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Another day, another Google Doodle - this time in celebration of what would have been the 101st birthday of origami grandmaster Akira Yoshizawa. Yoshizawa, who lived to the ripe old age of 94 before passing away on his birthday in 2005, is the man that turned origami into a serious art form and not just a hobby, and was responsible for creating many techniques, including wet-folding which allowed the use of thick papers and created soft curves, gentle shapes and rounded, organic forms. The Doodle was created by Dr Robert J. Lang, an American physicist and one of the foremost origami artists in the world. "When I was first approached by Google to help create a doodle commemorating Yoshizawa’s work, I jumped at the chance," said Lang. "Google set the parameters of the design: the Google logo, of course, but to be folded with origami and then decorated with examples of Yoshizawa's designs. "I created examples of two logo styles for Google to choose from: one in a classic origami style and a more three-dimensional version based on pleats. Google liked the pleated version, so I set about designing and folding the rest. " The instructions to make the Doodle for yourself can be found on the Google blog. Be warned though, it looks a bit more complicated than a paper airplane.

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When you think of getting into shape, walking is the last form of physical activity that comes to mind. Instead, activities like yoga, pilates or the gym get all the attention when it comes to identifying ways to get healthy. But did you know that walking has been known to have anti-aging benefits and could possibly add an extra three to seven years to your life? The European Society of Cardiology (ESC) thinks so. In their study group of 69 non-smokers, aged between 30 and 60 years old, those who took part in brisk walks or jogs (or other moderate exercises), experienced an anti-aging process where their old DNA was being repaired. This was proven at the end of their six-month study, through blood tests. So, what does this tell us? That our legs were inherently made for walking and depriving them of doing so, would ultimately make us age faster. Although it is more on the low to moderate scale of physical activity, if you can include a brisk 35 minute walk into your day, everyday, you’re already onto the right path. Here are 3 reasons why you should be walking: 1. You’ll lower your risk for chronic diseases. In general, exercise helps the heart use oxygen, thus rendering it easier for the heart to pump blood. So when you get your power walk on for 30 minutes or more, several days per week, you can actually lower your risk of high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes. 2. You’ll walk your way towards hot legs. Walking can lead to thin and great looking legs. How great? This moderate form of activity can prevent varicose veins from developing. Add an incline and suddenly your walk will increase your heart rate and recruit “25% more muscle fibers than strolling the flats. ” It also gives definition to calves, quads and hamstrings. 3. You’ll develop a new relationship with your bowels. If you own a dog and you’ve placed him or her on a treadmill before, you’d know exactly what I was talking about. Something happens when you start walking—all of a sudden you feel the need to use the bathroom. Ever wondered why? That's because walking utilizes core and abdominal muscles, encouraging movement in our GI system. Therefore a regular walking routine can really improve gastric mobility. By: Angela Redd

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Community Schools’ high school has turned the traditional school day upside-down by asking teachers to assign short video lectures as homework and have students do activities, participate in discussions and complete assignments in class, with their teacher at hand to answer questions. The flipped class is a type of blended learning, which combines online and traditional face-to-face methods. Students can review videos at their own pace, pausing to take notes or review a point. While the number of educators using this method is tough to calculate, 2,500 have joined the Flipped Class Network, a learning community for teachers using vodcasting (video podcasting) in class. . . Thursday, December 29, 2011 Flipped Class Method Gaining Ground This from District Administration Magazine:

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Both the creationist and evolutionary naturalist world views influence the sex norms and behaviour of their respective adherents. Creationism interprets sex as a biological drive designed primarily for the specific purpose of fulfilling the command to ‘Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth’ (Genesis 1:28). Creationism also concludes that the male and female sexual organs were specifically designed to be compatible so as to ensure successful reproduction, and that they manifest clear evidence of being the direct result of planning and purpose. Consequently, homosexual behaviour would be seen as a perversion of the sexual organs’ purpose, and a use of the sexual drive in a way for which it was not designed. Misuses such as this could result in negative repercussions, including disease and tissue damage involving not only the sexual organs, but the total sex drive and its associated responses. Whenever something is used for a purpose other than that for which it was designed, a clear risk of damage or other problems exists. In Morris’ words: The Bible teaches that sexual relations of any kind are sinful except between husband and wife, united in a marriage dissolved only by death. It reserves its strongest condemnation, however, for the sin of homosexuality, since this practice repudiates the very nature of man and woman as created by God. Some Christian homosexuals have made abortive attempts to reinterpret those biblical passages that condemn homosexuality, but this is like interpreting black as white. For the most part, any justification of this practice must be based on evolutionary concepts. 1 In a survey of church position statements on homosexuality, Siker notes that ‘most of the policy statements . . . [regard] heterosexuality as the norm [and] . . . consider homosexual orientation as a distortion of God’s design and homosexual behaviour as sin’. 2 Some of the Scriptural passages that Morris refers to include Romans 1:18–28 which states, ‘The wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and wickedness of men who by their wickedness suppress the truth’ because they have rebelled against‘the eternal power and deity [who] is clearly perceived in the things that have been made. ’ A specific rebellion against the way things were made includes the statement that: God gave them up to dishonorable passions. Their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural, and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with a passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in their own persons the due penalty for their error. Also commonly cited is 1 Corinthians 6:9, which states: Do not be deceived; neither the immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor robbers will inherit the Kingdom of God. And such were some of you. These texts, and the teachings of the church fathers, have been the major historical Christian basis for condemning homosexual behaviour. Ellis and Ames note that in the western world, heterosexuality was attributable to what God had ordained as natural and good, and all deviations from it . . . were seen as . . . evil. 3 In the West, this position has been the majority view for most of the last two millennia. What changed this view to the degree that in some countries homosexuals now receive special protection under civil rights acts and those who object to homosexual behaviour are labelled psychologically maladjusted, namely homophobes? A major factor has been the secularization of society and the teaching of naturalistic evolution. The common evolutionary biological argument to justify homosexuality runs as follows: Homosexual behavior has been observed in most animal species studied, and the higher we climb on the taxonomic tree toward mammals, the more apparent homosexual behaviour we see. 4 Such claims are often made from a limited understanding of the natural world. For example, in response to the above common claim, Symons notes: In Judeo-Christian theology, unlike evolutionary biology, there is no disjunction between ultimate and proximate; on the contrary, ultimate and proximate are intimately and immediately related. What one ought to do, for example, is a direct function of God’s will. Despite the absence of God in most scientific writing, the implicit belief that nature constitutes a moral order frequently persists. Thus writers with tolerant or positive views about homosexuality often begin their discussions by emphasizing the frequency with which non-human animals and preliterate peoples engage in homosexual activities, implying that homosexuality is natural and hence acceptable. Writers with less sanguine views of homosexuality point out that a great deal of mounting among non-human animals is not sexually motivated, that homosexual behavior is more frequent among captive than among free-ranging animals, and that exclusive homosexuality is rare among preliterate peoples, implying that homosexuality is unnatural and hence unacceptable. 5 Further, homosexual behaviour among animals is engaged in for a variety of reasons having nothing to do with sex. In many cases it is only a ‘ritualized form of aggression’. 6 Although the full set of causes of homosexual behaviour is not yet understood, a creationist orientation provides a theoretical foundation to both understand and help persons with this problem. The present approach used to understand and help homosexuals adjust to a heterosexual life has obviously not been very fruitful; most studies show a very low ‘cure’ rate. 7,8 The creationist viewpoint would also conclude that homosexuality is not due to normal biological factors that differentiate them from heterosexuals. The Creator-designed sexual orientation is heterosexual, and any deviation from this must be due to an aberration in either biological or psychological development. Importantly, this view can provide prevention advice and guidelines for child care so as to facilitate sexual adjustment. In fact, the common belief that one is ‘either a heterosexual or a homosexual’ and that physical or other clear reasons for this difference usually exist is not supported by research. 9,10 The empirical research evidence indicates that for most people the sexual drive exists in a diffuse state in the early stages, solidifying only much later. Sexual development occurs primarily between the second year of life and the onset of puberty. During the first few years it is rather undefined and can develop through learning so that it can be stimulated, or at least influenced, by a wide variety of objects, although at first the primary stimulus is tactile stimulation of the genital area. 11 Thus children’s sexual development is highly influenced by early experiences in a process similar to imprinting. 12 This system enables a person to become sexually attracted to their own race, national group or culture. 13 Thus, Chinese men generally find Chinese women most erotic. Black men relate to black women in the same way, etc. This is not to say that people cannot find those in other groups attractive, but that the preference tends to be towards one’s own national and cultural group. Because the original sexual drive is diffuse, it can thus be conditioned in many different directions. 14 For this reason, a variety of experiences, many of which have little to do with the person himself or herself, can cause one to become a homosexual, depending on the degree that one’s early diffuse sex drive is conditioned toward persons of the same sex and away from persons of the opposite sex. Holmes noted that In many women, particularly, sexual attraction tends to follow on the heels of strong emotional attachments with partners of either sex. 15 Thus this gradual process can occur if the proper conditions—which are extremely diverse, and not yet fully delineated by research—exist. We are all susceptible to homosexual conditioning, at least until our sex drive becomes fairly solidified. 16 The longer an orientation is rewarded and successfully persists, the more difficult it is to change. In addition, if one fully believes that homosexuality is ‘part of me, the way I am’, similar to one’s having black hair, change is obviously going to be more difficult. If one has concluded that most homosexuality is learned or acquired due to pathological biological factors because of a specific set of abnormal circumstances which influence development, as creationist psychology theory would predict, the person will recognize that the homosexual can change, even though it may be difficult. 17 The evolution explanation In contrast, the Darwinian view explains the sexual drive and all behaviour as solely a product of survival of the fittest selection. That is, organisms with a strong heterosexually oriented drive produce more of their kind, and are more successful, and those lacking it produce fewer offspring and are, therefore, more likely to become extinct. 18 Evolution teaches that the source of sex is ‘biological . . . written by natural selection’. 19 Since nature would consistently select those organisms with stronger heterosexual drives, it would become stronger and stronger until it would eventually become the all-encompassing human drive, more important than food and other life preservation needs. Evolution would not select for length of life beyond childbearing years, but primarily for the number of offspring that an individual was able to produce. 20,21 Reproduction rates are not just of major importance in evolution, but are critical because high rates provide the numbers for evolution to select from—and a greater sample size means greater chances exist that more ‘fitter species’ will occur. Homosexuality would obviously usually not produce higher levels of reproduction than heterosexuality—evolutionary selection would consistently work in the opposite direction, selecting for heterosexuality—and any biological factors positively influencing homosexual feelings would rapidly be selected out. Homosexuality is thus not easy to explain from this world view. Heterosexuality is so critical for evolution that Fox stated: During the course of my own [research] pursuit, Darwin loomed larger and larger He provided the major idea within which all else fits: There is ultimately only one life process—natural selection. This truth, once grasped, changes the world for an observer, as it changed it for Marx for example. But Darwin supplies a secondary theory—that of sexual selection, which is the way natural selection connects with the issues that concerned Freud: incest and aggression. Sexual selection has two sides: the competition between members of one sex (usually male) for mates from the other, and the choice exercised by the other (usually female) in picking mates from the competitors. Through this process, genes are differentially distributed in populations, and this can lead to significant evolutionary changes. 22 Nonetheless, evolution theory would not necessarily view homosexuality as ‘abnormal’ or ‘unnatural’, only a less successful mode of reproductive behaviour. To evolution, nothing is ‘normal’ in the sense of moral or appropriate compared to some universal standard or value. The only ultimate value in evolution is the degree to which a trait produces either a selection advantage or disadvantage. Aside from this, they say heterosexuality is not better, or more or less normal or desirable than homosexuality, especially if they both satisfy many of the same needs such as companionship, association, security, and sexual satisfaction. To a consistent evolutionist it thus makes no difference whether these needs are satisfied within a homosexual or heterosexual relationship. Homosexuality today actually could be viewed as more desirable from a secular standpoint because it could reduce population problems: Whether the result of deprivation or a natural tendency for the organism, homosexuality also serves evolutionary processes by acting as a form of population control . . . as more gay families emerge fewer children will be born . . . A homosexual solution to overpopulation, however, will not simply happen by itself. . . If homosexuality is to have a limiting effect on population growth, we must remove the stigma surrounding gay relationships. For it is this very shame that encourages so many gays to contract heterosexual relationships and have children as a means of coping with or covering up personal deviance. Facilitating greater acceptance will not only provide peace of mind to gay people but will also benefit heterosexuals and indeed the entire world by providing a humane method of controlling overpopulation. 23 Emanating from the pure evolutionary approach would also be the assumption that no behaviour is ‘right or wrong’, ‘good or bad’, and any behaviour that results in pleasure (and does not hurt anyone, most would add) is fully proper. Life has no purpose, at least no long-term purpose, aside from what we give it, nor does our behaviour. Consequently judgments cannot be made, except in terms of survival or reproductive advantage. 24 The sexual organs are the way they are solely because they supposedly evolved that way as a result of selection, time and chance; not because they were created for a specific purpose. Thus, no ‘wrong’ way to use them. Painful or dysfunctional ways—but not ‘wrong’ ways. Further, if a selective advantage can be envisaged for homosexuality, it could be argued it is ‘normal’ in the sense that nature selected for it: There is, I wish to suggest, a strong possibility that homosexuality is normal in a biological sense, that it is a distinctive beneficent behavior that evolved as an important element of early human social organisation. Homosexuals may be the genetic carriers of some mankind’s rare altruistic impulses. 25 On the selective advantage of homosexual behaviour, a model called kin selection, Wilson speculates: How can genes predisposing their carriers towards homosexuality spread through the population if homosexuals have no children? One answer is that their close relatives could have had more children as a result of their presence. The homosexual members of primitive societies could have helped members of the same sex, either while hunting and gathering or in more domestic occupations at the dwelling sites. Freed from the special obligations of parental duties, they would have been in a position to operate with special efficiency in assisting close relatives. 26 This ad hoc explanation, though, has little if any support from contemporary research, and much evidence against it. The major problem is that little evidence exists for any view except that homosexual behaviour was anything but rare or unknown in ‘primitive’ societies. Ruse concludes that all ‘evolutionary explanations’ models of homosexuality are inadequate and problematic, including theories of kin selection, superior heterozygote fitness, parental manipulation, and homosexuality as a maladaptive side of intensive natural selection for superior adaptive male heterosexual behaviour, selected because the maladaptive behaviour comes along with the adaptive. 27 Do ‘homosexuals’ exist? In my decade of working at various psychology clinics, I have queried all of my ‘homosexual’ clients as to whether they were erotically attracted to the opposite sex. All of them said that they were, and most all said that they liked women as friends. I have always found it intriguing that virtually all of them did not fit the common definition of homosexual—a person sexually attracted to their own instead of the opposite sex—but all were to some degree bisexual. Many were once married and most had sexual encounters with the opposite sex. Furthermore, Masters’ and Johnson’s scientific studies of persons labelled homosexual and lesbian have found that both groups consistently listed heterosexual encounters as highly erotic, actually at the top of a list of their erotic fantasies. In one study both male and female homosexuals listed a ‘heterosexual encounter’ as their third most common sexual fantasy! 28 This finding also supports the conclusion that most of those persons labelled gay are, at best, in varying degrees bisexual—especially in view of the fact that many also have heterosexual relations, and many were once married and had families. In the words of Byne: To understand how biological factors influence sexual orientation, one must first define orientation. Many researchers, most conspicuously Simon LeVay, treat it as a sexually dimorphic trait: men are generally ‘programmed’ for attraction to women, and women are generally programmed for attraction to men . . . The validity of this ‘intersex’ expectation is questionable . . . sexual orientation is not dimorphic; it has many forms. The conscious and unconscious motivations associated with sexual attraction are diverse even among people of the same sex and orientation. Myriad experiences (and subjective interpretations of those experiences) could interact to lead different people to the same relative degree of sexual attraction to men or to women. Different people could be sexually attracted to men for different reasons; for example, there is no a priori reason that everyone attracted to men should share some particular brain structure. 29 Given this, the often unstated but common inference that ‘gays’ in general are attracted to the same sex with the same power that heterosexuals are attracted to the opposite sex—also sexually repelled to the opposite sex as heterosexuals are to the same sex—is not justified. The labelling process dichotomizes, distorts, and should be rejected by both sides. Studies of homosexuals and heterosexuals have found that the two groups are similar on most traits because most ‘gay’ persons are to some degree heterosexual. The contrast is the label, and this is what has an enormous influence on one’s self-identity, which is a major influence in causing homosexual behaviour. All of us have a wide range of erotic feelings. Societies define some of these as sexual and regulate the degree and the ways in which we are permitted to develop and express them. Homosexual behaviors probably have existed in all societies, but our current perception of homosexuality has its roots in the late nineteenth century. That is when people began to consider certain sexual behaviours to be the identifying characteristic of those who practised them. Homosexuality stopped being what people did and became who they were. As Michael Foucault writes in his History of Sexuality, until that time "the sodomite had been a temporary aberration; the homosexual was now a species". 30 The research generalization that exclusively homosexual persons who have no attraction for, and are sexually repulsed by, the opposite sex do not exist, but rather homosexual behaviour exists, is supported by other evidence. Studies of adolescents find that many young persons—22% according to one study—involve themselves in homosexual behaviour, especially in early adolescence. 31 Further, a large number of prison inmates and males become involved in the so-called tea room trade. 32 None of these persons, though, would define themselves as ‘gay’. 33,34 Freud concluded that homosexuality was a stage that most boys grew out of, and that adults who involved themselves in homosexual behaviour simply had never matured beyond this developmental stage. This position, interestingly, has been the dominant view in the West. Greenberg concluded from his historical study that the category ‘homosexual’ is a late nineteenth century invention? 35 Prior to that time, people did not refer to ‘homosexuals’ as a class of people. There were simply men who did different sexual things, including engaging in homogenital acts. They were viewed—in different cultures and to varying degrees—with puzzlement, tolerance, or often strong disapproval. The level of the population that is exclusively homosexual has traditionally been placed at 10% , partly as a result of the 1940s Kinsey studies. Numerous new empirical studies in the United States, Canada, Denmark, Norway, Britain and other countries reveal the rate is less than 3% and as little as below 1%. 36,37 That the number varies from 0. 9% of males in Norway to 2. 8% found by the national opinion research centre at the University of Chicago for the United States of America, indicates that cultural factors are likely very influential. Further, according to a Minnesota adolescent health survey, only 0. 6% of the boys and 0. 2% of the girls surveyed identified themselves as ‘most of 100% homosexual’, 0. 7% males and 0. 8% females as bisexual, and 10. 1% of the males and 11. 3% of the females were ‘unsure’. This indicates that many individuals do not have a firm sexual orientation as an adolescent, and reveals the importance of social and sexual experiences in development. 38 Although many factors are involved, it is my experience that a person is not a prisoner to his or her sexuality and to a large degree chooses a homosexual lifestyle. The unfortunate factor in this debate is that it is very difficult to reason about this topic with those who advocate that a ‘sexual orientation’ called ‘homosexual’ exists. They simply reject, ignore or distort the enormous amount of empirical data against their position. A clear need exists to understand the reasons why people adopt this lifestyle, and the difficulties of doing so in our, or any, society. Much of the speculation that abounds, such as that the Apostle Paul was a ‘homosexual’, involve incredibly shallow reasoning. According to the scriptural record, it is fairly clear that during his ministry Paul was either widowed, divorced or separated, a conclusion which is arrived at from several lines of evidence. 39,40 Conditioning as a factor which influences sexual orientation explains quite well not only why many people are homosexuals, but it also explains the behaviour of those whose major erotic focus is on statues, young boys, corpses, or excretion. The ‘rights’ of these individuals are in many places coded into laws which state that one cannot discriminate on the basis of ‘sexual orientation’. This would certainly include the sexual orientations listed above, although the law is often arbitrarily interpreted to mean only homosexuality. Further, from a creationist standpoint, it is not only homosexual behaviour that is objectionable, but also much of the sexual behaviour that is common among homosexuals. Bell et al. found that 43% of white male homosexuals reported having sex with more than 500 partners, and a whopping 28% with over 1,000 partners. 41 Also, the sexual practices that homosexuals engage in (a major one is labelled sodomy, from the scriptural example of Sodom and Gomorrah) are generally regarded as unacceptable in Christian society even for heterosexuals. From a medical standpoint, they are fraught with health dangers, including infections, bleeding and disease transmission problems. While promiscuity among heterosexuals also carries many dangers, they are generally far less than sodomy, and infections from sexual relations are actually relatively rare in monogamous couples who practice appropriate hygiene. A major reason this is true is that numerous genital secretions produce high levels of germicides which minimize enormously the chances of infection from heterosexual relations. On the other hand, no such secretions are produced for sodomy relations, which would be expected if heterosexual behaviour were designed and sodomy were not. Consequently, studies reveal that homosexual behaviour produces a rate of venereal disease 22 times higher than the national average. The major anatomical problems with sodomy (for example, tearing of mucosa) are generally not a problem in heterosexual relationships. Thus, the evidence revealed from medical research supports the creationists’ design interpretation. The biology of sexual differentiation The first step in sexual differentiation occurs at the moment of fertilization when future females usually inherit an XX, and males an XY, chromosome constitution. Among the first differentiations to occur is the development of the müllerian duct system in the females, and the wolffian duct system in males. During the first month of development the embryo is sexually ambiguous, and the specific developmental route the embryo takes depends upon the presence of a gene set usually found on the Y chromosome. This gene set causes development of a male and blocks the development of a female partly by controlling the levels of testosterone and dihydroxytestosterone (DHT) secretion. Female development requires the absence of sufficient levels of these hormones. Specifically, a gene called the testis-determining factor (TDS) found on a region of the short arm of the Y chromosome is believed to play a major role in beginning the ‘developmental cascade of gene action that begins testes development’. 42 Testosterone is the primary hormone that produces males, but also secreted in males is the müllerian inhibiting hormone, which both inhibits further development of the female duct structures and initiates the müllerian duct degeneration. Conversely, the lack of testosterone in females causes the wolffian duct system to degenerate and allows the müllerian duct system to develop, forming fallopian tubes, parts of the vagina and the uterus. If the testis-determining factor gene is on the X-chromosome, then an XX male results; and if lacking on the Y chromosome, an XY female with androgen insensitivity can result. As a result of these abnormalities, many cases exist of individuals who were raised as females and externally appear to be females, although their chromosomal set indicates that they should be males. The International Olympic Committee instituted a testing program that began with the 1968 Olympics to determine sex by evaluating the sex chromatin, specifically the bar body on epithelial cells recovered in a sample taken from the inner lining of the mouth cavity. Genetic females would, according to the test, show a single bar body, and genetic males would lack such. A study of this test found that: there is no evidence that it has led to the exclusion of any males attempting to compete as females. . . . An analysis of the results of testing on over 6,000 female athletes led to the estimate that 1 in 500 female athletes have had to withdraw from competition because of the sex tests. ’43 Further, sexual differentiation, although it can cause two divergent developmental pathways, does not always result in one of two distinct pathways leading to a clear male-female dichotomy — various pathological factors can produce many alternate pathways ‘producing intermediate outcomes in gonadal sex and in sexual phenotypes’. 44Developmental problems can occur either in the early or later stages. For example, in males, testosterone is converted into dihydroxytestosterone, which in turn directs the development of external male genitalia, including the penis from the genital folds and tubercle, and the scrotum from the labioscrotal swelling. Although the origin of sexual development is caused by the X and Y chromosome, they interact with the autosomes which are also involved in sexual differentiation. The most famous example of a developmental disorder is the true hermaphrodite. These persons possess both ovaries and testes and the associated duct systems. They are typically sex chromosome mosaics—some of their body cells being XX, others XY or XXY. In other cases, hermaphrodites have only XY cells. Another category called pseudohermaphrodites have only one type of gonad and ambiguous genitalia. They may have an XY chromosome constitution and an autosomal recessive gene which prevents the conversion of testosterone to DHT. Therefore, their external genitalia do not develop, but their internal male duct system and internal organs are usually properly formed. Although males, their genitalia are essentially female, the scrotum resembles labia, a blind vaginal pouch is typically present, and the penis resembles a clitoris. Pseudohermaphrodites are typically raised as females. Their most severe problems occur at puberty when masculinization often occurs—the testes descend into a developing scrotum, the phallus develops into a functional penis, beard growth occurs, the voice deepens, and muscle mass increases occur as in normal males. 45,46 In some cases, the problem is caused by a piece of the Y chromosome which is attached to one of the two X chromosomes. The obvious trauma of a female developing into a male at puberty has motivated the establishment of programs to recognize the condition by careful examination of the genitals of affected populations in infancy. Other developmental abnormalities include sex chromosome aneuploidies, most of which are due to non-disjunction of the sex chromosomes. If this occurs during oogenesis, the egg may have either two X chromosomes or no X chromosomes; if during spermatogenesis, sperm is produced with either no X chromosome, both an X and a Y chromosome, two X chromosomes, or two Y chromosomes. 47 The result is a variety of chromosomal abnormalities in the offspring which include Turner’s syndrome, a monosomy of the X chromosome (XO). The XO constitution lacks the male chromosome, consequently they develop more female than male traits. It is more accurate to describe them as largely sexually undifferentiated, but phenotypically resembling females more than males. Turner females tend to be short, have thick necks and lack most secondary sexual characteristics. They do not undergo puberty, menstruate or experience breast development. The XXY condition is called Klinefelter’s syndrome, and occurs when an egg with two X chromosomes is fertilized by Y-bearing sperm. The resultant males have underdeveloped testes, yet develop female breasts—an abnormality which is usually not apparent until puberty. Another non-disjunction abnormality is XYY males who are usually taller than average, often having barely normal intelligence, and suffer from persistent acne. Much controversy about this condition resulted from the now disproved claim that these persons were very likely to be criminally aggressive. Further research has found that this relationship is far too tenuous to make valid generalizations. A third major condition in this category is called the metafemale, which results from having three X chromosomes, caused when an X-bearing sperm fertilizes an egg having two X chromosomes. Contrary to what the term metafemale implies, XXX females often have no major physical abnormalities other than early onset of menopause, menstrual irregularities, and a tendency towards learning disabilities. In spite of these genetic problems, and although many of the individuals with the chromosomal disjunction abnormalities listed above are often regarded as different and never marry, they live what appear to be normal lives as males or females. Many take the role of one sex, and largely identify with this sex, attempting to achieve normal heterosexual relationships. Some persons labelled homosexuals, though, do come from the ranks of these abnormalities. Nonetheless, they are abnormalities which reveal deviation from the normal created condition, supporting the creation/Fall hypothesis. The biological influences The claim is often made that those who involve themselves in homosexual behaviour cannot help the way that they are, and are biologically attracted to the same sex, not the opposite sex. Further, . . . many people seem to believe that homosexuality would be more accepted if it were shown to be inborn. Randy Shilts, a gay journalist, has said that a biological explanation "would reduce being gay to something like being left-handed, which is in fact all that it is. . . . Questions about the origins of homosexuality would be of little interest if it were not a stigmatized behavior. We do not ask comparable questions about "normal" sexual preferences. . . . Still, many gay people welcome biological explanations and, in recent years, much of the search for biological components in homosexuality has been carried out by gay researchers. 48 Despite claims, no gene causing homosexuality has yet been shown to unambiguously exist, nor has any clear evidence of a biological basis yet been located. 49 In the words of LeVay: Although efforts have been made to establish the biological basis of sexual orientation, for example, by the application of cytogenetic, endocrinological, or neuroanatomical methods, these efforts have largely failed to establish any consistent differences between homosexual and heterosexual individuals. 50 Of the many scores of studies that have searched for biological factors which could cause homosexuality, the only ones so far located that indicate a possible biological cause are abnormal hypothalamus development and hormonal imbalance. 51,52,53,54,55 Research by Simon LeVay, a neuroscientist at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies in San Diego, found that the area in the hypothalamus which influences sexuality, the interstitial nuclei of the anterior hypothalamus (INAH), was more than twice as large in heterosexual as in homosexual men — and these brain cells were completely absent in one of the gay males. The volume of this area in the gay men in his sample was very similar to the heterosexual women in his study. In short, this study concluded the INAH of gay men were closer in structure and size to those of women than of heterosexual men. The results were obtained by analysing brain tissue from 41 cadavers, specifically 16 presumed heterosexual males, six presumed heterosexual females, and 19 presumed homosexual males. LeVay ruled out disease which occurred in later life as a confounding factor, a concern because many of the men in his sample died of AIDS. Further, the results are still tenuous, because measuring this brain structure is extremely difficult (the areas scrutinized were smaller than snowflakes) and its function is not entirely clear, nor are the techniques used to determine the viability of his methods—some researchers use volume as LeVay did, others use the number of neurons. Indications that this part of the hypothalamus influences heterosexuality also come from experiments on male primates which found those with certain hypothalamus lesions lost interest in females, even though their sex drives remained normal. Thus, while biological pathology may help explain some homosexual behaviour, it is by no means clear that it alone completely explains homosexuality. Hypothalamus deficiencies may influence homosexual behaviour, but homosexual behaviour could also cause hypothalamus changes, a relationship which needs to be determined before any firm conclusions on causality can be made. 56 Clearly, neurons change in response to mental activity, but whether this occurs in this situation is not yet known. Further, a third factor may influence both homosexual behaviour and the neuron differences observed. One hypothesis is that exposures to abnormal levels of testosterone in utero may explain much or all of the hypothalamus differences observed. The research by LeVay is a pioneering study which at best indicates that further research is needed. Unfortunately, the mass media often reported this study as if it has proved beyond a doubt that homosexuality is biologically determined57 LeVay, who accepts the gay label, has expressed definite motivations in doing his research. If LeVay’s research is valid, it indicates that homosexuality is caused by a biological pathology, since he found that the INAH 2 and 3 (the preoptic nuclei) was much smaller in homosexual compared to normal heterosexual males, indicating it is caused by disease, hormone imbalance or some other abnormality. If it is caused by pathological conditions, it is not normal. A biological pathology theory that relates to developmental influences may explain the abnormal INAH 2 and 3, and supports the conclusion that homosexuality could be biological in some cases. Research points in the direction that this pathology relates to: . . . the concentration of the hormone testosterone in the bloodstream of the developing fetus influences the sexual orientation and sex-typical behavior of the resulting adult. This hormone is produced mainly by Leydig cells which differentiate in the testes of the male embryos. In addition to testes in males, any fetus has two other sources of testosterone, its adrenal gland and the adrenal gland of its mother. In the brain, testosterone is metabolized to another hormone, estradiol, which during the fourth and fifth months of gestation stimulates the proliferation of nerve cells in the preoptic nucleus of the hypothalamus. As a result of this precisely timed estradiol exposure, there are twice as many nerve cell bodies in the preoptic nuclei [the INAH 2 and 3] of typical men compared to typical women. By a means yet to be discovered, individuals with these enlarged preoptic areas, including most men, tend to prefer women sex partners. Thus, sexual orientation somehow derives from the prenatal concentration of testosterone — lowering it in a fetal male affects his preoptic nucleus and later, when he matures, his sexual orientation. In a similar fashion, a little later in prenatal development, estradiol affects at least two other areas of the hypothalamus: the anterior nucleus, which organizes sex-typical behavior and the ventromedial nucleus, which is blocked by the higher levels of estradiol in typical males but at lower levels (e. g., in typical females or some male homosexuals) organizes the timing of the "ovulatory" cycle. At least in these three areas of the hypothalamus the brains of typical men and typical women are different. ’58 Ellis and Ames concluded from a study of 283 women that sexual orientation of human offspring ‘may be altered by severe maternal stress during pregnancy’. 59 Dorner also found that stress during pregnancy was a major factor present in the mothers of homosexuals, but far less so in mothers of heterosexuals. 60 Another study by Hamer and his colleagues found a region near the tip of the long arm of the X-chromosome known as Xq28 which they speculated may contain a genetic influence affecting homosexuality. The gene itself ‘has not yet been isolated’, and represents ‘less than 0. 2 percent of the total human genome’ or about several hundred genes. 61 This finding is far more problematic than the above biological factors because: Thirty-three of 40 pairs of gay brothers the researchers studied inherited the same version of this chromosome region—significantly more than the 20 pairs (half) expected by chance . . . [but the researchers] warned against making too much of their results, however “We have never thought that finding a genetic link makes sexual orientation a simple genetic trait like eye colour. It’s much more complex than that. ” . . . seven of the original 40 pairs of brothers did not share the same version of this critical region, for example. And other studies have shown that even the identical twin of a gay man has only a 50 per cent chance of being gay himself. So Hamer’s gene, whatever it turns out to be, is neither necessary nor sufficient to determine homosexual orientation. 62 In a summary of the biological research, Byne concluded ‘what evidence exists thus far of innate biological traits underlying homosexuality is flawed’. 63 [Ed. note: in 1999, four years after Dr Bergman’s paper was published in the CENTJ, he was further vindicated by a Science69 paper casting more doubt upon the existence of a ‘gay gene’ at Xq28]. Even if a biological factor exists for some persons, it is another question altogether as to whether homosexual behaviour is desirable or even acceptable. Change is admittedly difficult, but the level of success in treating other sexual disorders such as pedophilia is also extremely low. The latter individuals also claim that they have strong attractions for young children, and have minimal or no attraction to adults of the opposite sex. Some indications also exist that pedophilia may be biologically influenced. This alone would not argue that laws against pedophilia behaviour should be rescinded, or that this behaviour is a normal, acceptable sexual preference. If it were shown that many behaviours now classified as abnormal, including sadomasochism, various fetishes, coprophilia, necrophilia, etc. , are likewise influenced by biological factors, this may help us to understand persons who indulge in these practices, but it would likely carry little weight in convincing society to embrace these behavioural forms as normal or desirable. In the cases where homosexual behaviour is precipitated by developmental abnormalities, the focus should be on understanding the abnormality and developing ways of, ideally, treating or preventing it. The homosexual movement vigorously opposes this response, producing the almost unparalleled situation in which, assuming the biological factors are confirmed, a clear pathology or abnormality is defended as desirable, and efforts to correct this resisted. Woolpy concluded the appropriate approach is to identify the factors which may precipitate homosexual behaviour, and: Obstetricians could prescribe more extreme safeguards against stress during pregnancy. Legislators could criminalize the use of all drugs with testosterone effects (including alcohol) during pregnancy. Biotechnologists could search for ways to stabilize testosterone levels during pregnancy. Religious traditionalists could acknowledge the physiological predisposition of homosexuals and still recommend celibacy. 64 An enormous amount of research has been completed on the influence on homosexuality of such factors as passive fathers, domineering mothers, marital relationship abnormalities, closeness and similarity of siblings, relationships with peers, adolescent sexual experiences, feminine interests in males and masculine interests in females while growing up, and numerous other factors. So far, a consistent pattern has not been determined. Likely numerous factors exist which influence homosexual development, any one of which is often not critical. Suffice to say that all of the factors that have been proposed and have been to some degree documented as influential are regarded in Western society as pathological, that is, a domineering, overbearing mother and a weak, passive, ineffective father. Regardless of the validity of these studies, they all point to pathology in interpersonal relationships as an important or influencing factor in the development of homosexual behavioural tendencies. No one has noted that loving siblings and parental relationships in which the power is equitably shared causes homosexuality, although some have noted that this environment will not necessarily preclude a child from developing homosexual tendencies. This again supports the creationists’ interpretation of homosexuality, that is, that it is a result of pathological factors or behaviour styles that are generally regarded as abnormal or definitely far from ideal. Disease and homosexuality A major problem relative to homosexuality is that many venereal and other diseases are far more a problem with homosexual behaviour than heterosexual. For non-promiscuous couples who take proper cleanliness measures, the transmission of disease among heterosexuals is extremely rare, and then usually almost always due to lack of hygiene. During homosexual behaviour, sperm can penetrate the partner’s colon wall. When inside the body, the sperm adversely effects the immune system, resulting in the person being more vulnerable to disease. This is especially a problem, in that homosexual practices commonly transmit many diseases which are uncommon among heterosexuals. For example, homosexuals as a group are far more apt to have rare bowel diseases, which are generally lumped together under the designation ‘gay bowel syndrome’. One study indicated that one half of homosexuals eventually contract the colon disease parasitic amebiasis, while rectal gonorrhea and infectious hepatitis A are far higher among the homosexual population. Fox, in response to this concern, noted: First, the colon and rectum are made for the elimination of fecal matter and not for sexual experience. Fecal matter is eliminated because it is indigestible and contains disease-causing materials. With sexual penetration, the rectal muscles are often torn or over-expanded, and the fragile lining of the colon is almost always torn. The tearing of the colon allows fecal matter to penetrate into the body, bringing with it infectious disease. 65 Many homosexuals frequent medical doctors who specialize in treating homosexuals in order to best deal with their special health concerns. While these doctors may not advertise themselves as such in the telephone book, the homosexual social network as well as the homosexual press is a common source patients use to contact these specialized physicians. Estimates of the infectious disease rate among homosexuals is about ten times higher than that of the general population—not only venereal diseases, but also hepatitis B and others. Other common diseases include urethritis, viral herpes, pediculosis infestation and others. 66 Of course, it is not only the type of behaviour that they indulge in which puts them at a much higher risk, but also their high level of promiscuity—one survey indicated that homosexual males have an average of over 50 sexual partners in their lifetime. 67 Another study found that 28% had more than 1,000 partners, 15% had 500 to 1,000, 32% from 100 to 500, and only 25% had less than 100 partners in their lifetime. While surveys in this area vary, depending upon the sampling population, sample size and specific questions asked, all reveal that an enormous amount of promiscuity is a normal part of the gay lifestyle. The writer’s personal interviews, although a small sample, nonetheless provide good reason to believe that these survey results are reasonably accurate. The level of the problem can be debated, but there is no question that the problem is serious, with AIDS being the most publicized example. Homosexuality involves a wide range of behaviour with complex causes, including biological, social, environmental, psychological and moral. Whether a person adopts a homosexual lifestyle depends on the total interaction of these factors. The major cause could be hormonal in one person, social in another and moral in yet others. The concatenation of factors is so important that, as one summary of this issue noted, even when . . . some researcher finds the gene in question and a prenatal genetic test for the gene becomes possible, such a test will offer little more than a hint about the future sexual orientation of the fetus. “There will never be a test that will say for certain whether a child will be gay. We know that for certain. ”. . . 68 The extant empirical research supports the creationists’ hypothesis, concluding that homosexuality is due either to environmental, social or physiological pathology. The research which indicates biological factors are involved in homosexuality does not conclude that biology is destiny, only that certain abnormal factors, both genetic and environmental, influence the development of the eventual sexual response. That these are abnormal supports the conclusion that the Creator designed a sexual response which fulfills the goal to reproduce, multiply and bond, and that other sexual responses are not designed, but are the result of pathological factors. In order to respond appropriately to homosexual behaviour, the causes must be understood. The response to this behaviour would then vary according to the factors involved. An understanding of this would help deal with both the environmental and biological pathology factors. Awareness of the environmental factors would influence child-rearing practices and social policy, and awareness of the biological factors would influence development of pharmacological or medical treatments, as well as a more compassionate understanding of the factors involved.

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In this article, we describe: - the major purposes of this specific nutrient in the human body, - its experimentally confirmed health uses, - conventional ways to estimate nutrient status, - nutrient’s toxicities and deficiencies, - experimentally confirmed and approved levels of the nutrient intake for different demographics, - dietary sources of the nutrient. Calcium, the most abundant mineral in the body, is required for vascular contraction and vasodilation, muscle function, nerve transmission, intracellular signaling and hormonal secretion, though less than 1% of total body calcium is needed to support these critical metabolic functions. Serum calcium is very tightly regulated and does not fluctuate with changes in dietary intakes; the body uses bone tissue as a reservoir for, and source of calcium, to maintain homeostatic concentrations of calcium in blood, muscle, and intercellular fluids. The remaining 99% of the body’s calcium supply is stored in the bones and teeth where it supports their structure and function. Not all calcium consumed is actually absorbed in the gut. Humans absorb about 30% of the calcium in foods, but this varies depending upon the type of food consumed. Other factors also affect calcium absorption include amount consumed; age and life stage (absorption decreases to 15%–20% in adulthood, increases during pregnancy, and continues to decrease as people age); vitamin D intake; other components in food (phytic acid and oxalic acid, found naturally in some plants, bind to calcium and can inhibit its absorption). In contrast, wheat products (with the exception of wheat bran) do not appear to lower calcium absorption. Some absorbed calcium is eliminated from the body in urine, feces, and sweat. This amount is affected by such factors as the following: sodium and protein intakes; stimulants (caffeine and alcohol) intake; consumption of fruits and vegatables. There are two tests to measure blood calcium. The total calcium test measuresboth the free and bound forms. The ionized calcium test measures only the free, metabolically active form. Inadequate intakes of dietary calcium from food and supplements produce no obvious symptoms in the short term. Circulating blood levels of calcium are tightly regulated. Hypocalcemia results primarily from medical problems or treatments, including renal failure, surgical removal of the stomach, and use of certain medications (such as diuretics). Symptoms of hypocalcemia include numbness and tingling in the fingers, muscle cramps, convulsions, lethargy, poor appetite, and abnormal heart rhythms. If left untreated, calcium deficiency leads to death. Over the long term, inadequate calcium intake causes osteopenia which if untreated can lead to osteoporosis. The risk of bone fractures also increases, especially in older individuals. Calcium deficiency can also cause rickets, though it is more commonly associated with vitamin D deficiency. Although frank calcium deficiency is uncommon, dietary intakes of the nutrient below recommended levels might have negative health consequences over the long term. The following groups are among those most likely to need extra calcium: postmenopausal women; amenorrheic women and the female athlete triad; individuals with lactose intolerance or cow’s milk allergy; and vegetarians. Many claims are made about calcium’s potential benefits in health promotion and disease prevention and treatment: bone health and osteoporosis; cardiovascular disease; hypertension and preeclampsia; blood pressure regulation and hypertension; cancers of the colon, rectum, and prostate; kidney stones; and weight management. Excessively high levels of calcium in the blood known as hypercalcemia can cause renal insufficiency, vascular and soft tissue calcification, hypercalciuria (high levels of calcium in the urine) and kidney stones. Although very high calcium intakes have the potential to cause hypercalcemia, it is most commonly associated with primary hyperparathyroidism or malignancy. Some evidence links higher calcium intake with increased risk of prostate cancer, but this effect is not well understood, in part because it is challenging to separate the potential effect of dairy products from that of calcium. Some studies also link high calcium intake, particularly from supplements, with increased risk of cardiovascular disease. Assessment of nutritional balance brings cost-effective immediate answers when your client: - Feels stressed, tired, depressed - Takes prescription meds but cannot alleviate symptoms - Wants to achieve optimal wellness, prevent chronic disease, and manage aging process Nutri-IQ™ is a unique tool that helps Wellness Professionals to easy and conveniently identify clients’ nutritional gaps as possible causes for clients’ complaints. Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDAs) for Calcium |0–6 months*||200 mg||200 mg| |7–12 months*||260 mg||260 mg| |1–3 years||700 mg||700 mg| |4–8 years||1,000 mg||1,000 mg| |9–13 years||1,300 mg||1,300 mg| |14–18 years||1,300 mg||1,300 mg||1,300 mg||1,300 mg| |19–50 years||1,000 mg||1,000 mg||1,000 mg||1,000 mg| |51–70 years||1,000 mg||1,200 mg| |71+ years||1,200 mg||1,200 mg| * Adequate Intake (AI) Dietary Sources of Calcium Milk, yogurt, and cheese are rich natural sources of calcium and are the major food contributors of this nutrient to people in the developed countries. Nondairy sources include vegetables, such as Chinese cabbage, kale, and broccoli. Spinach provides calcium, but its bioavailability is poor. Most grains do not have high amounts of calcium unless they are fortified; however, they contribute calcium to the diet because they contain small amounts of calcium and people consume them frequently. Foods fortified with calcium include many fruit juices and drinks, tofu, and cereals. Selected Food Sources of Calcium |Food||Milligrams (mg) per serving||Percent DV*| |Plain low fat yogurt, 8 ounces||415||32| |Orange juice, calcium-fortified, 1 cup||349||27| |Mozzarella cheese, 1. 5 ounces||333||26| |Canned in oil sardines with bones, 3 ounces||325||25| |Cheddar cheese, 1. 5 ounces||307||24| |Non-fat milk, 1 cup||299||23| |Soymilk, calcium-fortified, 1 cup||299||23| |Milk, reduced-fat (2%), 1 cup||293||23| |Buttermilk, 1 cup||284||22| |Whole milk (3. 25%), 1 cup||276||21| |Fruit yogurt, low fat, 6 ounces||258||20| |Firm tofu, with calcium sulfate, ½ cup***||253||19| |Canned with bone pink salmon, 3 ounces||181||14| |Cottage cheese 1% milk fat, 1 cup||138||11| |Soft tofu, with calcium sulfate, ½ cup***||138||11| |Ready-to-eat cereal, calcium-fortified, 1 cup||130||10| |Frozen yogurt, ½ cup||103||8| |Cooked turnip greens, ½ cup||99||8| |Cooked kale, 1 cup||94||7| |Ice cream, ½ cup||84||6| |Chinese cabbage (bok chow), raw, 1 cup||74||6| |White bread, 1 slice||73||6| |Chocolate pudding ready to eat, 4 ounces||55||5| |Corn tortilla, 1 – 6” diameter||46||4| |Flour tortilla, 1 – 6” diameter||32||2| |Sour cream, cultured, 2 tablespoons||31||2| |Whole wheat bread, 1 slice||30||2| |Raw kale, 1 cup||24||2| |Raw broccoli, ½ cup||21||2| |Cream-cheese, 1 tablespoon||14||1| * DV = Daily Value. The DV for calcium used above is 1,300 mg for adults and children aged 4 years and older. Foods providing 20% of more of the DV are considered to be high sources of a nutrient, but foods providing lower percentages of the DV also contribute to a healthful diet. ** Calcium content varies slightly by fat content; the more fat, the less calcium the food contains. *** Calcium content is for tofu processed with a calcium salt. Tofu processed with other salts does not provide significant amounts of calcium. - Elson Haas. “Staying Healthy with Nutrition” - U.S. Department of Health & Human Services: https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Calcium-HealthProfessional/

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On first reading, “Continuity of Parks” seems to present a puzzle that readers must solve, as reality and fantasy intersect. In fact, however, no solution is possible, and Cortázar is not interested in puzzles in the first place. On a basic level, the short story seems to cry out for a tidy analysis and explanation. If we mistake Cortázar’s story for an O. Henry tale with a pat twist ending or a detective story in which all becomes clear in the final moments, “Continuity of Parks” may tempt us into looking for one correct interpretation. We wonder how it is possible that the man reading the novel turns up in the summary of the novel’s plot, and we may fall into the trap of trying out different theories that would explain this conundrum and trying to pin down the correct one. Perhaps the man is a character in a book about a man reading a book. Perhaps he is the husband the adulterous couple is setting out to kill. Perhaps he is so absorbed in the novel that he is vividly imagining its events encroaching on his life. A number of explanations seem possible. Rather than a mystery, the story is actually a metaphor for the experience of reading: Cortázar’s reader gets so lost in a fictional world that he literally becomes a participant in it. It is also a metaphor for our reading experience: we get so swept up in literature—literature including his own story, Cortázar hopes—that, like the reader in “Continuity of Parks,” we can no longer distinguish between fiction and reality. It is also a metaphor for the writing experience: to create convincing fictional worlds, the writer must lose himself in his creations, just as Cortázar’s reader loses himself in his book. We cannot identify one correct explanation for the puzzling ending because no single explanation exists. Instead, the story is an investigation of what it means to write and to read stories.

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Thinking of Home Makes It Harder to Learn a Foreign Language Wired April 6, 2014 Something odd happened when Shu Zhang was giving a presentation to her classmates at the Columbia Business School in New York City. Zhang, a Chinese native, spoke fluent English, yet in the middle of her talk, she glanced over at her Chinese professor and suddenly blurted out a word in Mandarin. "I meant to say a transition word like ‘however,' but used the Chinese version instead,” she says. "It really shocked me. ” Shortly afterward, Zhang teamed up with Columbia social psychologist Michael Morris and colleagues to figure out what had happened. In a new study, they show that reminders of one's homeland can hinder the ability to speak a new language. The findings could help explain why cultural immersion is the most effective way to learn a foreign tongue and why immigrants who settle within an ethnic enclave acculturate more slowly than those who surround themselves with friends from their new country. Previous studies have shown that cultural icons such as landmarks and celebrities act like "magnets of meaning,” instantly activating a web of cultural associations in the mind and influencing our judgments and behavior, Morris says. In an earlier study, for example, he asked Chinese Americans to explain what was happening in a photograph of several fish, in which one fish swam slightly ahead of the others. Subjects first shown Chinese symbols, such as the Great Wall or a dragon, interpreted the fish as being chased. But individuals primed with American images of Marilyn Monroe or Superman, in contrast, tended to interpret the outlying fish as leading the others. This internally driven motivation is more typical of individualistic American values, some social psychologists say, whereas the more externally driven explanation of being pursued is more typical of Chinese culture. To determine whether these cultural icons can also interfere with speaking a second language, Zhang, Morris, and their colleagues recruited male and female Chinese students who had lived in the United States for a less than a year and had them sit opposite a computer monitor that displayed the face of either a Chinese or Caucasian male called "Michael Yee.” As microphones recorded their speech, the volunteers conversed with Yee, who spoke to them in English with an American accent about campus life. Next, the team compared the fluency of the volunteers' speech when they were talking to a Chinese versus a Caucasian face. Although participants reported a more positive experience chatting with the Chinese version of "Michael Yee,” they were significantly less fluent, producing 11% fewer words per minute on average, the authors report online today in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. "It's ironic” that the more comfortable volunteers were with their conversational partner, the less fluent they became, Zhang says. "That's something we did not expect. ” To rule out the possibility that the volunteers were speaking more fluently to the Caucasian face on purpose, thus explaining the performance gap, Zhang and colleagues asked the participants to invent a story, such as a boy swimming in the ocean, while simultaneously being exposed to Chinese and American icons rather than faces. Seeing Chinese icons such as the Great Wall also interfered with the volunteers' English fluency, causing a 16% drop in words produced per minute. The icons also made the volunteers 85% more likely to use a literal translation of the Chinese word for an object rather than the English term, Zhang says. Rather than saying "pistachio,” for example, volunteers used the Chinese version, "happy nuts. ” Understanding how these subtle cultural cues affect language fluency could help employers design better job interviews, Morris says. For example, taking a Japanese job candidate out for sushi, although a well-meaning gesture, might not be the best way to help them shine. "It's quite striking that these effects were so robust,” says Mary Helen Immordino-Yang, a developmental psychologist at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. They show that "we're exquisitely attuned to cultural context,” she says, and that "even subtle cues like the ethnicity of the person we're talking to” can affect language processing. The take-home message? "If one wants to acculturate rapidly, don't move to an ethnic enclave neighborhood where you'll be surrounded by people like yourself,” Morris says. Sometimes, a familiar face is the last thing you need to see. This story provided by ScienceNOW, the daily online news service of the journal Science.

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After gastrulation and during the differentiation of the germ band, the embryos assume a characteristic shape that differs between taxa. The plesiomorphic condition within malacostracans is characterized by the formation of a transverse ventral groove, the caudal furrow (Figure 6. IB, C). With advanced development, this groove deepens and subdivides the embryo in an anterior yolky region and a posterior ventrally folded mostly yolk-free caudal papilla (Scholtz 2000) (Figures 6. 1B and 6. 2A). The latter starts as a dome-shaped bud in the posterior region of the embryo (Figure 6. IB). Concomitant with the budding of cells in the posterior growth zone, the caudal papilla elongates and becomes ventrally flexed (Figure 6. 2A). Since the growth zone encircles the caudal papilla (Figure 6. 2A, C, D), the ventral and dorsal parts of the embryo and the subsequent segments are formed. With hatching, the caudal papilla stretches backward and the egg envelopes rupture. The groove between the anterior region and the caudal papilla does not correspond to the boundary between thorax and pleon. Rather the caudal papilla comprises the anlagen of a varying number of thoracic, all pleonic segments, and the telson (Scholtz 2000) (Figure 6. 2A). A caudal papilla of this sort has been found in embryos of Leptostraca, Stomatopoda, Decapoda, Syncarida, and Thermosbaenacea (Scholtz 2000). In the latter, the caudal papilla contains some yolk but the growth zone still encircles the papilla (Zilch 1974). Among peracarids, Mysidacea possess a caudal papilla, but the yolk content is relatively high and the growth of the germ band is restricted to the ventral side (Scholtz 1984). Amphipoda show a caudal groove, but the posterior body is almost as wide as the anterior part, and as in mysidaceans only the ventral side constitutes the germ band (Weygoldt 1958; Scholtz 1990; Ito et al. 2011) (Figure 6. 1C). In contrast to this, the embryos of Isopoda, Tanaidacea and Cumacea, Spelaeogriphacea, and Mictacea show neither a caudal groove nor a caudal papilla (Scholtz 2000; FIGURE 6. 2 Teloblast patterns. (A) The germ band with a ventrally folded caudal papilla of Astacus astacus (modified after Reichenbach 1886). The head lobes (hi), the labrum (lr), the first and second antennae (al, a2), the mandibles (md), the first maxillae (mxl), and the caudal papilla (cp) show an advanced development, when compared with Figure 6. IB. The proctodaeum (pr) is situated in the area of the telson (te). The ectoteloblasts (ET) are clearly recognizable based on their relatively large size; there are more than 19 in number (see D). Reichenbach’s publication is the first record of this type of stem cells. (B) The posterior region of the germ band of the isopod Cymothoa sp. (anterior on top) (modified after Patten 1890). This is the first record of mesoteloblasts (MT). The mesoteloblasts and their derivatives of the right animal’s side are highlighted (yellow). Note the regular row arrangement (compare with Figures 6. 5C and 6. 6) and the cytoplasmic longitudinal and horizontal connections of the mesoteloblasts and their derivatives. Furthermore, there is a certain distance between the median mesoteloblast and the more lateral mesoteloblasts, exemplified by the third mesoteloblast from the midline (MT,) (compare with C and D). (C) A cross section through the caudal papilla in the area of teloblasts of Homarus ameri- canus (modified after Dohle et al. 2004). An outer circle of 19 ectoteloblasts (ET) and an inner circle of 8 mesoteloblasts (MT) around the proctodaeum are visible. This is the ancestral condition within Malacostraca. (D) A similar section in the freshwater crayfish Cherax destructor. About 40 ectoteloblasts (ET) are combined with 8 mesoteloblasts (MT) both situated around the proctodaeum. (E) The growth zone of the peracarid Neomysis integer. The ectoteloblasts (ET) form a transverse row of about 15 cells anterior to the telson ectoderm (te). (F) The absence of ectoteloblasts in the germ band of the amphipod Cryptorchestia garbinii. The transverse ectoderm rows are formed by cell rearrangements in front of the telson ectoderm with the proctodaeum. Olesen et al. 2014) (Figure 6. 1 D). The germ band grows out in one plane and only later a dorsal furrow' forms that straightens with hatching. Accordingly, this condition has been considered as an apomorphy for the Mancoidea within the Peracarida (see Richter and Scholtz 2001).

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MOGADISHU, Somalia (AP) — The international aid group Save the Children says life-threatening child malnutrition rates are rising to alarming levels in drought-hit Somalia. The group's new survey found "very critical" levels of severe malnutrition in two of six districts assessed in some of the worst affected parts of Somalia. Hassan Saadi Noor, Save the Children's Somalia country director, said he fears seeing children dying in significant numbers. He said Somalia is on the brink of a massive catastrophe with the death of three quarters of the country's livestock, a rapid increase of children suffering severe malnutrition and the depletion of water stores in dozens of communities. The study said less than 10 percent of children in Somalia are currently registered in a nutrition program.

