of the HBC at Fort Edmonton, reported 3,544 official deaths. That was only a fraction of those who had actually lost their lives, to the disease and subsequent malnutrition and even starvation. At Red Deer, there was a cemetery for the local victims of the epidemic of 1869-1870 on the ridge on what is now the west side of the QE II Hwy. At one time, there were markers on many of the graves. However, these appear to have now been lost and the exact location of this cemetery is now forgotten.

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Storing food the right way is definitely one of preventing food waste. As most people focus on storing delicate items such as fresh produce, meats or dairy products the right way, pantry staples are mostly overlooked. However, correct storage is as important for these dry products as for fresh items. Here are some tips and tricks that will help you to prevent pantry staples from being wasted. Make the Pantry Safe Place For Foods! • Sometimes flour may contain insects. Freezing flour for 2 days before storing helps kill any insects if present. After freezing, store the flour in a cool and dark place in a tightly sealed container. • Buying and grinding whole bean coffee instead of buying ground coffee helps you get the best flavour out of your coffee. Coffee beans can be kept fresh in airtight and opaque containers for up to 4 days. If you have more than you can use in a few days, try freezing the coffee beans to keep them fresh. • A widely common mistake is storing bread in the fridge. Due to the moist environment in the fridge, the shelf life of bread is shortened. The best way to store bread is using a tightly sealed bag or container and storing on counter-top. If you have more than you can consume in a few days, you can store the excess bread in your freezer. • Transfer dry foods to airtight containers from their packages. Airtight containers help dry foods such as pasta, cereals and pretzels last longer. • Salt is easily moistened in humid areas or small kitchens. A pinch of dry rice added to the shaker will absorb excess moisture and prevent salt from clumping. • Adding a bay leaf to the containers of flour, rice, and cornmeal helps keeping the weevils (small bugs) away.

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We use mirrorsin a variety of ways at the school. Kids love to see their reflections and are often fascinated with seeing themselves move and play. When they build and play in front of a mirror, they can see their structures from every angle and add dimension to their work. The children often make self-portraits and use a mirror to examine their features. Its a great way for the children to see themselves in their environment as they are developing their own self-image. Mirrors also bring light and openness to a space.

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Richard Morris Hunt (1827-1895) was born on October 31, 1827, in Brattleboro, Vermont, the son of U.S. Congressman Jonathan Hunt (1787-1832) and Jane Maria Leavitt (1801-1877). After Jonathan Hunt died of cholera in 1832, he left his wife a sizeable estate which enabled her to provided their five children: Jane Maria (1822-1907), William Morris (1824-1879), Jonathan (1826-1874), Richard Morris, and Leavitt (1830-1907) with the best educational and social experiences. The Hunt family lived in New Haven, Connecticut, New York City, and Boston before traveling to Europe in 1843 and remaining there for nearly twelve years. While in Europe, Richard Morris Hunt took an interest in architecture and became the first American to study at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris. In 1855, he returned to New York to establish his own architecture practice and soon became one of the prominent leaders in his profession by introducing the county to Beaux-Arts, Renaissance Revival, and High Victorian Gothic architecture. He also established the first American architectural school at his Tenth Street Studio Building and co-founded the American Institute of Architects. Hunt was recognized for designing elaborate homes and interiors for wealthy patrons and by assisting in the creation of the face of New York with his designs of the façade and entrance to the Metropolitan Museum, the New York Tribune Building, the pedestal for the Statue of Liberty, and various mansions along Fifth Avenue which have since been destroyed. Hunt became one of the most fashionable architects of the Gilded Age and is best known for his spacious Newport cottages. Hunt was responsible for the designs of the Griswold House (the Newport Art Museum), Ochre Court, Marble House, Belcourt Castle, and the Breakers in Newport, Rhode Island. He also designed the Biltmore House for the Vanderbilt family in Asheville, North Carolina, the largest private home in the United States. Richard Morris Hunt married Catherine Clinton Howland (1830-1909), daughter of Joanna Esther Hone and Samuel Shaw Howland of New York on April 2, 1861, and the couple had five children: Richard Howland (1862-1931), Catherine Howland (b. 1868), Joseph Howland (1870-1924), Esther Morris (1875-1901), and Herbert Leavitt (1877-1960). Hunt died on July 31, 1895, at his summer residence in Newport and is buried at the Common Burying Ground and Island Cemetery. His son, Richard Howland Hunt, took over Hunt’s architectural firm after his death, while Mrs. Hunt continued to live between their summer home in Newport and New York City until her own death in 1909.

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HFCs are hydrocarbons with one or more hydrogen atom replaced by a fluorine atom. They do not contain chlorine or bromine and are therefore not harmful to the ozone layer. HFCs do not occur naturally in the atmosphere. Since the 1980s industry produces increasing amounts of HFCs to be used as refrigerants for refrigerators and air conditioners and to make certain insulating foams. HFCs are also made for some specialized applications, such as solvents, fire extinguishing agents, and as propellants in aerosol sprays and inhalers. There are dozens of different HFCs, but five are used in relatively large quantities. These are referred to as HFC-32, HFC-125, HFC-134a, HFC-143a, and HFC-152a. They are released in the atmosphere during the production of the substances themselves, during their operational use, and if the equipment is destroyed. When used in spray cans they are emitted into the atmosphere immediately. When used in refrigerators and air conditioners they are emitted after an average of about 10 years and when used in insulating sometimes only after 50 years. After being emitted, HFCs are broken down in the atmosphere by natural processes. This happens on average after one to 50 years. Most of the breakdown products have no harmful effects on the environment. In some cases trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) can be formed, a substance which can cause adverse effects for animals and plants at high concentrations in water. However, it is expected that the concentrations of TFA in surface water continues to be low also in the future.

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Breaking the cycle of chronic pain. What is chronic pain? Upto one in five Canadian adults suffer from chronic pain. It affects one in five people globally and is the primary reason people seek medical treatment. In most cases, chronic pain starts with an acute injury or illness. Sometimes, what can happen, is that even after you’ve healed from an injury, surgery or other conditions, the pain continues. If the pain lasts longer than 3 months it’s then considered chronic pain. Chronic pain syndrome can then be considered short term pain, or acute pain, that doesn’t go away and has a physical and psychological impact on a person’s life. Chronic pain syndrome often creates secondary complications such as sleep deprivation, depression, irritability and fatigue, affecting a person’s personal and social relationships. What is Pain? Pain functions as a warning signal. The nervous system senses danger and responds to it with actions called guarding responses, designed to protect and defend us from further injury or harm. Muscle tension, decreased range of motion, anxiety, fear of movement, increased sympathetic responses (raised heart rate, increased blood pressure, change in respiration) and a mechanism called low pain threshold (becoming excessively sensitive to pain and minor impulse or stress to the body region cause pain) are all consequences of the guarding response. This is the way the body protects itself from future painful incidents. In chronic pain, even after the injury has healed, this mechanism remains and continues to affect the body creating a vicious cycle of real pain. Your Brain and Pain When we adopt this instinct to guard ourselves against future pain, it actually does the opposite and keeps feeding your pain cycle and increasing symptoms including pain (scientific research “Pain Processing in the Human Nervous System: A Selective Review of Nociceptive and behavioral Pathways). This guarding mechanism is most likely to occur to those people that view their pain or condition as a threat, rather than something that just is and that in all likelihood can be overcome or at worst worked through towards acceptance and continuing on with life in as normal or your new normal way as possible. Being extremely apprehensive about your injury and symptoms, avoiding activities believing that that may be harmful, stress and negative emotions are coupled with autonomic, endocrine, and immune responses which may amplify pain through a number of psychophysiological pathways prolonging your “fight or flight” response to the original injury. This will lead to a downward cycle of deconditioning, weakness, muscle spasms and/or tension, increased anxiety and depression. What can Saanich Physiotherapy and Sports Clinic do to help reverse pain? Part of our job as physiotherapists and massage therapists is to help you and guide you, our patients, to overcome any fear avoidance behaviour (learned fear), such as fear of movement, by using not only hands-on treatment, dry needling or exercises, to target your injury or pain, but to talk to, explain and assist you in understanding the way that pain and our brain works. We can help you to overcome or negate some of these non-helpful brain responses. By doing this we help you to down-regulate your brains protective response in order to minimise your pain experience. Working with you in this 1:1 way, taps into your brain and nervous system. Your brain and nervous system is complex. We can work with you to change your neural pathways and learned patterns of thinking and beliefs that in turn produces more of your own natural brain chemicals like endorphins. This resetting and rebalancing, forming positive neural/brain connections, plays a large part in you overcoming your injury or pain experience. Of course, each individual person is unique and we all come with our own history and life story that also plays a major part in how we experience pain and how we as therapists target your particular treatment. The way we think about our pain and ourselves, how we act and what kind of self-talk we undertake can all play a major role in the way that our Physiotherapists work with you, our patients who suffer from injury, pain, chronic pain, pain sensitivity, learned fear, anxiety, and depression. Calf Strength in Running and Walking Running and Walking are both movements that propel us forward, but did you realise that we use a different amount of energy from our lower limb muscles to perform both of these activities? These differences in the amount we engage our different muscle groups in our lower limb, depending on whether we go for a run or a walk, are important to understand so that you can target your training effectively. Why is Calf Strength Important? What you may find most surprising is that both in walking and running our calves do most of the work in our lower limbs, so calf strength is super important to consider in our training. If you want more power in your strides for either running or, walking then spending some time each week on specifically improving your calf strength will definitely help your movement efficiency. According to research (Novacheck, 1997) when we go for a walk our calves do 53% of the work, whereas when we go for a run our calves do 41% of the work. This is also why our calves are often sore after a walk or run. This can be especially so if we are new to the exercise or have had a break from walking or running for a while. Post walk or running calf stretches and or foam rolling will also help you keep your flexibility in calves. At Saanich Physiotherapy and Sports Clinic we recommend that if you are going to start doing strength training, it is best to stretch and foam roll your targeted muscles first . Remember each stretch should be held for at least 30 seconds and foam rolling can done for approximately 1 minute on each leg. Now you are ready to tackle your strength training exercises. If you think about it, trying to contract a muscle that is already super tight it won’t be as effective as you will not have as much available muscle length to work with. Here are some stats on other important muscles groups: Lower limb muscle use during walking Hip Extensors – 7% Hip Flexors – 30% Hip Abductors – 6% Knee – 4% Lower limb muscle use during running Hip Extensors – 14% Hip Flexors 20% Hip Abductors 3% Knee – Quads 22% Treatment Protocols have changed significantly when it comes to sports Injuries even though the injuries themselves have remained unchanged in medical textbooks for many years. Most of the advances in treatment have come about from research lead by exercise physiologists and specialists who monitor and test our elite athletes and of course lets not forget the sharp learning curve provided by good old fashion trial and error. It wasn’t that long ago a patient booked for knee surgery would be in a cast and asked to rest as much as possible. Medical specialist began to realise that the cast would accelerate atrophy (muscle wasting) of the leg muscles making postoperative recovery a long and unnecessary drawn out. Nowadays the complete opposite occurs. Instead of resting and immobilising the injured segment, the patient is given a carefully considered treatment plan combined with prescribed rehabilitation exercises, pre and post-operatively. There are a number of important factors to be considered before any treatment or rehabilitation program is given to minimise aggravation of the healing structures. A poor and inexperienced approach could set back recovery significantly, or worse, contribute to further damage to the recovering tissues. Our physiotherapists have years of experience treating injuries. They have seen just about every combination of sports injury and treat many elite athletes. Treating any injury whether it is sports related, work related or just plain bad luck does not change the rehab rules. Each injury is categorised in different phases with goals and criteria to progress through each different phase. All our rehabilitation exercises are based on best current practices that are evidence-based. Our Physiotherapists clearly set out what type of exercises are appropriate for the current injury level, how many reps, at what intensity and how many times in the day these exercises should be completed. Combine this approach with his proven treatment protocols gives our patients the best results. In nearly all cases, treatment is accompanied by a customised exercise rehab program to accelerate recovery and enhance positive long lasting results. A Running Analysis at Saanich Physio involves one of our experienced Physiotherapists observing and assessing how you run. We will watch you in real time and also video you, so that we can analyse your form in slow motion. This kind of analysis is helpful whether you have an injury or if you want to know if you are running with optimal technique. We will explain our findings to you, with analysis of how certain movement patterns or imbalances may contribute to your injury or efficiency as a runner. We highly recommend this no matter what level of ability you are, whether a beginner, weekend jogger or competitive athlete. We Are Runners We feel that in order to understand runners and running injuries, it’s helpful to be a runner yourself. Our Physiotherapists are all keen runners and between them have competed in short and mid distance track events all the way up to half marathons, full marathons and ultra-marathon distances. We watch you run in real time, then record you and analyse your form using slow motion video. We will outline how your form compares to the ideal. We will only look to change particular elements of your form if it is impacting on your injury, efficiency or if it will help you prevent injury. We focus on education, with a clear explanation of our findings and how they impact your body. We work with you to achieve a more efficient running technique. Our aim is to get you back running as quickly as possible if injury is stopping you. We will provide specifically targeted exercises and a return to running program if needed. Our aim is to help you achieve a stronger form, become more efficient, and prevent injury. Our experienced Saanich Physiotherapists will analyse your running technique and help you achieve better form to prevent injury and maximise efficiency. Your Physiotherapist will start by discussing your running program and injury history with you. They will then video you running. From observing you in real time and also through slow motion recording, they will explain what ideal running form is and how your technique compares. Based on the findings from the video analysis we can give you specific and individualised cues to help improve your form. You will have a chance within the session to practice this on the treadmill and review your video footage. A biomechanical assessment may also be performed to test your joints and muscles for flexibility and strength. From this information we will create a specific and focused treatment plan that will work to correct your imbalances and help you become a better runner. Three Steps to Better Form Video analysis and running assessment software Biomechanical assessment of your strength and flexibility Personalised video home exercise program which can be accessed on your smartphone or computer Patellofemoral joint injury/runner’s knee Tibialis posterior tendon injury Iliotibial band syndrome Hip impingement, labral injuries Chronic strains and sprains

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Difference between Auditing and Accounting The terms, bookkeeping, accounting and auditing are not similar in meaning and are used to show different purposes. Business organizations need to put these finance related concepts in practice while preparing timely accounts or audit. SBS Consulting is an audit firm in Singapore which is reputed to provide quality service its client. Bookkeeping is the recording of financial transactions performed by an organization. This record is used to prepare financial statements. Accounting is a vast field and it covers specialized fields like, financial accounting, management accounting, tax accounting, and auditing. In practice, a prestigious accounting and audit firm in Singapore like SBS Consulting helps their clients in fulfilling legal filings and obligations. General definition of accounting or accountancy is that it measures, processes and communicates financial data of an organization. Results about organizations economic activities are communicated to investors, regulators, management and creditors of the company. Accountants practice accounting. - Financial Accounting – In this discipline, an organization’s financial data, including financial statements, is processed and result is submitted to suppliers, investors and regulators. - Management Accounting – In this discipline, information is measured, evaluated for the use of company management. - Tax Accounting – In this discipline, the goal of initiating accounting process is tax oriented. - Auditing – Let us have a better look at auditing which is, as we have seen, a specialized field of accounting. Auditing is examination of an organization’s data, records, statements, various types of operations and performances for a stated goal. Auditing is done periodically, to check on the health of the organization. Auditors, who are experienced accountants, conduct auditing and verify financial statements. The purpose of auditing an organization by a professional like SBS Consulting is to determine, how thoroughly it is adhering to GAAP in reporting different activities undertaken by it. (GAAP is Generally Accepted Accounting Principles) Types of Audits - Internal Audit – During internal audit, all activities related to an organization’s operations are examined, monitored and analyzed. The process covers financial statements, information system, employee behavior and mainly, business structure. Company auditor performs this type of audit. - External Audit – An outsider most probably public auditor conducts this type of audit.

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NEW ORLEANS — For couples who have suffered repeated miscarriages, it may be useful to scrutinize the man’s reproductive health as closely as the woman’s. Some miscarriages may be linked to abnormalities in semen, a study finds. Researchers analyzed semen from 49 men whose partners had lost three or more consecutive pregnancies before the 20-week mark. The men had sperm with more than twice as much DNA damage and more than four times the amount of certain harmful molecules called reactive oxygen species as samples from healthy men who had been screened for some fertility issues, researchers reported March 24 at the Endocrine Society’s annual meeting. After repeated miscarriages, “historically clinicians have focused on the woman having some health problem,” says endocrinologist Bradley Anawalt of the University of Washington School of Medicine in Seattle who was not involved in the study. The new research suggests that “perhaps the man is contributing something that is leading to early pregnancy loss on a regular basis,” he says. Recurrent pregnancy loss has traditionally been defined as the loss of three or more pregnancies in a row before the 20th week. Based on that definition, about 1 to 2 percent of couples experience this condition, although this estimate is based on epidemiological studies that are limited and decades old. Cases of recurrent pregnancy loss can be traced to chromosomal abnormalities or health issues in the mother such as hormone or blood-clotting disorders. But in up to 50 percent of cases, no explanation can be found. Initial evidence points to unhealthy sperm as possibly behind some unexplained cases. Past research has suggested that sperm play a role in the development of the placenta, the proper functioning of which “is absolutely critical in preventing miscarriage,” says reproductive endocrinologist Channa Jayasena of Imperial College London. But in terms of measuring sperm quality, “traditionally we’ve looked down our microscope and we’ve said how many sperm are there, how many of the sperm are moving and how many of them look really good — and that is very subjective,” Jayasena says. To identify more objective markers, he and his colleagues measured the amount of reactive oxygen species in the semen samples — high levels of the molecules can damage DNA — and breaks in the sperm DNA. The next steps are to study how some men develop these abnormalities, Jayasena says, and figure out how the defects might cause miscarriages.

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Corn cob flour: Can corn cob grow oyster mushrooms? How […] Corn cob flour: Can corn cob grow oyster mushrooms? How to configure the nourishment? Autumn is the season of corn harvest. At that time, the tide of corn peeling will come at home. After the corn peeling, a lot of corn cobs will be left. Some of them will be stored in a firewood room for wood burning. In fact, corn cobs are of many uses. Tonight's corn cob flour manufacturers will introduce corn cob mushroom cultivation, let's take a look below. In fact, raw materials such as sawdust, cottonseed hulls, waste cotton, straw, bagasse, corn cob, corn stalks, peanut husks, and soybean stalk flour can be cultivated with any one of them. However, in order to obtain high-yield and high-quality cultivation effects, an appropriate amount of auxiliary materials such as bran, rice bran, gypsum, and calcium superphosphate should be added. Corn cob nutrient preparation: Corncob flour is 90%, rice bran is 9%, and lime is 1%. Mix the dry ingredients and mix with water until the water content is adequate.

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By David Sykes, Vice Chair, The Quiet Coalition Every year since 1927, May has been designated “Better Hearing Month.” What better time to think about what threatens your hearing health? In fact, if you already have some hearing loss you’re one of about 48 million Americans—that’s many more than all of the people with cancer or diabetes combined. That’s a big number, and yet hearing loss—specifically noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL)–has been overlooked and underfunded for three and a half decades. Noise is such a simple word–why is it so complex and laden with jargon and specialists who don’t talk to one another? One group is solely concerned with how to measure it (physicists). Other groups focus on specific types and sources of noise, such as jet aircraft, or alarmed medical devices, or leaf blowers, or trains, or highway noise (engineers or advocacy groups). Others concentrate on the effects of noise on humans (doctors and public health researchers), while another group ponders how noise affects organisms other than humans, including plants, birds and other animal species, including those that live underwater (biologists). Still other groups think about how to mitigate noise (architects and designers). The problem is that over the past three and a half decades, the subject of noise and it’s effects have been systematically ignored and underfunded by Congress and the White House. As a result, “noise”–the cause of NIHL–has become a bewilderingly fragmented field in which few people talk to others outside their own specialities. This has resulted in a subject that is hard to understand and laden with technical jargon. What is “noise”? Why does it matter? Who cares? Has the science progressed? If so, how and where? But recently that has begun to change thanks to advances in research and to changes in federal policies from several federal agencies that have not traditionally been involved in noise and noise control. These include the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, NASA, the Department of Health and Humans Services, the Department of Interior, the General Services Administration, the Joint Commission, and others. In each case, a specific federal department has bitten off a chunk of the noise problem and developed guidelines and programs to fit their own needs. But put all of these disparate pieces together and you will find examples of real progress despite the fragmentation. To help build general understanding, we ar the The Quiet Coalition have assembled some of these fragments into a diagram or a “Road Map” of noise effects (see chart above) organized by the way they are studied within various specialized fields. We hope this Road Map helps others see the big picture. In addition to the Road Map, we have also assembled the basic facts about noise into a simple one-page “Fact Sheet” that provides detailed references to scientific literature. Both the Fact Sheet and the Road Map are starting points. At The Quiet Coalition, our goal is to synthesize the underlying scientific research on this complex and fragmented subject into a coherent picture so that we can collectively find ways to talk about it. We hope you find both the Fact Sheet and the Road Map useful as you think about hearing, hearing loss, and that elusive problem, noise. The underlying question for each of us should be: how can we work together? David Sykes chairs/co-chairs four national professional groups in acoustical science: The Acoustics Research Council, ANSI S12 WG44, The Rothschild Foundation Task Force on Acoustics, and the FGI Acoustics Working Group. He is also a board member of the American Tinnitus Association, co-founder of the Laboratory for Advanced Research in Acoustics (LARA) at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, lead author of “Sound & Vibration 2.0 (2012, Springer-Verlag), and a contributor to “Technology for a Quieter America” (2011, National Academy of Engineering). A graduate of the University of California/Berkeley with graduate degrees from Cornell University, he is a frequent organizer of and speaker at professional conferences in the U.S., Europe, Asia, and the Middle East.

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It’s been eight years since Steve Jobs wrote the famous Thoughts on Flash open letter. He defended Apple’s decision not to allow Adobe’s Flash technology on its devices due to six key problems and stated, “new open standards created in the mobile era, such as HTML5, will win on mobile devices (and on PCs too).” Firstly, HTML is short for "Hyper Text Markup Language". That may sound scary, but it simply means it is a language for describing web-pages using ordinary text. HTML is not a complex programming language. HTML5, its latest successor is an open source technology that been thoroughly tested, has no major issues, and fins support of all key browsers. Why is migration of your eLearning courses from Flash to HTML necessary? Here are some more reasons prompting the shift - Mobile Learning is often not supported by Flash Learning is clearly moving from traditional eLearning methods to mLearning (Mobile Learning and Micro-Learning) which is multi device. The need for learning content that’s accessible from multiple devices is almost a necessity today. Flash, however, is not supported by major mobile platforms such as Apple and Android. This propels eLearning developers to choose HTML5 which has the ability to deliver content on different browses and mobile devices. HTML5 is new media-rich Let’s face it – boring eLearning and training isn’t going to help engage anyone. Video, audio and adding other entertaining content is one way to add new and exciting aspects to your learning programs. HTML5 includes new audio and video tags that let developers embed these files directly into their HTML code. This makes it possible for learners to view e-learning directly in their web browsers, without Flash. HTML5 can be tracked with Learning Management Systems Published eLearning content “communicates” with the LMS using a variety of specifications, including AICC, SCORM, and TinCan API. The good news is that HTML5 output can be tracked in all these publishing specifications—meaning it can work with existing systems—which is a big plus for organisations. If this isn’t convincing, Adobe promised to end development and support for Flash in 2020 making HTML5 a go-to design solution for Instructional Designers and developers. To create eLearning experiences that are engaging, mobile-friendly and efficient shifting from Flash to HTML5 is recommended. At Site Online Learning, we can help you with alternatives to using Flash for learning content. If you’d talk to a Subject Matter Expert, call us on 1300 800 288 or email firstname.lastname@example.org.

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How much feed is needed to grow a farmed fish? Fish are actually the most efficient animal to produce, as the feed conversion ratio (FCR) is so low. The FCR is the amount of feed an animal needs to gain one kilogram of body weight. Through a comprehensive understanding of the specific nutritional needs, Atlantic salmon is currently the most efficient animal to produce, with the lowest FCR. Typically Atlantic salmon need 1.15 kg feed to gain 1 kg body weight. Pigs needs more than twice as much food as the salmon to gain 1 kg, while sheep needs to eat almost six times as much. Fish also has a high harvest yield in comparison with other farmed animals. Harvest yield is the percentage of the animal left after the inedible portion has been removed. Salmon differs from other terrestrial animals with a yield of 86%. Chicken in comparison has a harvest yield of just 47%. Feed conversion ratio for farmed fish vs farmed land animals

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MEM (Monocular estimated method) objectively tests a patient´s accommodative response at the near working distance (usually at 40 cm). This method is valuable in the diagnosis of binocular anomalies or to predict suspected cases of vergence and/or accommodative dysfunction. It is suggested to use test in all young adults, non-presbyopes and especially patients that have a near complaint (astenophia, diplopia, blur vision) or if you suspect accommodative problems such as latent hyperopia or other accommodative spasm. Equipment and set-up: – trial lens set A patient is asked to hold the test at 40 centimetres (you can measure it with a ruler) and binocularly look at the screen. For children the Harmon´s distance (the distance between patient´s elbow and the middle knuckle) is also frequently used. The test is performed under normal room illumination and the patient should wear his habitual near correction. You and your patient´s eyes should be almost parallel, but the test screen should be little bellow the line between the eyes. The retinoscope beam should be oriented vertically. Ask the patient to watch the animation. While the patient is watching, quickly guide the streak across the patient´s left and right eye and try to evaluate the reflex for WITH or AGAINST motion or for neutrality. Do the test a few times on both eyes to be sure,. Estimate the dioptric value required to neutralise the observed motion. – With motion → plus lens – Againt motion → minus lens Confirm the estimate by inserting a lens into the patient´s line of sight (but do not longer than one second) while evaluating the reflex. If the right lens is chosen, neutrality will be spotted. Repeat the same steps for the other eye as well. Alternativelly you can use Nott Method where you move the skiaskope toward and away from the patient in order to find the neutrality. – With motion → move closer to the patient – Against motion → move further away from the patient At the end measure the distance. Interpreting the results: The normal values are between +0.25 D and +0.50 D All the values higher than +0.75D (lag of accommodation) can show: – near esophoria – accommodative dysfunction (paresis, fatigue) – under-corrected hyperope or over-corrected miope – higher + dioptres (eg. +2.00) shows presbyopia signs All the values below +0.25 D (lead of accommodation) can show: – near exophoria – spasm of accommodation – under-corrected miope With this test we can find heterophoria and also uncorrected refractive error for distance.