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In this podcast for kids, the Kidtastics talk about tetanus-what it is, symptoms, and how to protect yourself from it. Created: 5/22/2014 by National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases (NCIRD). Date Released: 5/22/2014. Series Name: CDC Kidtastics. [Announcer] This program is brought to you by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. [Chris] Hi kids! Welcome to CDC Kidtastics Radio! I’m Chris Kidtastic. Today, we’re talking about tetanus. [Kaya] It’s a germ that hangs out in dirt and inside animals and people, but it can make you sick if it gets in your body through a cut or a scrape. Picture it. These germs are swarming in the dirt and all around a rusty nail when you step on the nail with a bare foot. Ouch! And with that, tetanus has found its way in. [Caydan] About three out of 20 people who get tetanus die from it. If you get a tetanus shot, you’re protected from it. [Karmen] Tetanus causes severe muscle spasms; that’s when your muscles tighten. The spasms can be so bad that they make it hard to breathe and can even break bones! They can also cause such intense stiffness that you can’t open your mouth. [Chris] You can’t pass tetanus to your friends. [Kaya] The good news is, there’s a shot to protect you from tetanus. The shot teaches your body how to fight tetanus, but it won’t make you sick. [Caydan] The shot will protect you as long as you get it every 10 years. [Karmen] But don’t stop there. Be a clean freak. Clean all cuts and scrapes really well with soap and water. Take extra special care cleaning cuts from anything that’s been outside, such as dirty glass or rusty metal. Keep cuts and scrapes covered so they can heal. Even if a scrape doesn’t look dirty to you, remember that to tetanus, it can look like a big doorway into your body. [Chris] Thanks for listening to CDC Kidtastics Radio. We’ll talk to you again soon. Until then. . . be a safer, healthier kid! ! [Announcer] For the most accurate health information, visit www. cdc. gov or call 1-800-CDC-INFO.

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|Sunday, Sep 2, 2012 - 5:00 AM "Shark's First Day of School/Shark's First Loose Tooth" Shark's First Day of School - It's the first day of school for the youngest WordFriends, but Shark is afraid to go. With the help of his good buddy Duck, and some gentle encouragement from their teacher Cat, Shark's fear turns to confidence, and by day's end he's at the head of the class. Shark's First Loose Tooth - When Shark loses his first baby tooth at a sleepover party with Duck, he's got to get to sleep fast so the tooth fairy can come and leave him a present. D

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Slavery has a long and complex history in the State of Illinois. The practice was first brought to the Midwest by French explorers in the mid-1700s and became well established in the region. It was later prohibited in lands covered by the Northwest Ordinance of 1787 (which included the future state of Illinois), but the ordinance fell short of ending slavery because it allowed residents to retain all possessions, including slaves. In 1818, Illinois was admitted into the Union as a free state, but slavery continued and free blacks were oppressed by a series of restrictive state laws that denied them fundamental freedoms. These Illinois Black Laws (also known as Black Codes) were observed from 1819 - 1865. Under these laws, blacks could not vote; testify or bring suit against whites; gather in groups of three or more without risk of being jailed or beaten; and could not serve in the militia and thus were unable to own or bear arms. Blacks living in the state were required to obtain and carry a Certificate of Freedom; otherwise, they were presumed to be slaves. The Illinois constitution also allowed indentured servitude at the salt mines in southern Illinois. The mines provided significant income for the state, and served as an American presence in what the United States government considered vulnerable frontier territory. Illinois Black Laws were repealed in 1865, the same year the United States Congress ended the legal institution of slavery with the passage of the 13th Amendment. Glennette Tilley Turner, an expert on Illinois' Underground Railroad, talks about slavery in the salt mines of Equality, Illinois. John Jones was an outspoken civil rights activist and a committed leader in the fight to repeal Illinois' Black Codes. He was born in North Carolina to a free mulatto mother and a father of German descent. Trained as a tailor, the 23-year-old Jones moved to Chicago with his wife Mary Richardson Jones in 1845. Though he arrived in the city with just $3. 50 in his pocket and had no formal education, Jones developed a thriving tailoring business, invested in real estate, and by 1860 was one of the nation's wealthiest African Americans. In 1871, Jones was elected the first black Cook County Commissioner. Not long after his arrival in Chicago, Jones befriended local abolitionists Charles V. Dyer, a physician, and noted lawyer Lemanuel Covell Paine Freer. Freer taught Jones to read and write. Jones saw the value of the skills for business and also put them to masterful use in abolition work, including the publication of a 16-page pamphlet entitled The Black Laws of Illinois and Why They Should Be Repealed. Jones also worked tirelessly in the struggle against the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850, which denied runaway slaves the right to trial by jury and imposed high fines on anyone who aided slaves or interfered in their capture. Author and historian Glennette Tilley Turner describes the harsh restrictions of the black codes. Mary Jane Richardson Jones was born a free African American in Tennessee. While living in Memphis, Tennessee, she met John Jones and fell in love, but the couple temporarily separated when the Richardson family moved to Alton, Illinois. John later followed Mary to Alton and they married in 1844. While traveling to their new home in Chicago, they were suspected of being runaway slaves and detained. Fortunately, the stagecoach driver confirmed their status as free blacks and they were allowed to continue on their way. Mary Jones became an active member in the abolitionist movement in Chicago. She opened her home at 119 Dearborn to fugitive slaves and provided a space for abolitionists to meet. Her daughter called the family home a "haven for escaped slaves" and believed the family was personally responsible for helping hundreds of runaway slaves travel to Canada. The actions of the Jones family reflected the strong will of their community. When Congress passed the Compromise of 1850 and the provisional bill, the Fugitive Slave Act — which required citizens to assist in the recovery of fugitive slaves, denied a fugitive's right to a jury trial, and made filing a claim easier for slave owners — John Jones stood before a capacity black audience at the African Methodist Church on Wells Street and proclaimed the community's resolve to fight against the return of any black person to bondage. "We are determined to defend ourselves at all hazards, even should it be to the shedding of human blood. We who have tasted freedom are ready to exclaim in the language of the brave Patrick Henry, 'Give us liberty or give us death. '"

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East Antarctica Is Melting From Above And Below Source: Climate Central East Antarctica is remote even by Antarctic standards. Harsh winds and ocean currents have largely cut off the region from the rest of the world. That’s left its massive stores of ice largely intact, especially compared to West Antarctica where a massive meltdown is underway that could raise seas by 10 or more feet in the coming centuries. But as carbon pollution warms the air and the ocean, there are signs that the region’s stability is under threat. Two new studies of different ice shelves — tongues of ice that essentially act as bathtub plugs — have seen major melting that could portend a less stable future for the region. So first, about those ice shelves. They are indeed like bathtub plugs. Except instead of keeping water in a tub, they keep ice on the continent of Antarctica. That’s good because when it ends up melting into the ocean, it causes seas to rise. East Antarctica contains about two-thirds of all the ice in Antarctica so its stability is crucial for the world’s coastal areas. But strange things have been happening recently. During a 2014 flyover of the Roi Baudouin ice shelf, scientists noticed a curious depression more than a mile wide in the undulating ice. When they finally investigated it in January this year, they found walls that were about 10 feet high and meltwater pouring into moulins — features that funnel surface meltwater into the heart of the ice. The moulins were just one sign of melt happening on the surface. When scientists drilled a hole in the ice and lowered a camera, they found an otherworldly blue lake stretching more than half a mile across. Research published in Nature Climate Change shows that the cause of these bizarre features are the powerful winds that blow down from Antarctica’s interior. Jan Lenaerts, a postdoctoral researcher at the Utrecht University in the Netherland who led the study, said that those winds helped heat the air and caused white ice to melt out, exposing a layer of dark ice beneath. That darker ice in turns absorbs more sunlight, further expediting the melt. — Jan Lenaerts (@lenaertsjan) December 12, 2016 “Although we only found this on one ice shelf, we find the same mechanisms on many East Antarctic ice shelves,” Lenaerts said. “Given the strong response of surface meltwater production and extent of meltwater processes on the shelf to summer temperature, we can expect that in a warmer climate, these ice shelves might be vulnerable to instability that is driven by meltwater hydrofracturing. ” This on its own would be distressing news for the planet’s coastal communities. But there are also signs that warm water is undercutting at least one of East Antarctica’s other ice shelves. The Totten ice shelf is one of the most important ice shelves in the region. It backstops so much ice that if it were to melt, it would result in up to 12 feet of sea level rise. Recent research has shown that its geology and interactions with the ocean mean that losing just 4. 2 percent of its mass could kickstart the process to send more inland ice to the sea. And it has been melting faster than most other glaciers and ice shelves in East Antarctica. “We knew from satellite data that the Totten has been thinning faster than other glaciers in East Antarctica, but we didn’t know why,” Steve Rintoul, the interim head of CSIRO’s Climate Science Center, said in a statement. That’s why Rintoul and his colleagues set out to look more closely at the ice in January 2015 on the Aurora Australis, an Australian research boat. They were able to visit the calving front of the ice — where the shelf ends in the ocean — thanks to a fortuitous path that broke in the sea ice in January 2015. It’s the first time direct measurements have ever been taken by boat in the region. Their findings from that trip, published on Friday in Science Advances, show that the bedrock underlying the ice shelf is a major driver in the melt process. They found two massive ocean channels up to 6 miles wide and a half mile deep are funneling warm water under the ice shelf and melting it out from underneath. Taken individually, the studies are disconcerting enough. Put together, though, they paint a picture of a region that could become a much bigger player in sea level rise if carbon pollution isn’t curtailed soon. Source: Climate Central

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Active Learning Material The active learning strategies are used in the classroom to promote more dialogue and better understanding of the material for the students. The Teaching Academy has formed an interest group of members interested in implementing one or more of the teaching strategies introduced in the recent Active Learning Workshop presented by Dr. Diane O'Dowd. The purpose of the group is to provide feedback and encouragement to one another as we try to incorporate these new approaches into our classes. Below is the material found by the group, as well as other useful resources. - Diane O'Dowd's questions to use to evaluate your demo. - WSU CVM Demo Examples - see internal site - Article: Garage Demos: using physical models to illustrate dynamic aspects of microscopic biological processes, O'Dowd DK, Aguilar-Roca N. CBE Life Science Education, Summer 2009; 8(2): 118-22. - Diane O'Dowd's Workshop: Garage Demos: Using Physical Models to demonstrate Key Concepts Learn Before Lecture: - Article: Learn before Lecture: A strategy that improves learning outcomes in a large introductory biology class Moravec M, Williams A, Aguilar-Roca N, O'Dowd DK. CBE Life Science Education, Winter 2010; 9(4): 473-81. - Examples: PowerPoint MBio 305 Rubric, MBio 305 Activity and MBio_305_Worksheet Flipping the Lecture: - Article: Lecture Halls without Lectures - A Proposal for Medical Education. Prober CG, Heath C. New England J Med. 2012 May 3; 366(18): 1657-9.

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What Are Fractures? A fracture is the medical term for a broken bone. A bone may be completely fractured or partially fractured in any number of ways (crosswise, lengthwise, in multiple pieces. They occur when the physical force exerted on the bone is stronger than the bone itself. Your risk of fracture depends, in part, on your age. Broken bones are very common in childhood, though children’s fractures are generally less complicated than fractures in adults. As you age, your bones become more brittle and you are more likely to suffer fractures from falls that would not occur when you were young. Types of Fractures Bones are rigid, but they do bend or “give” somewhat when an outside force is applied. However, if the force is too great, the bones will break, just as a plastic ruler breaks when it is bent too far. The severity of a fracture usually depends on the force that caused the break. If the bone’s breaking point has been exceeded only slightly, then the bone may crack rather than break all the way through. If the force is extreme, such as in an automobile crash or a gunshot, the bone may shatter. If the bone breaks in such a way that bone fragments stick out through the skin, or a wound penetrates down to the broken bone, the fracture is called an “open” fracture. This type of fracture is particularly serious because once the skin is broken, infection in both the wound and the bone can occur. Common types of fractures include: - Stable fracture. The broken ends of the bone line up and are barely out of place. - Open, compound fracture. The skin may be pierced by the bone or by a blow that breaks the skin at the time of the fracture. The bone may or may not be visible in the wound. - Transverse fracture. This type of fracture has a horizontal fracture line. - Oblique fracture. This type of fracture has an angled pattern. - Comminuted fracture. In this type of fracture, the bone shatters into three or more pieces. The most common causes of fractures are: - Trauma. A fall, a motor vehicle accident, or a tackle during a football game can all result in fractures. - Osteoporosis. This disorder weakens bones and makes them more likely to break. - Overuse. Repetitive motion can tire muscles and place more force on bone. This can result in stress fractures. Stress fractures are more common in athletes. - A visibly out-of-place or misshapen limb or joint - Swelling, bruising, or bleeding - Intense pain - Numbness and tingling - Broken skin with bone protruding - Limited mobility or inability to move a limb All forms of treatment of broken bones follow one basic rule: the broken pieces must be put back into position and prevented from moving out of place until they are healed. In many cases, the doctor will restore parts of a broken bone back to the original position. The technical term for this process is “reduction. ” Broken bone ends heal by “knitting” back together with new bone being formed around the edge of the broken parts. Surgery is sometimes required to treat a fracture. The type of treatment required depends on the severity of the break, whether it is “open” or “closed,” and the specific bone involved. For example, a broken bone in the spine (vertebra) is treated differently from a broken leg bone or a broken hip. Doctors use a variety of treatments to treat fractures: A plaster or fiberglass cast is the most common type of fracture treatment, because most broken bones can heal successfully once they have been repositioned and a cast has been applied to keep the broken ends in proper position while they heal. Functional Cast or Brace The cast or brace allows limited or “controlled” movement of nearby joints. This treatment is desirable for some, but not all, fractures. Traction is usually used to align a bone or bones by a gentle, steady pulling action. In this type of operation, metal pins or screws are placed into the broken bone above and below the fracture site. The pins or screws are connected to a metal bar outside the skin. This device is a stabilizing frame that holds the bones in the proper position while they heal. In cases where the skin and other soft tissues around the fracture are badly damaged, an external fixator may be applied until surgery can be tolerated. An external fixator applied to a broken thighbone. Open Reduction and Internal Fixation During this operation, the bone fragments are first repositioned (reduced) in their normal alignment, and then held together with special screws or by attaching metal plates to the outer surface of the bone. The fragments may also be held together by inserting rods down through the marrow space in the center of the bone. A specially designed metal rod, called an intramedullary nail, provides strong fixation for this thighbone fracture. Fractures take several weeks to several months to heal, depending on the extent of the injury and how well you follow your doctor’s advice. Pain usually stops long before the fracture is solid enough to handle the stresses of normal activity. Even after your cast or brace is removed, you may need to continue limiting your movement until the bone is solid enough for normal activity. During your recovery you will likely lose muscle strength in the injured area. Specific exercises will help you restore normal muscle strength, joint motion, and flexibility. Bone fractures of all sorts happen all the time, and are commonly seen by physical therapists every day. Whether the fracture occurs in the femur, ankle, pelvis, clavicle or any other location on the body, immediate medical attention is required. The bone will need to be properly aligned, healed and set by a medical doctor. It will also need to be reduced, either manually or through a surgical procedure if the fracture is quite severe. Surgery may be recommended and required if the bone was shattered into multiple pieces, requiring it to be put back together in the correct place through an open reduction internal fixation surgical procedure. A cast will often need to be worn for a few weeks, whether in the form of a hard cast or a removable cast. Once the proper healing has taken place, physicians will often refer patients who have fractured a bone to a physical therapist to help accelerate the healing process, reduce pain and swelling, and improve range of motion to get the patient back to their normal physical self. Beginning Physical Therapy After a Bone Fracture Physical therapy is most often incorporated into a bone fracture patient’s healing routine after sufficient healing has taken place, and the bone is properly aligned. Physical therapy will help to strengthen the bone and the muscle tissue surrounding the bone in order to help the patient regain full range of motion and independent mobility and function. After enduring a bone fracture, a patient may encounter physical therapy at various stages, depending on what their physician feels will optimize full recovery. At the Hospital – Physical therapy can begin as early as within a hospital setting, particularly if the bone fracture was quite severe and required some form of surgery for proper repair and alignment of the bone. Physical therapists may visit these patients in the hospital, and teach the patient how to move properly while rehabilitating the injured area. If the bone fracture occurred anywhere in the ankle, leg, knee or hip area, the physical therapist will instruct the patient how to walk properly and efficiently to help regain full range of motion, as well as how to walk with an assistive device like crutches. Simple actions, like getting in and out of a car or going up and down stairs can prove to be challenging when walking with an assistive device. Therapists will teach these patients how to perform these motions effectively while healing. At Home – After a bone fracture patient is well enough to leave the hospital setting, physical therapy will continue in the patient’s home if they are still too immobile to leave their home to travel to a physical therapy clinic. A physical therapist will continue to assist the patient with moving around the home efficiently while using their cane, crutches, arm sling, or any other assistive device. The therapist will also engage in a number of treatments that are comfortable for use within the home, such as joint mobilization, massage or exercise. Exercise routines will be one of the first things a physical therapist will most likely get the patient started on. Specific exercises will be assigned to the patient to help them strengthen their muscles and joints, as well as slowly improve and increase their range of motion. Weight bearing exercises can be particularly helpful to help strengthen the injured area. The physical therapist may also assess the home environment, and ensure that there are no potential hazards while the patient regains full mobility. In the Clinic – Patients who have had a cast or sling removed and are physically capable of going outside the home are often referred to a physical therapist by their physician to continue rehabilitating the injured site. This is important in helping the patient regain full function following a bone fracture and any surgery or other treatment to heal the fractured bones and surrounding tissue. The patient may still be required to avoid certain weight lifting that they may have been able to do prior to the fracture – it’s important for the patient to adhere to any restrictions that their physical therapist has placed on them in order to avoid any further damage to the injured area. In the clinical setting, the physical therapist will assess and take measurements of a variety of factors, including the following: - Range of motion - Gait in lower extremity bone fractures After an initial assessment and evaluation, the physical therapist will set out a treatment plan to help the patient fully recover. This treatment plan may vary in length, depending on a number of factors, including the severity of the bone fracture. Part of the therapy will involve helping the patient get over any negative effects that come with having a limb or other body part in a cast or sling, such as muscle atrophy or decrease in mobility. The physical therapist may use a variety of modalities to help rehabilitate the injured area, such as ultrasound, TENS, hydrotherapy or electrical stimulation. Massage and mobilization may be used when scar tissue has developed. Exercise will almost always be employed when the patient is physically capable of applying pressure to the affected area. Exercise will help to develop the muscles and improve strength and mobility in and around the affected area. Physical therapy is often an essential step after initial healing and assessments have been made on an injury. Physical therapy treatments and modalities can help to accelerate the healing process, and improve strength and mobility after a patient has suffered a bone fracture. It is important to perform all the actions that physical therapists recommend, both within a clinical setting and at home. Visit Our Google + Page

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What is elbow (olecranon) bursitis? A bursa is a fluid-filled sac that acts as a cushion between tendons, bones, and skin. There are many bursae around the elbow, one of the major ones is at the tip of the elbow. This part of the elbow is called the olecranon and is part of the ulna bone. Repeated injury or irritation of the bursa, such as falling onto the elbow or rubbing the elbow against a hard surface, irritates and inflames the bursa. Irritation or inflammation of a bursa is called bursitis. If you have Olecranon bursitis, you will have pain or swelling at the point of the elbow. Also Known As - Elbow Bursitis

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MJ STEEL COLLINS takes an extensive look at the ghosts and haunted places associated with Mary Queen of Scots Mary Queen of Scots is perhaps one of the most revered of Scotland’s monarchs, quite ironic considering she was actually quite an unpopular character with the Scottish during her lifetime. She packed quite a lot into her 44 years, and that’s not changed much in her afterlife. Her ghost is said to haunt so many places, a book has been written about her. There are also hauntings, which whilst not featuring her Highness herself, but are very closely tied to her, all of which are explored in this article. Queen at Six Days Old Mary was born on 14 December 1542. Before she was even a week old, Mary’s life could be best described as eventful. She was the only daughter of Mary of Guise and Scottish King James V – and his only legitimate child. His other children included Robert Stewart, 1st Earl of Orkney and James Stewart, 1st Earl of Moray, with whom Mary would clash with on the battlefield during adulthood. James V was on his death bed at Falkland Palace, aged only 30, whilst his wife gave birth to their daughter at Linlithgow Palace. He died six days later and baby Mary became Queen of Scotland. Whilst her mother ruled Scotland as Regent, the young Mary was sent to France, growing up in the French court. At the age of 15, she married the Dauphin, who became Francis II of France. He had weak health and died only 17 months into his reign. Mary, a widow before she was 18, decided to take her chances and return to Scotland. The ups and downs of her life after her return have filled quite a few books, websites and the odd movie. Here are some ‘highlights’: Mary remarried at 22, to Henry Stuart, the Second Lord Darnley, father to the future James VI of Scotland and I of England. Darnley, a drinker and violent man, was an unpopular figure in Scotland; this didn’t do much to boost his wife’s popularity among her subjects. She became rather disenchanted with him shortly after marriage. Initially, Mary had been quite taken by him. Murderous Husbands and Battling Brothers Mary had an Italian secretary, David Rizzio, with whom Darnley felt she was spending rather too much time. On 9 March 1566, Darnley had Rizzo murdered at the Palace of Holyroodhouse. The Queen, seven months pregnant, witnessed Rizzio being stabbed 56 times. Lord Darnley himself was dead within the year. He was staying at Kirk O’ Field in Edinburgh, when it was blown up on 9 February 1567. Darnley’s body evidently showed he had been strangled prior to the explosion. Mary was not there at the time. James Hepburn, the Earl of Bothwell, was suspected. Mary was close to Bothwell; she was rumoured to be having an affair with him, and implicated in Darnley’s death. Mary and Bothwell were married on the 15th of May 1567, shortly after Bothwell had taken Mary captive at his castle in Dunbar and allegedly raped her, though there is still controversy as to what actually happened. Like his predecessor, Bothwell was a deeply unpopular figure. As it was, he left Scotland and Mary for good, one month after their wedding after the Battle of Carberry Hill, East Lothian. He died insane in solitary confinement in Dragsholm Castle, Denmark, in 1578, after abandoning an earlier bride at the altar, but conveniently keeping the dowry. If it wasn’t warring husbands with Mary, it was angry relatives. She was captured at the Battle of Carberry Hill and imprisoned in Loch Leven Castle, Kinross, where she was forced to abdicate on pain of death in favour of her son, who became James VI of Scotland (later James I of England after the Union of the Crowns in 1603). Her half brother, the Earl of Moray, was made Regent of behalf of the infant king. Even after all this, Mary escaped Loch Leven in May 1568. She was heading to Dumbarton Castle, where she hoped to reassert her right to the throne. Enroute she passed through Glasgow, planning to cross the Clyde at Rutherglen. But the Earl of Moray’s armies got wind of the plan, and set off to head Mary’s forces off. Both sides met at Langside on 13 May 1568, ensuing in a bloody battle in which Mary’s forces were well and truly trounced. Following this, Mary fled to England, hoping to get help from her cousin Elizabeth I. Off With Her Head Things didn’t go quite the way Mary thought they might. She found herself once again in captivity, being passed from castle to fortified house for the next 15 years, until it was decided what to do with her. Meanwhile, Mary’s health went into steep decline, and various plots abounded in Scotland as Mary’s supporters waged war against the Regents. In 1586, Mary was implicated in the Babington plot, resulting in her trial for Treason. She was found guilty and beheaded at Fotheringhay Castle on 7 February 1587. Famously, Elizabeth I was reluctant to sign the execution order. Nae Rest Fur The Headless After such an eventful life, it would be reasonable to think Mary Queen of Scots would be ready to enjoy her eternal rest, but by all accounts, her ghost roams to this day. And it’s not just one place; her haunts spread across the British Isles. Either she literally is one of the world’s busiest ghosts, or her impact is such that she has created quite an expansive folklore. Craignethan Castle, Lesmahagow, is one of the first places her apparition was reported, shortly after her execution. Mary stayed here prior to the Battle of Langside. The Pink Lady of Stirling Castle is thought to be Mary, accompanied by a Green Lady, said to be one of Mary’s Lady’s In Waiting, who died saving Mary when the Queen’s bed went on fire. Mary’s ghost is also claimed to haunt Hermitage Castle in the Borders, even though she didn’t actually visit there. Admittedly, not too far away in Dumfries in Galloway, is Queenshill, just outside the hamlet of Ringford. I lived there whilst at secondary school, and was told the story that Queenshill was so named because Mary stopped here during her travels. More to the point, it was where she answered a call of nature. I guess everyone likes to lay claim to the Mary! At Borthwick Castle, Midlothian, Mary has been seen dressed as a pageboy. She came to Borthwick shortly after her marriage to Bothwell. Apparently she was forced to escape the castle dressed as a man, hence the pageboy appearance of her apparition. Unsurprisingly, she also haunts Craignethan Castle, where she was first held prisoner. South of the Border In England, Mary continues to be busy, and some of the most spectacular sightings of her ghosts in modern times come from here. Fotheringhay Castle, in Northamptonshire, is now a ruin, and its staircase, down which Mary made her way to her beheading, now sits at the Talbot Hotel, Oundle, also Northamptonshire. Her ghost has been seen on the staircase in the hotel several times. Mary has been especially busy at Tutbury Castle in Staffordshire, a place where she suffered during her imprisonment. In 2004, approximately 40 people, from ‘Her Majesty’s Services’ saw what they believed to be her apparition dressed in white, standing on the South Tower. She has also been seen at the window of The Great Hall, and an archaeologist saw her walking across the grass before vanishing, whilst carrying out work at the castle. Mary was believed to have been heard wailing in the Tower of London on Christmas Eve, 1900. It was thought that Mary’s ghostly wailings signified the death of a current monarch. At the same time, one of Queen Victoria’s Ladies –In-Waiting, the Dowager Lady Churchill, had recently died in the next room to where Victoria was sleeping in Osborne House. Victoria was apparently upset at the loss, and the report claims Mary’s wailings were kept secret from her to prevent further distress. The wailings were heard on Constable Tower, down which the report erroneously claims Mary was led to be executed. Though, as Woodyard points out, Constable Tower dates from the 19th century! Other Associated Haunts Other haunting, not featuring Mary Queen of Scots, but certainly with strong associations includes the haunting of Dragsholm Castle in Denmark, where her third husband died. Bothwell’s ghost is said to be heard in the courtyard, in the form of the sound of his horse and carriage arriving. Other ghosts haunt Dragsholm, but have no association. Mary’s mother, Mary of Guise is reputed to haunt Linlithgow Palace, where the Queen of Scots was born. Another, final, significant haunting is the ghosts of the Battle of Langside. The battle has been witnessed re-enacted in the sky at midnight on its anniversary, most recently in the 1990s. Queen’s Park now sits on much of the battle ground. Shortly after the park was opened, ghostly soldiers were witnessed walking about, with gory wounds. EXTRA: My Ghost Experience with Mary Queen Of Scots (Article originally published on 8 February 2016. ) Recently, Spooky Isles ran an article on some of the various locations said to be haunted by Mary Queen of Scots. Early in January 2016, PETER MURPHY commented on the article that he had seen Mary’s ghost only a few nights earlier at Carberry Tower, near Mussleburgh, East Lothian. Not far from the Tower, on 15 June 1567, Mary saw her final skirmish at the Battle of Carberry Hill, hours after which, she was taken prisoner and held at Lochleven Castle. Only a few weeks later, Mary was forced to abdicate the Scottish Throne and spent the majority of her remaining life a prisoner. Here, Peter recounts his experience at Carberry Tower: I arrived at Carberry Tower on Saturday, the 2nd of January, for a weekend stay. My partner booked ourselves in for a meal in the restaurant at around 7 pm. Having ordered our meal I decided to pop outside for a cigarette at approximately 7:15 pm; I went into the centre court yard and stood under the heater. When switched, on it illuminates the smoking shelter with a red glow from either end, but doesn’t really light up the court yard. I’d say the court yard is approximately 4 meters across. Looking down toward my cigarette as I lit up, I was aware of a figure dressed in white opposite me moving from left to right, about 3. 5 meters away. She was a lady in her late 20s: she had a long white lace dress and a white lace head dress – her skin was pale but skin coloured. At this point I wasn’t looking directly at her but my gaze rose over approximately a 4 second period as I looked up to see her face, she turned her head to face me. As our eyes met she stopped moving forward and completely disappeared as instantly as switching a light off. The ghost was solid as if a real person. I was totally unaware of any ghost links to [Carberry] Tower and totally unaware of what Mary Queen of Scots looked like; it wasn’t till I looked up ghost sightings online and saw a picture of Mary’s death mask, I realised instantly that this was the face I had saw. She didn’t speak and made no sound, in fact it was totally silent. We were staying in the Royal Suite and that night the shutters in the bathroom, which I’d closed earlier, started banging, I just thought it was wind and maybe a window was open I went in to find the shutters locked shut and window firmly closed. The banging continued through the night. Wasn’t til writing this, that I’ve thought much about it, but the next evening it was much windier yet the room was silent. My partner, Miss Sandra Gillies witnessed the banging in the room.

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Maple Assignment Help Maple's programs language is created for mathematics. The large bulk of Maple's calculation engine is composed utilizing the Maple language, so you can access the exact same effective tools that Maplesoft designers utilize every day. The Maple language supports mathematical structures as essential types, such as polynomials, intricate numbers, and vectors, and it permits you to quickly check and build for more complex structures, such as "five-element row vector with complicated entries" and "polynomials of odd degree with favorable integer coefficients. " Maple offers commands for programmatically carrying out mathematical controls, such as factoring and broadening expressions. It has countless commands for programmatically carrying out mathematical operations, controling items, importing and exporting information sets, and developing tailored animations and plots. The Maple shows language can be utilized for whatever from easy, single-line scripts to massive tasks including countless lines of code. Code can be consisted of in any Maple file, permitting you to integrate text, images, plots, and code in a single file. Applications can be produced and dispersed in a file. Maple programs and scripts can be composed completely through common typing on the keyboard, or if you want, can consist of easy-to-read 2-D mathematical expressions. Command conclusion functions make it simple to get in the names of both integrated and custom-made treatments. When preferable, code can be concealed within the file in lots of methods, so that readers are not sidetracked from your bottom lines. Maple is a really effective programs language which provides advanced tools for the modern-day developer. In this session, you'll see a variety of methods that can be utilized to establish robust, effective, maintainable services to your issues. Maple offers an interactive analytical environment, total with treatments for carrying out symbolic, numerical, and visual calculations. At the core of the Maple computer system algebra system is an effective shows language, on which the Maple libraries of mathematical commands are developed. The Maple calculation engine is the command processor, which includes 2 parts: the kernel and mathematics library. The kernel is the core of the Maple calculation engine. It consists of the vital centers needed to analyze and run Maple programs, and handle information structures. In this guide, the kernel commands are described as integrated commands The Maple kernel likewise includes kernel extensions, which are collections of external assembled libraries that are consisted of in Maple to supply low-level shows performance. These libraries consist of Basic Linear Algebra Subprograms (BLAS), GNU Multiple Precision (GMP), the NAG ® C Library, and the C Linear Algebra PACKage (CLAPACK). Maple Homework Help The mathematics library includes the majority of the Maple commands. It consists of performance for many mathematical domains, consisting of calculus, direct algebra, number theory, and combinatorics. It consists of commands for various other jobs, consisting of importing information into Maple, XML processing, graphics, and equating Maple code to other programs languages. There are lots of kinds of legitimate declarations. Examples consist of declarations that ask for help on a specific subject, show a text string, carry out a math operation, utilize a Maple library command, or specify a treatment. By utilizing the examples in this area as samples, you must have the ability to compose your very own easy Maple programs. Attempt examining the code of some of the commands that come with Maple if you desire to see more examples of Maple programs. Carrying out the Maple commands. Maple is software application which is utilized for carrying out calculations & outlining charts. In 1989, the very first visual user interface for Maple was established and consisted of with variation 4. 3 for the Macintosh. It was then that the mathematical libraries were presented in MAPLE and that is how many of the mathematical work can be done really thoroughly utilizing Maple. We have actually been assisting trainees considering that long in MAPLE shows, and fix their tasks quickly. Our professional likewise take care in much better understanding of MAPLE assignment by including many remarks, in every levels i. e., school level, undergraduate level and post graduate level. As you type in commands, Maple waits for a semicolon; or a colon: prior to it assesses the expression. This is since Maple presumes that the operator * is commutative and will carry out simplifications prior to calling evalm. Finishing a Maple assignment utilizing Maple computer system algebra software application is not a simple job for lots of trainees. We have a broad variety of Maple research services that we use to trainees who desire help doing their jobs. One of the most significant obstacles that trainees typically deal with while doing a Maple job is absence of understanding of the assignment. Producing a concern and response set for the maple assignment can likewise be rather difficult for some trainees. We have a number of products that you can utilize to help you comprehend exactly what you are anticipated to in your Maple task. We have a group of Maple professionals who are prepared to offer you any support that you may require in doing your assignment. Maple's word processing functions will be revealed to trainees, who will be anticipated to produce clinical files utilizing the Maple word processor. An intro to the Maple shows language is likewise consisted of in this module. MAPLE Programming help by live specialists: - - 24/7 Chat, Phone & Email assistance - - Monthly & expense reliable bundles for routine consumers; - - help for MAPLE assignment online test & online tests, MAPLE midterms & examinations; It consists of commands for many other jobs, consisting of importing information into Maple, XML processing, graphics, and equating Maple code to other programs languages. If you desire to see more examples of Maple programs, attempt checking the code of some of the commands that come with Maple. It was then that the mathematical libraries were presented in MAPLE and that is how many of the mathematical work can be done extremely adequately utilizing Maple. Finishing a Maple assignment utilizing Maple computer system algebra software application is not a simple job for numerous trainees. Maple's word processing functions will be revealed to trainees, who will be anticipated to produce clinical files utilizing the Maple word processor.

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We all knew that being exposed to the sun makes you age prematurely, but seeing the dramatic difference in a single face is just stunning. His condition is called unilateral dermatoheliosis, from the Greek dermis and helios, skin and sun. It's also called photoaging, and it results from chronic exposure to the Sun's UVA and UVB rays. In his case it only affected him on the left side because of his work. As he drove, he received much many hours of sunlight through the left window of his vehicle. The case was discovered and studied by Jennifer R.S. Gordon and Joaquin C. Brieva, dermatologists at Northwestern University, and published in the New England Journal of Medicine: A 69-year-old man presented with a 25-year history of gradual, asymptomatic thickening and wrinkling of the skin on the left side of his face. The physical examination showed hyperkeratosis with accentuated ridging, multiple open comedones, and areas of nodular elastosis. Histopathological analysis showed an accumulation of elastolytic material in the dermis and the formation of milia within the vellus hair follicles. Findings were consistent with the Favre-Racouchot syndrome of photodamaged skin, known as dermatoheliosis. The patient reported that he had driven a delivery truck for 28 years. Ultraviolet A (UVA) rays transmit through window glass, penetrating the epidermis and upper layers of dermis. Chronic UVA exposure can result in thickening of the epidermis and stratum corneum, as well as destruction of elastic fibres. This photoaging effect of UVA is contrasted with photocarcinogenesis. This is a perfect reminder of the negative effects of excessive sun-tanning. If the risk of skin cancer is not enough for you, perhaps knowing that the sun will accelerate your ageing by a decade or two will stop you from being careless. Remember, if you are going to be exposed to the sun in any way — even if you are not at the beach or a swimming pool — use protection.

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Water, water everywhere Lesson 15 of 23 Objective: Students will be able to explain the different parts of the water cycle and gain an understanding of where water goes and how it is used when it falls to Earth. Warm-Up: “What is the significance of water in the environment? ” Before engaging students in a discussion of this question, make sure that all students in the class know the definition of the term, significant. Ask, “Does anyone know what significance means? ” Listen for the different definitions that arise and make sure that the one definition that is correct is clearly identified. Vocabulary acquisition of students is not always on grade level so I have found it to be a helpful practice to explicitly teach non-content related words during instruction, as well. Once it is established what the definition of significance is, move into the warm-up question. Allow students to brainstorm all the reasons why water is significant. Brainstorming is a “free-thinking” or unedited way to compile a list of ideas from students. Remind students that they do not comment on other student ideas during brainstorming. Students are free to share whatever they think as it relates to the question. Encourage them to cite evidence that supports their responses. Jot their responses on the whiteboard and explain that we will refer back to this list later in the class. Introduce New Material Inform students that the learning target for today’s lesson is they will be able explain the different parts of the water cycle and gain an understanding of where water goes and how it is used when it falls to earth. Project a list of 20 Interesting and Useful Water Facts. This list provides an opportunity to make real world connections to today’s lesson on water. To increase student engagement, have students “popcorn read” each of the statements on the list aloud. One student reads the first item, then throws a ball to another student who reads the second item, who throws the ball to another students who reads, and so on until the reading is done. Expect students to engage in this sharing of facts. Many of them will want to catch the ball so expect some of them to resort to calling out their names to get the attention of the reader. Make sure that the behavior expectations are established up front to alleviate this occurring. Allow students to engage and participate in the sharing of comments for no more than 5 minutes, or else the instruction might veer off course. Note: When time does not permit for extended questions and conversation, the “parking lot” strategy is a useful tool that allows students to continue to share or ask questions. The parking lot strategy involves posting a piece of chart paper in the room. Questions that are “tabled” are posted on the chart paper by students. As time permits at the end of class, read and respond to the questions on the board. Students typically are amazed to learn that so little of earth’s water is fresh drinking water. For real-world application and impact, show two videos, Water Changes Everything and The Coming Global Water Crisis. I really like both videos because they help students appreciate that most of the world does not have the access to clean water like we do in the U.S and that our unrestrained consumption of water in the U.S. may create a water crisis in the future. Before watching, remind students of the viewing expectations. Let them know that they should be able to cite 1-2 things that they learned that they did not know before watching the clips. After viewing the videos, ask students, “How is it that we continue to have fresh water since water is not a resource that we can increase? ” Look for students to make the connection that the planet’s water supply is recycled through the environment. Introduce vocabulary for this lesson: water, transpiration, evaporation, condensation, percolation, precipitation, cycle, biogeochemical cycle, dependence. Instruct students to add the term, biogeochemical cycle to their Vocabulary Map. “Dissect” the term into its word parts to build students’ vocabulary acquisition. Show students a visual image of the water cycle and present details about each part of the cycle. Instruct students to take notes. If you do not provide guided notes, use a note taking strategy that you have taught students previously. I make it a practice to walk around to check students’ notes to ensure that they are writing down what is being taught. Follow the presentation of content with a short video clip, The Water Cycle. This clip, found on the Discovery Channel website is a great tool to reinforce the water cycle. It is an older clip but it helps students better comprehend some of the more conceptual characteristics of water, like how water has an effect on climate and how transpiration works. Before watching the video, share 2-3 questions with students, letting them know they should be able to answer the questions at the end of the clip: - Where does most of our precipitation come from in the summer? Explain how it works. - Why does it rain? - What effect does water have on climate? At the completion of the clip, ask students to respond to the questions. Take 1-2 responses for each question. Make sure that you clearly identify the correct responses so that there are no misconceptions in the group. Inform students that they will complete a “gizmo” today, using the Explore Learning technology. Gizmos are computer simulations that help students see science in action. Note: Explore Learning is an inquiry-based learning application using online simulations. My school district subscribed to the service a couple of years ago and I have found the lessons to be highly effective in helping my students grasp science concepts. Sign up for a free trial if you are interested in accessing the resources and student exploration worksheet associated with this lesson. If you use a computer cart, issue the computers so that students have them before you model use of the site for the lesson. Instruct students to log in and access the main site after they sign for a computer. Because students have to create individual accounts to use the site, require them to use their first initial, last initial and student ID when creating their user names. Many students don't keep up with their user names so this format makes it easy to remind them of their usernames without having to look up 25+ user names every time gizmos are used. Walk around to monitor that all students are on task, able to access the site and log in with their individual user names. Identify 2-4 students who are skilled computer users and utilize them as a resource to assist other students who are not. Once it is determined that all students have accessed the site, model how to access the lesson and navigate the gizmo. Instruct students to watch and perform each action that you take, using the computers they have at their desks. Decide beforehand if you will provide copies of the worksheet or if students will complete and submit electronic worksheets. Some students work best with hard copies so decide in advance who will need a hard copy and have copies available for those students. If you decide that students can complete the assignment online, model how to download a “word” copy, type their answers onto the worksheet and submit the assignment electronically. Point out the vocabulary that is associated with the lesson and give students 1-2 minutes to answer the “prior knowledge questions”. As a formative assessment, take responses from 1-3 students so that you can hear students’ answers and reasoning. If you note that students are not able to provide an accurate response, spiral back and reinforce the water concept before you release them to work independently. Model 1-2 of the gizmo warm-up activities for the class. The gizmo warm-up is intended to help students learn how to navigate the controls for the lesson that follows. As you complete each action, instruct students to use their computers to perform the same action. Release students to complete the warm-up activity as you walk around to ensure that everyone is able to navigate the controls for the lesson. Once you determine all students are able to navigate the lesson, release students to work independently to complete the Water Cycle student worksheet that can be accessed on the Explore Learning website. Remember, you can join the site for a 30-day free trial period to gain access to the resources associated with this lesson. The activity allows students to see how water moves from one location to another, and learn how water resources are distributed in these locations. Instruct students to answer all the questions using complete sentences. Remind students to consider everything that they've learned today when responding to the “think and discuss" question at the end of the gizmo. Instruct student to also complete the gizmo assessment to self-assess how well they know the content. When they finish all parts of the assignment and the assessment, encourage them to turn and talk with a nearby student who has also completed the assignment about the possible causes of global water shortages. Walk around the room to monitor and provide assistance, as needed to students. Refer back to the list that was created during the brainstorming at the start of class. Count how how many of their ideas were mentioned during today’s lesson. Ask students to share one “WOW! ” thing that they learned today. “Wow! ” things are those new pieces of information that students think that they will likely repeat to someone else because they were really surprised to learn the information. Use this activity as a quick formative assessment to determine if the learning target was met.

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Over the course of this blog post, we are going to take a look at Behaviour Driven Development (BDD). We will also look at the continuous integration & testing pipeline and the role that automated testing takes as a part of it. We will start with an overview of BDD and Agile. For a more demo focused blog post click here to read about creating BDD tests using Cucumber and Appium. That features a full step-by-step guide on the creation of automation tests using Cucumber and Appium. The most common way to carry out BDD and Agile is with the Cucumber framework and its built-in specification language known as Gherkin. For the purposes of this post when we discuss and demonstrate mobile automation testing with this Framework we use Appium. The truth is that it is not 100% necessary to use Appium in your BDD approach to automated testing, but we have found that Cucumber and Appium complement each other and so the power of that combination is on full display. Before we get to that, however, let’s take a look at the historical perspective of different software development methodologies like Waterfall, Iterative Waterfall & Agile. The Waterfall Method of Development Software development processes traditionally have modeled the top-down approach. This is when stakeholders and analysts pull information from end-users and interpret it. The result is that these groups, working in concert, produce sets of functional and non-functional software requirements. Developers then take the requirements to study them and then convert them into team specifications. With their specifications in place development teams then complete building their applications. Next is the testing phase. When we use the word testing we refer to the testing of the system itself in addition to quality control and quality assurance. Applications are verified against the specifications of its design and then the acceptance criteria are used to validate the application. At this stage, QA teams work with stakeholders and end-users to make sure that applications are verified against the criteria that were laid out in the initial phases of application development. QAs’ next task is to work with technical teams to ensure that the application follows the expected requirements & specifications. The next step for QA is to communicate with stakeholders to determine if the application’s needs and goals will be met. The next phase includes the implementation of the application and a round of user-driven change requests. The implementation of requests follows the workflow below. Some details to consider. - Analysis and Design – This phase is defined from the beginning before any programming is done. - User Involvement – It only takes place at the start and completion of the development lifecycle. - Making Changes – Given the linear and non-iterative nature of the workflow going back to make changes is an unwieldy part of the process. - Testing – Aside from the development team carrying out unit testing, an application only undergoes a full shakedown after completion. The Waterfall Method suits certain types of projects better. - Requirements remaining static over the life of the project. - Business needs and problems are understood at the highest level making the requirements easily assessed and anticipated. - Due to the open-loop system of the Waterfall Method, there is no feedback between phases. - Software projects are delivered in one monolithic application file. The Waterfall Method does have significant limitations. The foremost of these limitations is that this is not the most suitable model for the development of larger more complex projects. We will see in the next section. The Iterative Waterfall Method This method encourages teams to break down software application delivery into smaller and more manageable builds. Each software project divides into logical partitions instead of a homogeneous build. That makes software delivery come in a per build scenario. Iteration is built into each build process. The closed-loop like process allows you to end each phase with feedback. Here are two scenarios as an example. - Post testing if you find bugs that need correcting you can return to the development phase and edit the code base accordingly. - If you have a release that works but does not meet business goals then the specifications need to be changed. In this case, you will again return to the design phase and make the necessary design changes. For these reasons, the Iterative Waterfall Method allows for a more adaptive and flexible approach. Agile Methodology & Behaviour Driven Development (BDD) Before we delve into the concept of Behaviour Driven Development (BDD) and where it fits in Agile methodology we have to define Agile. Agile development methodology developed as a need to evolve out of the waterfall-based methods. The concept was to create a development process that was leaner, more flexible, and nimble. Once a software’s requirements are set, they will be communicated via epics and short user stories. Sprints, which are periods of a week up to 15 days, are for assigning user stories then testing and reviewing them. When we say review we are talking about an active process that includes all teams and ensures that all business goals are met. The process starts with multiple sprints that focus on completing the tasks in the product backlog, from Epics down to user stories. One of the main benefits of Agile methodology is that developers establish each software development phase into a single sprint. The immediate result of this is to bring about quicker and more reliable outcomes. If some of the functionality does not meet the set goals then the end-users will have a chance to validate it in real-time which will allow developers to make any necessary changes earlier in the process. The agile development process uses a shorter user story format. The structure is to outline the type of user, the action that they will execute, and the end goal that this action achieves. Here are two examples: - Store Owners – should be able to update stock when items come in – so that the store’s stock is correctly tabulated. - Ordinary Users – should be able to upload a profile picture to a personal account – so that they have a profile picture. These types of user stories are both simple to understand and just as easy to use when communicating with stakeholders, QA, engineers, testers, DevOps engineers, and end-users. If we want to take the idea of user stories and scenarios to the next level this is where BDD and Agile by extension come in. Here are a few examples: - Development teams turn user stories into testable acceptance criteria. - Similar to test-driven development (TDD) the focus moves to expected outcomes and behavior. This reduces the chances of errors since technical teams will no longer be making assumptions about expected outcomes. - Agile development depends upon inter-team communication. One of the most common ways of sharing business goals and functionality across a team is by executing tests that can also double as acceptance criteria. Practical applications of BDD The idea of BDD is to move away from a process in which business stakeholders and team members constantly reinterpret and rewrite their requirements. Rather the nature of BDD is to use an executable specification, and an expected outcome to create a repository that can be shared amongst any company member involved in the development process. The practice of BDD and Agile focuses on collaboration and communication. The desired outcome of BDD is to bring together sometimes disparate groups such as customers, developers, and QA. Here is a closer look at the diagram below. Let’s break down the processes in greater detail. Traditionally business analysts interacting with customers create high-level requirement documents using waterfall methods. In BDD however developers, UX/UI designers, and QA team members, carry out initial interactions with clients end-users and stakeholders. Their focus is on getting information from users, whether by asking questions or making suggestions. They then lay out development requirements by using examples and calculating different scenarios. The interactions between these groups will produce requirements. These take the form of business rules, acceptance criteria, and use cases. We recommend that when writing acceptance criteria you do it using the Given, When, Then Agile format. More on that in a bit. One of the most important parts of the BDD process, formulation ties the Discovery stage into the rest of the SDLC. During the Discovery stage is when we create the repository using the Given, When, Then format. With this repository, anyone who is involved in the software development process can share information. The benefit of such a repository is that instead of trying to define business requirements on an individual or team specific level you now have what is known as a single source of truth. Defining BDD Terms It is important to clarify the terms of behavioral driven development which we will do below. - Features – The highest-level description of desired product functionality. For example, withdrawing cash from an ATM. - Scenarios – Behavioral specifications using formal steps and examples. An example of this would be what happens if a person enters their ATM Pincode incorrectly a certain number of times. It is still part of the cash withdrawal feature. - Executable Specifications – These are scenarios that use the Given, When, Then agile syntax. Using our cash withdrawal example an executable specification would look something like this. - Given: A valid card was entered into the ATM. - When: Three attempts to enter the ATM PIN failed. - Then: The card will be blocked. Below is a table showing the breakdown from Feature to executable specification. Another BDD concept that is important to explain, feature files are, simply put, files that contain a single feature. Feature files include all of the information in the table above, the feature itself and all of the scenarios and Given, Then, When syntaxes. Feature files also include the implementation information for each feature scenario. Automated Acceptance tests and Cucumber Once you create your feature files you need to convert them into acceptance tests. Each test will start as a stub that develops will write code into until the desired feature, and scenario functions as desired. The open-source behavioral driven testing and collaboration tool Cucumber is the perfect tool for converting features into acceptance tests. For a step-by-step guide as to how this process works click here. BDD and Agile are complementary methodologies that combine to help you create an automation testing project that is both robust, efficient and simple to communicate.

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Mucus Color Meaning Have you been puzzled by the colors of mucus in their different hues? If you have you are not alone. I used to be there myself Firstly you should become acquainted with the place where most of the mucus is produced: the sinus cavities. The latter not only generate the viscous substance, but they also act as a crumple zone, resonance box, lighten the head weight. Mucus is vital to keeping us healthy. For example, it: moisturizes the air coming in through the nose, it also traps and helps expel germs, foreign particles, viruses, bacteria and other pollutants; besides lubricating the various parts of our breathing mechanism. So, you see, mucus is not all that bad. We normally produce up to a quart of mucus daily. We don't notice it because it is thin and runs down well. Once it becomes thick we begin to feel uncomfortable and do notice it. We have a publication that addresses how to prevent and control excessive mucus and deal with its color from a pratical stand point. See below: Mucus is perhaps the most unwanted marvel in the human body, for it carries on vital functions for our breathing apparatus, yet its loathsome appearance and consistency makes most of us just plain hate it. Without this body secretion, however, our bodies would be miserable, maybe we could not even very well survive the stresses of living without the slimy stuff. Mucus color is produced in part by the kind of cells our immune system re-produce to combat disease, foreign intrusions, etc. This, coupled with other symptoms our body displays, serve to identify the kind of malady or condition we may be experiencing at the time. Sometimes mucus contains fungi which of course can affect the mucus color. Also some foods we eat can produce histamine or mucus and can even give it its color. For example, some have associated white mucus with drinking cow' milk. The physical environment we are in can also affect the production of mucus and its color, For example, dry air can produce a light yellow mucus in some people, smog and smoke another mucus color. The most important thing to remember is that the color of mucus by itself is not sufficient, usually, to determine what is going in the body, we must take into account other signs and symptoms the body is producing, even the environment, in order to arrive at a correct diagnosis. Here is summary of some factors which can affect the color of mucus: - The type of cells called into action to combat diseases, foreign particles, etc. - The presence of a fungus in the mucus - The food we eat The physical environment - level of air humidity or lack of it - Whether one smokes or not Here are the meanings of the color of mucus according to the authorities consulted: Clear and watery mucus This is the mucus that is normal and that should be secreted by the sinus membranes continually. It keeps our breathing mechanism functioning correctly and therefore it is produced abundantly--one to two pints per day. Sometimes its production is so abundant that we drip it through the nose. This can be a sign of: an irritation caused by an allergic reaction to the environment or from a cold virus. It could also be associated with rhinitis--hay fever. But sometimes it's just a reaction to a temporary irritation that soon may go away by itself. Other signs or symptoms should be taken into account before deciding if its abundance has any real significance. It can be an indication of a bacterial infection. Especially if the green nasal mucus is accompanied by fever and pain and it has been experienced for several days. A bacterial infection under those circumstances should be addressed by a physician who would probably recommend an antibiotic. Otherwise the infection could linger on for days or weeks. Green mucus can also be a sign of bronchitis, if one or more of the following is present: coughing, fatigue, shortness of breath after non-vigorous physical exercise, wheezing, discomfort in the chest area. Coughing up yellow mucus can be a sign of a sinus infection, especially when the color changes to a dark yellow. It can also be a sign of bronchitis if it is accompanied by the symptoms already described for bronchitis under Green mucus, above. Yet when the air is very dry some persons produce a light yellow mucus. This latter situation can easily be corrected by the use of a room humidifier which is readily available in many department stores. Sometimes yellow mucus can follow a bout with sinus pressure, if the mucus has stagnated and a sinus infection has set in. By pink is meant a pink-tinged mucus. Mucus having this color should be regarded as a sign of a potentially serious condition. If the pink-tinged mucus is accompanied by: - fatigue, weakness - sudden weight gain from fluid retention - lack of appetite - swelling of the legs, ankles and feet - decreased alertness and lack of concentration - shortness of breath when lying down or after exertion - persistent cough with the pink-tinged or white mucus - rapid or irregular heartbeat - lessened ability to exercise - swollen abdomen, it would be considered as one of the symptoms of chronic heart failure. On the other hand, if some of the above symptoms would appear suddenly, then it would probably be deemed to be symptoms of acute heart failure. It can be caused by a disease called: gastroesophageal and also by accumulation of fluid in the lungs called lung edema and by pneumonia; a doctor should be seen. Often produced by regular and marijuana smoking and air pollution Producing a little blood-tinged sputum (saliva mixed with mucus) is not uncommon and some authorities indicate that it usually isn't serious. On the other hand, coughing up blood can be caused by a variety of lung conditions. Whenever blood is being coughed up in large quantities or the blood is being coughed up frequently, emergency care should be given by calling 911 ( in the USA) or otherwise seeking urgent medical care. Such things as: - chronic bronchitis - smog, dust inhalation While rather uncommon it, can be caused by the use of milk or other dairy products, especially when one has sinus congestion or sinus pressure together with some of the symptoms listed under Pink, above, could be an indication of chronic heart failure together with some of the symptoms listed under Green, above could be an indication of bronchitis - Smokers or non-smokers who have been heavenly subjected to tobacco smoke, can have mucus turned into a brown color if the mucus or liquid is yellow-brown or greenish and part of vomit, and it is accompanied by other symptoms such as: - severe abdominal pain - lump in the abdomen - fever lethargy - dehydration, etc. , they can be symptoms of intussusception, a serious disorder in which part of the intestine slides into another part of the intestine. This disorder is more common in children than adults. Such things as: - black lung disease--from coal dust - smoking tobacco and other substances pulmonary diseases such as: - bronchial disorders While mucus, as we have seen, can be a harbinger of bad health news it nearly always serves a good purpose in preserving health or trying to help eliminate that which is harming us.

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A King’s PlaceThere are nearly 1,000 streets named after Martin Luther King Jr. across the country, and each has its own unique story. The Root’s A King’s Place series explores streets throughout the nation that bear the civil rights icon’s name and tells the stories of the people who live there. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is often remembered for his nonviolent fight for civil rights and his moving calls for justice. And as a reverend, the Atlanta native also called on congregations nationwide to take on the same fights when he echoed his views from church pulpits. “A lot of the movements grew out of the church,” especially in the American South according to the Rev. Theresa S. Thames, D.Min., who is the associate dean of religious life and the chapel at Princeton University. The black church, in particular, was vital in the fight for social justice and the importance of its role became even more solidified during the 1950s and ’60s. The religious institution currently, however, faces a major problem. “I do believe that the black church will continue to struggle if there isn’t this wrestling with how to realize all of the ways that blackness shows up in theological and holy spaces,” said the Rev. Thames in reference to those who may feel marginalized and excluded from the church, including members of the LGBTQIA community and women. Despite the black church remaining a male-dominated space, Thames said women have always been the foot soldiers of the church—from the people in the pews to running Sunday school and cooking post-service meals in the back. On Atlanta’s Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, another reverend is changing the common perception of what clergy members look like and how they uphold the principals of Dr. King’s legacy. “We have a responsibility in every day and age to fight for the marginalized, to speak for those who are voiceless,” said the Rev. Lisa Allen-McLaurin, Ph.D., of West Mitchell Street CME Church. And Rev. Allen-McLaurin admits that it’s not going to just happen without action. “We have to be intentional about doing the work. ” And community organizer Ericka Claudio is doing exactly that. The 25-year-old Atlanta-based activist and political strategist grew up church, and says her activism and beliefs are inseparable. She’s also aware that that’s not always the case with all believers. “I’m actually quite disappointed in the number of churches that have not spoken up and defended human beings, God’s children, that are being currently attacked and lacking rights and access and advocacy,” said Claudio. “And that takes more than faith. That takes cultural and societal movements, and acceptance takes time,” she said. Watch the third installment of A King’s Place above to learn about the black church’s commitment to social justice during the civil rights movement and how these women are pushing the needle forward by embodying Rev. King’s legacy by taking up his fight in and out of the sanctuary.

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According to a new study published in the journal Psychological Science the smell of sweat can help spread happiness in humans. It seems that a woman who is exposed to the sweat of a man who is in a happy mood will respond positively to the odor. Scientists started from the idea that humans produce chemical compounds called chemosignals when they are feel happy. These chemosignals can be detected by other people in the sweat of the happy individuals. According to a professor of psychology at Utrecht University, Gün Semin, the smell was the first sense which evolved. 12 men were involved in the study. They were non-smokers, took no medication and did not have any psychological problems. In the study the men were required to watch a video which was supposed to induce one of three moods: happiness, fear or no emotion at all. They were also asked to observe a series of Chinese symbols and say how pleasant or unpleasant they considered the signs to be. Afterwards researchers took sweat samples from them. Previous studies suggest that negative emotions such as disgust and fear are linked to certain chemical compounds of the sweat. Semin explained that their study proves that being exposed to sweat generated by happiness triggers a replica of happiness in those who smell it. As a consequence people who are in a happy mood can transmit their disposition to those who are nearby them. Semin added that happiness sweat could be compared with smiling which is considered to be infectious. The researchers chose women to smell the samples of sweat since they are more sensitive to emotional signals and they can better detect smells. 36 women were involved in the study. They did not have any respiratory problem, psychological disorder or problems of any other kind. When the women smelled the sweat generated by fear their medial frontalis was activated; this is a reaction associated with fear. In comparison, when they were supposed to smell “happy sweat” they responded with a Duchene smile, which is linked to positive emotions. The researchers drew the conclusion that exposure to body odor which was collected from individuals who send chemosignals in a happy state can generate a facial expression which indicates happiness in those who receive the chemosignals. Moreover, not only happy feelings can be transmitted but also negative ones. “The odor industry may benefit from their findings, noting that the fact happiness can be transferred to others chemically may have potential commercial applications. ” Image Source: midlifexpress

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All students at Hawk Meadow, from the Toddler level through Middle School, receive foreign language instruction in French. Maria Montessori believed all students should consider themselves part of the world community, and foreign language and cultural studies are pivotal in supporting this concept. Foreign language study contributes to children’s awareness of the global community and to a greater understanding of other cultures. At Hawk Meadow, foreign language is introduced in a hands-on approach that reflects the Montessori method. Our students receive formal foreign language instruction once weekly, and their learning is reinforced throughout the rest of the school week through songs and practice with materials and books that reflect vocabulary and concepts introduced during foreign language lessons.

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If you want to be fluent in English, then you need to know phrasal verbs! ‘Take’ appears in many phrasal verbs. Here are several uses of the verb. Take to – adopt as a habit; develop a liking for Take something over – succeed to the management or ownership of Take somebody or something for – consider to be, especially wrongly suppose to be Take somebody down – lower his pride Take something down – lower Take something back – withdraw something (one has said) Take something out on somebody - Treat an innocent person badly because you are tired or angry about something else Take somebody through something - Explain something to somebody in detail Take somebody up on something - Accept an offer or invitation Take something up with somebody - Complain to someone about a problem

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God’s Friend, Abraham An EasyEnglish Bible Version and Commentary (2800 word vocabulary) on Genesis chapters 12-24 This commentary has been through Advanced Theological Words in boxes are from the Bible. A word list at the end explains words with a *star by them. Abram’s journey to *Canaan v1 The *Lord said to Abram, ‘Leave your country. Leave your home. Leave your father’s house. Go to the country that I will show to you. v2 And I will make you become a great nation. I will bring many good things to you. I will make your name famous. You will bring good things to people. v3 I will be kind to those who are kind to you. I will do evil things to those who do evil things to you. All the families that are on the earth shall receive good things because of you. ’ Abram was the person who was later called Abraham. (See Genesis When Abram left Haran, his father Terah did not go with him. Terah lived in Haran for 60 years after Abram left. This is how we know that: Terah was 70 years old when Abram was born. (See Genesis 11:26. ) And Abram was 75 years old when he left Haran. (See verse 4. ) Therefore, Terah was 145 years old when Abram left Haran. But Terah lived for 205 years. (See Genesis 11:32. ) So Terah lived in Haran for 60 years after Abram left. v4 So Abram went, as the *Lord *commanded him. Lot went with him. Abram’s age was 75 years when he left Haran. v5 And Abram took Sarai his wife. He took Lot, who was his brother’s son. He took all their possessions that they had gathered. He took all his relatives who had been born in Haran. They set off together. And they went to the country that is called When they came to *Canaan, v6 Abram went through the region. He came to the big tree at Moreh. It was near to the town that is called Shechem. At that time the *Canaanites lived in that country. v7 Then the *Lord appeared to Abram. He said, ‘I will give this land to your *descendants who will live after you. ’ So Abram built there an *altar to the *Lord, who had appeared to him. v8 From there he went to the mountain that is to the east of Bethel. He set up his tent there. Bethel was on the west of him. Ai was east of him. He built an *altar there for the *Lord. And he prayed to the *Lord. v9 After that, Abram travelled further toward the The distance from Haran to Shechem, which is in *Canaan, is about 600 kilometres (400 miles). The country was called *Canaan because the *Canaanites lived there. The *Canaanites were the *descendants of Canaan, who was a grandson of Noah. Many years later, Jacob gave the name ‘Bethel’ to this place. (See Genesis 28:19. ) It probably did not have that name in Abram’s time. But the people who wrote Genesis used the name. It tells us where Abram went. The Negeb is the southern part of the country that is called *Canaan. It is the part of *Canaan that is nearest to Egypt. Abram visits Egypt v10 There was not enough food in the country and so Abram went to Egypt. He stayed there, because the *famine was very bad in v11 Before Abram entered Egypt, he spoke to Sarai his wife. He said, ‘I know that you are a beautiful woman. v12 The inhabitants of Egypt will see you. They will say, “This is his wife. ” Then they will kill me, but they will keep you alive. v13 Say that you are my sister. So they will not hurt me because of you. They will not kill me in order to take you. ’ v14 Then Abram entered Egypt. The inhabitants of Egypt saw that the woman was very beautiful. v15 When the princes of *Pharaoh saw her, they praised her to *Pharaoh. And they took the woman into *Pharaoh’s house. v16 *Pharaoh loved Sarai and therefore he was kind to Abram. *Pharaoh gave to Abram sheep, cows, *donkeys, servants, maids and camels. Egypt is a country in northern Africa. The river Nile provides water to Egypt. Therefore, crops grow in Egypt even if there is no rain. So there was no *famine (lack of food) in Egypt. There was a *famine in *Canaan because there had been no rain. Abram went to Egypt, which was a foreign country. He did not know its customs. He was not confident that God would protect him and Sarai. He thought that someone might kill him in order to take Sarai as a wife. So he decided to say that Sarai was his sister. And, if anyone took Sarai as a wife, he would not kill Abram. And so perhaps Abram and Sarai would escape before the wedding. But the person who took Sarai was *Pharaoh, the king of Egypt. And when Sarai was in *Pharaoh’s court, she could not escape. When Abram called Sarai his sister, he did not tell the truth. But what he said was not completely wrong. Sarai was Abram’s half-sister. Sarai and Abram had the same father but they did not have the same mother. (See Genesis 20:12. ) At that time, some people married their half-sisters. Later, the Bible said that a marriage with a half-sister is wrong. (See Deuteronomy 27:22. ) *Pharaoh was the king of Egypt. ‘*Pharaoh’ was not the name of this king, but all kings of Egypt were called *Pharaoh. v17 But the *Lord made *Pharaoh and his family very ill. He did this because of Sarai, who was Abram’s wife. v18 So *Pharaoh called Abram. He said, ‘You have done an evil thing to me. You should have told me that she was your wife. v19 You should not have said, “She is my sister. ” Because you said that, I took her as my wife. Now here is your wife. Take her and go away. ’ v20 And *Pharaoh *commanded his men to guard Abram. And the men sent Abram away. Abram took his wife and everything that he Sarai could not escape from *Pharaoh’s court, but God saved her. Abram should have told the truth about Sarai when he arrived in Egypt. If he had done that, this trouble would not have happened. *Pharaoh realised that Abram’s God had punished him and his family. (See verse 17. ) *Pharaoh wanted to prevent further trouble. So he told his men to make Abram leave Egypt. But Abram had gained many possessions that *Pharaoh had given to him. (See verse 16. ) When Abram left Egypt, he took those possessions with him. So Abram became richer because he received goods from Many years later, a similar thing happened. Abram’s *descendants lived in Egypt for 400 years. And when they left Egypt, they gained many possessions. (See Exodus 12:35-36. ) They took those possessions with them. So God’s people became richer because they received goods from Egypt. Abram and Lot separate v1 So Abram left Egypt. He took his wife. He took everything that he had. And Lot went with him. They went into the Negeb. v2 Abram was very rich. He had many animals. He had much silver and gold. v3 From the Negeb he went further. He went to Bethel, where his tent had been at the beginning. He stopped between Bethel and Ai. v4 He stopped at the place where he had made an *altar before. There Abram prayed to the *Lord. v5 And Lot, who went with Abram, also had sheep and cows and tents. v6 The land could not provide enough food for both of them if they lived together. Their possessions were so many that they could not live together. v7 Abram’s servants and Lot’s servants fought against each other. These were the servants who looked after the animals. At that time the *Canaanites and the Perizzites lived in the country. For the name ‘Negeb’ see Genesis 12:9 and the comment. For the name ‘Bethel’ see Genesis 12:8 and the comment. Their possessions included many animals, which need grass. There was not enough grass in that region for so many animals. They fought because each wanted their own animals to have the grass. The Perizzites were a *tribe that lived in the country called Canaan. v8 Then Abram said to Lot, ‘You and I must not fight against each other. Your servants and my servants must not fight against each other. We are relatives. v9 The whole country is in front of you. Separate yourself from me. If you go to the left, I will go to the right. If you go to the right, I will go to the left. ’ v10 And Lot looked. He saw that there was plenty of water in the valley of the river Jordan. It was like the *Lord’s garden. The region round Zoar was like Egypt. The *Lord had not yet destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah. v11 Lot chose for himself all the valley of the river Jordan. So Lot travelled to the east. Abram and Lot separated from each other. v12 Abram lived in *Canaan. Lot lived among the cities that were in the valley. After that, Lot moved his tent near to Sodom. v13 Now the men of Sodom were wicked. They did many things that the *Lord had forbidden. Abram was very kind to Lot. He allowed Lot to choose where he would live. Abram would live on the land that Lot did not choose. ‘The region round Zoar was like Egypt.’ Egypt was a flat country and the region round Zoar was flat. The river Nile provided plenty of water for Egypt so that crops grew well. And the river Jordan provided water for Zoar. Most of *Canaan was hilly and it was not like Egypt. Later, Lot realised that this was a bad choice. (See Genesis 19:24-25. ) Abram had better land. When Lot left Abram, he began to move into bad company. chose the way that was easiest (in verses 10-11). That was a bad choice. moved his tent nearer to Sodom, where the inhabitants were wicked (in verses 12-13). That was not wrong. But he came nearer to evil companions. went into Sodom. (See Genesis 14:12. ) He lived among wicked men. Because he did that, he needed Abram to rescue him. (See Genesis 14:14, 16. ) took wicked men as his companions. (See Genesis 19:1. ‘Lot sat at the gate of Sodom.’ And the gate was the place where people talked together. ) Because Lot did that, he needed God to rescue him. (See Genesis 19:15-16. ) Lot moved his tent nearer to the evil city, Sodom. And, when he had done that, he could easily move further. And, when he was in Sodom, he could easily take wicked men as his companions. We must not do what Lot did. We must not do little wrong things. If we do them, we can more easily do greater v14 After Lot separated from Abram, the *Lord spoke to Abram. The *Lord said, ‘Look at the things that are round you. Look from the place where you are. Look towards the north. Look towards the south. Look towards the east. Look towards the west. v15 I will give to you all the land that you see. I will give it to you and to your *descendants for all ages. v16 I will make your *descendants as the dust that is on the earth. Nobody can count the dust on the earth and nobody will be able to count your *descendants. v17 Get up and walk through the whole country. I will give all of it to you. ’ v18 So Abram moved his tent. He went to the big trees at Mamre and he stayed there. Mamre is also called Hebron. At Mamre he built an *altar so that he could make *offerings to the *Lord. The land that Abram saw was *Canaan. God had brought Abram from Haran to *Canaan. Abram had gone to Egypt, but he had returned to *Canaan. Later, Abram’s *descendants went to Egypt for 400 years. But they returned to *Canaan. *Canaan became the country of God’s people and it was called ‘the land The fight between 4 kings and 5 kings v1 At this time there were 4 kings. One was Amraphel and he was the king of Shinar. Another king was Arioch and he was the king of Ellasar. Another one was Chedor-laomer and he was the king of Elam. The other king was Tidal and he was the king of Goiim. v2 These 4 kings fought in a war against 5 kings. One out of these 5 kings was Bera and he was the king of Sodom. Another one was Birsha and he was the king of Gomorrah. Another one was Shinab and he was the king of Admah. Another one was Shemeber and he was the king of Zeboiim. The last one was the king of Bela, which is also called Zoar. v3 These 5 kings joined their armies together in the valley that is called Siddim. That is the valley where the Salt Sea is. The 4 kings came from countries that are east of *Canaan. They came with their armies to fight against 5 kings. These 5 kings ruled cities in the valley that is called Siddim. (See verse 3. ) That valley is at the east edge of *Canaan. It is a part of the valley that Lot chose. (See Genesis v4 For 12 years, Chedor-laomer had ruled over these 5 kings. In year 13, they refused to obey him. v5 In year 14, Chedor-laomer came. And the kings who were with him came. They overcame the Rephaim people who lived in Ashteroth-karnaim. They overcame the Zuzim people who lived in Ham. They overcame the Emim people who lived in Shaveh-kiriathaim. v6 And they overcame the Horites who lived in Mount Seir as far as El-paran. That is at the edge of the desert. v7 Then the 4 kings turned back and they came to Enmishpat. That is also called Kadesh. There they destroyed all the region where the *descendants of Amalek lived. They also overcame the Amorites who lived in Hazazon-tamar. Chedor-laomer had an agreement with the 3 kings that were with him. Together they forced the 5 kings to pay taxes to them. Perhaps these taxes were money or perhaps they were goods. They did that for 13 years. But after that time the 5 kings refused to pay taxes. The 4 kings came for two reasons. They came in order to overcome several more nations. So they would rule over a larger area. And they came in order to seize money and goods from the 5 kings. The Horites were a tribe of people. For Amorites, see Genesis 10:16 and the comment on that verse. v8 Then the 5 kings went out. One was the king of Sodom. Another one was the king of Gomorrah. Another one was the king of Admah. Another one was the king of Zeboiim. The last one was the king of Bela, which is also called Zoar. They fought in the valley that is called Siddim. v9 They fought against the 4 kings. One out of these 4 kings was Chedor-laomer, king of Elam. Another one was Tidal, king of Goiim. Another one was Amraphel, king of Shinar. The last one was Arioch, king of Ellasar. So 4 kings fought against 5 kings. v10 Now in the valley that is called Siddim there were many deep holes. People had made these holes when they took bitumen from the ground. The kings of Sodom and Gomorrah ran away and they hid in the holes. Other people ran away to the hills. v11 So the enemy took all the goods in Sodom and in Gomorrah. They took all the food that people had stored. v12 They also took Lot, who lived in Sodom. And they took all Lot’s goods. Lot was the son of Abram’s brother. The enemy took all these things and they went away. The 5 kings did not wait until the 4 kings came. They heard that the 4 kings were near. So they joined their armies together (see verse 3). And they prepared to defend their land. The armies of the 4 kings were more skilful fighters than the armies of the 5 kings were. So the armies of the 5 kings ran away. Bitumen is a black substance that people find in the ground. In ancient times, builders used it. (See Genesis 11:3. ) For ‘valley of Siddim’, see verses 1-3 and the comment. They took Lot as a slave. And they also took other men and women as slaves. (See verses 16 and 21. ) Abram rescues Lot v13 Then one person who had escaped came to Abram. He told Abram the *Hebrew what had happened. Abram the *Hebrew was near the big trees that belonged to Mamre. Mamre was an Amorite and he was the brother of Eshcol and of Aner. These people were Abram’s friends. v14 So Abram heard that the enemy had made his relative Lot a prisoner. Abram had trained 318 men who were born in his house. He led these men and they followed the enemy as far as the place that is called Dan. v15 There Abram divided his men into two groups. Abram and his servants attacked the enemy at night. They defeated them and they pursued them to Hobah. Hobah is north of Damascus. v16 Then Abram brought back all the goods. He also brought back his relative Lot with his goods. And he brought back all the women and the people. The Amorites were a *tribe of people. Mamre was the name of a town. (See Genesis 13:14. ) But in this verse, Mamre is the name of a person who lived in that town. Genesis has other examples of this. was a man. He lived in the city that was called Ur. His relatives went to the city that was called Haran. (See Genesis 11:28, 31. ) was a man. He lived in the city that was called Shechem. (See Genesis Abram usually lived at peace with his neighbours. He did not usually fight. But because Lot was a prisoner, Abram had a good reason to fight. And he fought wisely. He and his servants attacked when most of the enemy were asleep. They attacked as two groups. One group attacked from one side and the other group attacked from the other side. Abram had 318 men. The armies of the 4 kings were certainly much more than that. But God gave success Abram’s attack was successful for two reasons. He acted wisely and he trusted in God. We need to do the same. If we wish to succeed, we should trust in God. But we also need to act wisely. From Dan to Sodom is a distance of 240 kilometres (150 miles). v17 So Abram defeated Chedor-laomer. And he defeated the kings who were with him. Then he returned. The king of Sodom went out to meet Abram. He met him at the valley called Shaveh, which is also called the King’s Valley. v18 And Melchizedek also met Abram. He was the king of Salem and he was a priest of the great God. He produced bread and wine. v19 And he blessed Abram. He said, ‘I pray that the great God will be kind to Abram. is the God who made the heaven and the earth. the great God, he has delivered your enemies to you! ’ And Abram gave to Melchizedek a part of the goods that he had brought back. He gave to him one thing out of every 10 things. ‘Salem’ was probably the city that is also called Jerusalem. Melchizedek was the king of Salem. The word ‘Melchizedek’ means ‘*righteous ‘He produced bread and wine. ’ Bread and wine were ordinary food. It was natural that Melchizedek should welcome Abram after his fight. It was natural that he should give food to him. Melchizedek gave honour to Abram because Abram had overcome an enemy. But these things have an extra meaning to us. ‘Salem’ means ‘peace’ and so ‘king of Salem’ means ‘king of peace’. We might call Christ ‘king of peace and priest of the great God’. And Christ made bread and wine have a special meaning. So to know about Melchizedek helps us to know some things about Christ. (See Psalm 110:4 and Hebrews 7:1, 17. ) ‘He has delivered your enemies to you. ’ Melchizedek knew that God had given success to Abram. ‘Abram gave one thing out of every 10 things. ’ Abram had brought back all the goods. (See verse 16. ) It was not possible to return all the goods to their owners. Some of the goods had come from other cities. (See verses 5-7. ) So Abram shared the goods in a fair manner. He gave a share to Melchizedek, although Melchizedek’s people had not helped in the fight. Many years after this time, God told Moses to do a similar thing. After a battle, they shared the goods. And the people who fought the battle did not take all the goods. The people who did not fight also had a share. (See Numbers 31:27. ) People sometimes call one thing out of every ten things a Hebrews 7:1-25 refers to Genesis 14:18-20. v21 The king of Sodom said to Abram, ‘Give the people to me, but take the goods for yourself. ’ v22 But Abram spoke to the king of Sodom. He said, ‘I have made a firm promise to the great *Lord God, who made the heaven and the earth. v23 I promised that I will not take anything from you. I will not take anything that belongs to you. I will not take the smallest thing. I will not even take the string of a shoe. Otherwise, you might say, “I have made Abram rich. ” v24 I will take nothing except what the young men have eaten. And I will take the share of the men who went with me. And let Aner, Eshcol and Mamre take their share. ’ We do not know why Abram did not take his share. He accepted goods from *Pharaoh in Egypt. (See Genesis 12:16. ) And he accepted goods from Abimelech. (See Genesis 20:14, 16. ) But he did not accept these goods. Perhaps Abram knew that the inhabitants of Sodom and Gomorrah were wicked. (See Genesis 18:20. ) And he did not want people to say that his wealth came from wicked people. Perhaps that was the reason. God makes promises to Abram v1 After these things the *Lord appeared to Abram. The *Lord said, ‘Do not be afraid, Abram. I am protecting you. I will reward you very greatly. ’ v2 But Abram said, ‘*Lord God, your gifts are no advantage to me, because I still have no child. When I die, my possessions will belong to Eliezer of Damascus.’ v3 And Abram said, ‘You have not given a child to me. A man who is my servant will own my possessions. ’ v4 Then the *Lord said to him, ‘This man shall not have your possessions. Your own son shall have your possessions. ’ v5 And the *Lord led Abram out of the tent. He said, ‘Look towards heaven. Count the stars, if you are able to count them. ’ Then the *Lord said to him, ‘So shall your *descendants be. ’ v6 Then Abram believed the *Lord. Therefore the *Lord considered that Abram was *righteous. God had not given a son to Abram. That was a worry to Abram. He wanted a son so that his family would continue. And he had many things that God had given to him. He wished that those things would become his son’s Eliezer was Abram’s chief servant. If Abram died without a child, Eliezer would own all Abram’s possessions. That was the law of the country. Damascus is a city north of *Canaan. It was night and the sky was very clear. Abram could see very many stars. There were so many stars that nobody could count them. God told Abram that nobody would count his *descendants. Nobody could count them because they would be so many. Abram was not perfect. Like everybody else, he had done wrong things. But God considered that Abram was *righteous (right with God). The reason was that Abram believed God. He believed that God would give him a son. We are not perfect. We have all done wrong things. But we can believe God. We can put our trust in him. We can put our trust in Jesus. Then God will consider that we are *righteous (right with God). (See Romans 4:3, 24, v7 And the *Lord said to Abram, ‘I am the *Lord. I brought you from Ur in Chaldea. I have given this country to you so that you may possess it. ’ v8 But Abram said, ‘*Lord God, how can I know that I shall possess it? ’ v9 The *Lord said to him, ‘Bring to me a young cow that is 3 years of age. Bring to me a female goat that is 3 years of age. Bring to me a male sheep that is 3 years of age. Bring to me a dove (a bird) and a young dove. ’ v10 And Abram brought all these. He cut each of these into two pieces. He laid the two halves of each one opposite each other. But he did not cut the birds into pieces. v11 Some wild birds that eat meat flew down. They tried to land on the dead animals. Abram scared them so that they God repeated a promise that he had made earlier. (See Genesis 13:15 and the comment. ) A dove is a kind of bird. This was probably an ancient custom when people make a firm agreement with each other. Perhaps it was like this. Two people kill animals as an *offering to God and they cut the animals into two parts. They separate the parts and they walk between the parts. That shows that they must keep the agreement. Otherwise, someone will cut the people into two parts. God used this custom to show that his agreement with Abram was firm. So Abram separated the two parts of each animal. Then fire appeared and it moved between the two parts. (See verse 17. ) The fire was a sign of God. v12 When the sun set, Abram slept. He felt fear and there was great darkness. v13 Then the *Lord said to Abram, ‘Be certain about what I tell you. Your *descendants will live in a country that does not belong to them. They will be slaves there. They will have to work hard for 400 years. v14 But I will punish the nation that they serve. Afterwards your *descendants shall come out of that country. They shall take with them many possessions. v15 You yourself shall die in peace and then you shall be with your fathers. When people shall bury you, you will be very old. v16 And your *descendants shall come back to this country. The sons of the sons of the sons of your sons shall come back. But before they come back the Amorites must do still more evil things. ’ ‘This country’ was the country that was called *Canaan. The Amorites were *Canaan’s original inhabitants. Later, Abram’s *descendants lived in *Canaan. And God told them to kill the Amorites. (See Deuteronomy 20:17. ) But God did not say that immediately. He waited for more than 400 years. If the Amorites did good things, he would save them. But if they continued to do evil things, he would kill them. God does not kill people quickly. He waited for 120 years before he killed people by the flood. (See Genesis 6:3 and the comment. ) v17 The sun set and the sky was dark. Then a pot appeared, which contained fire. It produced smoke. Also a branch appeared, which burned with flames. They both moved between the pieces of meat. v18 On that day the *Lord made a firm agreement with Abram. The *Lord said, ‘I give this country to your *descendants. I give all the land from the river of Egypt to the great river, which is called Euphrates. v19 I give the Kenites’ land and the Kenizzites’ land. I give the Kadmonites’ land v20 and the Hittites’ land. I give the Perizzites’ land and the Rephaim people’s land. v21 I give the Amorites’ land and the *Canaanites’ land. I give the Girgashites’ land and the Jebusites’ land. ’ God repeated a promise that he had made earlier. See Genesis 13:15 and the comment. And see Genesis 15:7. ‘The river of Egypt’ is a small stream that is on the border. It is between the two countries, *Canaan and Egypt. The river Euphrates is north and east of *Canaan. Kenites, Kenizzites, Kadmonites, Hittites, Perizzites, Amorites, Girgashites and Jebusites were *tribes of Canaan’s original inhabitants. Sarai and her maid Hagar v1 Sarai, who was Abram’s wife, had no children. She had an Egyptian maid, whose name was Hagar. v2 Sarai said to Abram, ‘The *Lord has made me unable to produce children. Lie with my maid and have sex with her. Perhaps I shall obtain children by her. ’ And Abram did what Sarai suggested. v3 Abram had then lived for 10 years in the country that is So Sarai, who was Abram’s wife, took her maid Hagar, the Egyptian. Sarai gave Hagar to Abram her husband so that Hagar could be his wife. v4 And Abram had sex with Hagar and she became *pregnant. When Hagar knew this, she did not respect Sarai. v5 And Sarai said to Abram, ‘Hagar does not respect me. I pray that the blame for this will be on you! I gave my maid to you to have sex with you. As soon as she became *pregnant, she did not respect me. I want the *Lord to be a judge. I pray that he will blame either you or me! ’ v6 But Abram said to Sarai, ‘You may control your own maid. Do to her whatever you decide to do. ’ Then Sarai was cruel to Hagar, and Hagar ran away from Sarai. Genesis tells us that several of God’s ancient people had two wives. But that does not mean that to have two wives is right. Abram’s wife was Sarai. Abram took Hagar as an extra wife. He did that because he had no son. God had promised that Abram would have a son. (See Genesis 15:4. ) But Abram thought that he must do something. He thought that otherwise God’s promise would not happen. But God wanted Abram to trust him. God did not want Abram to marry Hagar. God gave Abram a son, by his wife Sarai, when the time was right. (See Genesis 21:1-2. ) God wanted Abram to wait for Sarai was Abram’s wife and Hagar was only an extra wife. But Sarai had no child and Hagar was *pregnant. Hagar would soon produce a child for Abram. So Hagar thought that she was equal in rank to Sarai. Sarai blamed Abram for this, and Abram did not help her. Sarai wanted to show that Hagar was only a maid. So she was cruel to Hagar. God rescues Hagar v7 The *Lord’s *angel found Hagar by a well of water in the desert. That well is on the way to Shur. v8 And the *angel said, ‘Hagar, Sarai’s maid, where have you come from? Where do you go? ’ She said, ‘I have run away from Sarai, whom I served. ’ v9 The *Lord’s *angel said to her, ‘Return to Sarai, whom you served. Serve her again and obey her. ’ v10 The *Lord’s *angel also said to Hagar, ‘I will make you have a great number of *descendants. They will be so many that nobody will be able to count them. ’ An *angel is a servant of God who brings messages from heaven. But in this verse ‘the *Lord’s *angel’ means God himself. He did not send a servant but he came himself. We know that because of the words in verse 13. God already knew where Hagar had come from. He asked the question so that Hagar would speak to him. God often says this to people who run away from difficulties. He says, ‘I know that things were difficult. But go back and overcome the difficulties. I will be with you and I will help you. ’ God intended that Abram would have only one wife, Sarai. He did not tell Abram to take an extra wife, Hagar. (See the comment on verse 3. ) So God did not intend that Abram should have *descendants by Hagar. But God loves people. So he looked after those *descendants. And he promised to make them a v11 And the *Lord’s *angel said to her, ‘You are *pregnant and a son will be born to you. You shall call him Ishmael, because the *Lord has heard you in your trouble. v12 He shall live like a wild *donkey. He will be every man’s enemy and every man shall be his enemy. He will live in front of all his relatives. ’ ‘Ishmael’ means ‘God heard’. God had promised that Abram’s *descendants by his wife Sarai would live in *Canaan. (See Genesis 12:7. ) And God had also promised that Abram’s *descendants by Hagar’s son Ishmael would be a great nation. (See verse 10. ) So Ishmael’s *descendants could not live in *Canaan because there was not enough space for both nations. Therefore Ishmael’s *descendants would live in the desert. We are not sure what the last sentence in verse 12 means. Sometimes in the Bible, ‘in front of’ means ‘to the east of’. v13 So Hagar gave a name to the *Lord who spoke to her. She called him, ‘You are a God who sees. ’ She said, ‘I have really seen the God who sees me. ’ v14 Therefore people call the well Beer-lahai-roi. It is between Kadesh and Bered. v15 And Hagar had a son for Abram. And Abram called his son Ishmael. v16 Abram was 86 years of age when Ishmael was born to Hagar for Abram. ‘Beer-lahai-roi’ means ‘the well of the one who lives and sees’. She may have meant, ‘I have seen God and I am still alive. ’ God makes an agreement with Abraham v1 When Abram was 99 years of age, the *Lord appeared to him. The *Lord said to him, ‘I am God who can do anything. Stay near to me and have no blame. v2 And I will make my firm agreement between me and you. I will make you have a very great number of *descendants. ’ v3 Then Abram fell down so that his face was on the ground. God said to Abram, v4 ‘Listen to me! My firm agreement is with you. You shall be the father of many nations. v5 Now your name shall not be Abram. Your name shall be Abraham, because I have made you the father of many nations. v6 I will make you to have a large family. I will make nations out of you. Some of your family shall be kings. v7 And I will keep my firm agreement between me and you. I will keep it with all your *descendants who will be after you. It is a firm agreement that shall last for all ages. I will be your God. I will be the God of your *descendants who will be after you. v8 And I will give to you the land where you live. I will give it to your *descendants who will be after you. I will give all the country that is called *Canaan. It shall be for your *descendants a possession that shall last through all ages. And I will be their God.’ ‘Abram’ means ‘high father’. ‘Abraham’ sounds like ‘father of ‘Stay near to me and have no blame. ’ God did not say, ‘Do nothing that is wrong. So you will have no blame. ’ Instead, he said in this verse, ‘Stay near to me. ’ And Genesis 15:6 tells us that Abram believed the *Lord. Therefore the *Lord considered that Abram was right with him. That was true about Abram and it is true about us. We have all done wrong things. We all deserve to have blame. So we must stay near to God. We must believe God. If we do that, God takes away our blame. Then, like Abraham, we are *righteous (right v9 And God said to Abraham, ‘As for you, you shall keep my firm agreement. You yourself shall keep it. And your *descendants who will be after you shall keep it. Their children and their grandchildren shall keep it. v10 This is my firm agreement, which you shall keep. It is a firm agreement between me and your *descendants who shall live after you. You yourself shall be *circumcised. And every male person who is among you shall be *circumcised. v11 You shall *circumcise yourselves. This shall be a sign of the firm agreement that is between me and you. v12 You shall *circumcise every male baby that is among you. You shall *circumcise him when he is 8 days old. You shall *circumcise every male who is born in your house. You shall *circumcise every male whom you buy with your money from any foreigner. You shall do it even if he is not your *descendant. v13 Every male person that is born in your house shall be *circumcised. Also every male person that you buy with your money shall be *circumcised. So a mark of my firm agreement shall be in your body. It will show that my firm agreement shall last through all ages. v14 You shall separate from his people any male person who is not *circumcised. He has broken my firm agreement. ’ To ‘*circumcise’ means to cut the skin from the end of a male person’s sex part. When someone has done that to a person, that person is ‘*circumcised’. It is a sign that God has made a firm agreement with that person. And it is a sign that that person is a member of God’s people. God’s people became a nation. Later, they were called ‘Israelites’ or ‘the children of Israel’. They are also called the ‘Jews’. The firm agreement that God made with Abraham is called the old firm agreement. People were *circumcised as a sign of that agreement. But when Jesus Christ came, he made a new firm agreement between God and people. And now people who belong to God do not need to be *circumcised. (See Galatians 5:6; God promises a son to Abraham v15 And God said to Abraham, ‘Sarai is your wife. But now you shall not call her Sarai. Her name shall be Sarah. v16 I will bring many good things to her. Also, I will give a son to you by her. I will bring good things to her and she shall be a mother of nations. Kings of nations shall come from her. ’ v17 Then Abraham fell down so that his face was on the ground. And he laughed. He said to himself, ‘A child will not be born to me. I am 100 years of age! And Sarah will not be the mother of a child. She is 90 years of age! ’ v18 And Abraham said to God, ‘I wish that Ishmael might live near to you! ’ v19 God said, ‘No! Your wife Sarah shall be the mother of a son for you. You shall call him Isaac. I will make my firm agreement with him. It will be a firm agreement for his family who shall live after him. It shall be a firm agreement that shall last through all ages. v20 But I have heard your words about Ishmael. I will bring good things to him. I will make him have a big family. And I will make him have very many *descendants. He shall be the father of 12 princes. And I will make him a great nation. v21 But your son Isaac shall be born to Sarah at this season next year. I will make my firm agreement with him. ’ v22 When God had finished his talk with Abraham, God went up away from him. ‘Sarai’ means ‘laughter’. ‘Sarah’ means ‘princess’. Many years before this, God promised that Abraham would have many *descendants. And Abraham believed God. (See Genesis 15:5-6. ) But in this verse, Abraham does not believe what God says. Abraham’s plan was this. Abraham thought that he was too old to have another son. He already had a son, Ishmael, whose mother was Sarah’s maid, Hagar. Therefore, Abraham thought that Ishmael must have the rights of the God’s plan was this. Abraham would have a son by his wife Sarah. That son would have the rights of the oldest son. God would make his firm agreement with that son. Ishmael was not in God’s plan. But Abraham prayed for Ishmael. (See verse 18. ) And God gave to Ishmael a place in his plan. Ishmael’s *descendants would be a great nation. God had already made this promise to Hagar. (See Genesis 16:10 and the comment. ) v23 Then Abraham took Ishmael his son. He took all the slaves who were born in his house. He took all the slaves that he had bought with his money. He took every male person who was among the men of Abraham’s house. He *circumcised them on that same day, as God had told him to do. v24 Abraham was 99 years of age when they *circumcised him. v25 And Ishmael his son was 13 years of age when they *circumcised him. v26 On that same day they *circumcised Abraham and they *circumcised his son Ishmael. v27 And they *circumcised with him all the men in his house. They *circumcised with him those who were born in the house. And they *circumcised those whom Abraham had bought with money from a foreigner. Abraham obeyed God. (See verse 10 and the comment on verses 10-12. ) Every man must be *circumcised. That was a sign that there was a firm agreement between God and the man. It was only a sign. It did not bring a man to God. To come close to God, a man must put his trust in him. He must believe. Genesis tells us, ‘Abram believed the *Lord. Therefore the *Lord considered that Abram was *righteous (right with God). ’ (See Genesis 15:6. ) God visits Abraham v1 The *Lord appeared to Abraham. Abraham was near to the big trees at Mamre. He sat at the door of his tent. It was in the hot part of the day. v2 When Abraham looked, he saw three men. They were standing in front of him. And when he saw them, he ran from the door of the tent. He went to meet them. He bent his head down very low. v3 He said, ‘Sir, if you are pleased with me, do not pass by me. I am your servant. v4 I will bring some water so that you may wash your feet. After that, please rest yourselves under the tree. v5 I will fetch a piece of bread so that you may eat. Since your journey brought you here to me, please eat here. After that you may continue your journey. ’ So the men said, ‘Do as you have said. ’ v6 And Abraham ran into the tent to Sarah. He said to her, ‘Prepare quickly a quantity of flour. Mix it, and make cakes. ’ v7 And Abraham ran to the animals. He chose a young cow that was good for meat. He gave it to his servant and the servant prepared it quickly. v8 Then Abraham took cheese and milk. He took the young cow, which was ready to eat. He put these things in front of the men. He stood by them under the tree while Abraham gave a friendly welcome to the three men. He would do the same for any visitors. That was the custom. Abraham thought that the three men were ordinary travellers. He did not know that two were *angels. And he did not realise that one was God. The ‘quantity’ that Abraham said was ‘3 seahs’. That was a large quantity. And Abraham chose a young cow. He did not choose a young goat, which would be smaller. So this meal was a large one. Abraham was very generous to his guests. And he served his guests but he did not eat with them. v9 The men said to Abraham, ‘Where is Sarah your wife? ’ And he said, ‘She is in the tent. ’ v10 The *Lord said, ‘I will certainly return to you in the spring. When I return, Sarah your wife shall have a son. ’ And Sarah was behind him. She listened at the door of the tent. v11 Now Abraham and Sarah were both very old. Women produce children until a certain age, but Sarah had passed that age. v12 So Sarah laughed to herself. She said to herself, ‘I have grown old and my husband is old. I cannot have a child. I cannot have that pleasure. ’ v13 The *Lord said to Abraham, ‘Sarah should not have laughed. She should not have said, “I cannot have a child, since I am old. ” v14 Nothing is too difficult for the *Lord. At the time that I have mentioned, I will return. In the spring, I will return to you. When I return, Sarah shall have a son. ’ v15 And Sarah was afraid. Therefore she said, ‘I did not laugh. ’ But the *Lord said, ‘No, you did laugh. ’ The men already knew that Abraham was married. And they knew his wife’s name. Ordinary travellers would not know these things. The ‘door of the tent’ was a curtain on the front of the tent. Sarah still did not know who the men were. And she thought that God knew what Sarah said. He knew that, although she only spoke Sarah was afraid. But the reason for her fear was not that she might have a son. She was afraid of God. And she realised that the men came v16 Then the men set out from there and they looked toward Sodom. And Abraham went with them as they began their journey. v17 The *Lord said, ‘I will not hide from Abraham the thing that I intend to do. v18 I remember that Abraham’s family shall become a great and powerful nation. And all the families that are on the earth shall receive good things because of him. v19 I have chosen him so that he may *command his children. He shall also *command his family who shall live after him. He will *command them to live in the *Lord’s way. He will *command them to do right things and good things. So the *Lord will bring to Abraham the things that he has promised to him. ’ v20 Then the *Lord said, ‘I have heard very bad things about Sodom and Gomorrah. Their deeds are very evil. v21 Therefore I will go there. Perhaps they have actually done all the things that I have heard about them. I will know the truth. ’ v22 So the men went further and they travelled toward Sodom. But Abraham stayed and he stood in front of the *Lord. Abraham went with the men for a short distance. That was the custom. Abraham would do the same for any travellers who had visited him. But he knew that one traveller was God. Therefore, Abraham had another reason to go with them. He loved to be with God. God wants us to know what he is doing. Jesus said the same thing to his followers. (See John 15:15. ) He said, ‘I do not call you my servants. A servant does not know what his master will do. But I have called you friends. ’ And Jesus told his followers what he was doing. ‘So the men set out. ’ There were 2 men that went further. And they were *angels. (See Genesis 19:1. ) The other man was God. He stayed and he talked with Abraham. Until Jesus was born, God seldom appeared as a man. But he appeared to Abraham. Abraham was called ‘God’s friend’. (See James 2:23. ) v23 Then Abraham came near to the *Lord. He said, ‘Will you really kill the good people with the bad people? v24 If there are 50 good people in the city, will you destroy the place? Please let it remain because of the 50 good people. v25 Do not do a thing like that! Do not kill the good people with the wicked people! If you do that, the good people will suffer with the wicked people. Do not do that! You are the judge of the whole earth. So you will certainly do the thing that is right! ’ v26 And the *Lord said, ‘Perhaps I will find 50 good people in Sodom city. If I find them, I will let the whole place remain because of them. ’ v27 Abraham answered, ‘I am only dust and ashes. But I have boldly decided to speak to the *Lord. v28 What will you do if 5 out of the 50 good people are missing? Will you destroy the whole city because 5 good people are missing? ’ And the *Lord said, ‘I will not destroy it if I find 45 good people there. ’ v29 Again Abraham spoke to him. He said, ‘If you find 40 good people there, will you let it remain? ’ The *Lord answered, ‘If there are 40, I will not destroy it. ’ v30 Then Abraham said, ‘Please do let not the *Lord be angry. So I will speak. Perhaps there will be 30 good people there. ’ The *Lord answered, ‘I will not destroy it if I find 30 there. ’ v31 Abraham said, ‘I have boldly decided to speak to the *Lord. Perhaps you will find 20 good people there. ’ The *Lord answered, ‘If there are 20, I will not destroy the city. ’ v32 Then Abraham said, ‘I pray that the *Lord will not be angry. I will speak again only once. Perhaps you will find 10 good people there. ’ The *Lord answered, ‘For 10 good people I will not destroy the city. ’ v33 And the *Lord finished his talk with Abraham. The *Lord went away and Abraham returned to his tent. By this prayer, Abraham changed what God intended to do. Before Abraham’s prayer, God intended to destroy Sodom if some inhabitants were wicked. After Abraham’s prayer, he intended to save Sodom if there were 10 good inhabitants. So our prayers can change what happens. But Abraham could not have prayed like this if God had not told him his plan. So God and Abraham were Abraham said, ‘You are the judge of the whole earth. You will certainly do the thing that is right! ’ That was a statement and a request. was a statement. Abraham said it because he trusted God to do the right thing. was a request. Abraham asked God not to destroy good people. He meant that to destroy good people would be a wrong thing. Three different things were possible. might destroy the whole city because it was evil. asked God not to do that. might save the city because some people were good. asked God to do that. might save the good people and destroy the other people. did not think of that. But that is what God actually did. God does not usually give judgement on whole cities or on whole nations. And he does not usually save whole cities or whole nations. He does save single people. And he will give judgement on each person. Abraham said, ‘I am only dust and ashes. ’ He meant that he was worth nothing. And God was very much greater than he was. And Abraham meant that he was only a man. God had made man from dust. (See Genesis 2:7. ) Two *angels go to Sodom v1 The two *angels reached Sodom in the evening. Lot sat at the gate of Sodom. When Lot saw them, he stood up. He went to meet them. He bent himself down so that his face was toward the earth. v2 He said, ‘Sirs, please stop here. I will be your servant. Come to my house and spend the night there. Wash your feet. Tomorrow you may get up early and you may continue your journey. ’ They said, ‘No. We will spend the night in the street. ’ v3 But Lot persuaded them strongly. So they went with Lot and they entered his house. Lot prepared a meal for them and he baked bread. So they ate. There was a wall round the city. So anyone who entered the city had to go through the gate. And anyone who left went through the gate. Therefore, people often met each other at the gate. And the gate became the place where people talked. Lot was sitting there when the two *angels came. He would give a welcome to any travellers, but he gave great honour to the *angels. He did not know that they were *angels. But perhaps he thought that they were very important men. The ‘street’ was an open place that was in the city. A traveller might sleep there. The city’s walls would protect him. He would be safe from thieves, because they were not in the city. They were beyond the walls. Lot knew that the men of Sodom were evil. He knew that they might attack the two travellers. Therefore, he persuaded the travellers to stay in v4 But when they were not yet lying down to sleep, the men in the city came. The young men and the old men in Sodom came. None of the men in Sodom stayed away. They surrounded Lot’s house. v5 They called to Lot, ‘Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us! We want to have sex with them. ’ v6 Lot went out of the door and he shut the door behind him. He spoke to the men. v7 He said, ‘I ask you strongly, my brothers, not to do such a wicked thing. v8 I have two daughters who have not had sex with men. I will bring them out to you. Do to them what pleases you. But do not hurt these men, because they are guests in my house. ’ v9 But the men of Sodom said, ‘Let us come in! ’ And they said, ‘This man Lot came as a visitor. Now he wants to be a judge! So we will be crueller to Lot than we will to the men. ’ Then they pushed hard against Lot and they nearly broke the door. v10 But the two men reached out of the door. They brought Lot into the house with them and they shut the door. v11 And they made the men who were at the outside of the door blind. All the men became blind. The leaders became blind and the younger men became blind. And so they could not find the door. The men in Sodom tried to do a very evil thing. Lot tried to protect the *angels because they were his guests. That was the custom. But he still did not know that they were *angels. Lot offered to give his two daughters to the men of Sodom. He thought that the men of Sodom would take his daughters. And so they would not take the two men. That was a foolish and evil thing. But Lot did not know what he should do. ‘The men became blind. ’ This probably does not mean that they could not see. But they could not understand what they saw. The *Hebrew word is not the usual *Hebrew word that means ‘blind’. The Bible uses this *Hebrew word in only two places. The other place is 2 Kings 6:18. Elisha prayed that God would make the soldiers from Syria ‘blind’. Then they could see Elisha and they could follow him. But they could not see where Elisha was taking them. Lot leaves Sodom v12 Then the two men said to Lot, ‘Have you any relatives here? Bring out of this city your sons, your daughters and your daughters’ husbands. Bring out any relative whom you have in the city. v13 Very soon we will destroy this place. The *Lord has heard that its people are very wicked. Therefore the *Lord has sent us to destroy it. ’ v14 So Lot went out. He spoke to the men who intended to marry his daughters. He said to them, ‘Get up! Leave this place, because the *Lord will very soon destroy this city. ’ But these men thought that Lot joked. ‘They thought that Lot joked. ’ They knew Lot, because Lot lived with them. They could see that he was not sincere. Therefore, they did not believe what he said. If we tell people about God, we must be sincere. And people must see that we live good lives. Otherwise, they will not believe us. v15 When the morning came, the *angels urged Lot. They said to him, ‘Get up! Take with you your wife and your two daughters. Otherwise you will die when the *Lord punishes the city. ’ v16 But Lot delayed. So the two men seized Lot and his wife and his two daughters. They took them by their hands, because the *Lord was saving them. The two men brought Lot safely out of the city. v17 And when they had brought them out, one man spoke to Lot and to his family. He said, ‘Run to save your life! Do not look back! Do not stop anywhere in the valley. Run to the hills. If you do not do so, you will die. ’ v18 And Lot said to them, ‘Oh, no, sirs! v19 I know that you have been pleased with me, your servant. You have been very kind to me. You have saved my life. But I cannot run to the hills. If I do that, the punishment will overcome me. So I will die. v20 Look! That city is near enough that I can run to it. And it is a little one. Let me escape there. It is only a little one. Then I will not die. ’ v21 The man said to Lot, ‘Yes. I grant this request for you. I will not destroy the city that you mention. v22 Hurry! Escape to it. I can do nothing until you arrive there. ’ Therefore, the city was called Zoar. v23 The sun had risen over the earth when Lot came ‘Lot delayed. ’ Lot told people that they should leave the city. (See verse 14. ) But he himself was unwilling to leave. He did not believe his ‘The *Lord was saving them. ’ He was saving them because Lot was Abraham’s nephew. He was saving them because Abraham prayed for Lot. (See verse 29 and the comment. ) The *angels told Lot to go to the hills. But Lot did not go there. The *angels allowed Lot to go to Zoar. Lot wanted to go there. But Lot soon had to go where the *angels had said. (See verse 30. ) ‘Zoar’ means ‘little’. (See verse 20. ) God destroys Sodom and Gomorrah v24 Then the *Lord sent burning sulphur on Sodom and Gomorrah. He sent it like rain that falls from the sky. v25 And he destroyed those cities. He destroyed all the valley. He killed all the inhabitants of the cities. He killed all the plants that grew on the ground. v26 But Lot’s wife looked back and she became a large lump of salt. What happened may have been natural. It happens in many parts of the world. This valley is a place where it sometimes happens. Very hot rock rises from below the ground. The rock is so hot that it flows like water. Sometimes it rises so fast that it goes up into the sky. Then it falls like rain. This is called a ‘volcano’. Sulphur is a yellow substance that sometimes rises with the hot rock. So the sulphur that fell like rain should not surprise us. The wonderful things were these: volcano destroyed only the cities that were wicked. happened at the exact time that God had said. God often uses natural things that he has made. He uses them like a man who uses his tools. Lot’s wife delayed too long. She stayed too close to the cities. So some of the hot rock that fell from the sky fell on her. It became a solid lump. The salt was probably not the ordinary kind of salt that people eat. v27 Abraham went out early in the morning. He went to the place where he had stood with the *Lord. v28 He looked down toward Sodom and Gomorrah. He looked toward all the land in the valley. He saw that smoke rose from the land. It was like the smoke that rises from a large fire. It was like the smoke of the fire that men use to bake pots. v29 So God destroyed the cities that were in the valley. But God rescued Lot, because God thought about Abraham. But God destroyed the cities where Lot lived. When God did these things, he had two purposes. had a purpose for the people at that time. He destroyed the cities in order to kill the wicked people and to save the good people. had a purpose to teach people who would live in later times. He did it to teach us how Christ would save us from God’s judgement. The two men went into the wicked city of Sodom. In the same way, Christ came into our wicked world. The men persuaded Lot to leave the city. In the same way, Christ calls us to leave the ways of wicked men. The people who did not follow the two men died. In the same way, people who do not follow Christ will die. ‘God rescued Lot, because he thought about Abraham.’ Lot did not want God to rescue him. He delayed. (See verse 16. ) But God rescued Lot because Lot was Abraham’s nephew. And God rescued Lot because Abraham prayed for Lot. Lot and his daughters v30 Lot went up out of Zoar into the hills. He lived there with his two daughters, because he was afraid to live in Zoar. So he lived in a cave with his two daughters. v31 And the older daughter spoke to the younger daughter. She said, ‘Our father is old. There is no man here who might have sex with us in the normal way. v32 Let us make our father drink wine. Then we will lie with him. So we may make our family continue by our father. ’ v33 So in the evening they made their father drink wine. The older daughter went to her father and she lay with him. He did not know when she lay down. And he did not know when she got up. v34 And on the next day, the older daughter spoke to the younger daughter. She said, ‘Last night I lay with my father. Let us make him drink wine today also. Then you go to him and lie with him. So we may make our family continue by our father. ’ v35 So they made their father drink wine on that evening also. The younger daughter went to him and she lay with him. He did not know when she lay down. And he did not know when she got up. v36 So both Lot’s daughters were *pregnant by their father. v37 The older daughter had a son and she called him Moab. He is the father of the Moabites who live today. v38 The younger daughter also had a son and she called him Ben-ammi. He is the father of the Ammonites who Lot was wealthy when he moved to Sodom. (See Genesis 13:12. ) But when he left Zoar he had very little. He had lost all his possessions. He had done two things that were wrong. He chose to live among the inhabitants of Sodom, who did evil things. And when the *angels came to save him, he preferred to go his own way. It was very important to people in those times that they should have *descendants. Lot’s daughters could not find husbands. The men who had intended to marry them were dead. (See verse 14. ) So the daughters decided to produce a family in the only way that they could. In later years, the Moabites were an important nation. Their country was called Moab. It was east of the Salt Sea. The Ammonites lived east of the river Jordan. Both the Moabites and the Ammonites were enemies of the nation of Israel. Abimelech takes Sarah v1 Abraham travelled away from the big trees at Mamre. He went toward the region that is called the Negeb. He lived between Kadesh and Shur. And for a time he stayed in Gerar. v2 And Abraham said to the inhabitants of Gerar, ‘Sarah is my sister. ’ But Sarah was his wife. Now Abimelech was the king of Gerar. Abimelech sent men and they brought Sarah to Abimelech. v3 But God came to Abimelech in a dream at night. And God said to Abimelech, ‘You will die because you have taken this woman. She is a man’s wife. ’ v4 But Abimelech had not touched her. So Abimelech said, ‘Surely, *Lord, you would not kill an innocent person! v5 Abraham himself said to me, “She is my sister. ” And she herself said, “He is my brother. ” My heart was honest and my actions were innocent. ’ v6 Then God said to Abimelech in the dream, ‘Yes. I know that your heart was innocent when you did this. I prevented you so that you did not do a wrong thing. Therefore, I did not let you touch her. v7 Now give Abraham’s wife back to him. He is a man who knows God. So he will pray for you and you shall live. But if you do not give her back to him, you shall certainly die. You shall die and all your family shall die. ’ The Negeb is the southern part of the country that is called *Canaan. Kadesh and Shur are in the Negeb. Gerar is at the northern edge of the Negeb. The people that lived in Gerar were *Philistines. When Abraham went to Egypt, he said that Sarah was his sister. (See Genesis 12:11-13 and the comment. At that time, Abraham was called ‘Abram’ and his wife Sarah was called ‘Sarai’. ) When Abraham went to Gerar, he said the same thing. On both occasions, it was a foolish and wrong thing. Abraham was not confident that God would protect him. But God did protect Abraham. And later, Abraham learned to trust God completely. ‘Abimelech’ means ‘my father is king’. Every *Philistine king was called ‘Abimelech’. It was not one king’s name. v8 So Abimelech got up early in the morning. He called all his servants and he told them all these things. The servants were very much afraid. v9 Then Abimelech called Abraham. He said to him, ‘You have done a wrong thing to us. You have made me and my nation guilty. We did not deserve that. You have done to me things that nobody ought to do. ’ v10 And Abimelech said to Abraham, ‘What were your reasons? Why did you do this v11 Abraham replied, ‘I said to myself, “The people in this place do not respect God. They will kill me because of my wife. ” v12 And she is truly my sister. She is my father’s daughter but she is not my mother’s daughter. And she became my wife. v13 When God made me leave my father’s house, I spoke to her. I said, “Please do this thing for me. Say about me: He is my brother. Say this at every place that we come to. ” ’ v14 Then Abimelech took sheep and cows. He took male and female slaves. He gave them to Abraham. Also, he gave back to Abraham Sarah, who was his wife. v15 And Abimelech said, ‘Look! My land is in front of you. Live wherever you choose. ’ v16 Abimelech said to Sarah, ‘I have given 1000 coins of silver to your brother. This gift shows that you are innocent. It shows this to all the people who are with you. It shows it to v17–18 The *Lord had made all the women who were in Abimelech’s house unable to produce children. He did this because of Sarah, who was Abraham’s wife. So Abraham prayed to God and God cured Abimelech. He also cured Abimelech’s wife and his female slaves, so that they could produce Abraham knew that Gerar’s inhabitants did not know God. So he expected that they would be wicked. But he discovered that they were honest and The Bible has not told us before this verse who Sarah’s mother and father were. But this verse shows that Sarah’s father was Terah. (See Genesis 11:26, 29. ) Isaac is born v1 The *Lord had promised that he would visit Sarah. He did what he had promised to her. v2 So Sarah became *pregnant. A son was born to her for Abraham, when Abraham was old. This son was born at the time that God had promised. v3 Abraham called his son Isaac. Sarah was Isaac’s mother. v4 Abraham *circumcised Isaac when Isaac was 8 days old. God had *commanded him to do that. v5 Abraham was 100 years of age when his son Isaac was born for him. v6 Then Sarah said, ‘God has made me laugh. Everyone who hears will laugh with me. ’ v7 And she said, ‘Nobody would have said to Abraham, “Sarah will give her milk to a child. ” But I am the mother of Abraham’s son in his old age. ’ ‘At the time that God had promised. ’ (See Genesis 18:10. ) God had chosen the name ‘Isaac’. It means ‘he laughs’. (See ‘God had *commanded him. ’ (See Genesis 17:10-12 and the comment. ) God had promised that Sarah would have a son. And Sarah did not believe what God said. She laughed because she did not believe. (See Genesis 18:12. ) After Isaac’s birth, Sarah laughed again. But then she laughed because she was very happy. Abraham sends Hagar and Ishmael away v8 The baby grew. And Sarah began to give solid food to him. So Abraham called many people to come to a big meal on the day when Isaac ate solid food. v9 Sarah saw Abraham’s other son, Ishmael, whose mother was Hagar the Egyptian. Ishmael was laughing at Isaac. v10 So Sarah said to Abraham, ‘Throw out this woman and her son. She is a slave. This slave-woman’s son shall not get any part of your wealth. That belongs to my son v11 Sarah’s words about Abraham’s son made Abraham very unhappy. v12 But God said to Abraham, ‘Do not be unhappy about the boy and about your slave-woman. Do what Sarah tells you to do. Isaac’s *descendants will be called your *descendants. v13 And I will also make a nation from your slave-woman’s son, because he is your son too. ’ ‘Ishmael was laughing at Isaac.’ Ishmael knew that he was Abraham’s oldest son. He thought that he, Ishmael, would have the right of the oldest son. He thought that he would get Abraham’s wealth after Abraham’s death. And so, he thought that he was more important than Isaac. He showed that by his behaviour. God had made a promise to Abraham, when his name was still Abram. (See Genesis 15:4-5. ) God promised that Abraham would have a son. By that son, Abraham would have very many *descendants. And that son would be Isaac. So God intended that Isaac should have the rights of the oldest son. Isaac was the son of his mother, Sarah, whom God had chosen as Abraham’s wife. But Ishmael was older than Isaac. His mother was Hagar. If Ishmael remained, he would have the rights of the oldest son. Therefore, God told Abraham to send away Ishmael and his mother, Hagar. But Ishmael did not become completely separate from Abraham. When Abraham died, Isaac and Ishmael together buried him. (See Genesis 25:9. ) v14 So Abraham got up early in the morning. He gave bread to Hagar. He gave to her a bag that was an animal’s skin. The bag contained water. He put these things on her shoulder and he sent her away with the child. She went away and she wandered in the desert near Beer-sheba. v15 When they had drunk all the water, she put her son under a bush. v16 Then she went and she sat down a little distance away from him. She was about as far away as an arrow goes. She said, ‘Let me not see the child die. ’ While she sat there, she cried loudly. v17 But God heard the boy’s voice. So God’s *angel called from heaven to Hagar. He said to her, ‘Do not be so sad, Hagar. Do not be afraid. God has heard the boy’s voice from the place where he is. v18 Stand up and make the boy stand up. Hold him firmly with your hand. I will make him into a great nation. ’ v19 Then God showed to her what she had not seen before. She saw a well of water. So she went and filled the bag of skin with water. She gave a drink to the boy. v20 God was with the boy. He became a man and he lived in the desert. He became a skilful hunter with a bow and arrows. v21 He lived in the desert of Paran. His mother chose for him a wife, who had come from Egypt. Abraham gave to Hagar and Ishmael all that they needed. They could have gone to another family as servants. But Hagar chose to wander in the desert. This desert was not yet called Beer-sheba. Abraham and Abimelech named it at a later time. (See verse 31. ) Ishmael was not a young child. He was about 17 years of age. The heat and the lack of water affected him more than they affected Hagar. So Hagar led him to a bush and he sat in the shade. But Abraham had taught Ishmael to know God. And Ishmael could still pray. Hagar cried loudly because of her trouble, but Ishmael prayed quietly. God heard Ishmael and he saved them both. Abraham and Abimelech make an agreement v22 Then Abimelech and Phicol, who was the chief of Abimelech’s army, spoke to Abraham. They said, ‘God is with you in everything that you do. v23 So make a firm promise to me here in God’s name. Promise that you will not deal unfairly with me. Promise that you will not deal unfairly with my family or with my *descendants. I have dealt loyally with you. Promise that you will deal loyally with me. Promise that you will deal loyally with this country. This is the country that you live in. ’ v24 And Abraham said, ‘I make a firm promise. ’ v25 But Abimelech’s servants had taken a well that belonged to Abraham. So Abraham complained to Abimelech. v26 Abimelech replied, ‘I do not know who did this. You did not tell me. Until today I had not heard about it. ’ v27–30 So Abraham separated 7 young female sheep from the other sheep. Abimelech asked Abraham, ‘Why have you put these 7 young female sheep apart from the other sheep? ’ So Abraham replied, ‘Take these 7 young female sheep from me. That will be a sign. And we will both know that I made this well. ’ So Abraham gave to Abimelech 7 sheep. He also gave to him some cows. In this way, the two men made an agreement together. v31 Abimelech and Abraham made firm promises to each other there. Therefore, they called the place Beer-sheba. v32 So they made an agreement at Beer-sheba. Then Abimelech and Phicol, who was the chief of Abimelech’s army, set out. They returned to the *Philistines’ country, which was their own country. v33 Abraham planted a tree in Beer-sheba. There he prayed to the *Lord. He is the God who does not change. v34 Abraham stayed in the *Philistines’ country for many days. The number 7 was a sign of an agreement. That was a custom at that time. Abraham gave 7 sheep and Abimelech received 7 sheep. So they knew that they had made an agreement. This agreement was very important. Abraham had many sheep and cows and other animals. The animals needed water. Until this time, Abraham did not own a well. By this agreement, Abraham owned the well that is called ‘Beer-sheba’ means ‘the well of 7’. Abraham planted the tree to show his thanks to God. God had promised to give the whole country to Abraham and to his *descendants. (See Genesis 12:7. ) And this well was the beginning of the things that God had God tests Abraham v1 After these things, God tested Abraham. God said to him, ‘Abraham’. And Abraham replied, ‘I am here. ’ v2 God said, ‘Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love. Go to the region that is called Moriah. Kill Isaac there on a mountain. He will be an *offering. I shall show the mountain to you. ’ v3 So Abraham got up early in the morning. He put a saddle on his *donkey. He took with him two young servants. He took also his son Isaac. He cut pieces of wood so that he could burn the *offering. Then he set out. He went to the place that God had mentioned. This was an extremely hard test. God wanted to prove that Abraham trusted him completely. ‘Moriah’ was Jerusalem. We know that from 2 Chronicles 3:1. That verse tells us that, many years after this time, Solomon built a building for God. He built it on the hill called Moriah. And that building was at Jerusalem. People killed animals in that building as *offerings. And God told Abraham to kill Isaac at that same place. Abraham probably expected that God would bring Isaac back from death. Hebrews 11:17-19 seems to mean this. But Abraham did not guess what God actually intended to do. If we serve God, we need to trust him completely. We expect that he will help us. But we may not guess what he actually intends to do. He may do something more wonderful than the thing that we expected. v4 On the third day, Abraham looked and he saw the place a long way away. v5 Then he said to his young servants, ‘Stay here with the *donkey. I and the boy will go over there. We will praise God and we will return to you. ’ v6 Abraham then took the wood for the fire. He put it on his son Isaac so that Isaac carried it. Abraham himself carried the fire and the knife. So they went together. v7 Then Isaac said to his father Abraham, ‘My father! ’ Abraham replied, ‘I am here, my son. ’ Isaac said, ‘Here is the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb (young sheep) for the *offering? ’ v8 Abraham replied, ‘God himself will provide a lamb for the *offering, my son. ’ So they went on together. Isaac was familiar with *offerings. God’s ancient people used to give animals to God as *offerings. Noah did that when the flood was over. (See Genesis 8:20. ) Abraham did that at Mamre. (See Genesis 13:18. ) So Isaac had seen Abraham kill a lamb (young sheep) as a gift to God. And he expected that Abraham would do the same thing again. ‘God himself will provide a lamb’. Abraham said this so that Isaac would not be afraid. He still did not know what would happen. Abraham trusted God and Isaac trusted Abraham. And after this time, Isaac himself learned to trust God. Sometimes we are like that. An adult trusts God. A child has not yet learned to trust God. But the adult tells the child that God will provide for them. And the child believes the adult. As the child becomes older, he himself learns to trust God. ‘God himself will provide a lamb’. This had another meaning that Abraham did not know about. Many years later God provided the Lord Jesus as an *offering. (See John 1:29, 36. ) v9 They came to the place that God had mentioned. Abraham built an *altar there. He laid the wood on it. Then he bound his son Isaac. He laid Isaac on the wood that was on the *altar. v10 Abraham stretched out his hand and he took the knife. He was ready to kill his son. v11 But the *Lord’s *angel called from heaven. He said to him, ‘Abraham, Abraham! ’ And Abraham answered, ‘I am here. ’ v12 The *angel said, ‘Do not kill the boy and do not hurt him. Now I know that you respect God. You were ready to give to me your son, your only son. ’ v13 Abraham looked up. He saw a male sheep that could not escape from a bush. Its *horns were in the bush’s thorns (sharp points). So Abraham went and he seized the sheep. He then burned it on the *altar. It was an *offering instead of his son. v14 So Abraham called the place ‘The *Lord will provide’. People still say today, ‘The *Lord will provide on his An *angel is a servant of God who brings messages from heaven. God wanted Abraham to stop immediately. So the *angel spoke Abraham’s name The sheep had horns. A horn is a hard point on an animal’s head. The bush held the sheep’s horns. God tested Abraham. But God also did something for us. He taught us about Jesus Christ. And he did that very many years before Jesus came. This *offering helps us to know how Jesus saves us from God’s judgement. This is how God teaches us about Jesus: had said that Isaac should die. provided a sheep. sheep died instead of Isaac. God saved Isaac. has said that we must die. provided his son Jesus. died instead of us. God has saved us. God has often used the deaths of sheep or cows to tell us about Jesus. Exodus 12:3-6 tells us about one example. Each family killed a young sheep. Because they did that, they did not die. The death of the young sheep was a picture of Jesus’ death. And John called Jesus ‘the young sheep that God provided’. (See John 1:29. ) v15 Then the *Lord’s *angel called again from heaven. v16 He said to Abraham, ‘The *Lord says, “By myself I have made a firm promise. You have done this thing. You were ready to give to me your son, your only son. v17 I will certainly make many good things come to you. I will make you have many *descendants. They shall be as many as the stars that are in the sky. They shall be as many as the sand that is by the sea. Your *descendants shall control their enemies’ gates. v18 By your *descendants I will make good things come. These good things shall come to all the nations that are on the earth. I will do this because you have obeyed v19 Then Abraham returned to his young servants. They set out and they went together to Beer-sheba. And Abraham stayed in Beer-sheba. God used the words ‘by myself’ in this promise. These words meant that the promise was absolutely firm. God does not change and therefore the promise will not change. And these words meant that the promise was a very important one. God had not used these words before. He used them on only 3 other occasions in the Old Testament (the first part of the Bible). (For more explanation of this, see Hebrews 6:13-18. ) God said, ‘I will do this because you have obeyed me. ’ Compare this with Genesis 15:6. ‘Then Abram believed the *Lord. Therefore the *Lord considered that Abram was *righteous. ’ So Abraham believed God and Abraham obeyed God. Because Abraham believed God, God made him *righteous (right with God). Because Abraham obeyed God, God blessed him. It is like that for us. If we believe God, he makes us *righteous (right with God). But if we want him to bless us, we must also obey him. And if we obey him then he will also bless other people by us. v20 After this, people said to Abraham, ‘Milcah has had children. Their father is your brother, Nahor. v21 Uz was born before the other brothers. Buz is his brother. After these was Kemuel, who became the father of Aram. v22 After him were Chesed, Hazo, Pildash, Jidlaph and Bethuel.’ v23 Bethuel became the father of Rebekah. These were Milcah’s 8 sons. Nahor, who was Abraham’s brother, was their father. v24 His extra wife, whose name was Reumah, was the mother of Tebah, Gaham, Tahash and Nahor and Milcah lived in the country that was called Mesopotamia. Abraham had lived there before he came to *Canaan. This news told Abraham that he had many relatives in Mesopotamia. So Abraham waited until his son Isaac was old enough to marry. And then he sent his servant to Mesopotamia to find a wife for Isaac. (See Genesis 24:4, 10. ) Abraham buys a field v1 Sarah lived for 127 years. That was the number of years of her life. v2 Sarah died in Kiriath-arba in the country that is called *Canaan. Kiriath-arba is also called Hebron. Abraham went into her tent and he wept for her. He showed that he was very sad for her. v3 Then Abraham finished weeping for his dead wife. And he said to the *Hittites, v4 ‘I am a stranger among you. I live here only for a time. Give me some of your land as a grave so that I may bury my dead wife properly. ’ v5 The *Hittites answered Abraham, v6 ‘Listen to us, sir. You are a great prince among us. Bury your dead wife in the best grave that we have. None of us will refuse to give you his grave. We will let you bury your dead wife. ’ v7 Abraham stood and he bent himself down in front of the *Hittites. They were the people who lived in that country. v8 Abraham said to them, ‘If you are willing, I will bury my dead properly. Then listen to me and make a request to Ephron, the son of Zohar. v9 Ask him to give to me the cave at Machpelah. He owns the cave, which is at the end of his field. Let him sell it to me in front of you. Let him sell it for the right price. It will be mine and I will use it as a grave. ’ v10 Now Ephron was present and he sat among the *Hittites. So Ephron the *Hittite answered Abraham and the *Hittites listened. All who entered at the city’s gate listened. Ephron said, v11 ‘No, sir, listen to me. I give the field to you. I give the cave that is in it to you. In front of all my people, I give it to you. Bury your dead wife. ’ v12 Then Abraham bent himself down in front of the *Hittites. v13 He spoke to Ephron and all the people listened. Abraham said, ‘Please listen to me. I will pay the right price for the field. Take the money from me, so that I may bury my dead wife there. ’ v14 Ephron answered Abraham, v15 ‘Sir, listen to me. The price of the field is 400 *shekels of silver. The price is not important to you or to me. Do bury your dead wife. ’ v16 Abraham agreed with Ephron. He weighed the amount of silver that Ephron had said. The *Hittites had heard him say this. He gave the silver to Ephron, 400 *shekels of silver. He used the kind of *shekel that merchants use. The *Hittites were the people who lived in that country. (See verse 7. ) They already lived there before Abraham arrived. People often sat at the city’s gate. They talked to each other there. Abraham was speaking to the *Hittites at the city’s gate. So anyone who came into the city could listen. Anyone could hear what they said. Ephron said that he gave the field to Abraham. He said that Abraham should not pay for it. But Ephron and Abraham both knew that Abraham Ephron said that the price was 400 *shekels of silver. That was a very big price. But Abraham paid it and he did not argue. v17–18 So Abraham became the owner of the field that had belonged to Ephron. This field was in Machpelah, which was east of Mamre. Abraham became the owner of the cave that was in the field. He became the owner of all the trees that were in it. Abraham bought all this in front of the *Hittites. He bought it in front of all who entered the city’s gate. v19 After that, Abraham buried Sarah his wife. He buried her in the cave that is in the field at Machpelah. It is east of Mamre, which is also called Hebron. It is in the country that is called *Canaan. v20 The *Hittites gave the field legally to Abraham. They gave it to him legally with the cave that is in it. It became Abraham’s possession and he used it as a grave. God had promised that Abraham and his *descendants would own the whole country. At this time, Abraham owned one field and one well. (See Genesis 21:33 and the comment. ) Abraham’s servant looks for a wife for Isaac v1 Abraham was an old man. He had lived for many years. The *Lord had always been very kind to Abraham. v2 Abraham’s oldest servant managed everything that Abraham had. Abraham said to him, ‘Put your hand under my leg. v3 Make a firm promise to me. Make it by the *Lord who is the God of heaven and earth. Choose a wife for my son Isaac. Do not choose a daughter from the *Canaanites, among whom I live. v4 But go to my country and to my family. Choose there a wife for my son. ’ The servant was probably Eliezer. (See Genesis 15:2. ) ‘Put your hand under my leg. ’ This was a sign of an important promise. (See Genesis 24:2. ) Abraham did not want his son Isaac to marry a foreign woman. He wanted Isaac to marry a relative. (See the comment on Genesis 38:2. ) When Abraham said ‘my country’, he meant west Mesopotamia. Abraham had lived there, in the city that was called Haran. (See Genesis 11:31. ) Mesopotamia is the land that is between the river Tigris and the river Euphrates. Nowadays it is mostly in the countries Syria and Iraq. v5 The servant replied, ‘Perhaps the woman will not agree to follow me to this country. Must I take your son back to the country that you came from? ’ v6 Abraham said to him, ‘You must not take my son back there. v7 The *Lord, the God of heaven, took me from my father’s house. He took me from the country where I was born. He made a firm promise to me. He said, “I will give this country to your *descendants. ” He will send his *angel in front of you. You shall choose a wife for my son there. v8 But if the woman does not agree to follow you, then you are free from this firm promise. You are free from the promise that you have made to me. But you must not take my son back there. ’ v9 So the servant put his hand under the leg of his master Abraham. He made a firm promise that he would do these ‘This country’ was *Canaan. ‘The country that you came from’ was the west part of Mesopotamia. In verse 4, Abraham called it ‘my country’. As in verse 5, ‘this country’ was *Canaan. God had made this promise on several occasions. (For the first occasion, see Genesis 12:7. ) ‘He will send his *angel in front of you. ’ Abraham did not mean that his servant would see an *angel. Abraham meant that God and his *angel would make the journey successful. And God would help the servant to choose his route so that he would arrive at the right place. v10 So the servant took 10 camels. He took valuable gifts of many kinds. These things belonged to his master. And the servant set off and he went to Mesopotamia. He went to the city of Nahor. v11 He stopped by the well of water. The well was not in the city, but it was near it. He made the camels kneel. It was evening. At that time, the women go out of the city in order to fetch water. He wanted to show that his master was wealthy. That is why he took so many camels. The valuable gifts were presents for the woman whom the servant chose. (See verse 53. ) The camels carried the gifts and the camels were For ‘Mesopotamia’, see the comment on verse 4. The length of the journey was about 700 kilometres (450 miles) and it would take about a month. Abraham’s servant had other men with him for the journey. (See verse 32. ) ‘The city of Nahor’ probably means the city where Nahor had lived. Nahor was Abraham’s brother. (See verse 15. ) It was probably the city that was called Haran. This is likely because Laban lived in this city. (See verse 29. ) And later, Genesis tells us that Laban lived in Haran. (See Genesis v12 The servant said, ‘*Lord, God of my master Abraham, I pray that you will give me success today. Show your love to my master Abraham. v13 I stand here by the well of water. The daughters of the men who live in this city come out. They come in order to get water. v14 I will say to one girl, “Please let down your pot into the well and give me a drink. ” Perhaps she will say, “Drink. And I will give water to your camels too. ” Let her be the woman whom you have chosen for your servant Isaac. In this way, I shall know that you have shown your love to my master. ’ Abraham had said to his servant, ‘Choose a wife for my son Isaac.’ (See verse 3. ) And he had said, ‘Go to my family. ’ (See verse 4. ) The servant did not know how to choose. And he did not know how to find Abraham’s relatives. He might have asked one of the city’s inhabitants, ‘Where do Nahor’s family live? ’ But he knew that his task was important to God. And Abraham had said that God would guide him. (See verse 7 and comment. ) So he prayed. And God answered the prayer while the servant was still speaking. (See verse 15. ) Abraham’s servant finds Rebekah v15 While the servant was still speaking, Rebekah came out of the city. She carried her water pot on her shoulder. She was the daughter of Bethuel, who was Milcah’s son. Milcah was the wife of Nahor, who was Abraham’s brother. v16 Rebekah was very beautiful. She had never had sex with a man. She went down to the well and she filled her pot. Then she came v17 The servant ran to meet her. He said, ‘Please give me a little water from your jar so that I may drink. ’ v18 She said, ‘Drink, sir. ’ She quickly took down her pot into her hand and she gave him a drink. v19 After that she said, ‘I will give water to your camels too, until they have finished drinking. ’ v20 So she quickly emptied her pot into the basin where the animals drank. She ran to the well and she filled the jar again. She fetched water until all his camels had enough. v21 The servant watched her silently. He wanted to know whether the *Lord had made his Events happened fast. Rebekah came while the servant was still praying. Both people ran. (See verses 17 and 20. ) Rebekah worked quickly. (See verses 18 and 20. ) God had prepared so that things happened immediately. Rebekah gave a drink to Abraham’s servant. That was normal. But she also gave water to 10 camels. That was a big task because camels drink a lot of water. Rebekah lifted all the water from the well in her pot. Rebekah had offered to give water to the camels. That was the answer to the servant’s prayer. (See verse 14. ) So the servant believed that Rebekah was the right wife for Isaac. But he was not sure. Rebekah had not yet said that she was a relative of Abraham. Therefore the servant still waited to hear whether the *Lord had made his journey successful. v22 The man waited until the camels had drunk enough water. Then he produced a gold ring, which weighed a half of a *shekel. He also produced 2 large gold rings, which weighed 10 *shekels. He put the large rings on her arms. v23 He said, ‘Tell me whose daughter you are. Is there room in your father’s house where we may stay? ’ v24 She replied, ‘I am Bethuel’s daughter. Bethuel is Nahor’s son and his mother is Milcah.’ v25 She added, ‘We have enough straw and enough food for the camels. We also have room where you may stay. ’ v26 Abraham’s servant bent his head down and he gave honour to the *Lord. v27 He said, ‘Praise the *Lord, the God of my master Abraham. He still loves my master. He has continued to be kind to my master. And the *Lord has led me in the right way. He led me to the house of my The rings were gifts to Rebekah as Isaac’s bride. But Rebekah probably did not realise that at the time. Abraham’s servant said ‘we’. He meant himself and the men who were with him. Rebekah might have said, ‘My father is Bethuel. You must ask him. ’ But instead, she invited Abraham’s servant to stay at Bethuel’s house. ‘He gave honour to the *Lord.’ He had expected that he would have to search for Abraham’s relatives. And he did not know how to choose a wife for Isaac. But God answered his prayer immediately. So he thanked God aloud. Probably Rebekah heard what he said. v28 Then the young woman ran to her mother’s house. She told everyone what had happened. v29–30 Rebekah had a brother, who was called Laban. Laban saw the ring. And he saw the large rings that were on his sister’s arms. He heard Rebekah his sister tell what the man had said to her. So he ran to the well. He found the man, who stood by the camels at the v31 Laban said, ‘Come in. The *Lord has been kind to you. Do not stand outside. I have prepared the house and I have prepared a place for the camels. ’ v32 So Abraham’s servant came into the house. Laban took the saddles off the camels. He gave straw and food to the camels. He gave water to Abraham’s servant so that he could wash his feet. He gave water also to the men who were with him. v33 Laban put food in front of Abraham’s servant so that he could eat. But Abraham’s servant said, ‘I will not eat now. I will tell you why I have come. After that, I will eat. ’ And Laban said, The house is called ‘her mother’s house’ and it is not called ‘Bethuel’s house’. Also, the following verses tell us that Laban, Rebekah’s brother, gave a welcome to the visitors. Bethuel did not do that, although Bethuel was the head of the family. Probably Bethuel was unable to do things. Perhaps he was old and perhaps he was very weak. So Laban did the things that the head of the family would usually do. This welcome was more than the welcome that one would give to a stranger. Rebekah had heard the servant mention Abraham. (See verse 27. ) Rebekah had told Laban. (See verses 29-30. ) And so, Laban knew that the servant came from his relative, Abraham. Therefore, he gave a special welcome to the Abraham’s servant speaks v34 So he said, ‘I am Abraham’s servant. v35 The *Lord has been very kind to my master so that he has become great. God has given to him many sheep and cows and silver and gold and servants and maids and camels and *donkeys. v36 And a son was born to Sarah, my master’s wife, when she was old. Abraham has given to his son everything that he has. ’ v37–38 Abraham’s servant continued, ‘My master made me make a firm promise. He said, “Choose a wife for my son. Do not choose a daughter from the *Canaanites, among whom I live. But go to my father’s house and to my family. Take a wife there for my son. ” v39 I said to my master, “Perhaps the woman will not agree to follow me. ” v40 But Abraham said to me, “The *Lord, before whom I walk, will send his *angel with you. He will make your journey successful. You will choose a wife for my son from my own family. She will be one who lives in my father’s house. v41 When you do that, you will be free from your firm promise. When you reach my family, you will be free from your firm promise. If they do not give her to you, you will be free from your firm promise. ” ’ v42 Abraham’s servant continued, ‘Today I came to the well. I said, “*Lord, the God of my master Abraham, please make my journey successful. v43–44 I stand here by the well. I will speak to a young woman who comes to fetch water. I will say: Please give me a little water from your pot to drink. Perhaps she will say: Drink and I will give water to your camels too. Let her be the woman whom the *Lord has chosen for my master’s v45 And Abraham’s servant continued, ‘While I was still praying in my mind, Rebekah came out. She carried her water pot on her shoulder. She went down to the well and she fetched water. I said to her, “Please give me a drink. ” v46 At once she took down her pot from her shoulder. She said, “Drink. I will give water to your camels too. ” So I drank and she gave water to the camels too. v47 Then I asked her, “Whose daughter are you? ” She said, “I am Bethuel’s daughter. Bethuel is Nahor’s son and his mother is Milcah.” So I put the ring on her nose and I put the large rings on her arms. v48 Then I bent my head down and I gave honour to the *Lord. I praised the *Lord, the God of my master Abraham. He led me in the right way. So I found the daughter of my master’s relative for his son. v49 Now tell me whether you will deal loyally and truly with my master. If you will not, tell me. In that case I will go to another place. ’ Abraham’s servant told clearly all the good things that God had done. God made Abraham great and God made him rich. (See verse 35. ) Abraham said that God would make the servant’s journey successful. (See verse 40. ) God answered the servant’s prayer. (See verses 45-46. ) And God brought the servant to his master’s relatives. (See verses 47-48. ) We should be like Abraham’s servant. We should be ready to tell people about all the good things that God has done. v50 Then Laban and Bethuel answered, ‘The *Lord has done this. We cannot say any good thing or any bad thing to you. v51 See, Rebekah is here. Go and take her with you. Let her be the wife of your master’s son. The *Lord has said this. ’ Laban and Bethuel realised that God was working. They could not decide that Rebekah should marry Abraham’s son. And they could not decide that she should not marry him. They could not make the decision, because God had already made it. God had already decided that she should marry him. The only thing that they could do was to agree. Rebekah travels to meet Isaac v52 When Abraham’s servant heard their words he bent himself down to the ground in front of the *Lord. v53 He produced valuable things of silver and gold. He produced clothes. He gave these things to Rebekah. He also gave valuable gifts to her brother and to her mother. v54 Then Abraham’s servant ate and drank. And those who were with him ate and drank. And they stayed there for the night. He bent himself down to praise God. He thanked God because God had brought him to the right place. And God had made his journey successful. When the morning came, they got up. Then Abraham’s servant said, ‘Send me back to my master. ’ v55 Rebekah’s brother and her mother said, ‘Let the young woman stay here for a time. Let it be for 10 days or more. After that time she may go. ’ v56 But Abraham’s servant said to them, ‘Do not make me delay. The *Lord has made my journey successful. Let me go and let me return to my master. ’ v57 They said, ‘We will call the young woman and we will ask her. ’ v58 So they called Rebekah. They said to her, ‘Will you go with this man? ’ She said, ‘I will go. ’ v59 So they sent away Rebekah and her nurse. They sent away Abraham’s servant and those who were with him. v60 They asked God to be kind to Rebekah. They said to her, ‘Our sister, we pray that you will be the mother of many people. Be the mother of more people than anyone can count. We pray that your *descendants will control their enemies’ v61 Then Rebekah and her maids set out and they rode on their camels. They followed Abraham’s servant. So the servant took Rebekah and he went on his journey. They had already agreed that Rebekah would go. But they asked Rebekah whether she would go immediately. Rebekah’s answer meant that she wanted to go. And it meant that she did not want to delay for several days. The nurse was called Deborah. (See Genesis 35:8. ) v62 Meanwhile, Isaac had left Beer-lahai-roi and he was in the Negeb. v63 Isaac went out into the field in the evening in order to think quietly. Then he looked. And he saw that some camels were coming. v64–65 When Rebekah saw Isaac, she got down from the camel. She said to the servant, ‘Who is the man who walks in the field over there? He is coming to meet us. ’ The servant replied, ‘It is my master. ’ So Rebekah covered herself with a cloth over her head. v66 The servant told Isaac everything that he had done. v67 Then Isaac took Rebekah into the tent. Isaac married her and he loved her. So Isaac had comfort after his mother’s The Negeb is the southern part of the country that is called Rebekah hid her face from Isaac because they were not yet married. That was the custom. altar ~ a table where one burned an animal as an *offering to God. An altar is usually several large stones that form a pile. angel ~ a servant of God who brings messages from heaven. The *Hebrew word that means ‘angel’ also means ‘*messenger’. Canaan ~ the country where the *Canaanites lived. (See *Canaanites.) It is approximately the same land as the modern country Israel together with the land of the Palestinians. Canaanites ~ Canaan’s *descendants. Canaan was a grandson of Noah. (See Genesis 9:18. ) The word Canaanites included Amorites and Hivites and other nations. (See Genesis 10:16-17. ) It sometimes also included other people who lived in the country *Canaan. These people were not *descendants of circumcise ~ to cut the skin from the end of a male person’s sex part. (See Genesis 17:10-12 and the comment. ) circumcised ~ without the skin on the end of his sex part. command ~ to tell people (or a person) that they must do something; to say to people (or to a person) something that they must obey; to control by means of commands. A command is an order that one must obey. descendants ~ children and grandchildren and later members of the family. donkey ~ an animal like a small horse. Donkeys can carry heavy loads on their backs. People ride on them. famine ~ a period when crops do not grow. It may last for several years. There is a serious lack of food. Hebrew ~ the Hebrew people were Abraham and his *descendants. The ancient Hebrew language is the original language of Genesis. It is also the original language of most of the Old Testament (the first part of the Bible). This language is like the modern Hebrew language, which people speak in the country Israel today. Hittites ~ one of the *tribes that lived in Canaan before Abraham went there. horn ~ a long, hard bone that grows on the head of some Lord ~ a lord is a person who has authority. ‘The Lord’ means God. It is a translation of God’s name. The *Hebrews wrote God’s name as YHWH. We may write it as Yahweh. messenger ~ someone who brings a message. offering ~ a gift to God. An offering may be an animal. People killed the animal and burned it on an *altar. Pharaoh ~ every king of Egypt was called ‘Pharaoh’. It was not one king’s name. Philistines ~ people who lived on the coast of the country that is called *Canaan. In the times of Genesis, few Philistines lived in *Canaan. And they were peaceful people. Very many years after that, many more Philistines arrived. They were not peaceful. The modern name ‘Palestine’ comes from the name ‘Philistine’. pregnant ~ a woman is pregnant when she has a baby in her. righteous ~ to be right with God; people whom God sees as clean and not his enemies; people who do what is right; just, good. shekel ~ approximately 90 shekels are 1 kilo and approximately 40 shekels are 1 pound. tribe ~ a large group of people who are relatives of each other. Judah’s *descendants were called ‘the tribe of Judah’. In a similar way, each of the 12 sons of Israel became a tribe. But Joseph’s *descendants were not called ‘the tribe of Joseph’. They were the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh. Ephraim and Manasseh were Joseph’s sons. G. Ch. Aalders ~ A Short Introduction to the Pentateuch ~ Tyndale V. P. Hamilton ~ The Book of Genesis (NICOT) ~ Eerdmans E. F. Kevan ~ ‘Genesis’, The New Bible Commentary ~ IVF (1953) G. T. Manley ~ The New Bible Handbook ~ IVF M. Salisbury (editor) ~ Skills for Translating and Exegeting the Primary Scriptures (STEPS) ~ SIL (CD-ROM) J. A. Thompson ~ The Bible and Archaeology ~ Paternoster G. J. Wenham ~ ‘Genesis’, New Bible Commentary 21st Century Edition ~ IVP Chambers Concise Dictionary Oxford Bible Atlas ~ Third edition Logos Bible Computer Software 1. 6 Strong’s Enhanced Lexicon Bibles ~ KJV, NIV, REB, RSV, TEV © 1997-2004, Wycliffe Associates (UK) This publication is written in EasyEnglish Level B (2800 words). Visit our website: www. easyenglish. info