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Even if a food is downright terrible for you, the label on the box will often try to convince you that it's healthy. Like putting a "made with real fruit" label on a box of fruit snacks, even though they contain only a small fraction of legitimate produce. One of the biggest food trends of the last few years has been "healthy chips." Nearly everyone loves chips, but traditional potato or corn chips are notoriously unhealthy. As more people become concerned with what they are putting into their bodies, old-fashioned chips don't fit into their diets. That's why a large number of companies have produced some sort of "healthy chips," which claim to be nutritionally superior to traditional chips but still taste great. Are these so-called healthy chips really good for you? Or are they another example of deceptive marketing? STACK looked at five types to learn whether they are really fit for jocks. 1. Baked Chips Lay's OvenBaked Original Chips nutrition info: 120 calories, 2g fat, 0g saturated fat, 135mg sodium, 23g carbohydrates, 2g protein, 8 ingredients Unlike traditional potato chips, "baked chips" are baked instead of fried, which supposedly makes them healthier. Baked chips are often significantly lower in fat than their fried counterparts, which can quickly convince someone they're a smarter choice. If you're looking for a chip lower in calories and fat than traditional potato chips, baked chips do fit the bill. A serving of Lay's OvenBaked Original chips contains 40 fewer calories and 8 fewer grams of fat than Classic Lay's Chips. However, baked chips are similarly low in vitamins and minerals—which means they cannot compare to a piece of produce as a healthy snack. They're also higher in carbs than traditional chips. Lay's Baked chips have 8 more grams of carbs than Classic Lay's. Furthermore, baked chips have been found to be significantly higher than traditional fried chips in acrylamide, a potential cancer causing substance. Although the evidence of acrylamide's cancer-causing properties is not conclusive, the FDA has advised consumers to monitor their consumption. Bottom line: baked chips are less unhealthy than traditional chips, but they certainly aren't healthy. And if you're buying baked varieties of highly seasoned snacks, such as Flaming Hot Cheetos, the nutrition facts are worse and the ingredient list is especially lengthy. 2. Veggie Chips Snyder's Eatsmart Garden Veggie Crisps nutrition info: 140 calories, 6g fat, .5g saturated fat, 150mg sodium, 18g carbohydrates, 1g protein, 9 ingredients Veggie Chips. They have got to be healthy, right? They're made with real vegetables! Veggie chip packaging does everything possible to convince you that they are a healthy option. The word "veggie" alone carries a lot of weight, but you can also expect to see words like "natural," together with pictures of produce and natural scenery. As it turns out, munching veggie chips is no match for actually eating broccoli (or spinach, tomatoes, etc.). Veggie chips are a classic case of a food that sounds too good to be true—because it is. Although veggie crisps use a wider variety of vegetables than classic potato chips, they aren't much better in terms of nutrition. Snyder's Eatsmart Garden Veggie Crisps have only 10 fewer calories than Snyder's Original Potato Chips and are actually higher in sodium and carbs. To be fair, they're lower in saturated fat and are certified Non-GMO (containing no genetically modified organisms). Always look for the Non-GMO certified logo if you want to avoid GMO products.) But perhaps the biggest issue with veggie chips is that they contain nowhere near the amount of vitamins and minerals one expects from vegetables. For example, a single raw leaf of spinach contains 18 percent of your daily vitamin A; and a wedge of raw tomato contains 7 percent of your daily vitamin C. In contrast, Snyder's Eatsmart Garden Veggie Crisps contain 0 percent vitamin A and vitamin C, despite their packaging claiming "tomato & spinach" front and center. This is common for veggie chips, and it's due to both their cooking process and the fact that they don't actually contain a whole lot of real vegetables. Veggie chips are basically nothing more than thinly disguised potato chips. If you think you'll get a ton of useful vitamins from a veggie chip, be sure to check the nutrition facts to find out how healthy they truly are. 3. Popped Chips Popchips Sea Salt Potato nutrition info: 120 calories, 4g fat, 0g saturated fat, 190mg sodium, 19g carbohydrates, 1g protein, 8 ingredients Besides frying and baking, "popping" is another way to prepare chip snacks. Popping is a cooking technique that uses high pressure and heat to create a light, airy chip. Like baked chips, popped chips are marketed as healthier than regular potato chips. Popchips are the best known brand on the market. The basic nutrition facts of Popchips represent a definite improvement over traditional chips. Compared to Original Pringles, for example, Popchips are significantly lower in calories, fat and saturated fat. They're also certified GMO-free, which is great. Those are big pluses, but popped chips are still essentially made mostly of potatoes and salt. They can only be relatively healthy—no matter how they're prepared. They barely have any fiber and protein, and they have nearly no vitamins or minerals. Are they better than regular potato chips? Sure. But a lot of other snacks have more to offer than popped chips. 4. Sun Chips SunChips Garden Salsa nutrition info: 140 calories, 6g fat, 1g saturated fat, 150mg sodium, 18g carbs, 2g protein, roughly 25 ingredients SunChips have been around a long time, and they've always been marketed as a healthier option than traditional potato chips. The name "SunChips" sounds all-natural and eco-friendly, and SunChips sell themselves as "multigrain snacks." But SunChips are a classic example of an unhealthy snack using marketing to hide its real nutrition. In 2013, Frito-Lay was sued for falsely claiming "made with All NATURAL ingredients" on SunChips packaging. On Frito-Lay's website, SunChips packaging no longer contains that claim. In reality, SunChips are made with GMO ingredients. Furthermore, it was recently discovered that 100 percent of the corn used in SunChips was a GMO variety; and that SunChips also contain glyphosate, a.k.a. RoundUp, a weedkiller that's been linked to cancer. And for all of this, SunChips aren't even much better than Doritos. A serving of Garden Salsa SunChips has the same amount of calories and saturated fat and more carbs as a serving of Nacho Cheese Doritos. Both are super low in vitamins and minerals, as well. 5. Brown Rice, Black Bean, Quinoa, Etc. Chips Lundberg Rice Chips Sea Salt (made with brown rice) nutritional info: 140 calories, 6g fat, .5g saturated fat, 110mg sodium, 19g carbohydrates, 2g protein, 8 ingredients Beanitos Black Bean Chips Sea Salt nutritional info: 140 calories, 7g fat, .5g saturated fat, 50mg sodium, 15g carbohydrates, 4g protein, roughly 6 ingredients Simply 7 Quinoa Chips Sea Salt nutritional info: 140 calories, 6g fat, .5g saturated fat, 260mg sodium, 12g carbohydrates, 9g protein, roughly 7 ingredients A wide range of chips stand out for one or two unique ingredients—usually items known to be healthy, like beans, quinoa, brown rice, etc. Consumers naturally assumes if said healthy food is in the chip, the chip is a smart choice. Many of these chips do have advantages over traditional chips. For example, chips made with quinoa or black beans are often higher in protein than traditional chips. However, most chips of this type do not contain the benefits one expects from their primary ingredient. For example, basic quinoa contains high amounts of iron and fiber, whereas the quinoa chips listed above have no iron or fiber. The refining or cooking process often strips many of the benefits from these healthy ingredients, so a chip can never live up to the real thing. Obviously, if you opt for some of the more heavily seasoned options, you'll get a longer ingredient list and worse nutrition facts. Bottom line: eating the actual healthy ingredients in these chips is more beneficial than eating the chips that contain them. Black bean chips are not better for you than a serving of black beans. True, many of these chips are healthier than traditional chips, but we can't say they're outright healthy. Lots of chips present themselves as healthy options. Many do have great qualities. Some are lower in fat and calories than traditional chips. Some are higher in protein or fiber. Some use higher quality ingredients. But there's only so much you can do to improve the nutritional profile of a chip. Even when producers include superfood ingredients like quinoa, the cooking process strips them of most of their nutritional benefits. No matter what the front of the bag says, no chip is truly healthy. You can certainly enjoy chips on occasion, but you're better off sticking with healthier snacks such as produce, nuts and whole foods. Photo Credit: Getty Images // Thinkstock

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Updated May 18, 2016 This article applies to: - RoadEng Civil - RoadEng Forestry Culverts are created and edited with the Culvert Editor Panel. If you create a Location design from a P-Line traverse, culverts are automatically inserted at all creek locations in the traverse on File-New. The following characteristics of the culvert can be defined: - Type (Stream Crossing or Cross Drain) - Diameter for pipe culverts (in mm for metric projects or inches for imperial projects) - Height and Width for box culverts in project units - Rise and Span for pipe arches and open bottom arches in project units - Length in project units - Vertical position (defined with respect to ground or road surface) - Skew Angle - Gradient % The Culvert Editor Panel allows you to add, edit or remove culverts. Culvert location is defined by L-Station. Note that the L-Line station of a culvert will change when horizontal alignment is modified; the physical location of the culvert will not change unless the alignment is modified near the culvert. If the horizontal alignment is changed near the culvert, the physical location must change and (if a P-Line is defined) the P-Line station of the culvert will also change by a small amount. There are 2 types of culverts, Stream Crossings and Cross Drains. The Natural channel (stream) check box in the in the Culvert Add dialogue and Culvert Properties dialogue allows you to choose which type for a new or existing culvert. - Creek Crossings - Refer to culverts that contain water from an existing natural flow. Creek Crossing culverts are automatically created at all creek locations in the traverse (see Survey/Map Online help for more information on Creeks). - Cross Drains - Refer to culverts that drain water from ditches, usually placed at regular intervals along a road. These two categories are for organizational purposes; as Creek Crossing and Cross Drain culverts will have different properties (e.g. culvert diameter and vertical placement), there is a separate default setting for each type. In this section:

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How Does a Student See the Counselor? Principal or teacher referral RtI Team referral Elementary School Counselor K-6 – Mr. Zach Watters Elementary School Counselors: - Teach classroom guidance lessons - Facilitate short-term small group counseling - Provide immediate and short-term individual counseling - Work collaboratively with teachers and staff - Consult with parents - Provide information and/or referrals for community resources to families Guidance lessons are an integral part of the elementary school counseling program and are important to every student’s academic success. One of the most effective ways for counselors to prevent academic problems is by discussing self-esteem issues in large group guidance lessons in the classroom. These issues may include school success, peer relationships, stress, and/or dealing with feelings and emotions. Other topics that may be addressed in these lessons are study skills, coping skills, conflict resolution, decision-making. The lessons are preventative in nature, designed to reach all students, and are taught in the classroom by the counselor on a regular basis. Small Group Counseling Small group counseling compliments and enhances students’ learning by improving their perceptions, attitudes, and behaviors. Small group creates a setting where children, along with their peers, can increase their self-awareness and improve their cooperation and communication skills. The goal of small group counseling is to prevent future problems by teaching children new skills. Small group counseling is beneficial to all students as they learn best from their peers. Topics in small group counseling vary by school, but are likely to include friendship making skills, anger management skills, and coping skills. Students can be referred to small group counseling through parent request, teacher or counselor suggestions, and/or by the students themselves. Note: Students MUST have parent permission to participate in small group. Letters describing the topic of the group sessions, what they are all about, and a permissions slip are sent to parents. The permission slip must be signed and returned before they can participate in a small group. The school counselor is available to meet with students one-on-one during school hours. Students may seek individual counseling for help with any situation that may be affecting them emotionally, academically, or socially. The counselor spends time working with individual students to improve their social skills, discuss feelings, and to empower problem solving methods. While school counselors are available to meet with all students, it is only on a short-term basis. When more attention or intervention is required, school counselors act as a referral agent for parents to access counseling services within the community. Collaborate with Teachers and Staff Teachers, counselors, administrators, and other school staff all have a common goal: the educational success of each student. To ensure that each student is capable of achieving, it is necessary that the school counselor collaborates with teachers, administrators, and other school staff to promote student learning. If a student is struggling in the classroom, whether it be academically or socially, school counselors will work with the teacher to come up with practical strategies which will remove barriers and enhance the learning environment of all students. Consult with Parents School counselors work with parents to help the student on a variety of issues. Issues may include family transitions and crisis situations. Parental involvement is critical to helping a child become a successful student. Studies have shown that students have greater academic success when they have parents involved in their education. Parents and counselors can share information with each other to help meet the needs of the student. School counselors are also available to put parents in touch with community resources, if the need arises.

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This article is the first part in a series, Where culture meets health. The holy month of Ramadan, which sees Muslims all over the world fast during daylight hours, begins this weekend. Does having type 2 diabetes exclude a person from fasting? Not necessarily. The decision belongs to the person, but getting some advice from health professionals can help. Diabetes is the fastest growing chronic condition in Australia. About 6% of Australian adults report they have diabetes, although this is likely an underestimate of the true prevalence. Type 2 diabetes, which constitutes the majority of diabetes cases, occurs when the body becomes resistant to the actions of insulin, or loses the capacity to produce sufficient insulin from the pancreas. Insulin keeps the bodys blood glucose levels within a healthy range. People with type 2 diabetes can manage the condition by maintaining a healthy lifestyle, including doing exercise and keeping a healthy diet. In more serious cases, people with type 2 diabetes may need to take medications such as metformin, sulfonylureas, or other glucose-lowering tablets, or self-administer insulin injections. Type 2 diabetes affects some ethnicities more than others. Its more common in people of Middle Eastern, north African and south/south-east Asian backgrounds. Many Muslim Australians are from these ethnic backgrounds. Using 2016 census data, and conservatively estimating an adult diabetes prevalence of 10% among people of Muslim background (the exact prevalence is unknown), as many as 40,000 Muslims may be living with diabetes in Australia. And this number is likely to be increasing. Read more: How Australians Die: cause #5 diabetes Were about to begin the month of Ramadan Dietary practices such as fasting, feasting, and consumption of special foods are an essential component of many religious and cultural celebrations. For Muslims, fasting during the month of Ramadan is obligatory for all healthy adults, who must refrain from eating, drinking and taking oral medications between dawn and sunset. During Ramadan, most people have two meals per day, at sunset and before sunrise. This can be risky for people with type 2 diabetes particularly those who use insulin or certain oral diabetes medications for a couple of reasons. First, fasting during the day can increase the risk of low blood glucose levels in people who usually take insulin or other blood glucose-lowering medications. And conversely, the evening meal to break the fast, called Iftar, often involves eating large amounts of calorie-rich foods in a relatively short space of time. This can put people with diabetes at risk of high blood glucose levels overnight. Omission or changes in the timing of medications may also contribute to instability of blood glucose levels. Low blood glucose levels can cause symptoms of sweating, shakiness and confusion. If severe, they can lead to seizures, coma, or even death. High blood glucose levels make people feel tired and generally unwell and can lead to dehydration and poor concentration. Extremely high levels are a medical emergency. There are guidelines According to Islamic teachings, the elderly, pregnant, or those with illnesses requiring regular medication like diabetes can be exempted from fasting on medical grounds. They do not need to seek special permission from a religious leader. Certain groups of people with type 2 diabetes who do not use insulin or particular oral medications can safely fast during Ramadan under the guidance of their health-care professional. But as diet, lifestyle and medication use are key factors in maintaining stable blood glucose levels and minimising diabetes complications, many people with type 2 diabetes can also be considered medically exempt from fasting. Read more: Know your disease: education is key to living well with diabetes Practical guidelines established by the International Diabetes Federation-Diabetes and Ramadan (IDF-DAR) International Alliance assist health professionals to assess patients level of risk. Low risk patients can safely enjoy fasting, while those at moderate to high risk are advised against fasting. These guidelines have been endorsed by religious authorities in Australia and overseas and are a valuable reference for health professionals and their Muslim patients. But its not quite that simple The month of Ramadan is a special time for Muslim people, where fasting and feasting are integral to religious life, social interaction and communal celebration. Because fasting is one of the five pillars of Islam, there is a strong desire to participate, even among those who could be exempt for medical reasons. Those who cannot fast for medical reasons may feel alienated by their diabetes and develop negative attitudes towards it, possibly resulting in impaired self-management of their condition. Some people with diabetes may be reluctant to raise the topic themselves, fearing a lack of understanding from non-Muslim health providers. They may conceal their intentions to fast to avoid any perceived conflict with the health professional. Understanding the spiritual significance of this month to Muslims as well as the practical aspects can put health practitioners in a much stronger position to gain patient trust and facilitate communication. Read more: Health Check: will intermittent fasting diets help you lose weight? Culturally sensitive discussion allows people with diabetes to make informed choices The month of Ramadan is determined according to the Islamic lunar year and varies annually in the western calendar. Professionals caring for people who observe Ramadan should be aware of its timing and start the conversation in advance. Muslims with diabetes wanting to observe Ramadan should be counselled on the risks of fasting. Drawing on the guidelines, health providers can reassure their patients that those who do not fast for medical reasons also receive spiritual rewards and should not feel guilty. Health-care professionals may suggest donations of food or money to the poor could be considered as an alternative, if its within the persons means. Discussion about Ramadan must occur in a culturally sensitive and non-judgemental way, appreciating a persons right to evaluate the risks and benefits of fasting both spiritual and physical for themselves, and determine from an individual perspective whether fasting is the right decision. Doctors might also advise their patient to discuss any concerns with their local religious leader. For those who choose to fast despite their exemption, discussions about glucose monitoring, nutrition, exercise and potential medication changes can ensure they fast as safely as possible. The diabetes health care team (which can include GPs, endocrinologists, diabetes educators, dietitians and diabetes nurse practitioners) can also develop an individualised Ramadan-specific management plan. Read more: Friday essay: how Western attitudes towards Islam have changed Understanding peoples different cultural backgrounds, lifestyles and religious practices plays an important role in their health care. A lack of understanding might lead to poorer health outcomes and disengagement with health services, while research shows culturally appropriate diabetes education and prevention programs improve outcomes for people from different backgrounds. Health-care professionals should educate themselves about their cultural setting and local patient population to maintain effective therapeutic relationships and achieve the best patient-focused outcomes.

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The degree symbol or sign (°) is commonly used when writing about the weather or entering mathematical formulas. But since the degree symbol isn't a standard character on your physical keyboard, you can't just type it like a normal keyboard character. Here are two ways to enter a degree symbol in Windows and OS X. Special Characters Tools In both Windows and OS X, you can open a tool that allows you to select special characters, including the degree symbol . Windows: Character Map You can insert a degree symbol in Windows with the Character Map. Although some applications such as Microsoft Office have controls or menu selections with names such as Insert Special Character that open the Character Map, you can launch the Character Map to insert the degree symbol in any application. - Move your mouse pointer to the upper right or lower right corner of the screen, to bring up the Charms menu. - Click Search in the Charms menu. - Type character map in the Search box. - Click the Character Map icon in the Search results. Video of the Day - Click on the Start menu (the Windows icon on your Task Bar). - Select All Programs. - Select Programs, then Accessories, then System Tools. - Select Character Map. The Character Map opens and displays a table of characters. To insert the degree symbol: - Select the degree symbol (°) from the table. - Press the Select button. - Press the Copy button. - Close the Character Map. Type Ctrl-V to copy the degree symbol at your cursor location. OS X: Emoji & Symbols Menu You can insert the degree symbol in OS X with the Emoji & Symbols menu (previously called the Special Characters menu). The Emoji & Symbols Menu is part of the OS X core so you can access it from almost any application. To bring up the Emoji & Symbols menu, select Emoji & Symbols from the Edit menu in the Menu Bar. The Characters window opens. Select the Math Symbols category on the left, and then find and select the degree symbol (°) in the table. Press the Insert button. A ° symbol is inserted at your cursor location. Although the special characters tools allow you to browse and select many characters and symbols, if all you want is to insert a degree symbol, you can do so quickly with a keyboard shortcut. In Windows, there are two different keyboard shortcuts that create a degree symbol, but you must have a numeric keypad on the right side of your keyboard for either of these to work. (If your keyboard doesn't have a numeric keypad, then you'll have to use the Windows Character Map, as described in Special Characters Tools, above). To insert a degree symbol with your numeric keypad in Windows, do one of the following: - Type Alt-248 (hold down the Alt key and type 248) using the number keys on your numeric keypad. - You can also type Alt-0176 (hold down the Alt key and type 0176) using the number keys on your numeric keypad. In both cases, when you release the Alt Key, a ° is inserted at your cursor location. There are two different keyboard shortcuts to insert a degree symbol in OS X. However unlike Windows, each of these shortcuts inserts a different version of the degree symbol, and you can choose the one you prefer. - Type Option-Shift-8 (hold down the Option key, then hold down the Shift key, and with both keys still held down, press the 8 key) to produce a large degree symbol. Example: 85°. - Type Option-K (hold down the Option key then press the K key) to produce a smaller degree symbol, which is displayed slightly higher. Example: 85˚. In both cases, when you release the keys, the selected degree symbol is inserted at the location of your cursor.

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In reality, there is no shortage of water on Earth. Most of it is covered by water. However, only a very small quantity is readily available for human consumption. Less than 3% is fresh water, a good part of it being locked in ice caps, glaciers or under the ground. It is estimated that in 2025 almost 2/3 of the world’s population will be having problems with access to water for consumption. On the other hand, close to 2.5 billion people currently live without access to basic sanitation. Taking industry into account, 2 million tons of untreated sewage per day are poured into river streams. Such a difficult scenario for the next century may be seen as catastrophic for some. However, TOMUS believes in the ingenuity of human beings and feels a strong desire to live within the solutions which will be developed to resolve the water crisis. We believe that it will be possible to overcome these new challenges. Bringing together knowledge and mechanical engineering for loss management, energy efficiency and telemetry, TOMUS contributes in the management of sanitation systems for operators in both the public and private sectors. The expertise offered by TOMUS ranges from the catchment area to the distribution of water. It has experience at sewage plants and even monitors distribution management by water trucks.

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The Capitoline Museums in Rome, or Musei Capitolini, contain some of Rome's greatest artistic and archaeological treasures. Actually one museum spread out in two buildings – the Palazzo dei Conservatori and the Palazzo Nuovo – the Capitoline Museums sit atop the Capitoline Hill, or the Campidoglio, one of the famous seven hills of Rome. Occupied since at least the 8th-century BC, the Capitoline Hill was an area of ancient temples. Overlooking the Roman Forum and the Palatine Hill beyond, it was and is the geographic and symbolic center of the city. The museums were established by Pope Clement XII in 1734, making them the first museums in the world open to the public. For any visitor with an interest in understanding the history and development of Rome from the ancient era to the Renaissance, the Capitoline Museums are a must-see. To get to the Capitoline Hill, most visitors climb the Cordonata, an elegant, monumental staircase designed by Michelangelo, who also designed the geometrically patterned Piazza del Campidoglio at the top of the stairs. In the center of the piazza stands the bronze famous statue of Emperor Marcus Aurelius on horseback. The largest bronze statue from Roman antiquity, the version on the piazza is actually a copy—the original is in the museum. Palazzo dei Conservatori As you stand at the top of the Cordonata, the Palazzo dei Conservatori is on your right. It is the largest building of the Capitoline and it is broken down into several sections, including the Conservators’ Apartments, the courtyard, the Palazzo dei Conservatori Museum, and other halls. There’s also a café and a bookshop located in this wing of the Capitoline. The Palazzo dei Conservatori contains several famous artworks from antiquity. Primary among them is the She-Wolf bronze (La Lupa), which dates from the fifth century BC, and is the de facto symbol of Rome. It depicts Romulus and Remus, the ancient founders of Rome, suckling a she-wolf. Other well-known works from ancient times are Il Spinario, a first century BC marble of a boy removing a thorn from his foot; the original equestrian statue of Marcus Aurelius, and fragments from a colossal statue of Emperor Constantine. Rome’s legends and triumphs are also exhibited in the frescoes, statues, coins, ceramics, and ancient jewelry of the Palazzo dei Conservatori. Here you will find portrayals of the Punic Wars, inscriptions of Roman magistrates, the foundations of an ancient temple dedicated to the God Jupiter, and a stunning collection of statues of athletes, gods and goddesses, warriors, and emperors ranging from the days of the Roman Empire to the Baroque period. In addition to the many archaeological finds there are also paintings and sculptures from medieval, Renaissance, and Baroque artists. The third floor has a picture gallery with works by Caravaggio and Veronese, among others. There is also a very famous bust of the head of Medusa sculpted by Bernini. Galleria Lapidaria and Tabularium In an underground passageway that leads from the Palazzo dei Conservatori to the Palazzo Nuovo is a special gallery that opens up onto views of the Roman Forum. The Galleria Lapidaria contains epigraphs, epitaphs (tomb inscriptions) and the foundations of two ancient Roman homes. This is also where you will find the Tabularium, which contains additional foundations and fragments from ancient Rome. Passing through the Galleria Lapidaria and the Tabularium is a superb way to gain a better understanding of ancient Rome and get a unique view of the Roman Forum. While the Palazzo Nuovo is the smaller of the two museums of the Capitoline, it is no less spectacular. Despite its name, the “new palace” also includes numerous objects from antiquity, including a large lounging statue of a water god called “Marforio”; ornate sarcophagi; the statue of Discobolus; and mosaics and statues recovered from Hadrian’s villa in Tivoli. Capitoline Museums Visiting Information Location: Piazza del Campidoglio, 1, on the Capitoline Hill Hours: Daily, 9:30 am until 7:30 pm (last entrance 6:30 pm), closes at 2:00 pm on December 24 and 31. Closed Mondays and January 1, May 1, December 25. Information: Check the website for updated hours, prices, and special events. Tel. (0039) 060608 Admission: €16 (as of July 2019). Children 6 and under enter for free. Save on admission with the Roma Pass. For more Rome museum ideas, see our list of Top Museums in Rome. This article has been expanded and updated by Elizabeth Heath

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Osteoarthritis of the hip is a progressive degenerative disorder affecting the hip joints, which affects one in 10 adults. The symptoms range from pain after intense joint loading to morning pain/stiffness and impaired mobility in everyday life. To date, no cure exists. Appropriate exercise therapy can, however, delay progression of the disease and alleviate symptoms, as shown in a randomized controlled study reported by Inga Krauß et al in Deutsches Ärzteblatt. The physicians treated patients with hip osteoarthritis according to the Tübinger Hüftkonzept (ThüKo, the Tübingen exercise approach, a 12-week exercise therapy intervention): for three months, patients participated once weekly in an exercise group and did an exercise program at home twice a week. The selected exercises were targeted towards muscle strengthening, proprioception, coordination training, and improved mobility. After the exercise therapy, patients’ pain symptoms were less pronounced and their joints were more mobile. Because of the positive results, the authors recommend administering the ThüKo approach comprehensively in the context of treatment of patients with hip osteoarthritis. Study: Krauss I, Steinhilber B, Haupt G, Miller R, Martus P, Janssen P: Exercise therapy in hip osteoarthritis – a randomized controlled trial. Dtsch Arztebl Int, DOI: 10.3238/arztebl.2014.0592, published 2014.

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Nov. 12 (UPI) -- At least 200 elephants have died in Zimbabwe since October amid a severe drought in the southern African country, wildlife officials said. Most of the animal deaths have been in conservation areas in Mana Pools and Hwange National Park. Zimbabwe National Parks and Wildlife Management Authority spokesman Tinashe Farawo said the drought is affecting "almost every animal." "Of course, elephants are easily noticed during patrols or game drives, but some bird species are seriously affected because they can only breed in certain tree heights and those trees are being knocked down by elephants," he said. The agency said it plans to relocate about 600 elephants -- along with antelope, buffalo, giraffes, lions and wild dogs -- from Save Valley Conservancy to other national parks. Zimbabwe, which is home to one of the largest elephant populations in Africa, declared a national emergency after the yearly October rains never materialized. Watering holes dried up and became mud pits, trapping animals that tried to reach what little water was left.

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Vertebroplasty and Kyphoplasty are negligibly intrusive strategies used to treat vertebral pressure fractures (VCF) of the spine. These excruciating fractures can be caused by osteoporosis and other physical damages. If left untreated, they can convert into a bumped spine (kyphosis). By re-establishing the vertebra position with an inflatable balloon and then infusing bone-bonding material into the broken bone, patients can recover quickly and lessen the risks of any fracture. Difference between Vertebroplasty and Kyphoplasty Vertebroplasty and Kyphoplasty are comparable techniques. Both are performed through an empty needle that is pierced through the skin into the broke vertebra. In vertebroplasty, bone bond (called polymethylmethacrylate) is infused through the empty needle into the broken bone. In Kyphoplasty, an inflatable balloon is first embedded and swelled to extend the vertebra to its ordinary size before filling the space with bone bond. The concrete fortified vertebra enables you to stand straight, decreases your pain, and avoids any tentative additionally cracks. Recommended: Effectiveness of vertebroplasty Right candidate for Vertebroplasty and Kyphoplasty Vertebroplasty or Kyphoplasty might be a treatment option in the following excruciating vertebral pressure fractures from: Before Vertebroplasty and Kyphoplasty, the conventional treatment for the spine used to span for a month and a half to check whether patients recovered on their own, however now it's trusted that holding up doesn’t resolve the issue. Numerous specialists are currently proposing vertebroplasty within a week after a fracture for patients in the light of the fact that the results are fundamentally better. You may be interested in: Vertebroplasty The specialist will conduct an entire restorative history and physical exam. Diagnostic investigations (MRI, CT, bone output) might be initiated to determinethe vertebral fracture. Your specialist will decide whether your spine is "steady" or "temperamental" and will state treatment options accordingly. The spine medical procedure can be performed by a neurosurgeon, orthopedic specialist, or interventional neuroradiologist. Numerous spine specialists have specific knowledge in intrusive spine medical procedure. Before the Procedure - Certain pre-surgical tests (e.g., blood test, electrocardiogram, chest X-beam) are conducted a few days before medical procedure. Your specialist will discuss about your restorative history (sensitivities, pharmaceuticals/vitamins, draining history, anesthesia responses, past medical procedures, and so forth.). You should quit taking all non-steroidal medicines weeks before your medical procedure. - Patients are admitted to the hospital in the morning of the procedure. No food or drink is allowed from a night prior to the medical procedure. An intravenous (IV) is injectedin the arm. During the Procedure - The patient is laid down on the operation table and is sedated. Once sedated, the patient is placed to position on the stomach with the chest and sides upheld by cushions. Contingent upon the area of the spine (cervical, thoracic, or lumbar) where the fractured vertebra is found, your back or neck will be cleaned and prepared. - Analgesic is infused in the region where a little, half-inch skin cut is made over the broken bone. With the help of a fluoroscope (an extraordinary X-beam machine), two huge width needles are embedded into the vertebral body through the pedicles. The fluoroscopy screen enables the specialist to see precisely where the needles are situated and how far they are embedded. The needles are progressed through the bone utilizing either a winding movement or a tapping hammer. - In the event that the vertebra is essentially wedge-molded, the specialist will embed inflatable balloon through the needles into the vertebra. To embed the inflatable balloon, the specialist first uses an instrument to make a working channel. The specialist blows up the balloon, raising the vertebra back to its ordinary position. The balloon is collapsed and pulled back, leaving a space amidst the vertebra. This methodology is called Kyphoplasty. - Bone bonding material is gradually infused under strain, filling the most profound zone to start with.The needle is then pulled back to somewhat fill the top regions. The weight and measure of the bond infused are checked cautiously to maintain a strategic distance from spillage into otherareas. - The needles are pulled back immediately before the bond solidifies. The cut made on the skin is shut with steri-strips. The patient is not moved from the operation table until the bond has solidified. After the Procedure After the surgery, once the patient is in the recovery mode, the pulse, heart rate and breathing rate is checked. After an hour or so the patient may sit up. Following 2 hours the patient may stand and walk. Most patients remain in the nursing facility for vigilance and are discharged next day. A few patients can be discharged the same day. - Post surgery, the patient feels pain for which narcotic medication is recommended. - Relax for the initial 24 hours after the surgery. Slowly and gradually come back to your ordinary exercises. An exercising program might be recommended by the specialist. - Keep the wound covered and dry for 24 hours. Afterward you may shower, gently pat dry the steri-strips that covers the wound. Do not soak in a bath tub. - If your temperature surpasses 101 °F or if there are any hintsof some disease, for example, redness, swelling, pain or seepage or find trouble in strolling or issues related to the gut or bladder, call the doctor. Helpful: How is the Vertebroplasty procedure performed? No medical procedure is risk free. Difficulties in the treatment of vertebral pressure fractures are under 2%, and 5 to 10% in the treatment of tumors. The accompanying are particular risks that ought to be considered: - Bone cement leakage:There is a slight plausibility that bone concrete can spill into encompassing delicate tissues. This can likewise happen when the needle is expelled from the vertebra. Bond can spill into the veins encompassing the vertebra. This can cause nerve pain (radiculopathy) and may require promote treatment. - Nerve damage: Any activity on the spine accompanies the danger of harming the spinal nerves, which can cause paralysis. Cost of Tteatment for Vertebroplasty and Kyphoplasty The following factors determine the cost involved in Vertebroplasty and Kyphoplasty: - Hospital that patient chooses for his/her treatment - Fees for the visiting specialist - Cost of medicines - Cost of tests and diagnostic procedures - Cost of surgery - Cost of follow-up care