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A Case Study of Sesame Workshop’s Cleaner, Happier, Healthier Intervention in Bangladesh, India, and Nigeria: Reporting on Exposure and Impact Dina L. G. Borzekowski The Cleaner, Happier, Healthier hygiene intervention was developed and tested in 2013, featuring the Sesame Workshop characters. Through broadcast television, four public service announcements (PSAs) addressed washing hands with soap, using a latrine, wearing sandals, and drinking clean water. The main audiences were young preschool children and their parents or guardians. Research occurred in Bangladesh, India, and Nigeria, exploring the reach and impact of these PSAs. Although low percentages, from well-drawn samples of extremely vulnerable populations in these countries, reported awareness and recall of these messages, such percentages can reflect large numbers of viewers. Considering data from the participating children, measures of knowledge and attitudes were associated with engaging in several of the behavioral outcomes. As well, awareness and recall of the PSA messages predicted “all the time” for several of the hygiene behaviors. In contrast, parents’ reports of PSA awareness and recall were not associated with reports of children’s hygiene behaviors. Conducting reach studies is extremely difficult, especially in developing countries and communities. Despite the challenges, this study is encouraging. Participants reported seeing the messages, and in several models, this “reach” predicted reports of hygiene and health behaviors. Lessons learned from this case study and research can offer valuable insight into the production of future health PSAs, especially with harder-to-reach populations. Robert M. McCann In the last 20 years or so, the field of intergenerational communication as seen from an intergroup perspective has evolved to encompass a wide range of social, cultural, and relational contexts. Research into communication and age in organizations represents one particularly exciting and rapidly changing area of investigation within the intergenerational communication domain. The workplace, by its very nature, is rich with intergroup dynamics, with age in/out group distinctions being but one of many intergroup characterizations. Stereotypical age expectations—by management and coworkers alike—can serve as powerful harbingers to behavioral outcomes such as ageist communication, considerations of (early) retirement and reduced and/or lost training among older workers, and even reduced intentions among young individuals to take up careers involving older people. Ageist behaviors (including communication) are also at the core of many types of discriminatory practices toward older (and sometimes younger) workers. Age diversity strategies, which include intergenerational contact programs, cross-generational mentoring, age diverse teams, and the use of positive symbols of older age, are becoming more common in organizations. Anti-Semitism is the systematic hatred, discrimination, and attack on Jews. Anti-Semitism often manifests itself in hateful speech that functions as the precursor to hostile actions against Jews. Anti-Semitism is a subject matter that has occupied scholars dating back from antiquity, through the Middle Ages, and more intensely in modern times. Different perspectives have been employed to explain this scourge, covering the terrains of historical, political, psychological, and even pathological perspectives but rarely in rhetorical studies. Considering anti-Semitism as hateful speech enables a rhetorical explanation whereby suasive forces are employed to strategically find faults with one group functioning as a scapegoat for the action of others. From this perspective, anti-Semitism is a form of victimization that scapegoats Jews for causes not of their doing, yet their existence is argued time and again as the reason for various societal ills. Ostensibly, Jews have been targeted throughout history and faulted for events not linked to them. From charges of conspiring with the Devil in antiquity, to poisoning wells in the Middle Ages, to causing Germany’s defeat in World War I, and many more, anti-Semitism has consistently been employed at critical historical junctures as a convenient explanation for complicated and troubling events. The Holocaust and the systematic plan to decimate Europe’s Jewry was perhaps the most overt and egregious case of anti-Semitism. It was based on a powerful propaganda machine that dehumanized Jews first, blamed them for all that befell Germany, and readied the grounds for the mass murder of some six million of them. One root cause stands at the center of anti-Semitism: the death of Christ on the cross, and with it the charge that Jews are forever guilty of this crime. With religious interpretation and theological dogmas of the early Christian Church, the charge of Jews as Christ killer would establish the theology that Jews are forever guilty of this crime and fault every Jew at any time, even those not yet born, of this crime. This foundational charge has allowed other charges, including social, racial, and economic explanations, to be piled up against Jews, eventually identifying them as permanent pariahs. From a rhetorical perspective, an inherent guilt is the motivating force that has allowed anti-Semitism to survive through millennia. Hatred of Jews and hateful speech directed at them has never been erased, though one significant exception to the charge of eternal guilt was advanced by the Vatican II Council in 1965 in its document Nostra Aetate, and in it, the Church repudiated the charge of the eternal guilt of the Jew. The horrors of the Holocaust, more than any other cause, has brought the Catholic Church to change a century-old dogma, seeking an end to anti-Semitism. The Church correctly identified the charge of eternal guilt of the Jew as the root cause of anti-Semitism and stated its rejection of the faulty reasoning associated with the charge of eternal deicide. This significant move has done much to improve Christian–Jewish relations but it has not erased anti-Semitism. Recent incidents in various parts of the world have increased concerns that a new wave of anti-Semitism is under way. Anti-Semitism appeals to people’s base instincts and is often rationalized as the fear of the “other” and the preservation of the self and the dominant community. Anti-Semitism flourishes because the rhetorical process therein is simple: It absolves culprits of answering tough questions by scapegoating an other who has already been accepted as the pariah and whose “responsibility” for past iniquities has long been established. Anti-Semitism is processed through a tried and true persuasive formula that is manifested rhetorically in speech and in images. Anti-Semitism succeeds where people do not employ basic critical skills when confronting messages, preferring instead to accept convenient, if spurious, explanations. The effects of uncertainty and anxiety are profiled in association with intercultural communication and the initiation and development of intercultural relationships. Uncertainty is cognitive and refers to what one knows about another and one’s level of predictability about another. Anxiety is the affective equivalent of uncertainty and refers to the level of discomfort associated with interacting with a stranger. Two major theories are associated with this process, including uncertainty reduction theory and anxiety/uncertainty management theory. Other communicative factors also affect uncertainty and anxiety reduction and management during intercultural communication. Shawn Meghan Burn Bystander intervention is a form of helping that occurs when onlookers intercede to provide direct or indirect aid to a victim. When bystanders step in to prevent or reduce harm to others, they act as agents of primary and secondary health prevention. But theory and research suggest the bystander intervention process is complex and multiple social-psychological and situational barriers imperil bystander action. Bystanders are often ill-prepared to intervene when others are at risk for emotional or physical harm. They may not notice that someone needs help due to distraction from self-focus, engagement in social interaction, intoxication, or aspects of the situation like crowding or noise. Due to inadequate knowledge, bystanders may misdiagnose the situation and believe intervention is unnecessary. The negative consequences of nonintervention may be unknown to them such that the situation fails to increase their empathic arousal and motivate their action. Lacking knowledge, they may not recognize the seriousness of the situation and or the potential costs of inaction, and so are insufficiently alarmed. Pluralistic ignorance can arise when multiple uncertain bystanders conceal their concern and hesitate to act, assuming others’ inaction means intervention is inappropriate or unnecessary. When there are multiple witnesses, bystanders may assume their help is unneeded, place intervention responsibility on others, or feel less responsible for helping due to diffusion of responsibility. When the victim is not a member of their in-group, or is assumed at fault for their predicament, they may feel less empathy and a reduced responsibility to help. Or, bystanders may assign responsibility for intervention to the victim’s friends or fellow in-group members, or to those “in charge” of the setting. Even when bystanders realize help is needed and take responsibility for helping, they may not act if they do not know how or lack confidence in their ability to successfully carry out the actions required to help. When they have the skills, they may not help if they perceive the costs of action to outweigh the benefits of action. Audience inhibition arising from group norms supporting inaction and from bystander worry about what others will think about them if they act unnecessarily or ineptly can prevent bystander action by increasing bystanders’ perceived helping costs. Recognition of bystanders as a potentially valuable public health asset has increased interest in promoting bystander intervention. Bystander intervention promotion and communications empower bystander action by combating intervention- and audience-specific barriers to bystander intervention using targeted information, communications, and skills training. Theory and research suggest that effective promotions and communications foster context-specific attitudes, beliefs, norms, and skills such that bystanders: (1) are able to quickly and accurately identify a situation as intervention-appropriate; (2) experience action-motivating arousal (including empathy) in the face of the event; (3) have positive attitudes towards intervention and perceive the benefits of action as outweighing the perceived costs; (4) are empowered to act and feel confident in their ability to effectively intervene (bystander efficacy); and (5) are resistant to evaluation apprehension and norms contraindicating action. Effective bystander intervention promotion draws on social psychology and communications studies, and best practices for health promotion and prevention programs. The application of social marketing and formative and summative program evaluation methods enhance the potential of bystander intervention promotions and communications to empower bystander action. Celebrity politicians are having a profound impact on the practice of politics within the United States and United Kingdom in the 21st century. With the adoption of social media platforms, celebrity and image candidates have deployed new strategies for attracting constituents. Taken together, the proliferation of celebrity politics and the ubiquity of digital platforms have fostered a unique atmosphere in the contemporary political moment, wherein “outsider” candidates may leverage their fame to launch themselves into the public spotlight. In turn, through their celebrity brands and digital presence both populists such as the U.S. President Donald Trump and left-wing leaders including U.K. Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn have established an “authenticity” in which they “occupy” a public space to define their candidacies. Consequently, as celebrities and image candidates promote political agendas among target audiences/citizens, it is necessary to reflect upon their significance in election campaigns, policy agendas, and activism. Sophie Christman Lavin and E. Ann Kaplan Ecocinema involves the human gaze looking at cinema through the lens of the environment, in a manner analogous to the way feminists provided the cinematic lens of gender in the 1970s. However, as with feminism, enormous differences pertain in regard to how the ecocinema lens is mobilized. In analyzing films from the late 1800s to the early 21st century, ecocinema studies has evolved to include critical lines of inquiry from perspectives of psychology, feminism, socioeconomics, science, and activism. Research frames used in these inquiries include: setting and landscape in films, ecological analyses of mainstream and independent fictional films, posthuman cinematic representations, transnational and regional, and more recently, trauma in speculative dystopian films. Ecocinema critics analyze films of various types, including Hollywood, independent, transnational, documentary, animated, art cinema, and especially climate fiction (“cli-fi”) films. Ramachandra Guha’s transnational typology of environmental ideologies will provide a useful starting place for the mapping of different perspectives in ecocinema. Guha distinguished utopian wilderness environmentalism, pervasive in the United States, from the agrarian focus typical in India. Meanwhile, most developed nations utilize scientific industrial methods to exploit the environment. Oftentimes, these latter approaches are grounded in growth economies and are thus in conflict with the unrealistic ideals of so-called neo-primitivism (NP). Neo-primitivism involves returning to simple, sustainable lifestyles within or close to the natural world—lifestyles that do no environmental damage. NP is beloved by many, but the consensus is that it is idealistic to consider going back to this way of life. A film such as Avatar (produced and directed by James Cameron in 2009) addresses the complexity of diverse constructions of nature by providing examples of utopian wilderness ideology that compete with, and are opposed to, the destructive scientific industrialism that disregards and dominates nature without compunction. Other films, such as Amazon Sisters (Sweeny, 1992), Elemental (Koch, Roshan, & Vaughan-Lee, 2012), Into the Wild (Blocker, Hildebrand, Kelly, & Penn, 2007), or Grizzly Man (Beggs & Herzog, 2005), act as simultaneous celebrations and critiques of wilderness ideologies and deal with gender and racial identities, and thus they have been a central focus of ecocinema scholarship. Although films from all genres have historically engaged environmental issues, it was rarely in a way that made a self-conscious or critical statement about the human impact on the natural world from the perspective of ecological concerns—this is the focus of ecocinema. See for example, Birt Acres’s Rough Sea at Dover (1895), the Lumiere Brothers’ Oil Wells of Baku (1896), Thomas Edison’s Sorting Refuse at Incinerating Plant, NYC (1903), and the British South Africa Company’s Rhodesia To-Day (1912). In the early 21st century, the genre that most often engages with the contemporary politics of climate change is the documentary. Documentaries, such as An Inconvenient Truth (Guggenheim, 2006), Manufactured Landscapes (Baichwal, 2006), Into Eternity (Eskilsson & Madsen, 2010), Chasing Ice (Ahrens & Orlowski, 2012), E-Waste Tragedy (Esteve, Popp, Úbeda, & Dannoritzer, 2014), This Changes Everything (Cuarón & Lewis, 2015), among others, critique human damage to the planet and thus position viewers as ethical witnesses. Such works hope to influence the outcome of our shared anthropocentric future. The analyses of ecocinema are addressed using two distinct methods—the macro and the micro. The macro method studies how films represent the large-scale processes of earth-based climate systems, and its lens evaluates how films represent climate and environmental dilemmas facing humans as a species. The micro-lens provides enhanced analyses that explore how gender, race, and class figure into the cultural work climate fantasies perform. This lens indexes the ways in which various cultures are often disproportionately impacted by climate systems. 1 Oftentimes the macro and micro levels are both incorporated in a single film and reveal the intersection between climate and culture, as seen in Taklub (Trap, Castillo & Mendoza, 2015), a film that portrays Super-typhoon Haiyan and its impact on residents in Tacloban, Philippines. As background to mapping the texts, evolving science discourses will be emphasized as evidence for global warming but with the understanding that this evidence relies on modeling. Although our main concern with this cultural work in ecocinema is how climate change impacts across gender, race, and class, the inequalities revealed also speak to the politics of climate change evident in cinematic treatments of the issue. Roxanne L. Parrott, Amber K. Worthington, Rachel A. Smith, and Amy E. Chadwick The public, including lay members who have no personal or familial experience with genetic testing or diagnosis, as well as individuals who have had such experiences, face many intrinsic decisions relating to understanding genetics. With the sequencing of the human genome and genetic science discoveries relating genes to cancer, heart disease, and diabetes, the scope of such decisions broadened from prenatal genetic testing related to reproductive choices to genetic testing for contributors to common causes of morbidity and mortality. The decision about whether to seek genetic testing encompasses concerns about stigma and discrimination. These issues lead some who can afford the cost to seek screening through online direct-to-consumer sites rather than in clinical settings. Many who may benefit from genetic testing lack awareness of family health history that could guide physicians to recommend these diagnostic tests. Families may not discuss health history due to genetic illiteracy, with the public’s genetic illiteracy increasing their illness uncertainty and decreasing the likelihood that physicians will engage in conversations about personalized medicine with their patients. Physicians may nonetheless order genetic tests based on patients’ symptoms, during preoperative workups, or as part of opportunistic screening and assessment associated with a specific genetic workup. Family members who receive positive genetic test results may not disclose them to life partners, other family members, or insurance companies based on worries and anxiety related to their own identity, as well as a lack of understanding about their family members’ risk probability. For many, misguided beliefs that genes absolutely determine health and disease status arise from media translations of genetic science. These essentialist beliefs negatively relate to personal actions to limit genetic expression, including failure to seek medical care, while contributing to stereotypes and stigma communication. As medical science continues to reveal roles for genes in health across a broad spectrum, communicating about the relationships that genes have for health will be increasingly complex. Policy associated with registering, monitoring, and controlling the activities of those with genetic mutations may be coercive and target individuals unable to access health care or technology. Communicating about genes, health, and risk will thus challenge health communicators throughout the 21st century. Elisabetta Crocetti and Monica Rubini A main developmental task for young people is to form a coherent and stable sense of personal and social identity. In fact, in adolescence (from ages 10 to 18), the multiple biological, cognitive, and social changes that occur stimulate young people to rethink about themselves, to reflect on the kind of person they want to become, and to find their own place in the society. Similarly, in emerging adulthood (from ages 19 to 29), young people have the possibility to explore a large array of alternatives in multiple life domains (e. g., education, work, relationships, worldviews) before enacting enduring adult commitments. Process-oriented identity models have been proposed to capture the dynamic process by which young people form and revise their identity over time, committing to relevant life domains, reflecting on their choices, and reconsidering them when they no longer fulfill personal aspirations and/or social expectations. This dynamic process is strongly intertwined with interpersonal and group communication processes. In fact, youth identity formation does not occur in a social vacuum; rather, young people form their identity by means of continuous interactions with significant others and relevant social groups. In particular, in youth, family, peers, and school represent main social contexts in which communication processes are likely to affect young people’s identities. Thus, communication processes are crucial for obtaining identity-relevant information that might foster individuals’ reflection on themselves and processes of social comparisons. Furthermore, through communication processes young people can manage their own reputation, striving to achieve and maintain a good reputation within relevant groups. Individuals’ efforts to enhance reputation are, indeed, important for gaining symbolic (e. g., satisfaction of esteem needs) and instrumental (e. g., the likelihood to be trusted by others and becoming influential) benefits that are important for youth psychosocial adjustment and well-being. Religion encompasses many forms of communication: between groups, within groups, and with God (or other deities). Such communication can be especially powerful when group members highly identify with their religious group and the beliefs therein. Equally, it can be divisive, as evidenced by religion-based intergroup conflict and intolerance (which often overlaps along ethnic or political lines). However, not all religious communication is verbal or explicit. Religious individuals also commonly transmit their beliefs, values, and identities through symbols, physical spaces, and music. Likewise, communication with God is often pursued with silent prayer, meditation, or ritual, which also serve to reinforce one’s spirituality alongside religious group boundaries. Taken together, these varying forms of communication have implications not only for religious intergroup relations (e. g., intergroup contact or conflict), but also for intragroup relations (e. g., the strengthening of social ties) and individual health outcomes (e. g., effective communication with health care providers and coping practices). Given the importance of religious identity for many individuals, the benefits for individual well-being and intragroup relations, and yet the intergroup strife that religious group divisions can incite, the ways in which we communicate our religious group identities deserve closer attention. Robert M. McCann Research into age and culture strongly suggests that people of different adult generations, regardless of culture, typically regard others and act in ways that display bias in favor of one’s own age group. While people across cultures share some basic patterns of aging perceptions, there is considerable variance in views on older people from one country to the next. Over the past two decades, the tenor of communication and aging research has shifted dramatically. Traditional research into aging across cultures painted a picture of Asia as a sort of communicative oasis for elders, who were revered and communicated to by the younger generations in a respectful and mutually pleasing manner. Compelling evidence now suggests the opposite, which is that (interregion variability in results notwithstanding) elder denigration may be more pronounced in Eastern than Western cultures. Accelerated population aging, rural-to-urban shifts in migration, new technologies, rapid industrialization, and the erosion of cultural traditions such as filial piety, may partially account for these results. Additionally, there are well-established links between communication and the mental health of older people. Specifically, communication accommodation in all of its forms (e. g., over accommodation, nonaccommodation, accommodation) holds great promise as a core predictor of a range of mental health outcomes for older people across cultures. Janice L. Krieger and Jordan M. Neil Strategic communication is an essential component in the science and practice of recruiting participants to clinical research studies. Unfortunately, many clinical research studies do not consider the role of communication in the recruitment process until efforts to enroll patients in a timely manner have failed. The field of communication is rich with theory and research that can inform the development of an effective recruitment plan from the inception of a clinical research study through informed consent. The recruitment context is distinct from many other health contexts in that there is often not a behavioral response that can be universally promoted to patients. The appropriateness of a clinical research study for an individual is based on a number of medical, psychological, and contextual factors, making it impossible to recommend that everyone who is eligible for a clinical research study enroll. Instead, clinical research study recruitment efforts must utilize strategic communication principles to ensure that messages promote awareness of clinical research, maximize personal relevance, minimize information overload, and facilitate informed choice. This can be accomplished through careful consideration of various aspects of the communication context described in this chapter, including audience segmentation, message content, message channels, and formative, process, and outcome evaluation, as well as the enrollment encounter. Lisbeth A. Lipari Communication ethics concerns the creation and evaluation of goodness in all aspects and manifestations of communicative interaction. Because both communication and ethics are tacitly or explicitly inherent in all human interactions, everyday life is fraught with intentional and unintentional ethical questions—from reaching for a cup of coffee to speaking critically in a public meeting. Thus ethical questions infuse all areas of the discipline, including rhetoric, media studies, intercultural/international communication, relational and organization communication, as well as other iterations of the field. John O. Greene Longstanding interest in communication skill and communication competence is fueled by the facts that people do differ in their social proficiency and that the quality of one’s communicative performance has significant impact on professional and personal success and satisfaction. The related terms “communication skill” and “communication competence” are first defined and distinguished. With this conceptual framework in place, consideration is then given to: (1) taxonomies of interpersonal communication skills, (2) properties of behavior associated with greater effectiveness and appropriateness, (3) the process of adult communication skill acquisition, (4) barriers and impediments to competent communication, (5) essential elements of skill-training programs, and (6) methods of skill and competence assessment. A community of practice (CoP) situated in a health and risk context is an approach to collaboration among members that promotes learning and development. In a CoP, individuals come together virtually or physically and coalesce around a common purpose. CoPs are defined by knowledge, rather than task, and encourage novices and experienced practitioners to work together to co-create and embed sustainable outputs that impact on theory and practice development. As a result, CoPs provide an innovative approach to incorporating evidence-based research associated with health and risk into systems and organizations aligned with public well-being. CoPs provide a framework for constructing authentic and collaborative learning. Jeanne Lave and Etienne Wenger are credited with the original description of a CoP as an approach to learning that encompasses elements of identity, situation, and active participation. CoPs blend a constructivist view of learning, where meaningful experience is set in the context of “self” and the relationship of “self” with the wider professional community. The result is an integrated approach to learning and development achieved through a combination of social engagement and collaborative working in an authentic practice environment. CoPs therefore provide a strategic approach to acknowledging cultural differences related to translating health and risk theory into practice. In health and risk settings, CoPs situate and blend theory and practice to create a portal for practitioners to generate, shape, test, and evaluate new ideas and innovations. Membership of a CoP supports the development of professional identity within a wider professional sphere and may support community members to attain long range goals. Copyright is a bundle of rights granted to the creators of literary, artistic, and scientific works such as books, music, films, or computer programs. Copyright, as one of the most controversial areas of communication law and policy, has always been the subject of political contention; however, debates surrounding the subject have reached new levels of controversy since the 1990s as a result of the new formats of creative works made possible by digital media, and as a result of the new practices of authorship, creativity, consumption, collaboration, and sharing that have arisen in light of networking and social media. Technological change has not been the only driving force of change; social and political change, including changing concepts of authorship, the recognition of the rights of women and indigenous peoples, and the changing structures of international relations and international civil society, have also been reflected in copyright law. Copyright policymaking has become an increasingly internationalized affair. Forum-shifting has contributed to the proliferation of regional and international copyright policymaking forums under the rubric of stand-alone intellectual property institutions such as the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), as well as under institutions dedicated more broadly to international trade negotiations. Communication scholars and others have contributed extensively to the field of copyright and intellectual property law. Communication scholars have made significant contributions in examining the cultural significance, political economy, history, and rhetoric of copyright, drawing on diverse fields that include cultural studies and critical political economy. Communications scholars’ influence in the field of copyright scholarship has been significant. Irina A. Iles and Xiaoli Nan Counterfactual thinking is the process of mentally undoing the outcome of an event by imagining alternate antecedent states. For example, one might think that if they had given up smoking earlier, their health would be better. Counterfactuals are more frequent following negative events than positive events. Counterfactuals have both aversive and beneficial consequences for the individual. On the one hand, individuals who engage in counterfactual thinking experience negative affect and are prone to biased judgment and decision making. On the other hand, counterfactuals serve a preparative function, and they help people reach their goals in the future by suggesting effective behavioral alternatives. Counterfactual thoughts have been found to influence an array of cognitive processes. Engaging in counterfactual thinking motivates careful, in-depth information processing, increases perceptions of self-efficacy and control, influences attitudes toward social matters, with consequences for behavioral intentions and subsequent behaviors. Although it is a heavily studied matter in some domains of the social sciences (e. g., psychology, political sciences, decision making), counterfactual thinking has received less attention in the communication discipline. Findings from the few studies conducted in communication suggest that counterfactual thinking is a promising message design strategy in risk and health contexts. Still, research in this area is critically needed, and it represents an opportunity to expand our knowledge. Creating Authentic and Lasting Community Relationships to Enhance Awareness and Understanding of Cancer Research Linda Fleisher, Evelyn González, and Armenta Washington Building and sustaining relationships fundamentally requires mutual trust based on authentic and reciprocal communication. Successful academic and community partnerships require a deep understanding of the needs of all stakeholders facilitated through dialogue and ongoing communication strategies. This dialogue is especially crucial to address health disparities and bridge the divide between academics and other professionals and the communities they serve. Innovative and sound health communications and community engagement approaches can help to address this divide. For those working with communities to improve health, Community Based Participatory Research (CBPR) principles can serve as a compass to guide those efforts of building on the strengths and resources within the community and ensuring co-learning to address social inequities. Moreover, using innovative and interactive health communication strategies, such as community forums, photovoice projects, and the development of culturally sensitive and relevant messaging, can empower and engage the community, facilitating long-lasting relationships between the academic institutions and communities that ultimately address the unique concerns and values of those most in need. Adrienne Shaw, Katherine Sender, and Patrick Murphy Critical audience studies is the branch of media research primarily concerned with what people do with the media they consume, rather than on the supposedly negative effects of media on people. Critical audience studies has long drawn on “ethnographic ways of seeing” to investigate the everyday uses of media in myriad contexts. This area of audience research has had to define who and what constitutes “an audience,” where audiences are located, and how best to understand how people’s lives intersect with media. Changes in media production and distribution technologies have meant that texts are increasingly consumed in transnational and transplatform ways. These changes have disrupted historical distinctions between producers and audiences. Critical cultural approaches should be considered from a largely qualitative perspective and look at feminist and global reception studies as foundational to the understandings of what audiences might be and how to study them. Taking video game players as a boundary example, we need to reconsider how contemporary media forms and genres, modes of engagement, and niche and geographically dispersed media publics affect audiences and audience research: what, or who, is an audience, how can we understand it, and through what methods might we research it now? Marouf Hasian Jr. Critical studies of humanitarian discourses involve the study of the arguments, claims, and evidence that are used to justify intervention or non-intervention in key local, regional, national, or international contexts. These discourses can take the form of arguing over whether we should practice isolationism and not intervene in the sovereign affairs of other countries, or they can take the form of deliberations over the transcend needs of populations that cope with myriad disasters. In some cases these discourses are produced by foreigners who believe that the less fortunate need to be rescued from their misery, while at other times humanitarian discourses can be used in discussions about the human rights of the disempowered. Nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), nation-states, celebrities, medical communications, and militaries are just a few of the rhetors that produce all of these humanitarian discourses.