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Extinct in the Wild (EW) animal species are animals that are alive only in captivity. Such animals are kept as naturalized populations outside their natural habitat to preserve them. Some have had their historical ecosystem destroyed while others have been hunted down to meager populations. Sometimes, these species will be reintroduced in the wild and properly guarded since they have a challenge adapting to survival techniques in the wild. While efforts are made not to interfere with the genetics of such animals, the said species may not fully adapt to the natural ecosystem. Below animals are classified as EW. Animals That Are Only Alive in Captivity The Guam rail is a flightless bird that is endemic to the Guam territory of the U.S. It has a size of approximately 11 inches and a grey stripe around its eyes. The Guam rail has a long body that is laterally compressed, specifically at its breast and neck regions, to enable it to easily maneuver through concentrated vegetation. The feather pattern and color are the same for both the male and female. However, the distinctive feature between them is their body size with the male bird having a larger body size than the female. The outstanding feature is their brown head, a dark black breast with dark brown legs and beak. Guam rails feed on either greens or meat. The Hawaiian crow belongs to the crow family of birds and has become extinct in the wild of Hawaii where they used to thrive. The 19 to 20 inches long bird has fully developed wings. Hawaiian crows are identified by a thick black bill, soft brownish-black long feathers, and its black neck plumage. The bird is omnivorous thus feeds commonly on invertebrates such as arachnids, land snails and isopods. The Hawaiian crow communicates by producing two-toned caws with lower tones resembling cat meows. The bird is known to produce various sound when flying. The maturity period for male crows is four years while females take two to three years. The breeding period of the bird takes 5 months after the bird lays one to five eggs. Christmas Island Blue-tailed Shinning Skink The Christmas island blue tailed shinning skink, also called the cryptoblepharus egeriae, belongs to the species of skink. It has small, black body with brownish black or yellow stripes that converge at the bright blue colored tail. The lizard has a length that ranges from 1.6 to 3.1 inches. In case of any danger, the blue-tailed skink uses its tail to defend itself by popping it off. The young ones are born with a dark black body with bright yellow lines from the back of the neck to the bright blue tail. Towards maturity, the yellowish stripes disappear as their back starts turning brownish black in color, while underneath the neck a reddish color begins to form. However, the female lizard normally maintains their blue tail throughout their entire life. Blue-tailed skinks feed on worms and insects and use their tails to target and hit its predators. Christmas Island Chained Gecko The Christmas island chained gecko is a species of gecko endemic in the Animalia kingdom. It is also called the lister gecko, a name adopted from naturalist Jackson Lister. Lister geckos have a length of about 2 inches with a brown body. The upper part of the head and some parts of the tail are covered by wide pale grey lines. It has a scale-covered body and a white like belly. The lizard is commonly found on the plateau and rainforests ecosystem. The Alagoas curassow is a shiny black pigeon-like bird formerly found in Brazil in the Alagoas region. The bird is 33 to 35 inches long and covered with black and shiny feathers having a combination of blue and purple color. The species have large, bright red flattened beak with a white tip. The coloration of the bird differs from male to female with the females having a light color and being slightly smaller in its size. The bird easily adopts to lowland tropical areas where it feeds on fruits and nuts. Reproduction begins once the birds attain the age of 2 years when the female lays 2 to 3 eggs. The bird has an average lifespan of 24 years. The Socorro dove is native to Socorro island in Mexico. Their numbers have diminished over time, leading to the stepping up of re-introduction and conservation programs. The dove has a medium body of between 10.4 and 18.4 inches with long legs similar to those of Zenaida dove and an average weight of 190 grams (6.7 oz). The color pattern is not constant but usually varies from one species to the other. The male dove has a deep cinnamon color both on the underneath and on its head. The back of the neck is grey-blue with a blue patch which is more visible after the molting process. The Scimitar oryx is a species of Oryx, that existed in countable numbers in Northern Africa up to 2000. The Oryx were hunted in large numbers for horns and meat. The antelope has a height of 3.3 feet from the ground to the shoulder. Scimitar Oryx has a white skin with red-brown chest and a black forehead. The young ones are born with a yellow skin which changes color to that of an adult 3 to 12 month after birth. The antelope can survive for long with no water in extremely hot places, an endurance enhanced by low metabolism. Their kidneys are slow in producing urine hence little water is lost through urination. Scimitar oryx is known to feed on grass, foliage, and succulent plants. The gestation period is eight to nine months with many births occurring between the month of March and October. Pere David's Deer Pere David’s deer is a species of deer that is closely related to the deer of the genus Cervus. The semi-aquatic animals inhabited the marshy ecosystem of China where it fed on aquatic plants as well as grass. The David deer has a length of between 6.2 and 7.2 feet and a height of up to 3.9 feet while the weight is between 135 and 200 kilograms. It has a tail of medium length between 20 to 26 inches when straightened. The head is long and slim with big eyes, long preorbital glands, small ears, and a naked nose pad. The Guam kingfisher is a species of kingfisher that used to exist on the island of Guam. The medium-sized animal measures between 7.8 and 9.4 inches. Their feathers are brightly colored with a lustrous blue back and rusty red-brown head. Matured male Guam kingfishers have red-brown underpart while female and the young ones have a white underneath. The bills are large and flat while the legs are dark. The Guam kingfisher is known to be a very secretive bird, and they form their nest high up in an excavation on a soft-wooded tree. Young ones are taken care of by both the male and the female. Plants that are Only Alive in Captivity The Yellow Fatu is a highly endangered plant which was thought to be extinct until 2003 when a single plant was found in the Pitcairn Island in South America. Propagation of the plant began immediately in an artificial setting. The last wild plants were buried in the 2005 landslide making the plant completely extinct in the wild. Animals That Only Exist in the WIld |Rank||Animals That Only Exist in the Wild| |4||Christmas Island Blue tailed Shinning Skink| |5||Christmas Island Chained Gecko| |9||Pere David's Deer| Your MLA Citation Your APA Citation Your Chicago Citation Your Harvard CitationRemember to italicize the title of this article in your Harvard citation.

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Learn about this very unique Drum Track Construction Tool Divide Drum Track: Drum Track Construction Tool Let's look at "Divide Drum Track" - which is found by pressing [JOB] > [F5] TRACK This function is a sequencer JOB that basically allows you to use 8 tracks of the sequencer to initially construct your drum track. It can separate the different drums by their type to separate tracks. Then once you have worked out the drums you can reassemble them on to one track. This will use 8 tracks of the sequencers as a work area for drums and when you have completed your work you will clean up and free those tracks for other music data.Concept example: You record your basic drum groove using a single KIT on a single MIDI Track. Divide Drum Track will then analyze what you played and automatically EXTRACT the different components and split them (dissolve) to separate tracks 1-8. The idea is so that you now have separate tracks for your Kicks, snares/Handclaps, cymbals, toms, percussion etc. And you have the data in separate Phrases. If your workflow is to work mainly in SONG mode, this Divide Drum Track allows you to assemble the drums as separate entity. You are going to use a PATTERN to construct the Drum Track, then you can basically do the equivalent of Cut and Paste it into the linear SONG structure. The entire power of PATTERN mode to work out the DRUMS! Often in writing and composing you need to work things out linearly first - this is where you might use a simple Drum Loop in SONG mode as a tempo giver. Later when you have the basic structure of your composition, you can go back and build the exact drum track, with fill-ins and build-ups in just the right places. This is a case where you have the majority of the composition in a linear SONG, while you can work out the drums in PATTERN mode. Since data can be moved and copied between SONG and PATTERN mode it is not impossible to transfer a region of measures from your linear SONG to a PATTERN SECTION to work out the drum and percussion PARTS. This is where the mastery of the SEQUENCER JOBS comes into play. In this article we will introduce you to few of the JOB functions and talk about how they work in a musical context. This will allow you to do things like quantize the different components with different swing values. In general, quantize (timing correction) can be done in the sequencer either as you record or after the fact... it can be done both permanently or non-destructively. You can now shift just the snare drum hits behind the beat... you can swing just the high hat parts... basically you can bring the full power of the sequencer editing jobs on each individual drum component.Divide Drum Track will also allow you, if you wish, to keep the drums (permanently) on separate tracks, choose different kits. Or you can choose/audition different sounds and then assemble those sounds into a custom drum kit... the possibilities are many. However, once you have edited the timing (swing) and velocity of the performance on separate tracks you can reassemble the drums to a single track (using the "MIX TRACK" Job).What it does: Divide Drum Track will take your kicks and place them on tracks 1 and 2, the snare/handclap or any item that functions on the back-beat and place them on tracks 3 and 4, cymbals and other dressing on 5 and 6, toms and percussion to 7 and 8. So you can think of this JOB as a special type of EXTRACT job. There is also a specific EXTRACT EVENT [JOB] found at [F3] EVENT, that lets you take all of one particular note (or range of notes), for example, and move it to a separate phrase – which can then be 'patched' to a new track. This is useful for example to pull out one drum and then affect its performance data in some way and then place it back (using the MIX job). The DIVIDE DRUM TRACK Job will overwrite data in the target location. However the EXTRACT EVENT and MIX Jobs will merge the data with the target. Depending on your final goal, you can either leave your drums divided out on separate tracks or you can reassemble them to a single track. The possibilities are there for you. As we have mentioned numerous times, there is no one-way to work. We have suggested that you might begin your composition in SONG mode using just a simple repeating drum-groove-as-metronome, you could later use the entire PATTERN mode to construct your drum track in greater detail. Moving data between the two sequencer modes is easily done with the appropriate JOB functions. Your drum track could be assembled in PATTERN mode and then moved to a linear Song, even cut and pasted to specific measures within that Song. The Divide Drum Track is a very useful spin on the EXTRACT function – because it can intelligently sort data and give you separate phrases from a single phrase. If you, for example, originally have your drums on Track 10, when you Divide Drum Track, you wind up with your original data (phrase) assigned to track 10, and individual "divided" phrases spread out as necessary on tracks 1-8. By using a track outside of the original eight, you can maintain the original undivided phrase and get each drum category divided out by the job. What you can do with the divided data is open for you to explore. Ever want to grab just the hihats from a particular drum groove? Ever want to quantize the hihats separately from the rest of the kit? If you are not going to need the additional tracks then you can simply skip the "MIX TRACK" job and use tracks 9-16 for your music. But if you require the tracks for your other music, you can create a custom kit containing just the sounds you like – assembling drums into a kit is easy enough (covered in the REFERENCE Manual, page 47).Extract Event, Mix Track and Mix Phrase Jobs Start to see these JOB functions as inter-related tools: Press [F3] EVENT Select JOB 04: EXTRACT EVENT: This Job lets you define a measure region (even a single note) and remove that region of events by moving them to an empty track. The data is actually removed from the source track and placed in the target destination track. This allows you to remove all of one type of data, be it volume data, system exclusive data, note events, etc. You can isolate a snare drum assigned to note D1, extract it to an empty track; perform a timing edit and then place it back in with the original data using the "MIX TRACK" Job.Mix Track Press [F5] TRACK Select JOB 03: MIX TRACK: This Job lets you take data from the source track and combine it with data on the destination track. It does this without deleting the source track and it merges the data with existing data on the destination (target) track. Because the source track data remains you can delete it separately or keep it to combine it with another track.Mix Phrase (Pattern mode only) Press [F4] Phrase Select JOB 03: MIX PHRASE: This Job lets you take data from a PATTERN mode phrase and combine it with data of another PATTERN mode phrase. You can use this to combine data even if that data is from a different PATTERN number entirely. It is non-destructive as both the source and destination phrases will remain. When combining Phrases within the same PATTERN check the "Current Pattern" box. Earlier in this article we discussed the "Divide Drum Track" job. What it does is use the Extract function to divide drum kit notes by kind, splitting them to empty tracks. You can then edit those tracks and finally recombine the data (if you wish) using the MIX TRACK or MIX PHRASE Jobs. If you EXTRACT a snare drum, for example, you can then select a special DRUM kit that is nothing but snare drums. These ALL Snare Drum kits ("Acoustic Snares" and "Grouped Stereo Snares") are useful because then by simply Note Shifting the data you can audition many different snare drums in rapid succession. When you find a particular snare drum you like, you can either just leave the note 'shifted' to that pitch or you can identify which snare that is and edit it into your own custom KIT. (See the article on the DRUM KIT VOICE for details). There are also ALL bass drum Kits, as well, ("All Kicks" and "Dance Kicks") which in a similar fashion can be used to "try out" different Kick drums in rapid succession, in the context of your music! Depending on your final goal, you can either leave your drums divided out on separate tracks or you can reassemble them to a single track. If you are not going to need the additional tracks then you can simply skip the MIX TRACK job and use tracks 9-16 for your music.

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Do you think the Oakland community is supportive to the LGBTQ community? LGBTQ stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer or questioning. This is a person’s identity and sexual orientation. LGBTQ, has been more recognized since Barack Obama made Pride month, June in the year 2016 (Obama). San Francisco has a parade every year, and it’s very close to the city of Oakland (OaklandPride). By analyzing the research and conducting interviews, it is clear that the LGBTQ community could feel like they’re at a supportive and safe community in Oakland, and there’s others that can feel like they’re not, which can have lasting effects on people. Being unsupportive to the LGBTQ can make themselves feel bad about themselves if they listen to the negative comments that they get told. According to the article “First, Do No Harm” it states “People may question themselves, have increased negative thoughts about their sexual identities, and may have a reduced level of self-esteem as a result of these messages .” The same article also stated “Discrimination based on their sexual orientation) reported increases in levels of depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder” (Mikalson). This can add to why saying degrading comments can make them feel bad. Not only is that disrespectful, but it can be very unhealthy for their mental health. Having a horrible mental health is unhealthy, because people that have mental health problems often lose motivation on doing anything like going to school, work, or even being social. When being in a awful mental state people can also get into feelings of suicide or hurting themselves. Someone that was intervierwed named Kaovonne Saeturne is gay and he also doesn’t feel supported, “I don’t feel supported sometimes just because there’s a lot of judging from the way I can act and I used to get bullied in elementary so that stayed with me.” (Saeturne). Kaovonne doesn’t think that Oakland is a supportive community from his experience of him getting bullied, and getting judged for his actions. Having a supportive community is really important for people like Kaovonne that went through bullying because they could feel like they’re not important, and that’s when their unhealthy mental health cause develop or increase. The community putting others down like this is very illogical because everyone can just support one another. Some may believe that Oakland has enough programs that help LGBTQ mental health that may make them feel supported and safe. One of the programs is “Oakland LGBTQ Community Center” in their article they claimed “Many LGBTQ people were kicked out of their homes, disinherited, or grew up in foster care. They might not have had the support they needed starting out, which led to a lifetime of housing difficulties.” In Oakland ¨ 40% of the homeless youth served by agencies identify as LGBTQ” (OaklandLGBTQ). Youth are being homeless for identifying themselves as being part of the LGBTQ. These youth think they’re not in a supportive community by being in the position they’re in right now and they’re being denied by their homes. Oakland, in the other hand, can be very supportive to the LGBTQ community that help them be themselves. Oakland can be one of the places that can make them feel safe and supported. OUSD has came up with programs to welcome their young students and make them feel supported at a safe place. One of the programs that OUSD came up with is GSA day and it is celebrated in March 30. The article “The Value of GSA Day” explained why GSA Day is an important event to the LGBTQ people, and how it can preclude negative energy by saying “Being part of a GSA on campus can help alleviate that feeling, but coming together as part of a larger community was something that many participants had never experienced. Collectively, students cited feeling “accepted,” “safe” and “comfortable.” This can be very useful for students if they believe that they´re at a safe place. One of an interviewees named Isaiah Jones claimed “I’ve had a good experience in Oakland, none but love and compassion.” Something he also about his experience was “I go to an Art school in Downtown Oakland and everyone is really supportive there. There’s no judging or nothing negative so that makes me more myself.” This interviewee finds Oakland as a supportive community because he feels supported. This school has helped Isaiah be more of himself and that can help him later on stand up for himself if anything. However, even though there are some programs it is not enough for the Trans community. “One of the cruelest ironies is that here in the Bay Area, historically, it has been one of the few places where LGBTQ members can live in the open without fear, however this is not always true for Trans people (OaklandLGBTQ). One of the articles called “LGBTQ Health” was talking about the Trans in Oakland “Transgender women have heightened rates of mental health problems.” (Liebert) . Many Transgender women get mental problems such as depression, anxiety, and etc and that is very unhealthy. Oakland knowing that it’s something very unhealthy it doesn’t offer as much as support as necessary “As a neighboring city, the city of Oakland does not offer health and social services for transgender people on the same magnitude as San Francisco. There are no transgender-specific health clinics available, and transgender people do not experience the same degree of visibility that they have in San Francisco.” (Liebert). San Francisco and Oakland are so close together that they should have the same offering of help, but Oakland just doesn’t have enough programs. Support for the Transgender women and the rest of the LGBTQ should have emphatic suport anywhere they’re at. In conclusion, in the community of Oakland, not everyone feels fully supported. There’s people that go through depression and mental health problems caused by the denial people, and there’s other that believe that they’re welcome and not deniable no matter who or how they are. There are people in thhe community that want to see others proud of who they are and feel safe. OUSD (Oakland Unified School District) is one of the people in the Oakland community that want them to be comfortable, “GSA Day is a participant-driven and youth leadership focused one day conference that aims to increase safety and support for our students.” (OUSD). GSA stands for Gender and Sexaulties Alliances. They plan out this day so youth can participate and learn more about themselves since it’s educational as well. Some people can also think that the Oakland community is not supportive. One of the articles named “Discrimination against the LGBTQ Community” they stated “Oakland isn’t the safest place for LGBTQ community members to be because a lot of people when seeing LGBTQ members just being themselves they tend to judge quickly. I have seen cases in which LGBTQ members have been verbally and physically abused. I believe that this mistreatment is unfair because they have not brought any harm to the community.” Gastelum, Yari, and Isaiah Jones. “LGBTQ Interview.” 22 Nov. 2019. Isaiah Jones is part of the LGBTQ community and he attends an Art School in Downtown Oakland. He is in sophmore year of high school and so far he has had a good experience in the LGBTQ. I found him as a credible source because he has lived in Oakland his whole life and is part of the LGBTQ, so he has experienced experiences that can be way different than others. His answers and himself is important to my needs because I want to know if the community we live in is being supportive to each other. His answers were clear and I got an answer of him that yes, our community has been supportive to him. Gastelum , Yari, and Kaovonne Saeturne. “LGBTQ Interview.” 22 Nov. 2019. Kaovonne Saeturne is a close friend, and he is also part of the LGBTQ and also attends the Art School in Downtown Oakland. I found Kaovonne as a helpful source because he is gay and I know he has had experiences by the people around him. He used to get bullied in elementary school when kids started noticing that he wouldn’t act like a normal boy. He would always hang around girls and would get really shy around boys, but he didn’t really pay attention to that in elementary school. Starting middle school, he thought it would be the same experience, then he officially knew he was gay when he had a crush on a boy in 6th grade. Later in 7th grade he came out to his dad which was really scary to him, but his dad is now okay with it. He hasn’t yet came out to his mom because he find it really scary for him since they don’t live in the same household and he thinks he won’t feel accepted by his mom since she’s really religious Mikalson, Pasha. First, Do No Harm . pp. 1–248, First, Do No Harm, https://lhc.ca.gov/sites/lhc.ca.gov/files/Reports/225/ReportsSubmitted/CRDPLGBTQReport.pdf This article is about LGBTQ services that can help them with mental health and physical health. The people that organized this article is really supportive against the LGBTQ and they state a lot of LGBTQ facts that they’ve experienced or important information that should be known. Nemoto, Tooru, et al. “A Tale of Two Cities: Access to Care and Services Among African-American Transgender Women in Oakland and San Francisco.” LGBT Health, Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., Sept. 2015, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4713018/. This cite is about the comparison between the San Francisco and Oakland mental health support. According to this article Oakland mental health support isn’t as positve as San Francisco’s, and they’re so close together. “Health & Wellness / LGBTQ Programs.” / LGBTQ Programs, OUSD, www.ousd.org/lgbtq. This is the Oakland Unified School District website. It is talking about the GSA day and how that has been a helpful for the youth and adults. It makes them feel saurrounded by supportive people and in a safe community. Thomas, Jillie E. “The Value of GSA Day.” Teaching Tolerance, 5 May 2016, www.tolerance.org/magazine/the-value-of-gsa-day. This cite was also based on the GSA Day and why Oakland felt supported about it. It also gave out background information of that organization, about why it was formed and how it has been helpful. Kaly. “Discrimination Against The LGBTQ Community.” Discrimination Against The LGBTQ Community – Youth Voices, 21 Jan. 2018, www.youthvoices.live/2018/01/21/discrimination-against-the-lgbtq-community/?print=print. This article is based on the discrimation against the LGBTQ here in Oakland. It includes interviews from others about opinions if they think the LGBTQ communiy gets dicrimated or not. This is an organizatin here in Oakland for the LGBTQ. They offer services for anyone like, counseling for people with mental health issues, or if they have a traumatic past. Sometimes people from the LGBTQ go through violence, depression, homelessness, and they offer all these services to help them out. They give alot of background information about the LGBTQ community here in Oakland as well. “Oakland LGBTQ Community Center: Oakland, CA.” Oaklandlgbtqcenter, www.oaklandlgbtqcenter.org/Tags: #Oaklandcommunity LGBTQ Life Academy of Health and Bioscience Oakland Oakland LGBTQ Community by Yaritza is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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This week in history: July 8-14 8 July 2019 25 years ago: North Korean Stalinist leader Kim Il-Sung dies On July 8, 1994, North Korean Stalinist ruler Kim Il-Sung died at the age of 83 from a heart attack. His death was officially announced by the government 30 hours later. Kim’s death moved the South Korean regime to place its military on red alert and provoked discussion among the leaders of imperialist countries that it would have a destabilizing impact on the region. US President Bill Clinton offered his “sincere condolences” to the North Korean people just weeks after Washington had portrayed Kim as a tyrant and maniacal aggressor. The main fear was that a collapse of the North could lead to reunification of the Korean peninsula, depriving the US of the pretext for its military presence in the region while potentially strengthening an economic rival. Kim, one of the few survivors of Stalin’s purge of the Korean Communist Party in the 1930s, fought as a guerrilla against Japanese occupation as early as 1932. He returned to Korea a hero in 1945, just as the US and the Soviet bureaucracy were preparing to divide the country at the 38th parallel. In December 1945 he was installed as chairman of the North Korean branch of the Korean Communist Party and he established the Korean People’s Army to solidify control of the region. Forestalling a United Nations plan to conduct all-Korean elections, the Soviet bureaucracy conducted elections in August 1948 for a Supreme People’s Assembly, and in October that year the Soviet Union recognized Kim’s government as the sovereign government of the entire peninsula. The outbreak of the Korean War in June 1950 saw the country laid waste: Kim’s forces overran the South, only to have the United States intervene and push north to the Chinese border, provoking Chinese intervention which pushed back the fighting line to roughly where it had begun, along the present DMZ. Three million were killed, the vast majority of them civilians, particularly in the saturation bombing of the north by the US Air Force. Kim’s regime aped the Stalinist bureaucracy’s police-state repression, economic autarchy, and cult of infallible leadership, with the additional noxious feature of quasi-monarchical descent of rulership from Kim Il-Sung, dubbed the “Great Leader,” to his son Kim Jong-il, the “Dear Leader,” to his son Kim Jong-un, the current Stalinist chieftain, the “Great Successor.” During the Sino-Soviet split, Kim sought to maintain relations with both Stalinist powers while seeking maximum freedom of maneuver and pouring resources into the military, always the family’s power base. Towards the end of his life, Kim came into direct conflict with American imperialism over North Korea’s nuclear program. The first Bush administration and then the Clinton administration seized on North Korea’s nuclear program as a means of intensifying pressure on Pyongyang with a view to precipitating the disintegration of the regime, while Kim sought to use it as a bargaining chip to gain access to needed economic resources after the collapse of the Soviet Union. 50 years ago: “Soccer War” breaks out between El Salvador and Honduras On July 14, 1969 El Salvador’s president Fidel Sánchez Hernández ordered the invasion and bombing of neighboring Honduras. Honduras quickly responded by launching their own bombings of targets within El Salvador. The four days of military conflict became known as the “Soccer War.” The main cause of the war was the immigration of Salvadorans into Honduras and their treatment within the country. In 1969, 300,000 Salvadorans lived in Honduras, a country of 2.6 million. In 1967 Honduras began enforcing laws that allowed the government to take land occupied by Salvadoran migrants and redistribute it to Hondurans. Meanwhile, the United Fruit Company maintained ownership of 10 percent of the land in Honduras. Salvadorans living in Honduras became subject to abuse from the Honduran government and were the victims of racial violence. The most dramatic of these events occurred in June, when Honduras and El Salvador faced off in three FIFA World Cup qualifying matches. Clashes broke out between Hondurans and Salvadorans in the aftermath of the matches. After the final game on June 27, won by the Salvadoran team, El Salvador broke off diplomatic ties to Honduras. The Salvadoran government issued a statement saying, “the government of Honduras has not taken any effective measures to punish these crimes which constitute genocide, nor has it given assurances of indemnification or reparations for the damages caused to Salvadorans.” El Salvador claimed that in the 10 days since the soccer matches began nearly 12,000 Salvadorans were forced to flee Honduras. The majority of the war consisted of bombings by plane and artillery barrages. The Salvadoran army was able to occupy some areas of land within Honduras, even coming close to the capital of Tegucigalpa before the advance was stopped. Honduras responded to the invasion with bombings of its own, targeting mostly Salvadoran oil production facilities. Estimates put the number of deaths in the war at about 4,000. The great majority of the losses were civilians. Hundreds of thousands more were forcibly displaced and made homeless. Notably, all planes used in the war by both sides were manufactured in the United States. By July 18 the Organization of American States (OAS) had intervened to negotiate a ceasefire. Fighting had stopped, but Salvadoran troops were not withdrawn from Honduras until August 2 under the pressure of OAS economic sanctions. 75 years ago: Nazis liquidate Kovno Ghetto in Lithuania On July 8, 1944, Nazi forces began the liquidation of the Kovno Ghetto in Lithuania, amid the approach of Red Army troops. The German occupiers deported thousands of Jewish people to the concentration camps of Dachau and Stutthof where they were murdered in the gas chambers of the Third Reich. Up to 2,000 others were killed at Kovno, as the Nazis destroyed the Ghetto with bombs and grenades and shot those who attempted to flee. Kovno, now Kaunas, had been the capital of Lithuania and its most densely populated city. It was occupied by German troops in June 1944, amid the Nazi invasion of the Soviet Union. The Nazi forces, along with right-wing mobs that they encouraged and mobilized, immediately began to carry out pogroms against the city’s Jewish residents, who they claimed had supported the Soviet occupation of the city. The Nazis began to construct a Ghetto for the city’s remaining Jewish population between July and August 1941. Workers, the elderly and children were rounded up and transported to two camps, which consisted of primitive houses without running water. The area was heavily guarded and was surrounded by barbed-wire fences. In October 1941, German troops destroyed the smaller of the two camps. Later in the same month, they murdered 9,200 Jews in a single day. Prior to the war, Kovno had a Jewish population of almost 40,000, or a quarter of the city’s total residents. After just six months of the German occupation, half of all Jews within the city had been killed. Those who survived the massacres were sent to workshops within the Ghetto, where they were forced to produce equipment for the German military. In 1943, the Ghetto was placed under the direct control of the SS. The notorious German unit sought to stamp-out resistance groups that had emerged within the camp, and accelerated the deportation of its remaining prisoners to the gas chambers. The liquidation of the Kovno Ghetto was one of a series of massacres carried out by German troops, amid Soviet offensives throughout 1944 and 1945 which expelled the forces of the Third Reich from Eastern Europe. 100 years ago: Red Army takes key Urals city of Zlatoust On July 13, 1919, the Red Army’s Fifth Army under the command of Mikhail Tukhachevsky took Zlatoust, a key town in the southern Urals, from the counterrevolutionary forces of Admiral Kolchak. The taking of the town was a major step in the Red Army’s counteroffensive on the Eastern Front that pushed back Kolchak’s Siberian White Army from the gains it had made during its spring offensive. Kolchak’s Siberian Army and his government were based in Omsk, on the eastern side of the Urals. The recapture by the Reds of centers such as Perm, Zlatoust, and, on July 15, the city of Yekaterinburg, not only opened the way to the Siberian plain and Omsk, but also provided the Soviet government access to major arms factories and mining operations. Kolchak’s forces were routed, despite desperate resistance by members of the former Tsarist officer corps. One historian notes: “That summer the cities of western Siberia fell like dominoes before the Red Army’s advance. White soldiers surrendered by the thousands. Others fled before they saw the enemy. As they advanced, the Reds gathered priceless rolling stock, weapons and supplies.” Leon Trotsky, in the newspaper En Route published from his armored train, declared: “Our brilliant victories in the East are of immense importance to the whole country. Very rich grain-growing regions have been opened up. The industry of the Urals has been restored to the workers and peasants. The factories of Perm and Zlatoust—and soon this will be true of those in the Yekaterinburg area as well—are working in the interest of the Red Army.” The Whites did not retreat, however, without their accustomed brutality. Shortly before they evacuated Yekaterinburg, the Whites massacred over 2,000 Jews there in a pogrom. Contribute to the fight for socialism in 2020 2019 has been a year of mass social upheaval. We need you to help the WSWS and ICFI make 2020 the year of international socialist revival. We must expand our work and our influence in the international working class. If you agree, donate today. Thank you.

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Pippa’s Passover Plate by Vivian Kirkfield An irresistibly adorable mouse tries to find her Passover plate before sundown when the Seder begins in this colorful Jewish holiday story. An enchanting mouse scours her cozy, miniature home for her Passover Seder plate with no luck. Sundown is near and the Passover celebration will begin soon. Pippa Mouse must venture out and be brave to ask a cat, a snake, and an owl for help. To her surprise not only are the animals helpful in tracing her plate to the pond, they become her Passover Seder guests. A spread at the end of the book shows the Passover plate with its six essential symbolic items: zeroah (a roasted bone), beitzah,(an egg), maror and charoset (bitter herbs), chazeret (mortar or paste), and karpas (a spring vegetable).

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Purpose of Work Appraisals Employee appraisals, or evaluations, are assessments of a worker's performance for a given period of time. Employers often assess employees once or more a year. A variety of methods are used, including the traditional top-down manager evaluation and the 360-degree appraisal, where employees receive feedback from colleagues, customers and subordinates, as well as a manager. Raise the Bar One purpose of appraisals is to compare an employee's actual performance to his job and work group goals. This not only allows the manager and employee to assess the merits of recent performance, but to also consider new goals. Company growth and employee production are optimized when employees achieve objectives and continue to raise their level of production and performance over time. Appraisals are really intended to be a part of a company's employee motivation system. By maintaining ongoing development with employees, you communicate the value of their roles. More specifically, managers can motivate by reinforcing strong performance, offering pay incentives, or delivering constructive feedback to address performance gaps. In essence, a manager helps his employees work toward goals and helps them understand areas of strengths and areas where improvement is needed. While areas of deficiency should be addressed as they arise, appraisals do provide a forum for managers to discuss learning goals with employees. These are goals which target an employee's areas of weakness and training needs to ultimately improve her performance. If an employee struggles with consistent customer service, for example, the manager might discuss options such as more one-on-one coaching or sending the employee to a service training program. One of the more important purposes of work appraisals is to allow the employer to document an employee's performance. This is useful in making promotion decisions and when demoting or terminating a poor performing employee. Evaluations come in handy when dealing with discrimination or wrongful termination lawsuits, unemployment cases, or union grievances. Formally documented performance reports, especially when signed and acknowledged by the employee, are an important defense tool for employers. - Ryan McVay/Photodisc/Getty Images

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You don’t normally see heat-training articles pop up in September, but there you have it: while Starbucks is proudly serving Pumpkin Spice Lattes, the San Francisco Bay Area is a toasty 102 degrees. A normal person would heed the heat advisory and stay in the air-conditioned comfort of their home, work out in the gym or get in that run, ride or swim before the sun rises in all its Indian Summer glory. A runner or triathlete, however, would rejoice at the opportunity to get some beneficial heat training. That’s right: I said it’s good for you. As long as you do it safely – hydrate, hydrate, listen to your body, know the signs of heat stroke or exhaustion, hydrate again! – training in hot weather can not only be fun, it could make you a better athlete in the long run. Here is why: 1. Heat adaptation improves performance In some studies, by as much as 4% to 8%. If you’re the competitive type, that might mean the difference between placing in your age group or ending your race a few seconds off the podium. 2. It increases plasma volume Plasma transports blood cells around your body. More plasma = more oxygen being carried around in your blood cells, to feed your hard-working muscles. Plasma volume decreases during prolonged exercise, so the more of it you have to begin with, the better. (Wow, I am way oversimplifying this… There is quite a bit of medical research on the topic if you prefer the legit explanation.) 3. Running on those cool race mornings will feel effortless Get used to running in the heat, and those early-morning races will feel like a breeze. And if you end up racing on a hot day, as luck would have it — well, then, you’ll be well prepared for that, right? 4. You get your full of Vitamin D A widely-cited clinical study published in the March 2010 Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism found that 59% of test subjects — healthy young women living in Southern California, at that! — were vitamin D-deficient. Crazy, right? Vitamin D is essential for bone health; insufficiency is linked to increased body fat and decreased muscle strength. Get your daily dose on a sunny run; just don’t overdo it. Wear sunscreen. 5. You’ll be so ready for long-course triathlon and those mid-day Ragnar legs! Has the thought of trying an Ironman or 70.3 entered your mind? Or are you more of a Ragnar Relay type of athlete? Nothing like mid-day runs in the heat to get your body ready for race day, when you will likely be starting your run leg smack in the middle of the day. 6. You can run sexy! OK, we’re entering the not-so-scientific portion of my list now. But how about those short-shorts you can wear without freezing your butt off, or a sexy short skirt? 7. You’ll work on your (sexy) tan 8. Other runners will think you’re crazy — and badass Among those who share your love or running, training in the middle of the day when it’s a gazillion degrees out elicits awe and respect. They probably think you’re crazy, too. But never mind that, they’ll realize how smartly you trained after you show ’em who’s boss at that next super-hot race. 9. That post-run glass of [water] has never tasted better Or Nuun. Or beer. Hey, someone has to admit it? Nothing – nothing – tastes better than a chilled glass of the amber brew (your favorite IPA?) after a super-hot, super-hard run or ride in the scorching sun. Don’t judge! 10. You may make like-minded (crazy) friends Train regularly at the hottest time of day, and you’ll notice one of two things: you’re always the only person out running; or you run into the “regulars,” others who are just as crazy as you are to venture out in the heat. Who knows, maybe you’ll make new running friends that way. Wave hello if you see me! [tweetthis]Heat wave? Bring it! Check out these 10 reasons why you should love training in the heat.[/tweetthis] Do you ever train in the heat? What are your survival tips?

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In 2004, a year after Europe’s first mission to Mars was launched, the flight dynamics team at ESA’s operations centre encountered a serious problem. New computer models showed a worrying fate for the Mars Express spacecraft if mission controllers continued with their plans to deploy its giant MARSIS (Mars Advanced Radar for Subsurface and Ionosphere Sounding) radar. This extremely sensitive radar instrument spans 40 metres across once fully extended, making it longer than a Space Shuttle orbiter and was built with the direct intention of finding water beneath Mars’ surface. By sending out a series of chips between 1.8 and 5.0 Mhz in ‘subsurface’ mode would scour the red planet for any signs of water anywhere down to a depth of a few kilometres. A secondary ‘ionosphere’ mode at 0.1 to 5.4 Mhz surveyed the electrical conductivity of the Martian upper atmosphere. Two ‘radar booms’, 20-metre long hollow cylinders, 2.5 centimetres in diameter, and one 7-metre boom, were folded up in a box like a concertina. Once the box was opened, all of the stored elastic energy from the glass fibre booms would be released, a little like a jack-in-the-box, and they would lock into a straight line. New and updated computer models, however, showed that these long rods would swing back and forth upon release with an even greater amplitude than previously thought, potentially coming into close contact with the delicate parts of the Mars Express body. Deployment was postponed Plans were made to get the spacecraft in a ‘robust’ mode before the deployment of each boom and while the glass fibre cylinders were extended. After each deployment the control team would conduct a full assessment of the spacecraft, taking up to a few days, before moving onto the next phase. The first deployment began on 4 May 2005 with one of the two 20-metre ‘dipole’ booms, and flight controllers at ESA’s operations centre quickly realised something wasn’t quite right. 12 out of 13 of the boom segments had ‘snapped’ into place, but one, possibly number 10, was not in position. Deployment of the second and third booms was postponed Further analysis showed that prolonged storage in the cold conditions of outer space had affected the fibreglass and Kevlar material of the boom. What could be done to heat it up? Enter: the Sun. Mission teams decided to swing the 680 kg spacecraft to a position that would allow the Sun to heat the cold side of the boom. It was hoped that as the cold side expanded in the heat, the unlocked segment would be forced into place. One hour later, as contact was reestablished at 04:50 CET on 11 May, detailed analysis showed all segments had successfully locked in place and Boom 1 was successfully deployed! Following the rollercoaster rollout of the first antenna, flight controllers spent some time mulling over the events. A full investigation ensued, lessons were learnt, and plans were put in place to prevent the same irregularity from taking place in the next two deployments. By 14 June 2005, operators felt confident that they, and Mars Express, were ready to deploy the second boom. At 13:30 CEST the commands were sent. This time, Mars Express was set into a slow rotation to last 30 minutes during and after the release of the second 20-metre boom. The rotation was planned so that all of the boom’s hinges would be properly heated by the Sun before, during, and after deployment. Just three hours later and the first signs of success reached ground control, showing that Mars Express had properly re-oriented itself and was pointing towards Earth, transmitting data. The data confirmed that the spacecraft was working with two fully and correctly deployed booms, and their deployment had not caused any damage to the spacecraft. Not long after, the third boom was deployed, and the full MARSIS setup was complete on Mars Express. Let the science begin Just four months later, and ESA was reporting on the radar’s activities. MARSIS radar scientists were collecting data about a highly electrically conducting layer – surveyed in sunlight. They were also continuing the laborious analysis of data in the search for any possible signs of underground water, in a frozen or liquid state. Radar science is based on the detection of radio waves, reflected at the boundaries between different materials. Each material interacts with light in a different way, so as the radio wave crosses the boundary between different layers of material, an echo is generated that carries a sort of ‘fingerprint’, providing information about the kind of material causing the reflection, including clues to its composition and physical state. The Red Planet Like Earth, Mars has two ice caps covering its poles, and early attempts to measure the composition of these regions suggested the northern cap could be composed of water ice, while the southern cap is made up of carbon dioxide ice. Later observations by the OMEGA instrument on board Mars Express suggested the southern cap was in fact composed of a mixture of carbon dioxide and water. However, it was only with the arrival of Mars Express that scientists were able to obtain direct confirmation for the first time that water ice is present at the south pole. MARSIS, the first radar sounder ever sent to orbit another planet, revealed that both polar ice caps are up to 3.5 km thick, each with a core of water ice that is covered by a layer of carbon dioxide ice, centimetres to decimetres thick. A remarkable discovery On 25 July 2018, fifteen years after its launch, it was confirmed that data from years of Mars Express’ observations were telling us something remarkable. Hidden beneath Mars’ south pole is a pond of liquid water, buried under layers of ice and dust. The presence of liquid water at the base of the polar ice caps had long been suspected, but until now evidence from MARSIS had remained inconclusive. It has taken the persistence of scientists working with this subsurface-probing instrument over years, developing new techniques in order to collect as much high-resolution data as possible to confirm such an exciting conclusion. Liquid water cannot survive on the surface of Mars, as the low atmospheric pressure causes it to evaporate in a matter of hours. But this has not always been the case. Evidence for the Red Planet’s watery past is prevalent across its surface in the form of vast dried-out river valley networks and gigantic outflow channels clearly imaged by orbiting spacecraft. Orbiters, together with landers and rovers exploring the martian surface, also discovered minerals that can only form in the presence of liquid water. Over the course of the Red Planet’s 4.6 billion year history, its climate has vastly changed, meaning scientists today have to look for water underground. We now know for certain that under its surface Mars harbours ancient masses of liquid water. Kept in a liquid state by the vast pressures from glaciers above, it is thought that this water is also a briny solution. The presence of salts on Mars could further reduce the melting point of water, keeping it liquid even at below-freezing temperatures. Dmitri Titov, ESA’s Mars Express project scientist: “This thrilling discovery is a highlight for planetary science and will contribute to our understanding of the evolution of Mars, the history of water on our neighbour planet and its habitability.” So congratulations to everyone involved in this incredible discovery, and thank you to the flight controllers at ESA’s operations centre in Darmstadt whose dedication and ingenuity 14 years ago made possible what we know today.

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While the world was still recovering from the US financial crisis, the financial markets were recently rattled by Dubai's debt crisis. Let's understand what such events of financial enormity have to teach. In order to curb the fears of recession, US Federal Reserve had kept interest rates at the lowest levels to fuel consumption demand. This led to the increase in housing demand as loans were available in bulk and cheap. The ownership ratio jumped from 64 per cent in 1994 to 69.2 per cent in 2004. On the supply front, lower interest rates gave an opportunity to banks for higher risk taking. They started to give out home loans to even those with bad/ poor credit history. This led to the development of the subprime market. As demand for housing loans increased from this market, the average difference in mortgage interest rates between subprime and prime mortgages declined from 2.8 per cent in 2001, to 1.3 per cent in 2007. Soon greed became the big cause of a bubble. The banks changed their roles from mortgage holders to loan collectors which were then sold, to the investment banks and others, thus earning them a fee in the process. The banks in the process ignored the quality of the borrowers and started lending to anyone and everyone. Sources indicate that nearly 11 per cent of the borrowers had negative or zero equity (March 2008). These bad loans were further sliced and diced into many tranches and sold to hedge funds and investment banks. As the property prices continued to move up, the bubble only got bigger. Things worsened when the US Fed raised the interest rates to 5.25 per cent to curb inflation. This led to higher mortgage payments, which in turn increased the default rates, resulting in rising foreclosures and falling housing prices. As the housing prices fell, the exotic financial instruments lost their value. The increasing redemption pressure caused double trouble for the hedge funds and investment banks as along with the problem of rising defaults, they also faced increasing losses/write offs on their assets. Many top banks went bust: On account of the above said problems, several major financial institutions that failed, were either bailed-out by governments, or merged (voluntarily or otherwise) during the crisis. The five largest US investment banks, with combined liabilities or debts of $4 trillion, either went bankrupt (Lehman Brothers), were taken over by other companies (Bear Stearns and Merrill Lynch), or were bailed-out by the US government (Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley) during 2008. Dozens of US banks received funds that were collectively worth $700 billion for a bailout. With the crisis deepening, Fed had to step in to support the economy by yet again reducing the interest rates to 2 per cent from 5.25 per cent. Recently another crisis caused the global stock market jitters. In the last week of November, the Dubai government asked its creditors to freeze repayment of debt for its two flagship firms - Dubai World and real estate developer Nakheel Dubai World. It has $60 billion in liabilities and will seek a six-month standstill on its debts with all lenders. Further, Nakheel also reported losses of more than $3.6 billion for the first half of 2009. This comes as an added shock as the company does not have the resources to pay its debt. Dubai World is negotiating with its creditors for a restructuring of $26 billion worth of debts, including $6 billion in debts owed by Nakheel. As per reports, more than half of the construction projects in the United Arab Emirates, worth $582 billion, have been put on hold. Dubai property prices had doubled between 2005 and 2008. The government had targeted an annual GDP growth of 11 per cent to 2015, which is higher than China. The dream of converting a dessert into the world class financial and tourist hub has proven very expensive. Over investment to convert every grain of sand into a real estate project has caused a desert storm. According to Mark Mobius, global investor and emerging markets fund manager, some parts of India and China could become 'next Dubai'. In his interview to Bloomberg, he indicated that considering the liquidity in the two Asian nations, there could be isolated pockets of disaster on account of over-spending and over-leveraging. While he mentioned that though the Dubai like situation would not happen tomorrow, he did say the chances of an event like that happening are very high considering the kind of money supply that's coming in and with the IPO activity that's underway. In China, there is an investment happening on a massive scale. In spite of less demand, China is making more factories and malls. As per the observers, many Chinese skyscrapers and malls are empty, with vacancy rates as high as 75 per cent. Overinvestment is not always good. In India too, during FY09 on account of global slowdown, the residential prices corrected by over 25 per cent. As per the industry, the prices in India are expected to decline further in the range of 5 to 15 per cent. Property prices had increased sharply over the past six to seven years, rising 3.4 times in normal term (quoted price) and 2.5 times in real term (transaction price) over 2001 prices. Lessons to be learnt Several global investment experts are of the view that more such bubbles are waiting to burst! Hence, as an investor one should make sure that you limit the amount of risk you are willing to shoulder. Investors should choose to cut back on risk. While you may miss some upside in the present, in the long term, you would definitely be a winner. The assumption that what is going up will always go up further, or the assumption that the bubble will never burst is very dangerous. Also free money will not always keep flowing. One day the era of free money would end. Hence one must always be careful and reduce risk in the portfolio. The quality in the portfolio must be kept in mind even though it means the returns are going to be more modest in the short term.

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5 Resources Found Policy on Children 1 November 2016 The International Criminal Court Office of the Prosecutor recognizes that most crimes under the Statute affect children in various ways, and that at times they are specifically targeted. The Office engages with children in various contexts and circumstances, notably children who are witnesses and those whose parents or caregivers have agreed to testify before the Court. In these interactions, the Office will consider the best interests, rights and well-being of children who are directly impacted by its activities. The Office will strive to ensure that its activities do no harm to the children with whom it interacts. The Office will adopt a child-sensitive approach in all aspects of its work involving children. This policy guides applying this approach. Lessons in War: Military Use of Schools and other Education Institutions during Conflict This resource outlines the military use of education institutions and the consequences of such use on students, teachers, and scholars. It includes an overview a list of initiatives to address armed forces’ and armed groups’ use of education institutions, including the UN Monitoring and Reporting Mechanism, Committee of the Rights of the Child, and voluntary commitments by non-state armed groups. It also provides relevant laws restricting the use of education institutions by armed forces and groups. The Impact of Armed Conflict on Children This resource is intended to provide training to armed non-state groups and civil society organizations on humanitarian standards and the relevant international legal framework regarding children and armed conflict. In an addition to providing an overview of key international laws and policies, this resource also explains the structure of Geneva Call’s Deed of Commitment on Children and Armed Conflict and explores implementation measures to improve child protection. Support to Former Child Soldiers: Programming and Proposal Evaluation Guide This resource provides best practices and lessons learned in programming for children affected by armed conflict, with a focus on child soldiers. In addition to an overview of the relevant international legal standards regarding the recruitment and use of children, this resource also provides a grid to evaluate proposals or design programs to support former child soldiers. Other tools include a risk probability and impact matrix and checklists on prevention, demobilization, and reintegration. Child Soldiers: Preventing, Demobilizing and Reintegrating Drawing on case studies from Angola and El Salvador, this resource provides examples, techniques and checklists on prevention, demobilization, and reintegration of child soldiers. It considers issues such as family reunification and community-based networks, psychosocial and traditional healing, and education and economic opportunity. It also includes checklists, lessons learned, and the international legal framework. Filter resources by CAC Accountability Components Submit a resource

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May 7, 2019 Remembering the Bard of Bengal “Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high, where knowledge is free. Where the world has not been broken up into fragments by narrow domestic walls. In to that heaven of freedom, my father, Let my country awake!” ― Rabindranath Tagore, Gitanjali: Song Offerings Rabindranath Tagore, author of the ‘profoundly sensitive, fresh and beautiful verse’ of Gitanjali became the first non-European to win the Nobel Prize in Literature (1913). The prolific artist enticed the Bengali audience with his wide-ranging poetry, stories, paintings which overturned the conventional ideas and practices in the society. Tagore’s assertive viewpoints on nationalism and his understanding of the feelings and emotions of the Indian woman and the attitude towards them in his works were remarkable. The tendency to question and contest ways of the world lead to the discontent with the formal education system. Thus, In 1901 he founded an experimental school in rural West Bengal at Shantiniketan, where he sought to blend the best in the Indian and Western traditions, which became Visva-Bharati University in 1921. Tagore is also referred to as ‘The Bard of Bengal’. He modernised Bengali art by rejecting rigid classical forms and resisting linguistic limits. It was not just the structural alterations that Tagore initiated but also the thematic concerns. His works moved towards a stronger sense of realism by liberating the Bengali novel from its bondage of historical romance. His novels, stories, songs, dance-dramas, and essays spoke of topics, political and personal, and were popularly known for their lyricism, naturalism, and unnatural contemplation. Tagore’s novels are a radical statement of his unusual viewpoint which were ahead of the conservative times of 19th and 20th century India. Gora (1909), Ghare-Baire (1916), Choker Bali (1903) are some of his best-known novels. There have been several attempts to translate Tagore’s body of work into English, making it accessible to non-Bengali readers. In fact, Tagore himself translated many of his works into English. Here’s a quick glance into some of Gurudev’s most popular novels: CHOKHER BALI (1903) Chokher Bali was truly a norm-defying novel with a narrative shaped through passion, desires and an intricate network of relationships. Tagore’s novels condemned many taboos and unjust customs which deprived widows of their rightful existence; confined to live a mournful colourless life. Chokher Bali presents the woeful conditions of Hindu widows and the emergence of a new type of woman in quest of self-fulfillment through Binodini, the protagonist of the novel. An extra-marital affair with a widow and the closer depiction of female friendship in the novel created a ripple in the society by shattering the conventional identity of a widow as well as unsettling the idea of a successful married life. Tagore’s longest novel, Gora, is a complex narrative with a rich philosophical debate on religion and politics. The concerns raised in the novel about the imagination of a nation seem very contemporary and compels one to question their concrete beliefs about a nation. The protagonists in the novel portray through their personal principles, a struggle for values in one’s own tradition. The novel accommodates questioning of various binaries like tradition and modernity, elite and the poor and presents an intersection of caste, religion, gender with nationalism. GHARE BAIRE (1916) The novel standing true to its title literally captures the concerns of the home, the outer world and the inter-relationship of both these spaces. The power dynamics within a household and the conflict between true and false patriotism within the nation form the prominent thematic thread of the novel. Influence of Western culture, as well as the revolution against it particularly in Bengal owing to the Swadeshi movement and the Partition of Bengal, comes across through personal narratives of the characters in the novel. The position of women in the Indian freedom struggle is examined through the woman protagonist who through the development of the novel undergoes a transformation. Tagore negotiates the various ideas of a ‘modern woman’ within a nationalistic scenario. SHESHER KABITA (1929) Shesher Kabita is considered a landmark in Bengali literature. The novel primarily is about man-woman relationships and the institution of marriage. Tagore yet again shows a masterly command of the trysts of human relationships. The themes of love, trust, passion, lust, and companionship keep the narrative intact. Tagore has brilliantly weaved poetry with prose in this novel. The fusion of the two forms adds to the creative beauty in exploring the ideas of platonic love. Tagore’s choice of ending the novel in an unconventional manner suggested a new way of looking at relationships. As we celebrate the birth of this multifaceted and revolutionary artist today, let us revisit and cherish the timeless contributions which altered the way our society and world thinks. Remembering the literary genius who weaved beauty and purpose in the most beautiful way.

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Hyundai develops first machine learning based cruise control Hyundai Motor Group announced the development of the world’s first Machine Learning based Smart Cruise Control, a technology that incorporates the driver’s patterns into its self-driving behavior. The technology incorporates artificial intelligence within the ADAS feature. The system is planned for implementation in future Hyundai Motor Group vehicles. Smart Cruise Control (SCC) enables an essential self-driving feature and core technology for ADAS: maintaining distance from the vehicle ahead while traveling at the speed selected by the driver. Through machine learning, Smart Cruise Control autonomously drives in an identical pattern as that of the driver. Hyundai Motor Group’s independently developed SCC-ML operates as follows: First, sensors, such as the front camera and radar, constantly acquire driving information and send it to the centralized computer. The computer then extracts relevant details from the gathered information to identify the driver’s patterns. An artificial intelligence technology called machine learning algorithm is applied during this process. The driving pattern can be categorized into three parts: distance from preceding vehicles, acceleration (how quickly it accelerates), and responsiveness (how quickly it responds to driving conditions). In addition, driving conditions and speeds are considered as well. Considering these various conditions, SCC-ML makes analysis to distinguish over 10 thousand patterns, developing a flexible Smart Cruise Control technology that can adapt to any driver’s patterns. The driving pattern information is regularly updated with sensors, reflecting the driver’s latest driving style. In addition, SCC-ML is programmed specifically to avoid learning unsafe driving patterns, increasing its reliability and safety.

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Having your child use resources from online to practice counting is a great way to engage your child. Using technology is engaging and motivational for children. When playing learning games online they get immediate feedback whether their answer is correct or not correct. Many games also provide instruction materials to build foundational skills as the child plays. Block counting is an online counting game using blocks. Initially the game starts off fairly easily with just counting the number of blocks you see on the screen. It then becomes more difficult because they stack the blocks sometimes even in a manner where children will have to recognize that there are blocks stacked behind other blocks. I would recommend this game for second graders and up. AAA Math has counting games for children of all ages. This website separates the games by specific counting concepts they should learn at each grade level. At the top of the homepage, select the grade level of your child and then it will provide a list of the games that are provided by topic. There are many varieties of counting games including topics like skip counting, counting numbers to 100, counting down, and finding the next number. Another way you can work with your child online when building math skills is by searching math videos on You Tube. There are many creative video resources to help children learn their skills through rhyme, tips, or tricks. One great video for transition counting is called Over the Hump and Jump. The cute rhymes and animations help child to learn about counting between transitions when numbers change, for example, from 9 to 10 and 19 to 20. Math Curriculum and Math Games by Smart Tutor Article by Laura VanHellemont Photo By Jim Sneddon

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Oils is a mixture of various types of triglycerides. When oil reacts with alkali solution, sodium salt of fatty acids and glycerin are obtained. A blend of hard oil and soft oil is used for making soap. Soap can be obtained by following process. For getting soap by full boiled process from oil the soap is grained out of the mixture by adding brine solution. The soap separates out of the mixture. The soap mixture is then allowed to settle overnight. The soap mixture gets separated into different layer. The top layer is soap and bottom layer is spent lye and glycerin. The top layer is drained and again boiled and washed with water, alkali is added to saponify any un-reacted fat present in the soap. The full boiled process takes about 48 hours. Best soap is obtained by this process. In semi boiled process of making soap from oil the glycerin formed is not separated but it is retained in the soap. So the process is simple and short as no settling is involved. Cold process of making soap involves the reaction at room temperature. This process is suitable for some oil only. Nowadays trend is to make soap from fatty acid blend. The fatty acids are obtained on splitting of triglycerides. Glycerin is separated during the process of splitting. Soap is obtained directly by neutralization of fatty acids. It requires less skill. The process is fast and requires less heat. Completely boiled and neutral mixture in form of paste obtained from the above processes is drained out manually with bucket and allowed to cool in molds. Saponification can be carried out by following two process :- Manual Process :- The Saponification pan is a hemispherical vessel made of mild steel. This process is a manual process and requires constant stirring. Saponification pan is heated at the bottom by means of fire wood. Diesel firing can also be provided. Boiling is a batch type process. Boiling mixture is continuously stirred for homogenous mixing with help of crutches. Boiling is carried out till complete neutralization is obtained. The soap is then taken to drying section for further process. Mechanized Process :- Saponification of oil or fat can also be carried in a Saponification vessel which is having a conical end at the bottom. Heating is done by steam coming out of the holes in the spiral pipe. The steam jet also stirs the mass of soap. Since the heating is done by steam there are no chance of burning of soap which sticks to the walls of vessel. For full boiled process brine solution is added which will separate the soap into layers. After the mixture is settled the spent lye is drained and the soap is again washed and boiled. When fatty acids are used the neutralized mixture is directly taken to drying section for further process. LAUNDRY SOAP MAKING PAGE Our Other Products COOKING OIL REFINERY : ROTARY COLD PRESS : POPCORN MAKER : COOKING OIL MACHINERY