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Every day children and young people are accessing mainstream pornography on the internet, including the most hardcore, violent and abusive images. Evidence clearly shows pornography has a detrimental impact on children and young people including premature sexualisation, negative body image and unhealthy notions about relationships. This cannot be allowed to continue. Despite parental concerns and the use of computer filters in the home, the rapid rate at which communications technology is developing, including convergence of the internet on televisions/ games consoles and mobile phone technology, makes it increasingly difficult for parents/ carers to supervise their children's use effectively. Massive profit-driven competition is harming the vulnerable. To better protect children and young people we are calling on Internet service providers to block pornography by introducing filters at Internet service provider level. This will still give adults the choice to access pornography whilst giving children the freedom to surf the internet safely. Internet becoming integral part of family life in the UK - Approximately 73% of British households now have access to the Internet. (ONS - Internet Access, August 2010) - 99% of 12-15 year olds, 93% of 8-11 year olds, and 75% of 5-7 year olds use the Internet regularly ( Ofcom, March 2010). In fact, 74% 5-16 yr olds have own laptop or PC; almost 58% of 5-16 yr olds can now access the internet in their own room (ChildWise Monitor 2012). - Internet controls or filtering software is in place in only 39% of households where a child aged 5-15 uses the internet at home (Ofcom ‘Children and parents: media use and attitudes report’ – October 2011). Children and young people accessing pornography at an alarming rate - The single largest group of internet pornography consumers is children aged 12-17 (Psychologies Magazine). - 1 in 3 10 year olds have seen pornography online (Psychologies Magazine 2010) - 81% aged 14-16 regularly access explicit photographs and footage on their home computers. (Psychologies Magazine 2010) Harmful impact of pornography on children and young people Dr Linda Papadopolous, "The evidence gathered in the review suggests a clear link between consumption of sexualized images, a tendency to view women as objects and the acceptance of aggressive attitudes and behaviour as the norm. " (Home Office report into the sexualisation of children 2010). John Carr, Children's Charities Coalition on Internet Safety, "In recent years there has been a very dramatic increase in child pornography images made by children and then distributed online or via phones. We have an exhibitionist, celebrity-dominated culture and it's seen as normal and cool to be a porn star. " (Stella magazine) Author Mark Kastlemann said, "Giving porn to a teenage boy is like giving crack to a baby. Addiction is almost guaranteed. No wonder boys aged 12-17 are the porn industry's core target. " (came in a presentation given by Richard Bach to an Anglican Mainstream Conference last year) "Overall, the body of research on pornography reveals. It functions as a teacher, permission-giver, and a trigger of. negative behaviours and attitudes. The damage is seen in men, women and children, and to both married and single adults. pathological behaviours, illegal behaviours and some behaviours that are both illegal and pathological. " Mary Anne Layden, Director of Sexual Trauma and Psychological Program, University of Pennsylvania 2010 'Studies cite alarming links between early exposure to pornography and juvenile sex offenders; one study of 30 young sex offenders showed that 29 had been watching X-rated porn from age of 7' (Sunday Telegraph Stella Magazine, 27 November 2011 Facts about the pornography industry and Internet service providers - The pornography industry was worth $96bn (£61bn) in 2006 (reference - ‘Pornland’). In the UK alone, it is estimated to be worth £1bn (Adult Industry Trade Association - 2005) - One of the aims of the porn trade summit, XBIZ EU (2), held in London in September 2011 was ‘to monetize the expanding audience of mobile users. ’ - The top six UK Internet Service Providers(all UK based) account for over 90% of market share. Yet : only one of them, TalkTalk is willing to block pornographic content at network level, although the default setting is still on, despite the technology being avaialble to do so. The problem with mobile phones - 61% of children aged 7 -16 have a mobile phone that can access the internet, rising to 77% among 11-16s (ChildWise Monitor 2012). - Nearly 9 out of 10 children had no security settings on their phones and only 46% of parents were aware that they were even necessary (YouGov Carphone Warehouse Jan 12 ). - Sexting - 40% of 11 - 14 yr olds have used their mobile phones or computer to send pictures of themselves or receive naked or topless images of friends (SW Grid for Learning Mar 11) Pornography has detrimental impact on relationships and the family - Counsellors working for Relate report that use of internet porn is a cause of tension and conflict for as many as 40% of their clients who come to them seeking help with sexual problems. Referrals to the Portman Clinic for the problematic use of pornography have increased from 9% in 2001-2 to 16% in 2007-8. - General public agree pornography is harmful to society - A YouGov poll in February 2011 found that 93% of Women and 73% Men (83% average total) felt that the ease with which pornographic content can be viewed on the internet is damaging to children. HOW YOU CAN GET INVOLVED - Sign the petition - Contact your local MP - Tell your family and friends To protect children I call on the Government to force Internet Service Providers to make accessing pornography an adult only opt-in service. Help us get the word out, support the Safety Net Campaign by donating now

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Creating a Logo for RAGTIME Procedures for Teachers is divided into three sections: -- Preparing for the Lesson. -- Conducting the Lesson. -- Managing Resources and Student Activities. As preparation for this lesson, find print resources (posters, books, playbills) related to theater past and present. Show these to the students and exhibit them in the classroom. Ask students to bring in theater memorabilia from home to share with the class. Students should be familiar with RAGTIME, the musical or the book, or with the PBS program CREATING RAGTIME. If you videotaped CREATING RAGTIME, shown on PBS in January, 1998, students should view the tape. The following sites should be bookmarked: Read this page to get an overview of the musical and some of the challenges faced by the production team (Director, Musical Director, Choreographer, Designer) in mounting this show. CREATING RAGTIME Resources A collection of links useful for this lesson. A place to get ideas for this lesson. Theater Art Search Visit this page to search for posters of other shows as inspiration and examples. Do a search for the musical RAGTIME and view the Playbill cover. Students can also browse theater art, playbill covers, billboards, and production photos here. Visit this site to see samples of professional graphic design. Included here are examples of posters, programs, T-shirts, mugs, and caps. You will need at least one computer with Internet access to complete this lesson. While many configurations will work, we recommend: -- Modem: 28. 8 Kbps or faster. -- Browser: Netscape Navigator 3. 0 or above or Internet Explorer 3. 0 or -- Macintosh computer: System 7. 0 or above and at least 16 MB of RAM. -- IBM-compatible computer: 386 or higher processor with at least 16 MB of RAM, running Windows 3. 1. Or, a 486/66 or Pentium with at least 16 MB of RAM, running Windows 95. For more information, visit What You Need to Get Connected in wNetSchool's Internet Primer. If students have access to a scanner, they could draw with traditional tools and then scan in the image. Any decent graphics program that handles text manipulation can be used. Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator are preferred, but KidPix, Canvas, TypeStyler, and CorelDraw could be used as well. Time Allotment: 3-5 periods (after video has been viewed). Discuss what a metaphor is with the students. To help facilitate this discussion, have students do the following exercise in abstraction from the Dakota Writing Project (http://www.usd.edu/engl/potter97ar1.html): Send about five students out of the room. Pick a color (red works well) and have the class brainstorm items and images that conjure up that color for them (blood, lips, ketchup etc. ). Make a list of these items on the board. Have the 5 students come back in and view the list. Their task is to guess what the class was discussing. When the students have guessed, discuss how the items on the list represent the abstract concept of a color in concrete ways. Discuss how designers use metaphors to visualize a graphic image that can serve as the logo for the poster, program, or T-shirts related to a production. After careful script analysis and background research, the designer tries to formulate, in words, a metaphor encompassing the overarching theme and meaning of a play. Some plays immediately suggest metaphors and graphic images, for instance THE GLASS MENAGERIE by Tennessee Williams, or THE MOUSE TRAP by Agatha Christie. Students should view THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA T-shirt (link to this from the T-shirt collection at Boutique Items) to see an example of a graphic image that is intricately connected to the meaning of the play: This image is so recognizable that the T-shirt doesn't even use letters or words, but relies on the image of the opera mask alone to convey meaning. Have students work in pairs or small groups to decipher the meaning of this image. Another example of the use of graphic images is the MISS SAIGON T-shirt. (Link to this from the T-shirt collection at Boutique Items.) Another approach to designing the logo/graphics for a show is to turn the letters into pictures. For example the INTO THE WOODS poster (linked to from the poster collection at Boutique Items): Here the letters and words of the title form a picture of the woods itself. Other examples of this approach are the JEKYLL AND HYDE logo -- where the handwriting becomes progressively more bizarre as we scan across the letters, and ends dripping with blood -- or BRING IN DA NOISE, BRING IN DA FUNK, where the letters are arranged in a way to suggest noise and funk in visual terms. (Link to this example from the poster collection at Boutique Items.) Have students begin to work on creating their logo for RAGTIME, using the information in the Student Pathway. If you do not have access to a sufficient number of computers for each student, students could use conventional art supplies and materials (collage, paints, ink As a final culmination, display the students' work. You could print out some particularly good examples and have students view them and discuss why they worked so well. Work may also be submitted to the wNetSchool Student Gallery. Working in Groups If you have access to one computer in your classroom, you can organize your class in several ways. Divide your classroom into two groups. Instruct one of the groups to do paper research while the second group is working on the computer. Bring in books, magazines, etc. , from the library for the group doing paper research. Lead the group working at the computer through an Internet search or allow the students in the class to take turns. (It may be efficient to have a set of bookmarks ready for the students before they start working on the computer. ) When the groups have finished working, have them switch places. Look for Web Resources Together as a Class If you have a big monitor or projection facilities, you can do an Internet search together as a class. Make sure that every student in your class can see the screen. Go to a search engine page, allow your students to suggest the search criteria, and do an Internet search. Again, bookmark and/or print the pages that you think are helpful for reference later. Using a Computer Lab A computer center or lab space, with a computer-to-student ratio of one to three, is ideal for doing Web-based projects. Generally, when doing Web-based research, it is helpful to put students in groups of three. This way, students can help each other if problems or questions arise. It is often beneficial to bookmark sites for students ahead of time and make suggestions. This way, you can be sure that students have a starting point. Submit a Comment: We invite your comments and suggestions based on how you used the lesson in your classroom.

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In South Carolina we have a few colonies of a very rare bird. The Red cockaded wood pecker is a bird on the endangered list and I have heard some conservationist say it may be the next bird to go extinct. But here in SC we are making strides in re-establishing larger numbers of the Red-cockaded woodpecker. The birds can be found in the southern coastal states. The numbers are increasing across the entire range thanks to management efforts. In 1993 only approximately 4700 clusters were found throughout the US. In 2006 that number had increased to 6100. The bird is medium sized and has white cheeks. It is basically black with white spots on the wings and some white. The only color is a tiny red feather or two above the eyes of the male. However even that is hard to see. Red-cockadeds’ are specialized nesters. They nest in old pines generally a hundred years old or older. The tree must suffer from red heart disease so as to soften the heart of the tree for easier excavation. Small holes are drilled around the entrance. Sap weeps from the holes to create a very sticky barrier to snakes, squirrels etc. . They nest in tight communities and cooperate in excavating the nest cavity. More than one family will work on drilling the cavity and it may take up to six years before it is used. Again, more than one family will care for raising the nestlings. Nature is grand and we would love to help you enjoy it. We are the Backyard Bird Feeding Specialist and can help you attract the birds you want to your backyard. Give us a call at Wild Birds Unlimited on Forest Drive. 782-5700

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Better Students Ask More Questions. What is the best approach for developing a story idea? I am capable of some good. . . 5 Answers | add yours High School Teacher You'll probably receive a wide range of English teacher answers for this one, but personally speaking, the first step I would advise is finding a prewriting method that works best for you. Outlining is one positive way to organize your writing thoughts, while clustering or webbing is a technique used mostly by writers who are more visual, mentally speaking. Another technique you may wish to try is freewriting. This will allow you to get words on paper, and then later you can worry about structure and organization. Any of the above techniques serve as good starting points. You may wish to try several, and see which one works best for you. Graphic organizers are also handy for this task. Posted by engtchr5 on May 31, 2009 at 8:42 AM (Answer #2) Middle School Teacher Another valuable technique that many professional writers use is to carry around a small notebook and jot down interesting things that happen, that they see, that someone says, etc. Reviewing this can often spark ideas. Personally, I find that I get ideas most often when I just sit down to write for 45 minutes or so. Often at the start I can't think of anything! However, if I just start writing about how I can't think of anything, before you know it I'm onto something. Finally, I have sometimes gotten ideas from my dreams. However, I find it frustrating to try to capture too much from dreams -- I can never seem to recreate the whole story. Posted by cburr on May 31, 2009 at 9:31 AM (Answer #3) (Level 1) Adjunct Educator I realize this is an old post now, but it's an interesting question so I'd like to revive it. I think that what engtchr5 says about a prewriting technique that works for you is key. After that, you have to find a method of story-building that works for you, as well. First, make sure you know what constitutes a short story (versus a scene, say, or a short-short). What makes a short story what it is has a lot to do with its composition. (A great way to get a handle on this is to copy out, by hand or typing, a story you really like, imagining you're the writer. Deconstructing successful models of stories is the most hands-on way to get the feel of what it should be. ) My writing professor often tells us, "scenes are the building-blocks of stories. " The Aristotelian model of the story - beginning, middle, and end - is a good place to start when fashioning a storyline. . . but you don't have to come up with the elements in that order. As far as "taking the parts and making them fit into an actual story" goes, for example, I would try imagining your characters in their setting (since you say this is one of your strengths) and try to picture the ending. For a Carver-esque story, for example, picture two of your characters in a moment of reconciliation (one might reach out, physically, to help the other somehow). For a Wolff- or Salinger-style story, picture one of your characters having a revelation of sorts. Et cetera. The key is to picture an action that embodies these states of mind, and then build the scene around that. Then I would go back and build the scenes needed to set this scene up, and to make it important. "Show, don't tell" really is the best advice on writing fiction well. Posted by jhutchin on February 27, 2010 at 10:05 AM (Answer #4) High School Teacher If characters and setting are your strengths, certainly start there. What you need then is to discover/create some sort of conflict for these characters to encounter. You certainly have to follow your own idiosyncratic creative process, but one thing that has worked for me is to scan the newspaper for such conflicts. Morbid as it might sound, obituaries are often great sources for such conflicts. Once you have identified a potential conflict, then begin to think about how it might fit with your characters and setting. Good fiction is often a blend of the factual and the imagined. Posted by copelmat on May 5, 2010 at 6:49 AM (Answer #5) Th best approach for developing an idea is definitely to state which is the main idea of the story, and web out at least 5 instances in the story which will back up this theme. This could be 5 causes and effects, 5 dialogues, 5 problems and solutions et al. If you go to freeology. com there are hundreds of webs for writers to map out their main ideas and add supporting details. Quite helpful too! Posted by herappleness on May 5, 2010 at 7:03 AM (Answer #6) Related QuestionsSee all » Join to answer this question Join a community of thousands of dedicated teachers and students.

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What are Full Sunlight Spectrum Bulbs? Full spectrum light bulbs are designed to emit light corresponding mainly to the visible portion of the solar spectrum. In order to have a more accurate reproduction of the sunlight spectrum, these lamps need to produce infrared and ultraviolet light as well. In practice, however, no lamp can accurately reproduce the sunlight spectrum. Neither the continuous wavelength spectrum, nor the intensity of each wavelength, can be matched exactly. However, the artificial light of some bulbs can resemble the natural balanced light and have the same beneficial effect on humans. Color Rendering Index (CRI) and the Color Temperature The CRI or Color Rendering Index is a measure of the bulb’s ability to reproduce the colors of an object in comparison to the colors observed in natural light. This ability is measured with an index rating ranging from 0 to 100, where the value 100 corresponds to the color rendering of sunlight. A bulb with a minimum of 90 CRI is thought to reproduce sunlight quite satisfactorily. The Color Temperature is another quantitative measure indicating the type of spectrum. For the solar spectrum the temperature is T = 5800K and a bulb of 5500K is thought to be an excellent full spectrum light bulb. Different Types of Sunlight Lamps As discussed above, full sunlight bulbs cannot reproduce the exact sunlight spectrum. However, there are available commercial bulbs that approximate this spectrum to a very satisfactory degree. Although incandescent light provides us with a smooth and continuous spectrum, a 100 Watt standard incandescent bulb has a color temperature of only 2850K with a high proportion of yellow and red color. A type of incandescent bulb coated with neodymium is marketed as sunshine lamp, although the color temperature is far less than the limit of 5000K. However, it is important to note that the visual spectrum of the human eye does not fit the solar spectrum. So, these lamps may actually be beneficial, although not matching the sunlight. Compact Fluorescent Lamps or CFLs are more versatile. They are available in a wide range of temperatures reaching the values of 5000 and 6000K as well. Fluorescent lamps display continuous spectra combined with discrete lines or spikes. The availability of such a wide range of CFLs is due to the mix of phosphors inside the tube. Each of them emits a discrete color, thus the addition of extra phosphors increases the CRI of the lamp (~80) along with its price. LEDs can also be used to mimic the natural sunlight through a device called the “LED solar simulator. ” Although LED technology is very promising, no real market exists on this area yet. Other types of lamps, such as the Mercury-Vapor lamps and High Intensity Discharge lamps (HID), may have good color temperature but their light spectrum appears fractured. Comparison of an Incandescent and Two Fluorescent Bulbs of Different Temperatures or Colors Benefits of Full Sunlight Lamps But is there any need for full sunlight lamps? The use of full spectrum lightning has a range of benefits, as claimed by the manufactures and possibly other supporters of this technology. The degree of these benefits depends on the manufacturing quality and the matching degree to the solar spectrum: - People that suffer from SAD or Seasonal Affective Disorder, find overcast days and low intensity light extremely depressive. These people are in need of light therapy in order to help them feel more energetic and vigorous. Sunlight lamps are thought to improve a condition like this. - Full spectrum lightning is believed to be beneficial when used in workspaces, offices and other close spaces, since it can increase an individual’s productivity and effectiveness - It reduces eyestrain, headaches, and stress, especially during studying or performing another similar task. - It is used in museums, art galleries and similar places where color discrepancies are very important in enhancing the aesthetic effect of the art works being displayed. The Spectrum of a Compact Fluorescent Bulb How to Choose a High Quality Sunlight Spectrum Bulb The quality of such bulbs is highly dependent on the manufacturing company. When choosing full spectrum bulbs, their specifications should be thoroughly examined. First of all, the lighting design engineer (or the consumer) must pay attention to the spectrum graph of the lamp. The spectrum must be as continuous as possible, without any discontinuities or spikes on the line of the spectrum graph. These lamps also emit infrared and ultraviolet wavelengths, which should be blocked by protective filters, in order to be safe for commercial use. Finally, the inexpensive and very popular "cool white" bulbs have low values of CRI and color temperature. They are not true full spectrum light bulbs and can cause eyestrain problems. - “Electromagnetic Spectra of Light Bulbs”, L.D.Roper & M. Rosenzweig - Spectral Power Distribution Curves, GE Lighting - Color Temperature, Cyber College Internet Campus

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The smart use of fertilisers could help reduce global dependence on pesticides in agriculture, and slow the trend of pests developing resistance to the chemicals meant to control them, new research suggests. Researchers at UWA's Institute of Agriculture and School of Animal Biology say developing new pesticides has become too expensive, with companies forced to undertake extensive health and environmental testing. An aging workforce in the agriculture sector combined with increased labour costs and larger farms means not only are there less chemicals available, but the ways they are applied are also becoming less efficient. Lead researcher Associate Professor Christian Nansen says his team is looking at ways to stem the reliance on pesticides by enabling farmers to manipulate the likelihood of where pests will be. "That's where the smart use of fertilisers comes in. We want to demonstrate how we can use fertilisers to create parts of the paddock more likely to be susceptible to pests so we know where to look for them," A/Prof Nansen says. "Crops become highly susceptible to pests when they are under stress, and can be used as a tool to prevent pests becoming a problem in certain sections of the field. "If we don't find them in the places where they are most likely to be, then we don't need to go any further. If they are found, we spray and ensure we get good coverage of the area before they spread to the rest of the crop. "We want to maintain the high performance of the available pecticides. So we only use them when we absolutely have to. " The team conducted choice experiments where winged aphids were allowed to choose between canola plants grown on different fertiliser regimes. Researchers say they observed a clear preference for plants that had less fertliser, particularly potassium. "If we gave them too much or too little potassium, those plants were preferred over the ones that had a medium range potassium. "And this is very interesting here in WA, where we have large areas of potassium deficient soils. It's already a part of WA growers' strategy to apply further potassium. But they had maybe not thought of it as part of that pest management strategy," A/Prof Nansen says. A/Prof Nansen says they've received interest from grower groups to expand research. "It is still at experimental plot and lab stage, but there is plenty of literature out there supporting this innovative approach to insect pest management. " Explore further: Fertilisers play key role in reducing crop pests

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They are also referred to as zeros. You’re able to make different factor trees to discover the identical prime factorization. Nevertheless, you may apply it if you’re multiplying a fourth root with a different fourth root. Add to locate the perimeters of polygons on such worksheets. https://www.essay-company.com/ Learn how to balance simple algebraic equations and discover the worth of variables. Finding the Best What Is a Math Factor The school’s mathematics degree students are in a position to conduct original research, and although it is not required, it’s highly encouraged. For instance, you could grow to be an actuary, a career field which uses math and statistics to analyze and estimate the price of risk. They teach quantitative and reasoning skills that may be placed to work in an assortment of high-paying professions. https://www.temple.edu/about/temple-momentum In the event the radicand isn’t an ideal power, then you still may be able to factor it into part that is an ideal power. I don’t have any problems. The top term is merely 1, so this is the easy case of factoring. We expect a broad range of different mathematical strategies to approach the issue. It’s not designed to be a whole list. The below plot indicates a great deal of distinct models for an enormous grid of lambda values. Take into consideration the numbers it’s possible to multiply with each other to get to 8. In reality, a number is regarded as a square number only as long as it is possible to arrange that variety of points in a square. Include the maximum number of occurrences of each prime aspect that’s common to every original number. There is an assortment of numbers given. The Advantages of What Is a Math Factor A few foreign participants might be accepted. You’ll also have to consider the basic requirements to realize that you are qualified for registration in the training course. The math is simple when you just have one disability buy essay online rating to look at. These programs are made to allow students to pursue their interests. This department is comparatively small with just ten to fifteen majors graduating every year. The Advantages of What Is a Math Factor The new interface is fantastic and the additional functionality takes it to a brand-new level. It’s possible for you to receive a very good score only as long as you get a great score in math section. However, this isn’t true for an arbitrary waveform, which might not be periodic or continuous. You will certainly understand the improvement in your timing this moment. If you are aware of how to control time then you’ll surely do great in your exam. Again keep an eye on Timing. But additionally, it is good to be in a position to use a calculator that takes all these factors under consideration. A simple approach to consider squares and square roots is by way of a geometric strategy. Check these new variables to find out if they’re prime. A few of these programs aren’t typically found at other schools, like the Mathematics and Philosophy program. This section offers you brief reference. Factors are just numbers you may multiply with each other to find a particular item. You’re able to select various variables to customize these Factors Worksheets for your requirements. That means you may want to use the Combined Ratings Table to ascertain your general rating if you’ve got bilateral disabilities. Here’s a graphic preview for all the Factors Worksheets. The Secret to What Is a Math Factor Line plots are a special sort of number line that represents frequency of information. Like square roots, these are only the opposite of taking the ability of numbers. When writing an expression containing radicals, it’s proper form to place the radical at the conclusion of the expression. Needless to say, there are more lucrative strategies to broadcast music, talk shows and other info. Not all of these are still running, and a few formats will interest you more than others, but all of them are wonderfully mathematical. Have a peek at this hyperlink and you may observe the video of a teacher working through the issue with his class. I’ve collected each of the mathematical podcasts whom I know of here. Interview local politicians and edit them in a podcast about local difficulties. The LCM or least common multiple are available for at least two numbers. It’s also divisible by four. I can’t stress this enough.

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Afro-Peruvian, Afro-Cuban, Afro-Caribbean, Pan-African…there don’t seem to be any limit to the ways that Africa has become hyphenated over the last few centuries of cultural blending and development. UVM music professor Alex Stewart went a long way to sort it all out in last night’s pre-concert talk at Burlington’s Amy Tarrant Gallery. The evening’s concert featured Afro-Peruvian singer/goddess Eva Ayllón, and with a night of traditional valses, festejo, and landó ahead a bit of explanation greatly helped in understanding how all these related but distinct musical styles came together. A few illuminating stats opened the discussion, like the fact that half of Lima’s population was black in the year 1593. By the year 1940 only 0. 47% of the population was black, as intermarriage had become common. It wasn’t really until the mid-1950s with increased international civil rights awareness that Black Pacific* culture was revitalized and recognized for its uniqueness, thanks largely to the efforts of Jose Duran’s Pancho Fierro Dance Company, and brother/sister musicians Nicomedes and Victoria Santa Cruz. The old dances, the traditions and musical language were revisited through the recollections of the elders, and restored with a new infusion of sounds and rhythms. I didn’t get to the concert itself, but Stewart’s compelling pre-show discussion sent me on a late-night dig through my archive to hear some of the sounds he had mentioned. From my own collection, a few recommendations: Coba Coba, a new recording from the contemporary Afro-funk band Novalima; Lima’s own roots folk band Perú Negro; singer/guitarist Chabuca Grande; singer Susana Baca; and Eva Ayllón (who is both a force of nature AND pop culture). * (Stewart generally identifies the “black Pacific” culture with Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, and the Guerrero and Oaxaca regions of Mexico) Tags: Afro-Caribbean, Afro-Cuban, Afro-Peruvian, Alex Stewart, Chabuca Granda, Chabuca Grande, Chile, chilena, Coba Coba, Creole, cueca, festejo, lando, marinara, Mexico Negro, musica Criolla, Novalima, Pan-African, Peru Negro, Son de los diablos, Susana Baca, zama, zamacueca

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The system is based on the reflection of an electromagnetic pulse that is directed on a sensor rod/ cable and reflected by filling material. The electronics integrated into the sensor determines the filling state from the echo time of the pulse and shows this in the display. The electromagnetic pulse is sent out, reflected on the filling material and received again. The echo time of the pulse is proportional to the distance from the surface of the medium. The measurement procedure and the accuracy of the measurement are independent of pressure, temperature, vapor, dust, foam, viscosity, conductivity and pH value. This continuous level measurement for liquids and bulk solids is based on the propagation time measurement of microwave pulses according to the principle of time domain reflectometry (TDR), which are guided along a rod or a rope. A high-frequency pulse is guided along a single conductor, the sensor rod, and reflected by the medium surface. The interface electronics determines the level of the bulk material from the propagation time of the pulse. To a great extent the measuring principle is independent of process influences such as pressure, temperature or moving surfaces.

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Technology trends are rapidly changing according to the needs of people. It is actually the collection of techniques or methods that helps in the production of services or goods or else in scientific innovations. The use and development of basic tools can be considered as the simplest form of technology. Technology can be applied to machines and it takes an input according to the systems use which give rise to technological systems. There are many latest technology trends in 2022 that creates a motion and can even change the technological face of future. Top Technological Trends The technology is being developing day by day and thus the trends becomes outdated and changes are happening in a rapid pace. Thus it is essential to be updated with the current technology trends. Here are the topmost technological trends for the year 2022 which includes :- It is a powerful technology that can even determine the strategies of upcoming future. Here the machines, especially computer systems process with human intelligence including self-correction, learning, reasoning etc. They also perform tasks like image recognition, decision making, most accurate and faster than humans. Artificial intelligence is one part of automation where human assistance is minimum. It can be categorized into two:- Weak AI or Narrow AI is designed for performance of particular task. Virtual personal assistants like Apple Siri can be considered as Narrow AI. Strong AI otherwise called artificial general intelligence which finds a solution for unfamiliar task without human intervention. Artificial intelligence can be considered as a technology trend in business as AI tools present new functionality for business. TYPES OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE - Reactive Machines - Theory of mind - Limited memory Reactive machines do not store ‘memories’ and cannot use past experiences for the determination of future actions. Instead they perceive and analyses possible moves as its own. Deep Blue is an example for reactive machines. In theory of mind, computers are built that perceive to human intelligence. This AI does not even exist yet. Limited memory technology has been used by self-driving cars. Here past experiences can be used for future decisions. But the observations are stored temporarily and for a short period of time. In self-awareness, AI system has a sense of consciousness. Self-aware machines are believed to be the ultimate goal of AI development. This type AI also does not exist yet. There are different applications of artificial intelligence which includes AI in business, AI in health, AI in finance, AI in manufacturing, AI in education etc. Machine learning is an example of artificial intelligence where computers are programmed to learn that are not sequenced or programmed, by discovering patterns and insights from data. Here the system has to learn automatically from experience. There are different methods for machine learning. They includes:- - Supervised machine learning algorithms that are able to provide targets for new input to make predictions about output values. This apply what has been learned in the past, to new data. - Unsupervised machine learning algorithm which is used when the information are not classified. Here, the system explores the data instead of figuring out the right output - Semi supervised algorithms that use both labelled and unlabeled data and are able to improve learning accuracy. - Reinforcement machine learning algorithm interacts with the environment where delayed rewards and trial and error search is the relevant characters. Machine learning creates a huge demand for skilled professionals and its applications are used for pattern recognition, data analytics etc. This can be believed to be a golden stone in the field of computer science. Block Chain is actually the data we can add to but cannot change or take away. They are list of records linked using cryptography and plays a significant role in protecting information such as personal medical data. It can be used to improve the global supply chain and is highly useful. According to Accenture, an application of theory suggests that block chains attained 13. 5% adoption rate in the year 2022. Block chain is also helpful for the protection of art and real estate. The demand for block chain technology has been increasing thus increasing the demand of skilled professionals for different job opportunities. 4. Robotic Process Automation (RPA) Robotic process automation is the use of software for automating business operations and for handling repeatable tasks like queries, transactions, maintenance etc with AI and Machine learning capabilities with the help of robots. There are many RPA tools that shows technical similarities with graphical user interface testing tools. RPA tools include Blue Prism, Ui Path, Work fusion etc and these tools have functional and structural similarity with each other. RPA have many applications in the field of accounting, healthcare, financial services, supply chain management etc. Thus it can be considered to be a trend in software as well as in business. Edge Computing is a distributed computing paradigm which is the processing of data at the edge of the network instead of centralized data processing. They enables mobile computing and internet of things (IoT). Here, the device itself processes the data and increases the network performance by reducing latency. Edge computing technology does not have lag time and thus respond to data instantaneously. It is also used for processing time-sensitive data from remote locations to centralized location acting like mini data centers. Thus Edge computing is one among the top technological trend which is applicable for self-driving cars as well as for starting a business. 6. Virtual reality and Augmented reality Virtual reality is the creation of an environment that can be similar or different from the real world, using computer technology. Here, the users are immersed into the environment and allows to interact with the 3D world. Here the vision is being simulated and creates a 3D environment, eliminating the interactions with the real world. Augmented reality enhances users environment. Here, a computer generated image is superimposed on users view of real world. They works on recognition algorithms to augment sound, graphics etc. This technology is used in GPS systems. Pokemon Go is an example for AR. Both virtual and augmented reality have an important role in marketing, education, entertainment etc and thus is an important trend in 2022 that should be known. Cyber security is the technology designed to protect networks, programs etc from attacks and damages. It protects the usability, integrity and safety of the network. It is very important for the protection of our network from hackers, viruses etc. There are five main types of cyber security that includes critical infrastructure security, network security, cloud security, application security, Internet of things security etc. - Critical infrastructure security consist of cyber-physical systems having infrastructure of electricity grid on networks - Network security protects the internal networks by inhibiting access to it. - Cloud security protects and monitors data in our cloud resources securing users data. - Application security tackles external threats using software and hardware methods and ensure the prevention of unauthorized access. 8. Internet of things (IoT) Internet of things (IoT) refers to critical and non-critical cyber-physical systems or a technology for connecting things or devices via internet. IoT enables the connection of home appliances, cars etc over the internet. The implementation of IoT devices makes digital transformations. IoT has many startup ideas in 2022 for business and have many applications in the field of education, agriculture, logistics etc. These are the 8 top latest technological trends in 2022 that we have to know, which can makeover the face of future.

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FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. -- Since the passage in the 1980s of Flagstaff's comprehensive lighting ordinance, the golden hues of low-pressure sodium lights have come to prevail in Flagstaff skies. They are a response to one of the three key components of the lighting law: minimizing the light spectrum. Some find the glow romantic, others think it dingy. The low-pressure sodium lights are about as energy efficient as the modern technology of LEDs, but they have just a tiny fraction of the impact on night skies. Whereas a white LED emits light across almost the entire light spectrum, from red to blue, low-pressure sodium lights throw out yellow light in just a tiny bandwidth. But as the city looks to celebrate its dark skies, new challenges continue to arise. Until recently, the city had a policy of replacing its old high-pressure sodium lights with the more efficient and dark-sky friendly low-pressure sodium. About 60 percent of the city's street lights are now low-pressure sodium, with the remainder being high-pressure sodium. But in 2012, the city converted streetlights to LEDs on a one-mile stretch of Highway 89 just past the Flagstaff Mall. That caught astronomers' attention. Flagstaff had agreed to take possession of the stretch of highway from the Arizona Department of Transportation under the premise of providing dark-sky friendly road lights. "That lighting was designed right from the get-go using low-pressure sodium," said Chris Luginbuhl, an astronomer at the U.S. Naval Observatory and leading dark skies expert. "The city changed about half in October 2012 to LED. That got our attention and we started a conversation with the city. " The light poles often fail because they were designed for the smaller, high-pressure sodium lights and no engineering went into adding much larger fixtures. Steven Hill, of Flagstaff's Public Works section, told the Flagstaff City Council on Tuesday night that 12 of the light poles had failed on that stretch of Highway 89 the previous winter. Eight more of the poles have failed in the last year, plummeting 40 feet to the ground under wind stress. "To date, none of these assemblies have fallen onto pedestrians or vehicles," Hill said. "However, the failure of streetlight mast arms creates the potential for injury. " The mast arms are about the length of a car. Out of the city's 3,500 streetlights, he estimated that about 3,000 poles might be at risk of failure. Because of that, the city expects a steep rise in maintenance costs in coming years. Hill said the city had the following options: — Modify or replace 3,000 lightpoles at a cost of $1. 5 million to $15 million; — Move to more expensive, less-efficient amber LEDs at a cost of $28 million and higher annual power bills; — Move to filtered LEDs at a cost of $2. 8 million. Astronomers say filtered LEDS are no alternative because their reduction of the light spectrum is only minimal. Amber LEDs are a new technology, but one that could be a solution as the technology advances. It emits light in a narrow spectrum very similar to low-pressure sodium bulbs, but Hill said it was still costly and less efficient. "Are we in danger of these masts randomly falling off poles and perhaps striking someone? " Flagstaff Mayor Jerry Nabours asked at the end of Hill's presentation Tuesday. Hill started to answer by telling the mayor it was impossible to predict whether the poles would fail, but he was cut off by the city attorney urging the city council to enter executive session to discuss the matter in private. Another reason for the turn toward LEDs is that skepticism about longevity has waned in recent years. Many cities are starting to change over in order to save money. But Luginbuhl said cost savings aren't necessarily as significant as advertised. New technology always experiences growing pains. Low-pressure sodium bulbs need to be changed about once every four years and some think LEDs could now last upward of a decade. However, other components could also fail over such a long span, negating the potential savings. Lowell Observatory Director Jeff Hall also made a presentation at Flagstaff City Hall on Tuesday, suggesting that amber lights could be an option as the technology advances. "I was trying to remind them as we come up on the celebration that LEDs by themselves are not the enemy. Amber LEDs are a potential solution," Hall said. He also said that dark skies are worth preserving for a variety of reasons. The astronomy industry is growing in Flagstaff with a massive potential project near Meteor Crater promising more than $100 million in construction if the site is selected. The Naval Observatory is also looking at a major upgrade of its facilities on Anderson Mesa. "LED technology is coming and why shouldn't Flagstaff be out in the lead helping define good dark-sky usage," Hall said. The city of Flagstaff and Lowell Observatory have organized a conference this summer aimed at addressing the problems with LEDs and low-pressure sodium bulbs. The National Park Service, astronomers and lighting industry representatives will also be in attendance. "Flagstaff and (Coconino) County have been astonishingly supportive in the grand scheme of things," Luginbuhl said. "They pay attention. They're serious. That said, it does require constant vigilance. " Added Luginbuhl: "I don't think the challenges we face today are any less solvable than what we've faced in the past. " - Dignity Health World Class People. World Class Company. Excellent care, delivered with compassion, for all in need. Voice For A Better Arizona - Family in Focus KTAR spends the week taking a look at the issues a modern Arizona family faces.

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Along with huge multi-colored TURBO decals that adorned the sides of just about any car, pop-up headlights were the epitome of cool in the 70s and 80s. Adorning a variety of cars over the years, the pop-up headlights were a simple yet awesome pleasure. It took the car’s most anthropomorphic feature, those eye-like headlights, and made them even more human by allowing them to open and shut like drowsy lids. It was something sensational to have a sight of such cars, be it on any magazine, TV/ movies, posters/ stickers or in real life. New headlight technologies and stricter pedestrian safety laws were to blame for their demise. So what exactly were Pop-up headlights? Also known as hidden headlamps, it was a form of automotive lighting and styling feature that concealed an automobile’s headlamps when not in use. The headlamps were typically mounted in a housing that rotate so as to sit flush with the front end and may retract into the hood/ fenders or grille panels, depending on the design. Why Pop-up headlights became popular? Pop-up headlights remained popular because the headlight height requirement during the 1970s was higher than the desired height of a low-slung sports car; the hidden headlamp design allowed manufacturers to get around this rule, raising the lights up to the requisite level while maintaining the aesthetic they wanted. Over the years, such headlamps have appeared on a wide range of car models, not just sports or performance oriented cars but on family sedans as well. For common people, they simply provided a smoother eyeless aesthetic when shut, in contrast to other car designs at the time, and were loved like nothing else. When were they phased out? By 90s, most automakers had stopped developing vehicles with pop-up headlights. Those which were originally designed to have ones, such as the Lamborghini Diablo went through design modifications and its later iterations came equipped with clear headlamps. One of the last vehicles to come equipped with pop-up headlights were the Corvette C5 and the iconic Lotus Esprit. Production of both these cars came to an end in 2004. Why we don’t see pop-up headlights today? There are many reasons why pop-up headlights are no longer part of automobile design and aesthetics. The prime factor being the new design regulations regarding pedestrian safety, that these hidden headlamps have largely become a thing of the past. Related: From the Forgotten Pages of History Some of the other reasons of their departure include: - They were expensive to manufacture. - It is said that when activated, they increased drag and affected the aerodynamic in a negative way. - They consume a vast amount of space in engine bay. - Expensive to maintain & to repair in event of a collision. - Reliability factor, as several additional things could go wrong or break over the life of the car. Cars with pop-up headlights in Pakistan There were a few cars available in Pakistan (imported) that came equipped with pop-up headlights. Such as the Honda Quint Integra, European models of Honda Accord, Mazda RX7 and the Toyota Celica. Some of these great cars from the past can still be found on sale, mostly in sorry condition on OLX. One of the most favorite TV shows of the 80s, the Knight Rider was a sensation back then featuring a Pontiac Firebird Trans Am with pop-up headlights. That car in the TV show was shown as a heavily modified, technologically advanced car with numerous features, controlled by a computer with artificial intelligence. It was loved for its jet black color, flashing red LEDs up front and off course the pop-up headlights! Without any doubt, pop-up headlights were the most fascinating feature of automobile design. As a kid we used to drool over these cars during the 80s and felt proud to have them on our stationary, outfits and bedroom walls. Its indeed something that will always be missed in modern automobile designs. Watch below to know how it was to see them functioning…

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The Earth Science Regents examination is divided into four sections: multiple-choice questions, multiple choice and constructed response questions, constructed response questions, and a laboratory performance exam. Earth Science topics include Composition of the Earth; Mapping; Rocks and Minerals; Weathering, Erosion, Deposition, and Landforms; Earthquakes and Plate Tectonics; Earth History; Meteorology and Climate; and Astronomy. The Chemistry Regents examination includes three sections: multiple-choice questions, multiple-choice and constructed response questions, and extended constructed response questions. Chemistry topics include Atomic Concepts; the Periodic Table; Moles and Stoichiometry; Chemical Bonding; Physical Behavior of Matter; Kinetics and Equilibrium; Organic Chemistry; Oxidation and Reduction; Acids, Bases and Salts; and Nuclear Chemistry. The Physics Regents includes three sections: multiple-choice questions, multiple-choice and constructed response questions, and constructed response questions. The examination covers topics such as Mechanics, Electricity and Magnetism, Kinematics, Energy, Waves, Quantum Theory, and Particle Physics. There are a number of Regents review books and online resources that students can consult throughout the year. In addition, check our course schedule to register for Regents review classes in these and other subjects.

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The idea of an open-plan office was quite noble: break down the walls and create an environment for people to communicate and exchange ideas. It was an attempt to foster cooperation and collaboration, to forget about a company’s strict hierarchy. But what does the open-plan office look like in practice? Well, according to extensive research and employee opinion, it doesn’t look good. Let’s take a closer look at the history of the open-plan office and explore how to make them better spaces for everyday work. The Open Office Origin Story Surprisingly, the concept of an open-plan office is older than we all think. The first open-plan office was designed in 1906 by Frank Lloyd Wright, undoubtedly one of the most important and famous architects of twentieth century, known for designing the Fallingwater House in Pennsylvania and the Guggenheim Museum in New York. When he designed the Larkin Administration Building, he wanted to imitate a factory floor, with one big, main hall where all the work is done. However, the concept was not widely used and the open-plan area mainly housed secretaries and other administrative staff. If you’ve watched the T.V. series “Mad Men,” you probably remember what the office of the Sterling Cooper Agency looked like. It had two main areas: a big open room filled with secretaries’ desks and the surrounding private (often opulent) offices of executives and senior employees like the main character, Don Draper. Interior of Larkin Administration Building, reimagined Source: Frank Lloyd Wright: The Lost Works The Open-Plan Layout: German Roots The open-plan office as we know it today was conceived in Germany and is called Bürolandschaft. The concept was to organize an office space without evident hierarchism (meant to reflect the post-war egalitarian trend in German Society). Putting all employees in the same shared space was meant to show that everyone is equally important and that regular employees were just as substantial as the company’s leaders. The architects of Bürolandschaft also wanted to create a workplace where employees could communicate and cooperate more easily. The removal of solid barriers and walls was meant to enable people to work better as a team. For the same reason, architects replaced the rows of desks with the smaller, organic, and irregular groupings of workspaces. At a glance, it seemed as if the workspaces were randomly placed, but in fact, the location of every desk cluster was calculated and based on work paths and roles within the organization. Why Did the Open-plan Office Become so Popular? The popularity of open-plan offices rose in 2005, when Google reinvented their HQ. Since then, it has become a model for other companies. Businesses wanted to be (or at least appear to be) as innovative as Google, so they did away with cubicles and redesigned their offices to match the open-plan concept. In 2015, Facebook also followed this trend and built the world’s largest open-plan floor that holds 2,800 employees on a 10-acre campus. Googleplex by Clive Wilkinson Architects, 2005 Googleplex by Clive Wilkinson Architects, 2005 The Open-Plan Office: A Drop in Communication Thanks to this recent—and long-lasting—trend, most of us currently work in open-plan offices. In 2014, 70 percent of companies had an open floor plan, according to a survey by the International Facility Management Association. Do we enjoy it? Unfortunately, plenty of employees struggle with common and well-known open-office flaws: a lack of privacy, distractions, and difficulties with communication. A Queensland University of Technology study showed that 90 percent of employees working in offices with an open floor plan experienced increased stress levels and higher blood pressure. In the long term, open-plan offices can also cause burnouts, resignations, and higher turnover rates for companies. What’s more, two different surveys performed in the UK and the US showed that open-plan office implementation actually caused a drop in face-to-face communication by approximately 70 percent and an increase in email and electronic messaging by between 22 and 50 percent. Ironically, the open office’s ambition to foster communication led to quite the opposite. Why did that happen? One of most popular theories says that people working inside an open-plan office create a “fourth wall” for themselves, like an actor separating himself from his audience. It’s an easy way to stave off distractions and focus on the job. But where does it lead? If someone seems to be working intensely while wearing their headphones, we prefer to not interrupt him. Instead, we often decide to send him an email or a message. And from there, the number of notifications only grows. Moreover, we have to remember that building a “fourth wall” is a significant mental effort that can result in increased stress, errors, and frustration. As one Fast Company writer has explained, “When employees can’t concentrate on their work, their desire to interact and collaborate with others is reduced. ” The Open-Plan Office: A Lack of Privacy Although Mark Zuckerberg is famously known for having a desk among his Facebook employees, he is also known for spending most of his time working alone in a conference room. Perhaps he is among the 43 percent of workers for whom a lack of privacy is at the top of the list of problems in the open-plan office. Feeling that we are observed and heard prevents us from expressing our thoughts freely, creates problems when we need to take or make phone calls, and hinders productivity, especially for introverted people. The same survey, conducted by tech PR firm Bospar, showed that 76 percent of workers do not recommend open-plan offices. We can only expect these numbers to rise, as open-plan offices become smaller and more overcrowded. Between 2010 and 2017, the average space per person shrank 33 percent, from 225 to 150 square feet. That means people have less space to themselves and are surrounded by more distractions. But maybe the biggest issue with the concept that all workers should share one, giant room is that companies don’t appreciate the diversity of their employees’ roles and work preferences. Talent diversity can be a company’s biggest asset, but only if it makes an extra effort to ask how it can support all employees and meet their individual needs. Providing each employee with the same work environment, whether a copywriter or an accountant, does not empower them to do their best work. Airbnb Office in Dublin Facebook HQ in Pittsburgh Open Offices: When Are They Effective? Is there any context in which an open-plan office is effective? Well, some studies have shown that an open office can work. According to research performed by Humanyze, open offices are great at encouraging interaction within teams that are creating new products or services. But they are terrible for execution-based tasks, like writing code or performing calculations. In other words, the open-plan concept is great for companies coming up with new ideas, but disastrous for those implementing the ideas. Bearing in mind that both types of teams exist in most organizations, an office that offers a mixed layout, with varied zones designed for different kinds of tasks, might be a suitable solution. How can you design this kind of space? We’ll give you all the advice you need in the next part of this article.

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There are so many designs for toothbrushes. How does anyone know what to select? Here are some tips from a pediatric dentist to make the right decision and get the most out of your purchase. Let's begin with preschoolers. Toothbrushes should have extra soft bristles with small, rounded heads. The handles should be larger for a good grip. Some toothbrushes have rubber on the handle to make them slip-proof. A colored area on the bristles indicating the correct amount of toothpaste to dispense can be helpful. Do not permit your preschooler to chew on his or her toothbrush or run with a toothbrush in his or her mouth. You should do the brushing until six years of age. No toothpaste should be used until after age two. The six-year molars erupt (come in) behind the primary (baby) molars in the back of the mouth. When they begin to erupt, it is time for another toothbrush design. This brush should have a larger head to accommodate the larger permanent teeth and a longer tuft of bristles on the end of the head. As the six-year molars erupt, they are lower than the teeth that are beside them. A toothbrush with a longer set of bristles at the end, an end tuft, is better for cleaning erupting molars. Around age twelve, when the twelve-year molars are erupting, use the same style brush with an end tuft, but the head should be larger. During orthodontic treatment, a toothbrush that can clean around the braces is necessary. These brushes will have a short row of bristles in the center and two longer rows on the outside. They will clean around the brackets more effectively. A tiny brush, called an interdental brush, is used for cleaning areas that are hard to reach. Your orthodontist will instruct you regarding the extras needed for good dental care during orthodontic treatment. All brushes, for all ages, should have soft bristles. Hard bristles are hard on gums. As soon as the bristles look frayed, the toothbrush should be replaced. It is impossible to clean teeth properly with a tattered toothbrush. Replacement may be once a month for some heavy-duty brushers and less often for those with a healthier gentle technique. All toothbrushes should be rinsed thoroughly with hot water before and after brushing. Rinsing toothbrushes has been shown to reduce the growth of bacteria on the bristles between brushing. Toothbrushes should be replaced after any illness. If a strep infection is being treated, the toothbrush should be replaced. The strep grows on the toothbrush and can re-infect your child. When you pick up your prescription, also pick up two new toothbrushes. Begin a new toothbrush 24 hours after the antibiotic is started and begin the second toothbrush upon completion of the antibiotic. The same holds true for acrylic orthodontic appliances. They must be disinfected during a strep infection because strep grows on appliances too. Because viruses and bacteria are growing on the toothbrush bristles during an illness, do not touch the toothpaste tube with the bristles of the toothbrush. Place the toothpaste on a clean finger for transfer, or if the child has herpes, place the toothpaste on a cotton swab for transfer to the toothbrush. What about the power or electric toothbrushes? Do they do a better job of cleaning? Yes, yes, yes! The first electric brush can be used at age six when children begin to do their own brushing. They must be kept clean and the heads should be changed when the bristles become frayed. The head can be soaked in mouthwash containing alcohol for disinfecting if an illness occurs just after starting to use a new brush. Keep all mouthwash out of the reach of children! Bedtime brushing is the most important time of day. Morning brushing may be done before breakfast, but after breakfast is more important. After you have purchased the appropriate toothbrush for your child, the only thing left is for you to say, at least twice each day, USE IT! ! ! By Jane A. Soxman, DDS

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Knee Surgery & Rehabilitation Knock-knees may cause knee pain and limitations, especially as we grow older. The medical term used to describe this problem is valgus and it indicates a malalignment of the lower extremity. Some people are born with knock-knees, but others may develop the problem in just one leg following an injury. The main problem with knock-knees is that osteoarthritis may develop in the outer (lateral) area of the knee, causing pain, swelling, and limitations with recreational sports and eventually, problems with normal activities of daily living. This may be worsened with obesity or overuse of the knee joint, and can become a serious problem if the lateral meniscus (cartilage) is removed. Osteoarthritis may occur from knock-knees because there is an abnormal amount of stress and pressure placed on the outer portion of the knee joint. A good analogy to this problem is the wearing of a portion of a tire on a car that is out of proper alignment. If the alignment is not fixed, the tire will wear out on one side, shortening its expected lifespan. Technically, the term osteoarthritis refers to damage to the articular cartilage in the joint. Articular cartilage is a protective layer of tissue located on the ends of bone that come together in the knee, which are the femur (thigh bone), tibial (shin bone), and patella (kneecap). There is a second type of cartilage in the knee called a meniscus. There are 2 menisci in the knee – a medial (inner) and a lateral (outer). Each meniscus is an important tissue that acts as a cushion between the femur and tibia. E-Book Series Knock-Knees Overall, how advantageous is it to correct knock-knees? We and many other orthopaedic centers believe it is very advantageous to have an osteotomy for a painful knock-knee condition. Studies have shown that femoral osteotomy buys many years before patients need further surgery such as a partial or total knee replacement. This is particularly helpful in younger patients who wish to remain active and avoid knee replacement for as long as possible. Patients who require a lateral meniscus transplant or articular cartilage restoration procedure need to have the knock-knee malalignment corrected first or the other procedure will most likely fail. What are the overall success rates of femoral osteotomy? Overall, we have noted that 70-80% of patients have a significant improvement in their symptoms and knee function. Many can return to recreational sports that allow an active lifestyle for many years after surgery. The majority can do their daily activities without problems. However, we always advise our patients that if there is already arthritis in knee joint that it will progress. About 20% of patients will not have a long-term benefit and may require a partial or total knee replacement. Who are candidates for femoral osteotomy? - Patients aged less than 50 with knock knees, lateral side cartilage damage (not down to bone) with lateral side pain with activity - Patients with knock-knees with a knee ligament injury, before a ligament reconstruction - Patients with knock-knees before a meniscus transplant or articular cartilage procedure Why should I see a sports medicine-trained orthopaedic surgeon? The training of an orthopaedic surgeon involves many years of undergraduate, medical school, and residency education. The specialization of sports medicine involves additional training, usually at an educational center where a fellowship year is completed. This involves advanced training in arthroscopic surgery, required in the treatment of most knee, shoulder, ankle, elbow and sports medicine-related injuries. The sports medicine-trained surgeon also has knowledge of specific rehabilitation and muscle performance issues to safely regain function and return patients to athletics. A sports medicine center combines the disciplines of physicians, physical therapists, athletic trainers, and more to totally heal all aspects of an injury. Who are not candidates for femoral osteotomy? - Patients with bone exposed on the lateral side (> 15 mm x 15 mm area) - Patients who had a prior medial meniscectomy or who have medial cartilage damage - Patients with painful patella arthrosis - Patients in whom lateral compartment depression and concavity prevent medial compartment loading - Patients with poor motivation or unrealistic expectations - Patients who are obese - Patients who had a prior joint infection - Patients who have diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, autoimmune diseases, malnutrition - Patients who have no joint space left in the lateral compartment How soon will I start rehab? In our clinic, patients begin rehabilitation the day after surgery. It is very important during the first week to control pain and swelling, which may be done with appropriate medications, ice, and elevation of the limb. It is also important to “turn on” the muscles in the leg which may be accomplished with the assistance of modalities (such as electrical muscle stimulation) guided by a physical therapist. The early start of knee motion and muscle strength exercises reduces the risk of complications such as excessive scarring and muscle atrophy. Our rehabilitation program lasts for 6 months, but most of the exercises may be done at home or in a fitness facility. Click here to see our physical therapy program after distal femoral osteotomy. What is rate of nonunion that requires subsequent surgery? In our experience, no further bone grafting or surgery for bone healing problems has been required. We believe this was due to the type of fixation we used to stabilize the fracture site. We do inform patients that there is a 1-5% chance of a delayed union that requires the patient to spend a longer amount of time on crutches. What are the published results of femoral osteotomy? Only a few long-term clinical studies have been published on the outcome of distal femoral osteotomy. Four studies followed 136 patients who received a closing wedge femoral osteotomy for 10 years postoperatively. These investigations found the following survival rates (meaning the patients were doing well and had not required total knee replacement): 90%, 87%, 82%, and 64%. To date, 3 studies reported 15-year survival rates after this procedure of 45%, 49%, and 79%. Two studies provided 7-year survival rates after opening wedge femoral osteotomy in 41 patients of 82-91%. We expect in the near future for more data to be published because this technique has gained favor with many surgeons over the last several years. Considering the fact that this operation’s goal is to buy time and provide pain relief with regular daily activities until total knee replacement is required, the 7 and 10-year survival rates justify its use in correctly indicated patients.

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Professor Khorana held a dual appointment in the Departments of Chemistry and Biology from 1970 - 2007. On Tuesday, January 9, 2018, Google.com’s daily Doodle, by Bangalore-based illustrator Rohan Dahotre, honored Har Gobind Khorana, the late Alfred P. Sloan Professor of Biology and Chemistry Emeritus, on what would have been his 96th birthday. The Google Doodle The concept of the Google Doodle originated in 1998, before the company was even incorporated, when Google’s founders, Larry Page and Sergey Brin, tweaked the Google logo to indicate that they were attending the annual Burning Man festival, held in the Nevada desert. In 2000, Page and Brin asked their then-intern, Dennis Hwang (now Google’s webmaster), to design a doodle to elebrate Bastille Day. Today, over 2000 Doodles have been produced for Google’s homepages worldwide. A group of Googlers get together regularly to brainstorm and decide which events will be celebrated with a doodle. The ideas for the doodles come from numerous sources including Googlers and Google users. The doodle selection process aims to celebrate interesting events and anniversaries that reflect Google’s personality and love for innovation. Professor Har Gobind Khorana Khorana’s Google Doodle honor was featured in 13 countries in celebration of Khorana’s signifiant contributions to DNA science. Khorana discovered how a DNA’s genetic code determines protein synthesis — which dictates how a cell functions. This pioneering revelation earned Khorana, along with two colleagues, the 1968 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine “for their interpretation of the genetic code and its function in protein synthesis. ” Following his Nobel honor, Khorana went on to create the world’s first synthetic gene, a “massive leap forward” for the biotechnology sector, and one that has paved the way for current endeavors such as gene editing using CRISPR. In 1970, Khorana joined the faculty at MIT, where he remained, a beloved and active member of the community, until retiring in 2007. He passed away on November 9, 2011, at the age of 89.

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Use It or Lose It! Date: Tuesday 25 November Time: 15:00 GMT Revision's a vital part of the learning process, but busy students can't always be relied upon to do it for themselves! Teachers need to accept the responsibility of starting the revision process in the classroom. Gillie Cunningham offers some practical and fun ideas to help students retain the language they have learnt. Gillie Cunningham has been in ELT since 1973, working mainly for International House and the Bell Educational Trust as a teacher and a teacher trainer. She is an experienced author of adult courses and has also been closely involved with the Cambridge ESOL DELTA examinations. Gillie is also the co-author, with Chris Redston, of the adult course face2face. Thank you for your feedback which will help us improve our service. If you requested a response, we will make sure to get back to you shortly. ×

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Notation: Pitch #¶#g#F#d#DµD#SµS#d#Mf#SµSµg#F œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ Œ music notation is the art of recording music in written form. modern music notation is a product of centuries of transformation. . . and it is neither efficient nor intuitive! the system of musical notation we use is essentially a stylized graph of pitch versus time. pitch is the highness or lowness of a sound. the five lines on which notes appear is called a staff. for example, a flute has a high pitch, while a tuba has a low pitch. œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ time a note is a written representation of a particular pitch. notation is based on the piano keyboard; lines and spaces on the staff represent the white notes on the keyboard. to display notes outside the staff, we use shortened staff lines called ledger lines. F g a b c d e F g a b c d e the white notes on the keyboard are labeled with letters from A to G. B w tenor clef To notate the black notes on the piano keyboard, we use accidentals, which alter the note by one or two half steps. a half step is the distance between two adjacent keys on the piano keyboard, regardless of what color the keys are. ‹ # n b ∫ middle c is the c that is closest to the middle of the piano keyboard. The double sharp raises the note by two half steps. The sharp raises the note by one half step. these symbols are placed to the left of the note that they affect, and they apply to all the notes on that line or space for the rest of the measure. & bœ œ nœ # œ ∫œ œ nœ ‹œ The natural cancels out any previous accidental. The flat lowers the note by one half step. F g a b c d e F g a b c d e The double flat lowers the note by two half steps. two notes which have the same pitch (for example, f sharp and g flat) are called enharmonics. tobyrush. blogspot. com . copyright © 2009 toby w. rush. all rights reserved. the clef determines what notes each staff line corresponds to. the four modern clefs are shown here; the note displayed on each staff corresponds to middle c.

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یک مداخله آموزش مهارت قاب رابطه ای برای افزایش هوش عمومی و استعداد تحصیلی |کد مقاله||سال انتشار||مقاله انگلیسی||ترجمه فارسی||تعداد کلمات| |64975||2016||14 صفحه PDF||سفارش دهید||محاسبه نشده| Publisher : Elsevier - Science Direct (الزویر - ساینس دایرکت) Journal : Learning and Individual Differences, Volume 47, April 2016, Pages 222–235 This study aimed to replicate and extend the pilot findings of Cassidy et al. (2011) which found that teaching children to derive various relations among stimuli leads to increases in the full scale IQ scores of both typically developing children and those with educational and learning difficulties. In Experiment 1, fifteen 11–12 year old children were exposed over several months to an intensive training intervention to improve their understanding of the relations Same, Opposite and More and Less. Significant increases in full scale IQ of around one standard deviation were recorded for each child. In Experiment 2, the same intervention was delivered to thirty 15–17 year old children. Significant increases in verbal and Numerical Reasoning were recorded for almost every child. These findings corroborate the idea that relational skills may underlie many forms of general cognitive ability.

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A discrepancy is defined as ‘a difference between things that should be the same’, as in ‘How do you explain the apparent discrepancy between the two sets of figures? ’ A large or important discrepancy can be big, major, marked, obvious, serious or significant, while an unimportant one can be described as minor, slight or small. Those responsible for discrepancies may be called upon to explain them or account for them or reasons may be found that explain the discrepancies, as in ‘Slight variations in temperature account for the discrepancies in the results of the experiment’. People may notice discrepancies or detect, discover, find or identify them, as in ‘Should you notice any discrepancies in the figures, please notify us immediately so that we can amend our records’. A discrepancy in a set of figures or in a report can be highlighted, pointed out, shown or revealed, as in ‘The report highlights the discrepancy between the official inflation rate of 10% and the estimated ‘true’ rate of 23%’. If a discrepancy arises (or exists or occurs), it is normally necessary to deal with it in some way. Two verbs that collocate with discrepancy with this meaning are correct and resolve, as in ‘The company has been making strenuous efforts to resolve the apparent discrepancy between the service customers were offered when signing up for the scheme and the actual service delivered’.

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The presence of pathogenic antibiotic-resistant bacteria in aquatic environments has become a health threat inthe last few years. Their presence has increased due to the presence of antibiotics in wastewater effluents,which are not efficiently removed by conventional wastewater treatments. As a result there is a need to studythe possible ways of removal of the mixtures of antibiotics present in wastewater effluents and the antibioticresistantbacteria, which may also spread the antibiotic resistance genes to other bacterial populations. In thisstudy the degradation of a mixture of antibiotics i. e. sulfamethoxazole and clarithromycin, the disinfection oftotal enterococci and the removal of those resistant to: a) sulfamethoxazole, b) clarithromycin and c) to both antibioticshave been examined, along with the toxicity of the whole effluent mixture after treatment to the luminescentaquatic bacterium Vibrio fischeri. Solar Fenton treatment (natural solar driven oxidation) using Fentonreagent doses of 50 mg L−1 of hydrogen peroxide and 5 mg L−1 of Fe3+ in a pilot-scale compound parabolic collectorplantwas used to examine the disinfection and antibiotic resistance removal efficiency in different aqueousmatrices, namely distilled water, simulated and real wastewater effluents. There was a faster complete removalof enterococci and of antibiotics in all aqueous matrices by applying solar Fenton when compared to photolytictreatment of the matrices. Sulfamethoxazolewasmore efficiently degraded than clarithromycin in all three aqueousmatrices(95% removal of sulfamethoxazole and 70% removal of clarithromycin in real wastewater). The antibioticresistance of enterococci towards both antibiotics exhibited a 5-log reduction with solar Fenton in realwastewater effluent. Also after solar Fenton treatment, therewere 10 timesmore antibiotic-resistant enterococciin the presence of sulfamethoxazole than in the presence of clarithromycin. - Antibiotic resistance - Solar Fenton oxidation

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Definition of VICTORIAN ERA in the Definitions.net dictionary. Meaning of VICTORIAN ERA. What does VICTORIAN ERA mean? Information and translations of VICTORIAN ERA in the most comprehensive dictionary definitions resource on the web. Victorian era Facts for Kids - Kiddle encyclopedia The Victorian era was the period of Queen Victoria's reign, from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. It was a long period of peace, prosperity, "refined sensibilities" and national self-confidence for the United Kingdom. Some scholars date the beginning of the period in terms of sensibilities and political concerns to the passage . . . Modernism - Literature Periods & Movements In its genesis, the Modernist Period in English literature was first and foremost a visceral reaction against the Victorian culture and aesthetic, which had prevailed for most of the nineteenth century. Indeed, a break with traditions is one of the fundamental constants of the Modernist stance. In the Victorian era, grief was expressed in such a way so that gloom and darkness seem to have been the hallmarks of mourning in the latter part of the 19th century. Death was an acknowledged and public event, and responses to death were at the forefront of the social customs of the time. Mr. Osborne marches onward to victory as he enters the Victorian Age, examining poetry by Thomas Hardy, Alfred Lord Tennyson, both Robert and Elizabeth Barrett Browning, and nothing at all by . . . The Victorian Web (www,victorianweb. org) What is the Victorian Web? What countries does the Victorian Web discuss? Can I use materials from The Victorian Web? Which browsers work best with this site? Are the articles on this site refereed? French version Spanish version How do I cite The Victorian Web? Directions for contributors Contact Web Awards Credits victorian literature Flashcards | Quizlet late-victorian writers turned to a that dangers and benefits of rapid industrialization, while encouraging readers to examine closely their own understanding of the era's progress victorian writing reflects Victorian Era Names, A Writer's Guide It is my humble opinion that using period-correct names can add a certain "ring" to a story. During the Victorian era, Biblical names probably saw the most prevalent and common use, both for boys and girls, to include the familiar names from the New Testaments, and also the tongue-tanglers from the Old. Feminism in Victorian Era Introduction Under the rule of Queen Victoria, the place of the woman was mostly limited within the domestic level; this is due to the viewpoint that domesticity and motherhood was viewed as being adequate for the emotional fulfillment of the woman. The Romantic Period and the Victorian Age in Great Britain . . . The Best Books on Sex in Victorian Literature | Claire Jarvis . . . Victorian women writers' careers (Part I) - The Cambridge Companion . . . During the early and mid-Victorian era, the convention of anonymous or pseudonymous publication adopted by most periodicals enabled many women to begin . . . Celebrating female Victorian writers - Star2. com English Literature: Women Writers in Victorian Age Dec 22, 2014- Explore sadionaabazaj's board "Victorian Age Writers" on Pinterest. See more ideas about Book authors, Writer and Writers. Introduction to Victorian Literature: Overview of Themes, Style, and . . . victorian literature Flashcards | Quizlet late-victorian writers turned to a that dangers and benefits of rapid industrialization, while encouraging readers to examine closely their own understanding of the era's progress victorian writing reflects

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Nonnative species can have extremely harmful impacts on ecosystems. Take the case of the common carp in North America – some people call it “the perfect invader”. It possesses many traits that make it great at exploiting new habitats: high growth rates, high fecundity (a 5-pound female may produce half a million eggs a year), tolerance to range of temperatures and oxygen concentrations that other animals don’t have. This fish was intentionally introduced widely in the 1800s thinking they would be a great food fish like it was in Europe. Alas, the idea never caught on. Carp, at least in high densities, can degrade water quality and denude aquatic vegetation. Thus, they can be detrimental to sport fish populations as well as waterfowl and shorebirds. I had an opportunity to participate in the renovation of a small lake in north-central Nebraska during my graduate work. The 158-acre, shallow, prairie lake had an abundant common carp population. This lake certainly had been affected by the carp, as it contained almost no submergent aquatic plants and algal blooms were abundant. The water often looked like chocolate milk. As part of an ongoing research project, we decided to remove the entire fish community. Three airboats were used to apply the liquid rotenone (a plant-derived fish poison) and one prop boat was used to distribute some powdered rotenone as well. In addition, an amphibious vehicle equipped with a plant sprayer was used to get into the hard to reach backwater areas and cattails beds of the lake to ensure the chemical was distributed throughout. We didn’t want to leave any hiding spots for the fish we were trying to eliminate. Two small carp of opposite genders left alive could ruin an expensive operation! The first small fish started surfacing within an hour of first adding the chemical. Toward the end of the day numerous adult carp were observed struggling at the surface. The biggest part of our job came after the rotenone application. We needed to estimate the number and total weight of all fish species in the lake. We walked certain areas of the lake shoreline and counted every dead fish. These counts were then used to estimate how many fish were in the entire lake. We know that lakes have many fish living in them but it sure is impressive to see all of those fish at one time! By the third day we wondered if we should be on the “Dirty Jobs” television program as the fish definitely were getting ripe! All in all, we believe that the lake contained about 5,412 adult common carp and 2,658,249 fathead minnows. Plus, these are probably underestimates because many fish sink to the bottom and may not float in time to get counted! It will be interesting to watch potential changes in the lake after the treatment. Will the water clear up and new aquatic vegetation sprout up next year? Only time will tell. However, we certainly hope so! Both the sport fishes and the waterfowl should benefit from increased amounts of submergent aquatic vegetation. Without the use of rotenone to remove the undesirable fish, we could never have attempted this project. Breaking news on this ongoing project – after several years (post- carp removal) without noticing any increase in vegetation – all sampling sites now have an abundance of aquatic vegetation. It looks like the lake might be “recovering”! Malheur Lake and Malheur National Wildlife Refuge has a carp problem. A big one. Malheur Lake alone (not counting its tributaries) roughly averages 37,500 acres. If the carp density was the same as the lake in Nebraska (34 carp/acre), extrapolating for lake size, Malheur Lake could contain almost 1. 3 million carp! In terms of biomass, at a rate of 234 pounds/acre, this translates into almost 8. 8 million pounds of carp swimming in the lake. Just think if you could convert this biomass of carp into plants and invertebrates! The lake is denuded of vegetation and only produces a quarter of the ducks that it did in the ‘40s. Although there are likely several potential reasons for this, the lack of vegetative habitat and associated invertebrate prey items is surely related. Earlier this year a coworker and I attended a workshop at Malheur National Wildlife Refuge where refuge staff and some of the best “carp minds” in the country gathered to discuss Malheur’s problems and brainstorm an attack plan. A thorough assessment of the problem is ongoing. A recent article in The Oregonian also highlighted the problem: http://www.oregonlive.com/news/index.ssf/2010/05/fish_invaders_are_eating_birds.html. Finally you can visit Malheur NWR’s Aquatic Health page to learn more about this issue: http://www.fws.gov/malheur/wildlife/aquatichealth.htm. Submitted by Jeff Jolley.

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It may come as a surprise to many Americans that the U.S. military is deeply committed to addressing the threat of climate change and developing renewable energy sources. That’s what Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel spoke about on Friday at the Halifax International Security Forum in Nova Scotia, where he assured the audience the emerging impacts of climate change on national security are a priority. “Climate change does not directly cause conflict, but it can add to the challenges of global instability, hunger, poverty, and conflict,” Hagel said. “Food and water shortages, pandemic disease, disputes over refugees and resources, more severe natural disasters – all place additional burdens on economies, societies and institutions around the world. ” The military’s concern about climate change is not new – a 2006 report issued by eleven retired admirals and generals, for example, warned climate change threatened Amerca’s national security. It is also not a partisan issue – Thomas Fingar, who served as chairman of President Bush’s National Intelligence Council, warned climate change “will have wide-ranging implications for US national security interests over the next 20 years. ” But Hagel’s speech Friday was a reminder that climate change and renewable energy are very real concerns affecting military strategy not just in the future, but right now. Environmentalists often discuss climate change and sustainability in terms of how we can preserve the planet’s resources for the benefit of future generations. But military planners, meanwhile, must consider the impacts a melting Arctic will have on national security. And they have been investing in renewable and efficient energy for years because it allows them to be stronger and more secure. Hagel gave some recent highlights about their progress: - Afghanistan combat outposts are using tactical solar gear, which last year allowed them to keep 20 million gallons of fuel off the battlefield. - Also last year, the U.S. Air Force developed and implemented more efficient routes that saved them $1. 5 billion. - Private sector investments on Department of Defense installations are expected to generate 3,000 megawatts of renewable energy by 2025. Hagel should be commended for bringing attention to an issue that rarely receives enough, especially in the environmental movement. For understandable reasons, certain threats posed by climate change resonate with some people more than others. The thought of food shortages in third world countries, or rising sea levels, or dying polar bears is more than enough to make the average, card-carrying “green” person want to stand up and take action to save the planet. But while climate change is of course an environmental threat, it is also a security threat. It’s important to remember that if we’re going to take comprehensive action in the fight against climate change, we’ll need support from more than the traditional allies of the movement. Reminding such potential supporters that the U.S. military worries about climate change too might be one good way to do it.

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At a Glance A 100-year-old golf course is transformed into a 155-acre park that regenerates local ecology, enhances wildlife habitat, reconnects people to the landscape, and builds upon one of the most interconnected urban park systems in the United States. Cleveland, Metroparks’ 22,000 acres of open space form one of the most interconnected, extensive urban park systems in the U.S. Encircling the city, the parks, trails, zoo, and recreational facilities are collectively known as Cleveland’s "Emerald Necklace." In 2012, a new jewel was added to this necklace: Acacia Reservation, a 155-acre property that had been a golf course, for the past 100 years. Euclid Creek, a tributary to Lake Erie, flows through the site. The watershed is home to over 60,000 people and has been greatly impacted by development, which in turn has impacted the health and function of the creek, feeling the effects of urban runoff. Cleveland Metroparks wanted to restore the property to a natural state, and do so in a way that would encourage public access and stewardship, protect the Euclid Creek watershed, and create a landscape consistent with adjacent reservations along the "Emerald Necklace." The envisioned reservation not only regenerates the local ecology, but recreates a variety of habitats, including wetlands, woodlands, streams, and meadows. For help in transforming this suburban golf course into a natural and cultural resource, Cleveland Metroparks turned to Biohabitats. Biohabitats began by performing an assessment of site conditions, including soils, hydrology, ecology, and landform patterns. The project included a planning charrette with Metroparks' staff to develop a consistent understanding of the Parks’ ecological restoration goals, and meetings to engage and inform the public. In addition to restoring native ecosystems, the Master Plan includes innovative stormwater management, green infrastructure, education, and interpretation of landscape change and ecological function.

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Pharmacists working with pregnant women must weigh the benefits of administering certain drugs and constantly keep in mind that medical compounds may transfer through the placenta and affect the fetus directly. The extent of the drugs’ transfer through the placenta varies with lipid solubility, molecular weight, acid dissociation constant ( pKa), and protein binding of the prescribed drugs. There are different pregnancy categories assigned to drugs based on their risks to the fetus, with Category A carrying the smallest risk and Category X the greatest risk (TABLE 1). 1 This article will focus on the area of fetal medication management, whereby physicians prescribe drugs to pregnant women with the intention of addressing and controlling medical conditions associated with their unborn fetuses. Birth defects of any type affect the lives of children, their mothers, and relatives, and may lead to significant physical disabilities later on in life. Presently, physicians are working diligently to identify problems before a child’s birth—in its fetal stage. Once the problem is uncovered, prevention and/or fetal treatment improve outcomes at the time of birth. Some fetal medical conditions can be corrected via surgical interventions, others with the help of drugs. Fetal medication management involves administration of drugs to pregnant patients with the goal of preventing or correcting certain abnormalities in their fetuses. This process relies upon a multidisciplinary approach—a team of obstetricians, maternal-fetal medicine specialists, geneticists, neonatologists, pediatric surgeons, and other pediatric subspecialists. 2 The pediatric pharmacist should play a proactive role as well. Physicians diagnose fetal patients by using different prenatal screening tests. These tests are done in every trimester as necessary and also during labor. Fetuses can develop different medical conditions; however, this article will focus only on the conditions that can be controlled or eliminated by administering medications to the mother carrying an ill fetus. Neural Tube Defects Approximately 1 out of 1,000 pregnancies will develop neural tube defects (NTDs). 3,4 NTDs are prebirth defects that occur at a very early phase of the first trimester in pregnancy. The neural tube forms the baby’s spinal cord and brain and the bone surrounding them. NTDs occur primarily when the neural tube forms improperly and fails to close. If present, NTDs can cause miscarriages. If these babies are carried to term, they tend to have a very short life or they develop paralysis of the legs, dysfunction in the bowel and bladder, and hydrocephalus, in addition to learning disabilities. Because of the devastating outcomes, including fatal complication with NTDs, much research has been conducted in this area. Published articles showed results that lead to a theory that occurrence of NTDs can be partially related to low levels of folic acid in the mother carrying the affected fetus. The CDC and the U.S. Public Health Service have developed the following recommendations to prevent the development of NTDs5: 1) All potential mothers should take folic acid supplements at a dose of 0. 4 mg orally on a daily basis, starting with 1 month before the expected conception, and then continue taking it until the end of the first trimester. 2) If previous pregnancies were complicated by fetal NTDs, potential mothers should increase their intake to 4 mg of folic acid orally per day, for 1 month previous to the expected conception, until the end of the first trimester. Pharmacist’s Role: Pharmacists should pay special attention to women who are taking drugs that can potentially lower levels of folic acid in their bodies, putting their fetus at a higher risk for development of NTDs in case of pregnancy. 6 Antihistamines, sulfonamides, carbamazepine, phenytoin, primidone, phenobarbital, valproic acid, triamterene, trimethroprim, and pyrimethamine are considered to lower the levels and effects of folic acid in the human body. Studies show that out of the drugs mentioned above, carbamazepine and valproic acid are the most problematic, whereas phenytoin and phenobarbital are the least problematic in fetal development of NTDs.6-8 Presently, there is conflicting information on the effectiveness of folic acid at different doses for women taking drugs that lower levels of folic acid; however, prenatal diagnostic ultrasound studies of their fetuses are strongly recommended. 9-11 Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia Another fetal disorder is congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH), which is a condition that involves a group of heritable disorders leading to the failure of cortisol synthesis in the adrenal cortex. 12,13 The most frequent type (more than 90%) of CAH is the one associated with 21-hydroxy-lase (21-OH) enzyme deficiency. This type of CAH affects humans around the world, ranging from 1 in 12,000 to 1 in 15,000 live births. 12,14 Inactivity of the 21-OH enzyme impairs the production of aldosterone and cortisol and causes accumulation of cortisol precursors and adrenal androgen. Insufficient levels of cortisol and aldosterone will promote a “salt wasting” disorder and an increase in the production of adrenal androgens such as testosterone and dihydrotestosterone. 15-17 The 21-OH deficiency type of CAH affects females to a greater degree than males, owing to the fact that the major source of male androgens is the testes, whereas females normally synthesize adrenal androgens from progesterone. Generally speaking, if left uncontrolled, CAH is expressed differently depending on the form of deficiency, varying from conditions in which females do not develop breasts or do not menstruate, to more complicated disorders such as virilization of female fetuses; however, all clinical presentations complicate patients’ normal social and sexual interactions. 15,16 The 21-OH deficiency is diagnosed by measuring 17-hydroxyprogesterone and other steroid levels in amniotic fluid, or by molecular genetic methods. 12 CAH was found to be associated with elevated release of corticotropin (ACTH) from the pituitary gland in response to low blood levels of cortisol. Furthermore, analysis of fetal development indicated that by the fourth week of gestation, the adrenal cortex is formed, which by the sixth or seventh week of gestation starts to secrete steroids. Therefore, the treatment goals would be administration of medication at the right time, aiming to decrease ACTH release in the prenatal body. 16 Dexamethasone is known for lowering ACTH levels; furthermore, physicians choose dexamethasone to control CAH because of its ability to avoid the inactivation reaction by the 11-beta-hydroxy-steroid dehydrogenase placental enzyme. Medication is given to the mother as early as the seventh week of gestation. Treatment may be continued to term unless fetal karyotype is determined to be a male or a female whose DNA is not affected by CAH. 12 Pharmacist’s Role: Pharmacists should be well aware of CAH occurrence and assist physicians in the medication management of such a complicated prenatal disorder. Furthermore, pharmacists should advise physicians of drugs that provoke ACTH release, such as levodopa, metoclopramide, and amphetamines. These agents should be used cautiously in pregnant patients, assessing the potential risks to the fetus against the benefits to the mother. 18,19 Thyroid function in pregnant mothers influences the thyroid function of the fetus. About 1% to 5% of pregnant women diagnosed with Grave’s disease will have a fetus or neonate who develops hyperthyroidism due to the passive transplacental transport of maternal thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) receptor antibodies, if it occurred at approximately 20 weeks gestation or later. 20,21 Furthermore, high maternal thyroid levels may lead to the development of fetal thyrotoxicosis. 22 Fetal hyperthyroidism is characterized by premature labor, low birth weight, advanced bone maturation, and increased heart rate. If left untreated, a fatal cardiac failure can occur. If hyperthyroidism is suspected, the fetus undergoes prenatal sonography, where its heart rate and intrauterine growth are analyzed. Furthermore, prenatal ultrasonography of the fetal thyroid gland can be used. 23 If these studies prove to be inconclusive, fetal blood sampling can be performed as the last resort. Fetal blood sampling is taken percutaneously from the umbilical vein, which is considered to be risky due to its correlation with miscarriages. If fetal hyperthyroidism is confirmed, physicians usually initiate medical treatment. Use of drugs like propylthiouracil (PTU) and methimazole should be considered based on the trimester, at the smallest effective doses, to prevent fetal hypothyroidism. 24-26 Pharmacist’s Role: Pharmacists should be aware of the appropriate pharmacologic treatment of fetal hyperthyroidism in pregnant mothers. Every physician should be warned against using radioiodine (I131) in pregnant patients. However, agents like PTU and methimazole would be a good choice, as both drugs cross the placenta and should be used accordingly based on the trimester and potential adverse effects to the fetus. Pharmacists should monitor patients’ response to therapy by checking TSH, 3,5,3'–triiodothyronine (T3), and thyroxine (T4) serum levels. In addition, patients’ medications and laboratory results should be studied to alert physicians about bone marrow suppression, liver status, and any types of bleeding and skin reactions possibly associated with the use of the drugs mentioned above. 20,24,25 Pharmacists should also pay attention to other factors causing hyperthyroidism, including excess iodine in foods and exposure to drugs such as amiodarone and iodinated-contrast agents, and advise limiting or even avoiding their use. 27 Another fetal disorder associated with the function of the thyroid gland is fetal hypothyroidism. Fetal hypothyroidism occurs when the TSH level increases and the level of free T4 decreases in the fetal serum. Two nongenetic causes of fetal hypothyroidism are types that can be provoked either by the pregnant mother undergoing medical treatment for hyperthyroidism or iodine deficiency observed in the carrying mother. Fetal hypothyroidism is diagnosed using ultrasonography, and if that gives inconclusive results, the diagnosis can be further confirmed by analyzing fetal blood samples for TSH and T4 concentrations. If fetal hypothyroidism is left untreated, the fetus can suffer brain damage, and later on in life the child may experience social problems related to the neuropsychological harm and below average intellectual capabilities. 28,29 Pharmacist’s Role: To improve the condition of the fetus diagnosed with hypothyroidism, the antithyroid medication of pregnant patients should be adjusted to the smallest and most effective dose based on the maternal TSH, T3, and T4 levels. Iodine supplements should be recommended only during the first or second trimester. If those regimens fail, additional weekly or every-other-week intra-amniotic injections of levothyroxine should be considered. The pharmacist’s key role is to identify and inform physicians about other agents that may produce drug-induced hypothyroidism such as hydrocortisone, amiodarone, lithium, propranolol, and sulfonylureas. These drugs should be adjusted to the smallest effective dose or the patient should be switched to another medication. 30,31 Methylmalonic acidemia is a metabolic defect state that is associated with a vitamin B12 deficiency. This condition is described as being provoked by the high levels of methylmalonic acid as a result of genetically produced malfunction of methylmalonyl-CoA mutase or failure in the formation of its coenzyme adenosylcobalamin via vitamin B12 metabolism. Diagnosis of this condition can be drawn from the presence of methylmalonic acid levels either in amniotic fluid or in the pregnant woman’s urine. 2,32,33 Pharmacist’s Role: Pharmacists should be aware of any drugs that can potentially lower the body’s supply of vitamin B12. Medications such as colchicine and metformin, as well as histamine2 blockers and proton pump inhibitors when used for extended periods, have the potential to lower vitamin B12 levels in the blood. Their use should be called to the attention of prescribing physicians when these drugs are ordered for pregnant patients who are carrying a fetus diagnosed with methylmalonic acidemia. 34-37 Lung Maturity Induction In the case of a birth at the gestational age of less than 34 weeks, the neonate will most likely be delivered with immature lungs. Such lungs are not capable of performing gas exchange due to the lack of surfactants in the alveolar spaces. This condition is dangerous to a newborn and, if not detected and treated prenatally, may cause a respiratory distress syndrome, leading to a life-threatening situation. Physicians usually diagnose this condition by measuring the concentration of surfactant in the amniotic fluid. 38,39 Pharmacist’s Role: When the diagnosis of fetal premature lungs is confirmed, corticosteroid therapy is given to the pregnant woman to stimulate the synthesis and release of surfactants in the alveolar spaces, to raise beta-receptor density in the fetal lungs, and to promote structural maturation of the fetal lungs. Out of the therapeutically available corticosteroid group, based on clinical efficiency and safety profile, the National Institute of Health Consensus Conference recommends using betamethasone at a prescribed schedule of 12 mg intramuscularly (IM) every 24 hours for 2 doses. 2,39 Pharmacists should follow up and confirm the number of prescribed and scheduled doses of betamethasone. Clinical literature shows that multiple courses of antenatal corticosteroidal therapy produce no extra benefits; however, this therapy is associated with decreased fetal growth in utero in addition to long-term adverse events. 40,41 Generally speaking, fetal heart conductivity develops around 16 weeks of gestation. Normal fetal heart rate at 30 weeks of gestation is 120 to 160 beats per minute (bpm). By the 40th week, heart beat values drop to 110 to 150 bpm. Any values outside of the normal range are considered to put the affected fetus into a category of potential fetal arrhythmia. In such cases, further investigation and analysis are done to identify and confirm a type of fetal arrhythmia. In the majority of cases, fetal activity does not change and the carrying mother does not show any symptoms associated with arrhythmia. Instruments and techniques like two-dimensional ultrasound, M-mode pulsed Doppler, and tissue Doppler imaging are used to exclude heart rate change associated with possible hypoxia and to confirm and identify a type of fetal heart misconductivity. 42-44 Pharmacist’s Role: Medication management of fetal arrhythmias is done by administering drugs to either the carrying mother or the fetus directly. Fetal supraventricular tachycardias (SVTs) are the most frequent type of tachyarrhythmias. Digoxin is primarily the drug of choice for management of fetal SVT. Digoxin should be given first orally or intravenously to the pregnant woman, targeting the serum level between 1 and 2 ng/mL. Literature shows that digoxin can be given directly to the fetus. If SVT is not under control by that time, other drugs can play a role as second-line medications, such as amiodarone, sotalol, and flecainide, and might be necessary as a part of medication management. Fetal ventricular tachycardias (VTs) can be controlled by agents such as propranolol, procainamide, and lidocaine. Pharmacists should advise physicians to avoid digoxin due to its potential to worsen fetal VT. 42-44 Pharmacists play a vital role in fetal medication management. They must verify every drug prescribed to a pregnant woman and work diligently to identify the risks to the mother and her fetus and recognize drug interactions associated with these medications. Micromedex, Lexicomp, and Drugs in Pregnancy and Lactation are excellent resources for additional drug information. Presently, pharmacists work together with a multi-disciplinary team of prenatal specialists to ensure the safety of both the pregnant woman and the fetus. Pharmacists must acknowledge the reasons for the fetal treatment and monitor the treatment plan accordingly to ensure that all women in their care deliver healthy babies. 1. FDA pregnancy categories. www. drugs. com/pregnancy- categories. html. Accessed February 3, 2011. 2. Springer SC. The fetus as a patient, prenatal diagnosis and fetal therapy. eMedicine. http://emedicine.medscape.com/ article/936318-overview. Accessed May 1, 2010. 3. U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. Folic acid for the prevention of neural tube defects: U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommendation statement. Ann Intern Med. 2009;150:626-631. 4. American Academy of Pediatrics. Committee on Genetics. Folic acid for the prevention of neural tube defects. Pediatrics. 1999;104:325-327. 5. Folic acid. Recommendations. CDC. www. cdc. gov/ncbddd/folicacid/ recommendations. html. Accessed February 7, 2011. 6. Hernandez-Diaz S, Werler MM, Walker AM, Mitchell AA. Folic acid antagonists during pregnancy and the risk of birth defects. N Engl J Med. 2000;343:1608-1613. 7. Hernandez-Diaz S, Werler MM, Walker AM, Mitchell AA. Neural tube defects in relation to use of folic acid antagonists during pregnancy. Am J Epidemiol. 2001;153:961-968. 8. Wolff T, Takacs Witkop C, Miller T, Syed SB. Folic acid supplementation for the prevention of neural tube defects: an update of the evidence for the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. Rockville, MD: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality; May 2009. AHRQ pub no. 09-05132-EF-1. 9. Burry J. Preventing neural tube defects with folic acid in pregnancy. CPJ/RPC. 2008;141:90-94. 10. Yerby MS. Management issues for women with epilepsy: neural tube defects and folic acid supplementation. Neurology. 2003;61(suppl 2):S23-S26. 11. Walling AD. Folic acid for the prevention of neural tube defects. Am Fam Physician. September 15, 1998. www. aafp. org/afp/980915ap/ tips. html. Accessed February 14, 2010. 12. Nimkarn S, New MI. Prenatal diagnosis and treatment of congenital adrenal hyperplasia. Horm Res. 2007;67:53-60. 13. Miller WL. Prenatal treatment of congenital adrenal hyperplasia: a promising experimental therapy of unproven safety. Trends Endocrinol Metab. 1998;9:290-293. 14. American Academy of Pediatrics, Section on Endocrinology and Committee on Genetics. Technical report: congenital adrenal hyperplasia. Pediatrics. 2000;106:1511-1518. 15. Wilson TA. Congenital adrenal hyperplasia. eMedicine. November 18, 2009. www. emedicine. com. Accessed March 14, 2010. 16. Dalls J. Prenatal treatment of congenital adrenal hyperplasia. Newborn screening case management. Department of State Health Services, Texas. Updated 1998. 17. Lajic S, Nordenstrom A, Ritzen EM, Wedell A. Prenatal treatment of congenital adrenal hyperplasia. European J Endocrinol. 2004;151:U63-U69. 18. Moore E. Adrenal insufficiency. Acquired and autoimmune adrenal failure. Suite101. May 1, 2006. http://autoimmunedisease. adrenalinsufficiency. Accessed March 31, 2010. 19. ACTH. American Association for Clinical Chemistry. March 30, 2010. www. labtestsonline. org/ test. html. Accessed March 31, 2010. 20. Perros P. Thyrotoxicosis and pregnancy. PLoS Med. 2005;2:1248-1252. 21. Lee SP, Webster J, Thomas WEG. Treatment of thyrotoxicosis. Surgery. 2003;12:293-296. 22. Anselmo J, Cao D, Karrison T, et al. Fetal loss associated with excess thyroid hormone exposure. JAMA. 2004;292:691-695. 23. Luton D, Le Gac I, Vuillard E, et al. Management of Graves’ disease during pregnancy: the key role of fetal thyroid gland monitoring. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2005;90:6093-6098. 24. Ross RS. Diagnosis and treatment of hyperthyroidism during pregnancy. UpToDate. www. uptodate. com. Accessed April 1, 2010. 25. Patil-Sisodia K, Mestman JH. Graves hyperthyroidism and pregnancy: a clinical update. Medscape. www. medscape. com. Accessed April 1, 2010. 26. Porreco RP, Bloch CA. Fetal blood sampling in the management of intrauterine thyrotoxicosis. Obstet Gynecol. 1990;76:509-512. 27. Reid JR, Wheeler SF. Hyperthyroidism: diagnosis and treatment. Am Fam Physician. 2005;72:623-630. 28. Ghidini A. Fetal blood sampling: indications and invasive fetal therapy. UpToDate. www. uptodate. com. Accessed April 9, 2010. 29. Smallridge RC, Ladenson PW. Hypothyroidism in pregnancy: consequences to neonatal health. J Clin Endocrinol Metabol. 2001;86:2349-2353. 30. Goldberg JF. Management of hypothyroidism in patients on lithium prophylaxis for bipolar disorder. Medscape. www. medscape. Accessed April 11, 2010. 31. Ogunyemi DA. Autoimmune thyroid disease and pregnancy. eMedicine. www. emedicine. com. Accessed April 11, 2010. 32. Bodamer OA. Methylmalonic acidemia. eMedicine. http://emedicine.medscape.com/ article/947154-overview. Accessed February 7, 2011. 33. Shigematsu Y, Hata I, Nakai A, et al. Prenatal diagnosis of organic acidemias based on amnioric fluid levels of acycarnitines. Pediatr Res. 1996;39:680-684. 34. Vitamin B12. Micromedex. www. micromedex. com. Accessed February 7, 2011. 35. Oh R, Brown DL, Vitamin B12 deficiency. Am Fam Physician. 2003;67:979-986. 36. Schrier SL. Etiology and clinical manifestation of vitamin B12 and folic acid deficiency. UpToDate. www. uptodate. com. Accessed February 7, 2011. 37. Webb DI, Chodos RB, Mahar CQ, Faloon WW. Mechanism of vitamin B12 malabsorption in patients receiving colchicines. N Engl J Med. 1968:279:845-850. 38. Briggs GG, Wan SR. Drug therapy during labor and delivery, part 1: fetal lung immaturity. Medscape. www. medscape. com. Accessed May 1, 2010. 39. Lee MJ, Guinn D. Antenatal use of glucocorticoids in women at risk for preterm delivery. UpToDate. www. uptodate. com. Accessed May 1, 2010. 40. Bonanno C, Fuchs K, Wapner RJ. Single versus repeat course of antenatal steroids to improve neonatal outcomes: risks and benefits. Obstet Gynecol Surv. 2007;62:261-271. 41. Murphy KE, Hannah ME, Willan AR, et al. Multiple courses of antenatal steroids for preterm birth (MACS): a randomized controlled trial. Lancet. 2008;372:2143-2151. 42. Krapp M, Kohl T, Simpson JM, et al. Review of diagnosis, treatment, and outcome of fetal atrial flutter compared with supraventricular tachycardia. Heart. 2003;89:913-917. 43. Zaidi AN, Ro PS. Treatment of fetal and neonatal arrhythmias. US Pediatrics. 2008;4:27-29. 44. Levine JC. Diagnosis and treatment of fetal cardiac arrhythmias. UpToDate. www. uptodate. com. Accessed April 28, 2010. To comment on this article, contact email@example. com.

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Each March, more than 15,000 cross-country skiers race 56 miles across the Swedish countryside. The winner claims a prize worth about $10,000—and a higher risk of irregular heartbeat, according to a new study in the European Heart Journal. Researchers followed over 50,000 skiers who had completed the race. Compared with those at the back of the pack, skiers who finished fastest had a 30 percent greater risk of developing either bradycardia (a slow heartbeat) or atrial fibrillation (fast and irregular movements in the heart’s top chambers). And athletes who’d done five or more races had a 30 percent greater risk of these conditions than those who’d skied the route only once. The results confirm what docs have known for a while: “When athletes train heavily in endurance sports, the heart muscle dilates and the pumping chamber thickens," says Kevin Campbell, M.D., a cardiologist at Wake Heart & Vascular in Raleigh, North Carolina. This enlargement can cause the heart’s atria—or top chambers—to quiver irregularly. And training increases the heart’s efficiency, leading to slower beats. These types of heart rhythm changes do have dangers. Atrial fibrillation may increase the risk of stroke, chest pain, or heart failure, and bradycardia can cause you to pass out, Dr. Campbell says. But this is important: The findings shouldn’t deter you from exercising, especially since the skiers had no increase in rates of more dangerous forms of arrhythmia or of sudden death, the study authors say. That said, if you’re highly competitive—or new to serious endurance training—ask your doctor about screenings to check for underlying heart risks, Dr. Campbell recommends. If you liked this story, you'll love these: - Do Endurance Sports Damage Your Heart? - The Truth About Endurance Training - Working Out: How Much Is Too Much?

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Cash flow is the net amount of cash and cash-equivalents being transferred into and out of a business. At the most fundamental level, a company’s ability to create value for shareholders is determined by its ability to generate positive cash flows, or more specifically, maximize long-term free cash flow (FCF). BARC Free Cash Flow Analysis Free cash flow, a measure commonly used by analysts to assess a company's profitability, represents the cash a company generates after accounting for cash outflows to support operations and maintain its capital assets. The Free Cash Flow is calculated using a number of methods including using Operating Cash Flow. Following is the formula to calculate Free Cash Flow based on Operating Cash Flow. Free Cash Flow = Operating Cash Flow - Capital Expenditures Using above formula to calculate Free Cash Flow for Barclays PLC (BARC), the free cash flow value is 8. 802B. All amounts in GBP Barclays PLC has a positive free cash flow as per the latest annual Cash flow statement released by the company. Positive free cash flow is cruscial for the financial health of a company, which can be used to pay dividends, expand operations, and deleverage its balance sheet (i. e., reduce debt). BARC Cash Flow Statement History Following table shows the history of Cash Flow Statements sheet for Barclays PLC (LSE:BARC). |31 Dec 2021||31 Dec 2020||31 Dec 2019||31 Dec 2018| |Change To Netincome||3. 03B||3. 47B||4. 86B||208M| |Change To Liabilities| |Change To Operating Activities||33. 35B||-4. 75B||-25. 12B||-15. 86B| |Total Cash From Operating Activities||10. 52B||-7. 74B||-21. 45B||-14. 78B| |Other Cashflows From Investing Activities||7M||-12M||84M||1. 19B| |Total Cashflows From Investing Activities||4. 27B||-18. 38B||-23. 96B||1. 25B| |Other Cashflows From Financing Activities||38. 35B||65. 17B||20. 95B||23. 97B| |Total Cash From Financing Activities||38. 5B||67. 98B||21. 64B||17. 18B| |Effect Of Exchange Rate||-4. 23B||1. 67B||-3. 35B||4. 16B| |Change In Cash||49. 06B||43. 53B||-27. 12B||7. 81B| |Repurchase Of Stock||-1. 67B||-1. 41B||-3. 08B||-4. 07B| |Issuance Of Stock||1. 12B||1. 17B||3. 58B||1. 96B|

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Do compulsory standardized testing results puzzle and confound you? You know you taught your students enough that they should score better. What could have gone wrong? After years agonizing over the same question, we finally determined it was not the "what" of the test that was the problem, but the "how. " The students did not know how to demonstrate they knew the questions. They couldn't translate the testing vocabulary into action that would result in correct answers. The Test Decoder Series was created to fix that problem. We examined sample standardized tests to discover the most frequently used testing vocabulary and what was required to answer questions correctly. We implemented and obsrved the use of our books in several local schools with resulting improvement in school scores. Adding A Testing Vocabulary (3rd gr) is one of the series. Like all components of the series, it leads students through the steps of decoding what test questions are asking, where to find the needed information and how to answer correctly and completely. Students are also taught to examine ther own work for thouroghness and correctness. After some teacher instruction and guiding through the first few unitswhile you establish your espectaion of serious, compete answers, most students should be able to finish independently in subsequent units. The topics covered in the readings are focused on language arts, social studies, science, and math. Adding a Testing Vocabulary and all books in the series are not labeled with the suggested grade level. All of the books follow the same format. You can use them with students with reading delays or other difficulties according to their needs without revealing the grade level of the material. Pease visit our store here CK Teaching Aids for other books in the series and the other items we have available.

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Internet Layering Level 5 -- Application Layer (rlogin, ftp, SMTP, POP3, IMAP, HTTP. . ) Level 4-- Transport Layer(a. k.a Host-to-Host) (TCP, UDP) Level 3-- Network Layer (a. k.a. Internet) (IP, ICMP, ARP) Level 2-- (Data) Link Layer / MAC sub-layer (a. k.a. Network Interface or Network Access Layer) Level 1-- Physical Layer Transport Layer – Connection Oriented Service Addressing / Access Points Connection Request / Establishment –Delayed Duplicate Packet Problem –Timer management –Connection points Connection Release Asymmetric release: telephone system. –When one party hangs up, connection breaks. –May cause data loss. Symmetric release: –Treats connection as 2 separate unidirectional connections. –Requires each to be released separately. Symmetric Release How to determine when all data has been sent and connection could be released? 2-army problem: Blue army 1 White army Blue army 2. White army larger than either blue armies. . Blue army together is larger. . If each blue army attacks, it’ll be defeated. They win if attack together. 2-Army Problem 1 To synchronize attack, they must use messengers that need to cross valley: unreliable. Is there a protocol that allows blue army to win? No. –Blue army 1 sends message to blue army 2. –Blue army 2 sends ACK back. –Blue army 2 is not sure whether ACK was received. 2-Army Problem 2 Use 2-way handshake. –Blue army 1 ACKs back but it’ll never know if the ACK was received. Applying to connection release: –Neither side is prepared to disconnect until convinced other side is prepared to disconnect. –In practice, hosts are willing to take risks. Transport Layer Assumes Network is unreliable Sender buffers all TPDUs until acknowledged Receiver may also buffer –Difficult to decide buffer size as TPDUs –Dynamic buffer allocation may be best strategy –Buffer size negotiated by exchange of control packets –Deadlock can occur if control packets get lost Solution is periodic sending of control TPDUs containing acknowledgements and buffer status Flow Control and Buffering Premise: Network is unreliable –Consequence: Sender must buffer all TPDUs sent –May need to retransmit Receiver needs to buffer –Out of order TPDUs –Flow control to application(s) (maximize tranmission speed) Sender TP layer also buffers to even flow from its application(s) (smooth out bursts to match network) Buffering negotiated between sender and receiver Hosts (clients and servers) may have each have many connections (in contrast to link layer point-to-point) Buffer pool Flow Control and Buffering (a) Chained fixed-size buffers. (b) Chained variable-sized buffers. (c) One large circular buffer per connection. Multiplexing Upward Multiplexing –One IP address shared by multiple Transport Layer processes (ports) Downward Multiplexing –Use multiple virtual circuits to get more bandwidth (e. g. join multiple ISND lines to get a higher bandwidth) Crash Recovery Transport layer can handle crashes of network layer –Transport expects errors in network Machine crash causes transport layer crash –Recovery more challenging –(Related to database “commit”) –Cannot be managed at Transport Layer Crash Recovery Client States: S0 – no TPDUs outstanding S1 – one TPDU outstanding End-to-end Ack Perfect end-to-end acknowledgement means 1. if you get it the ack, the task was completed 2 if you do not get the ack, the task was not completed (Can’t do both at the same time and guarantee either both or neither were done. ) Example: database update (transaction “commit”) “Probably impossible” (Saltzer, 1984) Recovery “Principal” Layer above, with enough status information, can recover from crash of the layer below. Recovery from crash at layer N needs to be done at layer N+1 (who must have necessary status info. ) The Internet Transport Protocols: UDP (User Datagram Protocol) Introduction to UDP –Connectionless –IP with a short header Carries source and destination ports Sends segments with 8 byte header The Internet Transport Protocols: UDP (User Datagram Protocol) Introduction to UDP –Connectionless –IP with a short header (carries ports) –Sends segments with 8 byte header –No flow control –No error control –No retransmission for bad segments The Internet Transport Protocols: UDP (User Datagram Protocol) Introduction to UDP –Connectionless –IP with a short header (carries ports) –Used with client-server and real- time multimedia The Internet Transport Protocols: UDP (User Datagram Protocol) Introduction to UDP –Connectionless –IP with a short header (carries ports) –Used with client-server and real- time multimedia Remote Procedure Call The Real-Time Transport Protocol Remote Procedure Call Steps in making a remote procedure call. The stubs are shaded. Client makes a local procedure call -- an alternative to sockets Real-time Transport Protocol (RTP) Basic function: support multiplexing of real-time data streams into a single stream of UDP packets Header field specifies encoding May include timestamps – give relative time for each packet (for synchronization of audio and video, and to help reduce jitter) RTP numbers packets sequentially – so receiver can determine if any missing No resend – better for multimedia if receiver just interpolates to create missing packet The Real-Time Transport Protocol (a)The position of RTP in the protocol stack. (b) Packet nesting. The Real-Time Transport Protocol (2) The RTP header. The Internet Transport Protocols: TCP Introduction to TCP The TCP Service Model The TCP Protocol The TCP Segment Header TCP Connection Establishment TCP Connection Release TCP Connection Management Modeling TCP Transmission Policy TCP Congestion Control TCP Timer Management Wireless TCP and UDP Transactional TCP Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) Reliable end-to-end Expects unreliable network 1970s – Vint Cerf and Robert Kahn Minimize network dependencies Library or user process or in OS on host machines Ports (TSAPs) Byte stream oriented (not messages) Full duplex – point-to-point (no multicasting or broadcasting) The TCP Service Model Some assigned ports – over 300 assigned “well-known” ports have number < 1024. PortProtocol Use 21 FTP File transfer 23 Telnet Remote login 25 SMTP E-mail 69 TFTP Trivial File Transfer Protocol 79 FingerLookup info about a user 80 HTTP World Wide Web 110 POP-3 Remote e-mail access 119 NNTP USENET news The TCP Service Model Sends byte stream (not a message stream) (a) Four 512-byte segments sent as separate IP datagrams. (b) The 2048 bytes of data delivered to the application in a single READ CALL. The TCP Segment Header (2) The pseudoheader included in the TCP checksum. TCP and High Bandwidth 64-KB window problem T3 (44. 736 M bps) 12 msec to output full 64-KB window. Transcontinental line round trip delay approx. 50 msec So significant idle time on line (Worse on satellite links! ! ) “Fix” is larger window field (now 16bits) RFC 1323 – Window Scale Option Sender and receiver negotiate a “window size” shift Up to 14 bits (left) Can allow 2 30 bytes in TCP window TCP Connection Establishment 3-Way Handshake (a) TCP connection establishment in the normal case. (b) Call collision (simultaneous attempt). 6-31 Connection Release Full duplex connection Treat as pair of simplex connections Either sends a FIN Then other sends Timers to avoid “two army” problem Timer set for two maximum packet lifetimes TCP Connection Management Modeling The states used in the TCP connection management finite state machine. TCP Connection Management Modeling (2) TCP connection management finite state machine. The heavy solid line is the normal path for a client. The heavy dashed line is the normal path for a server. The light lines are unusual events. Each transition is labeled by the event causing it and the action resulting from it, separated by a slash. TCP Transmission Policy Window management in TCP –managed separately from acknowledgements. Improvement Excessive handshaking with window updates and acknowledgmentsw Improvement: Delay acknowledgements and window updates for 500 msec to possibly piggy- back with data being sent Still sending 41-byte packets containing as little as 1 byte of data Nagle’s algorithm – send first byte, buffer rest until first byte is acknowledged (or have ½ window) Good for keystrokes, not good for other apps. Congestion Control Why do it at the transport layer? (Already have congestion control and flow control at the network and link layers respectively) Congestion Control Why do it at the transport layer? –Real fix to congestion is to slow down the sender. Congestion Control Why do it at the transport layer? –Real fix to congestion is to slow down the sender. Use law of “conservation of packets”. –Keep number of packets in the network constant. –Don’t inject new packet until old one leaves. Congestion indicator: packet loss. TCP Congestion Control 1 Window based -- like flow control –Sender keeps congestion window (cwin). –Each sender keeps 2 windows: receiver’s advertised window and congestion window. –Number of bytes that may be sent is min(advertised window, cwin). TCP Congestion Control (a) A fast network feeding a low capacity receiver. (b) A slow network feeding a high- capacity receiver. TCP Congestion Control 2 Slow start [Jacobson 1988]: –Connection’s congestion window starts at 1 segment. –If segment ACKed before time out, cwin=cwin+1. –As ACKs come in, current cwin is increased by 1. –Exponential increase. TCP Congestion Control 3 Congestion Avoidance: – Third parameter: threshold. – Initially set to 64KB. – If timeout, threshold=cwin/2 and cwin=1. – Re-enters slow-start until cwin=threshold. – Then, cwin grows linearly until it reaches receiver’s advertised window. TCP Congestion Control: Example threshold timeout threshold cwin time TCP Retransmission Timer When segment sent, retransmission timer starts. –If segment ACKed, timer stops. –If time out, segment retransmitted and timer starts again. How to set timer? Based on round-trip time: time between a segment is sent and ACK comes back. If timer is too short, unnecessary retransmissions. If timer is too long, long retransmission delay. Jacobson’s Algorithm 1 Determining the round-trip time: –TCP keeps RTT variable. –When segment sent, TCP measures how long it takes to get ACK back (M). –RTT = alpha*RTT + (1-alpha)M. –alpha: smoothing factor; determines weight given to previous estimate. –Typically, alpha=7/8. Jacobson’s Algorithm 2 Determining timeout value: –Measure RTT variation, or |RTT-M|. –Keeps smoothed value of cumulative variation D=alpha*D+(1-alpha)|RTT-M|. –Alpha may or may not be the same as value used to smooth RTT. –Timeout = RTT+4*D. Karn’s Algorithm How to account for ACKs of retransmitted segments? –Count it for first or second transmission? –Karn proposed not to update RTT on any retransmitted segment. –Instead RTT is doubled on each failure until segments get through. Persistence Timer Prevents deadlock if an window update packet is lost and advertised window = 0. When persistence timer goes off, sender probes receiver; receiver replies with its current advertised window. If = 0, persistence timer is set again. Keepalive Timer Goes off when a connection is idle for a long time. Causes one side to check whether the other side is still alive. If no answer, connection terminated. TCP Timer Management (a) Probability density of ACK arrival times in the data link layer. (b) Probability density of ACK arrival times for TCP.