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Dance is defined as the art of movement. It can be used to express feelings, to exercise, to perform, and some can even interact and have nonverbal conversation though the art of dance. Dance is usually performed through the rhythm and beat of music, but it doesn’t necessarily have to involve music. Sports even sometimes incorporate a certain dance, or type of dance. For example, a martial arts kata is simply a series of movements put together to be performed with the grace and strength of a dance. Dance is also used in sports such as synchronized swimming, ice skating, and gymnastics. There are many types of dance, ballet, tap, jazz, hip-hop, modern, and contemporary just to name a few. Most people can’t go through the day without seeing a type of dance performed in some way. Whether its seeing kids dance at a prom, a person walking down the street moving to the beat of their iPod, or simply turning on the television, it’s something that’s in our everyday lives. But have you ever wondered where it all started, or how it became what it is today? It was believed that dancing was a ritual in early ancient civilizations; priests would dance to the rhythm of harps and pipes to tell stories to the ancient gods, people also danced at funerals to express their sorrow. Around this same time period ballet was beginning to evolve in France. As it continued to spread through Italy, England, and Russia, it became a concert dance, which is often, even today, seen in movies and events all over the world. Dancing has continued to blossom into what it is today, and the best way to show how it has become what it is today, is though film. One of the first movies that involved sing and dance was the 1952 film, Singing in the Rain, starring Gene Kelly, Donald O’Connor and Debbie Reynolds. This movie was more of a Broadway musical, but it is one of the first movies that involved dance at all. The most famous part of this movie is when the main character, Don Lockwood (Gene Kelly), dances through the streets with an umbrella as he twirls and sings the title song. He then grabs onto a pole and swings around it continuing to sing. During the filming of this scene he had a 103 degree fever, but thanks to the help of the camera crew, this scene only had to be shot one time. After the production of this movie, dancing became the new craze. Dances such as, the Bop, the Stroll and the Swing became popular. Also when the song “Willy and The Hand Jive” was released, it stayed at the top of the charts for 16 weeks. Poodle skirts and pony-tails were the style, and “Do Wop” music was what everyone wanted to hear. The 60’s rolled around quickly and with a new decade, came new traditions. A brand new dance became the new trend. In 1960 Chubby Checker released his song entitled “The Twist.” The Twist was the first Rock & Roll dance in which partners didn’t have to touch each other. The Twist was once said to be like, “putting out a cigarette with both feet and drying off your bottom with a towel to the beat of the music.” It was performed with the feel shoulder width apart, standing straight up, with the arms fully extended and slightly bent at the elbows. Then the next move was simply to twist the body back and forth. Other popular dances during this time period were the Mashed Potato, the Monkey, and the Madison. The “Baby Boomers” definitely played a role in all the dance explosion of the 60’s. Throughout the end of this decade many of these dances were seen in movie productions and on Broadway. Next we enter the retro years of the 70’s, KC and the Sunshine Band topped the charts, and Disco was the new craze. Everyone was aware that sooner or later the sex appeal of disco would make its way to the film industry. There isn’t a movie that shows this better than Saturday Night Fever starring, John Travolta and Karen Lynn Gorney. Saturday Night Fever became an instant box office hit with the famous dance by John Travolta to the Bee Gee’s smash hit Stayin’ Alive. Disco was one of the fast dances of the decade, with 110-140 bmp (beats per minute). It wasn’t long before everyone wanted to become a part of the raging disco scene, eventually groups such as Kiss, and The Rolling Stones, and people like Cher and Rod Stewart were all in on the fun. As the years passed Broadway musicals became popular for a short period of time. After the great success of Hair in 1970, movies continued to make it from Broadway to the big screen. Grease, All That Jazz, and Dreamgirls, just to name a few. Toward the end of the 70’s came the first big Broadway film to hit the box office. Grease hit the cinemas in 1978 and it soon became a dance sensation. The dances from this film are often recreated in dance classes, at recitals, shows and other events; some of these dances are even trademarked. This movie was not only a musical it was also very popular for its energetic cast and it’s “feel good” love story. One of the most famous dance moves from this movie was “The Hand Jive.” Since then there have been many different variations of how it is done. Grease is one musical that has been said to “never get old” with the catchy songs and the disco and jive moves of John Travolta. Grease produced one of the best selling soundtracks in the world. Also, once Grease went to Broadway, it was one of the longest running musicals of all time, until Cats overtook it just recently. The next movie of the 70’s that shows a definite change in the music and dance of the decade was All That Jazz in 1979. This film starring Roy Scheider and Jessica Lange is based on the aspects of a dancer, a choreographer, and a director’s life and career. It was inspired by the director’s effort to edit a film, while also staging a 1975 musical Chicago. This film closed out the 1970’s with a “bang.” It was awarded many honors, and four Oscars. Also, in 2001, the United States deemed the film “culturally significant” and it is now preserved in the National Film Registry. So to wrap up the 70’s the Twist, the Bump, the Jitterbug, the Hustle and the Swing were all very popular dances, but through these years nothing compared to the Americans love for the Disco. It was the last immensely popular move driven by the baby boomers generation, but soon enough came the 80’s and with a new decade came new traditions, fashions, and of course a brand new dance. The 80’s was definitely one of the best decades for new dance moves, and movies that portrayed this. From the musicals like Fame and Footloose, to the break dancing skills showed in the film Breakin’, a rewind of 70’s disco in Saturday Night Fever, the mambo and freestyle dance of Dirty Dancing, to the unusual dance moves of the extremely popular Michael Jackson. The 80’s was another step to make dancing what it is today. These 10 years were some of the best in dance history. One of the first 1980’s dance movies to earn a spot in the all-time movies hall of fame is Fame (1980), starring Eddie Barth, Irene Cara and Laura Dean. Fame mainly took part at a Performing Arts Academy, with many great performances. Fame is considered a musical with a large amount of singing and dancing. It was awarded 3 honors, 2 Oscars, as well as 16 other nominations. It wasn’t a huge hit, but it still remembered by some and it showed how the sing and dance of this time period was done. 1983’s Flashdance was a major pop culture influence, with a style of its own. This film is the story of a Pittsburgh woman (Jennifer Beals) that juggles two jobs, one as a welder, and the other as an exotic dancer. Of course, during this time exotic dancing wasn’t twirling on a pole and taking off clothes, it was much different. She longs to make a career of her dancing and apply to a ballet school, but doesn’t have to confidence in her skills to apply. Flashdance had a worldwide box-office gross of 100 million, won 10 honors, one Oscar, and was nominated for 13 other nominations. This was a very stylish movie that entertained millions with the 80’s pop music and new dance moves. Flashdance popularized the dance of the 80’s with many new hit songs and dances. The next movie that shows an evolution in the dance moves of the 80’s is actually a sequel to the 1977 movie Saturday Night Fever. Stayin’ Alive was a 1983 movie starring John Travolta, Cynthia Rhodes, and Finola Hughes. This film begins five years later with the main character, Tony Manero, dancing on the weekend nights at a disco club to run from his problems. Eventually he decides to leave his life as a dance instructor and club waiter to pursue a career on Broadway. He ends up getting the lead role in a Broadway show called Satan’s Alley. This film brought in 65 million, it was a lot less than its predecessor in 1977, but it managed to be one of the top 10 successful movies of the 80’s. In 1984 Kevin Bacon’s moves and energy made one of the best “high budget” dance movies of the 80’s. Footloose combines great dance music with dancers and a story of a guy that came from a big city, to a small town where dance is banned. Jazz, Hip-hop and freestyle were the main dances of choice throughout this film. Around this time in the 80’s Footloose was a rival to Flashdance, but it was said many times that Footloose was definitely the favorite for most people. This film starring not only Kevin Bacon, but Lori Singer and John Lithgow as well, brought in 80 million, it was nominated for 2 Oscars and 4 other nominations. The next 1984 movie was one of the “lower budget” movies, and according to some, it put some of the “higher budget” movies to shame. Breakin’ was one of those movies that were very different than what most people were used to. Unlike most movies, it used talented dancers, rather than talented actors to dance. The difference with this movie rather than most during the 80’s was that it’s a celebration of dance; it doesn’t really have any particular style it was more of a freestyle dance movie. This movie was about a jazz dancer named Kelly (Lucinda Dickey) that meets two break dancers who combine their dance styles. Although the acting wasn’t great, the dancing definitely made up for it. The sequel was released a year later, but it wasn’t near the hit as this one. Because this movie wasn’t like the traditional movies of the 80’s it was only nominated for one award and it only brought in 38 million, however this movie was also very different than the rest during this time period that was a major factor in the downfall. In the film industry of the 80’s one of the biggest successes was Dirty Dancing. This is a 1987 film starring Patrick Swayze, Jennifer Grey and Cynthia Rhodes. Personally this is my absolute favorite movie of all time. Something that most people don’t know was that Dirty Dancing was a true story based on the screenwriter, Eleanor Bergstein’s own childhood. This movie was the story of a 17 year old girl and her family who goes on vacation at a resort, eventually Baby Housman (Jennifer Gray) falls in love with the resorts dance instructor (Patrick Swayze), while her family strongly disapproves. She spends her entire summer with him as he teaches her to dance. When this film was finished and about to be put in theatres the directors and cast were informed that this film would be a huge “flop” and possibly one of the worst films made during this time period. Little did they know that Dirty Dancing is considered today, “the best dance movie ever made” and it would still be the favorite of many people today. As of 2007 this film earned $213.9 million worldwide, and it was the first home video to sell more than a million copies. The Dirty Dancing soundtrack also produced two multi-platinum albums and multiple singles. This film went on to win an Oscar, as well as 9 other awards, and 5 nominations. Although there wasn’t a movie about the dance styles of Michael Jackson, I believe that he played a major part in the shift of styles in the 80’s. Michael Jackson’s career was booming with new dances, songs and styles during this time. In 1982 his album “Thriller” still remains today, the bestselling album of all time, and remained on the Billboard 200 peak position for 37 weeks straight. It contained 7 top ten hits, and it was only a 9 track album. “We Are the World” and “Bad” were also big hits during this time period, making music and dance even more popular. As the 80’s continued Michael Jackson was said to be one of the biggest stars of the world. He popularized dances such as the Moonwalk, the Kick, the Soulful Robot and the Never-Ending Spin. The 80’s has been said to be “the decade of dance,” there was break dancing, the Worm, the Moonwalk and more. During the 80’s the dancing definitely took a step up to what it is for most people today. Also, many movies through these 10 years showed a change in the dance styles. The beginning of the 90’s dance styles was very similar to the 80’s. Michael Jackson was still popular; the same dance movies were being watched over and over; and most people were still stuck in their 80’s ways of life. As the 1990’s continued dance moves such as the Macarena, the Cha Cha Slide, the Running Man, and the Electric Slide. One of the first dance movies in a long time came out in the year 2000, Center Stage, starring Amanda Schull, Zoe Saldana and Peter Gallagher was one of those dance movies with a plot that “wasn’t so good”, but the dancing was excellent. This film revisits styles of ballet, Broadway dancing, and disco, and blends together styles of its own. It also shows the difficulty and common issues of professional dancing and how some people cope with the stress without computer special effects. The next movie isn’t exactly a “dance” movie, but it shows how dancing has recently been incorporated into other activities, such as cheerleading. Bring it On was the 2000; film starring Kirsten Dunst, Eliza Dushku and Gabrielle Union. Bring it On shows how cheerleading involves dance as well, and how had dance has spread to other activities. Not only does cheerleading involve dancing, but many other sports too, such as synchronized swimming it’s nothing more than a dance in water, or figure skating. Even professional football players are sent to ballet classes to obtain balance and poise. This is an excellent film that shows the importance of dancing in sports such as cheerleading. The year 2004 takes us to a memorable movie where the style changes to ballroom dance. Shall We Dance shows many types of ballroom dance, like the Waltz, Quickstep and Tango. This film was first a Japanese film, but this version starring Jennifer Lopez, Richard Gere, and Susan Sarandon, is the story of a workaholic lawyer who is getting bored with his daily routine, and he decides to take ballroom dance classes to make his life a little more interesting. As the time he dances continues he finds joy in it more and more. This film brought in 57.8 million dollars and was nominated for 4 awards. The next film takes us back to the musicals of the 70’s and 80’s, Hairspray, starring Zac Efron, John Travolta, Amanda Bynes, Queen Latifah and Michelle Pfeiffer was the fourth highest grossing musical film in US cinema history, behind Grease, Chicago and Momma Mia! This film is set in Baltimore in 1963; the story is about a plump teenager Tracy Turnblad (Nikki Blonsky) who seeks stardom as a dancer on a local television show. The 1988 original version of Hairspray earned 6.6 million and was nominated for 4 awards, while the 2007 version earned 188.8 million in the box office, was nominated for 3 Golden Globes, won 12 other awards, and had 18 other nominations. This was an energetic dance movie, much like Grease, with plenty of heart, it was said to make people “want to get up and sing and dance.” The final and most recent successful 2006 dance movie is very similar to Dirty Dancing. Step Up, starring Channing Tatum and Jenna Dewan, is a perfect example of what dance has become today. Step Up is the story of a privileged ballet dancer who meets a free style dance rebel with a dream of making it in the real world of dance. In this film there was a mix of hip-hop, ballet, modern and break dancing to make this film perfect for this list of movies that helped our styled evolve today. This movie earned 65.3 million in the box office, and won one award and was nominated for 3 other awards. Things have definitely changed from the 1950’s until today, but one thing in common with all of these movies is the real message; follow your dreams, and never give up on the things that you want. Another thing that all these movies have in common, it that it gives most people the urge to get up and dance.

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Omni Enviro's proprietary Hydrodynamic Magnetic Resonance technology explained: A water molecule consists of one oxygen and two hydrogens. Thus: H2O. Simply put, the oxygen act as a negative, while each hydrogen acts as a positive. Water molecules do not travel alone. They form clusters with other water molecules by the attraction of a positive hydrogen of one molecule to the negative oxygen of another. Water molecule clusters come in many sizes, depending on the number of water molecules involved. In the case of water that has not been magnetically structured, the water molecule clusters are generally comprised of many water molecules that are loosely attracted. This loose and chaotic form of attraction allows for toxins and pollutants to travel inside the water molecule cluster. As these water molecule clusters pass by the cell membrane, many of them are sloughed off because they are too large or because of the toxins contained, which the plant is programmed to reject.The smaller of these chaotic clusters will enter the cell, some carrying toxins with them. It requires a great deal of unstructured water to hydrate a plant. Magnetic field, when applied to normal water, restructures the water molecules into very small water molecule clusters, each made up of six symmetrically organized molecules. This miniscule cluster is recognized by the cell as "bio-friendly" due to its hexagonal structure and because the toxins cannot travel within the cluster, and easily enters the passageways in plant and animal cell membranes. The result provides maximum, healthy hydration with less water. Benefits of Magnetized Water Benefits to Plants Magnetic field further breaks down minerals into smaller particles making them more bio-available to the plant cells. The bottom line results are dramatic: maximum hydration of healthy water with greater uptake of minerals results in greater yields, larger and better end product, earlier maturation, longer shelf life, and healthier plants. It allows a reduction of amount of water needed, fertilizer and pesticides. Since the magnetic structuring breaks all minerals into smaller particles, salt in the soil is broken down by the structured water, causing it to sink deep into the soil, away from plant roots, and wash away. The desalinization happens quickly over a season, creating much healthier plants, greater yields, and better final product. Since the hexagonal water molecule cluster won't allow the bonding of minerals to it, magnetically structured water removes scaling from pipes and won't allow new scaling to take effect. The Omni Enviro H2O ENERGIZER is a simple flange containing powerful, specific inductance magnet tubes that restructure the water and minerals passing through them into a more fulfilling and productive bio-available form. Benefits to People Many natural as well as man-made influences have affected the molecular structure of our water supply. Environmental waste, toxins, and minerals – as well as chemical additives that treat our municipal water supply – combine to produce “dead water.” You can try to filter and purify this water, but it cannot be biologically active without the application of magnetic resonance. By improving the ability of our drinking water to dissolve compounds, we can increase its oxygen content. This enhancement, in turn, makes natural nutrients more readily available to our bodies. In addition, Magnetized Water has increased alkalinity, which helps to regulate the body’s pH level. Benefits to Our Environment Finally, by safely and efficiently activating existing water supplies, we practice water conservation and environmental sustainability. What is Good Water? It’s funny how one word can have so many different meanings. For example, when “good” is used to describe water, what are all the possibilities of that meaning? It could mean sweet tasting. Or it could mean soft. To many it could mean bottled. To some, it means you can see through it. To others, it’s an acceptable color of tan. Or brown. At Omni Enviro, our starting point for “good” water means it actually enters the cellular structure of the plant or animal. Water that doesn’t hydrate, isn’t “good” water as far as we’re concerned. After all, the number one reason for illness in all living things world-wide is dehydration. Since hydration is the basis for cellular health and vigor, then that’s our starting point. (We add a lot of other benefits that make “good” water the “best” water, but we’ll get to that in a minute.) Here’s the hard part to swallow: A lot of sweet tasting, soft, bottled water doesn’t hydrate very well. Even if you can see through it. That’s because many of the water molecule clusters are too large to enter the cellular structure of the plant or animal. Unfortunately, that sort of “good” water passes right by the cells. But when water is processed through the hydrodynamic magnets of the Omni system, the oversized water molecule clusters are broken down into miniscule units, with only six water molecules in each cluster. That incredibly small size is completely bioavailable to the cellular structure, able to easily enter the cells and more fully hydrate. If the idea of water being broken down into clusters of six water molecules seems foreign to you, just look at a snowflake, the basic unit of frozen water. How many legs does a snowflake have? Six. To try to give an idea of how small that is in comparison with typical, untreated water molecule clusters, it’s like comparing flour to sand. Now, back to hydration. Full hydration balances typical negative elements that might be hiding out in the cells, making them nonfactors in terms of negative influence. Full hydration in plants creates healthier, more robust plants that produce greater yields and require less water, since every drop of Omni water hydration is capable of entering cells. In humans, full hydration means a boost in the immune system because of the speedier, more efficient delivery of nutrients and removal of toxins from those cells. It degasses chlorine, chloramine, and fluoride, making them non-interactive with the body. For all living things, this water breaks down minerals into smaller units and holds them in suspension, so they more effectively enter the cells. Examples of animal health: Omni water reduced the mortality rate of chickens by 200-300%. It created larger litters of piglets that grew to maturity faster. Examples of plant health: Omni water increased the yield on a test plot of spinach by 35%; provided 100 more boxes of sweet corn per acre (27% increase); produced increases of broccoli by 21%, lettuce by 24%, and 606 more melons per acre. Now THAT’S “good” water. And that’s why you don’t need as much of it to do a better job. It’s why we can guarantee a minimum 10% increase in yield for a minimum of 10% less water used. But Omni water gets even better than just “good.” It won’t allow scaling—and even removes scaling. It washes salts away from the root structure of the plant. It balances pH. And much more. The benefits go on and on. The bottom line? We deliver healthier, hydrating water. That’s where “good” begins.

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LTG Research projects 25. OER Impact Study We have heard a great deal about the production of open educational resources (OER); however, until recently we knew very little about how they are actually being used by lecturers in their teaching and by students in their learning. This usage was the focus of a joint study by the LTG and the Technology-Assisted Lifelong Learning Unit (TALL) in the Department for Continuing Education. We used in-depth interviews and workshops to elicit the factors conducive to uptake and sustained practice in the use of OER, as well as some of the barriers. Although there now exists a substantial body of high-quality learning resources in some disciplines, a critical mass of useful and usable materials has yet to be reached in others, while pedagogic intent, granularity and preserving one's distinctive 'teaching voice' are common concerns. Yet a groundswell in favour of openness, and a receptivity to licensed resources from other institutions, are unmistakable. - Duration: November 2010-June 2011 - Funded by the JISC/HE Academy Open Educational Resources Programme, Phase 2

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TITUSVILLE, Fl. – A groundbreaking new study published by NASA suggests intelligent extraterrestrial life forms could speak and understand English and would likely use it as their primary form of communication. The results of the study, which NASA conducted using an advanced mathematical algorithm, are said to have an accuracy rating of 99.98 percent. “This is a major breakthrough. Not just for the scientific community but for humanity as a whole,” explained the study’s lead researcher, Dr. Bishop Shaw. “This proves without a doubt that the English language is not only synonymous with the advancement of human civilization but also plays an essential role in the advancement of civilized worlds far beyond our galaxy.” While most experts agree that the likelihood of an extraterrestrial encounter is extremely low, scientists affiliated with NASA’s Planetary Defense Coordination Office (PDCO) say the discovery of a shared form of communication may increase the chance of peaceful contact. “In this case, it’s extremely important that we differentiate between American and British English,” said Dr. Elizabeth Bolt, the PDCO’s chief advanced linguistics specialist. “While British English predates its American cousin by over two thousand years, it is often perceived as condescending and could be interpreted as hostile.” Dr. Bishop Shaw’s team of highly skilled engineers and scientists factored several other languages including Spanish, Chinese, Russian, and Arabic into the equation but according to Dr. Shaw, they each yielded probabilities of less than three percent. “Suffice to say we don’t need to press One for English in space,” Dr. Shaw told The Scientific American before adding that NASA has already issued a mandate making American English the mandatory language of the International Space Station. On Tuesday, White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders announced that the North American Aerospace Command has begun preparations to shoot down approximately five hundred satellites currently orbiting Earth on the grounds that they may contain recordings and messages composed in languages other than American English. “Keeping that sort of outdated technology in space is counterproductive to the future of space exploration,” Sanders told reporters.

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When we contemplate our place in the universe, sometimes it helps to look out into the cosmos and try to wrap our minds around the unimaginable number of planets, stars and galaxies. Astronomers have estimated that there is way over 100 billion planets and stars in the Milky Way alone, and over 100 billion galaxies in the observable universe, all with billions and billions of alien suns and planets. The possibilities are endless and can entertain our imagination for countless hours until our brains almost explode. Spectacular jets powered by the gravitational energy of a supermassive black hole in the core of the elliptical galaxy Hercules A illustrate the combined imaging power of two of astronomy's cutting-edge tools, the Hubble Space Telescope's Wide Field Camera 3, and the recently upgraded Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array (VLA) radio telescope in New Mexico. As we sit on our hunk of rock somewhere in the outskirts of the Milky Way, we have no way to see ourselves from the outside. The Triangulum Galaxy helps us to imagine what we could look like. It is the third-largest member of the Local Group of galaxies, which includes the Milky Way, the Andromeda Galaxy and about 30 other smaller galaxies. This galactic wonder is one of the most distant permanent objects that can be viewed with the naked eye. At first glance this image taken by Hubble immediately invokes mind-blowing awe and wonder. THIS is out there in our universe. Hubble tells us the story of the galaxy in which it focused it's gaze. This is galaxy NGC 4522. It is one of about 1,300 galaxies racing around each in the Virgo galaxy cluster. Speeding through space it is being stripped of it's gas content. Every one of the galaxies visible in this incredible image has it's own story. Each one is filled with hundreds of billions of other suns with perhaps trillions of planets. What are their stories? Observations with NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory have revealed a massive cloud of multimillion-degree gas in a galaxy about 60 million light years from Earth. The hot gas cloud is likely caused by a collision between a dwarf galaxy and a much larger galaxy called NGC 1232. If confirmed, this discovery would mark the first time such a collision has been detected only in X-rays, and could have implications for understanding how galaxies grow through similar collisions. The Hubble Space Telescope has wowed us again, this time with an image of a galactic dance between two galaxies. As the pair get closer to each other their original shapes are stretched and pulled promoting imagination and wonder to all who view them. Some have said they look like a penguin or hummingbird. What do you see? This is the newest image gifted to us Earthlings by the Hubble Space Telescope, a tale of two galaxies merged together as one. Catalogued as 2MASX J05210136-2521450 this majestic galactic treasure is certainly deserving of a more exciting name. As it's bright nucleus shines inside a cocoon of brightly lit swirls of hot dust and gas new stars are flashing into life.

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Science behind the gaming thrill Although not necessarily an innate part of the human psyche, the popularity of gambling has endured since ancient times. Online gambling is more accessible, fairer and safer than ever before, so the love affair with attempting to predict the unpredictable looks set to continue. Of course, the most obvious attraction of playing any game of chance or skill for money is the prospect of winning relatively large sums for a small initial outlay or, in effect, ‘something for nothing’. This is especially true of some forms of gambling, such as poker, which offer the – albeit mistaken – belief that the bettor can use skill to influence the outcome. Poker is a game that combines skill, strategy and a massive amount of chance. Professional poker players rely on their success in tournament poker to earn a living, so gamble by necessity. Some non-professional poker players, on the other hand, play simply for thrill of winning; any money they earn simply provides confirmation of their achievements in a game where success is hard to come by. However, for many other tournament poker players, winning is not the be-all and end-all of the experience. Other motivations for gambling on poker, which include escapism, fun and enjoyment and socialising, depend on the individual, but there are other, purely physiological, reasons why gambling is a pleasurable experience. The risk-taking element of playing tournament poker stimulates the secretion of adrenalin and endorphins – hormones that heighten the senses and can induce feelings of euphoria – so, win or lose, tournament poker players may still experience an emotional ‘high’. Whatever their motivation for playing tournament poker in the first place, players should be conscious of the fact that, while they may need to improvise their strategy from time to time, certain basic principles always apply. - Science of pleasure in rewards - Give your brain a workout with poker - Challenge yourself with a game - Science behind the gaming thrill - The Science Behind Ageing - Exercise Your Brain with Sports Betting - Help with getting out of depression - Does Happy Thoughts Create a Happy Life? - What are embryonic stem cells? - Stem Cell Culture - Laminin at Biolamina - About stem cells

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Revealing the Structure of the Universe We know that visible universe is calculated to be 13.8 billion years old from evidence based on extensive studies using a plethora of techniques and technologies. The resulting prevailing theory is that the universe initiated with the “big bang” from which all matter, energy, and radiation in the cosmos was created. In this model, the universe expanded, first as a tremendous fireball of energy and later, as it continued expanding, was permeated with radiation and eventually coalesced into matter consistent with current observational evidence. The earliest matter seen by the Hubble Space Telescope was formed a few million years after the big bang event. HST has been used to sample the structure and the contents of the universe through a variety of observations. The Deep Fields commenced with the Hubble Deep Field (HDF) in 1996 and include several other observing campaigns, such as the infrared Deep Field, the Hubble Ultra Violet Ultra Deep Field (2014), and the Hubble Deep UV (HDUV) Legacy Survey (2018). These Deep Fields have unveiled the details of evolving universe, track the birth of stars for billions of years, and document the cosmos’ busiest star-forming period, which happened about 3 billion years after the big bang. The latest comprehensive observations, combined with other space- and ground-based data, trace the universe’s evolutionary history. The Deep Fields have been long exposures consisting of direct imaging of pencil beams probing the universe, dissected as “core samples” yielding information about the contents of the universe at deeper and deeper distances (earlier and earlier in cosmic history). To extend the detection capability of HST, gravitational lenses, created by massive clusters of galaxies, have been used to extend the reach of HST observations to earlier cosmological times. In addition, the Frontier Fields observations have served to refine gravitational lensing models, lead to a discovery of a background supernova and a prediction of its reappearance (confirmed), detection of ever more distant QSOs, and determination of galaxy morphologies early on in cosmological history. Refinement of the Cosmic Distance Scale and Hubble Constant A major goal of HST, as proposed for funding, was to determine the expansion rate of the universe and the implied age of the visible cosmos. With Hubble data, the expansion rate of the universe (H0) has been determined to better than 2.2% accuracy (astonishing since 10% was the goal). This rate, in 2018, is determined to 2.2% precision by combining HST and Gaia data. The value, or rate of expansion of 73.5 ±1.6 km/sec corresponds to an age for the universe of 13.8 billion years. While HST and other observations were used to create a robust distance ladder based on nearby parallax, Cepheid variables, and distant supernovae, the acceleration of the universe was uncovered resulting in the idea of Dark Energy. In addition, the ever-improving expansion determination has spawned intrigues in physics: besides Dark Energy there appears to be a “tension” between the HST+Gaia value and value determined by measuring the signature and ripples in the radiation from the Big Bang as well as theory. Structure of the Universe Determination of the structure of the expanding universe, that is the Cosmic Web, requires numerous diverse types of observations. Spectroscopic observations with HST’s Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (STIS) and the Cosmic Origins Spectrograph (COS), coupled NASA's Far Ultraviolet Spectroscopic Explorer (FUSE), revealed that hot gas, mostly oxygen and hydrogen, could be used to map three-dimensional nature of intergalactic space. Filaments of oxygen and hydrogen superimposed on bright quasar light trace large quantities of invisible, hot, ionized hydrogen that are too energetic to be seen in visible light, yet too cool to be seen in X-rays. Galaxy Assembly and Black Hole Cores HST observations have been used to examine aspects of the assembly of galaxies in the universe, as well as the formation of galaxy clusters, and large samples of merging galaxies. Surveys of large samples of these objects suggest a model for the merger rate as a function of time in the universe and how morphology is influenced by galaxy interactions. The investigation of merging galaxy nuclei has been fundamental in understanding how black holes form and how enormous amounts of energy can be unleashed through colliding black holes. These events are candidates for the production of gravitational waves, and the understanding of the incidence of such mergers can be a predictor for multi-messenger observational strategies.

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Lipoma is a mass of fat under the skin which is easily movable. In most cases Lipomas are noncancerous, slow growing, benign tumors. Lipomas can be seen on different parts of body and multiple growths are to be expected. Lipomas are moveable even with just from a slight touch or pressure. People of all ages are prone to lipoma formation, but are common in middle age. Lipomas are benign soft tissue tumors that are majorly a cosmetic concern. They can also be painful and uncomfortable. They can grow into the deeper muscle, push on nerves and interfere in daily or physical activities. Lipoma & Causes Lipoma is the most common benign soft tissue tumor occurring in 1% of the population. They consist of mature fat cells and are typically enclosed by a thin fibrous capsule. Lipomas can occur on any part of the body and usually develop superficially in the subcutaneous tissue (under the skin). They are usually painless and are most often There is speculation that lipomas are caused by previous trauma. One theory is that injuries can cause fat to protrude through tissue planes in the body, creating a “pseudo” lipoma. Another theory is that trauma causes release of cytokines (a cytokine is a substance that is released by cells of the immune system. Cytokines can have powerful effects on other cells of the body). These cytokines may then cause abnormal growth of fat cells. However, to date, there is no proof that trauma causes lipoma. The causes of lipoma are still poorly understood. While the exact cause of lipomas remains uncertain, there has been found to be a genetic link to solitary lipomas. This was found on chromosome 12. To know more information on Lipoma check Emikolo The Lipoma Removal Advantage Lipomas are removed surgically for the following reasons: A. It is causing a cosmetic deformity B. It is causing symptoms such as pain, numbness or limitation in motion. C. The mass is larger than 5 cm in size. Lipoma removal is the excision of uncomfortable, fatty tissue growths or lipomas. These growths develop directly under the skin and are one of the most common growths seen on the body. Although benign lipomas do not pose any life threatening concern, these growths are painful and uncomfortable. They can grow into the deeper muscle, push on nerves and interfere in daily or physical activities. This is the medical justification for removal, and the tissue is sent to pathology to confirm it is not cancerous. Lipoma Removal Procedure Lipoma removal surgery often only requires local anesthesia and can be performed in approximately 30 minutes, but this depends on the size and number of the lipomas and the method of removal. Lipomas can be excised using two different methods: The Liposuction Method (minimally invasive) Liposuction allows the removal of the lipoma through a very small incision. The incision required for liposuction may also be placed in a more remote inconspicuous location. Liposuction is often used on small facial lipomas because a favorable cosmetic result can be obtained through remote incisions. Liposuction can also be used for medium-sized (4-10cm) and large (>10cm) lipomas. The disadvantage to liposuction is that residual fat cells may be left. This increases the chances that the lipoma may regrow. Another disadvantage is that liposuction does not allow for complete evaluation of the entire tumor. The Excision method (Surgical treatment): Superficial lipomas are commonly removed for cosmetic reasons, and hence, a cosmetically pleasing incision should be used. The incision is usually placed directly over the mass and oriented so that it is hidden by natural creases or wrinkles in the skin. This improves the cosmetic results.This method is used more frequently. The skin is incised over the lipoma, and the fatty tissue is meticulously dissected away. The dissection technique may, in selected cases, be combined with a “press and squeeze” method. It’s analogous to delivering a baby through a small access area. After the lipoma has been completely removed from under the skin, the incision will be meticulously sutured closed with dissolving sutures.Complete surgical excision of the fat cells and fibrous capsule is highly recommended to prevent the mass from re-growing.The size and location of all lipomas differ on an individual basis; your surgeon will discuss which technique is most appropriate for you. Visit Personiks to know more about the treatment and cost of Lipoma treatment in Hyderabad.