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Pacifiers and Speech Disorders: Preschoolers with speech disorders were three times as likely as other children to have used a pacifier for at least three years, according to an observational study in BMC Pediatrics. Out of 128 Chilean 3- to 5-year-olds in the study, 61 scored below normal on a standardized speech test. In addition to the pacifier trend, children in this group were also thrice as likely to have started bottle-feeding before nine months of age. Previous studies have shown that certain sucking behaviors in early childhood are associated with oral and dental deformities, but evidence of these behaviors' effect on speech has been inconsistent, the researchers said. Caveat: The infants' sucking behaviors were based on parental recollections rather than direct observation. A larger, randomized trial is needed to validate the findings, the researchers cautioned. (Read the report. ) Nicotine and Cancer: Nicotine patches appear to promote the spread and re-growth of cancer tumors, according to a study in PLoS ONE. Previous studies have found that nicotine increases cell proliferation and tumor growth independently of the carcinogens in tobacco smoke, but this was the first study to show that nicotine patches increase the risk for tumor recurrence and metastasis. In one of several experiments, the scientists implanted two groups of mice with cancerous tumors. They injected one group with nicotine three times per week—reaching average bloodstream levels roughly similar to those of a human heavy smoker. The other group received dummy injections of an inactive substance. After 18 days, the tumors in the nicotine group were more than three times as large as those in the control group. Over-the-counter nicotine patches had a similar, though smaller effect. The researchers also found that surgically removed tumors grew back in 59% of the nicotine-treated mice but in only 19% of control mice, and nicotine increased nine-fold the rate that tumors implanted in the mice's backs spread to their lungs. Caveat: Mouse and human cancers can differ significantly. This study did not examine how nicotine affects human tumor growth. (Read the report. ) Fertility Treatment: Women who lie down for 15 minutes after receiving artificial insemination appear to have a 50% higher chance of becoming pregnant, according to a study in BMJ. Intrauterine insemination—in which a doctor injects sperm directly into the uterus—is likely the most common type of fertility treatment in the world, but this was the first large study to examine how keeping patients briefly immobile affected the procedure's success rate. The researchers randomly assigned 391 couples to the experimental group or to the control group, in which the women were allowed to move around immediately after insemination. After up to three treatment cycles, 27% of the women in the experimental group became pregnant, compared with 18% of the women who were allowed to move around. The reasons for the differences were unclear, but the researchers suggested that the change in gravity from standing up could have caused the sperm to leak away from the uterus or slow down in the fallopian tubes. Caveat: The overall rate of pregnancy in this study was significantly lower than at many fertility centers, according to an editorial that accompanied the published paper. (Read the report. ) Heart Disease and Hip Fractures: Genetic factors appear to explain much of the connection between heart disease and hip fractures, according to a study of nearly 32,000 Swedish twins in JAMA. Participants in the study who were diagnosed with heart failure were five times as likely as other subjects to later fracture a hip. But, remarkably, the identical twins of these patients also became more likely to later fracture a hip—their risk was nearly four times as great as other subjects', even though they hadn't been diagnosed with heart disease. The researchers observed a similar, though less robust effect for identical twins of stroke victims. Cardiovascular disease and bone weakness share some biological pathways. Caveat: Though the study enrolled many subjects, there were fewer than 400 cases in which an identical twin fractured a hip after his or her sibling was diagnosed with heart disease. For this reason, the risk estimates varied widely. (Read the report. ) Recovering from Tonsillectomy: A three-day course of antibiotics was no less effective than the standard seven-day course for helping children recover from tonsillectomy, according to a study in the Archives of Otolaryngology–Head & Neck Surgery. The researchers randomized 49 patients into two groups: one that received a seven-day course of amoxicillin, and another that received a three-day course of that antibiotic followed by four days of placebo. Patients on the three-day course returned to a normal diet after an average of 5. 7 days, while patients on the seven-day course took 6. 0 days on average—a statistically insignificant difference. The groups did not differ on the number of days it took to return to normal activity or the amount of pain-relief medication used. Caveat: Enrolling more patients could have revealed significant differences that this small study missed. Pain in this study was not measured directly, but rather by the use of pain relievers. (Read the report. )

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The success story of the scrubber machine The start of floor-cleaning by machines dates back more than 100 years. The first floor polisher was developed at the start of the 20th Century to take the monotony out of tedious work. The 1930s then saw the variant for wet floor cleaning, and the first scrubber machine, with integrated suction function, appeared on the market in the 1950s. Another milestone occurred in 1986 with the first walk-behind machine with roller brushes, which scrubs, vacuums and sweeps in one step, and significantly improves cleaning performance on structured floors. Keeping pace with customer requirements Ever since then, it has been difficult to imagine floor cleaning without the scrubber machine, new customer requirements being constantly incorporated into development: Models with disc or roller technology depending on floor conditions, machines for cluttered and small areas, platform strategies for more efficiency and flexibility, eco concepts for environmental and resource conservation, as well as innovative solutions for improving ergonomic design. Now, digitalisation is establishing itself with fleet and process management systems and pointing the way to the future. A journey into the past and into the future. Roller or disc? Scrubber machines have been used to clean hard and flexible floor surfaces in indoor areas since the 1950s. The tried and proven single-disc technology guarantees good results, only rarely does the roller/brush technology have any effect. All this changed in 1986, when the cleaning specialist Kärcher, until then known mainly for high-pressure and suction technology, brought a walk-behind machine with roller brushes onto the market. The company responded to a need that was only regional: While Asia, southern Europe and the USA often sees the installation of smooth floors, which are effectively cleaned by means of disc technology, more structured floors such as grouted tiles or natural stone with rougher surfaces are found in northern and central Europe. Regardless of the floor condition, heavily soiled included, roller brushes achieve an improved scrubbing and polishing performance and hence a more consistent result. The background: Roller brushes work with a high contact pressure, since the contact surface on the floor is less, and faster revolutions are possible than with disc brushes. Victory march of the platform strategies Rising cost pressure and higher customer expectations – the floor cleaning sector too had to overcome this challenge, hence the call for a greater variant diversity along with the desire for low investment costs. And so since the start of 2000, the platform strategy involving the idea of using as few new parts as possible and hence significantly reducing development and production costs, proved its worth in the development of new models. A degree of individualisation, which could not be achieved efficiently and cost-effectively by introducing various individual models, is also possible. Many aspects of the latest machines can be freely configured by the user, depending on floor condition, surface and degree of soiling. Roller or disc, batteries or cable, with or without protective cover, wide or narrow wheels – depending on the manufacturer, the list can be as multifaceted as when buying a car. Including innovative accessories, such as an automatic detergent dispenser or systems for setting up various users profiles for operators, service technicians and facility managers. The environment in mind Depending on the country and its traditions, the issue of ecology has moved up the building cleaning agenda in recent years. Kärcher has developed the eco! efficiency line for professional users, a highly eco-friendly and efficient product range. Numerous scrubber machines are equipped with this extremely efficient energy-saving mode. They operate with less fan power, reduced detergent usage and fewer brush revolutions – and hence longer, quieter and more energy-saving. Up to 50 percent energy and water can be saved at the touch of a button with impressive cleaning results. Wherever you are headed – automation & co. Although Kärcher developed a cleaning robot and tested it at various airports back in 1996, the widespread use of partially or even fully-automated solutions still sounds like a pipe dream. Indeed, machines are already available on the market, but most of them are designed for and economically viable only in large-scale areas. Digitalisation and automation offer new potentials for floor cleaning too, but always geared towards a clear added-value for the user. If safety and economic efficiency can be fully combined in the cleaning robot sector, and small cluttered areas can also be realised, we may well see a trend for scrubber machines for the next hundred years. 1) The BR 450 allowed the user to select the right technology for floor and soiling for the first time with compact scrubbing machines. At the time of its launch in 1995, the BS 350 was the smallest scrubber machine in the world. It operated with a cleaning fleece instead of rollers or brushes. Back in 1996, Kärcher developed the BR 700 cleaning robot and tested it at various airports. The BR Trike from 1998 made work fun. In 2013, the BR 35/12 was the first scrubber machine with an innovative steering concept for special manoeuvrability. Modern scrubber machines such as the B 200 R are individually configured for their particular application. You may also be interested in: Professional cleaning of industrial floors Industrial floors require particular care and attention – both during manufacture and in terms of their coating, cleaning and maintenance. Which cleaning method to use depends largely on the texture of the floor. No fear of big beasts AIDA Cruises is Germany's leading provider of sea cruises. As part of a long-term partnership with Kärcher, a detailed and well-thought-out cleaning concept has been developed to take care of everything.

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Global program to eliminate elephantiasis has early success in EgyptOrganizers of a 20-year global effort to eliminate a parasitic infection that is a leading cause of disability have an early victory to savor: a five-year Egyptian elimination campaign has mostly succeeded, according to a new report in the March 25 issue of The Lancet. Infection with the parasites, threadlike filarial worms, can lead to the dramatic, disfiguring swelling known as elephantiasis. Researchers from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and Ain Shams University in Egypt found that after five years of annual mass treatments with two drugs, rates of filarial infection sharply declined in Egypt. "The parasite's transmission efficiency is low, so the thinking is that once we get human infection rates below a critical level, remaining infections will die out without further intervention," says senior author Gary Weil, M.D., professor of medicine and of molecular microbiology at Washington University. "Our assessments suggest that the Egyptian campaign to eliminate these infections, which was implemented by the Egyptian Ministry of Population and Health, has achieved its goals in most areas of the country. " Filarial worms are nematodes closely related to the heartworm parasites that infect dogs and cats. Infections with the worms, which are spread by mosquitoes, can lead to lymphatic filariasis, a condition where the worms lodge in lymphatic vessels. This triggers inflammation that blocks the drainage normally provided by the lymphatic system and leads to massive swelling of the legs, known as elephantiasis, and genital deformities, which are called hydroceles. "In addition to causing disability, the disfigurement created by elephantiasis is often a source of great social stigmatization," Weil notes. Epidemiologists estimate 120 million people are infected with filarial worms in 83 tropical countries. Of those infected, approximately 40 million have clinical symptoms. As many as 1. 2 billion people are at risk of infection with the parasites, which can live and reproduce for several years inside the human body. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), lymphatic filariasis is a leading cause of chronic disability in the world. Policymakers at World Health Assembly meetings in 1997 endorsed filariasis as a candidate disease for global elimination for several reasons: the worms that cause the disease are inefficiently transmitted, they are not known to infect any species other than humans and mosquitoes, and they are vulnerable to three drugs, albendazole, ivermectin and DEC (diethylcarbamazine). "The manufacturers of the first two drugs later generously decided to donate the medicines to the global program," Weil says. "The third medicine is not free but is very inexpensive. " The assembly passed a resolution calling for the elimination of filariasis by 2020. The strategy the WHO chose for eliminating the parasite is called mass drug administration (MDA). "In regions where the parasite is known to be present, you annually give two medications that kill the worms," Weil explains. "With the exception of pregnant women and children under two years of age, these drugs are given to everyone in the region without testing each person for the infection. " Planners estimated that five annual repetitions of the MDA program would be needed to drive parasite infection rates down to levels where the few remaining infections would die off on their own. Egypt became one of the first countries to start a five-year MDA program in 2000, working to reach 2. 5 million people in 181 Egyptian localities affected by lymphatic filariasis. "The drugs are free or inexpensive, but distribution on this scale in rural villages and poor areas is a big, expensive job," Weil says. "Donations from foundations and wealthy countries helped fund the distribution in Egypt, and more of that same support is needed for campaigns in other countries. " Working in collaboration with colleagues at Washington University including William D. Shannon, Ph.D., associate professor of biostatistics and researchers at Ain Shams in Egypt, Weil developed a plan for assessing the degree to which the Egyptian MDA program was successful. Using several different tests, some of which were developed in Weil's lab, Egyptian scientists annually assessed infection rates during the MDA program in two villages north of Cairo and two villages south of Cairo. Each village has a population of 3,000 to 5,000. The tests revealed sharply declining infection rates over the course of the MDA program. For example, tests of first graders for an antibody that reveals prior exposure to the parasite declined from 18. 2 percent positive prior to MDA to 0. 2 percent positive after the fifth round of MDA. A test for infection in mosquitoes also showed infection rates plummeted after MDA. Two of the four villages studied did not quite achieve elimination targets after 5 years of MDA; they will receive a sixth round of treatments in 2006 to ensure that the parasite is eliminated. Assessment of the Egyptian campaign's results was funded as a part of the International Collaborations in Infectious Diseases Research (ICIDR) program at the National Institutes of Health. Weil recently received a new ICIDR grant for an added $5 million over five years for a larger program to assess and follow-up filariasis elimination in Egypt. "With new collaborators from Erasmus University in Holland and Smith College in Massachusetts, we will work with the Ain Shams University group to monitor 44 Egyptian villages, checking to see if remaining infections die out as expected or if the parasite shows any signs of resurgence," he says. "We'll also be looking at the goals WHO has set for these programs in terms of how far we need to drive infection rates down: are the current targets too stringent? Would it be helpful to have phased goals? " Weil notes that the filariasis elimination program, which is now coordinating MDA treatments in 35 nations, has to confront a diverse array of economic, cultural and logistical obstacles. He praises the Egyptian health ministry's efforts to increase acceptance of the need to participate in the MDA program, noting that it used approaches such as educational comic books and television advertisements featuring Egyptian celebrities to promote public awareness. "The world faces many challenges in bringing this kind of MDA campaign to the 83 nations where the parasite is present, but this first assessment of a completed five-year MDA program is very encouraging," Weil says. Ramzy RMR, El Setouhy M, Helmy H, Ahmed ES, Abd Elaziz KM, Farid HA, Shannon WD, and Weil GJ. Effect of yearly mass drug administration with diethylcarbamazine and albendazole on bancroftian filariasis in Egypt: a comprehensive assessment. The Lancet, March 25, 2006. Funding from the National Institutes of Health supported this research. Washington University School of Medicine's full-time and volunteer faculty physicians also are the medical staff of Barnes-Jewish and St. Louis Children's hospitals. The School of Medicine is one of the leading medical research, teaching and patient care institutions in the nation, currently ranked third in the nation by U.S. News & World Report. Through its affiliations with Barnes-Jewish and St. Louis Children's hospitals, the School of Medicine is linked to BJC HealthCare. Last reviewed: By John M. Grohol, Psy.D. on 21 Feb 2009 Published on PsychCentral. com. All rights reserved.

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As Oak and Sherwood both attempt to limit paper consumption for communication and assignment purposes, we have a responsibility to consume only what we need. Making double-sided copies conserves paper. I know many teachers who cringe at the sight of a packet being copied with only one side being used. If you do only need one side, you can encourage students to use the other side as scrap paper, a drawing, or some reflection. While I am not sure about the printers at Sherwood, many of the Oak printers are capable of printing on both sides of the paper. This is especially helpful if you need to print multiple pages. If you are unsure how to do this, follow these steps below. I have also attached a screen shot of the printing menu for your convenience. 1. Open up the document of your choice and click “Print”. 2. When the printer window pops up, click where it says “Copies and Pages”. 3. Choose “Layout”. 4. Next to where it says “Two-Sided”, choose “Long-Edge Binding”. 5. Hit “Print”. Voila!

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bshs305 | undergraduate Historical Development Of Human Services: An Introduction In this course, students will learn the historical roots of human services and the creation of the human services profession. An investigation of current and historical legislation and how legislation is influenced by public and private attitudes provides a foundational understanding of basic human services ideology. A deep exploration of economic and governance systems affecting service delivery serves to develop essential skills for understanding and interpreting historical dynamics related to advocacy and social change initiatives in human services. Analysis of historical data and exposure to the range of political perspectives facilitates a general introduction and integration to the overall experience of the human service worker’s investment in the multidimensional field. Students will complete Module 1 of the MHF training. (3 credits). This undergraduate-level course is 5 weeks This course is available as part of a degree or certificate program. To enroll, speak with an Enrollment Representative. topic title goes here Identify the range of problems facing human services clients. Explain how human service professionals engage clients and the community in the helping process. Explain how client personal history and perceptions influence access and engagement of services. Describe the stages of the helping process. - Identify the specific helping skills that can be used with clients. Ethical Standards for Human Service Professionals - Identify client rights that must be protected by human service professionals. Summarize the role legislative policies have on human services code of ethics. Describe how to use the ethical decision-making model as a human service professional. The Role of Collaboration Describe the role of collaboration in human services. Explain how collaboration in human services promotes social, political, and economic change. The Foundation of Human Services Identify professional disciplines that influence human services. Explain how societal viewpoints have influenced human services over the past three centuries. Identify the four themes of human services. - Explain how political and legislative changes have impacted client care. Current Trends Within the Human Services Explain how client services are changing due to trends in technology. Relate economic and political events to current trends in the human services field. - Identify demographic trends that will influence future needs in the delivery of human services. Explain how human service delivery settings are influenced by evolving client needs. Models of Service Delivery Compare human service delivery models. The Role of the Human Service Professional Describe why professionals choose to enter the helping field. Identify the characteristics that human service professionals typically possess. Identify the various types and roles of human service professionals. - Describe the role of mental health facilitators in human services. Please ask about these special rates: Teacher Rate: For some courses, special tuition rates are available for current, certified P-12 teachers and administrators. Please speak with an Enrollment Representative today for more details. Military Rate: For some courses, special tuition rates are available for active duty military members and their spouses. Please speak with an Enrollment Representative today for more details. The University of Phoenix reserves the right to modify courses. While widely available, not all programs are available in all locations or in both online and on-campus formats. Please check with a University Enrollment Representative. Transferability of credit is at the discretion of the receiving institution. It is the student’s responsibility to confirm whether or not credits earned at University of Phoenix will be accepted by another institution of the student’s choice.

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Interesting Facts about Baby’s Eyes When our babies burst into the world, the first thing we want to do is gaze lovingly into their sweet little eyes and show them exactly who we are and why we love them so much. But when a baby is first born, their eyes are only beginning to develop into the visual hub that they’ll one day use to process all the things they see throughout their life. According to the American Optometric Association, parents play the most important role in making sure a child’s eyes and vision develop properly. As parents, it’s hard to know the correct steps to take to ensure proper eye health for our newborns. The process to healthy eye development actually begins while a baby is still in the womb. While pregnant, we need to provide adequate nutrition and daily prenatal vitamins to help the eyes develop correctly. We should also avoid smoking or taking any medications that aren’t provided by a prenatal doctor because both could pass harmful chemicals through the placenta and delay baby’s eye and brain development. During pregnancy, a baby’s eyes begin forming at two weeks and the optic nerves begin to connect to the brain at six weeks. By week 16, baby can note the differences between light and dark. By week 26, baby can officially blink. So what other unbelievable things do we need to know about our newborn’s vision? Check out these 15 things you didn’t know: #1. Load up on Lutein Recent studies have shown that the power-packed nutrient, Lutein, provides a hefty dose of eye protection during pregnancy. Naturally, we can find Lutein in eggs and dark leafy greens, like spinach, broccoli and kale. Formula-feeding mamas can find certain brands, like Similac, also contain this super nutrient. In years past, Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) has been hailed as a super omega-3 fatty acid that helps with eye and brain development. Almost all prenatal vitamins contain DHA and aid in healthy eye development. #2. Antibiotic Cream at Birth When a baby is handed to its mother for the first time, it’s sometimes alarming to see a clear ointment has been applied to their newborn’s eyes. This ointment is actually called Ilotycin and is used to treat and prevent any bacteria that may enter the eyes from the birth canal. Bacteria that may be present include conjunctivitis (pinkeye), e. coli, gonorrhea and chlamydia. Neonatal eye infections can cause blindness if not treated properly. #3. Face First At birth, our babies can only see 8 to 12 inches away. This means, the first thing that they will get to see is the outline of our faces. A study published in the medical journal, Frontiers in Psychology, by Francesca Simon and Elisa Di Giorgio show babies prefer their mother’s face to any other object. It’s important for eye development to spend the majority of the first few weeks talking to baby only inches away from his face. The coos and expressions will help baby learn to focus sooner. Mamas can expect that first smile to come when baby learns to recognize his mother’s face. #4. Shades of Grey It’s true that newborns can only see black, white and shades of grey for the first few weeks of life. The high contrast of dark lines on a lighter background hold baby’s attention the longest. Though we tend to decorate our nurseries in pretty pastel hues, we should really be focusing on black and white checkerboard patterns and bulls-eyes. #5. Lights On! For the first few weeks, babies’ brains can’t really process if the bedroom light is on or not, so we don’t need to worry about turning on the light for those midnight diaper changes or 2 A.M. feedings. It won’t hurt their eye development because they aren’t yet sensitive to light. According to the BrightFocus foundation, light is fine in moderation. #6. Brain Power Studies show that newborns are born with everything they need to be able to see but that the missing link comes from the brain not being able to process the information they are taking in through their eyes. The Public Broadcast Station (PBS) documentary, The Secret Life of the Brain, states that a newborn’s underdeveloped vision is a protection system so a baby doesn’t become overstimulated. Newborn’s cells are not yet coated with myelin, a white, fatty substance that aids in the way the messages are transmitted to the brain. This is why babies have a hard time seeing contrasts between objects and colors. #7. Big Eyes According to the University of Illinois’ College of Medicine, a newborn’s eyes are 75 percent the size they will be when they are an adult. This may be why we’re sometimes astonished by the fact that our babies eyes seem to be so big and beautiful. Eyes should reach their full size at puberty. #8. Safe to Cross A newborn’s eyes, once open, may seem to be crossing or wandering off. One eye may even look in a different direction than the other eye. According to the University of Illinois’ College of Medicine, this is totally normal and will get better close to the 4-month mark when eyes start to straighten out. #9. Colors of the Rainbow A baby will begin to see color as early as 4 or 5 months, but he will still have trouble distinguishing between different shades and tones. He will start by seeing red, followed by orange, yellow and green. It may take longer before he can distinguish between the shades blue and violet because their hues are so similar in color. Primary colors are a great option for selecting nursery colors or toys because they promote stimulation and eye development. #10. Out of Focus For the first few months, objects and faces will be out of focus because baby hasn’t learned to zoom in on one thing just yet. He is terribly near-sighted and may not be able to see any objects that aren’t directly in his line of sight. He may move his eyes toward light and track objects with his head horizontally across the midline but objects at this time will mostly be blurry for him. At first, a baby may only be able to focus on a face or object for a few seconds but by 8 weeks old, he can hold his gaze much longer. #11. Hand-eye Coordination Your brain and eye connections are still being learned and processed, so don’t expect junior to be able to roll a ball just yet. At the newborn stage, a baby’s hands are clenched in a fist. How much do we all swoon over those pinky grasps? But by 3 or 4 months, baby will start to reach for and grip the items that he sees. #12. Vision Stats When a baby is born, his vision is just 20/200 to 20/400 which is extremely near-sighted. By the time they reach 6 to 8 months of age, a baby will be well on his way to having 20/20 vision just like adults. Most children will reach their full vision potential by the time they are 2 years old. #13. Depth Perception A newborn doesn’t see depth just yet. They see items as flat and cannot perceive a three-dimensional view of objects. At about 5 months of age, baby will start to notice 3-dimensional objects. It can take far longer for baby to learn to navigate the world of crawling on the coffee table. #14. Baby Blues Babies are all born with eyes that have a blue or grey hue. This is because the eyes only produce a tiny amount of melanin while in utero. When a baby is born and exposed to the melanin from the sun, eyes settle to their natural color. A baby’s eye color does not affect how a baby will see. A baby’s eyes should reach their real color by 9 months of age. #15. Eye Exams At birth, newborns will have their first eye examination. Doctors will check for congenital cataracts and any other neonatal eye problems, such as glaucoma or malformed eyelids. Parents will want to remain proactive and the AOA recommends eye examinations starting at 6 months. These first checkups will look for proper eye alignment and test how long a baby can hold his gaze. Our eyes allow us to take in and process the world around us. Such a complex system will take some time to form. But before you know it, our babies will be exploring every part of the world and recording it in their little memories. Thanks for reading!

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25 for 25: Restoring the "Bread Basket" of the Coast By Thomas S. Burack, DES Commissioner Tidal salt marshes are an important but underappreciated aspect of New Hampshire's 18 miles of seacoast and 130 miles of estuarine shoreline. Salt marshes from Portsmouth to Seabrook have been damaged or destroyed by roads, by undersized culverts that don't provide for adequate tidal exchange, by filling with rocks and dirt to create buildable land, and by being used as disposal locations for spoils (materials) from harbor dredging. Today there are about 6,000 acres of salt marsh in New Hampshire – 20% less than when the coastal region was first settled. For the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services—marking its 25th anniversary this year—this loss has inspired a successful collaborative effort to restore the critical role salt marshes play in our ecosystem. Our salt marshes provide wildlife habitat, buffer water quality, and protect the coast line from coastal storms like nor'easters. Salt marshes are the "bread basket" of the coast supporting the fishing industry by providing food and shelter for finfish and shellfish, and slowing flood waters to avoid destruction of coastal properties. Since the early 1990's the DES Coastal Program and Wetlands Bureau staff have worked in partnership with local towns, other state and federal agencies, and non-profit organizations, as well as with diverse funding contributors to undo the damage to our salt marshes. These collaborations and partnerships across 30 different projects have resulted in the restoration of about 600 acres of salt marsh. Salt marsh restoration projects, which aim to bring back natural conditions, involve activities such as removal of fill, creation of pools and tidal creeks, and removal of undersized culverts. The tides are the lifelines for salt marshes; without them they choke to death. As an example, at the Awcomin salt marsh, located just to the west of Rye Harbor, dredged materials from the harbor were disposed of within a 25 plus acre containment dike constructed directly on the salt marsh in 1941 and again in 1962. Sea water could no longer enter the containment area and fresh water from rain and snow was trapped. Tidal exchange and fresh water runoff, together known as tidal flushing, are essential to a viable salt marsh ecosystem. The restoration process involved removing over 100,000 cubic yards of dredge spoils from the site in order to restore or replicate the original drainage pattern. Today the site has regained much of its vitality and is a great spot for watching shore birds. The Town of Rye has been a leader in salt marsh restoration in New Hampshire. The Little River salt marsh restoration in North Hampton faced severe tidal restriction due to an undersized roadway culvert and a channel through the barrier beach which was blocked with sand. Restoration project partners, including the Town of North Hampton and local private citizens raised a total of $1. 31 million to bring the project to fruition. In 2000, a pair of 6 ft. high x 12 ft. wide concrete box culverts were installed in place of the existing 48 inch pipe that had been the only connection between the salt marsh and the sea since 1948. The success of the project received national recognition in 2002 when President George W. Bush awarded the Little River Salt March Restoration Team the Coastal America Award. Healthy salt marshes are not only rich with life, they are also part of nature's basic strategy of protecting our coastlines from a changing climate, including a greater frequency of strong storms and sea levels rise. Restored salt marshes, free of tidal restrictions, are more resilient and better equipped to help mitigate the potential damage from severe coastal storms, such as recently seen on the East Coast with Hurricane Sandy. We have certainly worked over the last 25 years to correct human impacts on salt marshes, and we will be looking to our salt marshes over the next 25 years to help us to adapt to future changes and the needs of our coastal areas. Author's Note: In recognition of the NH Department of Environmental Services' 25th Anniversary, I am highlighting 25 agency activities, programs, and accomplishments of the past 25 years. This article, 23rd in the series, discusses the long-term successes, planning, and future commitment to restore salt marshes to the critical role they play in our local and regional ecosystem of environment and economy. This series of anniversary editorials are available at http://des.nh.gov/organization/commissioner/25th-anniversary.htm. # # #

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David A. Joiner The Computational Science Education Reference Desk (CSERD) is a portal to the National Science Digital Library (NSDL) that opens its virtual shelves to those interested in educational resources for computational science. If one wants to find trustworthy resources on the behavior of tsunami waves, on creating computer models for building bridges, simulations of molecule interaction, or many other related topics, the CSERD portal is designed to help in that search. And trust is a key issue. While the lack of quality control on the web is not an issue unique to computational models, the many computational models that are on the web have their assumptions, their logic, their very science hidden beneath the veil of the graphical user interface, and the user often does not even have any text to read to discern whether or not they should believe the information they are receiving. CSERD addresses this issue through the use of both professional and community reviewing built into the portal infrastructure . Computational science educators, students, and scientists, through disparate efforts, have been creating numerical models and computational tools for various disciplines (e. g., science, mathematics, engineering) in the last decades. As the user approaches these models, determining whether the material is useful for the user fundamentally breaks down into three questions: is the simulation well crafted (verification), is the science accurate (validation), and is the audience appropriate (accreditation)? Also, the unfiltered web being as broad and inclusive as it is, searching on standard search engines can fail to produce acceptable results. Using Google to search for "learn probabilities interactively", outputs a list of 188,000 links. Getting to the "hit resources" is a daunting task. CSERD addresses this problem by (a) starting with a smaller, targeted set of resources, (b) extending traditional keyword searching with a multi-level browsing option, and (c) augmenting item records with both professional and amateur reviews. The browsing feature allows the user to create a smarter search by association of predefined keywords. If you select "Browse: By Subject" on the home page, you will discover a very straightforward way of creating a query by selecting a subject, a keyword, an audience, and an educational level. This multi-faceted browsing will get the user to the relevant resources eliminating the "sort on your own" step. In addition to the above use case scenarios, CSERD allows users to read and enter reviews of the indexed resources (learning objects). Besides the reviewing mechanism, CSERD encourages the submission of new resources to be incorporated (annotated and tagged) by the library (see Figure 1). 2. Assessment of Digital Library Objects 2. 1 Assessment Steps As items are submitted to CSERD, they first are tagged in extended Dublin Core using fields typical for education objects. Additional assessment steps augment this metadata in three mandatory stages: verification, validation, and accreditation (VV&A) of the materials by experts in the corresponding domain, as well as students and teachers. The VV&A process, put simply, addresses questions such as: does the software run as advertised, is the science right, and what is the appropriate target audience? In order to handle the functional constraints introduced in the previous paragraph, the CSERD developers decided to build a system with a transparent web interface that brings together online resources, a searchable metadata catalog, and a web-based evaluation process. Two open source projects have been joined and customized: a content management system (Plone ), and a metadata repository system (Collection Workflow Integration System -- CWIS ). Plone was used for implementing the VV&A tool, while CWIS became the metadata repository for CSERD. Verification involves testing whether the model runs properly. Traditionally, this includes an evaluation of the logic that went into the model, but as that is often hidden from the user, this primarily involves bug testing on many platforms and on many browsers. Validation is an evaluation of the validity of the science learned by the end user, essentially, is the science being presented correct, and what are the limitations? Many models are perfectly valid for a reasonable range of input, but fail if unrealistic inputs are used. Accreditation is a measure of the educational usefulness of the learning object. Clearly, if the object has bugs or if the science is incorrect or inappropriate to the user's learning goals, the learning object will not help the user learn; but even a bug-free, scientifically accurate model can fail in education if it is not made accessible to users of the target grade level and made to fit in with the standard curriculum. 2. 2 The VV&A tool The VV&A tool is a storage space for reviews, as well as a management tool for the workflow of the reviews associated to each CSERD material. It has a logical, intuitive structure with search and browse tools to explore the different reviews, an easy way of submitting electronic reviews, and a simple way of tracking them by the editors. The VV&A tool allows users to submit each level of review individually, as many of the research scientists developing and evaluating scientific models are not the most able to determine if a resource is properly correlated to national educational standards, and classroom teachers may not have enough content expertise to evaluate the specifics of a science module, particularly those based on recent discoveries. Each level of review allows for either a free-form entry format (advanced review) or a bulleted list of target questions (guided review). All reviews are approved, and if necessary edited, by CSERD staff before being made visible online, and for items that have been reviewed in all three assessment areas, a summary review and rating are created by CSERD staff and made accessible to other digital libraries through CSERD's metadata repository. 3. The metadata repository One of the goals of the CSERD project is to assemble, organize, and share its collection of metadata. Of existing metadata management systems, a package that was found to meet our requirements while also integrating well with other systems is the Collection Workflow Integration System (CWIS). In addition to providing a customizable front-end to the portal, this software generates Open Archive Initiative (OAI) files that can be incorporated by NSDL. Customizing CWIS required importing existing metadata, changing its look and feel, and linking it to the VV&A tool. Once the customized Plone and CWIS instances were deployed, the next step was to create a seamless communication channel between the two. Specifically, hyperlinks that included the catalog item id of the resource were added to send the user back and forth between the two platforms for services as needed: to Plone for editing or submitting reviews, and to CWIS for browsing or searching through the metadata. The integration between the two systems was finalized by creating a unique look and feel. This was possible since both packages support a set of page templates, called "faces" or "skins," that determine exactly how a document displays to the user, including images and styles surrounding the content. After the common interface was developed for the entire project, it was translated into a CWIS face and a Plone skin. With the skin/face in place, the user experienced one consistent and cohesive system. Figure 2 presents the main components of the system. Note that the metadata pushed in CSERD originates both from internal Shodor repositories as well as from external ones. The metadata editor interface is currently being developed and will be integrated later with CSERD. 4. Community Involvement The task of not only reviewing the materials in the library but also determining the impact of providing such reviews on actual use of items by teachers requires substantial community involvement to accomplish. 4. 1 Student participation in review creation As the bulk of the material in CSERD is geared towards undergraduate level or lower, reviewing the validity of material need not be performed only by content professionals if qualified students with appropriate supervision can be found to manage the task. At Kean University, students of the Center for Science, Technology, and Mathematics Education are performing VV&A reviews of learning objects under the direction of faculty. Students at the CSTME are involved in a content-rich 5-year combined Bachelors/Masters degree program in science or math education. Validity testing can be an excellent student project, with typical validation reviews requiring 4 hours of student time and less than an hour of faculty time, and this could be extended to student projects for science majors in other programs. Accreditation testing by education students typically requires an additional 4 hours, and can be a good way of introducing students to their state standards as well as national standards in their field. Verification testing of most online models requires even less expertise, and is often performed using a guided checklist by a large number of high school students at the Shodor Education Foundation, Inc. 4. 2 Teacher participation in portal evaluation As part of our effort to include teacher feedback in CSERD evaluation, several workshops have been conducted during Summer 2006 to introduce teachers to the site. In particular, teachers were asked to help in the accreditation and tagging process. Some of the workshops included a requirement for the participants to present a lesson that incorporates computational tools at the NCSTA. The first workshop was held June 19-20 with the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction (DPI) and the North Carolina School of Science and Math. Future workshops are planned with the New Schools of North Carolina, Asia Society's International Studies Schools Network (ISSN) Summer Institute, Kenan Institute and Kenan Fellows, and UNC School of Education. CSERD continues to strive to provide high quality resources to teach science and math with computing, as well as to teach computational science itself. The tools are in place to make getting information to and from educators in math and science easier, but there is still much work to be done in checking the material continually being created on the web to make sure it is ready for classroom use. Our initial efforts show that the use of student partnering with faculty projects can be a method of generating high quality reviews that allows for minimal invasion of faculty time and excellent experience in doing and writing about math and science for undergraduate students, both among science students and education students. This suggests an opportunity to spread this practice beyond our initial tests, and we welcome the opportunity to work with other faculty in publishing their students' reviews on CSERD. We are also hoping to expand our efforts to reach out to classroom teachers and gather their feedback on CSERD's resources, and we hope that any teachers at all levels looking for opportunities to add interactive exercises that bring not just technology but modern scientific computing into their classroom will browse by and join the community of CSERD users and reviewers. Joiner, D., Gordon, S., Lathrop, S., McClelland, M., and Stevenson, D. E. "Applying verification, validation, and accreditation processes to digital libraries. " In Proceedings of the 5th ACM/IEEE-CS Joint Conference on Digital Libraries, Denver, CO, 2005. McKay, A. The Definitive Guide to Plone. Apress, Berkeley, CA. 2004. Copyright © 2006 Diana Tanase, David A. Joiner, and Jonathan Stuart-Moore

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More people are returning to natural methods of healing in an era when pharmaceutical companies try to push pills as the cure-all. One area this is most notable is in maintaining mental health. Companion animals offer countless benefits to a human's physical wellness and the same is true for a person's mental state. Studies show that companion animals consistently aid in reducing anxiety, depression, loneliness, and encourage a state of general well-being in humans. Traditionally, the positive effects companion animals have on humans has been undervalued and those with strong animal attachments have been mislabeled as antisocial or ineffective at formulating healthy bonds with other humans. However, research shows that the animal-human bond is stronger than most will admit to publicly. It was also discovered that simply because a person formulates a strong bond with an animal it in no way depicts and ineptitude to formulate human bonds; studies show quite the opposite effect occurs. People who experience a healthy and respectful animal-human bond are more inclined to see situations in a positive manner, express love more freely, exhibit greater empathy for others, and are overall more compassionate. People who live with and love animals are prone to experience a sense of openness and are able to see life in a positive manner. This allows them to reduce personal stress and anxiety. They are also prone to problem solve negative issues without feeling drained or hopeless and are able to generate constructive solutions. The study into the positive effects animals have on humans was stunted because select philosophers and psychologists publicly devalued the role of animals. This mindset was to get people to accept the perspective that animals were inferior to humans. The result was the god-complex frequently seen in modern society. Those who formulated animal bonds were accused of sublimating human expressions and traits onto them. However, the effectiveness of pets in therapy sessions and in hospitals has effectively turned that misconception around. Pet therapy has shown positive results to stabilize people, particularly those vulnerable to mental health issues, be it a child enduring a messy divorce or the loss of a spouse. Further, studies show that adding a family pet reduces tensions amongst family members and increases positive interplay. Homes with adored family pets have also been shown to increase the amount of productive communication. Although, the mentality that "they are just animals" still lingers, both science and society are moving towards a more evolved look at the important role animals play in maintaining human mental health. For those interested in adding a furry addition to the family visit Petfinder or Humane Society International for adoption information.

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Creating Awareness and Building a Foundation The Primary Grades Enrichment Program provides students in 3rd – 5th grade the opportunity to engage in discoveries and active STEM and healthcare learning that promotes inquiry. Students can apply these experiences to solve “real world” problems. Within the context of hands-on activities and use of lab equipment and meaningful subject matter, students engage in practices that develop STEM skills, knowledge, and empathy for others. The goal is to allow more access to STEM and healthcare learning with an understanding of the way that scientist and health care professionals work. This program is implemented in partnership with classroom educators in 3rd – 5th grade to provide coaching/instructional support for educators in delivering high-quality learning experiences accompanied with professional development and resources. The professional development is developed around topics identified as a high need by educators/school and a chance to collaborate with other teachers from REACH partnering schools at the same grade levels. Making a Difference The purpose of this program, as with all REACH endeavors, is to increase student exposure to STEM and healthcare, thus fostering more consistency and sustainability in schools and among classrooms that promote equity and access. The aim is that esteem, self-perception, and curiosity are impacted and inspired to transform students, families, and communities.

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The team of astronomers (1) has just compared our Galaxy with other spiral galaxies (or galaxies with discs). This shows that for the Milky Way, the star content and the disc radius are quite lower than than is observed for the other galaxies. The halo of our Galaxy is also exceptional : its stars are particularly poor in heavy elements. The team explains these characteristics by the fact that our Galaxy underwent very few encounters or mergers with other galaxies since the last 10-11 billion years. Today, the majority of large galaxies are spiral galaxies, i. e. large discs in rotation around a bulge of relative small size. For example, our Sun is a star of the disc of our Galaxy, the Milky Way, orbiting at a speed of 220 km/s around the galactic center. The galaxies are characterized by fundamental quantities like the rotation velocity of disc stars around the center, the disc radius and finally the star content, commonly called "stellar mass". It is rather easy to measure these quantities for external galaxies, since we have a global vision of them. The difficulty to make these measurements for the Milky Way is due to the fact that we live in it : for example, the extinction by interstellar dust can hide part of the Galaxy and thus distort measurements. Enormous progress was made these last years, with in particular very detailed measurements in near and far infrared which are not affected by dust. The Milky Way has an unusual mass and radius By comparing these measurements with those done on nearby galaxies, the astrophysicists of Paris Observatory realized with great surprise that our Galaxy was rather particular. Indeed, for a given rotational velocity of the disc, its radius and its stellar mass are twice smaller than the average for other galaxies. Thus, only 7% of nearby spiral galaxies have properties similar to the Milky Way. On the other hand, the large Andromeda galaxy has average properties. The particularly intact environment of our Galaxy Spiral galaxies do not contain only a disc and a bulge : they are also surrounded by a halo, generally known to contain the invisible matter necessary to their stability. This halo, contains visible matter, including stars, whose properties are particularly affected by mergers between galaxies. For example, when a galaxy absorbs another one, the effects of the collision are so violent that the surroundings are considerably affected by the tidal debris, and moreover, enriched by the new stars formed in the merger. Again, the Milky Way is very particular : its environment contains only old stars, poor in heavy elements, contrary to other galaxies, in particular Andromeda. Is the Milky Way particularly favorable to the emergence of life ? We know in addition that the Milky Way did not undergo major mergers with other galaxies since nearly 11 billion years. We also know that Andromeda underwent many mergers in a recent past (a few billion years). These recent mergers "pollute" the environment of the galaxies by dispersed material or lately formed stars. By generating new stars, the stellar mass and the radius of galaxies increase. The particular properties of the Milky Way - small disc radius, low stellar mass, stars little enriched in the halo - are thus explained by the exceptionally calm history of our Galaxy. The absence of galaxy encounters during more than ten billion years could be a condition particularly favorable to the emergence of life. Indeed, collisions between galaxies are in general very violent, and imply very powerful emissions of energy (for example supernovae) which are very harmful to complex molecules at the origin of the living bodies. (1) The team is composed of : François Hammer, Mathieu Puech, Laurent Chemin, Hector Flores et Matthew Lehnert, GEPI-Observatoire de Paris, unité mixte de recherche du CNRS, associé à l’Université Paris Diderot. - The Milky Way : An Exceptionally Quiet Galaxy ; Implications for the formation of spiral galaxies Astrophysical Journal 662, p. 322 - Francois Hammer (Observatoire de Paris, GEPI, et CNRS) Dernière modification le 25 novembre 2013

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Rowing and paddling have been a part of Chicago’s sports fabric for over 150 years and prior to World War II was a major source of entertainment, and in some cases betting. In October of 1858 a professional rowing event was held on the Chicago River with a $1,000 prize, about $25,000 today. The Metropolitan Rowing Club of Chicago and the Shakespeare Rowing Club of Toronto squared off in fours over a 5-mile course on the Chicago River with Shakespeare winning the race. In 1887 Lincoln Park was created using landfill from the debris left after the Chicago Fire and the North Lagoon (Lincoln Park Lagoon today) was created specifically for rowing. During the 1880’s to 1900’s there were several rowing and paddling clubs throughout the city with at least seven calling the North Lagoon home. These clubs were the Delaware, Catlin, Social Athletic, Quintard, Ontario, Iroquois and Ogden who held annual rowing and paddling regattas that would attract competitors from around the country and thousands of spectators who would line the banks of the lagoon. After the turn of the century the Catlin, Iroquois, Union, and Chicago Rowing and Canoe clubs combined their resources to construct the Lincoln Park Boat House for $15,000, dedicating the facility on August 8, 1908. Designed by Dwight H. Perkins in conjunction with landscape architect Ossian Cole Simonds, the new boat house was to become part of the natural environment and designed in the Prairie School of design so that it would blend into Lincoln Park. While much has changed in the city around it, the 1908 boat house is still in use today and looks much like it did over 100 years ago. Lincoln Park Boat Club was organized on June 8, 1910 when the Catlin, Iroquois, Union and Chicago Rowing and Canoe clubs merged. LPBC has been in continuous operation ever since, serving Chicago’s rowing and paddling community for 100 years. From 1910 to the Great Depression, the Lincoln Park Boat Club hosted rowing and paddling events on the lagoon that would attract competitors from around the Midwest and as many as 25,000 spectators. The annual Water Sports Festival included popular events such the half mile coxed eights race and the quarter mile “Crab Race” where canoes were paddled by hand. The event even included swimming and platform diving competitions. By the Depression the large rowing and paddling events largely ended and LPBC almost closed in 1936-37 when more than half of the lagoon was filled to build Lake Shore Drive. However, LPBC managed to prevent the lagoon from being filled entirely and it took on the form you see today. In the 1950’s and 60’s, Lincoln Park Boat Club continued to offer strong programs and supported many high school teams such as Lane Technical, Weber and St. Michael’s. Perhaps due to an early push for equal rights and the loss of population to the suburbs, the once all men’s club began to admit women in the 1950’s. Copies of the 1961 Bylaws show a completely separate classification for women members who held no voting or equipment rights compared to their male counterparts. By the 1970’s membership in the club was in decline and many of the city high school and collegiate rowing programs were ending. By 1977 the boat house had fallen into disrepair and again the future of the club looked to be in jeopardy. Possible closure of the building was again staved off by the actions of club members and their work energized LPBC to rebuild itself. In 1979 the Chicago Park District undertook a major renovation of boat house and the decline in club membership had been halted. On May 31, 1980 the club hosted the first Chicago Sprints Rowing Regatta, a single day event with seven races and attended by several Midwest club and university rowing programs. The Chicago Sprints has been held annually since and today is one of the largest summer rowing events in the Midwest with two full days of racing, over 25 individual events, and participants from all over the country. During the 1980’s and 1990’s the Lincoln Park Boat House supported not just the Lincoln Park Boat Club but rowing crews from Northwestern University, the University of Chicago, Loyola Academy and St. Ignatius Prep School. Rowing and paddling continued to grow and in 1997 the LPBC adult sweep rowing teams, with the University of Chicago and Northwestern University crews, moved onto the Chicago River where they have operated and flourished ever since. During the first decade of the 21st Century LPBC’s competitive and recreational programs have continued to grow and expand with the reintroduction of adaptive programs at the Lincoln Park Lagoon in 2009 and the introduction of outrigger canoes and a competitive Dragon Boat Team in 2008 who, in 2010, took 1st place in the Premier Mixed Division at the US Club Crew Championships.

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New Jersey Autism Prevalence Rises to 1 in 32 in New CDC Report March 26, 2020 12/2/2021: Today, the CDC released its new prevalence rates report showing autism rates in the US rose to 1 in 44 nationwide. The increase, experts note, is likely due to improvements in identification, diagnosis and referrals to services. Read more>> New Jersey’s rates remain one of the highest at 1 in 35. Check back soon for our report and analysis of the latest results. New Jersey again has highest rate; national rate up to 1 in 54 The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) released a report today showing the rate of children identified with an autism spectrum disorder rose to 1 in 54 nationally. This statistic is based on the CDC’s evaluation of health and educational records of 8-year-old children in 2016 in 11 states, including New Jersey. New Jersey again has the highest rate of those states evaluated, with 1 in 32 (3. 1% of children). This percentage is higher than the average percentage identified with ASD (1. 85%) in all communities in the United States where CDC tracked ASD in 2016. The New Jersey rate continues to trend higher. The previous rates from the 2018 report were 1 in 34 (2. 9%) in NJ and 1 in 59 (1. 7%) in the US. The New Jersey Autism Study (NJAS), led by Dr. Walter Zahorodny, an Associate Professor at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, helps to increase understanding of the scope of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in children, describe the characteristics of ASD in those children, and identify differences between groups in the prevalence or detection of ASD. “The CDC Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring (ADDM) Network and NJAS have been driving forces in advancing awareness and urgency for funding and policy changes to help more children and adults access the medical and behavioral treatment they need,” noted Autism New Jersey Executive Director Suzanne Buchanan, Psy.D., BCBA-D. A key takeaway from the CDC’s report: Rising numbers of children with ASD need services and support, now and as they grow into adolescence and adulthood. Autism New Jersey is here to help and advocate for the autism community in New Jersey. For further analysis and links to the CDC report and resources:

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The mathematical relationship between Bitcoin's usage and price Why does this matter? Until the block reward runs out, the exchange rate is a critical component of Bitcoin's security. It's important to understand exactly how usage effects security. The equation of exchange We can use the equation of exchange to see the precise relationship between Bitcoin's usage and price. The equation of exchange states that M * V = P * T, where: M = the money supply V = the velocity of money P = the average price per transaction T = the number of transactions (number of bitcoins) * (velocity of bitcoins) = (average amount of bitcoins per transaction) * (number of transactions) Or in other words: (number of bitcoins) * (velocity of bitcoins) = (total value of Bitcoin spending denominated in Bitcoin) Multiply the right side by 1 = (Bitcoin price)/(Bitcoin price): . . . = (total value of Bitcoin spending denominated in Bitcoin)(Bitcoin price in USD)/(Bitcoin price in USD) Simplifying the right side: . . . = (total value of Bitcoin spending denominated in USD)/(Bitcoin price in USD) Solve for the Bitcoin price in USD: (Bitcoin price in USD) = (total value of Bitcoin spending denominated in USD)/((number of bitcoins) * (velocity of bitcoins)) Suppose there are 15 million bitcoins in existence at some point in time, the Bitcoin economy contains 60 billion USD per year of economic activity, and the velocity of bitcoins is 5 (about 3. 3 times as high as current M2 velocity -- see here). Then the value of a bitcoin would be: (60 billion)/((15 million) * 5)) = $800 The effect of savings and speculation The above analysis doesn't explicitly address demand for Bitcoin stemming from a desire to save or speculate on the future price. When someone obtains bitcoins and doesn't use them in the economy, you can account for them in the above math in one of two ways: - Reduce the bitcoin supply to only include bitcoins that are being used for spending, and also define the velocity only in terms of these bitcoins. - Keep bitcoins used for savings/speculation in the definition of bitcoin supply, and compute velocity over all bitcoins. As long as you compute velocity over whatever you've defined supply as, the math will work out. Putting a lower bound on Bitcoin's price You may think from the above "great, but we don't know what percentage of bitcoins will be used for speculation or savings, so how useful is this? " We can just assume that all bitcoins are used in commerce to get a lower bound on the future price given a certain level of bitcoin activity and velocity. This is essentially what we did above when we calculated a hypothetical price of $800. Our big assumption was that velocity among coins used in commerce was 5. How can we know what velocity will be? Some argue that velocity is just a free variable in the equation of exchange, so the equation is meaningless. However it has a real interpretation: velocity is the amount of times per year each bitcoin is spent. It can't have an arbitrary value -- it needs to correspond to actual economic activity. Velocity of US dollars has stayed between 1. 5 and 2. 3 since at least 1960. Because Bitcoin is a digital currency without a lot of the friction involved in the traditional banking system (no waiting 3 days for a bank deposit), Bitcoin velocity may be higher than USD velocity. Still, because we have a lot of historical data about the velocity of different forms of money in the past, we can make an educated guess.

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The article shared that personal and professional development is not about luck. It also shared a quote from Charles Tremendous Jones: "The only difference between who you are today and the person you will be in five years will come from the books you read and the people you associate with. " Let's talk about reading. As afterschool professionals and leaders, we know reading is important in youth development—but how about in our own development? Strong professionals and leaders read to learn. This learning is critical and is one of the most powerful levers to build our knowledge and skills. What can you read and how? Of course, there are books and magazines, in print and digital editions. There are eNewsletters and social media—which is still reading, but easier to absorb because it's chunked. The real key is to make technology work for you: - Set up Google alerts with topics you're interested in learning about. - Set up email folders or use the Outlook app on your mobile device to separate them from other emails. - Like and follow social media sites that interest you, so information automatically shows up in your feeds. Take it one step further by interacting with post authors and others who show a shared interest. - Take advantage of audiobooks and podcasts—they're similar to reading but can be done in different settings. Stay tuned for future articles with favorite podcasts of NAA members. Have ideas to share? Email email@example. com. Contributed by Heidi Ham, NAA's VP of Programs and Strategy, Avid Reader and Listener (including audiobooks and podcasts).

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Lenin And Stalin Before any state can ascend to the status of superpower a shared philosophy, or general direction, must first be established. In this paper I plan to compare and contrast the ideologies behind the political and economic practice of Vladimir Ilich Lenin and Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin. The similarities between the men are staggering: each followed the teachings of Socialism and Marxism, each had the tribulations of applying their methods during hostile resistance, war, economic collapse, and foreign invasion. Furthermore it must be brought to attention the staggering time differences in Lenin and Stalin? s time in power (Lenin ruled for six years, while Stalin ruled for almost thirty). Light must also shine on the fact that Lenin oversaw the installation of the Bolsheviks from scratch while Stalin had Lenin? s foundation and was left with continuing the work rather than starting it. Throughout the remainder of this paper I will examine the similarities and differences, between both the ideologies and the actual practice, of Lenin and Stalin? s beliefs. Lenin, who was the more accomplished theorist and author of the two, outlined the major points of his work in his most important work: ? What is to be Done.? lenin, stalin, party, war, state, power, revolution, socialist, opposition, lenin? s, class, work, while, russian, political, order, one, new, economic, against, working, time, terror, soviet, socialism, rule, republics, between, after, violence, stalin? s, soviets, society, russia, ruled

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The appendix is a 2- to 4-inch, worm-shaped organ attached to the lower half of the intestines. Doctors cannot precisely say what function this organ serves in the body. It’s possible it contributes to fighting off some infections, but we aren’t quite sure. Inflammation of the appendix is known as appendicitis. This is usually due to blockage of the gland leading to infection. Blockage of the apendix can be caused by – bacteria, Viruses, hardened fecal matter, parasites, ulcers, abdominal rips or tearing. This can be a serious condition. And, it’s always an emergency. Left untreated, an inflamed appendix can burst. This can lead to spread of infection and may cause inflammation in the lining of the abdomen. Every individual has a low risk for developing appendicitis during their lifetime. This risk is about 7-10%. However, appendicitis is most common among children aged 10 to 19. In fact, it’s the most frequent reason for emergency surgery in persons of this age group. Appendicitis isn’t hereditary, and also, not infectious. This means that you can’t pass it to others. But there is nothing you or your doctor can do to prevent it or reduce your risk of getting it. The commonest symptom of appendicitis is new or worsening pain in the lower right part of your abdomen. Other possible symptoms include – fever, loss of appetite with nausea or vomiting, lack of energy and inability to pass gas Appendicitis symptoms can mimic other abdominal conditions like Crohn’s disease, gallbladder problems, urinary tract infections and pelvic inflammatory disease. So, it’s important to see a doctor when you experience any of these abdominal symptoms for a proper diagnosis. There’s no blood test to identify appendicitis. A blood panel can show an increase in your white blood cell count, a pointer to possible infection. An abdominal or pelvic CT scan or X-rays may also help in making a diagnosis. Doctors typically use ultrasound to diagnose appendicitis in children. What are your treatment options? In less severe cases, your doctor may prescribe antibiotics. However, most appendicitis cases require surgery (an appendectomy) to remove the appendix. If your appendix hasn’t burst, your doctor may remove it through a small cut in the belly button. This procedure is better for older adults and those who are overweight. Recovery typically takes between two and four weeks. A ruptured appendix requires open surgery. The surgeon will clean out any infection that’s spread in the abdomen. References: Cleveland Clinic, Mayo Clinic, Wikipedia The Flying Doctors Nigeria is a member of the British Safety Council that specializes in providing medical solutions such as air ambulance and medical evacuation, ground ambulance procurement and leasing, remote medical services such a medical staffing, online company clinic set-up, site clinic management, occupational health, medical evacuation insurance and other health consultancy services for the oil & gas industry as well as other corporate, military and non-governmental organizations. For information about how we can support your organization please: Visit our website: www. flyingdoctorsnigeria. com or email us at: firstname. lastname@example. org, email@example. com, firstname. lastname@example. org Call us on: 0700 FLYINGDRS/ 0700 3594 64377

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What was said? It’s just another one of his harebrained schemes. Did someone really say that? Yes, when referring to a colleague’s bright idea that seemed to lead no where. What does it mean? It basically refers to an idea that seems foolish or doesn’t make much sense. Origin: The phrase dates back to the 1500s when it was also spelled “hairbrained” at times. The word “hare” and “hair” were used interchangeably to refer to the same thing – the animal “hare. ” Most research suggests that the phrase originates from actual hares who are quite jumpy/skittish and not necessarily the smartest animals around. To call someone “harebrained” would be to say they had a brain not much larger than that of an actual hare, thus not coming up with a smart, well thought out plan. Either spelling is used to describe a plan/scheme or at times an individual who is flighty or even reckless. Scatterbrained is a common synonym for a “harebrained” individual. For those who believe the true spelling is “hairbrained” there is a notion that the phrase comes from one’s head being full of hair, or having a hair-sized brain, regardless it has the same meaning when used today!