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Painting Still Life with Hiroshi Yamamoto - May 14th, 2011 Sketching is a way of quickly capturing a composition, trying out ideas and getting a starting point for a painting. Our instructor, Hiroshi Yamamoto, often creates sketches and in his workshop he encouraged workshop participants to make sketching a part of their art practice before painting. Hiroshi brought many objects for us to practice sketching and later painting still life. Something like an asparagus stock has shape, texture and shades of colour to sketch. Hiroshi showed us his sketch books which were filled with black-and-white and coloured sketches. Then it was our turn to sketch a variety of unique items. Bok choy and other vegetables captured the attention of some workshop participants. Tulips were another favourite. Hiroshi Yamamoto donated some of his paintings to Art for Japan, an exhibition by Japanese artists to raise money for the victims of the tsunami that recently struck Japan. The second part of the workshop switched to painting what we had sketched. The previous sketch provided a starting point to structure the painting. The still life workshop prompted discussion amongst the workshop participants as they shared ideas and cake and tea courtesy of Linda Nakatsu and Dianne Kitazaki. Then the paintings were taped to the wall for a workshop exhibition. Sketches were also hung creating a vibrant presentation. Then Hiroshi Yamamoto began analyzing the paintings. Each painting had pros and cons, which Hiroshi elaborated. Some had a good sense of composition, other works had excellent brush work. Workshop participants found something to admire in their fellow artists' works. Deciding where to place the impression of a seal on a painting usually sparks opinions. Hiroshi suggested some appropriate locations. Shading is an important part of painting. The paintings had a variety of tones. Workshop participants commented on their own paintings and on others' paintings. The idea was to learn from each other by sharing observations. Some paintings made effective use of white space too by using a few brush strokes and letting the viewer fill in the rest of the work. Everyone learned something today Hiroshi reminded us. We gained skills in sketching and painting still life followed by objective analysis, all of which are needed to progress. You can learn more about Hiroshi Yamamoto in the links section.

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Language as a means for communication Humans are natural communicators. We depend on contact for a number of different purposes like for example work, personal relationships coupled with other social needs. The biggest medium for communication is language, and those days, knowing one simple is usually not enough. Due to globalisation, encountering different languages daily has already been a norm. Should you really learn a new language to take care of a borderless world? Picking up a whole new language Among all the languages across the world, learning a European language provides more advantages than the others. When learning an external language, the top surface five languages people have the tendency to choose are English, French, Spanish, Italian and Mandarin. Learning all of these languages at learning centres such as Spanish World Group might be good for your wellbeing in numerous ways. Reasons why you should go with an international language Exactly how can an important language promote your own private development? For your system, it may help cognitive development by increasing the brain’s neuroplasticity. This certainly will further help your learning skills. Your knowledge about the language’s culture of origin can also be better simply because you comprehend their vantage point via language. When putting on your career and network, it is going to improve greatly. For you to learn Spanish When mastering a completely new language, you will discover free language-related apps you that could make your journey easier. Some apps offer language lessons, whilst others just might help you translate unfamiliar words. Considering the internet as well as the technology we all have in these modern times, there’s really no excuse to claim we can’t take hold of an international language. Simple methods to learn enjoy yourself Studying a new language needs time to work and dedication, but it doesn’t need to be boring. There are numerous fun ways to get a hold of a foreign language, like for example watching an international film without subtitles or modify the language settings on your phone. Communicating with a native speaker will undoubtedly be the swiftest system to understand a new language. Discover More Than One Language Learning multiple languages at one time is challenging, however, it isn’t impossible. The treatment depends on the learning style along with the languages you are usually learning. However, if you find it hard to study two languages at one time, it’s perfectly fine to focus on one. No matter how many languages you are learning, you require discipline, commitment and consistency when selecting up completely new language. Learning is not just for young people In our day, there are plenty of strategies to practice a new language. Through the use of the internet, you can actually pick up a language through self-education or take web-based courses if attending classes isn’t convenient for yourself. Save for schools and universities, it is possible to learn new languages in mastering centres. By way of example, Spanish World Group is a reasonable site to take hold of Spanish! Collecting a language with the assistance of technology When mastering the most current language, you may find free language-related apps you that will make your journey easier. Some apps offer language lessons, versatile individuals will allow you to translate unfamiliar words. While using the internet and also the technology some of us have in these modern times, there is absolutely no excuse to bring up we can not get hold of a foreign language. Start your language-learning journey now To be brief, learning new languages really isn’t as difficult as you think. With learning materials readily available, it is definitely an issue of taking that 1st step to finding out. If you ever need something more reassuring, consult a specialised language centre. Spanish World almost certainly the best foreign language learning centres in Malaysia, Singapore and Hong Kong. Visit https://www.spanishworld.my/ to join a class today.

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Living Things Installation Imagines A Future Home Filled With Photosynthetic Furniture While the various elements in this installation look like decorative lighting objects, they aren’t. Instead, they might well become the protein source of our future. At least, that’s the concept imagined by the minds behind Living Things, a collection of photosynthetic furniture that future homes can use to grow food indoors. Created by architectural designer Jacob Douenias and industrial designer Ethan Frier, the pieces are designed to grow spirulina (blue-green algae), a tiny, edible bacteria that can be grown without the large footprint of conventional agriculture. Not only is it edible, it’s protein-rich, making them a potentially viable food source for the future. In Living Things, the microorganisms are cultivated inside custom-made bioreactors made from glass, which can be hung from ceilings like pendant lamps, placed on floors like sculptures, or set up on table surfaces. Each of the bioreactors use a series of wires and pipes to connect to a life support system housed inside a cabinet, which houses an array of pumps, tubes, manifolds, air pumps, heater connections, filters, and driver electronics, apart from connecting with various home utilities the system requires to operate. Harvesting requires just turning the tap and collecting the bacteria, which can be used to produce different types of drinks and dishes. Granted, eating algae may not exactly be the future foodies always dreamed of, but knowing it’s a possible option does give a glimmer of hope, even if worse does come to worse. Living Things is currently on exhibit at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Pittsburgh, where it will run until March 27th of next year.

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Generally, the process of extraction of minerals from the ground or extraction of materials from ore, vein or coal is called mining process. In fact, it is a local mine in which materials that are extracted from the earth and inside the earth are recovered. Hence, it is obtained in a mine that is used in various industries. Materials such as iron for the manufacture of steel, salt for food, coal for fuel or gold, silver and diamonds for making jewels, all types of stone for construction, phosphate for fertilizer and various types of gravel for making Highways, etc. Many of the products produced for various industries are the result of the mining process. The whole mining industry is involved in the process of mining from the digging ground to processing and production, and ultimately marketing and exports. Many of the mines are now conducted by large corporations, companies that require a lot of investment to survive and require a lot of investors to continue. However, some mines run all their activities from exploration to mine through individual employers or small businesses. The mining industry today has many applications in various industries, and each day the industry increases its mineral content. For example, based on estimates, only between 10,000 and 226 billion dollars of minerals, with the exception of atomic minerals, were produced in the world between 1999 and 2000. In addition, in the mining industry today, about 1.1 million people are employed and working. Types of rubber products in the mining industry In the mining industry, rubber is used extensively. Perhaps the conveyor belts are more of a rubber product used in the mining industry. Usually in large quarries and mines, conveyor belts are used typically very heavy-duty. Many mining activities are carried out by conveyor belts. The mineral deposits such as rock, putty, sand, etc. are usually made transporting by conveyor belts. After the conveyor belt, the types of rubber hoses used in the mine should be considered as the most widely used rubber products in the industry. In different years and in different countries, rubber hoses of different quality are made for many industries such as automotive industry, agricultural industries and so on. Some of these rubber products are used in chemical and mineral industries because of their high chemical properties, as well as burnout and rupture. Examples of these products include ubber-lined strainers, rubber lined dish ends and rubber lined bends. Therefore, they produce these products with rubber to be able to withstand various materials such as sludge, coal, ore, iron, iron ore, quartz, sand and so on, and are easy to use in These environments do not rupture, impact ,abrasion and tear. Among the other rubber products used in the mining industry are the following: - Types of rubber gaskets and rubber washers - Many types of rubber sheets - Various kind of rubber tubes - Most of the rubber rollers are functional - Various types of rubber conveyor belts - Many types of rubber pads - Various rubber coatings and rubber lining How useful was this post? Click on a star to rate it! Average rating / 5. Vote count: We are sorry that this post was not useful for you! Let us improve this post! Thanks for your feedback!

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The Klondike gold rush led the Canadian government to decide to settle aboriginal claims to the lands surrounding Lesser Slave Lake, Lake Athabasca, and Great Slave Lake and the connecting rivers. In 1899, a treaty party and a parallel scrip party traveled the Athabasca and Peace Rivers, negotiating land cessions with the Indians and Métis. Indians who signed the treaty at Fort Chipewyan were assigned to either the Chipewyan or the Cree Band. Status Indians were promised annuities, reserves, and other benefits. Annuities were paid and treaty promises were renewed each year during the annual "Treaty Days." Much later, an Indian Agent was stationed at Fort Chipewyan to administer Indian Affairs locally. Métis were given a certificate, called "scrip", worth either $240.00 or 160 acres. Most Métis chose money scrip. Because scrip was difficult to redeem, it was often sold for ready cash at a lesser value to scrip buyers who were close in attendance. After this one-time settlement, Métis were considered legally to be ordinary citizens with no special protections. Reprinted from "Northwind Dreaming: Kiwetin Pawatmowin Tthisi Niltsi Nats ete" with permission of the Provincial Museum of Alberta and Dr. Patricia McCormack.

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East Windsor, Connecticut Information (Geography) East Windsor, Connecticut The dam and Opera House in the Broad Brook section of town East Windsor's location in Hartford County, Connecticut EAST WINDSOR CONNECTICUT Latitude and Longitude: |• Type||Selectman-town meeting| |• First Selectman||Robert Maynard (R)| |• Selectmen||Jason E. Bowsza (D)| Dale A. Nelson (D) Steve Dearborn (R) Richard P. Pippin, Jr. (R) |• Total||26.8 sq mi (69.5 km2)| |• Land||26.3 sq mi (68.0 km2)| |• Water||0.6 sq mi (1.5 km2)| |Elevation||72 ft (22 m)| |• Density||420/sq mi (160/km2)| |Time zone||UTC-5 ( Eastern)| |• Summer ( DST)||UTC-4 ( Eastern)| |GNIS feature ID||0212329| East Windsor is a town in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 11,162 at the 2010 census. The town has five villages: Broad Brook, Melrose, Scantic, Warehouse Point and Windsorville. In 1633, Settlers laid claim to the area now known as Windsor which included East Windsor. No English settlers lived on the east side of the river. The first English settler in what is today known as East Windsor, was William Pynchon, the founder of Springfield, Massachusetts. In 1636, he erected a warehouse for his settlement's transshipment of goods at what is now known as "Warehouse Point". Warehouse Point served as the southern border of Springfield, Massachusetts, for 132 years — until 1768 — when Warehouse Point, Connecticut, was annexed by the Connecticut Colony. Pynchon selected the site of Warehouse Point because of its location near the Enfield Falls — the first major falls in the Connecticut River, where all seagoing vessels were forced to terminate their voyages, and then transship to smaller shallops. By constructing a warehouse at Warehouse Point, Pynchon essentially forced all northern Connecticut River business to run through him and his settlement at Springfield. Meanwhile, most of today's East Windsor was part of the prominent Windsor settlement on the east side of the river. Settlers avoided the East Side of the river due to the Podunk tribe who inhabited the area, particularly following King Philip's War in 1675. Simon Wolcott was the first settler in today's East Windsor. East Windsor also included today's Ellington and South Windsor. Eventually on May 10, 1768, The East Windsor parish was partitioned from Windsor. The center of town became what is now East Windsor Hill in today's South Windsor. The North Part of town center was Scantic. In 1818, resident Solomon Ellsworth Jr, was blasting a hole for his well to go alongside of his house in town. While in the process, he found some foreign bones, not known at the time. These bones would last be sent to Yale University and would later determine to be Dinosaur fossils, specifically, one of an Anchisaurus. Though not the first fossils to be found, the discovery of the fossils led to the dinosaur discovery craze that occurred later on in the century as these were the first bones to be known as a dinosaur, four years before William Buckland determined it. The bones are still at Yale while the Ellsworth Homestead still stands on Rye Street near the South Windsor line. In 1832, the Broad Brook Mill was created at the waterfall of the Mill Pond. The town has five sections of town, Warehouse Point, Broad Brook, Scantic, Melrose, and Windsorville. The oldest section of town is Warehouse Point, which, as mentioned, was first used by William Pynchon in the 1630s, and later settled as part of Springfield in the 1680s. The Scantic section of town was the center of town until the mills were built. The Windsorville section of town was once its own community, featuring a church, post office, mini-mart, and a park. Mulnite Farms is a tobacco farm on Graham Road, established in 1905. In 1897, the town's voluntary fire department was created in the mill. The Broad Brook Elementary school was established in 1951. In 1961 the town hall burned down. The new town hall is on Rye Street across from the elementary school. The new voluntary fire department building and senior center was built on the same site of the old town hall. On Memorial Day Weekend, in 1986, the Broad Brook Mill caught on fire during renovations, with the mill and the tire shop (on the site of the mill) burned down and the smoke being seen as far as Bradley International Airport and Hartford. A new mini strip mall was built on the site of the mill. According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 26.8 square miles (69.5 km2), of which 26.3 square miles (68.0 km2) is land and 0.58 square miles (1.5 km2), or 2.11%, is water. By virtue of its location on the Connecticut River, Windsor functioned as a vital port. Merchants on both sides of the river shipped timber products, brick, livestock, wheat, tobacco and other produce to supply plantations in the West Indies, importing sugar, molasses, salt, and British manufactured textiles, ceramics, hardware and glass on return trips. Windsor's Hooker and Chaffee mercantile firm maintained a store and packing houses right off Windsor's Palisado Green. Small scale shipbuilding took place at the mouth of the Scantic River in what is now South Windsor, Warehouse Point in what is now East Windsor, and along the Farmington from as far upriver as today's village of Poquonock (Stiles p. 428-9). |U.S. Decennial Census | As of the census of 2000, there were 9,818 people, 4,078 households, and 2,556 families residing in the town. The population density was 373.5 people per square mile (144.2/km²). There were 4,356 housing units at an average density of 165.7 per square mile (64.0/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 91.47% White, 4.09% African American, 0.16% Native American, 2.00% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 0.83% from other races, and 1.41% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.11% of the population. There were 4,078 households out of which 27.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.7% were married couples living together, 10.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.3% were non-families. 30.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.34 and the average family size was 2.94. In the town, the population was spread out with 22.2% under the age of 18, 6.2% from 18 to 24, 33.1% from 25 to 44, 23.8% from 45 to 64, and 14.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.6 males. The median income for a household in the town was $51,092, and the median income for a family was $60,694. Males had a median income of $39,785 versus $33,446 for females. The per capita income for the town was $24,899. About 3.5% of families and 4.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 2.9% of those under age 18 and 4.6% of those age 65 or over. |Voter Registration and Party Enrollment as of October 30, 2012 | |Party||Active Voters||Inactive Voters||Total Voters||Percentage| |2016||46.05% 2,441||49.16% 2,606||4.79% 254| |2012||56.84% 2,857||42.02% 2,112||1.13% 57| |2008||58.81% 3,106||39.77% 2,100||1.42% 75| |2004||54.34% 2,571||43.84% 2,074||1.82% 86| |2000||54.60% 2,313||39.50% 1,673||5.90% 250| |1996||52.42% 2,104||32.26% 1,295||15.32% 615| |1992||39.25% 1,891||33.17% 1,598||27.58% 1,329| |1988||48.36% 1,940||50.52% 2,027||1.12% 45| |1984||38.45% 1,454||61.26% 2,317||0.29% 11| |1980||41.82% 1,572||43.31% 1,628||14.87% 559| |1976||53.26% 1,926||46.29% 1,674||0.44% 16| |1972||44.48% 1,536||54.24% 1,873||1.27% 44| |1968||50.22% 1,595||42.79% 1,359||6.99% 222| |1964||69.37% 2,172||30.63% 959||0.00% 0| |1960||54.28% 1,673||45.72% 1,409||0.00% 0| |1956||37.15% 1,039||62.85% 1,758||0.00% 0| |Election results from statewide races| |2018||Governor||Stefanowski 52.06 – 41.47%| |U.S. Senator||Murphy 52.44 – 46.50%| |U.S. Representative||Larson 53.54 – 45.15%| |2016||President||Trump 49.16 – 46.05%| |U.S. Senator||Blumenthal 58.72 – 38.88%| |U.S. Representative||Larson 54.91 – 42.65%| |2014||Governor||Foley 53.71 – 44.71%| |U.S. Representative||Larson 54.57 – 43.42%| |2012||President||Obama 56.8 – 42.0%| |U.S. Senator||Murphy 52.3 – 45.4%| |U.S. Representative||Larson 65.1 – 32.7%| |2010||Governor||Foley 56.0 – 42.0%| |U.S. Senator||Blumenthal 50.7 – 47.4%| |U.S. Representative||Larson 53.1 – 45.3%| |2008||President||Obama 58.8 – 39.8%| |U.S. Representative||Larson 69.6 – 27.1%| |2006||Governor||Rell 63.8 – 34.7%| |U.S. Senator||Lieberman 46.8 – 39.8 – 12.5%| |U.S. Representative||Larson 71.7 – 28.3%| |2004||President||Kerry 54.3 – 43.8%| |U.S. Senator||Dodd 66.8 – 31.1%| |U.S. Representative||Larson 56.8 – 43.2%| East Windsor Elementary School System serves students in pre-kindergarten through grade 4. The Connecticut Children's Place runs from Grade 4 through Grade 12. Its principal is Joyce Welch. Homebound schooling runs from Pre-K through 12. The Broad Brook Elementary School principal is Laura Fox. East Windsor Middle School serves students in grades 5 through 8. Its principal is Kimberly Hellerich. East Windsor High School serves students in grades 9 through 12. Its principal is Ted Keleher. Bradley International Airport is 5 miles (8 km) away. Skylark Airport is a small airstrip to help young aviators learn how to fly. East Windsor crime, according to city-data.com is relatively low against U.S. averages. Between 1999 and 2004, not including 2003, there was one murder, 26 rapes, 43 robberies, 41 assaults, 254 burglaries, 1248 thefts, and 177 car thefts. - The Connecticut Trolley Museum and the Connecticut Fire Museum are located in the Warehouse Point section of town. - The East Windsor Academy Museum operated by the historical society is located in the Scantic neighborhood. - The East Windsor Hill section of the nearby town of South Windsor was the boyhood home of the theologian Jonathan Edwards. - The Melrose School, now called the Melrose Library, is a one-room schoolhouse that was active until the early 20th century. It is located in the Melrose section of town and is now used for local functions. - St. John's Episcopal Church (Warehouse Point, Connecticut) is on the National Register of Historic Places. - Lorrin Andrews – Congregational Church clergyman missionary to Hawaii, judge, and first Associate Justice of Hawaii State Supreme Court - John Warner Barber – An engraver whose books of state, national, and local history featured his vivid engravings. - Israel Bissell – A post-rider who alerted the colonists of the British attack on April 19, 1775. - Daniel Bissell – Soldier and spy for the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. - Samuel Robbins Brown – Missionary to China and Japan with the Dutch Reformed Church - Eliphalet Chapin – Cabinetmaker and furniture maker - Aaron Civale - Pitcher for the Cleveland Indians - Jonathan Edwards – Theologian - Frederick Holbrook – Governor of Vermont, - Jerry Marquis – Former NASCAR driver - Walter Loomis Newberry – Businessman and philanthropist - Eli Terry – The first inventor to receive a United States patent for a clock mechanism - Zarley Zalapski – Former NHL player. Lived here during his tenure with the Hartford Whalers. - "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2012-07-07. Retrieved 2012-04-30.CS1 maint: archived copy as title ( link) - "Geographic Identifiers: 2010 Demographic Profile Data (G001): East Windsor town, Hartford County, Connecticut". U.S. Census Bureau, American Factfinder. Retrieved November 26, 2012. - "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Incorporated Places: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2014". Archived from the original on May 23, 2015. Retrieved June 4, 2015. - "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Archived from the original on April 26, 2015. Retrieved June 4, 2015. - "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on 2013-09-11. Retrieved 2008-01-31. - "Registration and Party Enrollment Statistics as of October 30, 2012" (PDF). Connecticut Secretary of State. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-10-30. Retrieved 2006-10-02. - Who Was Who in America, Historical Volume, 1607-1896. Chicago: Marquis Who's Who. 1963. Media related to East Windsor, Connecticut at Wikimedia Commons

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by Jon Ripley, April 2007 The BBC BASIC for Windows compiler provides four functions to rewrite programs before compilation, these options are: The only way to apply these options to your code is to compile the program, however once the program is compiled there is no simple way to load the crunched program from the executable back into the editor. Using the following technique it is possible to use the compiler to crunch your programs and save them in a way that they can be loaded back into the editor. This is achieved by making the compiled program save a copy of itself. Note that certain crunch options and combinations thereof can render programs uneditable. Always keep a backup of your original source code. To crunch a program the copy and paste the following two lines at the start of your program: OSCLI"Save """+FNVif93Ux+""" "+STR$~(PAGE+?PAGE+?(PAGE+?PAGE))+" "+STR$~TOP:QUIT DEF FNVif93Ux=@dir$+"Crunched.bbc" Once these lines have been added at the very start of the program choose the compile option from the tool bar or the Utilities menu of the BBC BASIC for Windows editor. Set the crunch options you want to be applied to your code and compile the program. Now run the compiled executable to recover the crunched version of the program. By default the crunched program will be saved as Crunched.bbc in the same directory as the compiled executable. To change the name or location of the saved file change @dir$+“Crunched.bbc” in the second line to point to where you want the file to be saved. If you change the file name be careful not to overwrite your original program.

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How to develop some Printed Board Circuits with free tools from the _________________ _________________ _________________ Why another article to talk about EDA, Electronic Design Automation? Because there is more than one way to do it and this one is free. One of its best particularity is the fact that we have a set of tools, some graphical ones but mostly command line based. With this article, I will just show how to make a PCB (Printed Circuit Board) from the beginning. What is gEDA? Most important, gEDA is a set of free (in the GPL way) electronic tools. It is therefore always in development state. I put here the gEDA diagram. Click on it to enlarge. In the center, we have gschem, the graphical schematic and symbol It can be called by geda, the manager, on top of gschem. With it, you can not only launch gschem but a spice simulator, a pcb designer, a gerber and a waveform viewer. On the top left, with tragesym, you can create symbols and gsymcheck will check them. Most interesting for us, down gschem, we have two ways of doing net-lists. It is a gEDA particularity: every exchange file is in plain text, only the extension indicate the goal: You have gnetlist, the "official" way to do net-listing for spice simulation with tclspice, ngspice, gnucap, Verilog synthesis with Icarus or PCB creation. gsch2pcb is a net-lister dedicated for pcb. It does the translation from .sch file components to pcb file, back and forth. And to finish, we check the pcb file with gerbv. - .sym for symbols files - .sch for schematic files - .net for net-list files - .pcb for pcb files and so on... In this article I will only talk about gschem, gsch2pcb and PCB. We will begin with gschem. Placing components with gschem I won't talk a lot about installation: apt-get install geda-gschem geda-symbols geda-utils pcb for GNU/Debian. On others systems, download the required files on http://geda.seul.org/source.html, http://pcb.sourceforge.net/ for PCB and ./configure & make & make install as usual. Ok, let's open gschem. We have two ways to do it: we open it with the command gschem alone or we put a filename like: gschem sample.sch. Now we can place components: one more time, we have two choices: with the mouse and "Add Component" or from the keyboard with "i". We select BNC-1.sym, pwrjack-1.sym in connector, 2 resistor-2.sym, 1 resistor-variable-2.sym, 2 capacitor-1.sym, 2 capacitor-2.sym, bridge-1.sym in analog, lm317-1.sym in linear. We will have this picture as result: Don't worry, you can download all files my homepage (updated) or from Now we can wire the components. To do it, we need to move them and make rotations. Since we are lazy people, we will use keyboard shortcuts: click on component then "er" for rotation, "ei" for mirroring, "m" for moving, and "n" for wiring the components. We can select only the part name to move or rotate it. Once done, we can edit each component attribute with "ee". We can begin with the most important component : LM317. When we open the attribute box, we can see this: We write LM317 into value name and TO220L for footprint (make it invisible). For resistors, the value is indicated above on the schema and the footprint is R025. And so on for capacitors, potentiometers (you can see the sample.sch file added to the Once we have finished, we can save it with a "fs" if the file have a name and "fa" otherwise. Translation with gsch2pcb First, we need to give a number to the parts with the command: If we reopen the file, we will see all ? from R?, C? U? changed to a number. This mean we can make a net-list. First we must install some footprint library and make a project file. We need to do it because there is a lack of documentation for pcb footprint use with gschem or I haven't found it. A good footprint set can be found web.wt.net/%7Ebillw/gsch2pcb/gsch2pcb-libs.tar.gz. (local copy) Download and install it with: mv gsch2pcb-libs.tar.gz ~/toTheLocationYouWant/ tar xvzf gsch2pcb-libs.tar.gz can make a project file with: I have named it sampleLFprojet but you can use the name you want. The schematics is for our gschem file. Elements-dir gives to pcb the footprint directory to use (replace XXX with your directory location pcb-elements). And the output-name is to continue with the sample name for pcb. We save it in the same sample.sch directory. The next step is to run: The output are files named sample.board and sample.net. The first one component parts to be used with PCB and the second one is the net Making a circuit with PCB We can start now with PCB. Open : You will have this picture : All components are packed to the left up side. We need to place the components on the board. Then we call the wires (nets) with the sample.net file with File --> load net-list file and optimize Connect --> rast-nets. It's quite magic. Now we place nets as desired with Line and solder mask selection. It's finished: you just have to save and make a File --> print layout to have your pcb printed. The goal of this article was just to have a straight and rough introduction to of some of the gEDA tools available and to show an easy, short way to make a PCB. But gEDA is so much more that it will take you a long time to play around with it: you will need to make a lot of optimizations to make an output usable for professional pcb makers. This article is mainly influenced and based on the Bill Wilson bill--at--gkrellm.net documentation gsch2pcb.html. And you can find more information at www.geda.seul.org. PCB can be found at pcb.sourceforge.net. If you understadn french then you can find more on and for english speaking people, there is some stuff Talkback form for this article Every article has its own talkback page. On this page you can submit a comment or look at comments from other readers: 2005-01-14, generated by lfparser version 2.52

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Information about Cookies What are cookies? A cookie is a piece of data that is placed on an internet user's computer memory. The information the cookie contains is set by a website's server and it can be used when the user visits the website. Cookies are designed to remember things that an internet user has done whilst on a website in the past, which can include putting products in a basket, logging in, or clicking on links. Cookies are not dangerous. They are not computer programs and cannot be used to circulate viruses. The cookies we use on our website are used in many ways, including: - To keep a record of the products you've put in your shopping bag for next time you visit - To make personalised product recommendations, based upon your previous times you've shopped on the website - To remember your preferences - To find out what the website doesn't do well and make improvements to it in future - Allow you to share pages with social networks like Facebook; and - Make sure advertising on other websites is relevant to you Types of cookies Session (or Transient) Cookies Session cookies are stored in your computer's memory for the length of your browsing session. They become inaccessible after the session has been inactive for a time and are automatically deleted from your computer when the browser is closed. They allow you to move from page to page without having to log-in repeatedly. Persistent (or Permanent) Cookies Persistent cookies are stored on the user's computer memory and are not deleted when the browser is closed. They are used to keep your preferences for the website, so that they will be remembered for next time you visit the website. They are also used to collect information about the numbers of visitors, the average time spent on a particular page and analyse shopping behaviour on the website. This information is used to find out how the well the website works and where it can be improved. Flash Cookies (or Locally Shared Objects) You will probably have Adobe Flash installed on your computer. Many websites that contain Flash can also store small files on your computer that are used in the same way as cookies. Website choose to use Flash Cookies as these can hold more information than regular cookies Websites choose to use Flash Cookies as these can hold more information than regular cookies.When you delete cookies via your browser, your Flash cookies are unlikely to be affected. A website may therefore still recognise your preferences if it used a Flash cookie to save them initially. Sharing with social networks If you use the buttons that allow you to share products and content with your friends via social networks like twitter and facebook, these companies may set a cookie on your computer memory. Find out more about these here: For further information about cookies visit Mehr über Cookies erfahren Sie unter cookies.insites.com

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Learn what alcohol abuse looks like, and find resources to help. Living in New Orleans, it can be especially hard to recognize the signs of alcohol abuse. Where else do residents celebrate virtually every victory with a cocktail? Where else can you bounce from bar to bar on multiple streets, spending so little on so many drinks? For some people, balancing alcohol intake with healthy eating and good hydration is no problem. For others, though, the line starts to blur, until alcohol enjoyment turns into alcohol abuse, and then into alcohol dependence — otherwise known as alcoholism. April is national Alcohol Awareness Month, sponsored by the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence. Learn to acknowledge and address the signs of alcohol abuse in yourself, your friends and loved ones. From there, you can take steps to get help. SIX SIGNS OF ALCOHOL ABUSE Having Multiple Drinks Every Day Moderate alcohol consumption is defined as “up to one drink per day for women and up to two drinks per day for men,” according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Drinking more than this, especially for an extended period of time, can affect your health and lead to alcohol dependence. Drinking to Manage Stress We’ve all used alcohol to “take the edge off” after a stressful day, but drinking is not a coping strategy. The NCADD notes, “Many drinking problems start when people use alcohol to relieve stress.” If you find yourself thinking that you “need” a drink, it may be time to step back and look at the pattern. Ability to Self-Moderate Ideally, we’d be able to set a one-to-two-drink limit for ourselves, and stick to it. However, alcohol abusers may have trouble moderating how much alcohol they drink, according to the Mayo Clinic. Neglect of Responsibilities Subtle slips in important areas of your life can indicate that alcohol is affecting your ability to fulfill daily responsibilities. If you’re having difficulty performing consistently at work, taking care of your kids or attending scheduled engagements — it’s a sign that alcohol may be controlling you. Alcohol Use in Dangerous Situations Because alcohol intake impairs judgment and slows reaction time, driving while intoxicated is one of the most dangerous things you can do. Other risky situations include pairing alcohol with other mood-altering substances; operating machinery; and drinking in a bad neighborhood, according to the NCADD. Legal Problems Due to Drinking Alcohol abusers may be arrested for drinking and driving; those who get violent when drinking may also find themselves in trouble with the law. If you recognize one or more of these behaviors in yourself or someone you know, seek help from friends, family and local resources. The Council on Alcohol and Drug Abuse for Greater New Orleans (cadagno.org) is a community health agency that can help you assess the impact of alcohol or substance abuse on your life.

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RECYCLING IN THE CITY OF LONG BEACH Recycling refers to the practice of taking back used materials such as glass, paper, metal, and plastic and using them to make new products. Recycling helps reduce the use of natural resources such as trees and oil. Before recycling, consider ways to reduce waste or to reuse. The City offers lots of tips to reduce and reuse. Learn more here. Recycling is important because it allows us to collect waste material so it can be made into new items and prevent that material from becoming trash or litter.

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It is common for local exterminators to use environmentally friendly methods to control pest infestations. They have available tools to control rat or cockroach populations to protect public health. California’s Department of Pesticide Regulation has restricted the use of chemicals for professional extermination services and agricultural purposes. An environmental group has recently launched legal action seeking to ban the commercial use of “super toxic” rat poison in California. According to the data the group shared, rat poison is threatening dozens of endangered species and other wildlife. The Centre for Biological Diversity has notified pesticide regulators in the state about its intention to file a case on the state’s failure to adequately safeguard the San Joaquin kit fox and 11 other animals that are protected by the US Endangered Species Act. Highly toxic rodenticides are harming wildlife particularly predator and scavenger species that include mountain lions, bobcats, owls and condors that feed on poisoned rodents. More than 70% of the wild animals that were tested in California in recent years showed that they were exposed to rat poison or second generation anticoagulants that are widely used by licensed pest control providers. The product is usually used in bait boxes. It works by causing internal hemorrhage on the animal that has ingested it. Because of the slow-acting nature of the product, it becomes a secondary threat to animals that prey on those that were poisoned. The hardest hit species were the endangered kit foxes near Bakersfield. 87% of their population were tested positive for the super toxic rat poison. State officials have attributed the death of at least 5 kit box deaths to the toxic chemicals. 85% of mountain lions, bobcats and Pacific fishers were tested positive of rat poison. Instead of chemicals, the use of traps is encouraged and the removal of refuse and water sources that are attractive to rodents. Your pest problem will quickly disappear through local exterminators near you. It is very easy to get in touch with them by calling the toll free number and providing your zip code. An exterminator will arrive at your doorstep to handle infestation of any variety of pests from rodents to cockroaches, bedbugs, termites, ants and many more.

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The coming decade looms large for anyone who has been at the frontlines of fighting climate change and air pollution. The most recent Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report concluded we have just 12 years to reduce global emissions or the consequences could be irreversible. Our politicians have shown the leadership that can help get us there: Governor Jerry Brown set a goal of deploying 5 million ZEVs by 2030; Governor Gavin Newsom wants to dump diesel by 2030; LA Mayor Garcetti and Long Beach Mayor Robert Garcia set a goal of zero emissions at the ports by 2035. And by 2031 the South Coast Air District must meet federal standards for air quality or face certain penalties and loss of funding. All of this will take major public investments in incentives and infrastructure—and that’s where voters come in! We can dump diesel, improve air quality, and conquer climate change if we can match the State of California’s investment in clean transportation. We need to drive clean transportation technologies like zero-emission vehicles to the marketplace faster and at scale—light, medium and heavy-duty vehicles! Simply put, we need to get to economies of scale quickly in order to make ZEVs cheaper than their gasoline and diesel counterparts. Then the marketplace itself can take over. We also need to drive near-zero emission heavy-duty trucks to the marketplace because we must dump diesel now—it’s toxic to our neighbors, especially in the frontline communities near freeways and ports. While zero-emission trucks are the goal, it may take a long time to develop the technology that allows these trucks to travel across the country, and even longer to install charging infrastructure that will take them where they need to go. This is why we believe near-zero heavy-duty trucks are part of the solution. There is an advantage to near-zero in the short term because we must also capture and use short-lived climate pollutants (SLCPs), which are 100 times more powerful than CO2. They also decay more quickly, but only after the damage is done. Near-zero trucks can be fueled by biomethane, one of the major SCLPs—80% of which is produced by dairies and cattle ranches, landfills and waste-water plants. Regulating heavy-duty trucks to make them comply with California’s climate goals isn’t an option, because they are regulated by the federal government, not states or localities. Addressing these concerns requires major investments, and we need to make big progress in a decade. We learned when passing Measures R and M for transit that we can raise serious money at the ballot box to help achieve seemingly impossible goals—these measures together are raising $120 billion over 40 years for transportation, 70% of that for transit. The State of California is already investing big bucks in the fight against climate change. Now we need to double down on that investment at the local level. And we know how to do this because we have done it before. So what if we could vote to end climate change? Would you? Is it Time for Move SoCal?Read more 1) Attain federal clean air standards with full implementation of the Mobile Source Plan of the 2016 AQMP: Diesel emissions are the most pressing challenge to air quality in Southern California by far. Diesel emissions are a toxic air contaminant, second only to smoking as a cause for cancer. Disadvantaged communities near freeways are especially burdened. The 2016 AQMP relies on incentives to accelerate deployment of zero- and near-zero-emission heavy-duty trucks and equipment at a cost of over $1 billion/year. This scale of effort can only be funded by a regional ballot measure. 2) Address climate change head-on: California is leading the way in the fight to conquer climate change. Our progress in replacing fossil fuel power with clean renewables has been so great that our #1 priority now should be reducing GHGs from the transportation sector, still the biggest source of GHGs. The economies of scale for manufacturers could yield significantly reduced costs for car buyers around the world—and make a big difference in the effort to conquer climate change. We plan to urge inclusion of very significant funds to accelerate deployment of zero-emission light- and medium-duty vehicles and charging facilities. 3) Modernize and electrify Metrolink, Southern California’s regional commuter rail system: Modernizing our 530-mile, 5-county regional commuter rail system is a golden opportunity to create high-capacity, high-efficiency, higher-speed, zero-emission electric regional transit linking the region’s core communities. Double-tracking and modernizing the system and providing the Southern California Regional Rail Authority (which operates Metrolink) with funding for reliable, frequent and more affordable service will build ridership and address climate change head on. 4) County transportation commission local return program: We should include significant funds for investments in clean local transit systems and the expansion of active transportation in each of the Air District's 4 counties. The measure would fund each county transportation commission and respect the authority of each to establish their own transit project priorities, specifically referencing each county’s Long Range Transportation Plan. Move LA proposes placing a regional ballot measure before voters in the South Coast Air District in 2020—which includes nearly all of 4 counties—to fund the transformation of our existing regional Metrolink commuter rail system into a high-velocity regional transit system. It will require major investments to electrify the 530-mile Metrolink system, and to double-track—even triple-track—wherever needed to significantly enhance service and enable all-day express service on one or more lines, and to connect to regional airports like Ontario Airport. To accomplish this we propose a regional half-cent sales tax measure, which can also fund implementation of the 2016 Air Quality Management Plan, ensuring we finally meet federal clean air standards and achieve major reductions in greenhouse gas emissions. To succeed Move LA needs to identify and come together with regional partners to create a new regional coalition, which we hope to call Move SoCal—if our partners agree! It was the best of times. It was the worst of times. Think back to 2006. Worsening traffic congestion in LA County was on everyone's mind, and all over the media. In response, a local coalition convened by Move LA worked to convince LA Metro and LA Mayor Villaraigosa to give voters an opportunity to invest in a dramatic enhancement of the county's transit systems, a ballot measure that won approval with 67.9% of the vote. LA Metro under Mayor Garcetti's leadership returned to the ballot in November 2016 with Measure M, which also extended Measure R. Voters said Yes by 71.1%, providing LA Metro with $120 billion over the next 40 years. During this same period downtown Los Angeles has undergone a remarkable revival, recreating a real urban core for the region. And the digital and high-tech industries have seen opportunity to expand to LA. Is LA on a roll? Maybe. Maybe not. New industries arrive and create prosperity for some. Yet a housing affordability crisis has ensued and created displacement, uncertainty and homelessness. Many of the people who are working full-time cannot afford to make rent. More than 50,000 people are living on the streets in LA County. Traffic congestion has not ebbed, and transit ridership is way down, despite voter support for solutions. Is this a Tale of Two Counties? Transit ridership falls because of fare increases and service cuts: Job losses during the Great Recession combined with fare increases and service cuts lead to an 11% transit ridership decline from 2010-2015. Transit ridership continues to fall because of rising housing costs: New industries bring new high-income residents. LA County housing costs rise. Gentrification, displacement and an increase in homelessness follow. Regional and global transportation-related challenges reach the tipping point: Air pollution, climate change and traffic congestion threaten regional health and prosperity. The decline in LA County transit ridership has prompted many theories about the reasons why—from Lyft and Uber to cheaper gas prices to an increase in car ownership among new immigrants. We, however, have a different take on why ridership has declined, and explain our rationale HERE, with numbers to back up our POV. But as importantly, we have some ideas about how we can rebuild ridership while also serving populations that would really benefit from more, better service.Read more When Phil Washington, CEO of the LA County Metropolitan Transportation Authority, asked that we “Re-Imagine Los Angeles”—as his proposal to the Metro Board last December is now called—he linked the possibility of introducing congestion pricing with making transit free and more frequent in LA County. While the idea of drivers having to pay to drive in some places at some times may alarm more than some Angelenos, the idea that the revenue could be used to make transit free and frequent is intriguing, to say the least. It suggests maybe we can eradicate congestion without waiting for land use changes (more housing near jobs and transit, etc.) to get us there, and fix Metro’s declining ridership. This has never been tried in the U.S. Congestion pricing was originally proposed in response to a request from Metro’s Board of Directors that CEO Washington find a way to pay for the acceleration of 8 of the 28 projects the board wants completed before the 2028 Olympics, at a cost of $26.2 billion. The other 20 projects were already scheduled for completion by 2028. But concerns have been expressed about both congestion pricing and completing 28 projects by 2028, in part because pricing could hit low-income drivers hard. Metro and its boardmembers have all committed to prioritizing equity should congestion pricing be implemented, though how that will be done has not been decided. Free and frequent transit—and an expanded bus system—could be an antidote, with attendant benefits including reduced GHG emissions, and relief from the public health burden on residents who live near heavily trafficked freeways as well as the public safety threat to pedestrians and bicyclists. The interest expressed by the LA Times and by Metro’s Board of Directors, with caveats of course, indicates that free and more frequent transit might be the sugar that could make the medicine of congestion pricing go down. The Metro Board voted last week to move forward with a 12-24 month study. Move LA spoke with CEO Washington on Feb. 12. These are some of the things he said in the interview: “It’s mind-blowing to think about what congestion pricing could allow us to do. The sky would be the limit. It’s not a money grab. We also have to think also of the environmental and public health benefits. I simply do not see a downside to saying yes to congestion pricing.” “A lot of people have expressed concerns about the equity impacts, and yes I wholeheartedly support making equity the front and center issue. But it’s very important that people understand there’s nothing equitable about the current transportation system. Cars are very expensive to own and operate. And it’s black and brown low-income people who breathe in the most emissions from freeways. Moreover, low-income people work 2 or sometimes 3 jobs to make ends meet, and traffic congestion makes that very difficult.” “I am convinced the best way to get rid of traffic congestion is through congestion pricing. Only a few cities in the world have tried it. When London began congestion pricing it was opposed by 70% of the people. Now that it’s been in place for several years 80% support it.” “This really is an opportunity to change the way we live in Los Angeles. The revenue stream could be large enough—depending on the type of congestion pricing and how widely we employ it—that it could also fund free transit. And it would guide drivers—and employers—toward the right decisions about when to get on the road.” “Reducing congestion is part of our mission as a transit agency. This strategy can make it possible for us to achieve our mission. But the other half of the congestion equation is providing the transit alternative. Which we are able to do because of Measure M.” “It’s clear that this plan to move forward has to be phased in, beginning with a study and then a pilot project. Because I fully believe that—as in London—the pilot will be so successful that people will want more.” “Once congestion pricing is implemented the next step will be to increase transit options and make transit free. Together with congestion pricing this will help make biking and walking safer and reduce air pollutions and GHG emissions—which might be considered unintended but critically important benefits as well as an inheritance to leave for our children. We have built the greatest transportation infrastructure in the world, which helped make our nation great, but we have not continued to update and take care of it.” “Free transit would also start with a pilot. Maybe it could begin with seniors and people with disabilities. Maybe we could provide free transit for community college students. We did make transit free on election day last November and during the teachers’ strike, and in the past we have made it free on Earth Day. Each time we netted a ridership increase of about 6-7%. Transportation is the 2nd highest household expenditure after the rent or mortgage. So making transit free would have a real impact.” “At Metro we have been thinking about congestion pricing for a long time—we recommended an exploration in our Strategic Vision Plan, approved by the board last year. It’s one reason I created the Office of Extraordinary Innovation, and they will write the scope for a feasibility study. If the board says ‘Go’ on February 28—and the board has been, for the most part, supportive—we’ll start exploring the options, which could yield between $12 billion and as much as $104 billion over a decade, depending on what kind of congestion pricing, how much it costs, and how widely it is deployed.” “We are the most populous county in America, we own the most vehicles, and we are innovative—no other agency has partnered with the private sector on microtransit and partnerships such as the one we’ve just begun with Getaround, a car-sharing program to help people get to and from 37 stations. We’re making scooters part of our first-last-mile strategy. And we are committed to setting standards including a guaranteed 20-minute ride from downtown LA to LAX. We are committed to stepping into a big leadership void in transportation when it comes to congestion. It is our mission.” Please join us at the Conference Center of the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels on March 1 in downtown Los Angeles! This is the event where we built the coalition and momentum to pass both Measures R (2008) and M (2016), and this year we have another proposition—a 4-county ballot measure to dump diesel and conquer climate change! (Note LA Mayor Eric Garcetti once said we stage the biggest panels in the known universe!) Register HERE. 7:30 a.m. NETWORKING w/delicious hot breakfast + coffee = reason to come on over early! (See menu below!) 8:30 a.m. WELCOME Move LA Director Denny Zane and Board Chair Marlene Grossman 9:00 a.m. KEYNOTE LA Metro CEO Phil Washington on congestion pricing, free transit and more! 9:20 a.m. PANEL#1 REBUILDING TRANSIT RIDERSHIP IN LA COUNTY CA Sen. Ben Allen (Chair, Environmental Quality) • CA Sen. Holly Mitchell (Chair, Senate Budget) • Asm. Chris Holden, (Chair, Asm. Utilities and Energy) • Mike Fong (President, LA Community College District Board of Trustees) • Margaret Quinones-Perez (Chair, Santa Monica College Board of Trustees) • UCLA Professor Emeritus Donald Shoup • UCLA graduate student Romel Lopez • Devon Deming (Director, LA Metro Commute Services) • Stephanie Ramirez (AARP Associate State Director) • Lillibeth Navarro (Executive Director, CALIF) • Brandi Orton (Government Relations Director, St. Barnabus Senior Services) 10:45 a.m. BREAK 10:45 a.m. PANEL#2 PROTECTING AND BUILDING AFFORDABLE HOUSING NEAR TRANSIT W/O DISPLACEMENT Cynthia Strathmann (Strategic Actions for a Just Economy, SAJE) • Mariana Huerta Jones (Alliance for Community Transit Los Angeles, ACT-LA) • Natalie Hernandez (Climate Resolve) • Larry Kosmont (Kosmont Companies) • Cecilia Estolano (Estolano LeSar Advisors) • Sue Himmelrich (Western Center on Law and Poverty) 12 Noon LUNCH KEYNOTES: CA Sen. Kevin de Leon (former CA Senate President Pro Tem) • Mary Nichols (Chair, California Air Resources Board) 12:30 p.m. PANEL#3 VISION 2020: DUMP DIESEL, CONQUER CLIMATE CHANGE, ENHANCE METROLINK & CLEAN TRANSIT ACROSS REGION CA Sen. Fran Pavley (Ret.) • Stephanie Wiggins (CEO, Metrolink) • Ron Miller (Executive Secretary, LA-OC Building & Construction Trades Council) • Danny Curtin (Director, California Council of Carpenters) • Cesar Diaz (Legislative & Political Director, CA State Building Trades) • John Hakel (Director, SoCal Partnership for Jobs) • John Boesel (President & CEO, Calstart) • David Grannis (Founder & CEO, pointC, LLC) • Joe Lyou (President & CEO, Coalition for Clean Air and Governor's Appointee to the South Coast Air Quality Management District's Governing Board) • Marc Carrel (President & CEO of BREATHE California of LA and also of Emphysema Foundation of America) • Adrian Martinez (Staff Attorney, Earth Justice) • mark! Lopez (Executive Director, East Yard Communities for Environmental Justice) • Quentin Foster (Director of California Climate, Environmental Defense Fund) • Dawn Wilson (Manager of Air, Climate & Transportation Electrification Policy, SoCal Edison) • Tanya Peacock (Public Policy & Planning Manager, SoCal Gas) • Todd Campbell (VP of Public Policy & Regulatory Affairs, Clean Energy Fuels) • Rory Stewart (Policy & Program Associate, LA Business Council) • Tracy Hernandez (CEO of BizFed). 2:30-3 p.m. CLOSING REMARKS *Breakfast menu: Seasonal fresh fruit, fluffy scrambled eggs, breakfast potatoes, crispy bacon, scones & assorted pastries, butter and preserves, orange juice, freshly brewed coffee and assortment of teas. Here we go dreaming big again. It's what we do. This is version 17 of our Vision 2020 Straw Man. We had 33 versions of our Measure M Straw Man. Call or email us and weigh in on what you think should be different. Move LA's 2019 workplan makes environmental and social justice a priority on 3 major fronts, and we are looking to expand our coalition to help create campaigns that can win. Our endeavors in all these areas in the past have met with success, but we need an expanded and even more robust coalition—and the input that new partners can provide—to achieve the following goals: - Expand access to public transit services for underserved populations: It is our goal to win funding in the Legislature and support from LA Metro for a truly universal student transit pass program, with funding likely to come from the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund as we believe discounted student passes could greatly help reduce VMT. Toward this end we will be working to expand transit, micro-transit, and Access services for seniors and people with disabilities in LA County. We will also be working to keep fares low and oppose fare increases in LA County to ensure transit remains affordable to low- and very-low-income households. Expand the supply of affordable housing, especially near transit: - Move LA championed the creation of the Affordable Housing and Sustainable Communities (AHSC) program by the Legislature in 2014, making it 1 of the 4 programs benefiting from 60% of the proceeds from the state's Cap & Trade program and are deposited in the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund. AHSC provides funding for affordable housing near transit in developments that also win funding for urban greening and for improvements that make them walkable and bikeable. We have been engaged in protecting funding for the program and would like to see it expanded. - Gov. Brown signed Sen. Ben Allen's SB 961 this year, a bill we sponsored to allow the creation of "NIFTI-2" tax increment financing districts that will allocate 40% of the tax increment for affordable housing, 10% for urban greening and active transportation, and 50% for transit capital projects and other neighborhood improvements. In 2019 we will work to make it easier for cities and counties to implement these districts. - We are concerned that in the rush to build more housing near transit in California we are concerned—as are many housing advocates—that residents who already live in these neighborhoods will be displaced as buildings are town down and replaced with more expensive ones. We intend to work with all those concerned to ensure that low-income residents are not displaced. Build a coalition and a program for what we call Vision 2020—a ballot measure that will provide funding: - To expand, modernize and electrify Metrolink, SoCal's regional commuter rail system; - To provide a "local return" that enables each county to expand its transit system and services; - To reduce air pollution—especially diesel emissions and GHGs—dramatically by providing incentive funding to accelerate the deployment of zero- and near-zero emission light- and medium-duty cars, SUVs and trucks, and heavy-duty trucks. Join us in 2019 because together we can win all of these things and dump diesel and conquer climate change in the process! Read this if you want to know more about our work on these issues in the past and our new 2019 workplan.

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Parkinson's illness (PD) is a neurodegenerative brain condition that progresses slowly in most individuals. A lot of people's symptoms simply take years to develop, and live for many years using infection. in a nutshell, an individual's brain gradually prevents creating a neurotransmitter known as dopamine. With less much less dopamine, a person has less much less ability to regulate their particular moves, body and emotions. Parkinson's illness itself is not fatal. However, complications from infection are serious; the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) ranked complications from PD since the 14th top reason for death in the us. There is certainly currently no treatment for Parkinson's. The doctor's goal is to treat your symptoms to keep your well being up to feasible. That is why your present towards the National Parkinson Foundation goes directly to analysis that improves the daily everyday lives of men and women with PD. Generally, you will find brain cells (neurons) in mind that produce dopamine. These neurons focus in a particular part of the mind, labeled as the substantia nigra. Dopamine is a chemical that relays communications amongst the substantia nigra also parts of the mind to control moves associated with human anatomy. Dopamine helps humans having smooth, coordinated muscle mass motions. When about 60 to 80per cent of this dopamine-producing cells tend to be damaged, and never produce enough dopamine, the engine signs and symptoms of Parkinson's illness appear. This technique of impairment of mind cells is called neurodegeneration. The current theory (so-called Braak's hypothesis) is the fact that the earliest signs and symptoms of Parkinson's are observed in enteric neurological system, the medulla as well as in certain, the olfactory light bulb, which controls your feeling of smell. Under this principle, Parkinson's only advances into the substantia nigra and cortex through the years. This theory is progressively borne out by evidence that non-motor signs, such a loss in sense of scent, hyposmia, sleep disorders and constipation may precede the motor top features of the disease by a number of many years. Because of this, scientists are progressively dedicated to these "non-motor" signs to both detect PD as soon as possible and also to look for methods to end its progression.

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Removing efflorescence from plaster PART 1---GENERAL1.01 SUMMARY A. This procedure includes guidance on removing efflorescence from plaster surfaces. 1. Efflorescence is a condition where white (salt) deposits (in the form of a fluffy powder) form on the plaster surface. The formation of salts is usually a sign of excessive amounts of moisture in the back-up material, such as brick or concrete. 2. Salt deposits on the surface may develop from soluble compounds within the adjacent masonry or in the soil. In the presence of water, these compounds gradually migrate to the wall surface, where they remain when the water evaporates. 3. These deposits are generally not harmful to the material, just unattractive. However, they should be removed from the surface as soon as possible. PART 2---PRODUCTS2.01 EQUIPMENT A. Clean sponge B. Stiff, fiber bristle brushPART 3---EXECUTION3.01 EXAMINATION A. Before proceeding with steps to remove efflorescence, examine the plaster and substrate material for potential sources of moisture and make repairs as required: 1. Determine the age of the structure: Efflorescence on older buildings is typically caused by the presence of soluble salts in the construction combined with moisture. 2. Determine the location of the efflorescence: Examination may show where the water is entering. 3. If possible, examine the condition of the back-up material: a. CAREFULLY EXAMINE the wall for open gaps or cracks in joints and around openings that could allow water to enter the building. 1) Are joints properly caulked or sealed? 2) Are flashings and drips in good condition? 3) Are there open or eroded mortar joints in copings or in sills? b. Carefully note the condition and profile of the mortar joints. c. Repair cracks in masonry and/or repoint as necessary before proceeding with the cleaning operations. 4. Examine wall sections and details of construction: Carefully examine roof and wall junctures and flashing details for possible sources of moisture entry. 5. Examine laboratory test reports on the materials: The problem may stem from the composition or misuse of the material.3.02 ERECTION, INSTALLATION, APPLICATION A. Carefully remove any surface deposits using a stiff fiber bristle brush only. B. Wipe the surface with a clean, damp cloth. Source: U.S. General Services Administration Historic Preservation Technical Procedures