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Guidelines covering mass gatherings worldwide in the wake of the Ebola epidemic are being developed by Flinders University. Flinders University’s World Health Organization (WHO) Collaborating Centre for Mass Gatherings and High Consequence Events has been enlisted by the WHO to prepare urgent strategies for managing mass gatherings and planned events following the Ebola crisis, which is affecting multiple countries in West Africa. When completed, the guidelines will be used by international event organisers and health authorities to plan for large scale public events where an Ebola infection could occur. Established in 2009, the Flinders Collaborating Centre is a leader in disaster and emergency research in the Asia-Pacific – one of the most disaster-prone regions in the world. It works in partnership with the WHO to develop better strategies for the management of mass gatherings and deliberate events such as concerts, large scale sports events and disasters. While the Ebola guidelines are still being drafted, with the details not yet publicly available, the guidelines will provide event organisers and health authorities with important advice on planning and management strategies before, during and after an Ebola detection. WHO Collaborating Centre for Mass Gatherings and High Consequence Events Director, Professor Paul Arbon, said coordination and cooperation is essential when a health risk could affect other nations. “Mass gatherings are one such scenario and this is especially relevant across African nations at present where the potential risk is greater,” Professor Arbon said. “Although we do know some African countries have enacted travel bans, this involves the WHO Collaborating Centre network and will provide an expert consensus on the level of risk and any accompanying actions,” he said.

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All articles in All Articles | Tech Stream, showing 10 out of 181 items. Program to find the Quotient of two or more numbers A c++ Program to find the product of two numbers and store the product in another variable and output it A C++ program to illustrate reversing a string,using for loop treating the string as a character array. A C++ program to illustrate the use of structure in a program A C++ program to illustrate the use of structure in a program , Program 2 Program to find the product of two numbers WAMPs are packages of independently-created programs installed on computers that use a Microsoft Windows operating Web hosts are the companies that provide space on servers they own to individuals or organizations to make their own A domain name is an identification label that defines a realm of administrative autonomy, authority, or control in the Web sites have become most important part of all business and other functions too, as it can provide sales and development Subscribe to our email newsletter for useful tips and valuable resources, sent out every new article release. Powered by FeedBurner

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He's not concerned about the killings, beatings, kidnappings, and torture that go unpunished, documented by international and national human rights organizations; he's concerned about the right of workers to work part time. "It is an attempt against human rights in Honduras not to go ahead and approve the Law of Part Time Work.. . . What we can't stop doing in Honduras is making decisions, and that we are doing. " Hernández spoke in response to unions, who declared that anyone in favor of the Law of Part Time Work was their enemy. Lets look at the proposed law in the context of human rights. Article 23. 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, adopted by the United Nations in 1948, says "Everyone has the right to work, to free choice of employment, to just and favorable conditions of work, and to protection against unemployment. " So, looks like the UN Declaration on Human Rights supports Juan Orlando Hernández, right? This language is copied word for word into the Honduran constitution as article 127. The new Law of Part Time Work will result in a larger pool of jobs according to every economic analysis. But not so fast. Article 23. 3 of the Declaration goes on to say "Everyone who works has a right to just and favorable remuneration ensuring for himself and his family an existence worthy of human dignity. . . . " The new Law of Part Time Work will allow violation of this clause of the International Human Rights Declaration. Current employment law in Honduras requires full time permanent employment. The underlying reasoning behind this was that people and families should be able to support themselves with an existence "worthy of human dignity" if employed full-time, so long as the minimum wage kept pace with the cost of living. We all know that didn't happen, but that was the reasoning behind current employment law. Clearly the Law of Part Time Work is a pro-business law. It reduces the cost of operation, increasing profits. Fewer full time employees means less paid in benefits; companies can choose to employ people for less than full time and adjust to fluctuations in demand. Think seasonal employment during the shopping season leading up to Christmas in the US. The new law allows up to 40 percent of the employees of a business to be part time workers. As part time employees, to earn a living wage, they would have to combine multiple part time jobs, without receiving the benefits a full time worker at a single job would. So, while there may be a larger pool of jobs, many of them will come with few or no benefits, and will not by themselves support an individual or family. To make up for the lost benefits, a part time worker will need to work more hours per week than a full time employee works. Fewer people overall will have access to benefits under the new law supported by Juan Orlando Hernández. Fewer people overall will earn enough to feed and house themselves and their families. Fewer Hondurans will have access to "an existence worthy of human dignity". That's the human rights dimension here.

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Yamapanchak commonly known as “Tihar” is one of the most important festivals in Nepal. It is celebrated on the night of the new moon in the month of Kartik. The entire festival stretches from two days prior to Tihar till two days post-Tihar, making it a five-day grand celebration. “Yamapanchak” is composed of two words, “Yama” is the “god of death, and “Panchak” means five, hence the festival is celebrated for five days for Yama and his messengers. During this period, people pray to Lord Yama to appease him so that he may judge people’s virtues and vices fairly after they die and that God may transfer the deceased to heaven. Nepalese do not only praise Gods and Deities like Goddess Laxmi, Lord Yama, Govardhan Mountain, etc on this day but also honor and worship animals like crows, dogs, cows, and oxen with the belief that it will bring happiness, success, and good fortune in their lives. People consider these animals divine gifts from Mother Nature and the relationship that they share with them is considered sacred. The Five Days of Yamapanchak The celebration starts almost a month prior when people clean their homes, discard all the unwanted and broken things, and purchase new clothes. The 5 days of the celebration involve the worshiping of five different deities in the form of animals or humans for peace and prosperity. Day 1, Kaag Tihar (Worshiping the Crows) On the first day of Yamapanchak, ‘Kaag’, a crow, the messenger of Yama is worshiped. People offer sweets and other home-cooked delicacies on a tapari (leaf plate) on their rooftops or balconies. Or simply toss rice grains on the grounds for crows to feed on. They worship the crows with the belief that the god’s messenger will not bear any unfortunate news to the family. Day 2, Kukur Tihar (Worshiping the Dogs) For Hindus of Nepal, dogs are the guardians of the gates of heaven. They are worshiped for their love, protection, and their loyalty toward people. People put ‘Tika’ (red/ white color mark) on the dogs’ forehead, tie a garland of marigold flowers around their necks and offer them a grand feast. Day 3, Gai Tihar (Worshiping the Cows) ‘Gai’ or a cow is known as the symbol of prosperity. On the 3rd day of Tihar, cows are worshiped and praised by putting a ‘tika’ on their forehead and a garland of marigolds around their neck. On this day, people scrub clean their houses and surroundings, and the windows and doors are decorated with marigold garlands in preparation to welcome Goddess Laxmi at night. They also light oil-wick lamps, candles, and lanterns all around the houses. Colorful ‘Rangolis’ are designed on the floor using sand colors, multi-colored grains, and flowers. People often paint red-colored footsteps from the doorway to the shrine room or a locker room. These footsteps represent the Goddess Laxmi’s entry into the homes and also of wealth and prosperity. The ritual follows an elaborate puja at every home and office. On this occasion, groups of small children and young girls visit every house in their neighborhood and dance and sing Tihar songs called “Bhailo” and “Deusi” and ask for money alms, fruits, or sweets. Day 4, Goru Tihar (Worshiping the Ox and Govardhan Hill) Day 4 observes three different rituals throughout the day. Just as the crows, dogs, and cows people on this day people worship oxen which have proved to be a farmer’s best friend in this agricultural country. Some communities worship the Govardhan Mountain by structuring a representative small mountain idol made of cow dung. This symbolizes the victory of Lord Krishna over Lord Indra. Hundreds of food items, known as ‘Annakut’ are offered to this deity. This day is marked as the new year of the Newar community and the beginning of the new ‘Nepal Sambat’ or the Nepali calendar. In the evening, every home of Newari community performs the ‘Maha Puja’ which is aimed at worshiping self to purify one’s soul. The elder father of the family draws the traditional auspicious geometric designs and performs puja under the ‘Mandap’ decorated with marigold. The females of the house prepare a grand feast, known as ‘Shagun’. People enjoy various delicacies like fried eggs, fish, meat, sweet dishes and much more. Day 5, Bhaitika (Celebrating the love between brothers and sisters) Bhai Tika is celebrated for the protection of brothers from all evil and to pray for their long lives. Sister puts Tika on the brother’s forehead praying to Yama, The God of Death for the success, growth, and longevity of the brother’s health and age. After Tika, sister brings the gift for the brothers including roti, fruits, sweets, etc. In return, the brother also puts tikas on his sister’s forehead and hands over the gift, the gift may be things or a good sum of money. People celebrate the last day by singing, playing cards, playing deusi (Cultural Program during Tihar) in local communities, and also lighting up the sky with firecrackers. The house owner blessed Deusi Team with blessings, money, and goods in return. What are the things that people usually do during Tihar? Deusi Bhailo Programs: Deusi Bhailo is a popular cultural entertainment song sung during the featival of Tihar. During Deusi-Bhailo both boys and girls form a group, who go from house to house singing, dancing, and asking for rice and money. Moreover, at night, Boys gather together to play Deusi by visiting the neighborhood, and Bhailo is played by girls. Usually, boys & girls chant some story about the Tihar festival and sing a song supported by a group of people as a chorus. Firecrackers: To welcome the goddess Laxmi, people light firecrackers in their houses. It was once a tradition all over Nepal specifically in Southern and Central Nepal, which now is completely banned, because they cause “huge air, noise, and solid waste problems. Playing Card: Adults and Old People prefer to play a card during the Tihar festival. People spend the whole night playing cards placing bets for fun. This is one of the many ways people celebrate the Tihar in Nepal. Playing Dice: Yet another thing people prefer during this festival is to play Dice. It is famous among young ones. They spend lots of money on this activity. Some win a huge sum of money while others may lose. Swing: After the Dashain Festival, the traditional bamboo swing called Linge Ping con continues to entertain people of all ages during Tihar too. Legends of Tihar There are many tales about the origins of Tihar. The most popular of them all is the story of Lord Yama, the God of Death, and his sister the Yamuna. Lord Yama aka Yamaraj, the Hindu god of death, is believed to be the one who judges people after their death. He is the one who decides whether to send them to hell or heaven based on the deeds on earth. He due to his busy schedule of assigning hell and heaven to people could hardly make time for his sister, Yamuna who had been waiting for long to meet her brother. So she decided to send messengers to Yama. As the legend goes, she first sent a crow on the first day, a dog on the second day, and then a cow on the third day to summon his brother, but Yama failed. She then decided to show up at Yamalok (Yama’s place) in person. This was on the fifth day since she sent the first messenger crow. On this day, it is said that the Yamuna upon meeting her brother worshiped him and blessed him with good fortune. She drew a circle around Yama with flowers and Dubo (Cynodon Dactylon) dipped in mustard oil and requested him not to leave until the oil, flowers, and dubo grass dried. And she asked boon for every sister, that all the siblings unite and not even He, the God of death may keep them apart on this day. Following the legend, every year, sisters follow Yamuna’s worship ritual and pray that their brothers live long and prosperous lives. The day is called “Bhai Tika” and forms the last day of the five-day-long Tihar festival. Another story, telling the origins of the Govardhan Puja observed on the fourth day of Tihar is about Lord Krishna. It is the story of when Gokul village was under the threat of flood and heavy rainfall after being cursed by Lord Indra, the God of Rain. To protect the Gokul people, Krishna lifted the massive Govardhan Mountain on his tiny little finger and provided shelter to every person and animal in the village. As Govardhan Mountain saved the lives of the people of Gokul, they offered a variety of food items to Govardhan Mountain and worshiped him for becoming their savior. Rani Pokhari is the Major attraction in Kathmandu during Tihar Rani Pokhari temple is open to the public only the Bhai Tika Day. In downtown Kathmandu, in the middle of an artificial 400 sq. meter pond lies the temple of one of the incarnations of Lord Shiva known as Matrikeshwar Mahadev. It is a delight to walk across the white bridge that leads to the temple premises.

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Glass is one of the most used substances in our everyday lives. It’s used for everything from windows and screens to glasses that help people to see. While it is incredibly useful, it also has to be handled with care as glass can be quite prone to breaking. It can be quite unfortunate when a big pane of glass shatters into many pieces, but there is also a kind of beauty to the pattern it creates. It can also be a fun challenge to learn how to draw broken glass! This can also be quite tricky to do, making a tutorial such as this one essential when learning how to do it. Our step-by-step guide on how to draw broken glass in just 6 steps will show you how to do it in a fun and easy way! How to Draw Broken Glass – Let’s Get Started! Before you begin this guide on how to draw broken glass, to make things easier for yourself you may want to use a light pencil to draw a perfect rectangle. This will help you to visualize what the pane of glass looked like before it shattered. When you’re ready, we can then start to draw the top left-hand side of the pane of glass. The pieces will all be very close to one another, and while some will be angled away from the others next to them, they should all look like they would slot together like a puzzle. Near to where the center will be, the broken glass will also be bunched up to show where the impact was. Step 2 – Next, draw the lower left-hand side of the glass Now that you have drawn the top right side of the pane, you can draw the bottom left-hand side for your broken glass drawing in this step. When drawing this next section, you will be doing it in a very similar fashion to how you drew the first section. Once again, the pieces will be at jagged angles, but they will also look like they would slot together if pushed together. Once you have drawn this section, we can begin adding some more as we move on to the next steps of the guide. Step 3 – Now, draw the next section of the pane This step of our guide on how to draw broken glass will see you drawing the bottom right-hand side of the pane. We will also be drawing more of the impact point of the glass. This area of the glass will have cracks that from a rounded shape instead of the larger, more angular pieces that you have been drawing thus far. Otherwise, the other pieces will all look fairly similar to the rest that you have been drawing, and will once again look as if they would fit together. Once this part of the pane is drawn, we will be ready to draw the final section of the broken glass in the next few steps. Step 4 – Next, draw the outline of the final section Now you’re ready to begin the final section of this broken glass drawing. To help make things easier, we will be drawing the outline for this final section before you start working on the finer details. You can draw some straight lines to create a rough corner for the pieces that you will be drawing soon. The lines for this corner will be a bit broken up into several sections, as each line will represent a separate piece. Once you have drawn these lines as they appear in the reference image, you will be ready to add some final touches in the next step! Step 5 – Add the final details to your broken glass drawing You have reached the fifth step of this guide on how to draw broken glass, and in this one we shall draw the final pieces. In this step, we will also be drawing the point of impact that created the crack in the first place. This section may be a bit trickier to draw, as there will be much smaller pieces that come together to form a rounded crack shape. For this part, you may want to either use a fine-tipped pen or a very sharp pencil, as the details can get a bit fiddly. Once that part is drawn, you can then finish off by drawing the rest of the larger pieces. When the drawing is complete, maybe you could draw the object that smashed it lying nearby! Bonus: Get Creative With The Color Mediums You Use We’re about to reach the final step of this guide on how to draw broken glass. In that step, we will cover some of the more conventional ways you can bring color to your drawing. Before that, we wanted to quickly give you some ideas on how you can use some more unconventional tools to bring color to your drawing. If you visit some art and craft stores, you can get a transparent colored paper. It could be fun to buy some sheets of that and then cut out a rectangle of the colored paper that is more or less the size of your drawing. Carefully cut this rectangle into pieces in a way that makes it look like broken glass, and then you can stick them on a page in a similar fashion to how we drew this broken glass. This would be quite an undertaking and would require some patience, but it would be worth it! If you want to stick to more conventional methods, there are ways to elevate it with crafts anyway. For example, if you look at glass in the sun, it will often shine and reflect the light. You could show this with a light sprinkling of glitter glued over the glass in the picture. This would be an effect that would be best to keep fairly subtle, as it may throw off the design if you use too much. Using different art mediums can help too. For example, say you use watercolor for the glass, you could make the cracks stand out with some well placed pen lines. We hope these tips gave you some cool ideas as we move to the final step of this guide! Step 6 – Finish off your broken glass drawing with color This is the final step of this broken glass drawing, and in it you will finish it off with some color. In our reference image, we used various shades of greys and blues to create the shiny, transparent look of the glass. You could use some similar colors for your own broken glass drawing, but you could also use some unique colors instead! When coloring, you may want to use a softer medium such as watercolor paints or colored pencils to help create the transparent look, but anything you use will look great. We can’t wait to see what you choose! Do this to take your broken glass drawing to the next level Make this broken glass sketch even better with these fun tips! Glass won’t normally just break on its own, so something must have caused this accident in this broken glass drawing! You could show what caused this to happen by adding some extra details. There are quite a few objects you could draw to suggest what happened here. For example, you could have a baseball lying beneath the shattered glass. Or, you could just have a baseball bat to show that someone purposefully smashed it. These are a few suggestions, but there are many more to try! What else do you think could have broken this glass? This next tip for your drawing of broken glass leads on from the previous one. To further create a scene, we think you should incorporate this pane of broken glass into a background scene. The glass could look like it’s in a window, for instance. Or it could be a sheet of glass lying on the floor. These are just some really basic ideas, but you could probably think of some more creative ideas for a background setting. As we all know, glass is reflective, and it can even be decorated. That leads us to another way to improve this broken glass sketch. For one idea, you could draw something reflected in the glass. This could just be the reflection of a face looking at it. If you want to try this, you can look up pictures of faces reflected in glass to help! Or, you could decorate it to look like it was a stained glass window for another idea. Once you have added all of your ideas, you can then finish off with your colors. Glass is transparent, so you may want to try and use softer art mediums to show this. Examples would include watercolor paints or colored pencils. If you drew a reflection or made it into a stained glass pattern, then this would also allow you to work in all sorts of interesting colors! Your Broken Glass Drawing is Complete! There were loads of small parts and details to draw in this step-by-step guide on how to draw broken glass, so we hope that the guide made it fun and easy for you to do! By following the steps we laid out and taking it slowly, you will definitely be able to complete this image in no time. Once you have finished the guide, it will be up to you to complete it with your own details and ideas! There is a lot that you could do to do this, and we mentioned a few ideas such as drawing additional objects or getting creative with your colors and art mediums. What else can you think of to finish it off? When you’re finished with this guide, you can find many more to enjoy on our website! Be sure to keep visiting, as we upload new ones frequently. We would also be thrilled to see how your broken glass drawing came out, so please show us by sharing it on our Facebook and Pinterest pages!

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Although drone operators may be far from the battlefield, they can still develop symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), a new study shows. About 1,000 United States Air Force drone operators took part in the study, and researchers found that 4. 3 percent of them experienced moderate to severe PTSD. In comparison, between 10 and 18 percent of military personnel returning from deployment typically are diagnosed with PTSD, the researchers wrote. "I would say that, even though the percentage is small, it is still a very important number, and something that we would want to take seriously so that we make sure that the folks that are performing their job are effectively screened for this condition and get the help that they [may] need," said study author Wayne Chappelle, a clinical psychologist who consults for the USAF School of Aerospace Medicine at Wright Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio. The percentage of drone operators in the study who had PTSD was lower than the percentage of people in the U.S. general population who have the condition, which is 8. 7 percent, according to the 2013 data from the American Psychiatric Association cited in the study. The drone operators in the study completed questionnaires that listed 17 symptoms characteristic of PTSD, such as recurring nightmares, intrusive thoughts, trouble falling asleep and difficulty concentrating. [5 Controversial Mental Health Treatments] The researchers also found that "there are really no substantive differences" between symptoms of PTSD in drone operators and other military personnel, Chappelle told Live Science. The drone operators who had worked for 25 months or more, and those working 51 or more hours weekly were more likely to experience PTSD symptoms than operators who had worked for less time, or fewer hours per week. Whether someone develops PTSD after a traumatic event depends on how they can process it, Chappelle said. It is not completely clear why some people seem to process events better than others. "It is likely that multiple factors are at play," such as genetics or past exposure to trauma, in determining whether a person will experience PTSD, Chappelle said. Although drone operators are not on the actual battlefield, they operate aircraft "that still affect battlefield operations, and many other operations, [and therefore] it is important that we maintain airmen who are healthy, who are fit and that we are able to identify those airmen that may be struggling with some kind of psychological or physical condition that could in fact impair their performance or reduce longevity," Chappelle said. Drone operators suffering from PTSD could benefit from interventions, he said. If PTSD goes unaddressed, the condition can lead to more severe problems, he said. Copyright 2014 LiveScience, a TechMediaNetwork company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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The end of the Pleistocene era brought dramatic environmental changes to small bands of humans living in North America: changes that affected subsistence, mobility, demography, technology, and social relations. The transition they made from Paleoindian (Pleistocene) to Archaic (Early Holocene) societies represents the first major cultural shift that took place solely in the Americas. This event—which manifested in ways and at times much more varied than often supposed—set the stage for the unique developments of behavioral complexity that distinguish later Native American prehistoric societies. Using localized studies and broad regional syntheses, the contributors to this volume demonstrate the diversity of adaptations to the dynamic and changing environmental and cultural landscapes that occurred between the Pleistocene and early portion of the Holocene. The authors' research areas range from Northern Mexico to Alaska and across the continent to the American Northeast, synthesizing the copious available evidence from well-known and recent excavations. With its methodologically and geographically diverse approach, From the Pleistocene to the Holocene: Human Organization and Cultural Transformations in Prehistoric North America provides an overview of the present state of knowledge regarding this crucial transformative period in Native North America. It offers a large-scale synthesis of human adaptation, reflects the range of ideas and concepts in current archaeological theoretical approaches, and acts as a springboard for future explanations and models of prehistoric change. As associate professor of Anthropology at Texas State University–San Marcos and a GAES honorary research fellow at the University of the Witwatersrand, C. BRITT BOUSMAN has conducted archaeological research in the Southern Plains and peripheral areas since 1972. His contributions include co-authoring “Paleoindian Archeology in Texas” in The Prehistory of Texas (Texas A&M University Press, 2004). BRADLEY J. VIERRA is a principal investigator at Statistical Research Inc. He has researched and written extensively on hunter-gatherer archaeology, stone tool technology, and origins of agriculture, with a special focus on the American Southwest. What Readers Are Saying: "The authors make a compelling case that a marked change in artifact types is a result of population shifts in the Pacific Northwest . . . well-organized and well-written . . . a welcome summary of data on the Paleoindian and Archaic in Sonora, Mexico . . . an excellent summary of recent data on the Late Pleistocene through Early Holocene developments in central Texas."--David Carlson, associate professor of anthropology, Texas A&M University " . . . a highly useful compendium of authoritative regional overviews of changing human adaptions across the Pleistocene-Holocene transition . . . a much needed review of the varieties of responses of regional populations to the varied environmental changes across North America . . . important and useful contribution . . . an important addition to the literature. "--Bradley T. Lepper, curator of archaeology, Ohio Historical Society "Britt Bousman and Bradley Vierra have compiled a comprehensive volume dealing with the cultural transformations that took place in North America at the end of the last Ice Age and the beginning of the early Holocene. Each of the eleven chapters in From the Pleistocene to the Holocene provides a review of a specific region and these chapters are written by recognized scholars. Each chapter is packed with useful information and new insights into the late Paleoindian-early Archaic transition. Each regional synthesis laces together the archaeology of this time period against the backdrop of climate and environmental changes. This is a much needed and insightful synthesis of an important topic in North American archaeology. "--Michael R. Waters, director, Center for the Study of First Americans in the Department of Anthropology, Texas A&M University "From the Pleistocene to the Holocene by Charles Britt Bousman and Bradley J. Vierra sets the stage for a serious reconsideration of the archaeology of the Paleoindian-Archaic transition in North America. The articles bring together a wealth of data--much of it drawn from the ‘grey literature’. This is an essential resource for the prehistory of North America and for all archaeologists interested in the interplay between climate and culture at the onset of the Holocene."--Michael Chazen, professor, department of anthropology, University of Toronto “This weighty contribution fins an important and necessary niche . . . exemplifies how “big picture” investigations can dovetail quite nicely with examinations of regional variation and thus act as both a foundation and inspiration for future research . . . Altogether, Bousman and Vierra have assembled a handsome, must-have work for Pleistocene/Holocene Transition archaeologists the world over, as well as a practical, worthwhile reference book for post-Pleistocene archaeologists who want to better understand the cultures foundational to the rest of North American archaeology. ”—Metin I. Eren, American Antiquity

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More biodiverse farming and harvesting food from forests can help food security With over one billion people going to bed hungry each night and more than 800 million people suffering from nutrient deficiencies causing long-term negative health impacts as big an issue in the 21st century as it ever has been. Contemporary models of agricultural monoculture have led to a devastating loss of biodiversity and, of course, our petrochemical-based, industrial-scale agriculture also contributes significantly to greenhouse gas emissions. Although many thousands of plant species have contributed to human nutrition over the millenia, today just 12 plant crops and 14 animal species today provide 98% of human food needs. Wheat, rice and maize alone account for more than half of the human global energy intake. This trend towards diet simplification has negative impacts on food security, nutritional balance and also health. For increased resilience to the effects of environmental challenges and simultaneously to decrease vulnerability for rural populations, we need increased diversity of agricultural production. Even standing rainforests can provide access to an important range of fruits, nuts and animal protein, at the same time maintaining biodiversity and food diversity. According to CIFOR (Centre for International Forestry Research), as the world becomes increasingly urbanized, populations are particularly vulnerable to increases in food prices. The food riots in Cameroon and Haiti in 2008 and the regime changes in Tunisia and Egypt last year have all been directly linked to increased prices of basic foodstuffs.

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|Rouen city center| When I think of half-timbered construction I automatically think of Tudor England in about the 15th century. But this building technique, where the structural members are of wood infilled with masonry, was used by the Romans and can be found in various incarnations throughout the world. Probably the highest concentration of French half-timbered buildings remains in Normandy, the region northwest of Paris, of which Rouen is the capital. In the Middle Ages, when construction first began in this style, the timbers used for framing were extremely long, thus the early style is called bois longs (long wood). But by the early 13th century, as trees became less plentiful and narrow village streets made it difficult to transport long timbers, the size of the wood members decreased. A new style known as bois courts (short wood) arose. Short wood construction allowed for some significant architectural improvements. Medieval carpenters began to build corbeled facades, in which each floor overhung the one below. This gave each house more space on the upper floors (a real bonus since the homeowner was taxed on the square footage of the ground floor), and in Rouen, where it rains without stopping, the overhangs kept the walls and sidewalks below dry. But as the buildings became wider, the streets became narrower and increasingly dark. Fire was also a constant hazard. For these reasons and because they hoped to improve air quality and fight the plague, the Rouen town fathers outlawed corbeled facades in 1520. |House with moderately corbeled facade where the upper floors slightly project over the floors below. Other examples were so extreme that buildings on opposite sides of the street practically touched. | |Country cottage - Calvados, Normandy| |Sainte Catherine's Roman Catholic Church - Honfleur, Normandy| |Modern paint that gives a pretty good idea of how the original details would have looked - Tours.| Of all the things I love about these buildings, it's the decorative details that I enjoy the most. Each hand-carved element tells a story about the owners, builders, political leaders, church elders, belief systems and thought processes of the time. We in the 21st century may not understand all of the implications, but nonetheless, they speak to us. The carvings may be cheerful or frightening, but they're always thought-provoking. Below is my favorite house in Rouen - a handsome four-story example of colombage with beautifully patterned brick infill. It looks formal and imposing. That is, until you study the details, and then you don't know what to think about it. In the lower right hand corner is a creature with a human body, a lion's (? ) tail and furry paws, holding a human mask. Tucked into the corbel behind him is a small figure with an exquisitely carved face who looks like he's about to wet his tights. "Supporting" the corbeled second floor are four figures, one of which is a man with his back partially turned to us. Dressed in a simple tunic he looks like a common laborer. But maybe he's a thief with that rather skulking body language. In any case he's not the social equal of the woman to his right who is dressed in the height of fashion, holding what looks to be a Bible. Yet she's got her skirts hiked up and is showing not only her shoes, but a good deal of leg also - pretty risqué for the time! Between the two, carved into the frieze, is a human face that appears to be keeping a sharp eye on that male figure. |House - Rouen, Normandy| |Details of same house. | And just because I'm on a roll and have already uploaded the photos - take a look at these details from another building in Rouen. First up is the mason, who looks like a very tired Elmer Fudd. This poor man's practically working in his sleep. Just look at those bags under his eyes. And here's the local bishop (you can tell from his headgear). I think he looks sort of sanctimonious. And isn't he overstepping his bounds a little by having himself portrayed as a dragon slayer, à la Saint Michael? And finally there's the architect, looking slightly smug with his floor plans and model in hand. Or maybe he's just trying to figure out how he's going to get paid for all his hard work. I'm sure you understand that these are all just my personal impressions. But that's what makes these buildings so wonderful - they demand that you exercise your powers of observation and interact with them on a very personal, emotional level. And to me, that's what architecture should be all about.

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IGCSE was previously University of CIE, Cambridge International Examinations, in 1988. In fact, since 1858, University of Cambridge is the UK local examination board. The term "IGCSE" is a trademark registered of University of Cambridge. Normally, when someone says IGCSE, it is taken as the IGCSE Cambridge from the CIE board. The curricula of the IGCSE are similar to O-Level rather than the GCSE UK national curriculums. Thus, the examination basis is considered rigorous and more challenging. IGCSE is now offered in independent schools and private international schools in more than 120 countries. The IGCSE certificate is recognized by most major colleges and universities. It satisfies the entry level requirement of universities and institutions in many countries. Thus, students may enter university on completing IGCSE. Nevertheless, most prefer pursuing to International Baccalaureate or A-Level. IGCSE is prominent among adult students and homeschoolers. IGCSE is taken by students in the age group of 14-16 or 15-17. It permits students from alternative education and also the adult students to sit for exams and pursue personal education advancement. Some homeschooling educators are choosing IGCSE opposing the regular American high school curriculums as it is one more year advanced than the regular course of American high school. IGCSE has over 70 subjects. Students must take a minimum of 5 and maximum 14 subjects. First, second languages, sciences including physics, biology and chemistry and Mathematics are the core subjects. Students choosing other subjects are accounting, economics, business studies and sociology to computer studies, art & design and information & communication technology. Students are awarded the IGCSE certificate for each subject. If you take 5 subjects, you receive 5 IGCSE certificates. The number of subjects to be taken vary with each school. The IGCSE follows grade system from A * to G, and "Ungraded" is U. Students must obtain minimum C grade for the 5 core subjects to proceed to the advanced level or further education. IGCSE grading overview is as below: A * is 4. 0 or 4. 3 as grade A is 4. 0 B is 3. 7 C is 3. 0 D is 2. 3 E is 2. 0 F is 1. 3 G is 1. o U is 0. 0 (ungraded) Group Award Cambridge ICE The Cambridge ICE certificate denotes group award designed to offer a broad curriculum. Candidates give minimum seven subjects from the five IGCSE curriculum areas: Group 1 – Languages Group 2 – Social Sciences and Humanities Group 3 – Sciences Group 4 – Mathematics Group 5 – Creative, Vocational and Technical Cambridge ICE is awarded on passing in at least 7 Cambridge IGCSE subjects, and this includes two from Group 1 and one from Groups 2 to 5. The seventh subject can be anything chosen from the syllabus groups.

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In 2004, the Chancellor of University of California, San Diego determined that his home, University House, was unfit to live in and had the building closed. In addition to being much loved throughout the community, the property is of significant cultural importance. Ancestral tribal burial grounds were found on the property years ago. The original plan for the house would have demolished the historic structure and the tribal burial grounds. The community and local tribes expressed serious concerns about the proposed project and had the location designated a Sanctified Cemetery pursuant to the California Public Resources Code. Through the use of CEQA, the community was able to protect a valuable cultural resource by preventing the demolition of University House and sacred tribal lands. The CEQA environmental review process ensured that the public remained informed about the plans for the property and provided a framework for community input to the University. Once University staff learned about the public’s concerns, they decided to work with the community and developed a rehabilitation plan to restore the historic structure and protect the landform that contains the ancestral burial grounds.

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It's claimed sleeping longer than eight hours a night could be linked to early death. People who stay in bed for longer than 10 hours are also more likely to die of a stroke or heart disease. Researchers say data from 3 million people suggests those who get 10 hours are 30% more likely to die early. However, it has also claimed those who don't get enough sleep are more at risk of getting illnesses such as heart disease. The research has also revealed though that a lack of sleep can also be harmful to our health.

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A gas pump is an important part in a car’s gas shipment system. In the majority of the cars we locate engine located at the front end of the lorry as well as the gas tank at the other end. The primary feature of fuel pump is to draw the gas from the storage tank and compel it to the engine. Though some old styles do not require fuel pump, for a number of the most recent non gravity based engines it is a vital element and is often called as ‘the heart of the car’. In this write up, we will discuss about both fundamental types and also the advantages of one over the various other. There are two kinds of mechanical pumps old design mechanical pumps and also new style GDI pumps. They can be discovered in few old model engines that have carburetors. The pump attracts fuel from the tank and also presses it to the carburetor when the engine is running. Their outcome stress is fairly reduced 4 to 10 psi. These reduced stress pumps are often mounted on the top of the engine. The advent of Gasoline Direct Injection GDI systems which can deliver gas at very high stress has generated the high pressure fuel pumps driven by Grabe. These high pressure pumps could produce gas stress approximately 2,000 psi and also higher, which assist the GDI engines to accomplish better fuel economic climate with high power result and decreased emissions. They make use of a piston which is triggered by an electromagnetic coil to generate stress as well as thus assist the gas circulation. They have several applications and are taken into consideration as universal sort of electrical fuel pumps. They have impellers which pull and press the gas. This is the common type of pump made use of in lots of cars. Though they work much quieter, they produce limited pressure. These pumps have a gas inlet and also electrical outlet between which a gas system is positioned with an armature to pump the fuel under pressure from the inlet to the outlet. Brushless pumps are usually utilized in diesel motor. Compared to the old style reduced stress mechanical fuel pumps, electric ones are little in size as well as light in weight. This compact dimension permits them to quickly suit inside the gas tank. Furthermore, use of little gadgets minimizes the electrical lots and also thus, controls the gas consumption. Nonetheless, electric pumps are bit expensive.

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The Birds Stork Terrorizes German Village A marauding stork has been attacking cars and windows in a northern German village, doing a fair share of property damage in the process. A conservationist says the incidents highlight bigger problems for the species. In traditional European folklore, storks symbolize fertility and good luck. But after this summer, residents of one northern German village are more likely to associate the large birds with bills from the auto repair shop. According to local media reports, a male stork has been "patrolling" the streets of Bergholz, in the state of Mecklenburg Western-Pomerania, attacking cars and house windows. Mayor Ulrich Kersten told news agency DPA that at least four cars had been dented by the stork, causing an estimated 300 to 1,000 ($390 to $1,300) in damage, depending on the model. "This stork sees his reflection in the sides of cars or windows and thinks it is a rival in his territory," says Helmut Eggers, head of the state's working group for the protection of the White Stork with the Nature and Biodiversity Conservation Union (NABU). "It only follows that he would try to chase this rival away by pecking at him. " In hopes of preventing further damage by the stork, locals have reportedly started covering their vehicles and windows with blankets and cardboard. Eggers says that he has heard repeated reports of such incidents in recent years, and calls it "totally normal biological behavior. " He blames the phenomenon in part on improvements in industrial materials, which have made them more reflective. Lost Habitat Partially to Blame At first, residents weren't sure where the scratches and dents on their cars were coming from, until one family caught the stork in the act. "We saw the bird messing with our family car," Kerstin Werth told daily Der Nordkurier. "After we shooed the stork away, our neighbors' car was next. " Another family told the paper that the stork -- which has been dubbed "Meister Adebar" after the stork who brings babies in German fairy tales -- woke up the entire house at 5 a. m. as it attacked their terrace window. According to stork conservationist Eggers, the large birds can injure themselves this way, and the problem points to a larger issue for the more than 830 stork pairs that were counted nesting in the state last year. Encroachment on the birds' natural habitat is driving them into residential areas, he says. "The shrinking food supply means they are venturing into people's gardens and into the streets," Eggers told SPIEGEL ONLINE. "That means they are more likely to come into contact with these reflections. "

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A computer is compared to a calculator; used to increase the speed and accuracy of numerical computations–the abacus and more modern mechanical calculators (dating back more than 5, 000 years ago–using rows of sliding beads or mechanical rods an gears to perform arithmetic operations. However, even during the nineteenth century calculators were very commonly used for calculation, but they were not considered computers. A computer is defined as a mechanical or electronic device that can efficiently store, retrieve, and manipulate large amounts of information at high speeds and with extreme accuracy. Additionally, computers are built to perform and execute tasks, while accommodating intermediate results without human intervention. This is achieved by the computer utilizing a list of instructions called a program. History: Computers and Technology An Englishman, named Charles Babbage, designed and assisted to build an absolute computer during the mid-1800s. This machine–the Analytical Engine–was composed mechanical axles and gears by the hundreds. Ultimately, this design was obtuse in sorting and processing 40-digit numbers. Also, because of Babbage’s engineering venture, an Ada Agusta Byron–the daughter of a Lord Byron of those times–took the reins and exploited this invention. In relation, a primary program was labeled Ada. Moreover, unfortunately for Babbage’s work, the project was complete as it was considered detrimentally complex for the technology of those days. Thereafter, computers were put on hold for a while. Seventy years after Charles Babbage’s death, computers became of importance to certain professors and scholars of the early twentieth century. In fact, two masters from Iowa State University–John Atansoff and Clifford Berry–along with Harvard University’s Howard Aiken took interest in completing computer projects. However, their ideal success wasn’t very true. Labeled as having intermediate results, the Atansoff-Berry project did actually operate–requiring multiple interventions by the operator while in use. And Aikens’s Mark I simply did not perform independently. VACUUM TUBES AND TRANSISTORS Vacuum Tubes–ENIAC: Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer Furthermore, a few years later, led by the infamous J. Presper Eckert and John Mauchly–of the University of Pennsylvania–achieved the developments of fully functional electronic computer (the ENIAC). The ENIAC became a large attribute regardless of its huge appearance; 80 feet long; 8 feet wide; weighing 33 tons; comprised of 17, 000 vacuum tubes that were included in its circuitry–consumed 175, 000 watts of electricity, while executing computations of 5, 000 additions per second. Next, the vacuum tube intervention last for a sound decade, as great computer kings–IBM and Remington–adopted the concept; acquiring a mandated climate-controlled environment attained by large businesses, university systems and primary government agencies.

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It hits you suddenly, when you're just relaxing, sipping on a Slurpee or downing some ice cream. That cold, seizing headache known as brain freeze. But, what's happening there? What is brain freeze anyway? Turns out scientists didn't really know what brain freeze was or how it worked until recently. Today, researchers presented their work on brain freeze at the Experimental Biology annual meeting. What they found is that the ice-cream induced headaches you feel are probably due to a change in blood flow to the brain. To figure out what was going on, researchers asked volunteers to come into the lab and intentionally give themselves brain freeze by sipping ice water through a straw. While they sat in pain, the researchers watched where the blood in their brains was flowing. They showed that the pain seemed to be related to a sudden change in blood moving in a specific part of the brain called the anterior cerebral artery. That's one of the two main arteries in the brain, both of which supply blood to big parts of your noggin. Their theory is this. The brain needs to work all the time, so it's primed to signal us to stop doing anything that might hurt it. The brain is also a closed system inside your head. So to keep the brain working, it has to stay at a certain temperature. When you drink something cold, that temperature drops. To compensate, the brain sends warm blood into the brain. That sudden rush of warm blood increases the blood pressure in the brain, and causes pain. While brain freeze itself isn't dangerous at all - it goes away after a minute or so - understanding how it works could lead to insights into other, more debilitating headaches like migraines. But migraines themselves are hard to study, because you never know when they might start. Brain freeze, on the other hand is easy to induce in the lab. So using these brain imaging techniques to see what's going on in a frozen brain, could help researchers develop better treatments for those with less-predictable, longer lasting headaches. Image: eyeliam, Flickr

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Go to google and type in titrations lab. The 6th result "Performing Titration Lab" has lots of information and even a virtual titration tool that you can use to get the hang of it! Oh, PERFECT! Thanks you so much! I'll check the 7th one right now! My mistake, the 7th result. Use 40 ml of KOH for your calculations. 1. Calculate the concentration of the HCl acid sample you titrated in this lab for two of the trials you ran that did not have an overshot endpoint. You will be reporting two answers. You can do your calculations on a piece of scratch paper. Trial 1 concentration: Trial 2 concentration: We can't help on this first one because you don't list any values for the titration. And it's unclear what the 40 mL KOH has to do with it. 2. Explain how you arrived at your answers. Same response for #2. No data. 3. Imagine that you ran a similar titration using HCl as the sample with 3. 56 M KOH as the titrant. Calculate the concentration of the HCl if the sample size were 25 mL, and if the volume of the titrant used were 29. 6 mL. Here you have a titration using 25 mL HCl and you titrate it with 29. 6 mL of 3. 56 M KOH. In all of these calculations, just remember a couple of things. One is the definition of molarity. M = mols/L which can be rearranged to mols = M x L or L = mols/M. The second, when mass is involved is mols = grams/molar mass. For this problem, how many mols KOH were used in the titration? That is mol=M x L = 3. 56 x 0. 0296 L = 0. 1054 mol KOH. Since KOH and HCl react 1:1 in a balanced equation (you may want to write the equation), that means we have 0. 1054 mol HCl at the equivalence point. So what is the molarity of the HCl? M = mols/L = 0. 1054 mol/0. 025 L = 4. 215 M which I would round to 4. 22 M for HCl. 4. Calculate the concentration of a 50. 0 mL sample of HBr acid, which was titrated with 37. 7 mL of 0. 57 M NaOH base. Done exactly the same way as problem 3. 5. Explain the difference between the equivalence point and the endpoint of a titration. The equivalence point is the exact point at which the acid/base system is neutralized. The end point is where the indicator shows that the equivalence point has been reached. The end point and the equivalence point will be almost the same IF the indicator has been chosen properly. 6. Explain why an overshot endpoint is not a good titration. Isn't this an obvious answer Oh, thanks SO much DrBob222! I'm going to go step by step the way you dictated it! I'm going to try and work it out right now! Okay, for number 1 and number 2, they were both for an experiment that was online, sorry for the confusion- I think I'll be fine answering it! If anything, I'll ask about it with specific detail- thank you guys! i have a titration lab with sodium hydroxide with an unknown vinegar all i know is we have 0. 3 M sodium hydroxide solution (250 mL)and a 50ml burette that when titration was done the avg. of 3 trials was 27. 7 mL im not sure what id write for the hypothesis of this lab or what a balanced chemical equation would be Okay, finished some Chem quizes, and now here's number 3, with DrBob222's directions (hope I did this right: Titration using 50mL of HBr acid with 37. 7mL of 0. 57 M NaOH base. Home many M NaOH base in titration (mol= M * L) 0. 57 * 0. 0377 L= 0. 21489mol NaOH base. Molarity of HBr acid: M HBr= 0. 021489/0. 050L= 0. 42978 M Thanks a lot everyone! what's suggest an application for acid/base titration Keep it simple please hey ur website is very confusing

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Advising a teenager is an art that few have mastered – especially when it comes to money management. During our children’s teen years, we basically are trying to keep the bumpers on, letting them have minor crashes while we help steer them between the lines. Their finances should follow the same format. Some parents opt not to let their teens work while attending school. Others say work is reality; sacrifices have to be made in life. No matter your opinion, there are basic guidelines to consider. If you do choose the allowance route, I recommend connecting it to schoolwork. At this point in life, their job is their education. Time and effort are expended during the school day, and skills are honed through homework after school. If a teen’s overall job performance warrants compensation, then compensate. However, should your child’s performance be less than stellar (based on potential), give no compensation. Keep it simple, paying according to project grades and report cards. Most occupations are evaluated on the net results, not the process, so paying for daily or weekly grades that are not a measurement of overall performance doesn’t reflect the real world of finance. You can also evaluate the previous year’s performance annually and increase the allowance or keep it the same, depending on the results. If during the school year performance starts to suffer, have a conversation to see what might be happening before you withhold pay. Sometimes grades fall for reasons other than poor study habits, procrastination, or laziness. By inquiring first, you foster concern which helps strengthen your relationship. If you believe your teenager should work while in school, monitoring is simpler. If grades begin to suffer, work schedules are reduced and there’s less spending money. Also, before the first paycheck arrives, have a conversation about systematic savings. In my 22 years of practice, those clients who saved incremental amounts on a systematic basis accumulated far more than those who relied on bonuses and tax returns to augment their savings. For the same reasons, encourage your teen to give you a small amount from each paycheck to hold until it’s enough to open a savings account at the bank. Remember: The overall amount is not as important as instilling the habit of saving and teaching the value of money. Whether your teen earns money through a job or academic performance, require him to pay money toward the expense of living. For example, making a contribution toward car insurance or paying for extra-curricular activities helps teens recognize that money is needed for basic living, not just discretionary spending. This reality check early in life may keep them from experiencing negative consequences later when they’re out on their own. We parents should always be preparing for what one of my best friends calls the launch. A little dose of financial reality now goes a long way in raising responsible, productive, and self-supporting kids. Angie Fritter has worked in the finance industry for over 20 years. She is President of The Fritter Group and a mother of one.

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For decades, the attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) spotlight has focused on kids and men, but women with the disorder are beginning to gain more attention. Ari Tuckman, PsyD, a clinical psychologist in West Chester, Pennsylvania, says this disparity may be due to a public misconception: Even though ADHD affects both males and females, many people think it occurs mostly in boys and men. Therefore, fewer women than men seek help for ADD/ADHD symptoms, and doctors are less likely to suspect that female patients have the disorder. The resulting missed diagnoses increase the chances that a woman with ADHD may develop one or more of the related conditions listed below. Anxiety and depression. "Females are often initially diagnosed with anxiety or depression instead of ADHD," Dr. Tuckman says. Although women may indeed have anxiety and depression, research has found that ADD/ADHD may be at the root of many of these problems. "Women's ADHD symptoms contribute to their becoming anxious and depressed," Tuckman notes. "And, if the correct diagnosis of ADHD is missed, they only partially benefit from treatment for the anxiety and depression. " Obesity and eating disorders. Research has linked women with ADHD to an increased chance of being overweight or having an eating disorder. "This makes sense, since organization and concentration are required to eat a healthy diet and work out regularly," says Tuckman." By contrast, scattered women with ADHD are more likely to grab quick meals, overeat, or look to food to provide comfort from their ADHD symptoms. " Addictions. Some research has found women with ADHD to be at risk for drug or alcohol abuse or other harmful addictions. "Habit-forming, impulse-related behaviors, such as gambling or shopping addictions, also often have a strong association with ADHD," says Tuckman. Getting Help for ADHD If you suspect that your ADHD is leading you down a harmful path, Tuckman suggests consulting a therapist, psychiatrist, and/or life coach. "Just make sure to consult someone who has experience treating adult ADHD and the unique issues faced by women with ADHD," he notes. The right therapist can devise an ADHD-specific cognitive-behavioral treatment plan that focuses on such issues as self-esteem, interpersonal and family problems, daily health habits, stress levels, and life-management skills. "This type of treatment combines therapy that focuses on psychological issues of ADHD, like self-esteem and self-blame, with rehabilitative tools that guide women away from destructive behaviors like overeating or alcohol abuse," Tuckman adds. Joining a support group for women with ADHD is also helpful. "Talking with women who know firsthand how impulses can affect your life is a healthy outlet for frustration," says Tuckman. The National Center for Gender Issues and ADD(ADHD) has several links to resources available for women with ADHD.

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The discovery demonstrates again that the technique known as gravitational lensing is a powerful tool for better understanding the origin of the universe. Via further applications of this remarkable technique, astrophysicists may be able to better understand the mystery of how the so-called "Dark Ages" came to an end. According to California Institute of Technology astronomer Jean-Paul Kneib, who is the lead author reporting the discovery in a forthcoming article in the Astrophysical Journal, the galaxy is most likely the first detected close to a redshift of 7. 0, meaning that it is rushing away from Earth at an extremely high speed due to the expansion of the universe. The distance is so great that the galaxy's ultraviolet light has been stretched to the point of being observed at infrared wavelengths. The team first detected the new galaxy in a long exposure of the Abell 2218 cluster taken with the Hubble Space Telescope's Advanced Camera for Surveys. Analysis of a sequence of Hubble images indicate a redshift of at least 6. 6, but additional work with the Keck Observatory's 10-meter telescopes suggests that the astronomers have found an object whose redshift is close to 7. 0. Redshift is a measure of the factor by which the wavelength of light is stretched by the expansion of the universe. The greater the shift, the more distant the object and the earlier it is being seen in cosmic history. "As we were searching for distant galaxies magnified by Abell 2218, we detected a pair of strikingly similar images whose arrangement and color indicated a very distant object," said Kneib. "The existence of two images of the same object indicated that the phenomenon of gravitational lensing was at work. " The key to the new discovery is the effect the Abell 2218 cluster's gigantic mass has on light passing by it. As a consequence of Einstein's theory of relativity, light is bent and can be focused in a predictable way due to the warpage of space-time near massive objects. In this case the phenomenon actually magnifies and produces multiple images of the same source. The new source in Abell 2218 is magnified by a factor of 25. The role of gravitational lensing as a useful phenomenon in cosmology was first pointed out by the Caltech astronomer Fritz Zwicky in 1937, who even suggested it could be used to discover distant galaxies that would otherwise be too faint to be seen. "The galaxy we have discovered is extremely faint, and verifying its distance has been an extraordinarily challenging adventure," Kneib added. "Without the magnification of 25 afforded by the foreground cluster, this early object could simply not have been identified or studied in any detail with presently available telescopes. Indeed, even with aid of the cosmic lens, our study has only been possible by pushing our current observatories to the limits of their capabilities. " Using the unique combination of the high resolution of Hubble and the magnification of the cosmic lens, the researchers estimate that the galaxy is small--perhaps measuring only 2,000 light-years across—but forming stars at an extremely high rate. An intriguing property of the new galaxy is the apparent lack of the typically bright hydrogen emission seen in many distant objects. Also, its intense ultraviolet signal is much stronger than that seen in later star-forming galaxies, suggesting that the galaxy may be composed primarily of massive stars. "The unusual properties of this distant source are very tantalizing because, if verified by further study, they could represent those expected for young stellar systems that ended the dark ages," said Richard Ellis, Steele Family Professor of Astronomy, and a coauthor of the article. The term "Dark Ages" was coined by the British astronomer Sir Martin Rees to signify the period in cosmic history when hydrogen atoms first formed but stars had not yet had the opportunity to condense and ignite. Nobody is quite clear how long this phase lasted, and the detailed study of the cosmic sources that brought this period to an end is a major goal of modern cosmology. The team plans to continue the search for additional extremely distant galaxies by looking through other cosmic lenses in the sky. "Estimating the abundance and characteristic properties of sources at early times is particularly important in understanding how the Dark Ages came to an end," said Mike Santos, a former Caltech graduate student involved in the discovery and now a postdoctoral researcher at the Institute of Astronomy in Cambridge, England. "We are eager to learn more by finding further examples, although it will no doubt be challenging. " The Caltech team reporting on the discovery consists of Kneib, Ellis, Santos, and Johan Richard. Kneib and Richard are also affiliated with the Observatoire Midi-Pyrenees of Toulouse, France. Santos is also at the Institute of Astronomy, in Cambridge. The research was funded in part by NASA. The W. M. Keck Observatory is managed by the California Association for Research in Astronomy, a scientific partnership between the California Institute of Technology, the University of California, and NASA. For more information, visit the observatory online at www. keckobservatory. org.

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While the overtone of Britishness is written large throughout the story of mod culture, it would be wrong to describe the movement as being one that was solely interested in Britain. Many of the best most loved musical genres of the mod movement originated from outside Britain, whether it was American soul or the Jamaican ska tunes that sound tracked the era. It would also be fair to say that there was a strong Italian influence on the first mod movement and this should always be celebrated when examining the importance of mod culture over the years. When it comes to Italian culture impacting on the modernist movement, many people will instinctively think of the fashion element. Fine suits with a well-cut finish or high quality shoes brought a touch of Italian flair and style to the movement but for a lot of mods, the most important Italian element came in how they got around town. When you think of scooter brands, it is likely that you will think of Lambretta or Vespa, both of which originated in Italy. In many ways, the role of Italy in the war, the end of the war and then the imposing limitations placed on Italy, especially with respect to creating aircrafts, had a huge impact on the scooter industry and in turn, mod culture. Economic factors influenced the need for scooters The Piaggio company was one of the many firms that suffered through this and their Pontedera fighter plane plant was not only limited by the impositions placed upon them, the plant was also demolished in a bombing raid. The state of the Italian economy was in a very bad way, as were the roads, and there was no money to repair them to a good level. The decision was made by Enrico Piaggio, the founder of the company’s son, to exit from the aeronautical industry and set about providing affordable transport for the Italian people. This led to the creation of the Vespa company in 1946. The Vespa company, was the first to be founded although it was a close run thing. There was a very similar story for the Lambretta company, who were also looking to rebuild their business after the ravages of war. In an ironic twist, the future and success of the Vespa and Lambretta companies had a lot to do with the influence of the American military in Italy. The style and impetus for these companies came from the Cushman scooters which arrived in Italy in huge numbers to provide field transport for the Marines and Paratroops that were in the country. Even with the German’s having a tactic of blowing up bridges and destroying roads in the Dolomite region of the Alps and the borders of Austria, these scooters provided an effective and efficient way of getting around the region. Design features would be great for mods Although not constructed with the mod in mind, some of the design features of these scooters would provide exactly what the culture was looking for. The Lambretta and Vespa scooters both had front shield areas which provided an added level of protection to ensure that the rider kept their clothes clean and dry at the front. In comparison to the motorbike, this would be a tremendous element for the fashion conscious. There was also the thought that the design of the scooter was far more suitable for women, again especially in comparison with motorbikes, which would be a boon in mod culture. Without wishing to delve into a major topic too lightly, many were of the opinion that the mod culture placed women on a more equal basis with the men, especially in comparison to the rocker youth movement and the choice of scooters as the main form of transport was of benefit to both genders. While these scooters found success in Europe, there is no doubt that the success in the UK outstripped the rest of the continent. The mod culture came about at the right time and the scooter came along at the right time to be the perfect vehicle for this youth movement. The affordability of these vehicles were perfect for a youth movement who were looking for an affordable traffic solution but the sleek and stylish design also fitted in superbly with the mod outlook with regards to fashion. The peak of popularity of mod culture can probably be indicated by the fact that in the mid-1960s, the biggest market in the world for Vespa’s was in the United Kingdom. Even to this day, the UK market is the second biggest market in the world for Vespa and that shows no sign of changing.

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1994, the Nobel Prize in Medicine was awarded jointly to Rodbell and Alfred G. Gilman of the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center for the discovery and their role in signal transduction Gilman provided a critical piece of the puzzle. He isolated the transducer molecules and defined their structure. Because they were proteins that bind GTP, Gilman called them G-proteins.

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Bethel House, located in a small fishing village in northern Japan, was founded in 1984 as an intentional community for people with schizophrenia and other psychiatric disorders. Using a unique, community approach to psychosocial recovery, Bethel House focuses as much on social integration as on therapeutic work. As a centerpiece of this approach, Bethel House started its own businesses in order to create employment and socialization opportunities for its residents and to change public attitudes toward the mentally ill, but also quite unintentionally provided a significant boost to the distressed local economy. Through its work programs, communal living, and close relationship between hospital and town, Bethel has been remarkably successful in carefully reintegrating its members into Japanese society. It has become known as a model alternative to long-term institutionalization. Read alsoSocial Science Literature: A Bibliography for International Law This bibliography is a companion volume to International Law and the Social Sciences. One of the aims of the earlier work by Wesley L. Gould and Michael Barkun was to show how social science concepts could be employed in research in international law. With the support and encouragement of the American Society of international Law, they have… In A Disability of the Soul, Karen Nakamura explores how the members of this unique community struggle with their lives, their illnesses, and the meaning of community. Told through engaging historical narrative, insightful ethnographic vignettes, and compelling life stories, her account of Bethel House depicts its achievements and setbacks, its promises and limitations. The print edition of the book is accompanied by a DVD containing two fascinating documentaries about Bethel made by the author-Bethel: Community and Schizophrenia in Northern Japan and A Japanese Funeral (winner of the Society for Visual Anthropology Short Film Award and the Society for East Asian Anthropology David Plath Media Award). The ebook contains a link to the site where readers can stream both films. A Disability of the Soul is a sensitive and multidimensional portrait of what it means to live with mental illness in contemporary Japan.

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