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David Laws, Consultant Anaesthetist, City Hospitals Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust, Sunderland, Tyne & Wear, SR4 7TP Professor Charles S. Adams, Department of Physics, Durham University, Durham, DH1 3LE The unquestioned assertion that a highly developed currency-issuing nation cannot afford high quality healthcare is based upon a set of inter-related and almost universally-held false assumptions: Money is in limited supply (as there is no ‘magic money tree’). Taxes fund government spending. Private banks lend out pre-existing savings. NHS spending is a burden on the economy rather than a boost to the economy. 1) Money is created ‘out of nothing’ on bank computers In 1973 the Bretton-Woods international exchange rate system, where currencies were ultimately pegged to the price of gold, was formally ended. Since that time we have used an international fiat monetary system where the value of each currency is determined by the workings of international financial markets. Fiat (Latin: ‘let it be made’) money is created from nothing on the basis of a promise – a promise to deliver goods or services in the future. Only if we believe in these promises and the systems that support them, does money have value. The following description of the monetary system and its components is highly schematic to aid elucidation of the underlying principles. Money is created either when the government spends or when a bank makes a loan. We can think of government spending and bank loans as the beginning of two interconnected money circuits. The government and bank circuits form the duopoly of money creation, rather like the pulmonary and systemic circulations of the cardiovascular system only in this case the circuits work in parallel. Both circuits are supported by the central bank which creates a unique type of money held within the bank known as electronic reserves (Figure 1). To extend the analogy of the cardiovascular system, the central bank is akin to the heart, individual bank accounts would be equivalent to the capillaries and the wider economy would be the working cells of the body. The two monetary circuits commingle through banking transactions so bank money and government money become indistinguishable to bank account users. After money is created it flows through the economy and eventually returns to the issuer. Figure 1: Schematic diagram of the monetary system of a sovereign nation. Bank account users cannot distinguish the origin of their deposits. 2) The government money circuit – taxation removes money from the system In the government circuit, money is spent into the economy and is effectively cancelled when it returns to the government via the payment of taxes. The collection of taxes is not a prerequisite for government spending as many people assume, but exists at the end of the government money cycle when taxes removed prevent too much money being created. Taxation mainly helps to control inflation and alter peoples’ behaviour in a way that should be beneficial to all. The net result of deficit spending is to leave savings in the form of Government Bonds in the hands of the private sector (Figure 2). Figure 2: The government spend and tax circuit with a deficit. The difference between spend and tax equals private sector saving and is known as the deficit. Conversely a government surplus (where taxation exceeds spending) would destroy these savings. The superficially sensible idea of running a balanced government budget simply prevents saving in the private sector. This is illustrated in models a) and b) within Figure 3. In a) the government injects money via a fiscal stimulus in year zero. Taxation means that over time all this money is returned. In b) the public choose to save a fraction of their income which leads to the deficit. Savings simply delay the return of money in the circuit. In other words, the private sector is only able to save money because the government supports this activity by running a deficit. The government circuit is leaky by design. For example, people are encouraged through tax breaks to save for their future (e.g. pensions & ISAs). Therefore, the national debt is not what we currently owe but what we currently own. Figure 3: (a) model which shows that after government spend (fiscal stimulus) if people do not save then all the money comes back as tax, whereas if people save this leads to the deficit (b). 3) The private bank money circuit – banks create credit and don’t lend out savings Most of our money is created in the form of bank loans (credit). When a loan agreement is signed the bank creates a new bank deposit to the value of the loan in the borrower’s bank account. Money is returned to the bank by the repayment of the loan plus interest (Figure 4). Similar to government spending, bank lending influences private sector behaviour but the allocation of money creation is not democratically controlled. The primary purpose of bank lending is to enable individuals and businesses to function and to generate profits for bank shareholders, both over the short and long-term. Figure 4: The bank circuit where loans concurrently create bank customer deposits and private debt leading to bank profits. Banks must have a licence issued by the government to create money in this manner and aspects of their activities are regulated. However there are no formal economic, social or environmental responsibilities associated with the creation and allocation of bank credit despite the significant influence these decisions have over our lives. Bank credit creation is predominantly distributed towards land (property) and financial asset speculation which dwarfs their support for entrepreneurship. The majority of UK small businesses are actually self-financing. As the proportion of unproductive private debt increases in an economy a correspondingly increasing proportion of economic output is directed towards servicing this interest-bearing debt. Consequently the private bank money circuit tends to be inherently destabilizing as it drives assets towards the already wealthy making the economy increasingly fragile. What are the outcomes when the two circuits combine? If all the money was returned to the issuers the quantity of money would go back to zero (the balanced budget illustrated in Figure 3a). In practice the rate of new money creation is usually higher than the rate of money cancellation and the total amount of money in the economy grows over time to support economic growth (Figure 5). Ideally growth in the money supply should match the growth in economic activity, such that prices remain roughly stable and we maintain confidence in the value of our currency unit. Control of the rate of money creation and destruction in the government and banking circuits are known fiscal and monetary policy, respectively. Figure 5: UK Money (M4) Supply 1987 – 2017. Source: Bank of England. The money supply increased significantly in the decades prior to the Global Financial Crisis (circa. 2007) primarily through bank credit expansion. In contrast, between 2009 and 2014 net credit was negative. As bank credit creation wavered from 2008 onwards, government deficits rose to prevent a deflationary depression. The actual sector balance data for the UK is shown in Figure 6 and there is similarity with the simple model we presented in Figure 3. Note that the rest of the world is a net saver of UK money (these savings have to be spent in the UK ultimately). Note also that when these three sectors combine, the balance is near zero as this is nothing more than an accounting identity. Figure 6: UK sectoral balances data from the ONS. The inverse correlation between Private and Public sectoral balances. Private sector savings mirror the public sector deficit as illustrated by the model in Figure 3. Why two circuits? Why do we need this duopoly of both a government circuit and a banking circuit? Why do we need both fiscal and monetary policy? As money is a collective good, should we transfer all money creation powers to government and demote private banks to the role of intermediaries as some propose? Or could we hand over all money creation to private banks as free-market fundamentalists would prefer? Put simply, the commercial bank circuit serves private needs while the government circuit serves collective needs. The bank circuit exists to serve individuals and ‘capitalism’, while the government circuit exists to deliver on democratically controlled promises. Economists often call our collective interests public goods. The failure of the private interest bank circuit to provide public goods is easy to understand by exploring healthcare. The market solution is to cater for the patient offering to pay the most. Even worse, the market may deliberately create a scarcity in order to charge a higher price. A market cannot operate effectively in matters of life and death. Kenneth Arrow a highly-respected pioneer of neoclassical economics and winner of the Nobel Prize in Economics in 1972 wrote ‘the laissez-faire solution for medicine is intolerable’. In situations where competition is not viable, where demand is unlimited like health, and supply delivers societal benefits, then collective democratic control is the optimal solution. The House of Lords Select Committee on the Long-term Sustainability of the NHS report in April 2017 reaffirmed that the principal method of funding the NHS should be via government spending. What has gone wrong? The art of economic management is to balance fiscal and monetary policy. An over dependence of one or other is doomed in the long term. The core failure over recent history lies in the inability of politicians and central bankers to regulate the banks and to use fiscal policy appropriately. There now exists UK Department of Health data to support the assertion that government austerity may be the primary underlying cause for the deterioration of health inequality measures in England. ‘In her present condition, Great Britain resembles one those unwholesome bodies in which some of the vital parts are overgrown…and through which an unnatural proportion of the industry and commerce of the country has been forced to circulate, (which) is very likely to bring on the most dangerous disorder upon the whole body politick’. When one considers the unhealthy dominance of the financial sector within the UK and global economy today, it may be surprising to discover that Adam Smith wrote these prescient words in the Wealth of Nations over two hundred and forty years ago. In a similar vein, using central bank monetary policy alone to rescue the global economy has been misguided. In 1969, the world-famous economist, Milton Friedman said ‘The available evidence . . . casts grave doubts on the possibility of producing any fine adjustments in economic activity by fine adjustments in monetary policy’. More recently, Mark Carney, the Governor of the Bank of England, reinforced this point in his ‘The Spectre of Monetarism’ speech published in December 2016 where he stresses that monetary policy needs to be in ‘better balance with fiscal and structural policies’. The sudden change to no money growth after 2010 in Figure 5 is evidence of the complete failings of recent monetary and fiscal policy. 4) NHS spending boosts the wider economy in excess of the money spent Fiscal policy is very powerful but needs to be carefully managed. The NHS was conceived and built in times of high national debt. This could occur because creation of money is not an inherent constraint. Thanks to the government spend and tax circuit, the NHS nurse, doctor, physiotherapist or pharmacist need not cost anything as long as (they serve a useful purpose and) the money spent on them is also spent. In fact, it is more likely that society will profit through ‘crowding in’ more economic activity through NHS employees’ subsequent spending and a healthier public. It is estimated that the fiscal multiplier for UK healthcare spending currently lies between 2.5 and 6.1. This means for every £1 spent on the NHS approximately £4 of economic activity results. If you had a cash-back card that gave you £4 back for every £1 spent, you would not cut back on your spending! Only when we reach a position of over supply when NHS staff wait forlornly for patients to present do we reach a point where the multiplier falls to below one. We are, at present, an unsafe distance from a workforce oversupply scenario. As a sovereign nation, the UK can always afford high quality universal NHS healthcare. Money is essentially an accounting system designed to facilitate our collective activities and development. Fiscal policy needs to be activated to meet the needs of our society as there is now observable failure of the prevailing reliance on monetary policy and preservation of rent-seeking private interests. It is evidently wrong to assert that healthcare access and quality is limited by the availability of money. The constraint, in truth, has never been the potential availability of money, but the desire to resource the NHS appropriately. In the words of John Maynard Keynes, ‘Anything we can actually do we can afford’. Department of Health annual report and accounts 2016 to 2017 https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/department-of-health-annual-report-and-accounts-2016-to-2017 (accessed August 2017) Money Creation in the Modern Economy. Bank of England Spring Bulletin 2014 http://www.bankofengland.co.uk/publications/Documents/quarterlybulletin/2014/qb14q102.pdf (accessed August 2017) Bank of England interactive database http://www.bankofengland.co.uk/boeapps/iadb/newintermed.asp (accessed August 2017) Uncertainty and the Welfare economics of medical care. Kenneth J. Arrow. The American Economic Review December 1963. http://www.who.int/bulletin/volumes/82/2/PHCBP.pdf (accessed August 2017) House of Lords Select Committee on the Long-term Sustainability of the NHS. The Long-term Sustainability of the NHS and Adult Social Care Report Published 5th April 2017. p44. https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld201617/ldselect/ldnhssus/151/151.pdf (accessed August 2017) David Buck, King’s Fund https://www.kingsfund.org.uk/blog/2017/08/reducing-inequalities-health-towards-brave-old-world (accessed August 2017) Smith, Adam. An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations. p468-9. Edited by S. M. Soares. MetaLibri Digital Library, 29th May 2007 (accessed August 2017) Milton Friedman and Walter W. Heller, Monetary vs. Fiscal Policy, W. W. Norton and Company Inc., New York 1969. ‘The Spectre of Monetarism’. Speech by The Governor of the Bank of England. December 2016. http://www.bankofengland.co.uk/publications/Documents/speeches/2016/speech946.pdf (accessed August 2017) Does investment in the health sector promote or inhibit economic growth? Aaron Reeves et al. Globalization and Health 2013. https://doi.org/10.1186/1744-8603-9-43 The Collected Writings of John Maynard Keynes. Vol. 27 p270. Activities 1940–1946: Shaping the Post- War World: Employment and Commodities ISBN 978-1-107-65156-2

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Archangel Gabriel (عليه السلام) on the very day the Messenger of Allaah (صلى الله علیه وسلم) came back to Madeenah after the previous battle, and while he was washing in Umm Salama’s house, visited him asking that he should unsheathe his sword and head for the habitation of the seditious Banu Quraiza and fight them. Gabriel noted that he with a procession of angels would go ahead to shake their forts and cast fear in their hearts. The Messenger of Allaah (صلى الله علیه وسلم), immediately summoned the prayer caller and ordered him to announce fresh hostilities against Banu Quraiza, institued Ibn Umm Maktum as a ruler of Madeenah, and entrusted the banner of war to ‘Alee bin Abee Talib who marched towards the appointed target and came close enough to hear the Jews abusing the Messenger of Allaah (صلى الله علیه وسلم), who on his part set out at the head of three thousand infantry men and thirty horsemen of Ansar (Helpers) and Muhajireen (Emigrants). On their way to encounter the enemy, the afternoon prayer was due. Some Muslims refused to observe it until they had defeated the enemy, while others offered it in its proper time, as usual. The Prophet (صلى الله علیه وسلم) objected to neither. When they reached the habitations of Banu Quraiza, they laid tight siege to their forts. Seeing this terrible situation they were in, the chief of the Jews Ka’b bin Asad offered them three alternatives: to embrace Islaam, and consequently their life, wealth, women and children would be in full security, and reminded them that such behaviour would not be incongruous with what they had read in their books about the veracity of Muhammad’s Prophethood; to kill their children and women and then challenge the Prophet (صلى الله علیه وسلم) and his followers to the sword to either exterminate the Muslims or be exterminated, or as a third possibility to take Muhammad (صلى الله علیه وسلم) and his people by surprise on Saturday - a day mutually understood to witness no fighting. None of those alternatives appealed them, so their chief, angrily and indignantly, turned to them saying: “You have never been decisive in decision-making since you were born.” The gloomy future already visible, they made contacts with some Muslims, who had maintained good relation with them, in order to learn about their fate in the light of the current circumstances. They requested that Abu Lubaba be despatched to them for advice. On his arrival, the men began to implore, women and children to cry desperately. In answer to their demand for advice he pointed to his throat saying it was homicide awaiting them. He then immediately realized that he had betrayed the Prophet’s trust, so he headed directly for the mosque in Madeenah and tied himself to a wooden tall pole swearing that no one would untie him save the Messenger of Allaah (صلى الله علیه وسلم), and added that he would never enter the habitation of Banu Quraiza in recompense for the deadly mistake he made. When the Messenger (صلى الله علیه وسلم) was informed of this incident, he said, “I would have begged Allaah to forgive him if he had asked me, but since he had tied himself out of his own free will, then it was Allaah Who would turn to him in forgiveness.” The Jews of Banu Quraiza could have endured the siege much longer because food and water were plentifully available and their strongholds were greatly fortified, whereas the Muslims were in the wild bare land suffering a lot from cold and hunger, let alone too much fatigue consequent on endless warfare operations that had started even before the battle of Confederates. Nevertheless, this was a battle of nerves, for Allaah had cast fear in the the Jews’ hearts, and their morale had almost collapsed especially when two Muslim heroes, ‘Alee bin Abee Talib and Az-Zubair bin ‘Awwam (radi-Allaahu ‘anhumaa) proceeded with ‘Alee swearing that he would never stop until he had either stormed their garrisons or been martyred like Hamzah (a former Muslim martyr). In the light of this reluctance, they had nothing except to comply with the Messenger’s judgement. The Messenger of Allaah (صلى الله علیه وسلم) ordered that the men should be handcuffed, and this was done under the supervision of Muhammad bin Salamah Al-Ansari while the women and children were isolated in confinement. Thereupon Al-Aws tribe interceded begging the Prophet (صلى الله علیه وسلم) to be lenient towards them. He suggested that Sa’d bin Mu’adh, a former ally, be deputed to give verdict about them, and they agreed. Sa’d meanwhile stayed behind in Madeenah due to a serious wound he sustained in the Confederates Battle. He was summoned and brought on a donkey. On his way to the Prophet (صلى الله علیه وسلم), the Jews used to exhort him to be lenient in his judgement on account of former friendship. Sa’d remained silent but when they persisted he uttered: “It is time for Sa’d not to be afraid of the blame of the blamers.” On hearing this decisive attitude, some of them returned to Madeenah waiting for a desperate doom. On arrival, he alighted with the help of some men. He was informed that the Jews had agreed to accept his verdict about them. He immediately wondered if his judgement would pass on all the people present, the Prophet (صلى الله علیه وسلم) included, turning his face away in honour of him. The reply was positive. He decided that all the able-bodied male persons belonging to the tribe should be killed, women and children taken prisoners and their wealth divided among the Muslim fighters. The Prophet (صلى الله علیه وسلم) accepted his judgement saying that Sa’d had adjudged by the Command of Allaah. In fact, the Jews deserved that severe punitive action for the ugly treachery they had harboured against Islaam, and the large arsenal they have amassed and which consisted of one thousand and five hundred swords, two thousand spears, three hundred armours and five hundred shields, all of which went into the hands of the Muslims. Trenches were dug in the bazaar of Madeenah and a number of Jews between six and seven hundred were beheaded therein. Hotbeds of intrigue and treachery were thus exterminated once and for all. Huyai, a chief criminal of war, a devil of Bani Nadir and Safiyah’s father, had joined the ranks of Banu Quraiza when Quraysh and Ghatfan defected, was admitted into the audience of the Prophet (صلى الله علیه وسلم) with his hands tied to his neck with a rope. In audacious defiance, he declared obstinate enmity to the Prophet (صلى الله علیه وسلم) but admitted that Allaah’s Will was to be fulfilled and added that he was resigned to his fate. He was ordered to sit down, and was beheaded on the spot. Only one woman of the Jews was killed because she had killed a Muslim warrior by flinging a grinding stone upon him. A few elements of the enemy embraced Islaam and their lives, wealth and children were spared. As for the spoils of the war, the Prophet (صلى الله علیه وسلم) divided them, after putting a fifth aside, in accordance with Allaah’s injunctions. Three shares went to the horseman and one to the infantry fighter. Women captives were sent to Najd to be bartered with horses and weaponry. For himself, the Prophet (صلى الله علیه وسلم) selected Rehana bint ‘Amr bin Khanaqah, manumitted and married her in the year 6 Hijri. She died shortly after the farewell pilgrimageand was buried in Al-Baqi’. After the war with Banu Quraiza had been settled and they had been defeated, Sa’d bin Mu’adh’s wish was gratified and he gave his last breath. In response to his supplication ‘Aa’ishah (رضي الله عنها) narrated, Sa’d’s wounds began to bleed from the front part of his neck while he was in his tent which the Prophet (صلى الله علیه وسلم) had pitched for him in the mosque so that he would be in close proximity in order to inquire about and watch his well-being closely. The people were not scared except when the blood flowed towards them, and in the Mosque along with Sa’d’s tent, there was the tent of Banu Ghifar. They said: O people of the tent, what is it that is coming to us from you? Lo! it was Sa’d’s wound that was bleeding and he died thereon. Jaabir narrated that the Messenger of Allaah (صلى الله علیه وسلم) had said: “The Throne of the Compassionate shook for the death of Sa’d bin Mu’adh.” When his bier was carried, At-Tirmidhee said: The hypocrites alleged it was too light. The Messenger of Allaah (صلى الله علیه وسلم) retorted: “The angels are carrying him.” In the process of the sieze laid to Banu Quraiza, one man of the Muslims, Khallad bin Suwaid was killed when a women of the Jews dropped the grinding stone on him, and another, Abu Sinan bin Mihsan, the brother of ‘Ukasha, died. Abu Lubaba stayed tied for six nights. His wife used to untie him at prayer times and then he tied himself again to the pole. One early morning, Allaah the All-Forgiving revealed a verse to the Messenger of Allaah (صلى الله علیه وسلم) to the effect that Allaah had turned to Abu Lubaba with forgiveness. The Muslims rushed to release him but he insisted that the Messenger of Allaah (صلى الله علیه وسلم) himself do it. And this was done shortly before the morning prayer. This Ghazwah took place in the month of Dhul Qa’dah in the year five Hijri, and the siege of Banu Quraiza’s forts lasted for 25 days. The Chapter of Confederates was revealed containing Allaah’s Words concerning the basic issues relating to the believers and hypocrites during the battle of the Confederates, and the consequences of the treachery and breaching of covenants by the Jews.

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“Inflation rate” is an economic term that refers to changes in a price index. The inflation of a country is the rate of price increase over a set period of time. Most inflation figures are given for the yearly increase in the price index. Inflation affects the purchasing power of the population and affects the economy of a country in countless ways. With a rising inflation rate, a currency unit will purchase fewer goods, necessitating a rise in salaries and other economic changes. Inflation may seem like a constant issue, but different parts of the world have very different inflation rates. Some countries have double-digit rates of inflation, or even higher rates. Other countries have little to no inflation. Source : http://www.visualeconomics.com

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Cordotomy (or chordotomy) is a surgical procedure that disables selected pain-conducting tracts in the spinal cord, in order to achieve loss of pain and temperature perception. This procedure is commonly performed on patients experiencing severe pain due to cancer or other diseases for which there is currently no cure. Anterolateral cordotomy is effective for relieving unilateral, somatic pain while bilateral cordotomies may be required for visceral or bilateral pain. Cordotomy is usually done percutaneously with fluoroscopic guidance while the patient is under local anesthesia. Open cordotomy, which requires a laminectomy, is often risky for patients with poor medical conditions, but may be required if percutaneous cordotomy is not feasible or an attempt has failed. Endoscopic Discectomy is a minimally invasive spine surgery technique that utilizes an endoscope to treat herniated, protruded, extruded, or degenerative discs that are a contributing factor to leg and back pain. The endoscope allows the surgeon to use a "keyhole" incision to access the herniated disc. Muscle and tissue are dilated rather than being cut when accessing the disc. This leads to less tissue destruction, less postoperative pain, quicker recovery times, earlier rehabilitation, and avoidance of general anesthesia. The excellent visualization via the endoscope permits the surgeon to selectively remove a portion of the herniated nucleus pulposus that is contributing to the patient's leg and back pain. Thermal annuloplasty is an adjunctive procedure that uses bipolar electro-thermal energy (radiofrequency and/or laser) to ablate or depopulate the sensitized pain nociceptors in the annulus, ablate any inflammatory/grannualtion tissue that has grown into the annulus, and to shrink and tighten the stretched or torn collagen fibers of the annulus. The annulus is the outer portion of the disc and is composed of many concentric layers that are arranged similarly to the plies of a radial tire. Thus, the weakened annulus or defect left by the disc herniation is contracted and possibly sealed from within the disc. The most common fractures of the spine occur in the thoracic (midback) and lumbar spine (lower back) or at the connection of the two (thoracolumbar junction). These fractures are typically caused by high-velocity accidents, such as a car crash or fall from height. Men experience fractures of the thoracic or lumbar spine four times more often than women. Seniors are also at risk for these fractures, due to weakened bone from osteoporosis. Because of the energy required to cause these spinal fractures, patients often have additional injuries that require treatment. The spinal cord may be injured, depending on the severity of the spinal fracture. Beside Aditya Super Speciality Hospital, MLB School Road, Opp. Little Kingdom School, Napier Town, Jabalpur (M.P.) Ph. : (Clinic) +91-761-4063159, (For appt.) +91-8827529995 Morning: 12:00 - 02:00 Evening: 5:30 - 7:30 Sunday : Closed

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1837 – An act of parliament put an end to the use of the pillory as punishment in the Uk. 1859 – French acrobat Charles Blondin crossed Niagara Falls on a tightrope. 1905 – Albert Einstein publishesd the article On the Electrodynamics of Moving Bodies, in which he introduces special relativity. 1908 – The Tunguska Event occured in Siberia – an enormously powerful explosion that occurred near the Podkamennaya Tunguska River in what is now Krasnoyarsk Krai, Russia, at about 7:14 a.m. KRAT (0:14 UT). The explosion, having the hypocenter, (60.886°N, 101.894°E), is believed to have been caused by the air burst of a large meteoroid or comet fragment at an altitude of 5–10 kilometres (3–6 mi) above the Earth’s surface. Different studies have yielded varying estimates of the object’s size, with general agreement that it was a few tens of metres across. It is the largest impact event on or near Earth in recorded history. The explosion knocked an estimated 80 million trees down over an area covering 2,150 square kilometres (830 sq mi). It is estimated that the shock wave from the blast would have measured 5.0 on the Richter scale. Other possible causes suggested include a crashing UFO, a Black hole passing through the Earth, anti-matter, and a side-effect of an experiment by Nikola Tesla 1934 – The Night Of The Long Knives in Germany. Adolf Hitler ordered the summary execution of those in the Nazi party who oppsed him.

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- Northern Greek Feta It is a hard, salty white cheese made from sheep or goat's milk. A very hard cheese, kefalotyri can be consumed as is, fried in olive oil for a dish called Saganaki, or added to foods such as pasta dishes, meat or cooked vegetables, and is especially suited for grating. Ideal for cheeseboards, the tangy cheese is served with fresh seasonal fruits, such as pears, figs, and grapes alongside red wine and sausages. Manouri is a semi-soft, fresh white whey cheese made from goat or sheep's milk as a by-product following the production of feta. Manouri is creamier than feta, because of the addition of cream to the whey. It is also less salty than feta. It is used in salads, pastries, or as a dessert cheese. It can also be substituted for cream cheese in dishes such as cheesecake. Mizithra is a fresh cheese made with raw milk and whey from sheep or goat's milk. The ratio of milk to whey is 70-30. It resembles that of Ricotta, though it is typically drier. Mizithra can be salt-dried to produce a mature salty cheese.

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According to wikipedia.org virology is considered to be a type of microbiology or pathology. Virologists study viruses and they conduct research to classify viruses. Virologists also try to determine the structure of viruses to understand how they evolve and reproduce how they can be isolated and controlled and to determine the diseases they cause. Most viruses cannot be seen with the naked eye so virologists use devices such as electron microscopes spectroscopy and X-ray crystallography to study them. According to the website www.ehow.com virologists can be employed in fields such as agriculture medicine and veterinary medicine. They start out by earning bachelor’s degrees with majors such as biology chemistry or biochemistry but also courses such as genetics physics calculus and microbiology. They often serve in summer internships to gain laboratory experience while working on this degree. Then they attend graduate school to earn a master’s degree in virology while gaining further laboratory expertise. Most master’s programs include courses such as biochemistry general virology immunology molecular biology viral pathogenesis bacteriology and epidemiology. With a master’s degree virologists qualify for positions with government agencies such as the Centers for Disease Control or Prevention or possibly with local labs hospitals or academic research programs. Some virologists have additional degrees in the medical field or in public health. The website www.payscale.com says that earnings for virologists depend upon the type of employer years of work experience and level of education and type of degree held. Entry-level virologists earn between approximately $37500 and virologists who have more than 20 years of experience can earn up to $120000 per year. |Education Required:||Master's Degree| Researches how viruses impact life forms. Determines ways in which viruses can be controlled.

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Impact evaluation of an integrated poultry value chain and nutrition intervention (SE LEVER) in Burkina Faso The SELEVER impact evaluation involves a cluster-randomized controlled trial design implemented in 120 rural communities/villages within 60 communes supported by SELEVER in the Boucle du Mouhoun, Centre-Ouest and Haut-Bassins regions of Burkina Faso. In this trial, communities were randomly assigned to one of three treatment arms, including 1) SELEVER intervention group; 2) SELEVER with an intensive WASH component; and 3) control group without intervention. The primary outcomes for the trial are the mean probability of adequacy of diets for women and children (2-4 years at baseline), infant and young child feeding practices of caregivers of children aged 0-2 years, and household poultry production and sales. Intermediate outcomes along the agriculture and nutrition pathways were also measured, including child nutrition status and development. The evaluation follows a mixed-method approach, including a panel of child, household, community and market surveys, with multiple data collection points during post-harvest and lean seasons, as well as one year after implementation ends to examine issues related to sustainability. The project kicked-off activities in September 2016, and 2 baseline survey rounds were completed in 2017. Exposure to Livestock Feces and Water Quality, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) Conditions among Caregivers and Young Children: Formative Research in Rural Burkina Faso Assessing the health and nutrition risks of smallholder poultry production in Burkina Faso: Insights from formative research Aulo Gelli - A.Gelli@cgiar.org

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Makey Makey together with Scratch is a wonderful combination of tools that can be used to create all sorts of nifty solutions with students, as well as teach the basics of circuity, conductive materials and algorithms. Whilst we have used Makey Makey and Scratch on a small scale at my school before (commonly during Genius Hour projects), this term we have used the CSER lending library so we could teach components of our Digital Technologies Curriculum (Victorian) to all students in Years 3 to 6. You can read more about what our students thought about these projects here. As all students in year’s 3 to 6 have their own Chromebook, so it was very easy to use the Scratch 2.0 application via the Chrome browser. As Chromebooks all have a USB peripheral port, Makey Makeys will plug directly into Chromebooks and essentially behave like an input device. Therefore, you can program in Scratch to respond in certain ways when specific keys are pressed, and Makey Makey can mimic those keystrokes. A good way to see the potential behind Makey Makey is to check out the Makey Makey Labz page, which includes a gallery and a set of guides or tutorials from other people around the globe who are inventing with Makey Makey. They also have an educator page which contains some basic to advanced lessons, as well as a link to a forum which is growing in user activity. For further materials and educator resources relating to Scratch and the links to the Digital Technologies curriculum, see these relevant presentations by myself here. Below is a series of lessons that were conducted with our 3-4 and 5-6 year levels. Our lessons are usually made available on our Google Site or Google Classroom, where the teacher can display the lesson and the relevant part of the lesson on the projector screen. Students can also open the lesson on their own device when required, so you will notice that the lesson has been designed for this in mind. All lessons are licensed with Creative Commons, so feel free to make a copy, add to and modify, simplify or extend. Most of these plans were carried over at least 2 lessons, and in some cases, several weeks. The particular concepts explored could also be made to suit 1-2 or 7-8 level. Do reach out to me if you use these successfully, I’d also love to know if you adapt or modify beyond these plans. Most of these lessons are designed around Learning Objectives and Success Criteria framed using the SOLO Taxonomy verbs. This was deliberate by design as the SOLO Taxonomy can be useful as a schema towards deep learning and higher order skills required for creative work. For example (below), you wouldn’t expect students to be able to create a drum machine (EXTEND) unless they were able to apply their knowledge of Scratch and Makey Makey (RELATE), of which they wouldn’t be able to do unless they were able to assemble the components in the correct order (MANY IDEAS) after understanding and identifying the correct function of each system component (ONE IDEA). Also included in the table is a link to the relevant way of thinking within the Technologies curriculum (Australian) at each SOLO stage, mainly for the teachers as a reminder to be explicit about these concepts and ideas. Year 3-4 lessons / project ideas Sound machine project (foil drums) (link) – 3-4 students commenced with a simple sound machine project using plastic cups wrapped in foil, and an alloy bbq tray to act as a grounding point. Students played the electronic drums by placing one hand on earth and the other hand on a foil cup to create a complete circuit. This project could be modified so that students can wear an “earth bracelet” so that both hands are free to play, or conductive materials are used as drum sticks which are connected to earth so the circuit completes when the sticks and cups are connected. Paper circuit project (link) – Students then created a paper circuit that could be touched by finger to create a circuit. It worked surprisingly well using plain white A4 paper and 2B grey-lead / graphite pencil. They observed many examples of paper circuits that were found online before creating their own. If we had more time on this project, it would have been great for students to recreate a musical tune that will play when a finger is run across the circuit page as per one of the examples we saw. This circuit project could also be extended to making interactive posters. Wire game (link) – The final project that 3-4 students worked on was a buzz wire game using wire and play dough (which contains water and therefore makes as a good conductor) to recreate an old carnival fare classic. The game can be made easier or harder depending on the positioning of the wire components. This project was also a good introduction to IF / ELSE conditional loops. This project could be modified so it includes a counter every time the user makes it to the end of the wire, as seen here. Year 5-6 lessons / project ideas Sound machine project (foil pads) (link) – 5-6 students commenced in a similar way to 3-4 students, except they had to cut and paste foil onto cardboard to make their own synthesizer inspired music pad. Again, this could be modified so that drum sticks or an “earth bracelet” are used to free up both hands. Electronic bin project (link) – As part of our term 2 inquiry focus on inquiry, students were invited to make a working prototype of an electronic bin. Working under the umbrella of “How might we change human behaviour to have an impact on our environment?”, students took a design thinking approach to plan, build and improve their designs. This project took a good 6 weeks to complete but could be shortened. As mentioned earlier, several students have incorporated Makey Makey in their Genius Hour projects over the last few years, for example: A true / false buzzer system that interacts with a quiz on Scratch (link) A safe fencing game made out of foil vests and wands (link) An interactive dance mat (link) A basketball shot clock and score keeper (link) A shuttle run counter and timer (link)

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